Battle Creek, Michigan
2008/07/30 22:51 Filed in: Journal
This past weekend, July 25-27, I went to Battle
Creek, Michigan, to do some photography for the “Our
Heritage” series I’ve been writing for 3ABN
World. Battle Creek is the home of the Historic Adventist Village,
and there are many sites related to Seventh-day
Adventist history in the area. So many of my
friends and family and coworkers have been
there, but I’d never been there to visit.
Providentially, my friend Diana was leading a group of Bible workers at Battle Creek, and she invited me to come. The timing was perfect, since if I had waited any longer, their evangelism series would have been over, and I would have lost my “inside connection.” Thanks, Diana!
The drive there would have been about 7.5 hours, except for a little mishap. Near Effingham, Illinois, a police car came up behind me, and flashed its lights. I was driving exactly the speed limit, so I couldn’t guess what would be the problem. He pegged me for two things: not having a front license plate (my saving grace was that I had the missing plate in the car, having intended to put it on as soon as I could visit a dealership), and my back plate was half off! I could hardly believe it. We walked around to the back of the car, and as I was fiddling with the plate to see if I could reconnect it, the other screw popped out, and the whole thing fell to the ground! (The screws were the ones that came with the car, but they were definitely non-standard.) The officer was friendly, though, and didn’t fine me for anything. He told me where to go to get it fixed, which I promptly did. The whole episode cost me maybe 30 minutes.
When I arrived in Battle Creek, the night’s evangelism series was in progress at the local SDA academy, so I went directly there. The evangelist was Ted Struntz, someone who I’d never met, but indirectly knew: He was the father of a girl I knew in academy and whom I had done LE work with one summer (Julia). Also, it just so happened that I sat down, without realizing it, next to David and Marie Tenold, who had been staff at Oklahoma Academy when I was a student there. Also, Marie had been my work supervisor for two years. The night’s message was good, and it was encouraging to hear that quite a few non-SDAs were attending and interested in baptism. Besides Diana, I also bumped into someone else I knew that night: Phil Mills.
The Bible workers were staying right at the Historic Adventist Village, and they let me stay with them. I had a nice, comfortable room to myself, on the second floor. The room had eight windows, four each on two adjacent walls—really nice.
Sabbath morning I went to the Dime Tabernacle, the main SDA church in the area. There was a large painting behind the pulpit, Heinrich Hoffman’s “Christ and the Rich Young Ruler”—one of my favorites—which I thought was cool. I joined a Sabbath school class taught by Jerry Finneman, which was really good. The sermon was by the evangelist, and was part of the series. Later, at lunch, I met a couple more people I know: Doug Carlson, an associate pastor who previously was the pastor at my grandma’s church in Edenville, and Ranger Jim from Kids’ Time on 3ABN! He was showing off a hummingbird and a chipmunk, both of which were in large glass jars.
Sabbath afternoon I took the official tour of the village.
William Miller’s prophetic chart, on display in the visitor center:
The pulpit in a church where Ellen White spoke:
Garth Stoltz, Village Director:
The Whites’ home:
An early edition of Early Writings, published in Battle Creek:
The dining room in their home:
Where Ellen would write jounal entries, manuscripts, and letters (these are not the original items of furniture, but are similar to what she would have used):
Copies of her writings (pretty good penmanship!):
A carriage similar to what the Whites would have used:
That evening we returned for more of the evangelism meetings. Later back at the village, we had a long discussion about women’s ordination; it lasted past midnight! Although the five or so of us most involved in the discussion had deep-seated opinions on this subject, the entire exchange was very civil, and I came away with greater perspective on the subject.
The Bible workers:
In front of David Hewitt’s home:
On Sunday we all went out to eat at a pancake place. This was mainly in honor of the Bible workers for all their hard work, and was paid for by Pastor Russell from Andrews who had oversight of them. But they invited me along. It was a good meal! But my stay was over all too soon!
I left soon after we got back from the restaurant, but on the way home I stopped at this cemetary in Battle Creek where many SDA pioneers are buried:
The tombstones of James and Ellen White:
On the way home I passed these vehicles. I took this while driving, so it’s a bit blurry. But if you look closely, you can see the car on the left is one of those models that can be driven in water. You can see two propellers under the bumper, and it has a high exhaust pipe to keep the water out. The other truck is towing a log cabin!
