Chris' Crumbs, Topher's Topics or Myers' Musings

New Preamble to the Constitution...

2009-01-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

I recently received the San Pablo's Chamber of Commerce's Newsletter and in it was an interesting article that I would like to re-iterate here... Apparently it is attributed to State Representative Mitchell Kaye of Georgia...

We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior and secure blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional and other liberal bed-wetters.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dense they require a Bill of NON-Rights.

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes.

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not that interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat or coerce away the good or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won;t have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and we will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by a over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We do not care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from!

ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!

Almost a break from Science...

2008-12-17T12:34:00.001-08:00

Just taking a break from all the science to share a couple of other things I recently learned...

1. GOP (the nickname for the Republican National Party) stands for the Grand Ol' Party... That leads me to wonder why the Democrat National Party does not have a nickname, or at least one that is published...

B) Nash, the guy who gave us the Donkey and Elephant for the National Political Parties, is also the guy who gave us the pictures for 'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

3. This is purely hypothetical, but too ironic to pass up... Jurassic Park promotes a anti-homosexual lifestyle... Okay, I know that deserves an explanation... If you have read the book or seen the movie, then the fact that all the dinosaurs in the park were female, by human manipulation (i.e. unnatural)... Also pointed out was the fact that the DNA sequencing were incomplete (Hmm... Subtle hinting that maybe they should have stopped?) and to get passed this they filled in the missing gaps with Amphibian DNA (Kind of weird that it is popularly theorized that Dinosaurs came from birds and they used Amphibians)... Now introduce the Chaotic Theorist Ian Malcolm... "Life will find a way"... And it did (otherwise the movie and book would have been completely boring) and Dr. Grant explains it later on after finding the raptor's nest (different places depending on if you are in the book or watching the movie) filled with broken eggs... He explains that there are some frogs KNOWN (I put emphasis on this word because this is observable) to spontaneously change genders if it is in a mono-gender environment... Conclusion? Even nature knows that a single gender environment is unnatural and found a way to compensate for it...

Okay maybe I read too much into the last one, but I did not even bring this to my own attention... I was discussing timelines with an evolutionist and he brought up Jurassic Park as an example, then the idea popped into my head...

Well, I hope you learned something today, if not from here, then from somewhere...

Do not let Pluto happen again...

2008-12-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would share my latest three arguments against evolution...

1. The Gallopogos Island Ecosystem...
2. Ring Species...
3. The Scientific Method...

1. This is my new favorite pet argument...

Balanced food supply versus animal life...
A variety of wildlife co-existing...
No observable variation to these conditions, both presently and archeologically (or however that is spelt)...
Kind of opposes the evolutionary theory that there is always change going on (Uniformtarnism) and Natural Selection producing New animals...

2. Speaking of Natural Selection and New Animals... This just in... Ring Species...

I just was informed by an evolutionist that I should read up on ring species and see what I think... So I did, and you know what? I love ring species... God is so smart...

So what is a ring specie? Simply put... You had one animal, which interbreeded with a neighboring variety of that animal, which produces a new variety... This process is repeated over and over... Eventually the animal that is produced will not be able to interbreed with the original variety of that animal...

So what does this have to do with God? The Bible teaches that all living things reproduce after their own kind... This prevents something known as genetic overload, by mixing the genetics of different animals... Ring species show that there is a limit (imposed naturally in nature) to interbreeding)... And even the animal at the beginning is still the same animal at the end, just a different variety (examples? Finches at Gallopogos or the Gull - You can look that one up at Wikipedia)...

3. The Scientific Method... Something must be testable with observational support...

What about it is observable? We can see bacteria evolving into more bacteria... We can see life producing life... We see a tree make a tree and a rabbit produce a rabbit... We can see Natural Selection in action...

What about it is testable? Dating of fossils? --Problem is that we can neither prove nor disprove the validity of these findings... Archeological digs? --Have never disproven the Bible, only supported it... Artifical Selection? -- That plant is still a plant, and wow, we made the snake less venomous, it still is a snake...

I wanted to share these now and spread the news before these arguments go the way of poor Pluto... What do I mean? Well in the past year Pluto was starting to be held up as an evidence against the Big Bang Theory... And see what happened? A bunch of "pop"-scientists decided it was not a planet and so the argument is no longer valid...

What is Science? Part 2

2008-11-12T11:05:00.001-08:00

There is another website that I like to go to get "real people" answers to questions...

The question I asked this time was:

Can the "Theory of Evolution" be proven scientifically? Meaning can I use the Scientific Method to prove its validity? Or is there another way?

As usual the subtle emphasis in my question was missed, but a good point was raised by one of the people who "answered" my question. His response was:

No scientific Theory can be proved - it can only be disproved. That is in the nature of science: a Theory is simply a Hypothesis that has satisfied many tests and defeated may attempts at disproof. However, a theory can be tested - and frequently is. The theory could very easily be *disproved* - by finding human bones in the same strata as dinosaur bones, for example. Or any other mixture of remains from what are regarded as widely differing times. You can also see evolution in action - for example, in the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The large the species you want to see evolution in, the longer it will take, because it seems to take a few hundred generations for evolution to show up clearly. In bacteria, that may be only months; in mammals that is usually the better part of a century.

Now leaving beside the fact that we have found dino bones intermixed with human bones in the same strata, that is not the point that jumped out at me... And while I also love the "generic scientist love" of equivicating us with simple celled organisms, I do not want to discuss that today. What I want to point out is that first line... No scientific theory can be proved - it can only be disproved.

Finally, someone in the other camp who gets "it"... Science is the pursuit of knowledge, yes, but how do we obtain that knowledge? Through the finding of limitations... Science measures to the point of failure, not success. If you measured a pencil do you stop where it begins, or measures till it ends? So now that we got "it"... Let me pose another question:

If we have no way of disproving something, because of a lack of a fitting test (or Process) should science be sticking it nose in that business? In other words, if it would be impossible for Science to conduct a test, should it be pursuing that ground?

Okay, I know how that sounded, it sounded like I am against the advancement of knowledge, but I promise I am not... And anyone who knows me, knows that I love to learn... (I am even getting better at basketball !) That point that I am making is this, there is no test to determine what happened at the beginning of time, there is no way to honestly conduct these multi-million year evolutionary tests, but yet science keeps touting themselves (not to mention cramming it down our throats) as hear ya go... Plus, they make no room for any other "theories"... And my question to that is:

If there are no other viable theories, why is it not a law?

And at this point the conversations usually shut down... I find people do not like to have their religious beliefs shaken... Especially evolutionists... They are the zanyist religious zealots of them all... The only difference between them and most other religious fanatics are that they are in control of the education system, and in my opinion that is more deadly than any suicide bomber... So, yes, I would be all for getting religion out of our schools, but we should start with evolution first...

Prop 2 -- Those cute little tasty animals...

2008-10-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

I think that Prop 2 is all about the Rich people oppressing the poor...

Let us hop aboard the logic train once again, where I am your conductor... And please do not worry, I go slow enough to remember to stay on the tracks...

So we have my initial statement, that Prop 2 is about Rich people oppressing the poor... I guess it is time for me to back that up... Well to do that, I would need to inform the non-Californians (and even those Californians who do not bother to find out about the propositions...) what Prop 2 is...

According to the Official Voter Information Guide Prop 2 is "... this measure prohibits, with certain exceptions, the confinement on a farm of pregnant pigs, calves raised for veal, and egg-laying hens in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs..." Then it goes on to discuss penalties...

That sounds great, good job Californians to find something else wrong to focus on...

The only commercial on TV that I have seen on this has been for it, and it is the one with the Vet playing with her doggie, and empathizing with us saying "... we would not do this to our pets, why would we do it other animals?" (Or something close to that, I understand it is not a direct quote, but the point she is making is still reflected in the statement...)

Now, seeing as this is the only publicity this prop has gotten that I have seen/heard, I wanted to think about the other side of the coin (I am good little voter, head pats are accepted...) and the first thought that came to my head was the initial statement... Rich people are oppressing poor people...

