Morning, Mourning...Praying!

I had some thoughts to write this morning...regarding theology and Scripture, but now, feel those are but unimportant in compared to what has taken place. Yesterday morning, for many of us, began like any other morning, and yet, for some, well, for some it was unlike any other day...

I extend my prayers to Virginia Tech students, staff, and faculty...I cannot image what they are going through...the pain and sorrow...I pray for them all....I mourn with them....

(I also feel it important to note, that yes, things could have been done differently, and it is easy to say that now, but school security were acting in the spare of the moment, without much time to really think about their actions...let's not be too critical...remember that we have more information now than they had at the time)

On a less serious note, and a now a time to shift to theology, which is yet still important...

I have been studying the creation account in Genesis and ask:

Is it possible for the Bible and Science to coexist without conflict? Can we use science to help show that creation needs a Supreme Being to create this world? Must the two conflict?

I also ask, is the age of the Earth young or old? Science says old, and yet we can derive from the Bible a young Earth?

On a more humorous note, Bishop James Ussher supposedly used geneologies in the Bible to determine the exact day and time the Earth was created and concluded the following:

"Heaven and Earth, Centre and substance were made in the same instant of time and clouds full of water and man were created by the Trinity on the 26th of October 4004 B.C. at 9:00 in the Morning."

Bishop James Ussher, 1664

Anyway, so what do you guys think? What do you believe? I know this really is not important for faith, but I do want to know. I want to find a point at which Science and Christianity can coexist and be used for the Glory of God!! I want science to point to God! As I believe it should and can...I just haven't figured out how yet.....

Morning....Mourning....Praying....

•

AntiChrist lives in Houston

I saw this on a friend's xanga, and thought it be important to point it out for others to see...a man in Houston claims to be the second coming of Christ!!!

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=5097386

http://youtube.com/watch?v=GDMIfZemy2E



>


check out the videos.....


73 days until I get married!!!! :)



Wedding Countdown

Engaged

Time for an update. One month later!

Dec. 14th Heidi and I flew out to Indiana to see her parents. We arrived in Indianapolis to see her sister, who then drove us up to her parents' house.

It was a good trip. I went knowing that we would probably get engaged, but first I had to ask her parents! Man, that is exciting, but something that is hard to do. I was really nervous about it, although I knew that they would say yes. There is just something about asking the parents of the one you love if you could marry their daughter! The first opportunity I had, I was so nervous about it, that I didn't ask.

Friday night, with my second opportunity to ask, I did it. I was able to ask her dad and mom if I could marry her, and they said yes as expected. Saturday morning, the 16th, we had Christmas with Heidi's parents and sister. We exchanged gifts and stockings, and just before going to eat breakfast, I stood up and said I had one more thing. With Heidi's mom, dad, and sister in the room, I got on one knee and asked the question. She said yes, surprised and excited!

It was a great Christmas break, although getting back home was rough. We were supposed to leave Dec. 21, the day after the big storm hit Denver. Our flight was cancelled, and we couldn't get another ticket until the 28th. We ended up getting a refund, and took the bus back thanks to my mom who helped us find a way to get home for Christmas.

We left Indiana Friday morning, running an hour behind schedule. We arrived in St. Louis to transfer, but the transfer bus was full. They brought in a new bus and we headed to Kansas City. We arrived their at 7:30pm, just on time to catch the next bus to Denver. Unfortunately, that bus was full and we ended up waiting until 2am for the next bus to arrive. We finally made it to Denver Saturday afternoon and made it to my mom's safely and on time for Christmas, after spending more than 30 hours on the road.

Christmas was good and it was good to be in Colorado with my family and newly engaged. I am now back at school finishing my last semester in college.

We are getting married on May 19th, and the link below will take you to our countdown clock!!! That's exciting to think about! I have been engaged for a month now....wow!

Wedding Countdown

I got an emial from a team member about this video posted on YouTube.com. It's a video of the team and I that I worked with while in New Orleans just over a year ago....check it out!

Chosen By God

Currently Listening
Merry Christmas With Love
By Clay Aiken
Mary Did you Know?
see related


[Broken Image]

Birth of the Virgin
Luis Juárez, 1610,
Oil on copper, 39in. x 32-1/2in.,



Recently we were talking about art in my theology class, such as the effects of art in theology.  After class, I was reminded of this painting, which can be seen in the Denver Art Museum.  It is a painting of Mary, when she was born.  Notice the cloud on the upper right hand corner.  It is essentially God looking down on her, and I wouldn't doubt that God told Mary something like what he told Jeremiah...