Providentially, my friend Diana was leading a group of Bible workers at Battle Creek, and she invited me to come. The timing was perfect, since if I had waited any longer, their evangelism series would have been over, and I would have lost my “inside connection.” Thanks, Diana!
The drive there would have been about 7.5 hours, except for a little mishap. Near Effingham, Illinois, a police car came up behind me, and flashed its lights. I was driving exactly the speed limit, so I couldn’t guess what would be the problem. He pegged me for two things: not having a front license plate (my saving grace was that I had the missing plate in the car, having intended to put it on as soon as I could visit a dealership), and my back plate was half off! I could hardly believe it. We walked around to the back of the car, and as I was fiddling with the plate to see if I could reconnect it, the other screw popped out, and the whole thing fell to the ground! (The screws were the ones that came with the car, but they were definitely non-standard.) The officer was friendly, though, and didn’t fine me for anything. He told me where to go to get it fixed, which I promptly did. The whole episode cost me maybe 30 minutes.
When I arrived in Battle Creek, the night’s evangelism series was in progress at the local SDA academy, so I went directly there. The evangelist was Ted Struntz, someone who I’d never met, but indirectly knew: He was the father of a girl I knew in academy and whom I had done LE work with one summer (Julia). Also, it just so happened that I sat down, without realizing it, next to David and Marie Tenold, who had been staff at Oklahoma Academy when I was a student there. Also, Marie had been my work supervisor for two years. The night’s message was good, and it was encouraging to hear that quite a few non-SDAs were attending and interested in baptism. Besides Diana, I also bumped into someone else I knew that night: Phil Mills.
The Bible workers were staying right at the Historic Adventist Village, and they let me stay with them. I had a nice, comfortable room to myself, on the second floor. The room had eight windows, four each on two adjacent walls—really nice.
Sabbath morning I went to the Dime Tabernacle, the main SDA church in the area. There was a large painting behind the pulpit, Heinrich Hoffman’s “Christ and the Rich Young Ruler”—one of my favorites—which I thought was cool. I joined a Sabbath school class taught by Jerry Finneman, which was really good. The sermon was by the evangelist, and was part of the series. Later, at lunch, I met a couple more people I know: Doug Carlson, an associate pastor who previously was the pastor at my grandma’s church in Edenville, and Ranger Jim from Kids’ Time on 3ABN! He was showing off a hummingbird and a chipmunk, both of which were in large glass jars.
Sabbath afternoon I took the official tour of the village.
William Miller’s prophetic chart, on display in the visitor center:
The pulpit in a church where Ellen White spoke:
Garth Stoltz, Village Director:
The Whites’ home:
An early edition of Early Writings, published in Battle Creek:
The dining room in their home:
Where Ellen would write jounal entries, manuscripts, and letters (these are not the original items of furniture, but are similar to what she would have used):
Copies of her writings (pretty good penmanship!):
A carriage similar to what the Whites would have used:
That evening we returned for more of the evangelism meetings. Later back at the village, we had a long discussion about women’s ordination; it lasted past midnight! Although the five or so of us most involved in the discussion had deep-seated opinions on this subject, the entire exchange was very civil, and I came away with greater perspective on the subject.
The Bible workers:
In front of David Hewitt’s home:
On Sunday we all went out to eat at a pancake place. This was mainly in honor of the Bible workers for all their hard work, and was paid for by Pastor Russell from Andrews who had oversight of them. But they invited me along. It was a good meal! But my stay was over all too soon!
I left soon after we got back from the restaurant, but on the way home I stopped at this cemetary in Battle Creek where many SDA pioneers are buried:
The tombstones of James and Ellen White:
On the way home I passed these vehicles. I took this while driving, so it’s a bit blurry. But if you look closely, you can see the car on the left is one of those models that can be driven in water. You can see two propellers under the bumper, and it has a high exhaust pipe to keep the water out. The other truck is towing a log cabin!
|
Mothers Day
2008/05/12 22:59 Filed in: Journal
This past weekend, April 9-11, I went to Tennessee to
visit my mom for Mothers Day. We had a nice time. We
went for a walk Sabbath afternoon. In the evening I
presented her some small gifts I had bought while in
Sweden, and then we played two 3-round games of
Boggle. (I won both times. Sorry, Mom!) Sunday we
went to Wal-Mart and bought some mulch and flowers
(creeping phlox), and I helped her mulch around her
house. I had to leave at around 11:15 a.m., to make
it to the wedding.