So now you are probably saying to yourself (out loud or in your head), "Chris, you have said that 3 times now and still I do not see the connection. Are you going to keep rambling on, or are you going to tell us the connection?" (I will pause for a moment for you to either say or think this...)

(Pause)

(End of Pause)

One of the arguments against prop 7 is that if it passes there will be fines on the Power Companies and that will have a trickle down effect on the employees and customers... Why then can we not say that about Prop 2 also? If this proposition passes, new building will have to be built, more land will have to be purchased, or even some inventory will have to be removed lessening the overall profit of the company... All of this equals higher overhead costs for the company...

I know this sounds like I am heartless towards animals, but I am the guy who proudly proclaims that PETA stands for People for the Eating of Tasty Animals... When I sit down to eat my turkey at Thanksgiving I am not thinking, "I wonder where this turkey spent its life?" or "I wonder if it had a little turkey family?" And neither are you... We are all thinking "I hope I am near the front of the line so I can get a drumstick!" And maybe you are part of the population who are concerned about where you food came from. Here is my response to you... That turkey's life stunk, it was rotten, miserable... You are actually doing it a favor by eating it... After all the turkey had one purpose on this earth... And you are helping it fulfill it... Aren't you a good Samaritan?

Okay Chris, connection please...

Fine, in case you do not see it yet... Here it is: This will cause the price of meat and dairy to go up... It will make an expensive market even more expensive... And poor people, well are poor... Could you imagine depriving people of milk, eggs, meat... Can you imagine what the price of a hot dog would be at a baseball game then? I think the connection is made, but to some up my feelings here they are...

1. We are not talking about FIDO, we are talking about animals whose sole purpose is for the production of humanities food supply.

2. Passage of this proposition will increase the overhead costs of the industry for reasons I have stated above, and very well could drive even more jobs from our state...

3. Finally, increasing costs, to an already costly item, puts an even greater strained on a normal person's already stretched pocket book...

So, what is Science?

2008-10-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

Science is the pursuit, attainment (both in accomplishment and understanding), and organization of knowledge. It is divided into many disciplines, spanning even more subjects.

I, from the get-go, want to establish that I do enjoy Science. I like to learn new things, study things, and have always enjoyed asking and figuring out the "Hows" and the "Whys" of the universe.

Growing up, the subject of Science has always been my favorite (Lunch being a close second). I have always leaned toward the physical sciences, like Chemistry (what boy does not like to blow stuff up?) and Physics (or figuring which falls faster from a roof: a cat or a toy soldier on fire?). As I got into Jr. High I had a history teacher, we will call him Mr. N. for anonymity sake, who was the first real person in my life that really started me in the whole "Science and Religion do not mix" philosophy. And you know what? Mr. N was right, but at the time I was not as quick witted as I am now (patting myself on the back, I know).

As a reminder I went to public school from Pre-K to 12: Downer, Ford, Montalvin, Crespi, MCHS. Mr. N found out somehow who the "religious nuts" were in the class. I do not remember everyone, but I do remember Anka (he was a Jehovah Witness) who was the most outspoken in the class. There were certain days the two of them would go at it. Apparently Mr. N was a big guy on Anthropology. He would talk about all sorts of archaeological facts and data, spout off about the different forms of dating rocks and rock layers, and all sorts of other geological proofs. To which Anka, much credit to him, simply would say that God created everything and set things in motion (As I think back he was probably a theistic evolutionist). To which Mr. N's reply was always the same, "God is not Science!" He would end the conversation with that and continue on with class. But that phrase stuck with me.

Onto high school. I got the privilege of going to an unordinary high school at which I attended college classes along side of my high school ones. My freshman year I was in a general science class that was taught by one of the professors, we will call him Dr. Z. And it is to him, that I credit the definition of science at the top of this post and at the top of the next paragraph.

Science can only be executed by the Scientific Process (SP), thereby meaning, that anything that cannot be tested, examined, or otherwise manipulated, by the entirety of the Scientific Process cannot be Science. (Long definition short = If you cannot do the SP then it is not Science) If there was one principle that he hammered into us, it is what I just typed above (Enough that I remember it 15 years later). So, let me end this blurb by outlining the SP for you all:

Observation: Hmm... I noticed that every time that happens, this happens...
Hypothesis: Hmm... I think that if I do this, then this will happen...
Experimentation: Hmm... Let me do this, to see if this will happen...
Comparison: Hmm... When I did it, that did happen...
Repeat: Hmm... Let me try it again...
Peer Review: Hmm... Let me give it to others to see if they do this, will that happen for them.

So, what is my definition of Science? Science is the application of the entire Scientific Process to understand and organize the principles and laws that define Matter, Energy and Time.

Proposition Eight

2008-10-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

Love it or hate it, right or wrong, whatever your choice may be, there is still one thing that everyone should agree on... This proposition is anti-Californian and teaches a wrong principle...

What is Propostion Eight?

According to the voters handbook put out by the State Department of Elections, it "eliminates right of same-sex couples to marry." It is to be a constitutional admendment.

No matter what side of the issue you are on, the fact that this is back on the ballot is what I would like to address...

1. Factoid: Back in 2000, 61% of Californians voted for a constitutional admendment that read these 14 words (which are in this proposition again) "Only marriage between a man and a woman is vaid or recognized in California."

2. Factoid: Four judges in one city, San Francisco (not even a panel representing the whole state), overturned the people's vote...

I can hear the collective "so" across the board here...

The problem is that 4 people overturned the majority of the people... Last I checked, the whole point of the proposition system was so that the people continued to have a say in government, and to limit the state's power... But back in 2000, this was not the case... The people spoke, and it did not matter... It was overturned by 4 people with agendas of their own... What kind of lesson is the teaching our children, and foregin people moving in? Trust our government, but they are not going to listen to you... That is the lesson I got... So now prop 8 is up again, the citizens are going to vote again, but will it matter?

What I am trying to say is this... Whether you Agree or Disagree with the proposition, if it does not pass, all we are doing is proving that the power does not lie in the people's hands, but the power is in the hands over the people. And that sounds as Anti-Californian as it can possibly get... Afterall we got Sather's Gate in Berkeley, the loud mouths down in Hollywood, we are all about the open speech and support of the people... So why did we let those 4 judges get away with stifling the voice of 61% of Californians?

Okay, I am going to get off my soapbox now...

Oh and by the way... Vote yes on prop 7 too... If you wanna know why, read the voter's guide, it explains it well...

A Green Museum...

2008-09-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

Academy of Sciences -- San Francisco

Just something to read in the interim... I especially like the last statement...

This place was one of the most influencial field trips I remember taking growing up... They never did like my questions though...

Has Science evolved? part one...

2008-09-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

The unfortunate answer to the above question is yes... And, much like the Law of Entropy states, it has not been for the better...

You would think that after years of experience, of dedicated and deep probing by scientists that the mysteries of life would have been solved by now...

You could think that, but you would be wrong...

Now just to get this out of the way... I love Science, I would even go as far as stating that I do believe in the fundamentals of it... I also love God, I would even go as far as stating that I do believe in hte fundamentals of him... At therin lies no problem...

Throughout my teenage life and into adulthood, people have plagued me with the same question over and over again... "How can you be so involved with Science and with God?" While my response may have evolved through the years, what I believe about it has not...

So now, I would like to share with you my 3 answers to this question... (In my foundational order)

1. God wrote the laws of Science... As we understand the laws and ways of our universe, we can understand the handiwork of God... God gave us a command to subdue and have dominion over the earth... So it would make sense that God would allow us a way to organize, hence Science...

2. As Science delves deeper, they find order... The farther into the macro-cosmos we go, the more of the same stuff we find, the smaller into the micro-cosmos we go the more detailed it gets... Both extremes point to continutity... Everything we are finding out there is the same stuff we are finiding out there, than the same thing that started what is out there started what was here... And as we look under the microscope and we keep probing we find that there is an even greater organizational structure there than on the macro-level... The Bible teaches that God created everything (That would be the macro-cosmos) and that Jesus Christ holds everything together (micro-cosmos)...

