Daniel Turack

Normality...

2012-01-21T00:49:00.000-06:00

Normality is purely subjective. Many people consider themselves "normal". They also consider certain people around them normal who they feel most closely align with how they think, act, loo...k, ect. Those that they don't get along with or they view as "different" are labeled as abnormal. However other people consider themselves abnormal because they view the majority of those they associate with ...as being so different than themselves and therefore believe that all those people are "normal" while they view themselves as "abnormal". So "normal" is a matter of opinion to each individual. Some have an idea of normal that they feel they have obtained while others have an idea of normal that they yet seek to obtain or feel they never can. But everyone has a personal view of what normal is which makes them all... normal. :)

PS. For those of you who may think this is a rather abnormal blog post...

My point exactly... in your view of "normality" this thought pattern is not "normal" because "normal" people don't "normally" post things that "normal" people will find "abnormal". :D

The Living Gospel

2011-03-07T19:55:00.000-06:00

I recently came across this quote which is attributed to one of the early church leaders;

"Preach the Gospel, if necessary, use words."

This quote reminded me of another saying which is;

"Christians are the only Bible that many unbelievers will read."

Our primary purpose as Christians is to preach the gospel. But so often we fail to remember that we are preaching that gospel in all that we do. How you behave in public speaks volumes to those around you about just what your faith is really about. Christ commissioned us to go into the world and preach the gospel, however that preaching does not cease when we are merely eating at a restaurant or shopping at Wal Mart. It is a daily, minute by minute act whereby we proclaim God's love to the world.

Some Interesting Definitions

2011-03-01T09:17:00.000-06:00

Webster's New World Dictionary Defines Courting as
"the act, process, or period of wooing."

Dating on the other hand is defined as
"to have social arrangements with."

Statistics about population, technology, and alot more

2011-02-27T08:29:00.000-06:00

Here is a five minute video that talks about some very interesting statistics that I thought I'd share. Some of the statistics were interesting, others were just plain shocking.

Miss America 2011

2011-01-20T21:24:00.000-06:00

It's been a few months since I've posted mainly because I've been busy with law school (especially with midterms coming up). So instead of writing an entire post I thought I would just throw out a topic for some discussion.

Recently Miss Nebraska (Teresa Scanlan) was crowned the 2011 Miss America. She is the first Miss Nebraska to be crowned as Miss America and the youngest Miss America (age 17) in the past twenty some years.

Now usually I would not give this a second thought. However I recently heard that she plans to attend Patrick Henry College. So I decided to do a little more research into her background. I discovered that she was home schooled through the tenth grade, is one of seven children, and very outspoken about her Christian faith.

One article I read had a quote from her in which she said that she felt the pageant was were God wanted her and said that she would always pray while getting ready for pageants.

She plans to attend PHC and then go on to pursue a degree in law.

So what do you all think? She is quite obviously seeking to glorify God in this "field" that she is in. So do you all think this is a field Christians should be involed in? What are you thoughts?

My new car

2010-10-10T23:17:00.000-05:00

I recently bought a new car so i thought I'd psot some pics here for ya'll. Actually scratch that. I recently bought a used car. :) But it's new to me.

Protection of Private Property

2010-09-26T23:18:00.000-05:00

In the case Katko v. Briney, the Supreme Court of Iowa held the view that “The value of human life and limb… so outweighs the interest of a possessor of land in excluding from it those whom he is not willing to admit thereto that a possessor of land has… no privilege to use force intended or likely to cause death or serious harm against another whom the possessor sees about to enter his premises or meddle with his chattel, unless the intrusion threatens death or serious bodily harm to the occupiers or users of the premises.” Succinctly put, the court held that a landowner cannot use deadly or extremely dangerous force to protect his property from trespassers. The issue before us is whether it is a biblical principle that a property owner should be prohibited from using excessive force to defend his property.

We will begin by looking at the specific passages that address the issue. In the Old Testament we find only one key passage that really speaks to the heart of the issue. However we find many passages that lay down principles that apply to the issue. The key passage that addresses the issue is found in Exodus 22:2 which reads, “If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed.” The Mosaic Law provided that if a thief was found breaking in, at night, and the owner of the property struck and killed him, the owner would not be held guilty. Now the context of this passage was in reference to someone breaking in and stealing animals. We are not even addressing the actual dwelling place being broken into, but instead outlying cattle pens or buildings. The holding of the court said that a landowner cannot protect his or her property with deadly force. However this Scripture indicates that a landowner has the right to protect his or her property with whatever force necessary.

Now there is a principle in life that is very important to remember with regard to this issue. There are things in life that one can do, and other things that one should do. In this case the “legal” principle in the Bible, what one can do, is use deadly force against a thief and not be held liable for it. However there are many other passages that clearly indicate guidelines for what you should do.

In the New Testament Christ laid down certain principles for His disciples and followers to adhere to. Many times Old Testament commands were clarified or expanded by Christ’s teaching. For example, with regard to adultery, the Old Testament command was “thou shalt not commit adultery”. Christ expanded this command by saying, “Whoever looks on a woman to lust for her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” There were also some Old Testament commands that the religious leaders of His day had distorted to fit their personal agendas. The Old Testament commanded “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” Jesus clarified this command by saying “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” The issue that we are considering was also addressed by some of Christ’s teaching. In Matthew 5:43-45 Christ said “You have heard that it was said ‘you shall love your neighbor and hate you enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies… that you may be sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good.” We should also consider the New Testament principle of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Both of these principles indicate to us the New Testament view of this issue. The principle is to love your enemies and treat them in the way that you would want to be treated. Putting your enemy’s life in danger in your quest to protect your property, is not applying these principles. The only way you can justify using deadly force is in the case where either your life, or your family’s life, is in danger. This force is justified because the duty to protect your family is higher than your duty to your fellow man. Therefore the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling, according to the New Testament, is what you should do.

So how do we reconcile these passages in the Old and New Testament that seem to contradict? Well one way to approach these passages is to come from the view that if commands from the Old Testament and Christ’s teachings contradict, then Christ’s teachings are the higher authority. However, in this instance, I believe that both teachings can coincide without contradicting each other. As I mentioned before, there are things in life that one can do, with regard to “legality”. But then there are other things that one should do, with regard to one’s duty. In this case the Old Testament principle lays out what you can do. You can use deadly force against a trespasser at night and not be held liable. Then Jesus teaching in the New Testament prescribes what you should do. You should treat the trespasser as you would want to be treated not use deadly force against him.

So in conclusion, did the ruling of the Supreme Court of Iowa follow biblical principles? The short answer is no. It is not the duty of government to prohibit the use of deadly force in protection of private property. Jesus commands concerning our treatment of others, concern those who are His followers. We are not to impose religion on others through the medium of law. Morality can be imposed by the government but not religion. When religion is imposed, even though we may adhere to it, that imposition of religion is an encroachment on the freedoms due to man. God has given to humans the ability to decide what they believe, therefore no authority has the right to try to force a certain belief. In this instance each person should be able to legally protect their property with deadly force if they so choose. However Christians should keep in mind that their duty is to care for their fellow man. Therefore they should avoid using deadly force whenever possible while protecting their property.

So...

2010-08-28T19:57:00.000-05:00

I can tell that my last post REALLY interested you all. :) No I understand, it was a little long and deep. The orientation week at Oak Brook went very well. I learned alot and was able to meet alot of new people. There are 25 students in my class, the majority of them being older adults. Right now I am finishing up my first lesson, which takes two weeks, and ready for a day of rest tomorrow. Because of my studying I won't have alot of time to be on here doing new posts, but when I can I'll be sure and do some. But don't be surprised if they start being more and more on the subject of law. I still need to finish up my WIBWIB though and post that, as well as a post on my thoughts regarding music. Anyway, below is a picture of my class.

Law School Application Writing Sample

2010-08-06T13:48:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned before, I recently got accepted to Oak Brook College of Law. One of the admission requirements was for me to write a paper about law. Sorry it's a little long, but that was the length required.

~
"The study of law is an honorable pursuit that many feel called to. However it is no mere walk in the park. In addition to the difficult academic aspect, there are many pitfalls and dangers that face the would-be law student. The dangers are usually based on ungodly worldly philosophies that come straight from the father of lies. These lies have permeated our culture in such a way that they are taught in secular law schools across the nation and, regretfully, have even infiltrated some Christian law schools. This has produced a generation of lawyers that care more about winning a case, than they do about what is just. They ignore the laws of nature and of nature’s God and rely on their faulty human reasoning to determine what is “right”. They may have the best of intentions in this, but good intentions do not make actions right.

One of the primary dangers a law student must avoid is relying on his own reasoning powers and intellect in order to succeed. Worldly, human reasoning is found commonplace in the field of law, but it is a path that is sure to lead to destruction. Instead of following this well trod path, he must daily immerse himself in the Word of God and in seeking God’s face. He must ask, as Solomon asked, for “an understanding heart, to judge Your people,” for without this his best efforts will be in vain. Before he even begins to study law, he should seek to identify the various strongholds in order that, when they appear in his study and practice of law, he can be ready to quickly identify and refute them. This primary stronghold, the following of human reasoning, is the stronghold from which the others directly stem. For all the strongholds are based in human reasoning.

One of the worst of these is that man is the only source of law. Laws are one of the greatest controlling influences in our lives, and when you put man in the position to be the only source for those laws, you deliver to him an immense amount of power. If man is the only authority behind law, then he can change the law whenever he wishes. Man is finite and as such, when relying on his own intellect, he will create finite laws. However our infinite God creates infinite laws. When we refer to “the laws of nature” we are speaking of those laws that have been in place since the beginning of the world, put in place and held in place eternally by the Divine Author. He created the world and everything in it; therefore it is fitting that He be the one to institute the laws by which His creation is governed. Man, on the other hand, has no authority in himself over the creation. His authority is given to him by God Himself therefore man, ultimately, is not the source of any law. Any law that man institutes is based on the authority that man has been given by God. When man tries to remove himself from that authority, laws are created with deadly results.

Another false idea that has permeated the field of law is that fairness is the same as justice. Many expect a judge to be fair in his ruling instead of just. They want what seems right for one or both parties, not what they, by law, deserve. Many legal decisions these days are merely an attempt to “balance the interests” of the parties involved. This shows a sort of pacifist mentality that, if we can just keep everybody happy, then we have done what is right. Of course in the cases of crimes like murder, the decision is clear. The judge in this case does not seek to weigh the interests of the victim and perpetrator. If the man is found guilty, then he receives his just sentence. But in many other cases the judges do not seem to find the decision as clear. The cases in which a child is involved, most frequently involve this sort of “what is fair” mentality. The judge seeks to determine what is in the best interests of the child, usually from his point of view. Many times custody will be given to the worldlier of the two parents, in order to give the child a “well rounded life”. Many times parents must “justify” their authority to the state, as if their child belonged to that state. In many states the Juvenile Code states that a child can refuse to live at home and then the court will decide where the child should be placed. Even when there is not abuse of neglect involved, a child can refuse to remain at home, merely because his parents are “too restrictive”. However, a correct legal view is that the state can only remove a child from a home if there is abuse or neglect. This is a case where what may seem “fair” for the child, is not what is just.

In addition to the many strongholds in the general field of law, we discover many in the specific field of litigation. The word literally means a contest or debate, and most lawyers view it as just that. Because of this picture of a “battle” taking place in the courtroom, there is an assumption of a winner and loser. Should Christians be involved in such an arena? If their only motive in the court is to seek to win and “put the other lawyer in his place”, then they should reexamine why they are there. The Christians goal and attitude in court should not be win/lose, but instead he should strive to be an advocate for truth, and present it in a humble, peaceable way. The courtroom should be viewed as a place where facts are determined, and righteous causes argued. The Christian attorney must surrender his reputation to God, in order to be used to properly defend truth. He must also be convinced that he is defending a righteous cause, or a person with a righteous claim. If these are both true, then he can truly become an advocate for truth.

Before one begins to study law, he must ask himself “what is the purpose of law?” A deadly stronghold is that law is merely a means to an end. It is only in place to get what we want, be it justice, reconciliation, or our own selfish ambition. We see an example of this in the Biblical example of the law of the Medes and Persians. King Darius was persuaded to create a law, merely for his benefit, that required all men to pray to him. The king did not stop to determine whether the decree was right of wrong, or whether it was within his authority to make the decree. He liked the idea, so he passed the law. Then when he realized that the new law affected Daniel, one of his chief rulers, he spent long hours searching for some way to change that law. God could have brought about deliverance for Daniel through some loophole that the king found, however God had a different plan. Darius was to discover that when a law is made for merely the king’s benefit sometimes the affects are unexpected and unwanted. The king had to obey the law he decreed, and he had to face the consequences. In the same way, if we today seek to pass laws merely for our benefit, we will see terrible results, not only in our generation, but in generations to come.

Many of these strongholds may seem reasonable and perhaps contain some truth. But that is what makes them so dangerous. Mouse poison is ninety-nine percent good food. This draws the mouse in so that the one percent poison will kill it. We must watch for the pitfalls that seek to draw us in with something that seems good, but its lasting effects are devastating. The stronghold of comparison is one of those that seem reasonable. But if we allow comparison into our practice and study of law, it will hinder us as we seek to serve God. In our academics we must be careful to avoid comparing grades, abilities, and skills among the students. It is the responsibility of the teachers to evaluate performance, not the students. Seek to glorify God in your studies and not be focused on how you compare to the rest of the class.

A stronghold closely related to that of comparison, is the stronghold of pride and selfish ambition. In fact most of the strongholds we have discussed find their roots in this final stronghold of pride. Pride originated with Satan desiring to be equal with God. We must seek to avoid this pitfall and rely on God to help us in our weaknesses. Without Him we can do nothing, so we must ask Him to use us for His glory, not ours, to be vessels for His use, exposing the many strongholds in law.

