Waking Up

Another post, hopefully this one will be a little more interesting than the last. I went back and read that one and really was kind of disappointed in myself. My excuse is that my mind has been very occupied with robotics. The trouble is that you realize that your mind has been very occupied only after it becomes a little more open, it is kind of like waking up (slow and groggy). You look back on your messy room, your messy closet, wonder where your i-pod is (I finally found my i-pod today after it had been missing for a good month, HOORAY), you also read your last post, that was done in a state of half awake joy, and nearly fall asleep. I am starting to awake more fully and have had to learn to be patient, cleaning up, and just trying to get some order to my life. I just wish that learning patience wouldn't take so dog-on long. By the way, did I mention that I found my i-pod.

I suppose part of this non coma post should contain pictures. I like pictures, I am a very visual learner.

Okay, so yes, that is a robot, and yes it is our robot in CAD (computer assisted design). Sniff*pretty cool huh. Yeah I know, but engineers really dig this kind of stuff. Show them a statistic and they get all excited. Show them a diagram and they are liable to get sentimental and stuff. It is really pretty fun.

That leads to the next thing I want to discuss, and that is the amazing story of life. I mean really. Here you are in the midst of a plot that ranges from tragedy to comedy and you take it all so seriously. Not saying that is bad, it is good. The story would not have a point unless you had real reactions to real situations. We are real, our stories are real, they are crazy, they are funny, they are sad. One of my favorite past times is people watching, and it is really for that reason. I often look at people and forget that I am in the same classification as them, that I have my own story, and watching them is like watching bits and pieces of a whole bunch of stories walking around.

It is getting close to Christmas, I love Christmas. If you want a good story, Christmas has loads. Everything from Rudolf to Scrooge. Scrooge is so great. But the best has got to be the original story, complete with evil emperors, kings, heavenly hosts, and a little baby who is the son of God born of a virgin. See, God tells the best stories, and they are real.

I should post some more pictures. I know you may not be interested but I am going to post pictures from the local robotics competition. Oh, by the way, we placed fourth in the robotic competition at regionals, so we are advancing on to NATIONALS in Orlando, Florida.

I am sorry if I seem to be obsessed with robotics, but my life has consisted of little else for the past three months. Now I have four more months to look forward to.

Sorting gold balls that have been dumped. The defective ones get put in that cart and are taken back to the recall center by Leviathan (our robot).

Below: placing the cone in the pack and ship center.

Note: Being a driver on a robot team is like being the quarter back in football, lots of pressure, lots of glory. I am so proud of how our drivers handle it all.

Yeah that is the awesome REACH team, plus the two Bison BEST coordinators. See the REACH Rabbit, I got that job at regionals since our mascot guy was not able to come. It slow cooked me all day a regionals. Hey, but isn't it cute?

I hope that this post has had a little more variety than some and that I did not bore you. If you do not comprehend, this was, I admit, not a very well thought out post. I am still waking up.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Chip

Robots

The REACH Robotics Team. Right to left, top to bottom. Alan K. (game coordinator), Caleb W., yours truly, Carlie S. Caleb I., Jesse I., David M., Daniel U. (oral presentation mentor), Naomi W., Dustin W., Bailey C., Nancy R. (hub coordinator and national BEST secretary), Mikayla P., Tom U., Dave U., and Nik K. This was taken on kickoff day, when we found out what we would have to do.
BEST, Boosting Engineering Science and Technology. Puts on an annual robotics competition. They invent a game and set up the rules. The game involves a robot you must build using the hardware they provide you with. These materials include PVC pipes, plywood, nuts, bolts, screws, tape, and a variety of cool stuff. They also give you four motors, four servos, a brain (or programable receiver) and a controller (or transmitter). This years game involves a theme of industrial manufacturing and making sure that defective products are not shipped out. It is aptly named Total Recall. It is a challengingly complex game. This is why I will not attempt to describe it to you.