Jeremiah 29:11-12

11'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.  12'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

God knows the plans he has for us, will you listen to Him?  This also reminds me of the song... "Mary Did You Know?"...



Lyrics:

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?

Mary did you know.. Ooo Ooo Ooo

The blind will see.
The deaf will hear.
The dead will live again.
The lame will leap.
The dumb will speak
The praises of The Lamb.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am.

What if Mary did not listen to God's plan?  What if she did not want to obey?

God uses ordinary people to carry out his plan!  Will you listen?  Will you make yourself available?



God, thank you for sending your son to rescue us from our sin.  We thank you for your love and mercy.  Help me to walk uprightly and to seek after you.  Use me, O Lord, to do your works!  Amen.

Random

Well, things are going great here in Denver, Colorado.

Just got back from Thanksgiving break and got a number of presentations to give this week. One for Research Writing, one for Operation Systems (computer class), and one for Microeconomics.

Three weeks left in this semester and I will be going into my last semester of college, that is pretty exciting.

Well, so I have been doing some reading on Linus Torvald for my computer class and wanted to take notes and offer my two cents as a computer nerd, as well as a place for me to include some of my research.

Linus has developed an operating system (comparable to Windows), but offers it for free. It can be downloaded all over the internet, including linuxiso.org.

I currently run Fedora Core 6 on my computer with Windows XP, in an attempt to move away from Microsoft. Why pay for Microsoft products when you can legally get identical products for free, saving hundreds of dollars!!!? Not only is it free, but safer, more secure, and more stable than Windows.

Articles about Linus:

Linus with CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2006/BUSINESS/05/18/global.office.linustorvalds/index.html

Tanenbaum-Torvald Debate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanenbaum-Torvalds_debate

Linus with Time: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994026,00.html

Linus with Time (Europe): http://www.time.com/time/europe/hero2006/torvalds.html

Anyway, so there's my quick nerd entry. Things with Heidi are going great, I've been greatly blessed by our relationship.

Yesterday, while eating a Panda Express, a lady came up and thanked us for wearing our sweatshirt (on the front it reads, "How can you worship a homelessman on Sunday and ignore one on Monday?" or something like that, and then a verse on the back). The lady went on to say that she has seen a homeless guy standing at a corner the past couple of days but ignored him, and after seeing our sweatshirts, felt convicted by the Holy Spirit and is now on her way to give him a meal. How awesome is that?

Well, off to more work. Hope your thanksgiving was amazing...and remember,

JESUS IS THE REASON WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS!!!

One Year Later - Still Rebuilding

Aug. 27th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit land, and broke a levee in New Orleans. A year later and New Orleans is hardly coming back to life. The economy as a whole in Louisianna is barely running at 50% the usual, and many suburbs/parishes have yet to rebuild.

Much help is needed still, and I long for the day to return to New Orleans to help rebuild. I want to be down there so bad right now, helping and working. When can I return, O Lord?

The Sunday Denver Post, anybody read it? Article after article talked about Katrina, and the rebuilding that still has to take place.

Priority Mail - Check it out. There were a number of articles about St. Bernard parish - where we served!! Still a sad time for New Orleans and the people.

It is a current event, a process that will still take years to get New Orleans a place it used to be. Yes, there was evil and sin in the city, but it was also the home to thousands of people, who now have nowhere to live. I said it before and I will say it again, God was not judging the city, it was simply a natural disaster. Tourism is down, income is down, production is down, the economy is down.

Check out the articles in the Denver post at www.denverpost.com , search for Katrina, or start with this article http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4244065

Please continue to pray for the evacuees, many of which are still away from home, some have returned to try and start over again. Colorado is still a host something like 14,000 evacuees, while other states are hosting a lot more. Many evacuees are have a hard time surviving, they can't find jobs, they can't work, they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and culture shock.

Feeding the Homeless

In some major cities, such as Las Vegas, Nevada, it is now ILLEGAL to feed homeless people...the cities claim that it attracts more homeless and creates a bigger "problem"...

What is our nation coming to? Okay, I can see their point, but here's the problem:

The "problem" of homelessness will not go away if you stop feeding them, or make panhandling illegal!!!! All you are doing is making it difficult for the homeless to survive...and now they will have to dig our leftover food out of tash cans and dumpsters, but the "problem" will not go away: why? Because panhandling and feeding is not the source of the issue.