This is Violet, about one year old now. My mom has been babysitting her occasionally for some months now. My mom purchased this dress for her, so she would have something special to wear to church.
Tishka:
This is Violet, about one year old now. My mom has been babysitting her occasionally for some months now. My mom purchased this dress for her, so she would have something special to wear to church.
Tishka:
Sweden
2008/05/01 19:49 Filed in: Journal
I recently returned from a weeklong vacation to
Sweden, April 20-28. Although it was a bit tiring at
times, it was a great experience. It was awesome to
see my friends at LifeStyleTV — the Nybos,
Pedleys, and Ramonts — as well as my friend Ellen in
Stockholm. And I also made some new friends whom I
hope to see again some day.
* * *
My flight departed on Sunday, April 20. It was a long flight, but mostly uneventful. I traveled from a regional airport in Marion on a small plane (18 seats or so), to St. Louis where I caught a larger plane (an MD-80, I think) to Atlanta, where I caught an even larger plane (a 767 I think) to Copenhagen. I managed to sleep quite a bit, and this seemed to help me adjust to the time zone change, which was 7 hours.
Flying over Denmark was quite interesting. Looking down I could see all these little farms, bunched together in oddly-angled shapes, not like the large one-mile square tiles you may see in the western U.S., but not too different perhaps than the smaller farms in New England. Denmark and Sweden are both covered in farmland.
My flight arrived in Copenhagen the next morning, Monday, April 21. Theresa Nybo was there to meet me at the airport. She had brought her dog Max along, and this was my first time meeting him. He is a big fluffy white dog (there is a picture of him below). After a little shopping in Malmö, we were on our way to LifeStyleTV.
I have several longtime friends working at LifeStyleTV: Claus and Theresa Nybo, Daniel and Antonella Pedley, and Richard and Roxana Ramont. It was great to see all of them again. It was also neat to see their facilities — which are extremely modest compared to what we have at 3ABN. Still, what they do with what they have is quite amazing.
Daniel at his workstation:
Claus:
The LifeStyleTV master control:
Their cool OS X based server rack:
Dan and Jennica:
Torleif:
Huldah:
Andrea:
Max — always ready to play:
The guys' "dorm" — where I stayed:
My room:
A couple times a day I walked this 10-15 minute journey from the dorm to the LifeStyleTV center (the Nybos' home):
On Tuesday I worked in the Nybos' garden, mulching the berry bushes and other things. I miss the garden I had at my previous residence, so it was a fine way to spend the morning. Later I went with a group to a place called the Hallesberg Stones. These are statues and carved stones created in the 1800s by a Swedish farmer. One set of stones contains writing and pictures related to the Bible, including Old Testament chronology, the Fall, and prophetic symbols with interpretations. LifeStyleTV was planning to use these as a springboard for doctrinal presentations.
The badly eroded mountain of sculpture at the Hallesberg farm:
This stone depicts Bible chronology:
This one depicts the Fall:
This one shows the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension:
This one is full of prophetic symbols — the Lamb on Mount Zion, the King on the white horse, the woman riding the beast — along with dates and explanations:
A stone face:
On Wednesday I led morning worship for the group, in which I talked about how God has led all types of people into the unity of the Adventist message, and how that unity in the truth is so important for a ministry such as LifeStyleTV. Later Theresa took me to look at a castle in the area. Later I helped prepare lunch (tofu squares with tartar sauce), which I didn't get to eat. Instead, I had lunch with the Pedleys. Their children are so cute!
A Swedish castle — this one remains a private residence:
The Pedleys:
Thursday I flew to Stockholm, where I met up with my good friend Ellen. That evening we visited the Vasa Museum, where a large warship that was raised from where it sank, is on display. It was really fascinating. Later we walked around the downtown area called Gamla Stan, ate out at a Korean restaurant, and had some sorbet and oat-based "ice cream" for dessert. On the way back we stopped by the Royal Palace. I spent the night at the church headquarters, in an apartment shared by a new friend, Ronnie.