We along with 24 other teams participated in the local Bison BEST hub competition. The competition does not simply involve a robot and the game. You must provide an engineering notebook that includes what methods were used for designing and building the robot and also included, there must be a research paper that incorporates the game theme. Other optional things you can do, are the marketing presentation, where you basically sell your robot to a panel of judges, and the team exhibit, that is a booth dedicated to information about your team and robot. You are also judged on how you perform as a team, and if you have good team spirit, and good sportsmanship. So I was somehow elected to kind of head up the homeschool team I am a part of. It has been a huge honor.

We started before we even knew what the game would involve, by doing fundraising. Our main fundraising was to go to a local pizza factory to make pizzas. This took care of half of our funding the other half came from getting sponsors. The other things we did were to find out what teams we would need, and who would head up those teams.

After the kickoff for the competition, we knew what we had to do and worked the next six weeks to do it. Before we knew it, competition was here.

These were 2 very cool days. The first was the exhibit and oral presentation day. No robot competition. Day two they had the robot competition, it was totally awesome. Our robot performed its tasks the way we wanted it to, most of the time. We did have a couple rounds that hurt. The culminated in us taking home awards for Most Robust Robot, Spirit and Sportsmanship, Best Website (which you can visit here), Third in the BEST competition, and Second in Total Recall. It was a pretty great day. And all this means that it is not over, and we are now gearing up for competing at regionals down in Arkansas. God has really blessed me with this experience, it is some of the funnest times I have ever had. If you want to know more about the competition, just visit here.

A Few Summer Photos

I have seen the moon so much this summer, and every time I see it, I am so happy it is there. I know that sounds weird. Really though, it is pretty cool.

Yes, my pictures are very grainy, been trying to figure that one out.

Simone. This photo shows her as her true self. Wild and smiley (most of the time). I did not take many photos on any of my excursions this summer, for me, it means I am having fun, and am most definitely not bored. This was taken on my excursion to Salt Lake City. The visit was short and sweet. I love these kids.
Jac and the sand castle he and I built. This was one of the many activities that he kept me busy with.
Got to go to a Twins playoff game with three of my bros, at the new Target Field, thanks to my older brother. It was a great ball park and game, even though the Twins lost and the Yankees won. Fun times screaming your lungs out. A beautiful night and I had a great time. As a side note, the food there was surprisingly good. I had the most amazing nachos.
Trip to CA that also produced very few pictures. This was one of the ones I was glad to take. I went whale watching and did not see any whales, but had the amazing experience of chasing down a herd of dolphins at least 200 strong. They were so fast and graceful in the water.

The other highlights, included, art walk, dinner in the harbor, the ocean, no broken bones, an amazing sister and brother in law, new friends, totally awesome snorkeling tour, and plus the energy, experiences, and thoughts that come from traveling to such places.
Went to pro life camp. My first and favorite camp. It was amazing. The saddest thing is that we even need to have a camp like this. Here was a good visual reminder of why were there, it is 3,470 babies, the average amount of babies murdered every day, before their cry can ever be heard.

One of the campers, nick name of Herman, explaining something. She actually was pretty normal.
Seth, sporting one of the fancy hairdos that was floating around the camp. I think it had to do with the many impersonations that go on at camp. And I guess Ashley thought she wanted a picture with that.

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Chip

An Angry God in the Minds of Sinners

Another long post. And no pictures. I promise a good fun photo filled post after this. There have been some computer transitions going on. Meanwhile, here are some notes I thought up over the summer, and wrote about three weeks ago.

