[insert creative title here]

Ah...

2007-05-28T22:45:00.000-04:00

Yet another reason why I like Homestarrunner.com

Ah, Mac humor

2007-05-20T23:29:00.001-04:00

Found this somewhere...

Awesome quote

2007-05-11T17:52:00.001-04:00

I read this the other day, and just found myself praising God that He is more childlike than we are...

[Children] have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough... It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again," to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again," to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike: it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.
-- G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

(No, I'm not reading Orthodoxy. This was found in When I Don't Desire God by John Piper.)

God's Approval

2007-05-09T15:37:00.000-04:00

I found this on desiringgod.org, and God really encouraged me by it. Just sharing it in case anyone else would benefit from it, too.

People don’t earn God’s approval or receive life and salvation because of anything they’ve done. Rather, the only reason they receive life and salvation is because of God’s kindness through Christ. There is no other way.

Many Christians are tired of hearing this teaching over and over. They think that they learned it all long ago. However, they barely understand how important it really is. If it continues to be taught as truth, the Christian church will remain united and pure – free from decay. This truth alone makes and sustains Christianity. You might hear an immature Christian brag about how well he knows that we receive God’s approval through God’s kindness and not because of anything we do to earn it. But if he goes on to say that this is easy to put into practice, then have no doubt he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and he probably never will. We can never learn this truth completely or brag that we understand it fully. Learning this truth is an art. We will always remain students of it, and it will always be our teacher.

The people who truly understand that they receive God’s approval by faith and put this into practice don’t brag that they have fully mastered it. Rather, they think of it as a pleasant taste or aroma that they are always pursuing. These people are astonished that they can’t comprehend it as fully as they would like. They hunger and thirst for it. They yearn for it more and more. They never get tired of hearing about this truth.

-Martin Luther, Quoted in Faith Alone

Quick thoughts on the Woman at the Well

2007-05-05T13:33:00.000-04:00

Some evangelists talk about Jesus's evangelistic "approach" to the woman at the well as being a way to show her how she's broken God's law and how she needs a Savior -- Him. While it's true that we've broken God's Law and we need a Savior -- Jesus -- the more I read and think of this passage, the more I don't see that as His primary focus. I'd like others input on this to see if I'm not seeing something correctly, too.

He asks her for a drink. She's bewildered that someone from outside her social class would dare ask that. Personally, I normally focus on how He said He would have given her living water if she had known who He was and if she would have asked. But the very first part of His response is, "If you knew the gift of God." His first response to her is about the gift of God -- which is Himself. It was not about, "Here's how you've broken God's Law." She knew that. She knew the Law. She was a Samaritan who regarded the first five books of the Bible. He simply keeps talking to her about this living water, not about her sin first, which I've heard evangelists say is "the model" -- in so many words. When she isn't understanding, then He asks her to get her husband. Looking at the whole conversation, it doesn't seem that His point is that she's broken God's Law, but that she is going to other things that don't satisfy. This is the definition of sin -- going to anything other than God, which won't satisfy, and therefore is insulting to God.

People say that at this point, she attributes at least a prophet status to Jesus, but after that, she "changes the subject" to places of worship. For the first time, I saw God's sovereign hand at work in this conversation: From her viewpoint, she may have been trying to change the subject, or she may not have. However, it's kind of ironic (sarcasm) that the subject she changes it to is about worship -- the very thing that Jesus has been talking about; that is, finding satisfaction in Him, which IS worshiping Him.

After Jesus explains to her (and us) about what true worship is, she says she believes that Messiah will explain everything about it to her. The thing is, He just did explain it to her throughout their conversation -- another example of God's sovereign hand at work again. :) Jesus then revealed that He is the Messiah. What's so amazing is how John records that "left her waterpot." I remember reading somewhere that this is a metaphor of how she has now left her old life of sin (trying to find satisfaction in anything other that God) and wanting the living water.

So, it seems to me that Jesus's main point in His encounter with the woman at the well is about worship and not just the fact that we need a Savior from the wrath of God.

New Camera!

2007-04-01T22:12:00.000-04:00

Well, as some of you know, I've been wanting to get an SLR camera for some time now. This weekend was a pretty decent sale on the kind I wanted, so my parents, being as generous as they are, chipped in and helped me out as my early birthday present. Needless to say, I will probably be posting more pictures over time. Oh man, if I had this thing in Switzerland...

My dog, taken with the new camera, a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi.

Super Bowl XLI

2007-02-06T00:58:00.001-05:00

Well, while I was thoroughly disappointed with the lack of good commercials during this year's Super Bowl, I wasn't disappointed at a coach of a team that, if I actually liked football enough to watch it, I would probably root for.

This is Tony Dungy, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, a man who lost his son to suicide over a year ago. As I was looking up this story while I'm typing this post, I realized that I actually heard his testimony on the radio on the way to work a few weeks ago, and forgot that it was the same man. He gave honor to Jesus Christ after his son's death...

“If God had talked to me before James’ death and said his death would have helped all these people, it would have saved them and healed their sins, but I would have to take your son, I would have said no, I can’t do that.

“But God had the same choice 2,000 years ago with His Son, Jesus Christ, and it paved the way for you and me to have eternal life. That’s the benefit I got, that’s the benefit James got and that’s the benefit you can get if you accept Jesus into your heart today as your Savior.”

“I want you to know there is a peace in your mind through God’s spirit when you know Jesus and know you will be in heaven with Him.”

The announcers said that, at the beginning of the season (or the beginning of his coaching of them?), he told the players to listen to him, because that's as loud as his voice would ever get. The announcers also said that the players would listen to him and do what he said, not out of fear of repercussion, like other coaches, but out of fear of letting him down. What great display of Christ's character!

Their team won the Super Bowl (in case you didn't know). The head coach of the other team was African-American as well. As a result, he was the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl. Of course, this is a big thing, AND it's Black History Month. I usually get a little miffed at the whole idea of singling out an ethnic group on doing a good job at something, especially when we concentrate on one race more than another. But Tony Dungy, when asked how he felt about this honor, gave a better response than I could ever think of. I can't find the quote online, but he said something like, It's a great honor to be the first African-American coach to win the Super Bowl. I think others could have done it better were they given the chance, and I'm really honored...but what I'm most proud of is a Christian coach winning.

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility."
-- Ephesians 2:13-16

2007-01-07T13:02:00.000-05:00

I submitted this wallpaper to my favorites wallpaper site, then decided I wanted to add the Scripture into the picture, rather than just the description. I just thought others might enjoy it as well. The picture was taken off of Gordon Road.

Let me know if you want a widescreen version.

So Cool

2007-01-06T15:42:00.000-05:00

The first person to name who this is will instantly be in my top 5 favorite people.

Ski Trip

2007-01-03T22:13:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd share some pictures from my ski trip in WV this past weekend.

First off, we start out with this monster actually making its way up the Shenandoahs in front of Scott and Kassie's car. Notice how it takes up two lanes. Yes, believe me, I had time to take the picture before we rounded the corner.

Now, onto the nicer moments...

Scott and scenery...

Scott

Me and scenery

Me

Ah, what wonderful conditions in warm December. (That's sarcasm.) That grassy stuff was closed off. Actually, there was fairly good conditions, despite it being in the mid 40's.