3. God fills in where science does not have a scientific answer... This last answer is the one that I have recently added to my arsenal... The first point I want to make is notice that I said a "scientific" answer... A "scientific" answer is an answer that has been proven, tried and true, via the Scientific Process... Not something that is assumed, guessed, hypothesized, etc... The second point I want to make is that notice I did not say the inverse of this statement (Science fills in where God does not have a religious answer...), because I do not believe that is true... Prime example... Cosmology... What happened at the beginning of time? Science is trying to answer that question... The problem with that is that there is no way to apply the Scientific Process to it (and if there was, give that guy a Nobel Prize)... And if you cannot apply the Scientific Process to it, then it cannot be Science and it must be a belief, and who better to answer that question than God? But yet science wants to answer that question... Why? That is in the next post...

Do you value life?

2008-09-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

I know I do...

I just got finished sharing a button with my associates over at Facebook that reads "I vote for people that don't kill babies."

I also saw recently a bumper sticker on a van that read, "Smile, your parents chose life."

Too often I think that life is under appreciated. I know on occassion I have thought so personally... Questioning this or that, and sometimes even God...

But as the case solution often is, it is really a matter of perspective... What is life?

To answer this question we can go to science... Life is blah, blah, blah... and the problem with that is that amongst the "so-called-scientists" they cannot figure out at what point life starts... Is it at conception, after all the cells are now multiplying to form an individual? Is life at a certain trimester during the pregnancy process? Is life at the point the little baby (ehem... excuse me "fetus") sticks it's baby-toe or its head out? What if only part of it is outside and it dies, was it only half-human, half thing? It all sounds too muddled... Now do not get me wrong, I love Science, it is a great way to understand the stuff all around us, but does some stuff really need explaining or do we already know the answer? (Ex. Why do we eat?)

To answer this question we can go to science... Life begins within the womb, at conception, etc... But the most common retort to this statement is that this is a matter of belief and religion, not science... Well if science can use the excuse that it can explain things where "religion fails," then why cannot "religion" explain things where "Science fails" with the same credibility? It sounds like a double standard to me...

So the Bible teaches that Abortions are wrong... It is flat out murder... But then the other side comes in with one of their three main arguments (If there are others, I am sorry I did not include them, these are just the 3 I have heard multiple times...)

1. It is not human, it is a fetus (in other words a thing...) You tell a mother that the "thing" that is kicking inside her belly is not human... As harsh of an observation as that was that is what the "Pro-Choice" people are arguing...

2. A women should have the right to choose what to do with her body, you do not want to take away her rights do you? Do I want to take away rights, hmmm... Let me think about that... Hmm... No, I do not... Let's see who is taking whose rights... The mother "CHOSE" to have sex knowing full well what the possible outcome maybe... Then now, as if by miracle, she is pregnant... She gets to chose what to do with the life inside of her, just because it is her body... Let us think about that last part... First, it is not all her, half of that belongs to him... Secondly, if the fetus was a part of her body, then would not the removal of it be more harmful... Finally, back to the CHOICE thing... The baby does not have a choice, in fact, it never stood a chance... (But then there are those who do not think that the baby is human... See point #1...)

3. What if she was raped? So we should punish the child for the crime someone else committed? Believe me, I feel pain and sorrow for the lady who got raped... I really do, but why do we have to kill the baby? Why not focus at that point in time on the getting the rapist? Or spend the time on planning on what to do with the baby... Instead the first thought is, "Ohh... This is a baby as a result of a rape, let's get rid of it..."

So I guess I could say I have three problems that are preventing me from supporting abortions...

1. The negative perspectives that it promotes. It's not human, it is worthless...
2. The hypocricy of it... We are Pro-Choice (As long as the father and the baby are not the ones doing the choosing...)
3. The fact that even amongst their own group they cannot give a sound, scientific answer as to when "Life" starts.

My conclusion...

Until there is a point in time in which an expert on the Creation of Life speaks and tells us when life begins, then I will just have to wait...

-- Waiting --

-- Waiting --

Oh yeah, (snaps my fingers) that is right... God created life and he said it begins at conception in Psalms and Jeremiah even said that God knew him while he was still in the womb... Well, God has been right in all other areas of Science, why not trust him in this one too...

Blogging...

2008-08-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

I am also going to weekly post various pictures of demotivation I have collected over my years of meandering the internet... Or rather I have an aquaintance that has an abundance of them and he sent them all to me.

So I figure what better one to start with than blogging. I by no means set out to name the monkies, but I am sure some of you out there in the blog-o-sphere could think of a few good names...

Besides, Monkies make almost anything funnier... Well, except for the gene pool... But that is going to be another blog in the not-so-distant future...

Flood Inusrance...

2008-08-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

So I spent all day yesterday working on my flood insurance classes. I learned several things about flood insurance that I never knew before. The more important ones that are relevant to others are, in no particular order:

1. Flood insurance is cheaper than a disaster relief fund.

Most disaster relief funds are actually loans. You eventually will have to pay it back with interest. Plus, in order for you to even get those funds there is a far more amount of red-tape then with a basic flood policy. On top of that, those funds are not even available unless the president declares it an emergency. When I heard that, I could not help but think of FEMA. They really could not act until the beaurocratic red-tape had been cleared. Yet, the media massacured them.

2. How much damage even 2 inches of water can cause.

On the NFIP website there is a tool that you can input some numbers and it would give you an approximate amount of damage of a given size of flood. And this does not even take into account other effects such as Mold, Loss of Usage, etc...

3. Even low risk areas have a chance.

Of course the FEMA website was full of stories of places that are out of the way, never would get hit by a flood locations. There are lots of places like this. I know that they tend to show the worst of the worst stories for shock value, but hey, it could happen.

4. What to do in a post-flood environment.

They first thought I had was not to plant a vineyard. Plant rice instead. Seriously though. Photograph everything and you need to air out the house. There was this story about a lady "who did not want to do anything until the adjuster got there." Mold formed in her walls and climbed up to the second floor and infected up there, ruining the some of the second floor. While her stuff on the main floor was covered, the upper floor was not covered because she did not take reasonable steps to prevent damage. So air out the house.

So why did I even bother to make this post? Well, I am not trying to sell you insurance, although I could, I am a gold level flood agent with the NFIP/FEMA people here in California only. It is to tell others that it is important and depending on the construction, age, and location of your house it really is not that expensive. And of course I would not be doing my job, if I did not let you all know about the potential danger of it.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Or check out the NFIP home page, or the FEMA homepage or go to www.smartflood.gov and find out there.

Christopher A. Myers
CA #0G10340

My goals...

2008-08-12T12:20:00.001-07:00

My goal is to at the very least... Post something here every Monday... Just thought I would share that...

The mole...

2008-08-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

So the mole is now over... I am not the world's biggest fan of television... I admit though that I did grow up on Gameshows... Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Press Your Luck, What's My Line... The list goes on... Now adays though TV has gone decidely downhill... Both in character and mentality... Then along comes a gem... The Mole...

A show where the audience actually participated without actually affecting the show... 12 people competeing in varying competitions to add money to a prize pot that only 1 was going to win with a cap of 500,000 dollars... The catch... One of the 12 is actually working for the Producers of the show to sabotage the missions, and keep money from the pot while staying under the radar of the other players... The Mole...

The single best part of this is that no one but a select few actually know who the mole is... Not the players, the host, most of the crew, and especially us at home... We got to play along and scrounge through the editing to try and answer that question... Who is the Mole?

Then in a stroke of brilliance, the players were eliminated based upon themselves... It is not a vote, or physical test... They all simply take a quiz that culminates in that question... The lowest scorer is executed and sent home...

So what now that it is over? I guess the ratings were low for this show at the beginning, and several people on the message boards started a few petitions to try and save this show... Some are even sending lemonheads to the executive offices of ABC (I probably will too)... There is even a website coming up soon called www.abcsavethemole.com ...

So in conclusion, in an age of trashy television and "mental taffy," as one influential person in my life puts it, it was great to get a show that made ya think, even if it was at 10 o'clock at night...

