Wedding Pictures

New update! Married life is still cool. O Yeah. To all of you who have tried to check pictures through this link... tough! Just kidding, click on Joel Byer's link and go to October archives.

Like Apologetics?

Have you ever had a friend say to you, “The reason I don’t believe the Bible is true is because it was passed from one person to another. If you keep passing a message along, the story changes. How do I know the Bible hasn’t changed?”

-Here’s the Answer!-
The New Testament was written within 60 (most books within 30) years of the death of Christ. (A.D. 30)

Evidence:
-Copies of the New Testament have been found that date within or close to the first Century. They are available right now!
-Early Church leaders were quoting many of the New Testament books by around 100 A.D. Thus, they had to be in circulation!
-The New Testament writers didn’t know about the destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70). Thus they had written the books before!
-According to history, Paul died in the mid-60’s A.D. He is still alive at the end of the book of Acts, and Luke was written some time before that!

Conclusion:
There was no time for myth to grow up about Christ. Keep in mind that the New Testament was written under Roman leaders who would have given anything to prove Christianity wrong. If there had been any error in the New Testament, it would have been exposed. There were still many witnesses around who would have said, “Hey I was there! That’s not what happened!” Also, many of the authors died for what they wrote. Why would they have died for a lie?!
The Bible is True!

See, I knew you would figure out the relation of the picture to the text! Much thanks to Dr. Bird for the material!

Better late than never!

Due to all the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth that has occurred because of this newsless blog, I have finally relented and posted this picture I took Sunday morning while camping. I thought it rather cool.

Camping Weekend

Well I finally found the time to blog! The weekend was really great. It was one of those times where you can leave your watch behind and just relax! It's a beautiful area, but then, I guess any area looks good as long as its in the country. Cincinnati is nice and all, but sometimes it doesn't quite cut the mustard!

And yes since you asked, it was pretty cool to be with Cherie for the weekend. :)

Only three weeks till the wedding!

Emily attempts to fill her water basin. Notice how level she keeps it.

I thought this was a rather cool photo of the woods just beside the camp.

Here's Derek going all the way with the whole country theme.

Here's Morris in full flight in his never ending game of fetch. He's like the Energizer Bunny, he just keeps going, and going, and going...

Wow! ;)

On his second attempt he cleared the tree.

This is the view from the edge of the camping area. There are deer here many mornings.

Here's old faithful. With over 280,000 miles, it's done me rather well in all it's traveling to Michigan. It seems to feel led to travel there quite often.

For living out of a tent, I sure ate well! Here's a shot of Cherie & Bro. Jones cooking chicken. (Hmm., notice Kenny's strong helping hand)

Have I ever shown you a picture of Cherie and I?

The hectic schedule took a toll on us all - especially Morris.

Gone for the Weekend!

I'll be gone for Labor day weekend to go camping with the Jones'. Did I mention Cherie will be there? And no, this picture is not of the spot where we'll go camping, but I'm sure if it was it would be nice.
Au Revoir.

For intellectual stimulation...

This is a poem that was written by one of the teens at the Teen Center where I work. See I had this great idea that whoever could write a poem at least 8 stanzas long would have their name entered to win a free prize. I though it's artistic merit granted it at the very least it's very own blog post. PS, you haven't read it unless you've read it to the very end. I'm telling you this piece of journalism will go far.

--------------------------------
Cheetahs are fast Cheetahs are cool
I wish I had a cheetah To ride to school

They are nice They are awesome
They are better Than an Opossum

They might be nice They might be mean
But they are fast You have seen

They are faster than lightning They are faster than a truck
They are faster than a jet I bet you a buck

The cheetah I would have Would like you
Also it would like Winnie the Pooh

If I had a Cheetah I would name it Lil
I would go shopping for it At Goodwill

The End
-------------------------------------

I'd really like to see this poem's true meaning discussed in a college English class. Particularity the whole awesome/opossum line.

There is a river...