Scott and Kassie during night skiing. Well, night lifting, I guess.

During the ride home, I drove through a town that reminded me of Europe, though I didn't realize it until my dad saw the picture and pointed it out. I was like, "That's why I felt I liked it so much!"

The Nativity Story

2006-12-16T20:23:00.000-05:00

This afternoon, my parents and I went to see The Nativity Story. I'm so psyched that Hollywood is actually presenting movies that claim to be biblical that are actually biblical. I highly recommend this movie.

I find it really annoying when cell phones go off during movies, especially when there's a message at the beginning saying to turn them off. Right when Jesus was born, someone's cell phone alarm went off...and kept going off. Of course, I was thinking, How dare that person not turn off their cell phone at a time like this! But then, the verse about "the stones crying out" came to mind. Then I thought, Everyone's cell phones should be going off right now!

This movie did SUCH a great job. It presented Joseph and Mary as real people. Mary's parents did NOT believe her at first, nor did Joseph, and there was very much a sense of Joseph and Mary realizing that their lives will be changed completely, and that people will not look at them the same. "Joseph, being a righteous man..." Many people wouldn't see him as righteous now, choosing to still marry someone who now has a child by supposed fornication.

The best overall blessing I received from the movie was the very real sense of God willing to condescend and actually give this gift of His Son to humble people. Things like when Joseph was straightening out the hay in the manger before putting Jesus in it. The angel saying to the shepherd, "for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." In other words, Christ the Lord, as a baby, in a FEEDING TROUGH. Wow! They even had Mary say part of her song in Luke 1.

Anyway, go see the movie!

The Fox and the River

2006-11-19T19:21:00.000-05:00

Well, last Thursday we had massive rain in northern VA. I think we had a lot here, too, but I don't know. At work, I had gone outside to get something out of my car, and went back inside. A few minutes later, I was talking with one of the building's network administrator's near the back garage door, when he asked if I had seen the creek. Apparently, I hadn't seen this thing when I went out to my car, and I'm not sure how I didn't see it. I went back outside to my car to grab my camera and take a video and pictures of this:

I believe this is what is called a flash flood.

I also happened to see this little guy (or girl) walk across the path in front of me. I guess s/he was looking for higher ground. (Sorry for the water spot.)

Yup, that's a fox. I think it was a tiny bit smaller than my dog.

Quizzes

2006-11-11T19:23:00.000-05:00

I just had to take these quizzes that I found on a friend of a friend's xanga site. I think the second one is more accurate than the first. On the first one, the last couple sentences are kind of off.

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary.
You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward.
Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts.
All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?

You scored as Neo, the "One". Neo is the computer hacker-turned-Messiah of the Matrix. He leads a small group of human rebels against the technology that controls them. Neo doubts his ability to lead but doesn't want to disappoint his friends. His goal is for a world where all men know the Truth and are free from the bonds of the Matrix.

Neo, the "One"

58%

Batman, the Dark Knight

54%

The Terminator

46%

The Amazing Spider-Man

46%

Captain Jack Sparrow

42%

Indiana Jones

42%

William Wallace

42%

Maximus

42%

Lara Croft

38%

James Bond, Agent 007

33%

El Zorro

13%

Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0
created with QuizFarm.com

Sheep

2006-11-01T19:22:00.000-05:00

What does this picture make you think? I'm curious on poeple's responses. Be as totally honest and thoughtful as you feel like. It's called "Curiosity," and I found it on www.interfacelift.com, a great wallpaper site.

The Death of Steve Irwin

2006-09-11T16:59:00.000-04:00

Out on facebook, I noticed someone in my friends list joined a group called "Steve Irwin's memorial." I was reading some of the comments by people when I noticed these two:

"Awesome guy worthy of memory, he dared to go closer to animals than ever before. He died doing what he loved. In the end, that's all we can ever ask for. Be at peace."

"R.I.P steve u had more guts than most people."

I have no idea where Steve Irwin was with the Lord, but I know I was shamed by his display of courage. "He dared to go closer to animals than ever before." Do I dare to get close with people who do not know Jesus Christ? "He died doing what he loved." I love sharing Christ...why do I not do it all the time, and therefore really rob myself from glorifying God? "Steve, you had more guts than most people." Steve Irwin had more guts approaching animals and trying to help them than I have in risking myself getting closer to unbelievers. God, fix my busted heart.

The first quote can be applied to Jesus Christ. What an exemplary life indeed. The most exemplary.

Job Status

2006-09-07T18:12:00.000-04:00

Well, it turns out, due to circumstance I don't feel like explaining, I will most likely not be getting the job at the Pentagon. Many of you know that my heart was set on this job for the better part of a year. It was pretty much my dream job. It all seemed like it was a go. I still haven't given up on it until the last moment, but I just don't know what to do right now. It seems like I should accept the other job offer I had, but I'm not sure it would be a good fit. Should I wait for something else? *sigh*

Lord, put me where You want me, and let me know that's where You want me.

Name this video game...

2006-09-07T16:05:00.000-04:00

Oh man, I cracked up when I saw this.

Jack Handey Quote of the Week #4

2006-08-31T19:32:00.000-04:00

"If you're in a war, instead of throwing a hand grenade at the enemy, throw one of those small pumpkins. Maybe it'll make everyone think how stupid war is, and while they are thinking, you can throw a real grenade at them."

Free Derek Webb!

2006-08-30T19:27:00.000-04:00

Jack Handey Quote of the Week #3.5

2006-08-23T17:17:00.000-04:00

"When this girl at the art museum asked me whom I liked better, Monet or Manet, I said, 'I like mayonnaise.' She just stared at me, so I said it again, louder. Then she left. I guess she went to try to find some mayonnaise for me."

Jack Handey Quote of the Week #3

2006-08-21T12:02:00.000-04:00

"Laurie got offended that I used the word 'puke.' But to me, that's what her dinner tasted like."

You Are Mighty

2006-08-18T11:12:00.000-04:00

Someone at work sent me this site: http://www.jobsite.co.uk/youaremighty/index2.html

He used my name in it, and I found it kind of funny. However, I found this to be a better purpose for it...
http://jesus.christ.youaremighty.com

Once you do that, you really don't want to use any other name. :)

Check it out.

Jack Handey Quote of the Week #2

2006-08-14T10:29:00.000-04:00

"Sometimes when I feel like killing someone, I do a little trick to calm myself down. I'll go over to the persons house and ring the doorbell. When the person comes to the door, I'm gone, but you know what I've left on the porch? A jack-o-lantern with a knife stuck in the side of it's head with a note that says 'You.' After that I usually feel a lot better, and no harm done."

Jack Handey Quote of the Week #1

2006-08-05T19:11:00.000-04:00

I've deciced to start sharing some of my favorite Jack Handey quotes with you all.

"Why can't the ant and the caterpillar just get along? One eats grass, the other eats Caterpillars... Oh, I see now."
--Jack Handey

'Possuuuummmss....!!!

2006-08-04T12:29:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don't get the title of this post...I'm truly sorry. I'm willing to bet that Aaron Q. will get it, though.

I've been housesitting for a family from my church this week. Their cat, Max, can be let outside for days on end. Last night, I went outside to see if I could call him back. I saw something hop up on the railing, thinking, "Oh. There he is." So, I turn on the porch light to see something that made me jump...