Evangelism with a touch of Logic

2007-10-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

So I am teaching Logic... That is with a heavy emphasis on Evangelism... Pastor/Principal Sutton always reminds the teachers of all the steps of a good lesson plan and usually places an emphasis on the Attention Getter step. The Attention Getter for me usually is how am I going to tie it into Evangelism. The great thing though is that I have not had to think too hard on that thought. And now I would like to share one lesson now with you...

In one of the most recent lessons we were studying about Superimplications and Subimplications. They are two distinct but similar relationships. One (Subimplication) tells us that if a person says that, "All trees are green." Then we can imply that there are no non-green trees. Assuming that the first statement is true.

The other (Superimplication) says that "No, some trees are red." This automatically makes the original statement false. Application: When preaching someone the Gospel, we are sure to convince a person that they are a sinner. Then we continue on to tell them that sin sends people to hell. Then we ask that first real conclusion question: "Do you deserve hell?" and the typical response is, "No" Our original statement is that (This is just for Evangelism, not saved people) All sin is Hell-sending. But the person says, "No, My sin won't send me to hell. I am not that bad of a person." Re-worded they are saying: Some sin is hell-sending.

In logic it is okay to go from saying All to only Some, but it is a no-no to say that Some goes to All. If you can show that only Some is true, then you prove the All statement to be false. That is what unintuitively (That word was for PJV) is going on in the back of their minds. It is a wrong way of thinking, bad logic, bad logic. We need to correct it and the only way to do that is to go back to the All statement and prove it to be true. Are we all sinners? Do we all sin? Are you part of all? Does sin send people to hell? Do you sin? Are you part of people? I know it can sound demeaning and childish at times, but some people, myself included at times, need to go down a few notches and remember the simple facts of salvation. We need to preach those facts, pray for God to work with those facts that He provided us to use, and above all else, not make it so muddled and complicated like so many religions have already done. But that's another post.

As for Me and Now...

2007-09-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

So what am I up to seems to be a standard question asked by the people who are wondering just what it is I am up to.

Well, I weigh more than when I left. I am almost 200 again... I have not been getting up at 5 to go swimming every morning like at college. Instead I play basketball twice a week after the evening services with the teens, Pastor and Kelso.

I work between two official jobs and one un-official job. Officially, I still cater about every other Friday and Saturday from 3 in the afternoom till 1 or 2 in the morning. I also work for the public school district here as part of a government program (Do not be too scared for me, I get to make my own rules and such). Finally, unofficially I get to teach logic to three of our high schoolers here at Bethel.

I live at my Grandmother's house, helping to take care of her, my great-grandmother and a whole lot of stray cats. We recently added a little dog and I promptly started to feel like doing a little subtracting or at the very least dividing.

So I keep myself busy, and helpful as much as possible.

Right now I have to go back to getting things ready for the Pre-season basketball tournament on Saturday.

Paying a Price

2007-09-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

I often have told people you are who your friends are, or that a little piece of each of your friends shape, mold or at the very least influence who you are... And I did not even heed my own advice. My first two years at Fairhaven I did not do as well as I should have (and even that is an understatement). It is not that it was not profitable, I learned things, grew, and met a lot of good people, but I made a lot of the wrong friends too.

In the dorm at college there really are all types of people. You got the gung-ho I'm going to do right and live for God group. You have the I have to be here for one year because my parents or pastor is making me so my heart really is not in it group, then you have those who are here because I know it is better than secular college, but I am not so sure I want to devote myself to full time service group and finally, you have those other people who I believe look good on the outside, but are as much on the inside.

My freshman year I made the friends with the wrong group and I became lazy academically and finacially. I racked up the school bill as fast as I racked up the F's in my classes. This basically is the reason why I am not back this year at school. My desire to please others at all times, superceded my brain and I made too many bad mistakes.

I do look forward to returning, and I do miss everyone out there. I'll miss the fellowship, help, love, cooking, and other activites that I enjoyed helping with while I was there. Yes, even candy sale too...

I appreciate any and all prayers sent this way,
Christopher A. Myers

2007-07-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry... I have been internetless for the past couple of months... I am just down here getting the truck smogged and the nice lady said that the offer surfin' the net as a waiting room bonus... Go figure... Anywho... I have several things I got to get into typing about and I will have to go to the library to do it... Until then Ta-ta... The truck is ready!

Preaching Conference

2007-04-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

This has been one long week...

It all started with the trip to Chicago on Saturday to go pick-up the boys from the Airport... Things were going according to schedule until the airplane decided to do a few extra circles around the airport and the luggage guys were having issues and the van overheated... But the worst part was the fact these boys were physically 2 hours behind the rest of us... Meaning we were tired and they slept on the plane... (in theory)

Sunday was pretty much a normal day, except for the new buddy Kirk made... Him and Seth are now pals... (Seth asked about you, not by name but by size...) That afternoon, they found Kelso and their week was pretty much set...

Monday, I got to go out to George's ("Any excuse is a good excuse to go t o George's." -- Steve Brady) with Mr. Kris Brandenburg... I enjoyed the afternoon with that branch of the family... Kirk did do the double take when he saw Dan Corey (Fairhaven's miniture version of him) and Glenn, Marlowe and I agreed that he looks like Pastor with a goatee... Glenn also made the observation that Brooke looks exactly the same only taller...

Tuesday was the competition day... Every one did a great job from what I understand... I only listened to the Preaching Competition and the Bible Stories... The sermon that night by Doctor Green on the Historicity of the Holy Spirit seemed to solidify the tone and theme of the conference as was pointed out by Pastor Whitecar on Thursday...

Wednesday was the Trip to the Cubs game... Unfortunately they were winning when we left, so the attitude was as dreary as the sky was... The key event of the day for me was the message from Pastor Unger that night... He preached on trials and the necessity of them... whether or not that was the point of the message that was what I got out of that besides getting to sit next to Melanie and Elizabeth... (smile)

Thursday, We, the California guys (-Sean, his choice, too good for us or something like that) went to go eat at a chinese buffet, was good like usual. Then came awards... Everyone did a good job like I stated earlier... Just a note of a couple of things... I usually do not like to judge judges, but I think there might have been some bias on a particular judge that allowed Kiandy to beat out Kirk for grand prize, maybe just an idea, throwing it out to munch on... (kidding of course)... 2nd was the unfortunate tactical, logistical error that cost James his placing... He did do a phenomenal job on the violin...

I even played a good game of basketball on Thursday night... It ended pretty late or early in the morning depending as you look at it... Kirk waited until Thursday night/Friday morning to pack... The alarm went off at 3:30 AM, we were on our way to the airport t 4AM with no major events, except some road construciton... Joseph and I tried to pay tolls for cars behind us, do a good deed, but none would follow us... Too bad for them...

Saturday was a return to normal day... Well almost, I got to play in the mud most of the evening that day... Woohoo, I think I did get something productive acomplished though... I better go check on it after the rain last night...

In conclusion, 10 good things from this week...

10. I got to see people from back home.

9. I got to shake Doctor Corkish's hand every service.

8. I got to be the only snorer in the room.

7. I did not have to march around the walls of Jericho like David.

6. Pastor Mallinack remembered me by name. (I hope that is a good thing.)

5. There was a tremendous amount of preaching on the simple subject of the power of God.

4. I scared Trevor.

3. Joseph has a new younger brother.

2. I got all my math homework for the rest of the year done.

1. I can do two laps in the pool now without stopping both crawl and on the back.

Looking just 17 days ahead (Glenn only 16),

Christopher Myers

Heroes of my Faith (pt. 2)

2007-04-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in life people do really stupid things... I am one of those people... Sometimes you hafta make up for those really stupid things... So I am here to apologize for offending 1/2 of my second Hero. Mrs. Voegtlin. I sorrow over the fact that I have not properly praised the perfection of the meals you have prepared for me. I lament over the fact that you had to make the bed that I should have made, but did not. I fret over the times that I have rolled the window down and thereby got the seat wet. But nothing gives me more grief, than the pain that I caused you by calling you ugly. So, in an open public forum, I am sorry, apologetical, and other words the Thesaurus could come up with for it. I would be graveling on my feet for forgiveness if it would not have been to awkard to type at the same time, although the people in the Library are laughing at me... I guess that what I am trying to say is that I bit the hand that literally fed me and I will make it a conscientious effort not to do it again...