    " Brimstone and damnation": Not the way Christianity  is generally presented to today’s world.  Which is good in a lot of ways.  There is however a dangerous idea that has started creeping into Christendom.  One instant where I noticed it most, was when I was in a lecture discussion group.  The lecture was on the history of salvation in the old testament.   And it was truly eye opening and  amazing.  Anyway, During one of the discussion  groups, some of the people were talking about how loving our God was, and how accepting  of people he was.  I agreed whole heartedly with the first part and squirmed and raised my hand at the second part.   “don’t you think God is capable of hate, even hating people?”     I got a variety of responses, but the general consensus was that God maybe used to hate people, but since Jesus and redemption, he has a policy of  “hates the sin, loves the sinner” I was confused.  They used verses about hating your brother is murder.  Do not get me wrong, I am not denying that we serve a loving and merciful God.  I am also not denying that we serve a loving and merciful God that sends people (not their sins) to hell.   Usually a discussion like this leads to the complex subject of predestination, which ultimately ends in, “we can not blame God for our sin” or say to the potter, “why have you made me this way.”   “Who are you oh man to reply against God.”   
      We had a paradox.  God the redeemer of the world, and God wrathful punisher, creating people to send them away to eternal separation.   The lecturer did a good job of helping give a human understanding of  it, and I am pretty sure he got it from C.S. Lewis.   Someone asked , “why God did not just make it so Adam and Eve could not have eaten the fruit?”  He explained, “how God wants true and not forced love,“ in other words, he wants us to come and drink, instead of having to dunk our heads in.  And that is the kind of love he has always sought and desired, to the point that he sent his son to earth and through hell for us. 
     The side that people often turn away from, is, what happens when we do not take, accept, and  love him back, showing the same desire for him that he showed for us.  Then, there is worse than any, fire, weight, toil, pain, or sadness: the eternal separation from the only true and everlasting love in the world.  If you have never read Jonathan Edward’s sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, then I suggest it.  It is dark with an awesome  gleam of light at its center.  He may have exaggerated a bit, but it is very convicting.   Obviously he believed God was not only capable of hating people, but had contempt for sinner’s suffering and added to it.  Here are a couple verses to back this all up.   Keep in mind that we worship one God, and that the God of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel is the same as the God of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 
    Numbers 11:33
But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague.
    Luke 3:7
[ John Preaches to the People ] Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

    John 3:36
He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

    Psalm 106:40
Therefore the wrath of the LORD was kindled against His people, So that He abhorred His own inheritance.

    Psalm 11:5
The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates

    It is important to point out that there are many more like these and many about God hating the iniquities practiced by such people.   Like how God hates divorce, or the pagan rituals.   While it is very true that we can come to God in any condition (that is, of a sinner), it is also immensely true that if we are redeemed by God, we cannot stay the same.   We have been set free into Gods love, and we ought to show it in our lives.  Sin has lost its grip on us, and we must work with God’s help and saving grace to finally work ourselves out.  
    We must also be mindful to fear our Lord.  He is awesome, and his works are righteous.   If he is angry with us, then the last thing we should be doing is telling him, “not to get upset.”  We are recipients of an incredible gift that we can never hope to be worthy of.   We would truly be fools if we refused it and then tried to tell the giver that he ought to have done it better.  Lets live lives that tell how much we love him and how much we desire and are thankful for him and his love.
    I fear that when we start to think things such as, God not being able to hate people, we take away from the worth of God’s gift.  When we are in him, we are saved from his wrath.  Also, people must be made aware of why Christians desire the spread of the gospel and the saving souls, and to know what souls are being saved from.   We do not wish and pray for  “heaven on earth,” just because then  life will be hunky dory down here too, but so that sinners will be saved from eternal damnation.   I hope you  are beginning to see that  I am not trying to make God a big mean guy, instead I am showing how amazing he really is.   You do not understand how  nice air conditioning is till you have roasted outside for a while, or how great water is till you have gone without for a while. 
    We do not fully appreciate God’s love and mercy till we have understood what his wrath and  separation from him is like.    

    For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

Summer 2010 in my Mirror, so I know where I have been.

