I have lived the majority of my 22 short years in one of the most beautiful places on this planet - Kalispell, MT. The entire human population of of Montana (aka "Big Sky Country") does not exceed the number of cows, but the people you find are something else.

Since it's baseball season and I'm in the land of "Twins Win!" ... I will use a baseball analogy. When you're at a baseball game and you are eating excessive amounts of peanuts, only one thing is better than a home run - finding 3 nuts in one shell! This rarely happens, but when it does I know most people jump for joy, yell and scream, and most likely hug complete strangers. It is the best thing about baseball. Period. Meeting people in Montana is the same way. You find more "3 nuts in a shell" type people than anywhere in the U.S.A.

I've learned that Montana and Minnesota have been facilitating an unofficial exchange program. The higher education in Minnesota brings Montanans to colleges throughout the land o' lakes and the mountains and adventure bring Minnesotans to Montana. Ain't that swell?!

Near the turn of the millennium - when the Backstreet Boys were 'larger than life,' my clothes were kind of cool, and we were all ten years younger - Minnesota blessed the state of Montana with a man by the name of Jim Bjork.

Jimmy B hails from Fergus Falls, MN where he was the Young Life Area Director for many years. God opened up the doors for Jim and his family to come to the Flathead Valley and bring the message of Christ to the local high schools. Jim's unique gift of being able to do absolutely everything (except text message) has impacted the lives of hundreds, probably thousands of teenagers in the past few years.

I'll never forget learning that my Ford Bronco II had a carburetor, not fuel injection, and that a car can't have both at the same time. (This was after Jim let me try to convince him that it was fuel injected with a carburetor.) Bjork knows how to fix just about everything, and if he doesn't know how, he'll make something up and you'll think he knows what he's doing. Jim has a fleet of cars with quirks. Sometimes these quirks give tow truck drivers something to do. I will always remember that everyone you meet has a story, even the tow truck driver with fewer teeth than a turtle. That's enough said about his mechanical abilities.

Going places with Jim is always an adventure. New things to see, old things to talk about, funny stories to tell, and of course, new people to meet. Jim is good at reading name tags. Reading a name tag properly is like opening a book. Not only does Jim read name tags, but he opens books.

Every week I was blessed to open the Bible with Jim. Sitting at Sykes, home of 10 cent coffee and scrambled eggs wrapped around bread (aka French Toast), we talked about life, watched old people, and tuned in to "Jim's Bible Bullet." The Good News of Jesus permeates through the life of Jim Bjork and in at least one case (me) it has had an eternal impact.

Laying on the trampoline in the hot sun, discussing the plan for life on this earth, and dreaming of eternity at Jesus' feet; Jim tried to quote that Kansas song, but left me remembering this ...

"All we are, are farts in the wind."