Now on to the Voegtlins together. One of the biggest blessings to me this year was right at the begining back in August when I went into Pastor Whitecar's session on ministry placement and he asked me why I was there. I said something to the effect of because I am supposed to be getting signed up for a ministry and he said that I did not have an option, Pastor Voegtlin already said that I was his. I had a little swelling of pride at that moment. I figured that I must have been some use to him, or that he liked to pick my brain, or something, but for that time I felt special. (But that is another blog -- inside joke) Now I know that I am just everybody's favorite picker-oner. But that is okay. They pick on me because they love me. Seriously though, I have enjoyed the verbal sparing with Mrs. Voegtlin, she is a quick thinker, has a lively attitude and her drive to do the best has and is an inspiration and blessing to me. I also enjoy diving into the shallow end of the conversation pool with the new Doctor every other Saturday. I know that my faith has been more thought through, I know that Speedway has the best Hot Cocoa, but dirty bathrooms, but above all else, you never fail to simply make me think slower and more thouroughly...

So in conclusion, to the people who have fed me, gave me a place to sleep, trusted me, did my laundry, given me rides, challenged me mentally, spiritually and physcially, and allow me to tease those two girls... I thank you, Heroes of my Faith...

Looking Forward to Next Week and May,

Christopher Myers

Heroes of My Faith (pt. 1)

2007-04-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

I probably should finish my other series first before I start this one... But due to circumstances beyond my control (in otherwords it is my fault), I am starting it now...

A lesson I learned recently is that Heros come in pairs... And the first hero I would like to brag about are these two... Here's a dichotomy... My Pastor and his wife... One is really smart and the other blogs... Or rather one is smart and the other cooks... Or rather they are both at the top of the list of people who have influenced my life... I have always appreciated (sometimes not expressedly enough) all the things and opportunities and encouragements and food and clothes and lectures and knowledge/education and reprimands and on and on that he and she have given me over the many years...

I am thankful for the many things that they have done, just to be redundant... They have helped me grow, shapen me, given me opportunites, forgiven me, lifted me up in times of sadness and have always been there to help me...

I look forward to going home and getting yelled at on the basketball court, for not having my clothes ironed, but above all else... I look forward to being with two of the top heroes of my faith...

P.S. Don't worry I can drive well, and I will take good care of Kirk (and those other kids...)

Looking forward to less than a week and little more that a month...

ChrisTopher Myers

Candy Sale

2007-04-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

I believe that this picture pretty much sums up the Candy Sale for me... I know that this picture was taken on the way back from the rally but I still believe it is fitting... Tired, too much sugar and a McDonald's cup...

Just some review... I went out Candy Selling several times this last month... Sabrina, Elijah, Barak, Chris, Travis, Christian, Diego, Cesar, Seth and Jessica... Phew... I am happy to say that all the goals were met, many miles were travelled, and the lady at the McDoanlds in Burns Harbor is really nice... Free Breakfast... MMmmm...

Secondly the rally, it went well. We filled the historic rotunda at the Indianapolis capitol building... Lots of people were there in support of the admendment... There were two crabby ladies who did not know that God loved them were there in opposition of the admendment... A few days later though, we all received an e-mail and it was in the newspaper... the admendment was denied access to the floor to be voted on... So now it looks like we will have to wait another year... Seriously though... It needs to be prayed for...

Lastly, White Glove is upon us here at Fairhaven... I get to cleanse the shower stalls... I am going to try and get the most toxic substance I can to cleanse them... Getting everything ready for the big Preaching Confrence next week... I am looking forward to having friends out here... You know who you are... even if they are making me get up at 4 am to take them to the airport... Grr... Seriously, pray for the Confrence as well... We cannot have success without God...

Looking forward to Preaching Confrence and May...

Christopher Myers

Good Policy Verse #4

2007-03-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

Joshua 1:7-9
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

There is a repetitive reminder in this chapter to be strong and courageous. Something that is very important for us in our life. We have this strength and courage for three basic reasons.

1) The words to say our in our mouth. They will not leave the tips of our tongue as long as we are meditating in them day and night.

2) We succeed in life because we study the Bible and focus our life around it.

3) We know that always God is with us, and will be by us wherever we go.

Our part is to just stay in His Word, and be strong and courageous in the face of any opposition. Afterall, greater is He that is in you then he that is in the world. That counts for circumstances too...

Looking forward to Preaching Confrence and then May,
Christopher Myers

Christopher

2007-03-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Another person I appreciate a lot is me... So I thought I should just insert a couple of pictures of me just so I can have one to post as my picture in my profile... Seriously though. I have three ideas I'd like to share first...

1st... Tomorrow we are going down to Indianapolis to support a bill going through the Indiana State Legislature that will ammend the State's Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. (Duh...) For those of you who will be reading this before then and even afterwards, lots of prayer will be needed... Nevermind the picture of FDR and his New Deal quote on the wall... This is not a matter of political preference... It is a matter of letting people spite God and a Christian we should not let them do that... As the song goes... Stand up and shout it if you love my Jesus... I know I will be tomorrow...

2nd... I was doing some thinking about stuff the other day. Hence the very thought provoking look on my face over to the left. Pastor Whitecar preached a very good and applicable message this morning in chapel. I just wanted to share two thoughts. The first is that we should remember not to throw the Bible stories that we know so well, and have heard over and over. We need to remember them and that they were written for our examples. The other idea was that the more we stand for God, the greater those around us, who are not right with God, will hate and spite us. Like those "people" that we will also be rallying down in Indianapolis tommorrow.

Finally, I just re-ordered the debate between Pastor Brandenburg and Mr. Hafley. This time I am getting the debriefing from down in Texas. This should be interesting. I was having a conversation with someone in the dorm about eternal security and I (I will admit it) started to brag about my Pastor and his debate. I only have the CD's of it. So this time I ordered the DVD's. I look forward to either enjoying a sloberknocker, or losing my lunch... I dunno which. But I am sure to get some more ammo for this topic for sure...

Looking Forward to May...

Christopher Myers

P.S. These are my friends Melanie, Tabitha and Elizabeth...

P.S.S. The answer is no.

Marlowe

2007-03-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

This is just a break from the Good policy verses for just an amusing thought. I did a brief survey about this picture and asked people what was the first thing they noticed about it. The response was more varied then I expected. One of the things people noticed was that Marlowe looked cross-eyed. Others noticed Jesse's mouth is wide opened. Still yet others thought that the writing on the box was doctored in. One person, who will not be named, even noticed that Marlowe was not looking at the camera. For me, the first thing I notice is the irony of the picture. Marlowe would be the first person to share something with you if you were in need.

He has been my friend for many years. He is studying to become a Pastor of a church, and knows that is exactly what God would have him to do with the life God's given him. I just wanted to give him some open encouragement for the path he is taking, and give him some long overdue credit for having put up with me for these many years.

So, Marlowe I salute you. And I know Kirk appreciated your concern as well. Just remember that God is with you and that you will always have a friend in me and all of us around you. Keep on keeping on and, as always, Have A Nice Day.

Looking forward to May,

Christopher Myers

Good Policy Verse #3

2007-03-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

I went to the car back in Feburary. It's one of the many big dating activities out here. Coincidently, it was the 13th and there was a big romantic, candle-lit dinner that night as well. But enough of that soap box.

I like this picture because in this picture are three people and myself. These three people I associate my self with on a primary basis. Joseph and Julian quite often, and Stephen, well, he is a good chess player. I spent the day with these guys looking at the expensive pieces of metal and I have to admit. I learned a little something about cars, and maybe even learned to appreciate them a little more. Why? Because it was what dominated the conversation, it was what the environment around us was all about, and they were determined to get me to change my mind.

A friend is a person who is your friend no matter what. I know I cheated and defined a word using the word, but that is poetic liscence and I can do that to add emphasis.

