The Musings of an American Christian

Steamed Broccoli and My Cousin’s NOT a Dog, or Monkey, or Fish, or…

2011-07-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or should people be held to certain standards? I try not to impose my standards on people who are clearly not at that position. I don’t sit there and think that the un-Churched should act like perfect Christians, nor do I expect children to have everything figured out. What I do expect is for people to act a certain way when they are given a certain title, or if they’re in a certain position. For example, I expect for people who are given a job, let’s say at Panera Bread (I love that place) making sandwiches, to show up on time, not call in if they don’t need to, make sandwiches to the best of their ability, clean up after themselves, and not spit in the food. These are all given expectations of someone in a position. Then if you elevate that position to management, then they no longer need to make sandwiches, but they do need to make sure the store is run properly and in a neat and orderly manner, and ensure that those below them are taken care of properly and not abuse the powers bestowed upon them.

Well, the same can be said for the military. There are four different tiers of position in the Army. You have your Jr. Enlisted, Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO), Warrant Officers, and Commissioned Officers. Well let’s take the NCOs for example, because I am one. We have what is called the Creed of the Non-Commissioned Officer. In it describes the values and virtues of what an NCO is supposed to look like and act like. So when a Jr. Enlisted reaches this point, they are automatically expected to live according to these set standards. We are expected to learn it, love it, live it, and basically recite it at will. So when someone is given this position, then it’s extremely hard for me to turn my head when someone does not live up to these standards. Now, I above anyone know that people are going to make mistakes. I make my own mistakes, but there’s also I guess a limited threshold of when a person really starts to cross the line. I can’t turn my head anymore. There was an NCO recently who just did not live up to this standard. They were mistreating their Soldiers, and giving everyone around them a rough time, especially if you did not outrank them. Something had to be said, which is getting into another story, but right now I’m going to move on because I know this blog is going to be long.

Now I’m taking this class through Liberty University Online called The History of Life. It’s a great class and I’m learning a LOT. The tests are challenging, but that just drives me to really understand the concepts of what’s being taught during the class. When it comes down to it, the class is comparing Creation to Evolution. It walks you through the different main ideas of each side, and refutes what needs to be refuted. As biased as I’m sure it may be, it does do its job by pointing out things that creation scientists are struggling to explain. The class does have a negative side effect on me though. I’ve been finding myself for the past few weeks getting really mad at evolutionist scientists. Not because I see them as the enemy; to each their own. They are doing their job to get down to how the world has come to be. My main complaint about them is the fact that they’re not paying attention to facts. They’re not admitting when they find evidence that could fit any given theory out there, that it could represent either of those theories. Then, they accuse Christians of using religion as a blinder to reality. They accuse us of being narrow minded, and sticking our heads in the sand. They are adamant about the “fact” that they are right with supporting evolution, and any other “opinion” out there is just preposterous. Let’s take a look at what I’m talking about.

Evolutionists would have you to believe that everyone and everything that has breath (including plants) originated from one puddle of goo that somehow spawned off a living single celled organism, and then evolved into every species of plant, animal, and man on Earth, not only today, but also in the past. This process took over the span of millions upon millions of years. And if you want to go even further back, then the Big Bang (which isn’t as much of a “bang” as they once taught us in school anymore) which is supposed to explain the origins of EVERYTHING, which took place billions of years ago.

Now, it’s not a problem that people have differing viewpoints. It’s when they start ignoring other scientific laws that have been set up and proven while making these other popular theories (evolution and the Big Bang). One of these big laws that they’re ignoring is the First Law of Thermodynamics. It states in essence that matter and energy can be transferred from one form to the other, but it cannot be created nor destroyed. I’m not saying that Creation has all the answers, but it does kind of explain where this matter and energy, of which cannot be created nor destroyed (with our human understanding), came from.

Now let’s assume that you can get past that little bit of scientific law that scientists tend to throw to the wayside, and let’s get down to the root of evolution.

Evolutionists spend a lot of time in the fossil records to illustrate their theory, which wasn’t really even Darwin’s own doing, he just provided the vehicle of Natural Selection. The fossil records are supposed to be evolutionists’ best friend. Through the records, scientists will tell you that evolution is “well documented” and they can show you the processes that life has gone through to modern day understanding. They use the “tree of evolution” to explain that it started at one point, went up the trunk, and extended into the branches and twigs to the leaves which is where we are with all of the different species. Usually this takes place in the form of mutations (which is a bigger hindrance than a help). Creationists on the other hand, use an orchard, rather than a single tree to illustrate the progressions of the species, each species representing its own tree. If the tree dies out, then that species has since gone extinct.

