Have you ever had a friend go on and on about how they once sat in the same restaurant as a famous actor?  Or that their cousin once saw some NBA player walking in a local park?  Well, I’m going to be that friend right now.

This past weekend was the Minnesota State High School Wrestling Tournament.  Lots of strong, young men competing in one of the toughest sports there is.  We had our eye on one particular wrestler, though.  In class AAA, the #4 ranked wrestler at 160 lbs., senior Cody Skog of Cambridge-Isanti, upset the #1  and #3 ranked wrestlers in Minnesota on the way to capturing the State Title, the highest honor in high school wrestling.  Here’s a few pictures of the state champ:

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Now, I did once wrestle in a tournament and came home with a black eye, but earned 4th place in the process.  What?  You want to know how many wrestlers were in the field?  You would ask that!  Well the answer is four…that’s right, I placed 4th out of 4!  So, obviously our connection to Cody is not a wrestling mentor relationship.  So, what is the link?  Mom, Dad…do you remember?  Here’s a hint via a 2002 picture:

That sharp tike to the right there is none other than Cody Skog, our ring bearer.

During my senior year at Bethel College, I was placed in a long-term field experience as part of my education requirements.  The teacher I was to shadow and learn from was Darrell Skog, an elementary teacher and Cody’s father.  The placement was a godsend, as Darrell was exactly the kind of teacher I wanted to be…a man of faith, firm, but able to have fun with his students.  He introduced me to one of my favorite books, told me countless Ole and Lena jokes, and would share his own lunch with me when this college student would constantly forget to bring one.

He not only opened up his classroom to me, but his own home and life.  Seriously, when I needed a place to stay, the Skog family opened their home to me and invited me to stay with them.  They took an interest in my life and allowed me to tag along in theirs.  I was blessed beyond measure during the time I spent with them to watch two parents who set high standards, enjoyed life as a family, and kept pointing their kids to the LORD.

It’s why I wasn’t surprised at all, while reading the online report of Cody’s state championship in the Isanti County News, when I noted this statement with my eyes welling up:

Cody’s faith has also been instrumental in accumulating 211 career victories over six years of varsity wrestling.

“Jesus is more important to me than wrestling, and God’s plan is greater than my plan. All the glory goes to Him. It’s been an amazing opportunity to see where He’s taken me and be part of that,” finished Skog who is looking at pursuing some form of ministry in his post-secondary plans.

Cody, you may not remember standing in our wedding eleven years ago, but we’re still gonna let people know that our ring bearer is a State Champ.  We’re proud of your title, and even more so, of your testimony.  Keep repping Christ…He’s the greatest link to fame we have.purchase cialis in usa