When we remove these strongholds, we must replace them with truth. We must search out and discover what God’s view of law is, and follow Christ’s example of the perfect advocate. If we seek the truth it will set us free and show the world how faulty their wisdom really is. For many of us the way we think about law must be changed before we begin the process of studying it. Law students today are taught that law is now derived from previous cases, not from an ultimate source of authority. But the truth is that our laws are derived from principles of morality, rooted in the Bible. Our Founding Fathers had a certain view of law that we should, as good law students, seek to follow. Their view of law was based primarily on the writings of William Blackstone. Blackstone’s definition of law was a “rule of action prescribed by some superior, and which the inferior is bound to obey”. He then acknowledged that the “Supreme Being… impressed certain principles” upon His creation “from which it can never depart, and without which it would cease to be.” This was the view of law that the Founding Fathers also held as seen in some of our nations founding documents. In the Declaration the writers referred to “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” as their basis for the split with England. They acknowledged the Common Law of England (based on Blackstone’s writings) as the law applying to them in America. And they had the mindset that man’s actions and laws must be in accordance with the “Law of Nature” to have any validity. But the Founding Fathers were not alone in this view of law, many of the leading law professors at that time held the same position. Theodore Sedgwick wrote “The moment that he (man) comes into existence, he is the subject of the will of God, as declared in what we term the laws of nature”. It is clear from these and other documents, that our nation’s laws were based on the Bible. Therefore we must seek to discover what the Biblical principles of law really are.

God has put in place certain jurisdictions in law that must be followed. It is not enough to merely determine whether something is right or wrong; we must also determine who has the duty to enforce the law in a given area. God has given us four jurisdictions of authority; civil authority, church authority, family authority, and self authority. Each of us is directly accountable to God for our actions. However we may also find that we must give account to God ordained authority in some cases. However, these authorities have jurisdiction over only our actions, not our thoughts. God is the only one in a position to judge our thoughts and motives. Basically, the jurisdictions of each authority are limited to those actions related to their jurisdiction. The civil authority is responsible to judge civil conduct, the family authority for conduct in the family, and the church authority is responsible for the conduct in regard to the church. These jurisdictions may overlap, but they are not to exercise control over one another.

The final truth we must establish is that the different aspects of common law have their roots in Biblical principles. The law of contracts, for example, has its roots in the Mosaic Law, and even before that time in the form of covenants. It is one of our God-given, unalienable rights to be able to enter into agreements with others. However certain rules must apply to those contracts in order for them to be valid. If one party decides not to keep their part of the contract, a means must be in place for the other party to receive their just due. The various aspects of contracts can be found in the Bible. To break a contract constitutes lying which the Bible clearly states as sin. Since we are made in God’s image, it is our duty to reflect His nature, and since God is truth and cannot lie, we must be held to contracts. The law of torts also has its basis in the fact that we are created in God’s image. However it also comes from the biblical principle of restitution. If someone intentionally or negligently causes injury to another, he must be required to make restitution. The biblical principle of fault is another basis for tort law. The accused party must be at fault to be held responsible. This concept is also the basis for the principle of criminal law. The person had to commit the crime either intentionally or through negligence in order to be held responsible. Criminal Law has its roots near the very beginning of time when God said that whoever intentionally killed another man; by man his blood would be shed. This was the first criminal law, and it also established civil government. This civil government was given the authority to administer capital punishment (as in the case of murder), and corporal punishment (for lesser crimes). These forms of punishment were not instituted in order to “get back” at the criminal. Instead their purpose was to seek to restore the criminal and make restitution. The punishment was to be proportional to the transgression and the blame of the criminal. We also find in Scripture the principle that we are not to show partiality in our judgments. When we show partiality we begin to pervert justice. It is no longer a determination of what is fact and truth, but instead it is granting special privileges to those who “meet your standards”. It is difficult not to make a predetermined judgment based on a person’s appearance, for example, but remember all of us are made in the image of God and because of that everyone has unalienable rights. Law is a tool intended by God for great good, and, when used properly, promotes freedom and protects our liberties.

As you study law remember to avoid the strongholds, build upon truth, and recognize that the primary purpose of law is to uphold and reflect the image of God in each of us. Yield yourself to God, humble yourself before Him, and then watch Him use you to affect the world for His honor and glory."

And so begins my 19th year

2010-07-31T09:36:00.000-05:00

Some of you may wonder why it seems I've been "forgetting" my blog. I asked you all for some post ideas, posted on the first few, and then stopped posting. Well as usual I have my excuse of... I've been REALLY busy.:) But this time I am totally serious. Probably the biggest thing that is using my time right now, is what I alluded to in my last post at the very end. I figured I'd at least get one comment about it, but I suppose no one was reading the whole post. Anyway that's starting a week from tomorrow, so I'm studying, purchasing books, gettting paperwork done, stuff like that. Than the past couple of days we were staying in Louisville for the VBS, and I'm still working on the last couple things for high school. Today, as you probably figured from the title, is my 18th birthday. So we'll probably be doing stuff along those lines. And I'm just starting to ramble. I'll have some more specific posts later on.

1st Five Day Club-Louisville, NE

2010-07-26T11:36:00.000-05:00

You may wonder why we are almost to August, and I haven’t posted an update, but this is my first 5 Day Club assignment. Angela and I will be going this upcoming week to a VBS in Louisville, NE along with four other CEF'ers. They estimate 60-80 kids will be there. It is at a Methodist church, which usually doesn't happen but... we were invited so we'll give it a try. It goes Sunday through Thursday, 6:30-8:30PM. I have been assigned to the older children and Angela with the preschoolers. Some prayer requests would be:

1. That I would have clarity of mind and good recall on the material since I haven’t done a club for a few months.

2. That God would be preparing the children's hearts even now to be receptive to the message we are bringing.

3. That God would help everything to go smoothly as far as the People from the Methodist church are concerned. That we would be able to share the gospel without creating conflict.

4. That we would have safety in our travel each day.

5. That we would be given grace in dealing with the children, in order that we might show God's love to them.

6. That all six of us would function well together, especially since Angela and I have not met the other four before.

7. Last but defiantly not least, that it would all bring glory to God.

Thank you all again for praying.

PS. I recently was accepted at Oak Brook college of Law. If you all could also pray for me as I begin my studies there August 8th.

WIBWIB Post #1

2010-07-08T20:15:00.002-05:00

I. The Scriptures

I begin with the topic of the Scriptures because they are the basis for every other topic I will cover. If they were not inspired by our Creator and God then why must we obey their commands? If they contain errors then how can we know that anything written in them is true? And if they will not last and remain then how can we trust in them to be our guide? Therefore it is crucial to establish the Scriptures as the foundation and to establish that they are inspired, inerrant, and infallible.

1. The Scriptures Are Inspired

More than twenty men constituted the writers of the Holy Scriptures. They wrote at various times and various places and almost all of them never met. Yet all of the Scriptures fit together as perfectly as if it had been one writer. Yet we find that even if only one person writes an entire book, multiple errors are still to be found. For man is fallible and many times does not have the whole picture. But in the Scriptures we find no such errors. Why? It is without error because all those many writers had one thing in common. They were all inspired and directed in their writing by One who is infallible. God in His grace determined to leave us a record of His dealings with His people over the years, to tell us of His love for us throughout history, and to warn us of a coming judgment. And He chose to do this through humans. They each had a different style of writing, wrote to different audiences, lived in different cultures, and many times wrote in different languages. Yet when compiled all the different writers point to Christ. If you believe this could have happened by chance without a divine author then try this. Gather just three writers together. Assign a topic that all three are familiar with. Assign one to write about the topic from a historical standpoint. Assign the second to write about it from a philosophical standpoint. Then assign the third to write about the same topic from the standpoint of its effect on the future. Then look at the results you get. Could you just add their three works together just one after the other and have it make any sense? Or would their accounts contradict and differ greatly? And you merely had three writers writing in the same culture, same language, and same era. So if you think the writers of the Bible had no common thread of inspiration, think again.

Without the Inspiration of Scripture, there is no hope for salvation. If the writers were merely fallible men, then how can we trust that what they tell us is true? How can we the Bible when it says “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” if that is merely the opinion of one writer? Therefore the Inspiration of the Scriptures are a crucial foundation to our theology.

There are multiple verses that expressly indicate divine inspiration such as 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…” and 2 Peter 1:20-21 “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” There are also many references in the Old Testament that contain this phrase “The Word of the Lord to Israel by…” such as Ezekiel 1:3, Haggai 2:1, Zechariah 4:6, and Malachi 1:1. From these we can see an obvious example of God inspiring the writers.

2. The Scriptures Are Inerrant

The Inerrancy of Scripture succinctly put means that the Scriptures are without error. Throughout the ages many have come forward with apparent discrepancies that they have found in the Scriptures. However upon closer study it is discovered that the Bible always agrees with itself. Others will bring forward passages in which the Bible states something that is unscientific. But then science continues advancing and discovers that the Bible was right all along and it was the science that contained errors. This issue directly flows from the previous one. If you believe that the Bible is the Word of God, then you must believe that the Bible is without error. For how can an all powerful, all knowing God inspire men to write that which is false? He cannot lie, therefore any Word we receive from Him must be Inerrant.

3. Are Infallible

This subject is closely tied with the previous. In essence infallible means the Scriptures will last forever. God’s word is unchanging as it says in Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the Word of our God stands forever.” Four times in the gospels in Matthew 5:18, Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33 Jesus states that “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will be no means pass away.” God’s Word lasts through all the ages. It was as applicable and accurate in the day it was written as it is today almost two thousand years later. Just as God is unchanging, His Word is also unchanging.

Judging Others

2010-07-06T22:23:00.002-05:00

Chloe asked that I do a post on the topic of judging others. I read her comment last night and began thinking about it. Then this morning I received word that an older gentleman in our area unexpectedly passed away. As I thought about it I realized that I had been guilty of judging him! I found it interesting that this happened right after Chloe asked me to write about the subject. So I’ll share with you all what I have learned about the subject.

First of all I think we should define what we mean by “judging someone”. We are not speaking of those cases in which it is your rightful duty to judge someone. That is the duty of parents, pastors, rulers, and others. We are not speaking of that form of judging. Instead we are speaking of when you have no authority over a person and decide it is your responsibility to determine whether they are in the wrong. And just because you are correct in your judgment of someone, does not mean that it is right for you to judge them. I think we all realize that you can speak the truth, but be in the wrong. However many times when we judge others we are incorrect in our judgment of them. Appearances can be very deceiving. And when it is our place to judge we must be very careful to weigh all the evidence, before we pass judgment. But we are not speaking here about how to judge rightly but instead whether you have the right to judge. Now in some instances we must determine whether or not a certain person may be a suitable friend. We must judge their character to determine this for ourselves. But once we have made a judgment of them we should not go and “spread the word” to others because, as I said before, your judgment may be inaccurate. Now what did Jesus say about judging? In Matthew 7:1-2 He says “Judge not, that you may not be judged. For with whatever judgment you judge, you shall be judged;” For example if you decide that someone drinks too much soda, and start telling others what you think, then they will start watching how much you drink. Now does this mean that we should never condemn sin that we see, because we may fall into that same sin? No, instead I would say that we should condemn the person’s sin, not the person.

So what are some practical ways we can apply this to our lives? Well I would say, before you talk to someone about what you think of a person, ask yourself this “Is it my place to judge this person?” “Does this person I am speaking to really need to know what I think of so-in-so?” And most importantly “Would God be pleased with me sharing my judgment of this person?”. Now what if you have made a judgment of a person that you are not sure is accurate or not? Well for a young person I would say ask your parents. And for an older person talk to your pastor or some other godly adult that knows the person. And in talking to them make sure that you don’t just make it a gossip session, but instead sincerely seek their advice as to whether or not you have made an accurate judgment of the person. However some times you may not even need someone else’s advice. Many times your conscience will tell you whether it is a right judgment or not. And of course in all of this remember to go to God in prayer about the matter. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path.”

2010-07-05T00:10:00.001-05:00

This evening I heard that Alex and Brett Harris' mother just passed away. I hope we will all remember them in our prayers. I'm sure each of us have lost a close loved one at some point so we somewhat know what they are going through. As I thought about her passing I was suddenly struck with how much of an impact she had. She was key in the raising of her sons who in turn have impacted millions of young people across the US and around the world. How true that the hand that rocked the cradle changed the world. Thank you Mrs. Harris for your impact and the blessing you were. We will see you on the other side. Until then may we each strive to affect others as you affected us.

Post Topics

2010-07-02T13:49:00.000-05:00

I've had alot of trouble coming up with posts lately. I havn't done any topical posts in awhile mainly because I don't know what to write. And posts about my life I find... BORING. So I thought I'd give you all the chance to kind of decide the subjects. Just comment on this post with the topic you want me to cover. It can be about what I've been doing, a post about a Biblical topic, or really anything you like. Ever wanted to get my thoughts on a subject? Well here's your chance. Of course I will use my discretion as to whether or not a subject is inappropriate. But other than that it's first come first serve. And if you like you can even post anonymously.:)

CYIA ~ Part 1

2010-06-20T20:47:00.000-05:00

CYIA Central was an amazing camp. The first week consisted of training and the second actually doing a 5-day club. This is the picture of all the students and staff. I made alot of new friends and really enjoyed it. There will be more posts to come later. I'm third in from the right on the first row.