Conversation...
It is easy to control a conversation with someone you do not know, or someone you do not care to know but already do. However, it seems to be more difficult to do so with someone who is your friend. The reason being is that they are your friend and so they should have the right to talk. And it is easy to talk about anything with your friend. So the conversation can have an easy time slipping lower than it would have if you were on guard. That is one of the aspects of a friend is that they tend to be so when your guard is done, because you trust them, otherwise they would not be your friend. We need to remember that our friends help shape our conversation, as well as we help shape their's.

Environment...
Just like a friend shapens our coversations, he also influences your environment. I remember going over to the Lalisan's house when I was younger. If it were not the influences of that family, I probably would not be where I am today. I owe a lot to them. They gave me an example of what a Christian family is, and even made me felt apart of it for many years. It was in this environment that caused me to grow and foster a desire to have a good family in the future. My brother on the other hand, spent his time growing up in many other areas, most/majority of which, were not good for him.

Edification...
A good friend will challenge you in ways to make you better. Stephen keeps me thinking. Julian challenges to make me think about Biblical things left and right. And Joseph, well... he's just a challenge all around. Oh, that would probably be an interesting subject later. The point is that your friends should build you up physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I should be to them also.

Warning...
As much as you can sharpen one and another... You can also dull one and another... So be careful. Be watchful... And chose your friends wisely. That was/is the biggest decision I have had to make this year.

Looking forward to May...

Christopher Myers

Good Policy Verse #2

2007-03-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

Psalm 122:1
I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

Short, sweet, simple, and to the point is the way this verse comes across to me. I appreciate the message that just seems to tell me what I ought to be doing.

If I was the I...
The fact that somebody went out of their way to invite me to the assembling of believers is truly something I should rejoice over. I remember the first time I was invited to go to Bethel. My Pastor's wife and her sister were door knocking in my neighborhood. I had just moved into that house the day before. I had earlier that day received the news that it would be too costly "to run the bus all the way out there" and so I would not be picked up by my old church anymore. I was saddened (sp?). Then later that same afternoon came two ladies, who have had a big impact on my life growing up more than I can ever fully appreciate, came by and invited me into the House of the Lord. I was excited, I was glad. Then the following day my Pastor drove over, picked me up and we went to the building early. By early I mean, we unlocked everything, made sure the bathrooms were clean, started the heat and coffee makers early. But I enjoyed it. As I look back on those times, I realize that I was excited to be there, even if it was early. I should be even more excited to be there now, because I can get there on my own and I have nobody to pick me up and make feel obligated to go. I go because that is where gladness is.

If I was the they...
If your a Christian, and you love God, you better be the they in this verse. We are commanded to love one and another. We are commanded to go and preach the Gospel. Now I am not saying we should be going out into the world and inviting every lost sinner into the congregation. That would be like using the fine china as an oil pan. But we should be telling back-slidding Christians they need to be back in the House of Lord. We should be noticing that fellow church member, old or young, that was missing from the service, so where were you? We missed you. We should be telling that unsaved person that God loves them and preach to them the Gospel so they can have gladness and a desire to go into the House of Lord.

If I was part of the us...
Fellowship is a key part of any church. Afterall, Eating is a Fundamental Baptist doctrine. However, I believe the us also serves a different purpose. It is discipleship. Something as simple as telling someone something that can bring gladness in their life. When you tell someone how to fix their sin, it brings gladness to them, maybe not right away, but it does. That is discipleship. The fact that the two, ot more, people are spending time together outside of the House of the Lord could also be a signal of discipleship. But the point that I think is the most important is that we see someone (they) had compassion upon a fellow member (I/me) to take time to find them and bring them back to the fold.

Application...
This entire thing is application really. But for me personally, I need to remember to always be glad when going into the House of Lord. I should be thankful for those who invited me into the House of the Lord (Thank you Mrs. Pastor and Mrs. B.). I need to work with fellow saints and encourage them to go together to the House of the Lord. I should find that person, whom I can edify, so that they can go and find someone that can be a they and find someone who needs to be brought into the House of the Lord.

Looking forward to May...

ChrisTopher Myers

Good Policy Verse #1

2007-03-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

2Ki 9:30-35
And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter. And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.

So what good policy does this have to do with me? It is sort of the who are you in this passage type of thing. Are you Jehu? Zimri? Jezebel? The eunuchs? Or on-looker?

Jehu...
The man of God fighting the battle of God standing up for God. He stood in the gap when the evil people were in charge and did what was needed (very David-esque). He then totally eradicated the source of the evil and did what was right. Translation: He is the guy who leads others in to battle, leads by example, knows who the enemy is, and did not stop fighting until the battle was done. He could have stopped after Zimri, but he knew Jezebel was the real problem. That is just like sin in our life. It is easy to get rid of the superficial sins, but it is the root problems that need to be erradicated til there is barely anything recognizable left. Second, I need to lead by example and show others the way into the battle and who the enemy is.

Zimri...
He represents the superficial battle against the enemy. These are the dispensible people (even friends) that Satan uses to accomplish his purposes. Translation: I need to be careful not to be used by Satan to damage my friends, and I need to be careful not to try to stop the man of God from doing what he needs to do.

Jezebel...
Besides being a woman in power, there are plenty of other issues with her. The dominate one of course is her explict hatred for the man of God. She was anti-Elijah, anti-anybody who was not with her, and I am sure she would have been anti-Ahab if she politically could have been. She commanded for the death of the man of God, orchastrated great sin in the city, and was ugly (she had to put on make-up after all. Ugliness, in my opinion, is the only reason for make-up.) Translation: I should not be a woman. I should not be anti the things of God. I should not manipulate people for my own pleasures and desires. I should be careful not to be so hard-hearted and vain that I do not even know that the people around me could turn at any moment.

The Eunuchs...
These are the servants that worked for Jezebel and Ahab. The same group that ultimately pushed her out the window. Translation: Even Satan's minions can do right? I do not mean his little devils, I mean the people in this world whom Satan has used to do his will. Just because Satan has used you to accomplish his will does not mean all is lost. The eunuchs stepped up and through Jezebel from the window. I am not saying they got saved that day, but what I am saying is that they recognized that Jehu was the man and they helped him in succeding in his battle. So, in other words, I need to support the man of God when he comes riding into battle at whatever the cost, despite losing my job or other important stuff.

The On-lookers...
Application: Is there such a thing truly as a bystander? Just a simple on-looker that is just watching? I have always been of the persuassion that the answer to that is no. You are either a help or a hindarence to any situation that you are in. Involved or not. You can influence the person taking the action just by standing there. Support by clapping. Discouragment by shaking your head. Or even gasping in amazement at what just took place. It is evident that nobody stopped Jehu (he did run her over till she was dust afterall). Everybody is involved, because they could have saved their 'beloved" queen, but they did not.

So what kind of person are you from this passage? That is the question I direct towards myself and anyone who would like to take this as a good policy verse.

Looking forwards to May

Topher Myers

P.S. I realize that this is more than one verse so it technically cannot be a good policy "verse," but I am the author and I get poetic liscence.

Just a scholastic and social update

2007-03-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

I am excited that CleanInternet.com has finally approved the right to blog again. It's a good website for anyone interested in a Christian based filtering service (shameless plug). Seriously though, I just wanted to update anyone who happens to know me, care about me, or entertain the wandering stranger who happens across my grossly outdated blog page.

Recent events.
February -- Valentine's Day came and went and I only gave out 5 valentine cards. I went to the Chicago Auto Show and saw a bunch of overpriced, shiny pieces of metal.

March -- Volleyball Marathon is now over with and I am still taking donations (ahem). I played way too many hours, was awake for even more hours (thanks a lot Joseph), and even got two projects finished. The College Wrestle-Off was this past Sunday night and I survived that too. I almost pinned my opponent in the first round, but then I got tired (I'm fat and outta shape if you don't remember) in the second round. Julian made it to the third round before getting pinned. Glenn got violent with his opponent Jim and David went all three rounds with his opponent. Marlowe did not wrestle because he was enjoying the sunny weather back home.

I am looking forward to going back to TruGreen on Wednesday. I am also looking forward to Candy Sale again. It starts next Thursday. Then there is the Preaching Conference in late April at which I am looking forward to the arrival of several people.