OK, I'm going to take a shot at a completely serious blog post! Serious but rather cool. This is the final posting I will do on Psalm 46:4, however, I thought it would be good to write what all of you forgot about in youth class, at the bribe of candy no less! When the psalmist wrote, "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God", he was illustrating that although many great cities had rivers flowing through them, Jerusalem's source of sustaining power came only from God. The cities that had rivers flowing through them could depend on good crops as well as the trade with other cities that came with it. Although Jerusalem had no river, it had God who, like a river, sustained the people's lives. As long as God lived among the people, the city was invincible. But when the people abandoned Him, God no longer protected them and this was the reason they were eventually conquered by the Babylonians. See, you could have fit that in a comment! :) ->Much thanks to Zondervan Study Bible for the notes as well as Will, Tyler, & Kenny who provided an excellent object lesson in class by joining in with the canoe ride and getting wet. :) You men are true Courier de Bois! (Uh, they were Frenchmen who used canoes a lot)

Congratulations Esther!

Esther, pictured here with Emily, is the official winner of the contest of who could recall last week's lesson. I added Emily here just to torture here :). Stay tuned for future quizzes!

Psalm 46:4 Quiz for Burlington Youth Group!

Psalm 46:4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
Here's a challenge to the youth group. Leave a comment saying what we talked about last youth service. This is for a reward! P.S. No copying! If someone leaves a comment you have to build on it! :)

The dare...

You see it started like this. The great Joseph Krohn is on a new preaching kick. He's got that verse stuck in his head about "He that findeth a wife findeth a good thing". So after prayer meeting Wednesday night as I was listening to his exhortation, I dared him to go share his new found revelation with President Avery. As part of the dare I told him I would blog about it if he did so, "Joe, you can't ever say I don't keep my word." :) I believe President Avery commented something about "Twisting scripture to say whatever you want it to say". :)

Softball Saturday @ 1:30!

Everyone in the Youth Group is invited to Idle Wild Park on Saturday, 8/26/06 for a game of softball!

The Great Joseph Krohn Popped the Question!

It's unbelievable! Joe and Clarissa are engaged!And as you can see from this picture I got of them from the bushes, they managed to keep the 6 inch rule the entire time! Finally Clarissa suggested they hold hands and that's when I felt it was my time to leave. Joe, just let me know when you want that video tape. You better hurry though, I'm being offered some pretty big bucks for it. (OK, Just Kidding. This picture was obviously taken at the GBS Valentines Banquet in the early days of their relationship!) Click on the headline to visit Joe's blog. --> Congratulations Joe & Clarissa!

Kenny's Blog!

He did do it! He's got a blog and now he's armed and dangerous. Click on the Link above or check it out on my updated "LINKS!" section below archives.

Wedding Update

Well I know you've been just dying to hear about it so I'll give the latest update on Cherie and I's wedding. Everything seems to be coming along pretty smoothly. Mrs. Davison has already completed most of the flower arrangements for Cherie, the bridesmaids, and the church. Cherie had originally planned on using real flowers, but after going to a funeral and having a reaction to flowers there, she changed her mind.(:
Last night Cherie left me listen to a sound track she had in mind for the wedding and I don't mind saying that it's awesome! It's hard to believe it's only a little over a month away. It looks like Amber Jones is going to be the photographer along with two others who will help. Dixie Pearymen will be the coordinator. Cherie's dress has apparently turned out good and is ready for the 30th of September (for reasons undisclosed, she won't let me see it).
All this to say that we're making a strong case here to just bump up the wedding date by a couple of weeks but I think Sis. Jones vetoed that one. (:

Links!

Ah yes. After years of trial and error I've finally figured out how to do it. Check out my new links section below "Archives". Please note that they are in a much more efficient order than certain other blogs due to them being alphabetically ordered by their first name.

Week of Summer Camp Completed!

This past week has been a rather interesting one in the life of a YMCA worker. Every day I went to Ockerman Elementary School where I left with a group of a about 10 4th - 6th graders in order to take them to a Summer Camp. We had a great time! One cool part of it was that there was 5 Spanish kids that came. We hit it off great! I think I've played more soccer in the last week than I have in quite a while! Maybe it's just because English is a second language for them, but these Spanish guys had a terrific sense of humor! From the time I picked them up in the morning till when we dropped them off at night, these fellows never stopped cracking jokes. They also taught me a few Spanish words, but I'm a bit leery of saying them because I have a feeling their not very appropriate. Yeah, they told me what they meant, but due to the peels of laughter I'd send them into whenever I'd say them, I'm not sure I believe them! I also worked at the Teen Center till 7:00 in the evening on Wednesday through Friday. So after spending about 10-11 hours a day with teens and kids, I'm about worn out! The cool part of it is that they might start coming to Church. They all seemed really excited about it. Well I'm about ready to go resurface the driveway of Cherie and I's new home so this is over and out to all of you.