Voting - A BIG Pain

2010-06-03T13:19:00.000-05:00

This year will be my first year to vote. So... I'm trying to find information on the canidates, getting registerd, campaining some canidates (very little since I'm so busy), and trying to find information on the canidates. Oh and did I mention trying to find information on the canidates? I never guessed how hard it would be to find information on the different canidates! Our primary here in Iowa is Tuesday of next week. We have a gubernatorial race in the primary this year, as well as local officials. I can find info on the governor race, but not on anything else. So if any of you have advice on where I can find that information, I'd appreciate it. :) I think I now know why so many people don't vote. They don't want to put the effort forth to study up on the canidates, and then go out on election day and vote. I guess I can't say much. I won't even be here for the primary next Tuesday. I'll be in Nebraska at CYIA! It's okay though cause I'm still seventeen. I'll be eighteen in November though. Angie though... well she just won't vote. :)

A short quote to think on

2010-05-30T09:10:00.000-05:00

"Nothing is so strong as gentleness; nothing is so gentle as real strength"

Prayer Support Needed

2010-05-26T16:14:00.000-05:00

This summer I will be participating in the local CEF ministry which includes attending a two week training camp, and then participating in five day clubs throughout the summer. For those of you who are not familiar with the ministry of CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship), they are "a Bible-centered, worldwide organization that is dedicated to seeing every child reached with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, discipled and established in a local church." I will be attending the training at a camp in Nebraska June 8-19. It will include one week of classroom training, and then one week of "hands on" experience (teaching some five day clubs). Then, throughout the summer, I will be what they call a "summer missionary". I will be helping teach different five day clubs throughout Nebraska. Of course, as with any missionary work, I will need prayer. Especially since I will be working alot with kids, which can get interesting sometimes. So I want you all to please be praying for me throughout this summer especially during the two week training. I am currently trying to get ten specific prayer partners commited to praying for me this summer, but I would really appreciate it if you all would keep me in your prayers as well. Thanks in advance and God bless.

Love!!!

2010-05-23T17:43:00.000-05:00

"A bell is not a bell til its rung,
A song is not a song til its sung,
and love is not love until it's given away."

Love is not merely a feeling that you can have for a person. Instead love constitutes actions. You must show your love through what you do. You can go on and on talking about how much love you have for a person, but if you never do anything to prove that love, then it is worthless and not true love. If you love someone, then prove it by the things you do!

Just a Piece of Paper

2010-05-19T22:22:00.000-05:00

Last night I attended the GED graduation ceremony at Iowa Western (the community college I earned my GED through). It was a short ceremony that was really geared more toward those who were unable to complete high school, not those, like me, who had completed high school and just needed the certificate. But there were many good points that were brought out in the ceremony. One of the speakers talked about the statistics of GED grads. Another talked about his personal experience in earning his GED. But one of the speakers said something that really stuck in my mind. He said his sister used to get on him for all his “pieces of paper”. She was referring to his different college degrees, that she viewed as merely a piece of paper. I’ve heard that same comment made that a college degree is just an expensive piece of paper put in a nice frame. The speaker brought out the fact that in a way that’s true. If, in my case, I go through the effort to earn my GED, and then do nothing with it, then that piece of paper cost me about $85 and earned me nothing. If I go on to college and earn a bachelors degree, but then do nothing with it, then that piece of paper cost me a couple thousand dollars, and earned me nothing. And if I move on from college and go to a trade school, but do nothing with that, then that piece of paper can cost me over $100,000 dollars, and earn me nothing. So if you earn your GED, use it! If you get a college degree, use it! If you get a doctorate degree, use it! Don’t let them merely be wall ornaments gathering dust, because then they truly are “just a piece of paper”.

But as I thought about his exhortation, I realized that this is also true in the spiritual realm. We have been given a Book that has lasted over hundreds of years and its message is still just as applicable today as it was when it was written. We can find comfort, peace, rest, encouragement, and ultimately salvation in those blessed pages. But merely owning a Bible is not enough. You can go out and buy the most expensive Bible there is but it will do you no more good on your shelf at home, then it did on the shelf at the store. If you neglect to read God’s Word you will not find the comfort, peace, and rest it can afford. Many times people who own a Bible get a false sense of security. The Bible cannot show you the path to life if it lies unopened on your shelf gathering dust. You must read it in order to benefit from it. But just reading it is not enough. Many go through the motions of getting their Bible out to read it every day, but do not let it affect their lives. You must read with a heart open and willing to understand and obey. If the Bible does not change your life, it will do you as much good as an unused diploma. It will merely be “just a piece of paper”.

Slightly Busy...

2010-05-11T08:34:00.000-05:00

Well the past couple weeks I haven't really been keeping up with posting. And of course I have the usual excuse of being way too busy. But I figured I'd do a short post just to let you all know what I've been up to. Of course I have the usual of school and work at the ice cream shop. I've kinda gotten a little more focused on my school since I plan to graduate this year. I've got a couple "senior year projects" that I still need to finish. One of them is a paper entitled "Why I Believe, What I Believe" (WIBWIB for short). Another one of my projects has been teaching my youngest brother Matthew how to read. He's a pretty good student and really wants to learn so that makes it easier. We also have alot of church activities this month, mostly graduation parties. Two Sundays ago the Stangl family did a fundraising concert at our church in the evening. Thier son Ben is raising funds for a trip to Africa this summer, and thier daughter Ellie is raising funds to fund building an orphanage. They asked me to film the concert so now I'm editing the footage. That's keeping me pretty busy right there. I've finished with phase one of the project and plan to give that to them next time I see them. It's just the rough cut. Now I'm going through and doing the more detailed editing. Minor things you know. So anyway, yeah I've been busy. I'm working on coming up with a new post. Can't think of what to write on though. If you have any ideas please let me know.

Post #100... Thank You Mom

2010-05-04T15:02:00.000-05:00

When I noticed that this post would be my one hundredth post I began trying to think of something special to post. Well with Mother's Day coming up, and certain other events, I decided to do a post just thanking my Mom for the great mom and teacher that she is. I recently began the process to obtain my GED. Since I plan to attend an online college, and I've been homeschooled, it seemed the best way to get a high school diploma that would be recognized at the college. I went and took the initial tests last Thursday. The first two were a reading and math evaluation. The tutor decided to try my on the highest grade level for each. After I finished he graded both and told me he was surprised to find that on reading I only missed one question, and on math I didn't miss any. He said he had never had that happen on the math test before. The issue had already come up before that I was homeschooled so he asked who did most of my teaching. I told him my mom did and he said to tell her that she did an amazing job. He then decided that I was ready to go straight to the actual GED tests. I came back that evening and completed the Reading, Social Sciences, and Literature tests. Then this Monday I went and took my final two Math and Science. I just got a call from them and discovered that I passed all five tests with an overall average of 95% and score of 696. I should have my GED certificate within a couple of weeks.

Throughout this process I have become very grateful for the decision my parents made to homeschool me. My mom spent countless hours patiently teaching me day after day. Even on those hard days, where I wasn't the best of students, she still persisted. I feel that I was given one of the best educations I could expect and at the same time was also given many real life experiences throughout my school years. My mom has always been really good about finding interesting, hands on activities to teach us things we would never learn in a public school classroom. At my graduation I already have skills in plumbing, electricity, construction, farming, video filming and editing, accounting, and many other fields. My mom prepared me for the academic world but also for the business world. So a big thank you to my mom this Mother's Day. Of course I'm biased, but she's the best!

Finally Pictures...(NCHEA)

2010-04-22T13:49:00.000-05:00

Well I know that our trip to Texas came first, but pictures from the kid's conference were availible first so I figured I'd go ahead and post them.

These are all the volunteers for the conference. I'm on the back row just left of the center.

This is the small group I was with. That's Emily Hipps standing next to me on the left side. She was our team leader and did a great job. And that's Karlie Schriener and Jennifer Miszuk on the other end.

The large group sessions consisted of many activities including songs...

(Led by Matthias and Rachel Wissmann)

An well done drama which the kids (and teachers) enjoyed.

(Colonist Homeowner (Mr. Rehm) talking to two British soldiers

(Matthias and Stephen Wissmann))

Even Yankee Doodle stopped by to talk to the kids.

(Sam Lyons)

Ellie and Zac Stangl made a great team in teaching the memory verses.

That's Emily with two of the little girls in our group watching the drama.

This was my sister Angela's team. That's her team leader Alatheia Larson on the far left next to her, and then Nate Waldo on the right side.

This was my brother Caleb's group that's him on the far left next to Lydia Stangl, and then thier team leader Aaron Grady on the far right.

2010-04-12T22:31:00.001-05:00

Well it's been awhile since I've posted mainly because I've been REALLY busy. My family recently took a trip to Texas for my oldest brother's wedding. While there we visited the Prislovsky family at thier ranch which was alot of fun. Then this past week Caleb, Angela, and I helped at the NCHEA kid's conference. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I actually got the chance to be the one to share the gospel with the group of kid's I was helping Emily Hipps teach. I'll post pictures as soon as I can get them. Cause I know how much you all like pictures.

2010-03-25T20:11:00.001-05:00

"There's gotta be something more. Gotta be more than this." I heard this song recently and it got me thinking. It's this person singing about thier job. By the end of the song they've quit thier job and are at home drinking wine! So thier view of "something more" is a life of laziness and ease. But as Christians we know what that "something more" is. We have something to live for far more than just a good job. But those unsaved in the world know deep inside that something in thier life is missing. They are looking for "something more" and we have the answer. So as we are in the world let us strive to be a light in the darknes and show the way to the lost.

My New Glasses

2010-03-22T21:10:00.000-05:00

I know I just posted last night but since I recently got new glasses, and ya'll keep asking for more pictures, I decided since I finally got some that I'd post them.

These were taken while I was watching the practice this past Sunday for a drama.

It's for the NCHEA Conference that I'll be helping with in the beginning of April.

Julia Rehm took both of those pictures.

Grace Nelson got this one while I was out in the hall.

I have two parts in the drama, one as a ship captian and the other as a Redcoat.

Caption Challenge

2010-03-21T22:12:00.000-05:00

In my last post I mentioned some more pictures from our zoo trip and also said they should have some pretty funny captions. Well I tried to think of some but didn't come up with much so...

I'm letting you come up with the captions.

Below are the three pictures and it's your job to think up creative captions for each of them.
And the winner gets... well havn't thought about that yet.

Our trip to the Zoo

2010-03-19T22:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my family visited the Omaha Henry Dorely Zoo.

The passes expire April 1st and it was a nice day so...

Our first stop was the butterfly exibit (a family favorite).

Josh was kind enough to let me use his camera so I became "photographer" for the visit.

The exibit houses some other animals, some quite interesting.

Here's the two youngest (Joy and Matthew) on the octapus.

One thing that was new for me was being the oldest child on the trip.

(Angie was visiting a friend and Caleb was roofing)

Our next stop was the aquarium.

This was Matthews favorite fish (he loves orange)

I was surprised to find they have a large penguin exibit.

Some of the penguins had some funny antics

The pond that this creature found itself in had a sign by it that

said they think this was the type of condition in which life first began. (A flooded forest.)

I didn't realize how hard it was to photograph sharks... until I tried it myself.

This was the best picture I got and as you can see it was pretty bad.

A black and white fish is alot easier to photograph. :)

and siloetes are pretty easy too. :)

If anyone can tell me who this aquarium watcher was I'd really appreciate it. :)

I got some other pictures that should have some great captions.

They'll come later as soon as I can think of some.

Skating

2010-03-15T20:10:00.000-05:00

This past Friday we went to Skate Daze in Omaha for a homeschool skating party. The Stangl family puts one on in our area every year. It was alot of fun despite the fact that I had never been to a skating rink before. But I was able to learn quick (from some great teachers).

I think this picture is my personal favorite. I'm not real sure how my brother managed to capture the three of us in about the same position. That's David Rehm, Lydia Stangl, and Me.

There's me again skating. I actually started out on skates but then switched to blades hoping they would work better for me.

There were quite a few "teachers" at the rink. Those that didn't mind going slower to help the newer skaters. Here's two of them here. That's Ellie Stangl in the blue shirt, and Sam Lyons in the black. If it wasn't for him I doubt I would havbe stayed with the blades. He gave me some great pointers.

Every once in awhile it got kinda crowded in certain spots.

More pictures will come later.

I actually only got one picture of someone falling.

That's one picture that won't be coming later for obvious reasons.

Snowboarding and the Righteous Man

2010-03-09T15:36:00.000-06:00

Well it seems this is becoming a series drawing analogies from my recent snowboarding trip. I have at least one more topic in mind after this one. So if any of you have something against snowboarding, then I’m sorry but you’ll just have to bear with me a little longer.

Despite the lack of evidence from the pictures taken, I did fall quite a few times during the day. The majority of those falls occurred in the first part of the day when I was first practicing the basics of being able to keep my balance. We got our gear on and went out to the bunny slope first thing. Micah explained the basics and then we each tried it. I started down and of course I fell. Now that area wasn’t exactly private and it’s kind of hard to fall and maintain your dignity. Usually you roll a couple times and depending on how you fall, you can end up in some pretty interesting, and embarrassing, positions. Also you get covered with snow which soon melts and becomes very uncomfortable. And when you barely get started down the bunny slope and then fall it can be kind of discouraging and seem hopeless that you will ever learn. All these things could have caused me to give up then and there, turn around, and give up trying. But I got back up, went to the top of the hill, got some pointers from Micah, tried it again, and once again fell. I fell multiple times just going down the bunny slope and never actually did it correctly. And most of the time it was because I made the exact same mistake of leaning too far back. After a half dozen tries or so Micah said it was time to move on to the bigger hill. The main factors that added was speed, which made falls harder, and obstacles, which made it harder to stay up until steering was mastered. But even when steering was mastered you sometimes didn’t have a choice. I soon mastered the art of quickly recovering from a fall. The less time I spent on the ground the better. So when I continued to fall, and it may have seemed hopeless, what was it that caused me to continue to get back up and try again? Well I think the main thing was what I had invested in it. I already paid and they don’t give a chicken rebate, so there was the aspect of wanting to get my money’s worth. There was also the aspect of the people around me. Sure they all were seeing me fall over and over. But which would have been worse, having them see me fall over and over, or them seeing me fall and then give up? Also I saw them falling as well. It wasn’t like I was the only one down on the ground out there on that slope. But I think there was one primary reason. I wasn’t about to go home to my Dad and tell him, “Yeah I went there and spent the money to try snowboarding, but I fell down so I decided to give up”.