Before cities enact such laws, they should, and in my opinion must, first develop and implement a plan to end homelessness, and hopefully a successful plan at that...this will cut down on the issue, allow the homeless a way out of their current lifestyle, which is what many of them are looking for, a second chance. This does not mean, however, give them a job and expect them to succeed at it, many of them first need counseling before anything else (and help with some of their addictions they picked up while trying to survive on the streets).

Panhandling and feeding of the homeless is not the issue! The issue is a lack of needed and helpful services to get these men and women (even children) off the streets! Our city needs to quick avoiding the problem and start acting, but not issuing these laws to end panhandling and feeding. The homeless survive off of these (and barely at that), until they can get a second chance!!!! Law or no law...I will be a good samaritan and help a man in need...many of them are our brothers and sisters in Christ, on their hands and knees begging for help...

Check this video out:

• Windows Media Player: undertheoverpass_20050930.wmv

• RealPlayer: undertheoverpass_20050930.rm

You can download it: www.undertheoverpass.com

Read this book: Under the Overpass, by Mike Yankoski

You'll understand my frustrations, or begin to, after reading the book and seeing the video! The homeless are humans...we want to end world poverty, not put laws into place to allow people to starve...our goverment has it backwards...

Summer

Summer is coming to a close...school work for the summer is starting to get a little lighter (down to just one class left)...

Heidi is gonna for about another month...I miss her oh so dearly...

Getting ready for the school year...got some books to read before I am prepared...gotta get ready to pour into ministry leaders and encourage them...as they lead ministries...

"Thank you God for the positions you put us in...and the lives that we get to invest into...Give me strength and guidance as I encourage the ministry leaders, so that they can stay strong as they lead the ministry that has been entrusted to them according to your glory...Amen!"

World Cup

so...both teams that I wanted to go are going...Italy and France...however, now I don't know who I want to win...I wanted Italy to win...but with Zidane retiring after this cup...it would be sweet to see him leave after winning the Cup....hmmm

I hope I don't have to work...but I probably will....sad day...

Other than that....things are going good...and really wet...two heavy rainstorms in two days...that's a lot of water....and soakedness...(yeah, that's definitely not a word...but I am using it anyway)

Italy won!!!

Two goals against Germany in the 119th and 120th minutes....amazing...(that's the 29th and 30th minute in overtime). Germany defeated in Dortmund...Italy to the World Cup!!!! WAAAHOOOO!!!!!

Happy 4th July to you all....remember our troops who are fighting, or who have fought, for freedom....

Brazil is out!

Sorry to all of the Brazilian fans, but yes, they are out of the World Cup, and now it is down to four teams, Germany vs. Portugal and Italy vs. France. This has been an exciting World Cup to watch, at least the games that I have seen.

On to other things: It is a sad night in Kevin's world. I miss Heidi, I miss InnerChange and the OuterCircle team, I miss San Francisco, and I really want to go out there to see everybody.

Also, helped a homelessman tonight who had a bunch of blisters on his foot that were bleeding. Bought a first aid kit and helped him, he was very thankful. It is sad to live in a world that ignored his wounds, ignored him, and didn't even treat him as a human being. He told me he was thankful that I stopped and cared, that I did treat him as a human. It made me sad, and I felt for him.

Anyway, sorry such a sad post, or at least I feel that way, happy Fourth of July!!

Italy Wins!!!

If you didn't see this World Cup Game, you certainly missed some great action!!! Game was tied, 0-0 in the Australia-Italy match this morning, at least until Injury Time. Three minutes of Stoppage time was added to this game, and both teams pressing hard to continue on to the next round.

Finally, in the 93 minute (that would have been 2 minutes into injury time), with only a few seconds left to play, Italian player draws a foul in the box (there was no foul, but he made it look like there was tripping, and scored a penalty kick for Italy). The foul was in the box, and thus Italy was awarded a PK, and when all was said and done, Itlay won with a goal scored from the PK, which sends Australia back home, and Italy to face the winner of this afternoon's match between the Ukraine and Switzerland.

Off to read and work on hw...

My Heart Is In San Francisco

Heidi left today for San Francisco, to work with a ministry out there for a couple of months. Sad day, it was not fun seeing her off at DIA this morning. However, we both know this is God's plan and God certainly knows what He is doing, we must remain faithful to Him, but that doesn't mean it is easy.

Rolled my ankle today playing soccer with a group of guys, that is no fun at all!

Keeping busy with work and all, and classes.

Well, that is the quick 4-1-1 from me, gotta go elevate my ankle now....God bless to you all!!!