School is doing well, I have an A in all my classes, until today, one class just dropped to an A-.

Finally, as a goal (It is this thing I have been setting weekly.) I just want to share my 10 verses for the new year with Blogspace over the next couple of weeks. Just to be a help to you, a help to me, and most importantly, accountability for me.

Looking forward to May

Topher Myers

Hello

2006-12-16T20:09:00.000-08:00

I plan on setting up my account so I can blogwhile at school... This is just temporary for anyone who still happens to check this site. I have come up with a few good ideas by talking or rather discussing, with PJV. Looking forward to blogging again... --Christopher

To Spank or Not to Spank? That is the Question...

2006-07-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

I think Shakespeare said it best, "To be or not to be, that is the question." I have never doubted that a persons surroundings influence the type of person that he (or she) will one day become. I also believe genetics play a part in it too (circa 3 years ago, but that's another story). As I interpret Hamlet's timeless question, the question of being or not being __________ is one that needs to be addressed, but more importantly the process of getting to that being or not being is important too. I had an intriguing conversation this morning...

Background to the conversation:
I was minding my own buisness doing my tasks when the subject of debate came up. The conversation was going pretty good. The guy I was having it with was thinking about joining the debate team and was asking what it was like. We then got talking about different issues. I made the comment I am most thankful for which was that I never had to debate against something I believed in (or vice versa). He then started to throw out topics. I gave my opinions. He was respecting them all, then he said Corporal Punishment. I said, "Spanking or Death Penalty?" He replied, "There's a difference?" I said, "Let's explore that shall we?"

Death Penalty (because D comes before S):

SOB (Statement of Belief)
I believe that a person who murders another person deserves to die.

POB (Positives of Belief)
1) Money: Cost of executions are astronomical. So why is this a positive? Because the cost of keeping a prisoner alive is even more. Factor in the following things. 3 square meals a day. Room and board. Exercise equipment. Exercise Yard. Showering/Toiletry needs/maintainence. Guards to watch them. Building maintainence. New buildings (due to overpopulation, especially here in California). Cable (nay, Satellite) TV. Appeals process. Doctor/Dentist, other assorted proffessionals. For the rest of their life. Which do you think is more expensive?
2) Instilled Fear: I know the arguement for this one. The death penalty dosen't really scare people. Let me let you in on a little secret. I know. You're right. For now. But who among us was never over at Johnny's house and he did something wrong, got punished for it and then you and Johnny go over to your house, do the same thing but don't get in trouble (Analogy might work in reverse too). The fact that you got punished in one place and not the other is what takes the fear away. If it was uniform across the country, then it would be a fear to reckon with. Think about. Why is it that criminals run for the state line? To excape the penalty. What if on the other side of the state line the penalty is the same? Also, people have another misconception that the death penalty will instantly cure all crime. I am not one of those people. I believe the Death Penalty will deter future crimes. In my opinion it is like everything else in life. You weigh the costs vs. the benefits of your decision and if the choice is to kill Johnny or not and the benefit is never letting him annoy you again or having your life terminated just you did to him. Well, now there's a decision. Not hmmm... let's see.... No more annoying Johnny, and lifetime in jail with food, TV, exercise.
3) Emotional Closure: I know, two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do. Follow my logic train here. First stop. Someone terminates the life of another person. (Insert train hold-up right here) "Hold yer briches there sonny. That there capitual punishment is termintatin' the life of other fellas too." (That's the mean outlaw guy with the big gun and handkercheif across his mouth so that he could symbolize anyone. I get to be the engineer trying to, and will, stand up for the destination of the passengers) "But Mr. Train-Stopper-Type-Person-Sir, when the government executes capitol punishment, they do so as a system, with checks and balances. Starting with a jury of 12 people, which by the way must be uniformly agreed, a judge presides over that. Then the defendent, if found guilty by all 12 jurors (see Movie 12 Angry Men with Henry Fonda, not Toy Danza) then appeals to the higher court judge. Several times. The point is this is not a one man show." (Evil guy pushes the gun right into my nose and is getting very forceful.) "But you're still killin' the guy." "And you sir, are not listening I am not killing anyone. The government that we established and that has the authority to is doing it." (Outlaw guy is getting mad and is getting really loud and big.) So you admit that there is no difference, they are both killin' people." "Um, no. I don't. There is a significant difference if you kill a person and if the state kills a person. You acted on your own authority making your own rules. The government is acting within a framed set of rules that have already been accepted." (This is where the Mr. Hero-Cowboy-Person shoots the Bad-Robber-Man and I can start the train going again.) You see, when we make the Death Penalty the issue we have a problem, and that problem is that we have a misconstrued focus. The focus should be on the family/loved ones of the person who has died, not on the murderer. Everyone is gung-ho about getting that murder to court and make sure that the "trial of the century" convicts him. (Anti-Death Penalty people) "Look at the grieving family, they lost someone dear to them. Ahhh... Hurray... He's guilty! Congratulations grieving family. The killer is caught. Yeah (insert much rejoicing). Wait, they sentenced him to the death penalty? No, that is wrong. Boo-Boo. Was the jury rigged? Was there illegal obtained evidence? Was the judge biased? Are you sure he's guilty? Quiet grieving family, you don't matter anymore, we need to make sure this guy dosen't die." (Okay, in all fairness, I'm sure no one has ever s a i d that.) You see the focus isn't on the people who need it. It's on the hot topic of the day, it's on whatever fits your agenda. There's your lack of emotional closure. These grieving people are left alone, while the killer of their loved one gets glorified in the media. That is like a robber coming into your home, steals all of your stuff and the governor declares him theif of the year because he broke into your house.

(CSOB) Concluding Statement of Belief
I am not saying kill everyone on death row. I'm not saying kill everyone (that's for you DP will lead to murdering old and poor people). I am saying let the state do it's job. Crime & Evil needs someone/something to fear and right now it does not seem to have anything to fear. We need to not only enable our government to protect us, but we also need to support our government in its decisions. (Now I'm not making a blanket statement here. I'm not for the whole Democrat Big Brother thing. I'm only talking about the Death Penalty here.) After all, if you don't like the death penalty, why do you vote? Why do you live in this country? The age-old-adage. Love it or leave it. Respectfulness or Responselessness.

Sorry... This is unfinished. I'll get to spanking, probably on Saturday.

Have A Nice Day...
ChrisTopher

Family Blog AM 1111

2006-05-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon and welcome to the open blog forum. A place where we can compare Scripture with Scripture (as interpeted by me) and can freely talk about anything Biblical as long as I deem it is worthy. Well. Let's take our first blogger please, welcome to the open blog forum. Okay so that sounded a little ridiculous. Probably because it is, but maybe not for the reason you think or maybe you do, I dunno. I'm not a mind-reader. Anyway. Onto the disection.

I have a conffesion to make. I enjoy listening to the Open Forum by Mr. Harold Camping (He's older than me and I have that old fashioned respect for elders (as in age not position) standard.).

Phew -- Got that off of my chest.

Now I'm not in the buisness of trying to get you to change your views of Mr. Camping here, but if you do that would be a good by-product.

First, One time I heard this guy ask a seemingly harmless question. It was a good question I thought. Here it is. "How come you never have a guest host of the open forum?" I thought to myself that is a good question. Mr. Camping replies something to this effect, Well, I have been doing the open forum from day one. I enjoy the opportunity to share the Bible with people and having the people share with me. It is a blessing to talk about the Bible. *Pause* The man than repeated the question about guest hosts. Mr. Camping then said the following statement and it struck me really odd, but then after thinking about it it seemed reasonable. He said, Because there are not many other preachers out there who believe the same as I do, in fact if there was one who does believe the same I would let them but there isn't.

Umm.... Is it just me or did he just say he is the only one who believes like he does. Okay, in his defense I may not have quoted him verbatum, but this is what he said. That sounds like private interpretation. Which reminds me of another caller.