Now let’s look at an example of a new believer. He’s has recently confessed Christ and now seeks to live a life pleasing to Him. He wishes to leave the life he once knew and live for Christ. But not long after his conversion, he falls into sin! The discouragement is intense. He thought that after he became a believer, his life would be different. But here he fell; possibly back into the same sin he was in before he was saved. Those around him heard his profession, and now they all watch him fall. It is very embarrassing to him to be in this position. And he feels hurt that it seems he has been forsaken. Everything seems to tell him to give up. But he summons courage, gets back up, goes and asks his teacher for advice, starts off again, and before long he again falls! And he is still on the bunny slopes of Christianity. These things that are causing him to fall are simple things. But over and over they cause him to fall. And most of the time it’s the same problem as before. But he keeps trying and before long he is moving forward in his Christian walk. He is gaining ground and despite the fact that the temptations and trials are greater, his falls are still becoming less and less frequent. And he has now learned how to quickly recover from his falls. The less time he spends on the ground of defeat, the better. The Bible says “The righteous man falls seven times, and rises again”. The point here has nothing to do with the number of times he falls. Instead the point here is that he will always rise again. So why do they always rise? Well it could be because of that which they have invested in it. I could also be the fear of what those watching may think if they see them easily give up. They may be encouraged when they learn that other Christians fall as well so it is not just a problem they have. But what is the greatest motivation to them? They will not go home to their heavenly Father and say that they gave up after once failing. They wish to please their heavenly Father so they continue on despite the trials they encounter. This is a test as to whether one is a true believer or not. Because the verse goes on to say that the wicked fall into evil. When they fall they stay there and wallow in their evil. Their false profession goes by the wayside as they indulge in the evil. So when you fall, and the Bible says you will, remember that a righteous man falls, but he always gets back up.

Snowboarding and Sin

2010-03-05T20:42:00.001-06:00

I think my snowboarding this past Saturday is gonna be a lot more profitable than I originally thought. I keep thinking of similarities between snowboarding and life itself. Well before I get into this post let me first clarify the title. I’m in no way saying that snowboarding is sin. Of course, like anything else, it can become sin if we let it come between us and God. But that is not the focus of this post. Instead, like the last post, I’ll be bringing out similarities between snowboarding and a certain topic. In this case that topic is sin.

While snowboarding this past Saturday I must say that I really enjoyed myself. Sure there were disadvantages like the cost, but I still had fun. I had plenty of falls, but really not a lot of pain associated with them. It’s kinda hard to get seriously injured falling onto snow. I know it is possible but it’s not very probable. Especially at the kind of speed I was going. Anyway on the trip home I felt okay. Sure there was a little pain (mainly from the backward falls) but overall I felt pretty good. Then came Sunday which meant traveling an hour to church, sitting in church for the services, and then an hour in the car back home. I had started to feel some aches but nothing unusual considering what I was doing Saturday. Then came Monday, and boy did I start feeling it. It seemed like every muscle in my body had been stressed by the snowboarding. From my neck all the way down to my legs, everything was sore. The effects came long after the fun was over. And once I had finished the fun, there wasn’t really a way I could prevent the effects.

The same is true in regard to sin in our lives. We may recognize some of the disadvantages to the sin beforehand, but it looks like it will be so much fun. So we go ahead and do it. And guess what? Sin is fun! That is a Biblical fact. It speaks of the pleasures that sin affords. But it also speaks of them as passing pleasures. Just like the snowboarding, the pleasures sin offers are very short term. They offer temporary enjoyment without a warning as to the effects that they bring. And many times the effects that we experience from sin are not merely temporal, many are eternal. Many times we are left with a scar on our souls that will be with us the rest of our lives. Sometimes, unfortunately, we unknowingly hurt others by our sins. And sometimes we may even cause another brother to stumble by the example he sees in us. After we commit the sin we have no control over the consequences. There is a saying “You can chose your actions, but you cannot chose the consequences.” Once that sin is commited, the results are out of your control. Yes you can repent, but even though David repented of his sin with Bathsheba, there were still consequences. The child had to die. Do you think it ever crossed David’s mind, as he sent for Bathsheba, that because of this sin he was about to commit, an innocent child of his would die? No the only thought on his mind was the passing pleasure it would afford. So it is with us. We view this thing that looks so appealing as merely something which may cause us a few problems later on. Many times we have no idea how drastically it will affect our life and the lives of so many others. May we each, when temptation comes, remember this truth “The actions we chose today, will affect the rest of our lives.”

Snowboarding and the Christian Life

2010-03-03T19:46:00.003-06:00

As you know from my last post, I went snowboarding this past Saturday. It was my first time so I had to be taught everything. I had to be shown how to steer, balance, adjust my speed, and of course how to stop. By the end of the day I had most of the basics pretty much down and was ready to move on to the more advanced slopes and challenges. But I was out of time. Looking back now I wish I had been less cautious about trying out the harder slopes since that’s probably the only chance I’ll have there this season. Now this is a good example of what we see in our lives as Christians. When we first start out, we have to be taught everything. We must be taught how to make our way through life and how to steer, if you will, through the many trials and obstacles we face. We must be taught to keep a proper balance in our life between our ministry to those in the world, but also our ministry to those in our own home. We must balance between the things of God and the things of this world. Also we must be taught to adjust the speed of our lives. Not always being so busy that we wear ourselves out (burning the candle at both ends) but at the same time not merely meandering through life at an easy pace. And of course we must be taught when and where we must stop in our Christian walk to make sure we are still in God’s plan for our lives. So just like me snowboarding, as Christians we have to learn the basics. But then, again like me, as Christians we many times learn the basics and then just keep practicing those basics for the rest of our lives. We never move beyond those first easy slopes because we’re too timid and cautious to try those more advanced slopes. Instead of gaining new heights every day, we just wander around on the lowest couple of plateaus planning on climbing those heights later on in life. We go through the motions and never try anything difficult. Like me we may try the more difficult slopes a few times and decide to stick with the simple ones. Then we near the end of our lives and realize that those more advanced trials and obstacles had to be conquered earlier in life. When we are out of time it is too late. We cannot go back and give it a second try because the season has passed. Just like I did not know that the weather would warn this next week, even so we as Christians do not know the day or the hour that our Savior will call us home. So let live our lives today to the fullest, taking new ground, overcoming those obstacles that slow us down, and always keep pressing on the upward way. Because tomorrow may be too late.

Snowboarding

2010-02-28T21:52:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday, Angela, Caleb, and I went to Mt. Cresent to learn snowboarding.

Micah Nelson, a friend from church, agreed to come and teach us.

Since Angela, my sister, is a photographer, she got plenty of pictures.

And since ya'll always seem to want more pictures, I thought I'd post some.

Here's our group L to R Angela, Micah, Caleb, and Me

One of the first things Micah taught us was called snow plowing.

It's the only way to slow/stop and still retain your footing (and dignity).

After getting the basics down on the bunny slopes, I spent the majority of the day on this hill.

This was one of the rare times that the slope was relatively clear.

This hill has been nicknamed "Show-off Slope".

Called such because of all the various jumps and ramps, as well as the steep hill just before it.

This was one of the three times I tried that slope.

And no I did not try any of the jumps.

My teacher Micah on the other hand did take the jumps.

And as you can see did quite well.

I was content to stick with the basics.

I was glad I was able to make it down the slope a couple times without incident.

But every once in awhile... yeah.

I leaned too far forward there and the front edge of the snowboard caught the snow.

But overall I did enjoy myself.

I definantly want to try it again sometime.

Maybe after the soreness wears off at least.

And after I refill my wallet.

A childhood friend

2010-02-25T17:16:00.000-06:00

I recently came across the question on Facebook "Of what purpose is a friend from one's youth?". At first I just kept moving but then I got to thinking about it. What is the purpose of childhood friends? Sure they make growing up a little more fun but what is thier ultimate purpose? And in case anyone out there thinks I have all the answers, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't. I not sure what the answer to this question is. I have a vauge idea but I'd really like to get ya'll's thoughts on it. So what do you think? Are childhood friends merely for the purpose of pleasure? Or are they instead placed in our lives for a greater purpose?

Are you a contrast?

2010-02-19T18:26:00.000-06:00

"The brightest day will create the darkest shadows." How true this is in the spiritual realm. The brighter we shine as Christians, the greater the contrast will be between us and the world. Light dispells darkness, not vice versa. Darkness is merely the absense of light. So if the world seems like a dark place, than perhaps the Christians need to shine more brightly and create more of a contrast. If the world looks at us and the only differance they see is that we dress differantly (maybe), and go to church (sometimes), then what is there to draw them? "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify you Father who is in heaven".

Who do you love?

2010-02-09T18:51:00.000-06:00

It is a well known saying that "God hates the sin, but loves the sinner". I was pondering that saying today at work and realized that many times we as followers of Christ many times "love the sin, but hate the sinners". The point there being in short that we are often hypocrites. We speak out against those committing sin around us but in our private lives we sometimes practice that very sin. We condemn drunks, thieves, murderers, drug addicts, and of course all those two faced politicians. But in our own lives we have addictions (they seem harmless but are still sinful), we steal (it's only small things), we harbor hate towards others (which Jesus equated with murder), and when out in public we put on our best behavior despite the truth (just like the politicians). Instead of focusing our hate toward those committing the sin perhaps we should be more focused on fighting the same sins in our own lives. May we each strive to "hate the sin, but love the sinner".

Survey, Polls, and the Like - Part 2

2010-01-20T14:33:00.000-06:00

Well as many of you probably noticed I added a new feature to my blog about a month ago. It's the poll that you see to the right of the screen asking for your rating of my blog. Well I figured since over fifty people have voted I should go ahead and comment. First of eighteen people said they thought my blog is terrible which is one third of those who voted. Then another 15 people said they thought it is poor while 13 said they thought it was okay. Only eight of the 54 people thought it is excellent which is 14%. So my question is "Why?". Those of you who said any of the first three let me know how you think I can improve. And those 8 who said they thought it was excellent let me know why as well. Of course feel free to comment anonymously. I guess for my self I would have to rate it between Okay and Poor just because I know I could do better. So please let me know. Thanks.

Who do you Hate?

2010-01-13T19:41:00.000-06:00

A sunday school teacher began his class with this question "Who do you hate the most?" He then placed a dart board at the front of the classroom on which he had drawn the rough outline of a face. He turned to his class and passed out one dart to each person. He then told them to picture the face of the person that had hurt them the most as the face on the dart board. Then he told them to each take a turn throwing their dart at that face. Each student did with many throwing their dart with all the force the could. It felt good just to relieve some of that pain and hurt. When each was back in their seat and feeling a little better the teacher walked over to the dart board. He romoved the paper with the face outline and as he did the class saw to their shock and horror the face of Jesus. But the picture of their Saviours face was torn in many places. An eye had a hole where a dart had made it's mark and both cheeks were badly disfigured. The teacher then quoted Jesus words "as you have done it unto one of the least of these, you have done it to me."

2010-01-06T12:08:00.001-06:00

I heard this on the radio and really liked it so I figured I'd post it. It has some problems theologically but makes a good point. " A man was talking to God. He asked Him 'Is it true that a million years is like a second to you?' God replied 'Yes'. The man continued 'And is it true that a million dollars is like a penny to you?' God replied 'Yes'. Then the man said, "Well could you just give me a penny?' 'Sure' God replied, 'In just a second'."

2010-01-04T18:50:00.001-06:00

"The problem in America is that we have the Bible in our homes, but not in our hearts."~ Chip Ingrem I would agree with this but I would go further and say "The problem with Christians in America is that we have the Bible in our heads, but not in our hearts." We know all the right answers but do we live it? We have the head knowledge but is it in our hearts? We talk the talk but do we walk the walk?

2009 in Review

2010-01-01T15:59:00.000-06:00

For me 2009 was a year that I could not really call a "good year" or a "bad year". There were many happy things that happened like my sister Joy's birth in March. But there were also sad things like my Grandmother's death from cancer in May. There were difficult things like opening an ice cream shop. And there were also exiting things like finding and joining a new church (Millard Alliance Church). I began this blog which has been a good learning experience. I took some college tests which was very fun but at the same time difficult. We had a house renovation which practically took all year. I learned alot form that and other work I did. So for me 2009 was an interesting year and definitely one that I won't soon forget.

2009-12-30T17:25:00.001-06:00

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." Flannery O' Connor

Surveys, Polls, and the like

2009-12-27T21:09:00.000-06:00

This post is to show that you can't take statistics, polls, and other research just at face value.

Today I did a study on the effect of a certain object in a females reaction to me. Without this certain object the females studied all showed varying levels of disdain to me. However with this object they all were happy to be near me and be very friendly. Therefore I have concluded that this object will work for any male to attract any female.

Now I'll give you some background which should explain the above statement.

First there were only three females studied.

Second the three females are all under the age of two.

Third they are all related to me.

And finally the pictures underneath should explain it.

That's my niece Hannah playing with my cellphone. She finally warmed up to me now that she's leaving tomorrow.:( I'll miss them.

If you think you had a bad Christmas...

2009-12-26T21:15:00.000-06:00

So maybe you didn't get the gift you wanted for Christmas. Or maybe you were snowed in like me. But take a look at some of the things that happened yesterday. And be glad for the Christmas you had.