A church in Stockholm:
The warship at the Vasa Museum (photo: Ellen Kim):
Ellen:
One of the many canals in Stockholm — it's built on a series of islands (photo: Ellen Kim):
Ellen and me:
A street:
Moi (photo: Ellen Kim):
On Friday Ellen and I visited some shops in the morning, and then I was on my way back to Malmö. But the bus that was taking me to the airport kept crashing! Computer crashing, that is. The monitors were locked in an endless cycle of Windows XP booting and crashing with an error message. Tsk, tsk. If only they had Mac OS X.
Windows XP: Where do you want to go today?
Back in Malmö, I enjoyed a tasty haystack lunch at the church. Then I joined other workers from LifeStyleTV handing out fliers in the community, inviting them to an upcoming event with Louis Torres. Later, back at the Nybos' home, we had a tasty fruit smoothie supper. And then we discussed Bible verses related to baptism, which Claus was gathering for his sermon the next day in Malmö.
Saturday morning found us at the Malmö church. The program was good. Theresa interpreted the sermon in English for several of us. After the very nice fellowship lunch, I joined the Ramonts and Pedleys for a walk in the park with their families and some friends. Later, back at LifeStyleTV, we had a birthday supper for Andrea, and then played a fun game, "Four on the Couch," that I had never played before (the guys won, haha!).
On Sunday the Nybos took me for a little drive to the beach. On the way we saw a sheepdog herding competition. It was quite fascinating to watch. The dogs did such a good job, but the sheep were just a little too stubborn. We had a great time at the beach. The Nybos' dog Max met some new friends. It was a beautiful beach, with white sand. There were swans out swimming on the water.
Sheepdog competition (the dog is crouched to the right of the sheep pen):
Another Swedish castle:
I thought this was funny — the "Badhotell" (it actually translates to the "bath hotel" — it's near the beach):
Claus and Theresa, with Max:
The beach is lined with these concrete bunkers from WWII:
White sand:
A creek flowing into the ocean:
Flowers at the beach:
Later I traveled with some of the other workers at LifeStyleTV back to Malmö. Jonathan, Jennica, and Huldah gave me a tour around the city. In the evening a couple of us watched a David Asscherick training video that had been taped at the Bible Institute in Norway. This was my last full day in Sweden.
Banner at the church advertising the meetings with Louis Torres:
Jonathan, Jennica, and Huldah enjoying their falafels:
The Turning Tower in Malmö:
This is a small dam in a park area; the small black things are faucets — quite clever:
On Monday I took a bus, and then a train, which took me to the airport in Copenhagen. With the benefit of the reverse time zone changes, I arrived home the same day, at around 9:00 pm. It was great to be home again!
* * *
My flight departed on Sunday, April 20. It was a long flight, but mostly uneventful. I traveled from a regional airport in Marion on a small plane (18 seats or so), to St. Louis where I caught a larger plane (an MD-80, I think) to Atlanta, where I caught an even larger plane (a 767 I think) to Copenhagen. I managed to sleep quite a bit, and this seemed to help me adjust to the time zone change, which was 7 hours.
Flying over Denmark was quite interesting. Looking down I could see all these little farms, bunched together in oddly-angled shapes, not like the large one-mile square tiles you may see in the western U.S., but not too different perhaps than the smaller farms in New England. Denmark and Sweden are both covered in farmland.
My flight arrived in Copenhagen the next morning, Monday, April 21. Theresa Nybo was there to meet me at the airport. She had brought her dog Max along, and this was my first time meeting him. He is a big fluffy white dog (there is a picture of him below). After a little shopping in Malmö, we were on our way to LifeStyleTV.
I have several longtime friends working at LifeStyleTV: Claus and Theresa Nybo, Daniel and Antonella Pedley, and Richard and Roxana Ramont. It was great to see all of them again. It was also neat to see their facilities — which are extremely modest compared to what we have at 3ABN. Still, what they do with what they have is quite amazing.