Do you think of people as individuals?

No really. It's harder to do than you might realize! For those of you not in the youth group, last Sunday we talked about looking at the people we go to work with and even those in our youth group as individuals. For example, it's easy to treat Joe (randomly inserted name) as a friend, even a really close friend without really thinking about his life and how I can specifically help him. Who knows, this might be the week he might really need you! Sometimes when we think of ministry, we get that nervous feeling. That feeling that says, "I really don't feel like getting up at fountain square and giving a presentation about the basic message of the Bible." But the best place to start is to treat every single person who comes into our lives as we think Jesus would treat him/her. It will take practice. It will require praying that God will help us to be, to each person we come in contact with, the light that God would have us to be.

Iced Cappuchinos

The Burlington Youth Group met Saturday night in the GBS parking lot for a game of street hockey (the campus had a distinct Canadian feel to it for the evening). Due to the excessive heat, a clear winner was a bit undecided! However, after playing for about a hour and a half. We all came inside and enjoyed some of Ezra's iced cappuchinos. Ahhhh........

Tyler, Andrew and Timmy had other plans for cooling off.

This is Jeremy.

Yes, your right. These pictures are pure revenge! The product of local tabloids.

David ponders the effects of ice cream and coffee on an exhausted system.

Here's a bunch of jolly chaps enjoying some iced cappuchinos after a hot and sweaty game of hockey.

This powerhouse of a defenseman has the incredible ability to stop slapshots as he clearly showed just prior to this picture being taken.

This picture clearly shows that while some people are indifferent to cameras, others are downright scared of them.

Street Hockey and Iced Caps

Do to popular demand the Burlington Youth Group is planning a Hockey night at GBS this coming Saturday night @ 6:30 pm. It will be followed by a time of Iced Caps and refreshments. May the best team win!

Hired on full Time

I received good news from my supervisor at work on Monday when she advised me that I'm now hired on at the Y as full time. While this won't make much difference with hours, it will have some changes in responsibility as well as some benefits such as vacation pay and most likely health insurance for Cherie and I. It was a real answer to prayer! With marriage only two months away, it couldn't have come at a better time.

Youth Group Sings for Church

It was with great enthusiasm and exhilaration that the Burlington church enjoyed the participation of the youth group as they sang to the congregation. The great harmonization was a true inspiration as all could see their great cooperation. (It was a true revelation) OK I'll quit. (Yes I know that line didn't rhyme) No seriously! Special thanks to all who sang in the youth group! I really appreciate it!

On a more personal note...

OK, I'll admit it. I'm just plain blogged out! With Cherie being out of town, I can't even post any recent pictures! Thus the question remains, What do you blog about when there's very little happening in your world? Granted, I could talk about some interesting things that happen at work but they read my blog too! (: Any suggestions?

If America wants to get serious with terrorists...

With all the unrest in the Middle East and with North Korea insisting on firing roman candles and an assortment of other fireworks into the Pacific, these pictures are designed to have a calming effect on all viewers. I think it's were hope for peace lies.

Famed Kick Boxer wins Camper of the Week!

In recent news, the infamous Amy Weddle won Camper of the Week at Beula Grove. Seriously, congradulations Amy! We're very proud of you! With Ezra winning Camper of the Week at Alabama Youth Camp, we're definitely blessed with an incredable youth group! P.S. If you want to see a better picture of Amy, just scroll down to the article about the praying hands.

'Hostilities must stop,' UN chief Annan says

Well tell me something I didn't know! I think that this has got to be one of the most ridiculous articles that I've ever read. It is hardly informative! Some of the highlight quotes are, "An immediate cessation of hostility is needed to prevent further loss of innocent life." Brilliant! Why can't I think up cures for the world like this? Another quote states, "Hezbollah's attack was a "clear provocation" that has resulted in the entire nation of Lebanon being held hostage and set back peace talks in the Middle East." Yes, holding soldiers hostage of another nation and firing rockets always tends to stall peace talks a bit. At least someone has all the answers to our problems. OK, in the future I'll try and stay off of politics. (maybe)

3:00 A.M.!