This was one of the largest opossums (or possums?) I've ever seen. He/She was actually kind of cute, despite the long, freaky-looking tail, which, now that I think about it, reminds me of this guy...

He was just kind of chilling out, scratching himself, and looking generally lazy and relaxed (which is probably the reason they don't get out of the way of cars). I quickly and softly went out to my car to get my camera. He was still there when I got back. I walked outside, not too close to him, to get some shots of him. Here's a couple more, including one of him yawning (which he did several times -- and real big yawns, too)...

This morning, the mom of the house called me to find out how things were going. I told her about her wildlife, and she told me that she's seen baby 'possums around there. I guess I saw the mom or the dad.

Well, 'till next time...

Aaron and Jennie's Wedding

2006-07-25T11:35:00.000-04:00

Come back here later to read how it went! (I'm busy right now, and it may be a longer post than my last one.)

Aaron's Bachelor Trip

2006-07-21T10:37:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Aaron's bachelor trip. I say trip, because if I say party, people immediately start getting the wrong impressions. (Well, at least the people I work with do.) We had a great time.

We started out at Aaron's house at 5:30a.m., but didn't actually leave until about 6:00a.m. We drove down to VA Beach and arrived at the jetski rental place at 8:50a.m. We all got individual jetskis for 30min. I've been on jetskis a few times when I was younger, but this was the first time I've been able to go out into the ocean. It was so sweet. There are waves in the ocean (duh), making riding the jetski and full throttle rather bumpy. You can do jumps much easier than you can in lakes or other bodies of freshwater. Unfortunately, we have no pictures of this. This wore me out something fierce. When you have a desk job and don't do many physically strenuous thing, when you DO do them, it wipes you out. I didn't really how tired I was getting until I tried to get off the jetski and almost couldn't. Well, moving on from Kevin's wimpiness...

We ate at Subway (mmm...) at the beach. We sat there for a little while and re-cooped from jetskiing. (By the way, VA Beach public parking is cheaper than parking in DC or northern VA. It was $5 for an entire day.)

After this, we hit up the beach. God provided a tropical depression of the coast the past few days, so we had great waves for boogie boarding and body surfing. The weather was great all around, even though it was hot. Thankfully Aaron and Mac brought their flippers, because the lifeguard won't let people go out in the water very far at all. (In fact, Harlan and I got in trouble for going out to far without flippers, after which I promptly apologized to the lifeguard.) His reasoning was that children would see us go out that far, then they would want to. As a sidenote, this reasoning doesn't make sense to me for two reasons: 1. The kids can't see and don't care whether or not we're wearing flippers, and 2. they couldn't go out very far if they wanted to, because the waves would beat them back. It was hard enough for us to get far enough out. I was quite happy that I remembered to bring my boogie board, even though body surfing was WAY more fun -- especially when I did a faceplant into Aaron's ankle, then my chin in the surface of the sand under the water, to which my reaction was to laugh at it all while I was still under water wondering what was happening. I even arose out of the water laughing, yet hurting. (I'm weird.) Near the end, while we were drying off, we noticed a Miniature Pinshcer linked to a chair on the beach. Harlan tried to make friends with it and almost succeeded. However, I believe Kris was nipped at twice. Yeah, somehow that doesn't surpise me.

Josh

Harlan

Mac

Oh, and during all this I was getting a steady sunburn, despite the 4 SPF lotion that provided significantly less than a stone wall against sunburning.

After this, we went to Bruster's and got some ice cream. There was no place to sit inside, so we just stood there and ate. The employees didn't seem to mind.

We then went to the aquarium (in a weird roundabout way, thanks to my dad's crazy GPS (but hey, it DOES work great)). However, instead of going to see fish, otters, sharks, whales, and whatever else they have there, we went to see a larger than life "man of steel" whose colors include red, blue, and a little yellow. His name was "Superman," and we saw his "returning." IMAX theaters are amazing -- the best picture quality I've ever seen, some scenes are in 3D, and probably the best theater sound I've ever heard. Oh, and the screen is six stories high. We had all seen the movie before, but Aaron hadn't yet. And technically, Harlan and Chris have now seen it 1.5 times, considering they were sleeping, with Harlan lightly snoring next to me. I personally throroughly enjoy this movie, despite reviews giving it a merely above average rating. The messianic overtones in it are simply amazing and beautiful. Aaron, Mac, and myself and a very good conversation about it on the way home.

Once the movie got out, I went up and asked one of the aquarium's employees about good restaurants around there. She asked me what type of food I was looking for, to which I promply replied authoritatively, "Seafood." She said, "Well, there's a Captain George's..." to which I shot back, "Are you serious?!" For those of you who haven't been to Captain George's, it is the best (in my opinion) all you can eat seafood buffet. We all had a great time and great food. After a while, when the effects of the day started making us extremely tired, Josh and myself, being the drivers, were eager to leave and hopefully make it back to Aaron's house at midnight. They gave us complimentary coffee which I speedily drank.

We hit the road and made it back to Aaron's house at around midnight or 12:30a.m. -- I don't really remember which one, because it's by the grace of God that He kept me from falling asleep.

Needless to say, as I'm typing this at work, I'm exhausted, sore, tired, sunburned, and rejoicing for such a great time yesterday!

Here's to you, Aaron!

Peace out, MySpace

2006-07-03T13:19:00.000-04:00

I have finally decided to say "peace out" to MySpace. It just seems like it's become the Gomorrah of blog sites, and I'm leaving. Here's to all my friends out there. Know that it's nothing against you.

I will still be posting on my other site -- my new Xanga site. Also, I will (sometime) be updating my Europe site. Yes, I know Xanga is pretty inferior to Blogger, but it seems more people are on that that I know right now. It sort of reminds me when we (computer people) were using ICQ all the time, then the world jumped on the IM bandwagon and started using AOL Instant Messenger. If we wanted to talk to anyone, we were forced to use AIM, and therefore ICQ, the vastly superior of the two, was forced out of the picture (circa 1999-2000). (This also reminds me of all things Microsoft.)

Of course, if I receive e-mail updates of people responding to anything on my MySpace (that's redundant), I will check it out, but that's about the extent of my usage of it.

The Sovereignty of God

2006-06-22T17:32:00.000-04:00

As some of you know, my theology has been changing over the past year-and-a-half to two years. My beliefs have become mostly "Calvinistic" as some would call it. However, I do not even prefer to use that term, because it's of the Word of God, not of John Calvin.

I came across this quote from Jonathan Edwards this morning as I was reading about another subject. This very much describes how I've felt during these past two years...

"From my childhood up, my mind had been full of objections against the doctrine of God's sovereignty in choosing whom He would to eternal life...It used to appear like a horrible doctrine to me. But I have often, since that first conviction, had quite another kind of sense of God's sovereignty than I had then. I have often since had not only a conviction, but a delightful conviction. The doctrine has very often appeared exceeding pleasant, bright, and sweet. Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God. But my first conviction was not so."
--Jonathan Edwards

It's very comforting to me that not every believer straight off the bat believes in the absolute sovereignty of God. If Jonathan Edwards of all people felt that way -- wow, that sure makes me feel a little more sane. :)

Posting this from Office 2007 Beta 2 on Vista Ultimate Beta 2

2006-06-15T23:46:00.000-04:00

There is an option in Microsoft Word 2007 to post to your blogs. You give which blog provider you use, your username and password, and then you select which blog you want to post to. It even does images.