- An Al-Quida terrorist attack on a plane headed from Amsterdam to Detroit was thwarted on Christmas 2009.

- A pastor had his family at his house for Christmas. His son got into a violent argument with a woman. The pastor intervened with a gun and ended up shooting his son in the chest on Christmas 2009.

- An actor was arrested for domestic violence on Christmas 2009.

- A store that sells Christmas related products throughout the year had a real live Grinch steal an undisclosed amount of money from their store on Christmas 2009.

- And President Obama was in Hawaii for Christmas and got his vacation interrupted by the terrorist attack on the plane.

So if you think you had a bad Christmas think again...

Unless of course you had a worse Christmas.

2009-12-25T21:20:00.000-06:00

Gingerbread House

2009-12-24T21:22:00.000-06:00

One of our activities today was making gingerbread houses. I arrived late and therefore mine was rather small. They all seemed to like it but I didn't see anything especially amazing about it. What do you think?

Rejection

2009-12-18T21:15:00.000-06:00

Through the years with my family frequently moving and finding new churches, it has always been a challenge finding new friends. When we would begin attending a new church, many times those in the church I would expect to be friends with already had their friendships made and inadvertently or intentionally rejected me. And since we moved about every three years for my dad’s job, the situation kept occurring. Because of this I found myself continually trying to “fit in” and not merely being myself. But as I thought about this something hit me. While He was on this earth, Jesus had no close friends. His twelve disciples were the closest earthly friends He ever had. And he knew them for about three years! But when push came to shove, when He was taken away to be condemned and killed, they all left Him. One of His closest friends, Peter, went so far as to deny that he even knew who Jesus was. But did Jesus let that bother Him? No, instead he merely said “I came to do the will of Him who sent Me”. He found His comfort in praying to His Father both in the good times when the crowds were searching for Him, and in the bad times when all forsook Him. “He was despised and rejected of men… But He was wounded for our transgressions”. Those who rejected Him, He died for. Those who spat in His face, He bled for. Those who denied Him, He loved to the end. So should I let it worry me when I merely get a cold shoulder? No, instead I should go to my heavenly Father in prayer. And if I’m ever popular and have plenty of friends, I still need to go to Him in prayer to seek wisdom. Someone said “For every hundred men who can handle trials well, there is only one man who can handle success well”. May God help us whether we are popular or not to glorify Him and handle it well.

Gambling!?!?!?!?!

2009-12-16T21:24:00.000-06:00

While recently traveling through the state of Alabama, I heard on the radio an interesting piece of news concerning an upcoming football game between Alabama and Florida. The governor’s of each state had a friendly wager going on the outcome of the game. The Alabama governor said that if Florida won then he would send the Florida governor a box of barbeque steaks from a famous restaurant near the university. But if Alabama won then the Florida governor would send the Alabama governor a box of oranges. So a lady was saying that this was a form of gambling so the governor was wrong to do it. That got me to thinking: “What is wrong with gambling?” Sure we can go into the instances of those who get so addicted to gambling and end up wasting all their money and ruining their lives. But that is merely a practical reason not to gamble. As Christians we go to the Bible to find the basis for our beliefs. The Bible commands “Do not be greedy for easy gain”. Why do you find people in a casino? Do you think you would find anyone there who would say “Yep I’m here to see how much money I can waste”? I doubt it. Most go there in hopes that they can “strike it rich”. That is why gambling is wrong. So let’s go back to our situation we started out with. The two governors had a wager going. Were either of them hoping to make an easy gain? I don’t think so. When you are a governor I don’t think you care that much for a free box of oranges. Although I suppose with this economy the governors may be pretty bad off. So are the governors really gambling here? Or is this merely a publicity stunt? What do you think?

Our recent vacation

2009-12-15T21:15:00.000-06:00

My family just got back from a week and a half long vacation. We went and visited family along the east coast starting in Florida and traveling up through Virginia. We then went to Cincinnati, Ohio for a conference. It was put on by the National Center for Family Integrated Churches and was called the Sufficiency of Scripture conference. It was excellent and included speakers like Paul Washer, Vodie Baucam, Doug Phillips, Ken Ham, Jeff Pollard, Scott Brown, Geoff Botkin, and many others. I personally enjoyed Doug Phillips’ talk on the Sufficiency of Scripture in the Laws of Nations. But I think a general favorite was Paul Washer’s talk on evangelism. It was very convicting. At the end of the conference we attended the Cincinnati premier of “The Mysterious Islands”. It was very well done. Afterward they had a meet the cast time where they interviewed different people who had a part in the film. I would defiantly recommend seeing the film. It is a tour of the Galapagos Islands through the eyes of a 16 year old, Joshua Phillips. The footage is breathtaking and very well done. We saw many old friends at the conference and met many new ones. But it was good to get home. We arrived home to find over a foot of snow. Good old Iowa! I’ll be giving a more detailed account of our trip later on along with pictures.

2009-12-05T15:32:00.001-06:00

"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." ~ William Penn. A friend of mine recently posted this on her Facebook. I really liked it so I figured I'd pass it on. How true this is. How often people say "If only I had one more hour in my day". But if they got another hour they would fill it up just as fast, and with unimportant tasks. An excercise I once heard of was to write down everything you do in a day. Then go through that list to see just how many of the things you do in a day are really necessary. Don't get me wrong I ain't a kill joy. I like to haue fun just as much as the next guy. Ask any of my friends. But your time is a talent from God. Be careful how you use it. Always need more time? Maybe you're wasting the time you haue

Pictures!

2009-11-26T21:14:00.000-06:00

Finally got some time to upload some pics. Let me know what you think of the hair.:)

This was right after they did my hair.:) One girl said it looked like I was being tortured while they were doing it.

Me during the interview. Don't know why these turned out so dark.
The two interviewers. Pretty worthless picture but it looked alot better before I loaded it.

I did a song with Christopher Miller and Josiah Nelson. I played guitar and they played harmonica. It was "Are you washed in the Blood?"

I'll try and load more pictures later when they actually look right.

Coming Soon!

2009-11-23T21:16:00.000-06:00

Yesterday our church hosted a Thanksgiving banquet in the evening. I was one of the actors in a skit that we did. By the time I signed up the only spot left was the Indian. So that's what I was. Pictures will be coming as soon as I can get them. I got quite a few comments on my outfit especially my hair. My hair was thanks to stylist/reporter Alatheia Larsen. I actually only got one negative comment on my hair style but quite a few positive. I must say it was unique. So anyway as soon as can get to the pictures I'll try and get some loaded.

Happy Birthday!

2009-11-21T07:54:00.000-06:00

My youngest brother Matthew’s birthday is today and yesterday was my oldest sister Bethany’s birthday. She is currently serving with her husband and daughters as missionaries in Africa. They’ve been over there with her husband’s family for about a year. But at the end of this month they’re coming back to the states for a visit. We’re going to meet them at a conference in Cincinnati, Ohio that they were invited to. We will all be attending the conference and then coming back to Iowa to visit with them a couple weeks before they go back. The lineup of speakers for the conference looks really good. I’ll try to get the link up to their website real soon. Some of the speakers I know personally and most of the others I have heard before. It should be an excellent experience. I can’t wait to go on the trip especially since we’ll be able to visit with my sister and her family. Her youngest daughter was born after they went to Africa so we haven’t met her yet. We’re going to be driving out there so it should be a lot of fun. Happy Birthday both of you!

WEIRD?!?!?!

2009-11-18T21:12:00.000-06:00

Recently a friend of mine on Facebook posted this status update. “I remember when I was weird!!! No wait a minute I still am weird!!!” I found the status interesting and it got me to thinking. It turned out that it was actually a younger sibling that did the post and not the person whose name was attached to it. I found two things interesting about the status.

First of all on the internet when you see someone’s name attached to something (a statement, a picture, ect.) you assume it’s from them (or in the case of a picture that it is them). Well as evidenced by this status situation what you read may not have actually come from that person. Especially if it isn’t something as secure as Facebook or Twitter (but even those are not hacker proof). So on the one hand you can’t guarantee that just because someone’s name is attached to something that it actually came from them. But on the other hand a person may write something under a pen name. Basically they’re not pretending to be someone else but just pretending not to be who they are. So I guess to summarize I would say that if you read something by someone that doesn’t seem consistent with their character you should not jump to conclusions. Instead you should directly contact them to verify the statement. So you may ask why would someone do that and be deceitful? That takes us to the second thing I found interesting about the status on Facebook.

What is the definition of weird? Now I didn’t go to Webster to find the answer but I would say this. If you think of someone as weird really what you are saying is that they are different from the people that you are used to. Specifically what you are saying is that they are different from you or what you think they should be. So the term “weird” is really a matter of opinion. I may think of a person as “weird” but then you might find them perfectly normal (and me really “weird”). There was a short film I head of awhile back that had a plot like this. Two individuals are seeking help because they have ugly faces. The doctors they go to see feel sorry for them but despite the numerous surgeries they attempt to perform they are unable to make their faces look normal. Finally, since these two do not fit in and are not accepted anywhere they go, the doctors come up with a plan. They have heard of another country where people, that look like these two, live. So they arrange to fly them there. Now throughout the film you are never shown anyone’s face. But in the last scene as the two people are thanking the doctors and saying goodbye it shows their faces. And the two people with “ugly” faces are really models. And all the doctors have, what we would call, “ugly” faces. It’s all a matter of opinion.

So how do these two tie together? Why would someone want to take on a different identity online? Because they think that they are “weird”. Perhaps they don’t fit in with those they associate with and have few friends. But online they can be absolutely amazing and have a lot of friends. I heard a song in the store recently. The main line of the song was “I’m so much cooler online”. From what I heard the guy didn’t “fit in”, was short and overweight. But as he says in the song “I grow a foot and lose some weight every tome that I log in”. In this day and age you can be whoever you want to be… online.

So how does this apply to us? Well I would say that we should be content with how God has made us. We should not always strive to “fit in”. Cause I know this will be a big surprise for you, but no two people are the same. I think it would be impossible to find two people who think exactly the same about everything. So live for God and seek to please Him, and He will take care of everyone else. Another thing is we should be careful not to judge others for things they cannot change. We can judge their character but not those aspects they have no ability to change. “You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do, and there could never be a more beautiful you.”

Yours truly,
Daniel Turack

PS. And yes it is really me and not someone posting for me. And yes that is my real name. But I still could just be saying this so I don’t know why I’m even bothering.

2009-11-14T12:32:00.001-06:00

A common form of advertising in England and parts of the US are sandwich men. They wear a board in front and behind them with an advertisement written on it. Some Christians have used this method for witnessing. One man's board as you approached read "I am a fool for Christ." Most would agree with him. But after you pass him you see his back which reads "Whose fool are you?". How true this is. Everyone is a fool for someone. Would you rather be a fool for a man who is dead or for a Man who still lives? For a man who is finite or a Man who is infinite? So whose fool are you? Who do you follow?

2009-11-13T14:27:00.001-06:00

"If you ain't the lead dog, you always have the same scenery." I read this in Brother Andrew's book The Calling. We need to go to new mission fields and where we are needed not just where it is safe. If we always do the same thing we will be unable to fulfill the Great Commission. Look at the fields. They are ripe for harvest.

2009-11-11T02:16:00.001-06:00

Today is Veterans Day. I read an excellent quote about it this past week. It read "Memorial Day we honor those who have died to protect our freedom. On Veterans Day we honor those who are ready to die every day." We will also be remembering those who were killed at Ft. Hood. I have multiple veterans in my family including my dad. And President Obama plans to deploy more troops soon. Hopefully we won't have any more killed before they see any real action.

2009-11-10T19:53:00.001-06:00

Today a memorial service was held at Ft. Hood to honor the soldiers that were killed last week by a fellow soldier. President Obama attended the ceremony and spoke to the 13000 there. 13 soldiers were killed. 1000 people per soldier killed. The killer still refuses to talk to police. I find it interesting that in about an hour another killer will be punished. John Mohamed, the DC sniper, will receive a lethal injection at seven EST tonight. The families of the victmns will be watching. In our country we still follow the Biblical principle of the death sentence. Thats what Hassan should get.

2009-11-10T14:52:00.001-06:00

I tried to post this yesterday but it didn't post. Yesterday marked 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was one of the biggest emblems of Communisum in the past century. And it was one of our country's best presidents, Ronald Reagan, that stood up to the dictator and told him to tear down the wall. I noticed that I have some readers from Germany. I would really like it if you would post your thoughts here. I'm actually part German myself. Anyway it was a historic day that we should not soon forget. Standing up to dictators is the best way to deal with them. Being tough is the best language they understand.

One Year Ago

2009-11-08T21:11:00.000-06:00

Last year in September my family moved up here to Iowa to live near my grandparents since my grandma had cancer. We purchased an old farm house and began renovating it. That’s the same house that we are currently finishing the drywall in. It’s taken a lot longer than we thought it would. Anyway while we were working on it we stayed with my grandparents. Soon after we got there some of my brothers and I went to explore their barn. They had a lot of stuff in there. Odds and ends and stuff like that. Well as boys are expected to we soon began messing around. You know a mix between hide and seek, Cowboys and Indians, and stuff like that. Well one brother was in the loft and another brother and I were trying to roust him out of there. Well I discovered a spot in the first floor ceiling (and the loft floor) that had rotted out. It was the perfect route for a surprise attack! I slowly and silently began climbing up through the hole. Well to make a long story short I ended up getting hit on the head with a metal pole. I immediately dropped to the first floor and lay there stunned for a little while. I put my hand to my head and when I brought it down saw blood on my hand! Needless to say we went to the ER. I got three stitches (which they charged an arm and a leg forJ) and soon went back home. For getting the stitches taken out we decided not to go back to the hospital. My uncle is a nurse in the military and was home on leave at the time so he took them out for me. A pair of tweezers and nail clippers did the trick. Below is a pic of me with the stitches and one of my uncle taking them out. I must say since then I’ve only been in that barn a few times and never for fun.