Hmmmmmm.
Sorry, I just have to do that before I get down to trying to organize my memories and thoughts on a computer.
Summer started early for me with my trip to Mexico, which by itself was life shaping. And the rest of summer has been God taking my life and bending it where he is planning it to go. The thing is I am not sure where it is going, but I have every confidence he does.
This summer also saw me working two jobs, one part time, one more full. They occupied most of my time. I have mixed emotions about my jobs this summer. My more full time job was at our local Greenhouse and my part time was at our local Subway. My mixed emotions are less because I did not like my jobs and more because I felt this is not where I want to be in a year. The thing my jobs have really done, have shown me a lot of what people are like. At the greenhouse it is mostly people over 50, at Subway it is mostly people under 30. Provides interesting views on human character. Had good and bad experiences at both. I have to say that I enjoyed the greenhouse far more this summer. Better bosses, co workers, and variety of jobs.
This summer I also did a fair amount of travel. Wether with friends or family. I went places have never gone before. And as happens when you do that, you meet people you have never met before. I am not sure, but it seems like I met more people this summer than I have in my life. Meeting people and becoming good friends with many. And when I traveled to a place like Mexico, it was not the country that amazed me, or the people, it was my Mexican brothers and sisters in Christ. They showed me something that was amazing. It is what Gods love looks like when all you have to worship him in is a 30x20 cement floor shop with a roof that leaks. It is beautiful.
When I went to Pro Life camp in WI, I saw other Christians my age who cared about what happened not just to them, or what affected them, but about the other people, people with and without voices. And after caring enough to learn, you learn enough to really care.
My most recent trip to Utah and California was also very good. It was supposed to be my more relaxing trip. And it was, but that did not stop things from happening. On the way to Utah I sat next to a Mormon Lady on the plane. This was most interesting since I had really been asking God to give me strength to share his gospel when I could. This lady had been Lutheran and had made the switch about two years back. I mainly asked questions. I am not sure what she really thought. It was just interesting, and I hoped that maybe I got her to think about certain things she might not have.
In Utah I had a great time with my brother and his family (and enjoyed meeting my newest nephew, Ethan).
Activities included lego building with my nephew Jac, water fights, playing in the sand box, wrestling, driving through gorgeous parks, dam building in ice cold streams, picnics, Chinese food, and more.. It was fun.
California produced as many and diverse activities. Such as whale watching (in which we saw many dolphins instead, amazing), snorkeling (awesome), boogie boarding (no broken bones), art shows, enjoying the ocean, etc..
All in all I had an amazing time and met more people and had more wide eyed wonder at God and his world.
The free time I have had this summer has been something I tried to make more structured. Meaning that it is free, so take it and use it. Some of it I used to practice my running. Still not really good, and I like it best when I am done. Running is like that. People wonder why anyone would want to go through such misery. The answer: It feels so good when you are done.
I also really got into soccer this summer. It is such a great sport. I admit maybe not the most thrilling all the time to watch. When it come to playing, it is most exciting and fun.
Have not done very much reading this summer. A pity, but that is why we have winter.
This summer I also did some storm chasing. Results are that the ones I chased really not much by the time I got to them. However we had a couple that went over our place that produced some very interesting clouds, lots and lots of rain, small hail, and big winds. I really am a little to fond of massive thunderstorms.
Yes this summer was very full, and that is fine with me. I like my busy life. Even when sometimes I don't. This summer produced moments when I wished I could go live on an island by myself. Then later God would do something to remind me of how silly that was. It is just that sometimes you feel like there is not enough room for everyone and their life. Till you discover that is part of being people who worship a triune God.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light unto my path. Psalm 119: 105

Creed

I thought that this poem really summed up modernism.

We believe in Marx, Freud, and Darwin.
We believe everything is OK
as long as you don't hurt anyone,
to the best of your definition of hurt,
and to the best of your knowledge.

We believe in sex before during
and after marriage.
We believe in the therapy of sin.
We believe that adultery is fun.
We believe that sodomy's OK
We believe that taboos are taboo.

We believe that everything's getting better
despite evidence to the contrary.
The evidence must be investigated.
You can prove anything with evidence.

We believe there's something in horoscopes,
UFO's and bent spoons;
Jesus was a good man just like Buddha
Mohammed and ourselves.
He was a good moral teacher although we think
his good morals were bad.

We believe that all religions are basically the same,
at least the one that we read was.
They all believe in love and goodness.
They only differ on matters of
creation sin heaven hell God and salvation.

We believe that after death comes The Nothing
because when you ask the dead what happens
they say Nothing.
If death is not the end, if the dead have lied,
then it's compulsory heaven for all
excepting perhaps Hitler, Stalin and Genghis Khan.

We believe in Masters and Johnson.
What's selected is average.
What's average is normal.
What's normal is good.

We believe in total disarmament.
We believe there are direct links between
warfare and bloodshed.
Americans should beat their guns into tractors
and the Russians would be sure to follow.