Bored out of my Gourd

2006-06-13T12:42:00.000-04:00

Seriously. I went from working a LOT the past week and a half, to doing almost nothing at all these past two days. This is driving me insane.

Speaking of driving, it took me 2.5 hours to get to work today. I borrowed my dad's brand new GPS, and decided to take its detour routes because of a motorcycle accident that blocked I-95 for a while. There was actually another motorcycle accident -- in Maryland, I think -- this morning as well. What is it with motorcycle accidents this week? Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers had something like 7 hours of surgery for his accident. Then again, he also wasn't wearing a helmet. Man, those things are deathmobiles. (Scott, I hope you're reading this, but probably not, since most people use MySpace, Xanga, and other slow, vastly inferior blogging mechanisms.)

I asked the Lord's forgiveness for actually losing my temper at the combination of the traffic, the GPS having some technical difficulties, and the apparent Murphy's Law (that happens almost every time) of me actually getting up much earlier than normal just so that I can start work early, only to end up with yet another traffic accident slowing me up. The GPS wouldn't respond, and I needed to know when my turn was coming up. Nonetheless, I hate it when I get that angry, I almost never do anymore, so if I do, I feel pretty junky about it. As I was getting to work, my mom happened to call me to ask me about something else, and she helped calm me down. Thank you, God, for arranging that one.

So anyway, I'm insanely bored. *sigh* I can't wait for kabobs tonight at Josh and Jadey's. Maybe I'll leave here early, make up the hours later this week, and help them cook. Ah...like old times -- Grill Day.

Superman Returns

2006-05-02T16:59:00.000-04:00

A day or two ago, I watch the teaser trailer for Superman Returns, the new Superman movie coming out this summer. It really appealed to me for some reason, and then I realized why. During the trailer, you hear Superman's father saying this. I am quoting exactly...

"Even though you have been raised as a human being, you are not one of them. They could be a great people, Kal-El; they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all -- their capacity for good -- I am sending you, my only son."

The messianic overtones in this are inescapable. This is seriously one of the best movie trailers I've ever seen.

I DO realize that not everything in that statement is biblical. It's not supposed to be...it's a movie. However, not everything in The Chronicles of Narnia is completely biblical, and it still can be used of God for His purposes, just like everything else. I could restate what his father says very slightly differently and make it sound biblical...

"You have been raised as a human being...They [will] be a great people, Kal-El; however, they [do not] wish to be. [I am choosing them as a people of My own.] They ... lack the Light to show the Way. For this reason...I am sending You, My only Son."

First of all, let me just say that I know this is only a part of the gospel. However, I believe this movie has some very good possible opportunites to share the gospel with people. I kept out the "capacity for good" part, though we DO have the capacity for good...we simply need the Spirit of God to carry it out. "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13) I simply don't believe that that is the reason "above all" for God sending His Son. Also, Jesus didn't need to be told that He was more than human. In fact, He was human AND God.

Also, for more on the topic of Superman's name, Kal-El, read this.

(I may end up adding more information about this later, seeing as I wrote it quickly, and have already edited it multiple times.)

High Dynamic Range Imaging

2006-04-26T14:49:00.000-04:00

I am trying something new with still pictures call High Dynamic Range Imaging. (Make sure to check out the HDR images at that link. They're amazing!) It involves taking several of the same shot at different exposures and combining them. Here's the first somewhat successful try...

-1 exposure

+1 exposure

Tone mapped HDR result of the first two. (A little dark, I know, but hey...this is my first somewhat successful attempt.)

Wonder Bread

2006-04-25T11:35:00.000-04:00

Late last week, as I was diving into the gushing torrent that is the Route 3 / I-95 North merge lane, I saw a Wonder Bread truck near me. This started another torrent...of thoughts of our culture. I realized that Wonder Bread says volumes of our culture.

As you may know, Wonder Bread is not actually that wondrous. It is bleached, and much of the nutrients are eliminated. It is also harder for the body to digest, because, if I remember correctly, it can actually somewhat attach to the GI tract. Anyway... For the most part people like it because of the texture. In other words, it feels good.

Wheat bread on the other hand tastes better (to those who realize the waste of Wonder Bread), it is not bleached, it is easier to digest (and acutally helps digestion), it is not bleached, and it does not have nutrients eliminated.

I found the spiritual parallel truths here to be "wondrous." The world likes spiritual "Wonder Bread." Note the following...

Wonder Bread --> The World's Spiritual Food
Bleached --> Made to look good, when it's not. (Matthew 23:27; Acts 23:3)
Nutrients eliminated --> Produces death (James 1:15 maybe?)
Hard to digest --> The way of the transgressor is hard (Proverbs 13:15)

There are many more parallels that I'm sure could be made. The world operates off of feeling, putting on a good face of things that aren't good.

Then, what is the real "Wonder Bread?" The Bread of Life that produces wonder in us is Jesus Christ Himself (John 6). He provides REAL nutrition. He may be hard to digest, but He cleans us out. (Sorry, a little gross, but still a great parallel.) He is also the Word (John 1:1). Reading the Word daily and digesting it IS our daily bread.

Jesus Christ through the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit IS our healthy bread that produces true wonder in our lives.

(For more on the concept of true wonder, I would recommend Ravi Zacharias's Recapture the Wonder.)

All praise to our True "Wonder Bread!" The Bread of Life that produces true wonder.

The beard is gone!

2006-04-19T17:00:00.000-04:00

That's right. That's not some special code or lingo meaning something else. My beard really is gone, for those who haven't seen it yet. I'm not sure I like it, though most people seem to. It's kind of irritating without it. Maybe I just have a terrible razor. We'll see how it goes for awhile, but I may grow it back if it continues to be irritating.

Take It for Granted!

2006-04-11T11:08:00.000-04:00

This morning, I was thinking about how we use the phrase "take it for granted." We use it to convey thoughts of negligent ingratitude, or just being used to blessings. However, the phrase in itself is actually completely correct. We should take things for granted -- they have been granted to us by God. If we can see that they are granted by God, we will have gratitude.

So, if you have any blessings in your life, know that they're from God, and TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED!

"Jesus answered, 'You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above...'"
-- John 19:11a

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."
-- James 1:17

Am I of Christ?

2006-04-06T12:33:00.000-04:00

Many of us, including myself, naturally want to model our lives after someone. Many of us Christians want to be associated with important people of the faith. We look up to different people, be it Martin Luther, John Calvin, John MacArthur, our own pastor, etc. Some of these people may be great men because of the Lord, and may be great mentors, but they are still men. I don't believe we should be identified by any mere man's doctrine...

"Now I say this, that each of you says, 'I am of Paul,' or 'I am of Apollos,' or 'I am of Cephas,' or 'I am of Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?...For when one says, 'I am of Paul,' and another, 'I am of Apollos,' are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase."
-- 1 Corinthians 1:12-13; 3:4-7

I think we can apply this to ourselves by saying. "Was Luther crucified for me? Was Calvin crucified for me? Was I baptized in the name of John MacArthur? Was I baptized in the name of [insert your idol here]?" I think we could even do it with denominations. "Were Baptists crucified for me? Was I baptized in the name of Presbyterians? Were Bible churches crucified for me? etc."