You might wonder what the point of my reminiscing is. Well I got to thinking about it recently for two reasons. First is I still have the scar a year later. It’s not very noticeable but I can feel a bump there. Second was the subject of a recent bible study. We were studying the life of David. The point was brought out that the good seeds David sowed early in his life he reaped the fruits from after he became king. Then the bad seeds that he sowed soon after that he began to reap later in life. It reminded me of my scar. We cannot take back our actions and many times they leave scars with us for the rest of our lives. Many times young people are told to sow their wild oats while they are young. But it is when they are older that they look back with sorrow on those wasted years. Just like the man in John Pipers book they look back over their lives and say “I’ve wasted it”. They regret those decisions they made that have now left their mark. Let this be our motto “No Fears, No Regrets”. (And be careful in barns)

2009-11-07T14:44:00.001-06:00

"Christians are the best evidence for and against Christianity." ~ C. S. Lewis This was a great quote I heard today. Many times we forget that we are ambassadors for Christ in this world. there is another quote that says "Christians are the only Bible that many people will read." That is a sobering thought.

Election Day! – And the Day After

2009-11-04T21:02:00.000-06:00

As you can tell by the title I’m gonna be talking about the results of the voting yesterday. Now before I begin I realize that this is a touchy topic. But I’ll just be saying what I think of the results. And if we disagree we can still be friends with different views. It is very difficult to find two people who agree on every political issue. Also before I begin I must confess that I did not vote yesterday! Mainly because I’m only seventeen!:) But none of my family voted either! Why you ask? Well in our area the only voting there was to do was for two city council members. And guess how many candidates were on the ballot? Two. And guess what they both were elected!:) The beauty of living in Small Town, USA.:)

First off the big headline news was that the races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey were both won by Republicans. And neither of the new governors are merely a RINO (Republican In Name Only). Both have very strong political platforms that are plainly conservative. In Virginia the Republican defeated the Democrat by over 15%! And this was the state that many said was turning blue. I lived in Virginia for a number of years so this race was of particular interest to me. I see two things from this race and also the one in New Jersey. Number One: Conservatism is NOT dead! The Era of Reagan is NOT over! There are still those in the country who want biblical values in government. They still hold to the right to Life for the unborn, the elderly, and the handicapped. They hold to the right of Liberty to worship how they wish, to think what they wish, and to say what they wish. The very fact that I am able to write this blog post is because in our country we have Freedom of the Press! If I was living in a Communist country I would be in fear of my life for writing this! “My Country Tis' of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty”.
But Number Two: The Conservatives were not the only Voters! By that I mean that it is not just Republicans that are dissatisfied with the way our country is going. Now I have nothing against President Obama as a person. I believe he is a fine man and as our president deserves respect. I do not however agree with his policies on abortion, health care, the economy, and many other issues. And based on the voting yesterday it is obvious that I am not alone.

I found it interesting that about two years ago, as I was seeking to earn credit for college through CLEP testing, I took the exam on public speaking. The exam consists of a written segment and also a speaking section. The topic for the speaking part is randomly chosen and you are then given a certain amount of time to prepare and then deliver a two minute speech. I was given a topic and it was on “Whether or not the Government should subsidize health care”. At the time that was not as major an issue as it is now. However I still knew enough about the subject to prepare and deliver the speech. Unfortunately only one record was made of the speech so I don’t have a copy of it. I think it would be interesting to listen to the reasons I gave back then. Anyway just a paragraph long side note.:)

The 23rd district in New York was also in the headlines a lot especially in the week leading up to voting. I find the same true of this election as the two races for Governor. But, someone will say, the Conservative lost! I realize that, but Hoffman lost by only 5%! And he was not even on the Republican ticket! The Republican who dropped out was still on the ballot as the Republican running. And she got 5% of the vote! Yes Hoffman lost but if he had been on the Republican ballot in the first place he surely would have won. But the Republican was not chosen in a primary election. If they had held a primary then she would never had made it to the final election. Hoffman would have been chosen not her. This just goes to show why we have the system that we do.

Not before you begin to think that I plan to comment on every race, don’t worry. I only have two issues that were voted on to discuss and then I’ll be through.

First off in Maine the issue of legalizing gay marriage was brought to the people for a vote. The legislature passed a law allowing gay marriage but a petition with enough names was made up so the issue went to the people for a vote. And the people said “NO!”. I heard today that no state has ever legalized gay marriage by a vote of the people. Unfountunatly in some states, my current home state of Iowa included, the legislature has passed the law that legalizes it. But I thought this was government by the people! Why must a petition be made up to reconsider an issue after the legislature has decided on it? Why not go to the people in the first place? I realize that this is unpractical for all issues. That is the purpose of elections. But if it is known that their people do not support an issue then why pass it without their consent? I recently watched the film “Amazing Grace”. William Wilberforce encountered this same problem. Members of Parliament did not care what the people desired. They merely cared about what would benefit them. This is not the duty of our elected officials. They have been referred to as public servants and that is exactly what they should be. Their foremost thought should be “How will this benefit or best represent the people who elected me?”.

Finally in Texas the subject of Emminent Domain was brought to the people for a vote. And they voted it down. Now for those of you who do not know what that is let me try to summarize it in a nutshell. Emminent Domain says that the government (whether city, state, or national) is able to take private property for public use with fair reimbursement. I mentioned this issue on my Facebook and a friend of mine pointed out that Emminent Domain is in the Constitution! I was surprised somewhat to hear this. If it is in the Constitution are citizens of a state able to decide whether to accept the Constitution? So decided to look into it. I didn’t find it in the Constitution itself but in the Bill of Rights(first ten amendments). Hmm? Funny place to find it… Anyway here is the first statement I found: Article IV
“The right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated…”
After listing several rights of the people in Article V (also known as the fifth amendment) I then found this statement:
“…nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation”
So what do we read here? Private property cannot be taken for public use without a just(or fair) compensation. So was there anything wrong with the Texans voting to make this illegal in Texas? I would no there was nothing wrong with that. Texans were not voting on whether or not they should obey the Constitution! The Constitution does not say that the government has the right to seize personal property! Instead it says that if it is seized then the owner should receive a fair price for their property. If the citizens of Texas do not want to give their state government that capability then that’s their decision. Now why this issue is of interest to me is that we lived in Texas for about six years. While we were there we lived about half a mile from Highway 37 in San Antonio. One year we heard of a new project called the Trans Texas Corridor. It was basically a super highway going from the southern border to the northern border of Texas. And it was planned to pass straight by our property. But with the clearance they needed it would possibly include our property! So we faced the possibility of losing our home. Of course we would expect to get a fair compensation. But that would merely be for what the property was valued at. It would not help us any with the disruption of having to move somewhere else. Now a friend of ours in Texas encountered this issue with a rental property that he owned. The city needed the property for a school expansion. But in his case he felt that the amount he was given was more than enough. But on the other hand I heard of instances where people felt they were given far below the value of their property. Even worse than an individual losing their property is when a business is forced to move. Some of you may have heard of the ministry Vision Forum. My brother-in-law actually worked there while they lived in Texas. Soon after he left we heard that the city had told Vision Forum that they were going to practice Emminent Domain with their building because the city needed it for a fire station. For them it would have been a major loss no matter what they were given for the building. They had been there for a number of years so to move meant changing their address and also finding a new place to set up in. Part of their ministry is a store that sells items both through a storefront but also through mail order and the internet. Thankfully nothing ever came of it. But I want each of you to think of how it must have felt. Imagine hearing that very soon you might lose you home and have to move for no other reason than that a school nearby needs an extra playground! So I say “Go Texas!”. We need more states to follow your example.

Trick or Treat: The Darwinists Are Coming to Town. But so is ‘The Mysterious Islands’

2009-10-31T12:35:00.000-05:00

We recently received this article from Vision Forum about this film project. I thought I would pass it along.

“There is a ghoulish specter coming out this weekend, and it’s not merely the dark message of the Halloween celebration,” stated Doug Phillips, President of Vision Forum Ministries. “This weekend marks the beginning of an international push to celebrate the 150 anniversary of On the Origin of Species, and its author, Charles Darwin — the man whose Theory of Evolution is responsible for the most devastating, life-destroying, family-undermining worldview of the 20th century.”

From October 29-31, the University of Chicago — the group that hosted the famed Darwin Centennial in 1959 that featured Sir Julian Huxley and John Scopes of the “Scopes Trial” — will host Darwin/Chicago 2009. The university event is one of hundreds of commemorative gatherings being held worldwide. Other pro-Darwin activities occurring this month include numerous television documentaries, feature films, art exhibits, stage plays, and even a Paris fashion show.
“But there is good news,” Phillips stated. “In theatrical premieres in Raleigh-Durham, Chicago, San Antonio, and other key locations, audiences can experience The Mysterious Islands, a new adventure film that offers a fresh perspective on Darwin, his theory, and the famed journey he took to the Galapagos Islands.”
The Mysterious Islands debunks the conclusions Darwin reached during his storied trip to this island chain during the voyage of the HMS Beagle. Shot and directed by the award-winning Jon and Andy Erwin of Erwin Brothers Motion Pictures, the 90-minute documentary releases on November 12, just two weeks prior to the November 24 anniversary date of Darwin’s influential book.
“The world has Darwin fever, and we think it’s making our culture sick,” noted Doug Phillips, who served as Executive Producer of The Mysterious Islands. “Because of the implications of his famous theory of evolution, Darwin was perhaps the most influential man for evil in the last two hundred years. His ideas have contributed to the rise of Nazism, the proliferation of racism, Marxism, the horrors of eugenics, and abortionism. Nonetheless, over the next month, America and the global community will be inundated with the most pro-Darwin celebrations in history.”
“The release of The Mysterious Islands, and its screening in theaters presents a fresh response to Darwin fever by taking viewers on a thrilling adventure to the Galapagos Islands — ground zero in the war of the worldviews between evolutionism and Christianity,” Phillips stated. “Rather than praising the founder of the modern evolutionary worldview, we demonstrate that he was part of a multi-generational legacy of bad science, anti-Christian sentiment, and cultural bigotry that began with his grandfather Erasmus Darwin and continued up through the work of the virulent racist Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood.”

In The Mysterious Islands, Phillips and his crew join Captain Robert Fitzroy of the HMS Beagle in opposing Darwin. Captain Fitzroy walked where Darwin walked during their famous journey together. Like Darwin, he acted as a lay-naturalist, collecting the flora and fauna of the Galapagos. “Even though Fitzroy witnessed the exact same things as Darwin, he reached vastly different conclusions. And so do we,” Phillips remarked.
The Mysterious Islands, a cinematically beautiful adventure film, was shot earlier this year and examines the same unusual creatures Darwin saw while on the Galapagos Islands and shows where he erred. Told through the eyes of 16-year-old Joshua Phillips, the documentary presents a remarkable quest to “Darwin’s Eden” with Joshua, his father, and a team of scientists and investigators, including Dr. John Morris, president of the Institute for Creation Research.
“Fitzroy disputed Thomas Huxley — grandfather to Julian — concerning Darwin’s ideas following the publication of Origin of Species as part of a famous debate that took place at Oxford University in 1860,” observed Phillips. “We are following Fitzroy’s example during this anniversary year by offering a counterpoint to Darwinism through our film that was shot where Darwin’s Theory of Evolution was formed.”

The Mysterious Islands takes viewers deep beneath the ocean waves among hundreds of white-tip sharks, over lava fields covered with salt-spitting marine iguanas, and to the unusual habitat of blue-footed boobies and flightless cormorants. Featuring the only team of Creationists and Christian scientists to shoot a documentary on the Galapagos during 2009 — Darwin’s anniversary year — The Mysterious Islands brings a fresh perspective on Charles Darwin and his Theory and presents sweeping cinematography of one of the most remote, desolate, and fascinating island chains in the world.

Tar and Sin

2009-10-27T19:57:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned before we have had some rainy weather here recently. The rain brought a problem to our attention. The roof of the business has a few leaks! So today, since it was sunny, Caleb and I went up on the roof to put a layer of tar over all the seams. During that process an interesting situation occurred. Because of the nature of the job I was wearing disposable plastic gloves to keep my hands clean. Caleb would use a trowel and put the tar on the roof and then I would use a scrubber brush to spread it out. I began using my right hand to work the tar in with the brush. Soon the glove was covered in tar and I had to change it out for a new one. The gloves were not especially durable and in many places had holes worn through them. For some reason I had tar on my knuckles. By the end of the job I had tar all over my hands. I discovered that the gloves ended up being more harm than good. When I went to change my gloves the tar on my knuckles stuck to the gloves. Something had to give and what ended up giving was the top layer of skin on three of my knuckles. The strange thing was I did not realize what had happened until I saw the skin missing from my knuckles. As we continued the project I got to thinking. The tar could represent sin that a Christian allows in their life. They go along not realizing what the sin is doing to their lives. Sometimes they don’t realize what sin has done to them until they see its effect on both their life and the lives of others. After we finished I attempted to clean the tar off my hands with some soap and water. But like most of you could have guessed that did pretty much nothing. To get something like that off your skin you really need some mineral spirits or paint thinner. However I couldn’t find any so I figured I’d try the soap and water. So it is with sin. Our own attempts get rid of sin in our lives will always be futile. Sure we may be able to bring it under control for awhile, but without the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives we will not ultimately succeed. We must daily ask for help to conquer and remove the sin from our lives. A lot like I need to probably ask someone for help finding the mineral spirits. :)

2009-10-24T07:05:00.001-05:00

Well I just spent another long night mudding. It's 5:00 AM and I havn't slept any. Caleb and I have been helping Ryan Grice with a siding job the past couple of days. Nathan Grice, the one in the accident, usually works with Ryan but was obviously not available. It's been cold and wet here the past couple days which makes it no fun to install siding. We were able to finally finish yesterday. But then one of our neighbors in town called to see if we could help her move out today. So we'll be helping her most of the day. I'll be super tired on Sunday (thankfully it's a day of rest). :) We should be back to mudding on Monday. It will be all too soon for me. ;) As I post this I'm watching the sunrise. The heavens certainly declare the glory of God.