Daniel at his workstation:
Claus:
The LifeStyleTV master control:
Their cool OS X based server rack:
Dan and Jennica:
Torleif:
Huldah:
Andrea:
Max — always ready to play:
The guys' "dorm" — where I stayed:
My room:
A couple times a day I walked this 10-15 minute journey from the dorm to the LifeStyleTV center (the Nybos' home):
On Tuesday I worked in the Nybos' garden, mulching the berry bushes and other things. I miss the garden I had at my previous residence, so it was a fine way to spend the morning. Later I went with a group to a place called the Hallesberg Stones. These are statues and carved stones created in the 1800s by a Swedish farmer. One set of stones contains writing and pictures related to the Bible, including Old Testament chronology, the Fall, and prophetic symbols with interpretations. LifeStyleTV was planning to use these as a springboard for doctrinal presentations.
The badly eroded mountain of sculpture at the Hallesberg farm:
This stone depicts Bible chronology:
This one depicts the Fall:
This one shows the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension:
This one is full of prophetic symbols — the Lamb on Mount Zion, the King on the white horse, the woman riding the beast — along with dates and explanations:
A stone face:
On Wednesday I led morning worship for the group, in which I talked about how God has led all types of people into the unity of the Adventist message, and how that unity in the truth is so important for a ministry such as LifeStyleTV. Later Theresa took me to look at a castle in the area. Later I helped prepare lunch (tofu squares with tartar sauce), which I didn't get to eat. Instead, I had lunch with the Pedleys. Their children are so cute!
A Swedish castle — this one remains a private residence:
The Pedleys:
Thursday I flew to Stockholm, where I met up with my good friend Ellen. That evening we visited the Vasa Museum, where a large warship that was raised from where it sank, is on display. It was really fascinating. Later we walked around the downtown area called Gamla Stan, ate out at a Korean restaurant, and had some sorbet and oat-based "ice cream" for dessert. On the way back we stopped by the Royal Palace. I spent the night at the church headquarters, in an apartment shared by a new friend, Ronnie.
A church in Stockholm:
The warship at the Vasa Museum (photo: Ellen Kim):
Ellen:
One of the many canals in Stockholm — it's built on a series of islands (photo: Ellen Kim):
Ellen and me:
A street:
Moi (photo: Ellen Kim):
On Friday Ellen and I visited some shops in the morning, and then I was on my way back to Malmö. But the bus that was taking me to the airport kept crashing! Computer crashing, that is. The monitors were locked in an endless cycle of Windows XP booting and crashing with an error message. Tsk, tsk. If only they had Mac OS X.
Windows XP: Where do you want to go today?
Back in Malmö, I enjoyed a tasty haystack lunch at the church. Then I joined other workers from LifeStyleTV handing out fliers in the community, inviting them to an upcoming event with Louis Torres. Later, back at the Nybos' home, we had a tasty fruit smoothie supper. And then we discussed Bible verses related to baptism, which Claus was gathering for his sermon the next day in Malmö.
Saturday morning found us at the Malmö church. The program was good. Theresa interpreted the sermon in English for several of us. After the very nice fellowship lunch, I joined the Ramonts and Pedleys for a walk in the park with their families and some friends. Later, back at LifeStyleTV, we had a birthday supper for Andrea, and then played a fun game, "Four on the Couch," that I had never played before (the guys won, haha!).
On Sunday the Nybos took me for a little drive to the beach. On the way we saw a sheepdog herding competition. It was quite fascinating to watch. The dogs did such a good job, but the sheep were just a little too stubborn. We had a great time at the beach. The Nybos' dog Max met some new friends. It was a beautiful beach, with white sand. There were swans out swimming on the water.
Sheepdog competition (the dog is crouched to the right of the sheep pen):
Another Swedish castle:
I thought this was funny — the "Badhotell" (it actually translates to the "bath hotel" — it's near the beach):
Claus and Theresa, with Max:
The beach is lined with these concrete bunkers from WWII:
White sand:
A creek flowing into the ocean:
Flowers at the beach:
Later I traveled with some of the other workers at LifeStyleTV back to Malmö. Jonathan, Jennica, and Huldah gave me a tour around the city. In the evening a couple of us watched a David Asscherick training video that had been taped at the Bible Institute in Norway. This was my last full day in Sweden.
Banner at the church advertising the meetings with Louis Torres:
Jonathan, Jennica, and Huldah enjoying their falafels:
The Turning Tower in Malmö:
This is a small dam in a park area; the small black things are faucets — quite clever:
On Monday I took a bus, and then a train, which took me to the airport in Copenhagen. With the benefit of the reverse time zone changes, I arrived home the same day, at around 9:00 pm. It was great to be home again!