God's shown me that I am guilty of this in regards to people and mentors. Also, in the past, I have been so frustrated over denominational affiliation that I don't consider myself a part of a denomination. However, the Lord's also shown me that I have actually been proud that I am not part of a denomination, which is just the same as being proud of being affiliated with a denomination.

Reflections and Confession

2006-04-06T12:19:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I attended a NANC conference with some members of my church. It is a Christian organization that promotes true Biblical counseling and trains counselors. The approach itself is Biblical. After last weekend, God's been showing me some things about myself that I'm not pleased with at all. Things that I haven't done that I should have done and/or should be doing and things that I've done that I have been proud of. Actually, it's also things God has done that I have been proud of.

I have, my whole life, immensely struggled with the fear of man. I didn't quite realize how much until I started reading a book this week that I got at the conference called, When People are Big and God is Small. I'm not even halfway through it, and it has already revealed much of the fear of man in me. Best of all, it's extremely biblical. It demolishes all the "self-esteem" talk of our culture. Everyone struggles with peer pressure, codependency, and/or the fear of man (which is the big one for me), therefore, I believe everyone should read this book. Well, that's enough for plugging the book. :)

I just wanted to confess to everyone that reads this blog that I apologize for my approach to addressing issues that I deem important. I still believe the issues I've addressed are important, but it's my approach that has been very wrong. It has had a sinful air of pride and judgmentalism. I just wanted everyone to know that God is reworking my focus on how I see people.

Again, I am deeply sorry for how I've acted in my posting. I will stive, with the Lord's help, to make my posts God-focused and not try to pin what I talk about on others, but myself instead, including myself in the human race this time.

U2 and Bono Ridiculosity

2006-03-23T17:34:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if ridiculosity is a word or not, but I'm sticking with it.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm really tired of people trying to say U2 and/or Bono is Christian. This is disheartening to me. I know several people, including some past friends, who would say this. Whether he is or not, I don't know, but what he is trying to convey is in complete opposition to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, whether he knows it or not. I really think that the following images speak for themselves...

Exhibit A
What you see here is quite self-explanatory. The C is the crescent moon of Islam, the X is the star of David of Judaism, and the T is the Cross of Jesus Christ of Christianity. Keep in mind it's in red lights...IN AMSTERDAM -- a city famous for it's "red light district" of legal drugs, prostitution (which is subsidized by the government), and the like. Linking Christianity and Islam is not possible. Sure, we'll "coexist" -- as in we'll live on the same planet, but promoting something like this is really just wishful thinking. Islam's mission, straight from their scriptures, is to kill the infidel. That's YOU, if you're not Muslim.

Exhibit B
Equally ridiculous is Bono himself wearing a bandana which has the same "coexist" nonsense written across the front of it.

It simply astounds me that some Christians are so quick to call Bono a Christian because he may name the name of Christ and because he's a celebrity. I wonder if those same Christians would call someone like that a Christian if they did not have celebrity status. What if I stated to say to you that I think Christians and Satanists should "coexist?"

"Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?"
-- 2 Corinthians 6:14-15

Lancaster, PA

2006-03-06T18:23:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted pictures to this site, so I just thought I'd post some that I really like from Lancaster, PA (Amish country). I went up there with Aaron and other from church during Christmas time to the Sight & Sound Theater to see "The Miracle of Christmas." We visited Amish country while we were there. We're also going during Easter time. I can't wait!

Scenery in Lancaster, PA

More...

and more.

GOOD Christian bumper stickers

2006-02-09T19:13:00.000-05:00

I figured while I'm being negative on the bad "Christian" bumpers stickers, I'd post some GOOD ones. :) Now, those of you who know me know that I don't even have bumpers stickers, and I'm not really a fan of Christian bumper stickers, but, nonetheless, I found these to be truthful.

"Jesus my Judge OR Jesus my Lawyer. It's your choice."

"God helps those who can't help themselves."

"Denial won't help when you stand before Christ."

A C. S. Lewis bumper sticker...
"You do not have a soul, you are a soul. You have a body."

And one of my favorites...
"What if God is asking us for a sign?"

Debunking "Christian" Bumper Stickers - Episode 3

2006-02-09T19:07:00.000-05:00

Now, I must be careful with this one, as I know I will step on people's toes, but please hear me out.

God Bless America

The reason I put this one here is because we are already one of the MOST blessed nations in the entire world -- if not THE most blessed. However, how has America used her freedom? To legalize infanticide? I could list many other ungodly things that America has promoted and done, but I'll refrain. The bottom line is that God cannot bless sin.

As a caveat, let me add that I do pray that God blesses America -- I pray that He turns America around, towards Him.

Debunking "Christian" Bumper Stickers - Episode 2

2006-02-09T18:53:00.000-05:00

Try Jesus! If you don't like Him, Satan will always take you back!

You do not "try" the Creator of the universe, the Almighty God. He is not a product, or a therapist, or a new kind of drink (well, He DOES give living water).

Yup, that's it for this episode.

Aslan Quotes

2006-02-09T18:16:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd post some Aslan quotes from The Chronicles of Narnia. I'll try to provide the appropriate verse that goes with it. Surely C. S. Lewis is one of the greatest allegorical writers of all time. These are marvelous.

“Go and wake the others and tell them to follow. If they will not, then you at least must follow me alone.”

Amazing. Just like Christ asks us to spread the gospel of Him, yet if people do not listen, to "shake the dust off of our feet."

"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." -- Matthew 10:37-38

“But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

As we continue in growth in the Lord Jesus Christ, He will seem bigger and bigger to us. This part was in reference to Lucy seeing Aslan physically larger.

“Lucy went first, biting her lip and trying not to say all the things she thought of saying to Susan. But she forgot them when she fixed her eyes on Aslan.”

When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we tend to forget and let go of our frustrations with others.

"Are you not thirsty?" said the lion.

"I'm dying of thirst," said Jill.

"Then drink," said the lion.

"May I -- could I --- would you mind going away while I do?" said Jill.

The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience.

The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.

"Will you promise not to -- do anything to me, if I do come?" said Jill.

"I make no promise," said the Lion.

Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer.

"Do you eat girls?" she said.

"I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms," said the Lion. It didn't say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.

"I daren't come and drink," said Jill

"Then you will die of thirst," said the Lion.
"Oh dear!" said Jill, coming another step nearer. "I suppose I must go and look for another stream then."

"There is no other stream," said the Lion.

This is quite a similar picture of the woman at the well with Jesus in John 4:

"There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink.' For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, 'How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?' (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, "Give Me a drink," you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.' She said to Him, 'Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?' Jesus answered and said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." The woman said to Him, 'Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.'... ...The woman said to Him, 'I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.' Jesus said to her, 'I who speak to you am He.' "
-- John 4:7-15, 25-26

I believe this one speaks for itself. :)

There's even more biblical references here. This person has laid out many, but believe me, there is most likely even more. (WARNING: Contains spoilers!)

Debunking "Christian" Bumper Stickers - Episode 1

2006-01-27T10:28:00.000-05:00

I'm going to start something new on this blog. I would like to dispell all the false ideas that "Christian" bumper stickers communicate to the unbelieving world. Today, we're going to start with the most popular one...