Second, "Mr. Camping, does God talk directly to you?" Mr. Camping's response, Through the Bible of course, I sit and study the Scripture on a daily basis, and God's Word speaks to me. The caller than proceded to press the issue into the question of 2011 being the 2nd coming. Mr. Camping deflected the question by saying that it was a revelation of God through the Scriptures, but when the caller asked where, Mr. Camping responded by saying that it would take too much time to discuss how he came to that date, but then goes on a few more minutes talking about the signifigance of numbers in the Bible and telling the caller to read his book. Hmm... Too much time indeed...

Thirdly, Lastly... He determnes how much time each caller gets. I think that is fair. However he can't go about saying to some people (who, I am sure this is circumstancial, are winning argumentation with him) that his time is limited and cut them off and then turn around and say to the next caller who is adoring him (It is funny how they always seem to follow the previous type of caller) Oh, thank you and thank you, but it's about the Bible. And go on and on talking longer than he did with the person that they were actually discussing Bible with... But then it's not about him, it's about the Bible.

In Conclusion, so why do I like to listen to Mr. Camping's open forum. I've got 2 reasons.

1. It's good military strategy to keep up on the enemy's strategem and ways.

2. I can always use a good brush-up on my rhetorical Scripture skills.

Don't worry, I won't be leaving the church and I don't believe that 2011 (while it is an option) is the year of the 2nd coming. He just sounds so grandfatherly... It that story-telling sort of way...

Have A Nice Day

I thought God was perfect?

2006-05-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

If I want to learn to hit a baseball, I'd go to Hank Aaron if I could.
If I want to learn to shoot a basketball, I'd go to Michael Jordan if I could.
If I want to learn to score a goal, I'd go to Wayne Gretsky if I could.
If I want to learn to make a takedown, I'd go to Kurt Angle if I could.
If I want to learn to _______, I'd go to _______ if I could.

So, what's the point? If any of these guys wrote a book about how to do what they do best, I don't think anyone would dispute what they had to offer. There wouldn't be factions of people going, "I don't think he wrote it that way." or "It actually should be written like this." That would be absolutely ridiculous. But yet, if I want to live the Christian Life, shouldn't I go to God?

Agreed:
1) God wrote the Bible.
2) God used men to physicaly write the Bible.
3) God is perfect (I hope we are agreed on this one).
4) When God created everything, he created everything perfectly.
5) God has a perfect plan that can/will be executed.

Based upon the agreeds, it's good the God we have. So why can't he be perfect? I'm sure no one would out right say that God is not perfect, but implications are still there. Sometimes it is what you don't say that speaks the loudest. Please bear with me, I realize I may be over-simplyfying this, but God did write the Bible for everyone to understand. Even me and my 3rd graders.

Here's my problem. How can anyone say (or imply) that God is not perfect? If Jordan wrote a book on basketball, or Gretsky on Hockey, would anyone argue with them? But yet, God wrote a Book on Himself, His creation, and His works (an autobiography if you will) and people are trying to do some terrible things to it. Terrible things that can be catergorized into one statement, God's not perfect. Follow me with this logic.

Disagrees:

1) God did not perserve his word. = Either is saying God was not capable, or that God did not want to do it. This would mean either something was more powerful that Him or that He gave up caring.

2) Concepts are important, not the actual words. = Either is saying that God didn't choose that right words or that we can wrap our minds around everything that God teaches in the Bible. This would mean either we think we can word things better than God or that our minds are so advanced that they are equal with God. Afterall if it's the concepts that are important than we need to know everything so that when we compare Scripture with Scripture we are comparing the correct concepts with the correct concepts rather than verses with verses.

I'm sure there are other points for the disagrees side. I'm sure they have racked their brains to come up with them too. I'm just thankful I didn't have to think too hard to come up with the idea that God is perfect and so his Word is too. I'm glad God wrote it down. Since He is perfect that means anything He does, logically, has to be perfect. Which includes, but not limited to, word usuage & preservation. Maybe I am just too simple minded to just take God at what He says and believe it. Maybe I need to critize what He wrote to make my ego feel better. But then again, I wouldn't give that honor to Mr. Gretsky, Mr. Jordan, Mr. Angle, Mr. Aaron or Mr. ________ . Afterall, God does want us to have that simple believing faith, just like little children. Shouldn't we go to the expert on a subject? So I guess my conclusion is two-fold.

1) God is perfect (Agreed).
2) Anything God does is perfect (I hope you agree too.)

Christopher Myers
Have A Nice Day

Victory at Last

2006-04-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not much for bragging, never had too many chances... Always been too smart to be a moron and too dumb to be a geek, my athleticism has always been hampered by a little thing known as lack of skill... So on the rare occassion that I can brag, I guess I'll take the opportunity... Of course it's not about me, it's about the kids and a lesson we could all sometimes probably use a refresher course on...

Setting the scene:

Imagine a kickball game (not soccer, kickball with the rubberball played with baseball rules) where the rivalry has lasted between me and the 4th grade teacher for 3 years now... Imagine being on my end of the rivalry. My team is smaller, slower, less cordinated, smaller in number, less experienced and (here's the worst) morale flatened becuase we always lose... I've won once in 3 years and that was only becuase the high school boys came and helped us out, so that really dosen't count (Thanks Julian and David). We've been blown out the water. We've even came close. But just couldn't pull it out to win... That is... Until today =0Þ

Surviving The Situation:

Bottom of the 9th. We need 5 to tie, 6 to win. We've reached the power part of the line-up. Arianna kicks the ball and makes it to first. Daniel kicks the ball, Arianna reaches 3rd, Daniel 2nd. Kennedy kicks the ball gets to first Arianna scores Daniel is stuck at second (15-11). Alexis kicks the ball and it is barely dropped everyone advances a base. My kick. I kick the ball, everyone scores, but I get stuck at 3rd. (15-14). I think Madison is a good kicker, she kicks the ball. Pop fly out. 1 away. Michias is also a pretty good kicker, he'll make it all I need to do is make it home. I'd settle for a tie. Drilled shot back at the pitcher. Caught. 2 outs. I'm beside myself. I cannot believe this. Then Samrawit gets up to bat. Now she doesn't really like to play kickball and the other students never help the situation much by yelling at her when something goes wrong. So she shuffled up to the plate and several thoughts run through my head. On one hand, I know I'd be proud of her for doing something she's not good at for the sake of the team, she is a trooper. On the other hand, I'd rather not have the fate of the game resting on her right foot either. Afterall, I'm the tieing run and I've been sitting at 3rd base for two outs now. Unforuneately, the side of being upset was winning. I'm pacing, jumping up and down, doing everything I can to keep calm when I hear the phrase, "Man... Samrawit's up. We're going to lose now." and then I hear the collective agreement of everyone else. 1st pitch, she kicked foul. "Why'd you do that?" her classmates yelled. 2nd pitch. Foul. (you only get 3 fouls in kickball). By now the principal has come out to watch. Out of nervous anxiety I call time and relay the situation to everyone that I am the tieing run and the winning run is kicking. I remind everyone to be quiet and tell Samrawit to just get to first. 3rd pitch. It came straight back at the pitcher who was not ready for it. She dropped it. I score (15-15). Samrawit makes it to 1st. Jevonne kicks next. He drills the ball straight back past 2nd. Samrawit goes for second as the ball is being tossed to the base, the 2nd baseman misses the ball so she runs for 3rd, meanwhile Jevonne, being the over-zealous little kid that he is, is heading towards 2nd where the ball is. The second baseman seems him and chases him back to 1st. Samrawit sees where the ball is and runs home and scores (15-16). We win... Take that Mr. Brandenburg...

Solidifying the Scruples:

Hopefully my kids learned two lessons today.

1. You never know when you'll win.

2. Never quit, you might be the winner.

You see, from where I stand, I've accepted the fact that most of the time, I'm going to lose. I've been trying to teach my 3rd graders that losing really isn't that bad. I mean we are playing a superior team with more experience, but should we give up? No, never. We will occasionally/rarely win. If you are part of a team, you just might be the winning ingredient of the team, just like Samrawit, the little girl everyone yelled at and didn't want to play. She has become the class hero. But knowing my students that will probably last until we play the 4th graders again tomorrow. But for now... I'm posting this tonight...

Have A Nice Day
--Topher Myers