Sweden
2008/04/16 21:56 Filed in: Journal
On April 20, I'm flying to Sweden for a one-week
vacation. I'll be staying with my friends at
LifeStyleTV, not far from Malmö. I'll also fly up to
Stockholm for one day to visit friends there. I'll
post photos and more details when I get back.
My plane flies in to Copenhagen, so I'll get to see a little bit of Denmark too.
It's been a crazy month, trying to get everything wrapped up and squared away for one little vacation abroad. It will be so nice to be a loooooong way from work for a little while!
My plane flies in to Copenhagen, so I'll get to see a little bit of Denmark too.
It's been a crazy month, trying to get everything wrapped up and squared away for one little vacation abroad. It will be so nice to be a loooooong way from work for a little while!
GYC Retrospective
2007/12/24 22:48 Filed in: Journal
I spent December 19-23 at the Generation of Youth for
Christ (GYC) convention in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. I have attended each year since the
first one, and as usual GYC was very good.
I arranged my own hotel through Priceline this year, and that saved me a little money (it was $60/night). The hotel I got was the Hyatt, right next to the convention center, and one of the main hotels other GYC attendees were using. My room was nice, with a king size bed, and a nice 15th-story view of downtown Minneapolis. For some reason the thermostat was a little flaky, and the wireless internet ($10 extra per night) was very poor — worse than dial-up. But I had a comfortable place to rest, and everything else worked well. Nothing I couldn't live with.
All of the main meetings (plenary sessions) were very good. I especially enjoyed the testimony by Steve Kasperbauer, the 1888 panel discussion (since my bro was in it ... and because the content was good
), and all the presentations by
David Shin. Steve's testimony was absolutely
incredible. If you didn't hear it, get
it. I believe it will be available from the
GYC website eventually.
The seminars were good, although not really the highlight for me. I enjoyed one of Mark Finley's seminars ("The Shaking and the Sifting"), but it was so packed that I could not get in more than once. I attended two seminars by Nathan Renner (about friendship evangelism); I enjoyed hearing his testimony, and the other content was good, but a little too heavy on the theory of why, and a little too light on the subject of how, for my tastes. The surprise for me was two seminars by Bruce Ashton on the topic of music. I was expecting the usual "how to tell good music from bad" approach, but it wasn't really that at all. If an attendee could look past the fact that Bruce read everything from notes, there were some really awesome concepts to glean. I would even dare say revolutionary concepts for the worship services at many medium to large churches. The main gem was a clear explanation of the purpose and nature of worship, and the consequential implications for what passes as worship at many churches. In a nutshell: Most churches fashion their worship services to please the congregation, or visitors, or "seekers"; but real worship, and all decisions about style and format and content, should be about pleasing God alone. In this light, much of the music labeled as "worship" music has nothing to do with worship at all, even if it is acceptable in a larger framework.
This year's outreach was challenging on at least three fronts: Many people weren't home (it was just before Christmas). Those that were home were often not interested (Minnesota is a hard area to witness in, as numerous GYC attendees noted). And it was freezing cold. If not for a block of apartments that we were able to enter, I wonder if I'd be nursing my second case of frostbite on my toes. Still, it was a good experience, especially in light of all that was accomplished by the group in total. My partner and I had a really nice talk with a woman who seemed genuinely interested, and I was able to pray with her. I hope that she will sign up for the studies.
3ABN's booth was in a prime location this year, and although I was not there officially representing 3ABN, I pitched in at the booth a few times. Greg and Jill did a great job of manning the booth. We made observations that hopefully will help us be better prepared for these kinds of events in the future. The booth seemed to be quite popular, and it was great to hear all the positive feedback from attendees both young and old.
3ABN's booth, with Greg and Jill, and our president, Jim Gilley:
GYC is always a great place to catch up with friends, and make new ones. Although I am probably one of the worst people for remembering names and facts about people, I gain some satisfaction from seeing familiar faces (even if for the life of me I can't remember who they are or where I recognize them from). At last year's GYC I learned that if I really, really try to remember, such as by utilizing various memory association tricks, I can actually remember new names pretty well. In fact, I still remember the names of the two persons from that conference that I tried this technique with. Ironically, I've never seen them again.