Jesus Loves You!

You may be thinking, "But Kevin! Jesus does love people! What about John 3:16?!" While this is true, it only tells one small piece of the gospel. This is dangerous. Cults use small pieces of the Bible. Who is Jesus to unbelievers? A good teacher? A great man? A wonderful physician? Dead? Why would they care if Jesus loves them? They have their treasured possessions, families, relationships, etc. to make them feel loved. Why do they need Jesus? Why do they need some "good teaching physician" that's dead to love them? This bumper sticker means almost nothing to many people.

Let's find out what the Bible says about how God feels about sinners...

Psalm 5:5 -- "The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity."
Psalm 11:5 -- "The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates."

According to the above verse, God not only hates the sin, but he also hates the sinner. Note that it does NOT say, "You love all who do iniquity, and You hate the iniquity." Nor does it say, "The one who loves violence His soul loves, and He hates the violence."

Romans 2:5 -- "But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God."

The longer one continues in unbelief and unrepentance, the more wrath he stores up for himself.

We must not preach the second half of the gospel and not the first half (Law then Grace). If we only preach salvation, and not what people need to be saved from, and if we preach only the forgiveness of God and not what people need to be forgiven of, we are actually being unloving towards them. I am guilty of not preaching the gospel to people as well. However, I must learn to preach about sin, death, and hell before I share Christ's redeeming power through His sacrifice.

Some may think that this bumper sticker means that Jesus loves them, including the "way they are." But this is not so. God HATES sin. Sin is the very reason Jesus died. If someone had something in them that cost you your son, and you wanted to bring that person into your family, would you just accept that thing in the other person into your family? No. Sin always brings about death. And death is not annihilation -- it is separation.

You may want to check this out as well.

(THIS POST MAY BE EDITED IN THE NEAR FUTURE. CHECK BACK!)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

2005-12-19T19:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I watched The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the second time. I recommend this movie to everyone. It is truly one the greatest allegories of all time (not to mention my favorites books apart from the Bible). I was amazed at how true they kept to the book. There were only one or two things that I wished that hadn't changed, but for the most part, it was quite accurate! If you've read the book, don't expect the book. My desire is that this movie will encourage viewers to pick up 7 easy to read novels (The Chronicles of Narnia) and thoroughly enjoy them. Lewis was truly a literary genius. I really want to talk about it more, but I do not want to spoil it for anyone. :) GO SEE IT!

Believers in Christ - The Incredibles

2005-08-04T17:40:00.000-04:00

The following just came to me in a matter of seconds at work.

I was reading my Cisco Flash Cards book, and I noticed that you can tear out the pages. It made me think of the scene in The Incredibles where Robert Parr (Mr. Incredible) tears his employee manual in half in one tear after he's fired from his job. "It'd be interesting to see someone do that with these flash cards," I thought.

Then, another thought came to mind. What if someone found that manual torn in half in the trash? Where would it come from? How in the world could someone do that? That's beyond natural human strength. The supers (superheros) had been forced into hiding. The government forbid them to use their superpowers and keep their super identities secret. The world didn't want them. They didn't want the extraordinary or anything beyond what's natural.

And then it hit me...

Believers in Jesus Christ are the supers. The world doesn't want us. They don't want Christ. They don't want the supernatural (beyond what's natural). Even though it could save them, they don't want their boats to be rocked by Jesus Christ. They don't understand that by letting their boat capsize, God Himself will give them a new, glorious boat.

I recommend the next time you watch The Incredibles, watch it with this in mind. Consider the parallels between the feelings of Robert Parr and his family and the feelings we sometimes have as believers...feelings of being silenced, being held back, feeling forced to fit in, and sometimes even wanting to fit in with the world.

"Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were made to stand out?"
-- Leo Giovinetti (quoted as best I can remember)

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."
-- John 15:18-19 (ESV)

"Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you."
-- 1 John 3:13 (ESV)

Where Evolutionary Thinking Leads...

2005-08-02T16:51:00.000-04:00

(This was previously posted on my myspace on July 11, 2005)

I was reading I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist and I found the following quote. I just wanted to give a quick example of where evolutionary thinking leads...

"If nature does not wish that weaker individuals should mate with the stronger, she wishes even less that a superior race should intermingle with an inferior one; because in such cases all her efforts, throughout hundreds of thousands of years, to establish an evolutionary higher state of being, may thus be rendered futile. But such a preservation goes hand-in-hand with the inexorable law that it is the strongest and the best who must triumph and that they have the right to endure. He who would live must fight. He who does not wish to fight in this world, where permanent struggle is the law of life, has not the right to exist."
--Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf

What do YOU think we should follow -- creationism or evolution?

The "gods" of the American Judicial System

2005-08-02T16:48:00.000-04:00

(This was previously posted on my myspace on July 8, 2005)

Due to the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Ten Commandments, the Supreme Court "justices" have now elevated themselves as gods. This is in their own mind, of course.

"For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God." -- Romans 8:6-8 (emphasis added)

However, by removing the Ten Commandments from the inside of the building, where it would be visible to them, they have placed their laws and their judgments over the laws and judgments of God.

This is how I see it happening: Every day, the "justices" see God's Law written inside and outside the building. It burns into their conscience every time they see it. After a while, they can't stand to see, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," "YOU SHALL NOT COVET," "YOU SHALL NOT STEAL." By the time a decision comes to remove them, they jump on the opportunity to ease their conscience, and vote "Yes" to remove the Ten Commandments.

Whether or not this was their motivation, they are actually attesting to the real power of God's Law. Why remove it if it doesn't matter anyway? If it's not true, why bother caring about it in the first place?

I pray that we all ask God to break the hearts of the "justices," and show them, through their own conscience, that His Law is true. Remember, they are still on the ouside of the building, as a reminder to the outside world. The justices STILL KNOW they're out there, too. This could leave room to let God move their hearts towards Him. PRAY FOR THEM.

The Reality of the Presence of Christ

2005-08-02T16:43:00.000-04:00

(This was previously posted on my myspace on June 10, 2005)
As I was reading Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality the other night, I was gripped by a certain part in Chapter 5: The Supernatural Universe. He has been speaking about how reality has two parts: the natural and the supernatural. We may refer to them as physical and spiritual, etc. His point has been to bring the two together, and to show that the Christian should be living out his/her life in both, while the unbeliever is only living in the natural. (This is theologically known as the "natural man," or the "carnal man." Note: Despite what we may believe "carnality" means, it actually just means temporal or physical. This is how the dictionary defines it. Carnality, definition-wise, does not mean sin. However, as long as we try to battle our sinful nature without relying on the Holy Spirit, Who is in the spiritual realm, we will fail.)The part that gripped me was the reality of the spiritual presence of Christ. Of course, I know the Holy Spirit is in me, and I know that God is omnipresent, but after reading a passage of Scripture in a different light, that reality has become more abundantly clear. That passage is Luke 24:31, when Jesus was speaking to the two disciples along the Emmaus road. It reads, "Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight." To quote Francis Schaeffer.

It would in fact be better to translate: "He ceased to be seen of them." Luke does not say that Christ was no longer there. In this particular place they simply did not see him any longer.

