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.