Mt Elbert

God is amazing!!! Went climbing the other day...Mt Elbert. Got to the top and saw nothing but snow-capped peaks all around, it was amazing!!! I felt so small, so insignficant to everything around...Ps. 8:3-4: "When I look at your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?" In this case, it wasn't the moon and stars, but the mountains, as far as the eye could see, and to think this was only part of Colorado, which is part of a country, which is part of a continent, which is part of the planet we call Earth, which is only part of our universe...and so on, in the end, we are only little creatures, and when oyou look at everything God created at a whole, we are smaller than an ant, and yet God, creator of everything, gave us this planet for us to take care of, for us to enjoy...and God created us in his image, unlike every other creature...and to go on...the details this planet has, everything to the little sand grains, all from the mouth of God, spoken into existence...God is amazing...so powerful...so wonderful!!! Check these photos out (taken from the top)....





Above is my good friend Mike...








Little superhero man above...
















That's the view from the top...Mt. Elbert, tallest peak in Colorado standing at 14,433 ft. (trailhead starts at about 10,500)...it was one heck of a climb...but totally worth it...the view is like nothing I have ever seen...Praise God for the work of his hands, for this world he has created...and it is only a glimpse of his power and glory...God is great!!!

Class

In class all this week, 9am to 5pm...alright...that's exciting...it won't be too bad...minus the long class day...but an interesting and helpful class at that...that's if i can put my complex thinking aside and come down to this simple way of thinking...

In Problem Solving and Decision Making (PSDM) there are simple questions to ask for every problem...what's the problem, who's involved...what's the solution...along those lines....who needs to do what, when, where, and to what extent...none of this theory analysis and finding reality stuff...the reality is there is a problem to solve or decision to make and here is the process to find the solution or right decision based on the said steps....wow, so simple!!!

The reading, compared to them books about critical realism, self-evident way of reading nature, postmodernism and other complex issues...the books that I am still trying to determine if they really do exist in my hand or am I imagining that I am holding a book and reading it for class as required...is it really required or is that a false reality as well...
now it is about management, the book is real, this class is real, I don't need to define reality, or problems, or solving problems, it is assumed that the meanings are universal and everybody knows the meaning...the steps...also universal and used in all kinds of corporations today...this is a good class and huge for future job applications...I don't know if I can wrap my mind around something so simple without thinking about philosophy and integrating it into PSDM business class....

Anyway...a busy week, but shouldn't be too bad...staying around CCU for the summer, taking this class, and three online classes, working with Summer Conferencing (helping the groups that come use our facilities during the summer), and if things work out...I will be graduating next May...alright!!!!

Theology in Crichton's Timeline

Currently Reading
Timeline
By Michael Crichton
see related


I finished all of my homework for the rest of the semester on Sunday!!!  I picked up a fictional novel this week from the Library, just a fun read (from my favorite author outside of theology/philosophy and all that jazz)...having nothing to do with Theology, Philosophy, or any of my other majors/classes...it's been a while since I had a fun read that didn't involve any of the above...a novel that only required imagination and not hardcore analyzing or deep thought...however...that doesn't mean i haven't thought deeply...

Check this out:

Background:  The book is about time "traveling" and a group of people who were working on an excavation project in France, traveled back to that era, France in 1357 AD.  Having stepped off the time machine, here was one of their reactions...

...something about this forest struck him as sinister.  He [Chris] turned round and round, trying to understand why he had the distinct feeling that something was wrong with what he was seeing--something was missing, or out of place.  Finally, he said, "What's wrong?"
       She [Gomez] laughed.  "Oh, that," she said.  "Listen."
       Chris stood silently for a moment, listening.  There was the chirp of birds, the soft rustle of a faint breeze in the trees.  But other than that...
       "I don't hear anything."
       "That's right," Gomez said, "It upsets some people when they first arrive.  There's no ambient noise here: no radio or TV, no airplanes, no machinery, no passing cars.  In the twentieth century, we're so accustomed to hearing sound all the time, the silence feels creepy."
             (Timeline, pg. 163)

Amazing picture...and yet true...how often do we take time out of our days to just be silent, and not in the city, but in God's creation?  We have missed it...we live in noise and in a fast-paced, constantly moving world, and very little do we take the time to just stop, and be silent.  Very little do we go to the mountains and just listen to God's creation, to the peace..."Be still and know that I am God," (Ps. 46.10)...take that time...that's my challenge...stop working, stop running around, stop!  Be still in God's creation, and know that He is God, that He loves you, and the creation we miss everyday was for you!

I also thought it was interesting later on in the next paragraph or so, Chris explains the air seems to have more oxygen....what are we doing to this world God created, and to ourselves?