This hit me like a ton of bricks. Do you see? He was still there! He simply vanished. And then I realized, He's here with me in this very room. It's as if He is physically here, just invisible, therefore He's spiritually here. This is the reality of the spiritual realm. Knowing, and I mean knowing, that Christ is right here is equally comforting and convicting. I can't really describe how intensely this hit me. I mean, like I said, I've always known this in my head, but never like I do now in my heart. Just imagine if we lived, as Christians, with the reality of Christ's presence all the time. Think of all the difference it would make -- in our own lives and in the lives of others.

GOOD NEWS!!!

2005-07-18T13:39:00.000-04:00

I've been updating my Europe site. It's currently up through Day 27 during my time in Europe. There was a total of 3.5 to 4 months, and I'll be trying to hurry through the rest. Here's the link. The link is also on the right side of this page

http://europeadventures.blogspot.com

The Chronicles of Narnia -- Teaser Trailer

2005-05-11T11:38:00.000-04:00

The first trailer for "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" has been released. Those of you who know my love of the series know how psyched I am about this.

You can view it here.

The "Death" of God?

2005-05-11T11:31:00.000-04:00

I just recently heard of a book called "The Death of God." This statement in and of itself is a complete contradiction of terms. The God of the Bible is an infinite God, not even bound by time (for therefore time itself would be God, and the aforemention "God" would not be God). Something that's infinite cannot die. It's absurd. It's more contradictory than calling white black.

Thoughts on Existence of God (updated 5-3-2005)

2005-05-03T17:18:00.000-04:00

The following are quotes from scientists and others in regards to the Cosmological Argument. It will be updated as time goes on.

"'If there is no God, why is there something rather than nothing?' is a question that we all have to answer. And in light of the evidence, we are left with only two options: either no one created something out of nothing, or else someone created something out of nothing. Which view is more reasonable?"
-- Norman L. Geisler, I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, p. 94.

"Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind."
-- Albert Einstein, Science, Philosophy, and Religion: A Symposium

"Only a rookie who knows nothing about science would say science takes away from faith. If you really study science, it will bring you closer to God."
-- James Tour, Nanoscientist

"Theologians generally are delighted with the proof that the Universe had a beginning, but astronomers are curiously upset. Their reactions provide an interesting demonstration of the response of the scientific mind -- supposedly a very objective mind -- when evidence uncovered by science itself leads to a conflict with the articles of faith in our profession. It turns out to that the scientist behaves the way the rest of us do when our beliefs are in conflict with the evidence. We become irritated, we pretend the conflict doesn't exist, or we paper it over with meaningless phrases."
-- Robert Jastrow, an agnostic, God and the Astronomers, p. 16.

"Since the evidence shows that time, space, and matter were created at the Big Bang, the most probable scientific conclusion is that the universe was caused by something outside of time, space, and matter (i.e., an Eternal Cause)."
-- Norman L. Geisler, I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, p. 89.

"So why then doesn't God need a cause? Because the atheist's contention misunderstands the Law of Causality The Law of Causality does not say that everything needs a cause. It says that something that comes to be needs a cause. God did not come to be. No one made God. He is unmade. As an eternal being, God did not have a beginning, so he didn't need a cause.
'But wait,' the atheist will protest, 'if you can have an eternal God, then I can have an eternal universe! After all, if the universe is eternal, then it did not have a cause.' Yes, it is logically possible that the universe is eternal and therefore didn't have a cause. In fact, it is one of only two possibilities: either the universe, or something outside the universe, is eternal...The problem for the atheist is that while it is logically possible that the universe is eternal, it does not seem to be actually possible. For all the scientific and philosophical evidence tells us the universe cannot be eternal. So by ruling out one of the two options, we are left with the only other option -- something outside the universe is eternal...
...And in light of the evidence, we are left with only two options: either no one created something out of nothing, or else someone created something out of nothing. Which view is more reasonable? Nothing created something? No. Even Julie Andrews [(The Sound of Music)] knew the answer when she sang, 'Nothing comes from nothing. Nothing ever could!' And if you can't believe that nothing caused something, then you don't have enough faith to be an atheist!"
-- Ibid., p. 92-94.

"This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being."
-- Isaac Newton, "General Scholium," in Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy

"Biologists must constantly keep in mind that what they see was not designed, but rather evolved."
-- Francis Crick, codiscoverer of DNA, Darwinist
Yeah, I bet they have to keep telling themselves that, considering the evidence that says the contrary.

"More time will make things worse for the Darwinist, not better. How so?
Let's suppose you throw red, white, and blue confetti out of an airplane 1,000 feet above your house. What's the chance it's going to form the American flag on your front lawn? Very low. Why? Because natural laws will mix up or randomize the confetti. You say, 'Allow more time.' Okay, let's take the plane up to 10,000 feet to give natural laws more time to work on the confetti. Does this improve the probability that the flag wil form on your lawn? No, more time actually makes the flag less likely because natural laws have longer to do what they do -- disorder and randomize."
-- Norman L. Geisler, I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, p. 124-125.

Wars and Religion

2005-02-23T16:26:00.000-05:00

I'm sure we've all heard one of the lamest excuses people use of why "religion" is bad -- War. Well, I've decided to name the major wars of JUST our country. Notice that NONE of them were about "religion."

Revolutionary War
War of 1812
Mexican War
Civil War
Spanish-American War
World War I
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Gulf War

Only the recent War in Iraq is about religion...and that religion is Islam, whose "holy" book teaches Muslims that if someone cannot be converted to Islam they should kill them...preferably by beheading. This is not how Christianity works.

It amazes me how some people want to just abandon Israel. Maybe they should pull out a map and see how small it is. They should see how vast the space around them is that is occupied by Islam, a religion which says take no Jew or Christian to be their friend. (This is in their scriptures.) They should realize that if we abandon Israel, it is the same as watching a group of ten or so bullies beating up a small kid and not doing a thing about it.

"Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. "
--Matthew 24:12

"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem."
--Zechariah 12:2

Can you find the flaw?

2005-02-18T14:40:00.000-05:00

Someone at work showed me this. Using the laws of algebra it can be shown that 2 = 1. Can you find the flaw? ;)

a = b

a + a = a + b

2a = a + b

2a - 2b = a + b - 2b

2(a - b) = a + b - 2b

2(a - b) = (a - b)

2 = 1

New Job!

2005-01-10T20:37:00.000-05:00

Just to let everyone know, I started my new job at Lockheed Martin on January 1st! Please pray for me to be an effective witness on and off the job.

Quick Thought

2005-01-10T13:36:00.000-05:00

I just had a quick thought that I wanted to jot down...

We've all heard people say that our government, nation, etc. is fighting the war in Iraq over oil. If this is truly the case, then why exactly do we not take over other countries and territories that have resourced we could use? Could it be that we actually have a noble cause? Women are subject to terrifying things and are completely oppressed. We say, "Oh, that's their culture." Well, what if you had a relative over there? Would you not interfere because it's "their culture?" What kind of heartless excuse is that? Families were butchered simply because they disagreed with Hussein. He's been responsible for so many deaths... If we stopped Hitler, why not Hussein? Where has America's love of human life gone? The liberals say, "Oh, our poor soldiers and the conditions they go through." It's interesting that you don't hear the soldiers complaining. They say that several thousand have died over there, and that it's a tragedy. Hello?! Do we not kill over 4,000 babies a DAY in this nation?