So what are the evolutionists ignoring now? First of all, they’re ignoring that species cannot now or ever give birth to new species. A dog will not give birth to a cat, and no matter how much you want it to, an ape will never give birth to a human. Even if you pray, which would be admitting a deity and you might as well believe in creation. I believe God could make it happen, but that would be going against the laws that He’s already set in place.

Here’s the real kicker as to why I’m so mad at evolutionist scientists. They write biology books, and ruin everyone’s fun in the educational system by insisting the FACT of the “theory of evolution.” They have these trees of evolution in biology text books. But what people fail to realize is that the branches that comes off the main trunk are all dashed lines instead of solid lines of actual fact. The dashed lines are supposed to represent where science gets fuzzy, or “sketchy” as they word it. THEY HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO COME UP WITH A SINGLE MISSING LINK!!!! Not for humans, not for birds, not for whales (no matter how much they try), not for anything. But they'll swear up and down that it's documented. They cannot logically explain the Cambrian Explosion where they suddenly find fossils of many different species, rather than finding a gradual building up of the species. There’s NOTHING!!! Do I need to say this again? NOTHING! But yet we’re supposed to take their word for it that evolution happens on a large scale like they’re trying so hard to convince everyone. Before this class I thought they actually had these “missing links” for other species in place, but no, they don’t. And yet we MUST learn it through 12 years of science classes through the American public education system. God forbid a teacher even mention creation on anything more than a two second introduction. That’s just unethical! People are so ready to incorrectly scream "Separation of Church and State!" (Follow the link for some food for thought.)

Obviously there are more scientific theories out there to explain each side, but when it comes down to it, scientists (not all of them obviously) are FAILING miserably when it comes to presenting the evidence for anything that they find. If there’s a worldview that hasn’t been totally proven, then admit to it and apply your findings to every thought pattern out there until you come up with the most comprehensible explanation of where we came from, and stop belittling people for believing something other than your heresy. I'm sick of listening to people accuse Christians of forcing our beliefs on people, when they're forcing their disbelief on us. I'm sick of being pushed around by "great thinkers," or the "educated elite" who are trying so hard to disprove God just because they don't want to answer for the crappy choices that they've made in life. That's what it all comes down to. (Okay, that might be my own opinion.) People didn't start questioning evolution, they started questioning creation, which can only mean that creation was the reason for life from the very beginning. We didn't wake up one day and realize that we were completely different from our parents because we walk upright while they're still dragging their knuckles. Not only that, but how would that one "mutation" procreate if there was no one else like "him." He couldn't reproduce with another ape, because species don't intermix and populate. It's biologically impossible.

I’m so tired of hearing about how people take school systems to court because a science teacher remotely seems to be questioning evolution. If you think that it’s not happening then please, be my guest and watch the documentary Icons of Evolution (or here) from Cold Water Media. I also challenge you to find Lucy: She's No Lady, from the Answers in Genesis website.

After taking this class I think I’ll scream if someone even mentions the fact that evolutionists are wrongly winning over the public education curriculum. I say people need to take a stand. It’s a bigger issue than people realize. We’re being lied to by the very people who we look to for scientific answers. Is this ethical? I say no! Which is why I dedicate the song “Rise Up,” by Disciple as the theme song for this blog post.

Unlikely Leaders

2011-07-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Theme Song: Lead Me, by Sanctus Real

Ever since we got married, I have seen God bless our lives every step of the way. Sometimes our circumstances weren’t always the best (like eloping, or having extended periods of separation), but God has done some wonderful things in the process. Everything we have ever asked for or thought we wanted, we have received. We have been taken care of through choices in the Army that we’ve made, we wanted kids and were blessed by two of the cutest twins in the world, we wanted Germany and we got it without hesitation, the blessings can’t really even be counted. People ask how we’ve done it, my father has even commented on the fact that the military usually doesn’t work out the way it has for us. I can only thank God that life has flowed as smoothly as it has.