I took several of these cool dudes to St. Mary's Youth Camp Monday night. What a time it was. These fellow's were pumped! Along with singing "Father Abraham", these guy's made sure that I didn't miss a single exit or turnoff the entire trip! It took a while to get them settled in and I didn't return home until 3:00 am (thus the title), but it was worth it. Remember to pray for the remainder of the camp as well as Rock Lake Camp where, the last time I heard from Cherie, their still out of hydro (for you Americans: electricity). Apparently there was a tornado watch along with up to 60 mph winds.

Story Behind "Praying Hands"

This article was submitted by Amy Weddle and is the story behind the "Praying Hands" shown below.

Albrecht Duhrer was a famous painter; but before he became famous, he was poor. He and a friend shared a room and rent. They were both wanting to become artists, and they were too poor to pay for their art classes. They decided that one would work while the other went to art school, so that they could pay for the lessons, while the other learned the trade of painting. Then, once the one learned to paint, the other would learn and the painter would work.

Somehow, it was decided that Albrecht Duhrer would be the one to take the art lessons, and his friend would work to pay for them. Each day, Duhrer learned to paint and his friend worked. When Duhrer had enough experience with art, he started selling his works to help pay for his friend's way through art school. But by now, his friend had labored so long that his hands were calloused, cramped, and his fingers were twisted so, that he couldn't even hold the paintbrush in his hand. So, to pay tribute to his friend, a great Christian man who sacrificed his dream of becoming an artist so he could pay his friend, Albrecht Duhrer's way- Duhrer painted a picture of his hands as he prayed. It blessed Duhrer's heart to see his friend pray, so he gave tribute to him the only way he could- he painted his friends hands, folded in prayer.

Well, I hope I was able to tell the story just right and everything. Enjoy! Amy

D'ya Like Science? Click here!

If you enjoy Creation vs Evolution discussions than try reading this interesting and humorous article posted below. I just love the title. Especially make sure you check out the last three paragraphs of the article that read, "The conclusion was a surprise to the researchers, who had thought one large collection of fossils found together was an indication of some sort of catastrophic event that killed them all at the same time."
It just goes to show that even the Evolutionists have to adapt some parts of Biblical history into their theories; more specificity, a catostropic event. Hmm... do you think that this could possibly have been the flood? No way! There's no way we could consider the Bible as a basis for history! (Not!) Now I know that this article is trying to give the reason for why no or few Tyrannosaurus' have been found from a certain age bracket, however, it is interesting to note the puzzlement of scientist over why so many dinosaurs died at one time! Also note that this "discovery" hardly proves that they died over the course of several weeks. P.S. I took this picture during youth service.

Cornerstone Brass

All of us had a special treat Wednesday night as Cornerstone Brass played a terrific concert at Burlington. That's David on the far left.

News Flash!

This report just in. Another day of uneventful work has passed and not much is going on. It's put the staff here at Titan's place in a bit of a dilemma. Mainly the question is this, What do you blog about when there is no news to share. Hmm. I'll have to ponder that for a while.

This Week's Theme

How will you use your hands to help your neighbour this week?
Even though youth service was smaller in number (due to camp meeting), we had a great time! This cool picture that happens to match the colour coordination of my blog is being used to remind those who attended youth service of the topic for the youth group this week. ->How will I use my hands this week to help my neighbour? (Notice Canadian spelling on neighbour and colour) The object lesson was the game scategories which requires a lot of hand movement. And the challenge was given that even though we don't necessarily "feel" like helping out with the bus ministry, a mission downtown etc., its important to use our hands to help our neighbour out of our love for God. And through a growing love for God will grow a greater love for our neighbours and those around us. The verse used was Philippians 2:4 which reads: Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Please don't faint!

Can you believe it? This is no joke! I repeat, this is no Joke. Yesterday, around 12:30 pm, I actually made pancakes! I know this newfound truth will literally put the press world in a state of shock and of course they'll all be phoning here directly for interviews, comments, etc... Thus, I might be preoccupied for a little while...