...sigh...i can't even read fiction books without thinking deeply...oh well....

God bless to you all!!!!

SoulForce Equality Ride to CCU

SoulForce Equality Ride went well....the group was pleased with our response and no problems that day.

It was sad to hear the stories of how they are being persecuted by the church. I may not agree with them, but I also do not agree with how the church has responded, with either violence or complete rejection. Where are they supposed to run and find help or love? If it is not in the church, then where?

Some of my questions that I am struggling with:

• Where do we, Christians, (or the Church) draw the line between pointing out sin and showing compassion or love?
• When should we give a rebuke, and when should we "love" the sinner?
• Side note: I am not sure how I feel about the "love the sinner" phrase, John Piper has an interesting point of view on this phrase. Where is that phrase in the Bible?
• John 8:7 "...'Whichever of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone...", How is this, if at all, to be applied to the Church? Why does the Pastor have the right to point out sin and rebuke, when he himself has sinned, or is sinning? Does he have the right to do such a thing? What about Matt. 18, when it talks about a brother sinning against you, and you have the obligation to point out his sin? How is this different than John 8:7? How do we apply both verses when one says we have no place to judge, and the other says we must point out and rebuke our brother or sister?
• How do those questions relate to today and the Church? Does the Church, consisting of members who have sinned, have the right to rebuke, or must the Church first remove the log in their own eye first, Matt. 7? Bottomline question, does the Church have the right to judge, and how must the Church handle the sin of those in the congregation?

These are some questions I have struggled with prior and since the visit of our Equality Ride friends. Let me know your input and opinions on the above questions!

Other than that, things are good, and remember, CHRIST HAS RISEN!!!!!

Homeless Man Calls me Ugly

Only a month or so left of school....

Last night at Fatboys was told I was ugly by a homelessman...that's quite the insult! He was flurting with one of the girls, and I tried to step in and distract him, he looks at me and says, "Man, your ugly." He also said, "Man, I am going to show you how to come your hair, cause you are ugly."

Later I tried to distract him again and he said I looked like the Apostle Paul. He also said I was like John. While walking, he stumbled and said to me, "Man, you don't even know how to walk." What in the world, he is the one who tripped, not me.

Chicago Trip was amazing...and frustating at times...some of the homeless we talked to... like

"Hey, are you guys Christians?....Good, are you going to ignore me like the rest of the world or are you actually going to listen to me." He then tells us that he needs $7+ dollars to buy a meal at McDonalds. What McD's does he go to?

Here's the plan: 3-4 summer classes, work full-time, 18 credits in the Fall, one winter term, 17 in the spring, and then I can graduate next year, and move out to San Francisco to work with an amazing ministry out there, InnerChange. It's going to be a busy year, but I got a lot to look forward to.

Soul Force's Equality ride will be here on April 13th....be prepared CCU!!! Pray for us!

There's the quick update. Been busy this week, had many interviews and a few more for next years ministry leaders, and I had to be at all of those!

SoulForce and Chicago Upcoming Events

So, it's been a while I know....life has been busy.


Reminder: Please be in prayer for our campus regarding the SoulForce Group coming to visit, April 13th.

I leave for Chicago in just a few days...Friday Morning to be exact...wow! I got a whole lot to do between now and then!!!

Looking forward to the trip...it will be great...please pray for the trip and all other CCU2theWorld Spring Break trips...

That's mostly it....and planning for FatFest....which is inviting our homeless guys/girls to campus to hang out for a few hours....get some free food...and just relax...

my dream

So Monday night, I had this sweet dream...

I had a dream that CCU was without electricity for some reason, and it was on the news, it was even on CNN...not sure why, but it was...(and now that I think about it, how would I know, I can't watch the TV, we don't have power remember). Anyway, they announced that night that all morning classes were cancelled, the 8am and 9:25am classes, and hopefully by then power would be up again. So, Tuesday morning, my alarm really goes off, I wake up, turn off my alarm, convinced that classes were cancelled, so I went back to sleep. Yeah, I my dream had me convinced that I didn't have to go to my 8am class, and so I didn't. ooops. now I have to explain to my professor why I missed on Tuesday, do you think he will believe me?

This summer....fasted Tuesday...don't think InnerChange is where i belong, but I don't think I could sit here in Denver, or anywhere, and just make money...I want to be in SF, I want to be at IC, but I can't....God, is this the plan you have for me? Do you want me to stay here?

School...FatBoys...responsibilities....all to overwhelming to even think about right now...oh boy...

FatFest...only a month away, that's four weeks or less of planning....I want to scream!!!!