And now for a family man deployed to the middle of the land of Islam, I can’t help but feel bad that I’m missing out on my family’s lives. I can’t be there for my wife to help her make tough choices with our money, I can’t be there and give her the encouraging touch when she feels like a failure, I can’t be there to just spend quality time with her lounging around at night unwinding while watching Conan O’Brian on TV. I probably haven’t been the best leader in our family in the past as I could have been. I’m normally a quiet, laid back, timid kind of guy who is perfectly alright with letting someone else take care of certain things like talking to the waiter in a restaurant, or taking initiative when trying to communicate to people who I know speak a different language and probably know very limited English. My wife would always either beat me to the punch, or would just go ahead and do it. I know she wants me to be the man and lead us not only in the little things, but also the larger things. I’ve tried for the most part, but even I can admit when I know I haven’t been doing as much as I should, or even could. And now we’ve been discussing the future and my getting out of the military and I know that I’m really going to have to step up and take the reins more than I used to. I’m going to have to mold myself more and more into the man of God that I know I need to be.

Then there are the kids. I know they’re still young and have a very limited comprehension of what morals and ethics are, or the need for them, but I can’t help but feel like I need to be there for them, to teach them and guide them. They shouldn't have to call on other people to help provide for them, or teach them how to use the potty, or give them medicine when their ear hurts to the point of screaming. I know I’m doing what I need to do by providing for them monetarily, but during this year+, I won’t be able to see them develop. My wife keeps telling me about things that they’re doing and I just can’t believe that they’re doing so well and comprehending things that they wouldn’t have before I left. It makes me feel bad that I was so harsh with them while we were going through the nightmare at the airport on our way out of Germany so I could drop them off in California the month before I got deployed. Granted they were being terrors, our plane got cancelled and we had to get a hotel and couldn’t leave that night. Also Ash and I were both stressed to the max, but I would give an untold amount of money to go back to that very moment right now, relive it, and hopefully use retrospect to know how to make them feel better through the whole thing. I would love for the chance to be able to deal with screaming children, than be here and put up with what I call a garrison environment with mortars!

And when it comes to callings from God, have you ever noticed that it’s usually something that the person will love, but wouldn’t have really thought about doing it in a million years. It's not always the case, though. It’s going to be something that you’re good at, that you enjoy doing, but when you look at Moses’ calling, he was supposed to go up to Pharaoh, talk to him, and tell him to let all of the Israelites (the Egyptian’s entire slave workforce) go. Moses had a speech impediment. He wasn’t the smoothest of talkers. I think this illustration is why people are afraid to become Christians, because they think that God’s going to send them to China. But honestly, once you get to know the heart of God then those lost sheep in China begins to pull on your own heart and you then go from “please don’t send me,” to “I’ll go in a heartbeat, I just need the means.” It’s an inward miracle that God can change the abilities and hearts of His believers. And now He’s going to do it again. He’s going to take this introverted, not-so-smooth talking, laid back, shy shell of a man, and give me the enthusiasm to not only finish my Bachelor’s Degree, but also push me through seminary, and ordination, so that I may be his voice. God sometimes chooses the unlikely so that they will know that it’s not by our power that we’re being successful for God, but that it’s God’s power that we’re being successful for God.

God, form me and lead me to be the man that you desire me to be. Give me the abilities and help me get over myself so that I may lead not only my family, but others to you and through your will.

Bible Passage: Romans 12:1-2 “ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

The Human Chameleon

2011-07-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

Theme Song: Times, by Tenth Avenue North

Theme Passage: Psalm 91

My wife posted a bunch of pictures of our twins (Jonah and Leila). There was one in particular where they’re looking at their new pet fish in their fish bowl. I just realized how much I miss them and how much they’ve changed since I saw them last. It’s heartbreaking to know that I’m missing out on so much that they’re experiencing while they’re living there in the States. I’m not complaining about being over here, being deployed, serving our country, it’s just heart wrenching to see them not necessarily grow up, but grow so much without me being there. I miss being a family together.

But here I am, serving overseas, with nothing but images of my wife and kids to keep me sane, and the occasional Skype experience when it isn’t making Jonah sound like a robot and Leila sound like she’s not talking at all. I’m in a land that if I were a Christian outside of these walls (or just white for that matter) I would probably die a horrible death. I’m not saying that all Afghanis are bad, but the “sore-thumb” factor would definitely rise on the enemy’s radar. And while my mission over here isn’t the toughest, nor is it the most dangerous, it’s not the kind of environment that the Christian spirit thrives in. It’s a struggle to stay sane, calm, and carry the appearance of Christ-likeness.