Update on Nathan's progress

2009-10-22T07:54:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest update on Nathan as well as a pic of him in the hospital.

If you want to follow the updates go to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathangrice

"We just arrived back at about 10:50 pm from seeing Nate at the hospital. Needless to say, the visit was long overdue!Not sure where to start... my poor little notepad is scrawled all over with notes on his condition, prognosis and other miscellany that needs to be shared.Please pardon me if a few details get mixed up and need corrected later. I've tried to keep all the clinical and procedural details accurate, but since I've not had the privilege of spending time in med school, there are bound to be some errors here and there.Nevertheless, here is what I have thus far:According to Dad and Mom, the first words he spoke when arriving back from surgery were: "God is GOOD and MERCIFUL." He had a little trouble pronouncing 'merciful,' but they definitely got the point!The pain has been greatly lessened now that the fragments are set in place and the swelling has gone down.Dad and Mom talked with one of the surgeons today, and he said Nate was doing "exceptionally well." After further examination, they felt fine removing the neck brace he's had on since the accident. No neck or spinal damage is apparent.The speech therapist was very impressed with his communicating abilities despite the recentness of his injury. Somehow, I don't find that too surprising... :) Nate was rather determined to do it as best he could. The therapist said she could tell "he was a fighter."She was also highly impressed that, even though he couldn't recall all the words, he could hum his way completely through a bunch of hymns without missing a note. One of the tunes he recalled is "O God, Our Help in Ages Past." How apt! What a blessing that he can still worship the Lord in some way, even if the words are not all in place!This morning they also administered a "GOAT" test (Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test), which is designed to show the level of "post-trauma amnesia" a person is experiencing. The scoring scale goes from 0-100, with 100 being the highest.Normally, a patient with this sort of injury will be able to score about 75-80 points two weeks afterward. People that score that high will usually recover to 98-100% of what functionality they lost.Our stellar student managed to peg an astounding score of 85, the day after surgery! You can imagine how uplifting that was!The rehab people cautioned that, even though he is currently recovering rapidly, it could still be anywhere from a month to a year before he's fully back to "normal." He will probably require at least a little therapy to get all the functionality back. However, we have seen enough of our Lord's miracle working thus far... and I wouldn't be surprised to see it progress faster. We shall see, I suppose.Dr. Bill Therall, the main surgeon from the team, finally made it down to Nate's room this evening at about seven. He also agreed that Nate is doing exceptionally well, and will be ready to be moved into a regular room tomorrow. Dr. Therall said that no further surgeries should be needed, as it looks like the damage was corrected very well with this first one. He also said that Nate's head bandage can come off tomorrow too, which is a blessing. It was very tight, and causing some discomfort.However, even with these positive things, there is still a long way to go. Please pray that Nate can be moved to a room by himself, so that he will not have to deal with the noise and commotion of having someone else in there with him. Loud, harsh noises or excessive talking are very disturbing to him, as he's still pretty sensitive to sound and such.Also, please continue to pray that his digestive system will fully "come online." He's very hungry, but the doctors are hesitant to allow him to eat anything too substantial yet. He is able to spoonfeed broth to himself, but is still not ready for solids. They may try a little bit tomorrow to see what happens. Also, due to the surgery, there was a small laceration to one of his jaw muscles near the ear. This causes some pain when he tries to chew. I will be typing a second update with the details of our visit... hopefully I can get it done tonight!

Rejoicing in the goodness and mercy of Jesus,RG

Thank you again to everyone who prayed. Prayers are being answered.

Accident

2009-10-20T22:02:00.000-05:00

Nathan Grice is a young man in our community in his early twenties. He is the second oldest of six children. He is a believer with a strong testimony for Jesus. This morning we received word that he was in a car accident on his way to work! Below I’ve pasted an email we received from his older brother Ryan as well as a picture of the vehicle. We received the email around noon today. Since then he has gone into surgery and may be there even now.

“Hello everyone!

Just wanted to give you a little more thorough update since I'm home now and have been able to accumulate a little more information. I assure you, it was a rather shocking phone call that I received from Mom on the jobsite! I pray none of you will ever have to feel that same surge of shock, pain and disbelief. God's grace is sufficient in the hour of need, and His sweet comfort has been present throughout it all.

Here are the details as best I can gather... I will not vouch for a hundred percent accuracy, as I've been known to make mistakes and hear wrong! Some of the details may be corrected as I get further information and talk more to the people involved.

Nathan's accident occurred this morning at the intersection of Hwy 71 and Hwy 92 when Nate was on his way to a job in my car. Apparently he pulled out in front of an oncoming car and was struck on the driver's side fender and door.

I took a picture of it and included it here so you can see the extent of the damage.

The driver of the other car is a Christian man in his fifties who is from out of state. He only sustained minor bumps and bruises, as he had swerved to try and avoid Nate's vehicle. He was very apologetic and encouraging to us, and insisted on praying with Mom when she visited him in his hospital room.

After the car was hit, it swerved about a hundred yards through the ditch and nearly ended up in the corn field on the east side. It's a blessing that it went off the road, instead of into oncoming traffic! In a way, I can see God's hand in this as well, as a steering tie rod was shattered at impact, and it's doubtful with that sort of damage if Nate could have guided the car into the shallow ditch and away from traffic, even if he had been conscious at the time. There is a larger ditch on the other side that could well have rolled the car a few times, had he gone down into it.

A neighbor of ours was the first to stop, and checked on both vehicles. She then stopped up at our house after the occupants of both cars were safely on their way to the hospital in Atlantic. If she had not came by to let us know, we may not have found out until he'd been in the hospital for quite a while. May God bless her for stopping and helping out in the mode of a Good Samaritan, when she could have easily passed by.

He was coherent by the time he arrived at the hospital, but was extremely confused and agitated. He can recall nothing that happened all of today. He recognized Mom, Dad and a few other relatives who were present. The doctors and nurse teams were disturbing to him, as they were unfamiliar, but he seems to have calmed down a bit as Mom and Dad explained the situation to him.

The hospital in Atlantic examined him and found no exterior injuries except for a bump on the side of his head where he hit the door. After some x-rays of his head, chest and pelvis, they found a v-shaped crack running up from near his ear. It has been causing him considerable pain, and even a dose of morphine was unable to quell it.

The x-rays revealed minor hemorraging, but nothing too serious given the magnitude of impact. There is some swelling, and so they were careful to keep him awake and talking so they could be assured of no further damage.

After a further examination they elected to Life-Flight him to Omaha's UNMC Hospital, which has a dedicated neurological team. Atlantic didn't feel that they could properly address a trauma fracture of this order, and thought it would be best to send him where he could get the best care.

The preliminary prognisis is hopeful, but he may require a series of surgeries to relieve pressure, and then to install a plate. As it is a v-crack, it is doubtful if it could heal properly without the support of a plate.

So, he is on his way (and may have already arrived) at UNMC. Please pray that God will guide the hands of the doctors, surgeons and nurses as they seek to mitigate the injury. Lift Nate up in prayer for the pain as well, as it's nearly unbearable even with drugs. Pray that he will make a full recovery and be the stronger in Jesus for it.

Also, I would ask that you lift up our family before the Throne of Grace in the time of need. It's very hard on all of us to see our good, strong, bold, happy Nate reduced to a confused, helpless and hurting man like this. It's quite hard to believe. :'(

We know that God has allowed this to happen, and we GLADLY say "AMEN!" to His will, no matter what the outcome. His faithfulness is everlasting, and will keep us till we see His face in the fair land of Grace and Glory, when "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Please feel free to forward this to anyone you feel would like to know. We will try to keep the updates coming as we receive more information.

Rejoicing in Jesus Christ,
The Same Yesterday, Today and FOREVER!
RYAN GRICE”

Below I’ve pasted a later email we received about a website they have set up for him:

Dear Family and Friends,
To keep you up to date on Nate, I created a CaringBridge website. You can follow Nathan’s progress and show your support.
Visit Nathan’s website in two easy ways: 1. Visit the CaringBridge website by clicking the link below. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathangrice 2. Enter the website name, nathangrice, at http://www.caringbridge.org/?utm_source=siteannounceLOW&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=home.

Show your support for Nathan• Visit and keep up to date.• Leave a message in the guestbook.• Receive e-mail notifications when the journal is updated.
Thank you.
Ryan

As Ryan said please pray for Nathan and his family as they go through this time.

A Wasted Life?

2009-10-19T22:20:00.000-05:00

I was recently studying the life of a man who was considered a leader in a major war. The war was considered to have a greater number of casualties than the Civil War(casualties in proportion to population). He was responsible for the deaths of many innocent women and children. History records that many tried to convert him to Christianity but he refused saying it would make him weak. In the end he lost the war, was betrayed by one of his own followers, was killed, and his followers were scattered. After he was killed, his follower who betrayed him said "He was a brave man who made many brave men fear him". As I study his life I ask myself "Why?". How can someone give their life for a cause like that? And to his death he believed he was right.

2009-10-07T12:37:00.000-05:00

Finally was able to post some pics.
These first two are from the photo shot I recently helped my sis with.
I was the lighting guy.

This is the group from our Iowa Bible Bee. I'm the tall one about in the middle between the two windows.

Once Saved Always Saved? – Part 2

2009-09-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

Since my last post I’ve had other verses brought to my attention by comments both here on my blog and on a discussion on Maiden of Purity’s blog. Of course when I wrote my last post I was aware that there are other passages that seem to oppose the thought “Once Saved Always Saved”. Some of those passages were mentioned so I’ll address them in this follow up post. Once again we’re addressing the following question: “If a person has been truly saved, can they lose their salvation?”.

Some of the verses that were brought up were the multiple verses in Revelation that refer to names being blotted out of the Book of Life.
Rev 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. 18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book.”

And: Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

First let’s look at what these verses are referring to with the phrase the “Book of Life”.

“Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works… Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

From these verses we see that the Book of Life is the book your name must be written in for you to enter heaven. It is the guest list to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And if your name is not written in it on the judgment day then you have one destination-hell. It’s a terrible thought but it is the case. Praise God that our names can be written in that book.

This next verse concerning the Book of Life is also very intereseting:

Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

This verse seems to indicate that the names written in the Book of Life were written there before the world began. This would support the concept of election. Before the world began God chose which names would be written in the Book of Life. Now do you really think that if God chose to put a name there he would then later take it out. One of the many attributes of our great and awesome God is that He has been and always will be unchangeable. Therefore if your name has been written in the Book of Life you can be sure it will not be removed. Right?

But wait! The first verses we looked at in Revelation seem to indicate that names can be blotted out. How can this be? For only God has access to this Book of Life. So if a name was blotted out it would be God’s doing. Let’s take a closer look at the verses. In Rev 22:19 it says if anyone takes away from that which was written his name would be blotted out. Now who would we expect would be found guilty of changing what the Word of God says? Would it be the atheists? No for they deny that God even exists so they have no use for any part of the Bible. Would it be born again believers? No for the Bible says that they are led by the Spirit of God. So who does this leave? It leaves the religious person. The person who is either striving to enter heaven by works or is living a merely outward righteous life. Are either of these true believers headed for heaven? No. As Jesus said “They will die in their sins”. So why would their names need to be blotted out? For if they were never true believers then their names were never written in it. I found this commentary by Albert Barnes helpful:
“When it said here that “God would take away his part out of the book of life,” the meaning is not that his name had been written in that book, but that he would take away the part which he might have had, or which he professed to have in that book. Such corruption of the divine oracles would show that they had no true religion, and would be excluded from heaven”

So this is merely an expression so that, from man’s point of view, we can understand it. To those around this individual he may seem like a true believer. But in his heart he is as far from God as the vilest atheist. So, merely for our benefit, John gives this picture of the name being blotted out. But in reality it was never there.

The next verse (Rev 3:5) sheds even more light on the subject. In fact instead of being a verse disproving this concept it is actually a verse to prove it. This verse and the previous tie together in that this verse says if you have believed on Jesus, and therefore your name has been written in the Book of Life, then He will not blot out your name from that Book. Albert Barnes was again helpful on this subject:
“The expression “I will not blot out” means, that the names would be found there on the great day of final account, and would be found there forever. It may be remarked, that as no one can have access to that book but he who keeps it, there is the most positive assurance that it will never be done, and the salvation of the redeemed will be, therefore, secure.”
Now you may say “Hold on Daniel! The stipulation was given ‘He that overcometh’! This promise is only for those who endure to the end!” Yes I noticed that. But what did Jesus say before He left His disciples here on earth? He prayed to the Father in Joh 17:11 “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we [are].” Christ here prays that God the Father would keep all those who He had given Him. Do you think that God is unable to keep believers true to the end? Certainly not! If you have put yourself in God’s hands you can rest assured that you are safe. No one can take you from that place of safety.

Once Saved Always Saved?

2009-09-23T23:01:00.000-05:00

This question has been central to the debate between Calvinists and Armenians for a number of years. Calvinists believe in what they call “Perseverance of the Saints”. Armenians on the other hand believe that Christians can lose their salvation. Many godly men over the years have been on both sides of the argument. So how do we know which is correct. Like the Bereans we search the Scriptures.