Isaiah 5:20 - "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"

Matthew 24:12 - ""Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold."

Aaron and I made the paper!

2004-10-19T18:45:00.000-04:00

Here's the article on the Free-Lance Star's site

"Aaron ... and Kevin ... attended separate colleges and graduated a year apart.

But the longtime Spotsylvania County friends wound up in the same place yesterday--Fredericksburg Regional Job Fair.

They were among about 2,200 people seeking the attention of more than 60 employers at the Riverside Center off U.S. 17 in Stafford County. The event was sponsored by The Free Lance-Star Companies and the Virginia Employment Commission.

The 23-year-old [Aaron] has been looking for a job since his college graduation in May, while [Kevin], 24, has been a job-seeker for more than a year.

'It's a circle,' [Aaron] said. 'We need a job, we can't get a job because you need experience, and we can't get experience because we need a job.'

[Aaron], who wants a career in sound engineering, said he has already drafted 25 to 30 versions of his resume in his post-graduation search. [Kevin] said he has learned not to get his hopes up for a job in computers and networking, despite several interviews in recent months."

Scott and Kassie's Wedding, Part 2

2004-10-16T15:00:00.000-04:00

These are pictures from after the wedding ceremony.

What are YOU looking at?

I figured I'd take care of some business while at the wedding. Here's me (the mob boss) and my henchman. Look at the expression on my henchman's face. Even he is shocked at the ruthlessness of my dealings.

No, that's not a yarmulke, it's a baby's hat.

Scott and Kassie's Wedding, Part 1

2004-10-16T13:00:00.000-04:00

Well, we've got a long one here, folks, and this is just part one! This is before, during, and after pronouncement of man and wife for Scott and Kassie. Part two will be after the wedding.

Florida Trip Part 2

2004-10-09T16:04:00.000-04:00

This is the type of seating at a movie theater that's $13.50 during the day, and $17.50 in the evening. No, we didn't get those seats.

Just one HALF of the snack bar there.

The beach!

That's right folks. It's a Dustbuster.

Me, Grandpa, and Grandma. (My mom's parents)

Whoa. Cool.

Florida Trip Part 1

2004-10-02T15:42:00.000-04:00

My grandparents' house

Big bowl o' big grapes

Hurricane ripped off the carport roof of this house

More damage

Annoying keyboard. This one's for you Aaron. Check out the buttons above the arrow keys. Talk about annoying.

Apple's new store!!!

2004-09-18T13:59:00.000-04:00

Japan? Oh sure. I'll just hop on over.

Tyson's Corner Center with Aaron

2004-09-12T17:32:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, Aaron and I went to Tyson's Corner to check out the Apple store. Before we were oo-ing and ah-ing, we noticed a public help terminal that had crashed. Why? It's called Microsoft Windows. What a prelude to visiting the Apple store.

Afterwards, we went to Tyson's II (the Galleria) and went inside the Ritz Carlton. While feeling out of place (and feeling like someone was going to kick me out at anytime for having shorts on) we caroused around and took in the view of the disgustingly wealthy hotel.

Outside the Apple store

One of the beautiful 23" screens in action

I call it a sweet setup with a sweet printer

Anytime I spend more than $1500, I'm not "saving" anything

Strong Bad invades the Apple store!!!

Look who else showed up

*In Strong Bad's voice* Microsoft strikes again!

Stairs inside the Ritz Carlton

The Phantom of the Opera

2004-09-10T15:26:00.000-04:00

I went to see The Phantom of the Opera with my parents at the Hippodrome theatre in Baltimore, Maryland this past Wednesday. I've always heard that this famous play was good, but I had never seen it. It sure lives up to its reputation! The story was wonderful, yet sad and bittersweet. I've already said too much. Go see it for yourself! Don't like theatre? Well, just wait until Christmas, because it's coming to the silver screen! That's right, it's the 4th (or is it 3rd?) movie version. Check it out here. If you watch the trailer, make sure to change the player settings if you don't have broadband, so you it can loader quicker.

Oh, because I'm a genius and forgot to bring my camera, I don't have any pictures of the inside of the theatre for you. It was beautiful.

Old (not really) Friends

2004-09-04T04:11:00.000-04:00

Kyle, Me, and Michael in a Tennessee coffee shop

Just thought I'd post a picture of when I met up with Kyle and Michael a few weeks ago in Tennessee. They're two guys I met during my time at L'Abri, and we got in contact. I'll talk more later, though, cause it's WAY too late right now.

RIP SIGG

2004-09-04T03:37:00.000-04:00

*sniff sniff*

I was going to play Tennis with Aaron Thursday morning, when I discovered a tragedy in my freezer. It seems I overfilled my SIGG water bottle (you know, the one with the Swiss decal on the side), and the above picture resulted. I never overfill it. In fact, I usually underfill it, but I guess I messed up this time. This bottle has a whole lot of sentimental value. I got it during my time at L'Abri in Switzerland. I had previously typed a post for this, but I accidentally lost the page I was on, so I really don't have the emotional effort to make this much longer.

Anyways, I was wondering which one I should get next? Here's SIGG's site. Make sure to click on English! Please leave your opinions in the comments.

Also, I am going to contact SIGG and see if there is anything they can do.

T.G.I. Friday's

2004-09-04T01:04:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I've eaten at T.G.I. Friday's. Tonight, my parents and I decided to try it out. I was expecting pretty good food and terrible service. Not only did we get what I expected, we also got a special treat.

There was a loud noise of dishes and glasses and some thumping sounds coming from the bar. When it lasted longer than two seconds, I immediately realized it was probably a fight. After noticing several people standing up, I did the same and looked over the wall and through the glass (right next to us) to look into the bar. Lo and behold, I saw a drunk man being restrained, and I heard a bunch of shouting. It was quickly resolved, but everyone in the restaurant was either shaken up or annoyed. My father and I were the latter, while my mother was the former. "Ha ha. We need David here," I thought. My dad later said something along the same lines.

What was most annoying about this scenario? The fact that one of the men that was about to get involved was sitting to the table to our left with his family, and he was just as loud as the drunks were, except he was complaining about the whole thing because his kids were there. "This shouldn't happen here. We got kids here. Blah blah blah." That may sound great, but the rest of their time there they were talking about it. He was talking about how he and his father would have taken care of business. Business was already taken care of! The macho attitude some guys have is so stupid. What's he gonna do when a guy pulls a knife on him? He was talking himself up so much that I felt like going over and asking him for his autograph. Yeah, buddy: way to teach your kids violence and arrogance at the same time and terrify your wife by wanting to get involved.

Oh well. Sorry for the ranting. It's just frustrating seeing violent and prideful attitudes in people at the same time. It leads to trouble.

Oh yeah, what was also disturbing was this: When I asked our waiter if they have any bouncers here, he said that a guy behind the bar is about 250 pounds while also saying that most of the waitresses are female. So, if you're one of those crazy bar-hoppers, I hope you feel safe in there, 'cause that's all they got. :)

First Post

2004-09-03T23:19:00.000-04:00

Well, here's my first post. I'm not totally sure what I'll be using this for yet, but I do know that I will be posting some pictures here for all of you, my friends and family.