When I was back in the States living life, before I met my wife, I had the support group in place to live a Christ-like life. I was going to church, I would attend XA (a Christian group on college campuses all over the country), I would volunteer running a youth group sound system, and I had friends who knew the life and lived it on a day to day basis. But now I’m surrounded by almost nightly explosions near and far, a barrage of swearing, aggravations abound, and over time it just starts to wear on a person. The weekly church service which used to be just enough to make it through the week on a positive note is no long enough to fuel the God given peace that Philippians 4:7 talks about. I came to the place to where for weeks on end I was just angry with people and circumstances all around me. I would swear, get furious with a certain person (for good reason probably, but I didn’t have to get that mad), and my total moral had dropped about 3 octaves. I started to lose my Christ-likeness. If a person’s not careful, when surrounded by non-believers, they will turn into a human chameleon.

It wasn’t until I started classes up again that it all started to turn around. I was debating on whether or not to change my degree plan back to Marketing, or keep with the “Religion” degree that I started pursuing. The classes that I started taking were Intro to New Testament, and The Origins of Life. These two classes started opening my eyes again to the glorious workings of God, and Christ’s life. I was forced to get back into the Word of God and I devoted my Sundays at least to doing whatever homework I hadn’t done throughout the week. For that one day, I wouldn’t come out of my room except for maybe one meal, get my hair cut, and then back to my room. I would spend 2-3 hours just reading the weekly readings for the New Testament class which is going through the life of Jesus right now, and then the Origins of Life just helps me open my eyes to how science (when viewed through the right lenses) really does back up God’s creation and the millions of intricacies that go into everything which all balance each other out.

After starting these classes, this process of getting my mind, and most importantly my heart, back in line, my moral jumped probably 4 octaves and the anger issues had gone away. That’s not to say that I don’t have my annoyances, but I’m not walking around in this completely negative funk any longer. I’ve been listening to Christian artists like Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, and my usual Christian Rock genre that I favor so much. I’ve also come to accept what I honestly think is my calling. I had a hunch a while ago, but I suppressed it because I didn’t think I was ready, or the right person. After talking it through with Ashley, I’ve decided to finish this degree and then move on to seminary and go through the ordination process. This future excites me. It doesn’t even mean that I have to give up anything else that I have wanted to do.

Through this entire process of declining and inclining the state of my own spirit, I can’t help but be reminded of Psalm 91. It doesn’t hide the conditions of the passage, rather it states it outright. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” The reader can only assume that if they’re not making the effort to dwell in His presence, then the promises of the rest of the chapter won’t follow. Does this mean that God has removed Himself from your presence? No. But without being faithful in your obedience, then you’ll be living in sin. Sin is the simple state of the absence of God. No faithfulness, no peace. If there’s one thing that I know about God, is that He’s faithful with his peace. When you call on Him, He answers. When you need him, He’s there.

I thank you God if for no other reason it’s for peace. Not just any peace, but YOUR peace.

In the beginning there was a post, and then a long pause, and now this...

2011-07-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

OK, so I set this blog up a long time ago by instruction of my loving wife, who really probably just wanted to know what was going on in my mind but didn't want to ask. Love you, Babe! Anyway, I decided now, probably 5 years later, that it might be a good thing to start jotting some things down, especially since she's not around me and all we really have is email, skype, facebook (which is slowly getting on my nerves), and the seldom phone call.

The main thing that really bugs me about my blog page though, is that there's a bunch of stuff in Korean. I don't know why, other than I was in Korea when I started this up, but I never wanted anything to be IN Korean. So if anyone knows how to fix that then please let me know.

What's with me? I miss my family more than anything else. I'm currently working in the Army where I'm deployed to an undisclosed location, although if you really wanted to find out I'm sure you could somehow. I'm also studying "Religion" at Liberty University Online. I put Religion in quotation marks because that's what they call it, but really it's just Christianity. If you're a Christian you probably know why I don't like to call it a religion. If not, let me know and I'll explain it to you. My current courses are extremely interesting. I'm studying about the New Testament, as well as the History of Life. Both classes are offering a ton of insight into everything that I believe and it's just so refreshing to see how everything fits together.

After school, I've decided to stop lying to myself and fix what I need to fix so that I can attend seminary at a yet to be disclosed location. There are plans for this upcoming transformation in my life, so don't think that I'm going to run head first into a type of New Year's Resolution without having a somewhat tangible game plan. I say somewhat because in the Army, you never know what you're going to get. Just ask my wife!

The Beginning of the Madness

2009-12-21T03:11:00.000-08:00

OK, here's your typical first post when I (or my wife rather) spent so much time setting the thing up that I don't have time to write a noteworthy post. Thank you Ashley for helping set it up.