On the Armenian side they bring up these verses:
Heb 6:4 For [it is] impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put [him] to an open shame.

But on the Calvinist side they bring up verses such as:
Joh 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Joh 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

And :
Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and [my] Father are one.

So without going into a long list of verses we already seem to have a contradiction. The first passage seems to say that once you have been saved, if you fall away, you cannot regain your salvation. But in the next two passages Jesus assures us that His sheep will not be lost but he will raise them up again at the last day. Well let’s take a closer look at the first passage.

It begins by saying “it is impossible” and then goes through the list of different things until verse six. So you could rewrite it as “It is impossible for those… if they should fall away, to renew them again to repentance;” The activities listed at the end of verse four and through verse five quite clearly refer to an individual who has been saved. This is not merely a false profession for it says: “were made partakers of the Holy Ghost” and we know from other scriptures that this only occurs when a person has been truly saved. So it is obvious that he is referring to true believers in verse 4 and 5.
He goes on to say “If they should fall away”. Now think about this: he never says that any will fall away. He says that IF they fall away then it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance. Think about it phrased this way “Those who have been truly saved(ie. the elect), cannot fall away because if they fell away they could not be renewed to repentance.” All the elect will be saved. Once they have been saved they cannot fall away. Therefore if someone makes a profession and then “falls away” you can make one of two assumptions. Either they we’re never saved in the first place or they didn’t fall away instead they were merely experiencing a valley in their Christian walk. Many who “fall away” do come back later and say that they truly were saved. Hopefully this has been presented clearly enough. Of course I didn’t have enough time to go into all the verses on the subject. If you know of any verses that seem to say otherwise please comment and let me know. And if we disagree we can still be friends. As I said at the outset many godly men through the ages have been on both sides of this argument. I believe you can still be a Christian no matter which side you are on. I was saved in an Armenian church and am now Calvinistic. There is one way to heaven and that’s through the blood of Jesus Christ. It is not through a system. Every system made by man has it flaws. So we follow Christ our head and the commands he left us in His Word.

Thanks for Reading.
In Christ,
Daniel Turack

2009-09-11T22:42:00.001-05:00

(911)September 11, 2001. I am sure few of us will ever forget what happened on that date. I still remember when we first heard the news. We were living in Virginia at the time. We were at home doing school and my dad was at work (he was in the Air Force at the time). Suddenly the phone rang. My mom answered and it was my uncle. The first thing he asked was where Dad was. Mom told him at work and he asked where. He was relieved when mom told him 5 miles away. Dad would take frequent trips to the Pentagon for his work so my uncle was worried that he was there when the plane hit. We were glad dad was safe but there are other families whose dads were not safe, who never came home. Because of them we will never forget that day.

2009-09-10T12:46:00.001-05:00

(Stomping in puddles)My little brother and I were in town walking across a parking lot when I noticed something that started me thinking. I noticed that every puddle we passed he would stomp in. Thinking about it I realized that stomping in puddles is common among kids. So I began wondering why that is the case? Any thoughts?

2009-09-09T21:10:00.003-05:00

(A unique time)Since this rarely happens I figured I would post about it. As of this moment the time is 09:09:09 and the date is 09/09/09. Of course this only occurs once a year and in a few years will cease to occur. So right now I'm headed to the shop on my bike to do the nightly cleanup. What were you doing during this unique time? Let me know.

2009-09-07T17:26:00.001-05:00

(Labor Day)Well today is Labor Day. I was working all day first on the grain bins in the morning and then the rest of the day over at the house. So I did pretty much what I always do. So how was your Labor Day? Did any of you do anything interesting? Or was it the standard daily routine like mine?

2009-09-07T11:41:00.001-05:00

Yesterday at church there were some missionaries who recently got back from Africa. They were ministering to the deaf through sign language. I was able to sit with them for lunch which was nice. My oldest sister, Bethany, was in a ministry to the deaf at one of the churches we used to attend. Now she is with her husband and their two daughters serving as missonaries in Malawi, Africa. So I had a nice conversation with the missonaries yesterday. After lunch I talked to William Wattermann for awhile. Nice conversation there as well.

2009-08-25T01:01:00.001-05:00

(Please Comment)Well according to my hit counter I've had over a thousand visits to my blog. But less than a dozen people have commented on my posts. So I would like some feedback on my blog. I want to know how you found my blog and what you think of it. I would like you to leave your name but if you really don't want to you can make it anonymous. Just please comment. And let me know how you know me. Thanks in advance.

2009-08-23T14:54:00.001-05:00

(Please Pray)A friend of mine, Josh Beasley, was in a motorcycle accident this past Monday. His motorcycle went off the road, hit some loose gravel, and spun out. He said if he had not been wearing his helment he would have been killed. But he did have a broken arm along with other injuries. I heard about it last night so I was suprised to see him walk into church this morning. Please pray that he would continue to heal quickly.

2009-08-19T16:26:00.001-05:00

Because of the weather we didn't work on the grain bins this morning. Instead we're going to work at the house this morning. I'm still trying to finish the electrical for the house. I'm done with all but like the last 5% which usually takes the longest. Tonight we have a hymn sing at the business so we need to leave work early. We have one each Wednesday night at seven thirty. Friday night we are having a movie night at the business. We are showing Fireproof. The last two times we showed it we didn't have many people show so we hope to get a better turnout. We have free admission so I think it was a publicty problem. We'll have to see how it goes. For those of you who have seen the film what do think of it?

2009-08-18T16:30:00.001-05:00

(A new job)I started a new job this morning. No I have not quit at the ice cream shop. I am still working there and still working on the house renovation. And during my free time I am still doing some video editing. This is just a part time job helping a local farmer with some tasks that he is no longer able to do. This morning we were cleaning out two grain bins of the rotten corn in the bottom of the bins. Boy did that stink. Then we tarred around the bottom outside the bins. We have another three to do tomorrow morning. Then this afternoon we are working over at the house. This Saturday Angie is having a graduation party that I am making a DVD for so I will probably have some late nights this week. But I guess better busy than bored.:)

Pictures

2009-08-18T13:14:00.001-05:00

Finally got on to post some pictures.
These are from the 2 mile race.

That's Caleb and I after the awards were passed out

These are all those who received awards in the 2 mile race.

These next pics are from the volleyball game at Hillary's Graduation.

This was when we wern't really playing a game.

That's me in the middle, Micah Nelson on my right, and Ellie Stangl on my left.

That's Matthew Miller next to the net in the gray shirt and Christopher Wattermann to the right of the picture in the red shirt.

2009-08-15T06:27:00.001-05:00

(Sunrise)Well one advantage of an all nighter is that you are sure to see the sunrise. Sometimes during a house renovation you begin to feel like it will never end. The sunrise is beautiful this morning. I find it interesting that the more clouds there are the more amazing the sunrise is. How true that is in life. The more clouds that shadow our lives the more beautiful it is when the sun shines again. "Sorrow may last for the night but joy comes in the morning."

2009-08-15T02:00:00.001-05:00

Doing an all nighter at the house tonight. I am supposed to be finished with the electrical this week so I am trying to finish last minute. Been drinking alot of Mountain Dew Voltage:). If you have never had some you should try it.

2009-08-09T13:53:00.001-05:00

Ran a two mile race yesterday morning. I came in tenth place overall. For my age category I got third place. My time was 18:06. Last night I finally finished editing the musical DVD. I am glad to be done.

The Post few wanted

2009-08-07T18:34:00.000-05:00

I've decide to go ahead and post the video anyway despite the small interest. But please let me know if you like it. At least say thank you.:)

2009-08-02T22:03:00.001-05:00

Wow the ending to my last post was interesting. I do most of my posts from my phone. That last post I was writing on the way home from church and kept drifting off. What I was saying was the comments are helpful to know that the blog is being read. Thanks again. Also I really appreciate it when those of you who see me at church and have been to my blog let me know. Speaking of which those of you who saw the musical at church today please let me know what you thought. I'll always take feedback even if it is anonymous.:)

2009-08-02T17:21:00.001-05:00

Well for those of you who didn't realize it last Friday was also my birthday. Caleb is my twin brother. I did the post like that to see how well you, my blog readers, know me. I guess that shows you don't know me very well at all. Speaking of knowing people, I want to say thank you to all those who have posted comments. It really help.

2009-07-31T11:37:00.001-05:00

(Happy Birthday )Well today is my brother Caleb's seventeenth birthday. He and I are the closest in age of all our siblings so we have been pretty close. Its been good to have had him as an older brother for the past seventeen years.

2009-07-30T11:27:00.001-05:00

Took the CLEP History of the US 1 this morning. I passed so thats more money saved and more credits earned. I already have over half of my credits earned for my Business administration degree. That has all been CLEP or DSST tests. The base has a testing center which is very helpful.

2009-07-28T17:58:00.001-05:00

Well we are working at the house all day today. The Ice Cream Shop is closed on Tuesdays so thats our main day for work on the house. It is an old farmhouse that we totally gutted. Right now we are at the rough in phase. I am the plumber and the electritian which means I am doing all the work associated with both of those jobs. It is a three story house which also has a basement. We are required to follow code and get inspections. It has gone pretty well so far.

2009-07-26T16:42:00.001-05:00

Yesteray we attended Hillary Hipps' graduation party. We had quite the drive (2.5 hours one way) but it was worth it. We were the first ones there, which is unusual for our family.:) After talking for a little while we soon set up the volleyball net and began playing. At first we were just hitting the ball back and forth with no real game structure. But we soon had enough players to start a game. We played Speed with three teams of six players. I got the front center position on my team. Matthew Miller was on my right with Esther Beasley behind him as server. Ellie Stangl was behind me and Josiah Nelson was on my left with Christopher Wattermann behind him. We played two games and our team won the second. Thanks for having us Hipps family.

2009-07-19T15:40:00.001-05:00

It was an excellent sermon at church this morning. Pastor Nelson preached on the lives of three of the travel companions of Paul. The first was Aristarcus who stayed with Paul even in persecutions. The second was John Mark who deserted Paul but was later restored and became a close friend. The last was Justus who was only mentioned once as Pauls companion. All three were blessings to Paul. After the sermon was a fellowship meal which was very good (especially the pie). Later on in the afternoon I had a nice talk with one of the young Wattermann boys. He is an excellent conversationalist considering his age. I found him to be very knowledgable. Well I guess he is homeschooled.

2009-07-19T09:22:00.001-05:00

I heard this quote yesterday and thought I would share it. It was used in regard to the current economic crises, but I thought it was very applicable to life in general. It's a reminder to not get bogged down focusing on past trials like the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, losing a close friend, or even our past failures. The quote is: "If you are constantly looking in the rearview mirror of your life you will end up in a wreck with you as the victim". Of course this does not include remembering past blessings. We should definately remember God's goodness to us. I am reminded of Paul's words "Forgeting those things which are behind... Looking unto Jesus... I press torward the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus, who endured the cross.

Considering a post

2009-07-15T16:46:00.001-05:00

Well the editing work on the musical has gone pretty smoothly. I've finished editing the first scene so I'm considering posting a little preview. That would mean of course compressing it for the web. I doubt anyone could view it in it's current AVI format. But I need to know if there's any interest. Please leave a comment and let me know.

P.S. I'd like at least a half dozen people to be interested.

2009-07-09T22:21:00.000-05:00

Well here are some pics of the musical.

SCENE 1

It's time for me to make my fortune. We agreed to share the gold together.We're living in the promised land.

SCENE 2

"We are the Minutemen ready for action"

"Be brave men."

"Lay down your arms rebels or you're all dead men. "
"If they want war let it begin here"
"We must leave our loved ones in God's hands" My dear captain are you okay?Your Father died with honor
"No Elias you can't be gone."

What is this Freedom you died for
"We hold these truths to be self evident..."
This was a fun pic done afterward.

2009-07-07T20:26:00.001-05:00

The performances this past weekend went very well. We had two in Seward and one at the Gretna Community Church. The one at Gretna was the best as far as sound goes. I was able to get a direct feed from the sound system which was really nice. I fed it into my GL2 and then used that as the main camera. I've got all the footage dumped to my computer so now I am starting the editing. I was up until 4:30 this morning trying to get the white balance matched between the two cameras. I think I got it to pretty much where I want it although its not perfect. Pictures of the event will come soon.

2009-07-02T14:43:00.001-05:00

Well tomorrow we will need to leave for Seward between 6:00 and 6:30am. I'm filming the dress rehersal which starts at 9:00am. Then between that and the performance at 7:00pm I'll play back the rehersal for the cast. For the filming in the evening I will be using three camcorders. I'm taking two of them and a friend of the Wissmanns is bringing the third. I will enjoy having three angles for the editing. Those of you who have done any film editing know what I'm talking about.

2009-07-02T10:07:00.001-05:00

Today I'm replenishing the stock for the business. I just finished at Sams and now I'm at WalMart. We plan to be open on the 4th so I made sure we have plenty of stock. Griswold has a vetrans reunion next week that includes a parade down main street that goes in front of our shop. So we should be pretty busy next week. But the busier the better.

2009-07-01T09:26:00.001-05:00

We had a blessed Lord's Day this past Sunday. We are currently attending Millard Aliance Church in Omaha, Nebraska. It is a very nice fellowship. We have been attending for the past couple of months. This past Sunday, after the service, we had a practice for the Foundations of Freedom musical. It is a July 4th performance that the Wissmann family is putting together. Quite a few of the familes at church are helping in the musical, either by acting or assisting. The Stangl family joined us this week for the practice since three of them are acting. Two of the guys are in a young mens Bible study that I attend so I had already met them but it was nice to meet some of thier family. I'm going to be filming the event and then editing the footage.