We believe that man is essentially good.
It's only his behaviour that lets him down.
This is the fault of society.
Society is the fault of conditions.
Conditions are the fault of society.

We believe that each man must find the truth
that is right for him.

Reality will adapt accordingly.
The universe will readjust. History will alter.
We believe that there is no absolute truth
excepting the truth that there is no absolute truth.

We believe in the rejection of creeds.

"Chance" - a post-script

If chance be the Father of all flesh,
disaster is his rainbow in the sky,
and when you hear

State of Emergency!
Sniper Kills Ten!
Troops on Rampage!
Whites go Looting!
Bomb Blasts School!

It is but the sound of man worshiping his maker.

by Steve Turner

The Jungle Where I Work.

A rose.
Color.

Lines of pureness.


Petunias.
In the jungle.



It is Joey.

In Christ, the creator of all.

Chip

Mexico Borderless Mission

Flying south, looking east.
Practicing his siesta.

Sunny St. Louis.
Friend made this from the Sky Mall magazine.
Thought this mountain in AZ really looked like God's Thumb from the movie Holes.
The border. Crossing into Mexicali Mexico after dark was most interesting. Getting lost did not help either. Saw both sides of town.
Walking the streets of Mezquital.
The all important water tank.
Campsite.
Team Leader Kay A. explaining how to flush a Mexican toilet. It is not as easy as you may think.
The area where we had devotions every morning and evening. Heard so many incredible testimonies shared here. The Holy Spirit was really at work in this place.
Two front ones are our two team leaders. Both did an amazing job. Thanks to them for so much.
Team Members. Some of them.
Coke in a glass bottle. You can't beat it.
Part of the roofing crew.
The roof. We got the whole thing on by the end of the week.
Marbles.
Pastor David's son. A very cool guy. He was fun. He loved tapping people on their shoulder so they looked the wrong direction. He did it a little to much, people started to catch on.
Went to a border town on Sunday afternoon to do some souvenir shopping. It was odd to think that that piece of tin separated two different governments and cultures. Guess which one I like best?
Never seen so many dentist offices in one town in my life. This was just a couple of the many that were all over town. Another interesting experience in Algodnaz (the border town where we went shopping) was bartering with enthusiastic sellers. It was a fun skill to learn.
We are not in Kansas anymore. I was noticing the Baja California.
Played foozeball with these boys. They were really good, but me and my teammate won. It is so great how even though we did not understand most of what the other person was saying, this old foozball table allowed us to get to know each other.
I guess I owe an explanation for why this post took two months to get here. Well the thing is that towards the end of the trip I was pretty sick. And being so, made my already forgetful brain even more so. So when we got dropped off at the airport, I left my camera in the vehicle. Now it was really okay, because the team we had been traveling with from Minneapolis were not leaving till later, and they were dropping off the rental vehicles then. With a phone call telling them to watch for a camera, and another phone call saying they had got it, everything was good. It simply took two months to get it the rest of the way. That is the simple story. Oh, by the way, being sick in Mexico really was not fun. Glad it only hit the last day.
Pastor David and his family. He pastored at the church where we were helping. Another amazing man, who is so strong in the Lord. He has a lot of courage and faith. He is also the first man who I have seen help roof a church in black shoes and dress pants.
Putting a roof on. That metal gets hot. Ouch!!
These kids rocked at soccer.
Eric. Or when he told me, "EEEEEeerrric!" He was also the king of marbles. His pockets kind of bulged with marbles he had won.
The culvert that we cleaned out and basically rebuilt. Pity I do not have a before picture. Just imagine it half filled with mud and junk and the sand bags laying in more horizontal fashion. Nothing is easy in the Mexico sun.
The amazing Pastor David. He does everything from entertain the kids with magic, speaks spanish, and oversees the construction of the roof. Hence the hardhat.

All in all. An amazing trip. Christ is doing awesome things all over. It was so great to worship the same God with people who spoke a different language. It just is cool. It is kind of like Pentecost.

Please remember these people in your prayers, the country of Mexico is really going through some tough spots, and Christians often feel it the most. Pray that they will have the retain the courage and faith to witness and be lights in a dark place.

In Christ

Chip