I saw so many friends at this year's conference, I can't really name them all. But it was a blessing to talk with them and learn what's new in their lives.
Eugene and Heidi:
One of the beautiful churches in the area (note the low clouds/mist — the top third or so of the skyscraper in the background is completely hidden):
I arranged my own hotel through Priceline this year, and that saved me a little money (it was $60/night). The hotel I got was the Hyatt, right next to the convention center, and one of the main hotels other GYC attendees were using. My room was nice, with a king size bed, and a nice 15th-story view of downtown Minneapolis. For some reason the thermostat was a little flaky, and the wireless internet ($10 extra per night) was very poor — worse than dial-up. But I had a comfortable place to rest, and everything else worked well. Nothing I couldn't live with.
All of the main meetings (plenary sessions) were very good. I especially enjoyed the testimony by Steve Kasperbauer, the 1888 panel discussion (since my bro was in it ... and because the content was good
), and all the presentations by
David Shin. Steve's testimony was absolutely
incredible. If you didn't hear it, get
it. I believe it will be available from the
GYC website eventually.
The seminars were good, although not really the highlight for me. I enjoyed one of Mark Finley's seminars ("The Shaking and the Sifting"), but it was so packed that I could not get in more than once. I attended two seminars by Nathan Renner (about friendship evangelism); I enjoyed hearing his testimony, and the other content was good, but a little too heavy on the theory of why, and a little too light on the subject of how, for my tastes. The surprise for me was two seminars by Bruce Ashton on the topic of music. I was expecting the usual "how to tell good music from bad" approach, but it wasn't really that at all. If an attendee could look past the fact that Bruce read everything from notes, there were some really awesome concepts to glean. I would even dare say revolutionary concepts for the worship services at many medium to large churches. The main gem was a clear explanation of the purpose and nature of worship, and the consequential implications for what passes as worship at many churches. In a nutshell: Most churches fashion their worship services to please the congregation, or visitors, or "seekers"; but real worship, and all decisions about style and format and content, should be about pleasing God alone. In this light, much of the music labeled as "worship" music has nothing to do with worship at all, even if it is acceptable in a larger framework.
This year's outreach was challenging on at least three fronts: Many people weren't home (it was just before Christmas). Those that were home were often not interested (Minnesota is a hard area to witness in, as numerous GYC attendees noted). And it was freezing cold. If not for a block of apartments that we were able to enter, I wonder if I'd be nursing my second case of frostbite on my toes. Still, it was a good experience, especially in light of all that was accomplished by the group in total. My partner and I had a really nice talk with a woman who seemed genuinely interested, and I was able to pray with her. I hope that she will sign up for the studies.
3ABN's booth was in a prime location this year, and although I was not there officially representing 3ABN, I pitched in at the booth a few times. Greg and Jill did a great job of manning the booth. We made observations that hopefully will help us be better prepared for these kinds of events in the future. The booth seemed to be quite popular, and it was great to hear all the positive feedback from attendees both young and old.
3ABN's booth, with Greg and Jill, and our president, Jim Gilley:
GYC is always a great place to catch up with friends, and make new ones. Although I am probably one of the worst people for remembering names and facts about people, I gain some satisfaction from seeing familiar faces (even if for the life of me I can't remember who they are or where I recognize them from). At last year's GYC I learned that if I really, really try to remember, such as by utilizing various memory association tricks, I can actually remember new names pretty well. In fact, I still remember the names of the two persons from that conference that I tried this technique with. Ironically, I've never seen them again.
I saw so many friends at this year's conference, I can't really name them all. But it was a blessing to talk with them and learn what's new in their lives.
Eugene and Heidi:
One of the beautiful churches in the area (note the low clouds/mist — the top third or so of the skyscraper in the background is completely hidden):
GYC
2007/12/18 20:36 Filed in: Journal
This week I'll be up in Minneapolis, MN, for the
Generation of Youth for Christ (GYC) convention. My
flight leaves at 6:07 a.m.! I should be there
sometime in the early afternoon. Looks like we are in
for a cool and snowy GYC ... the third such GYC, I
believe (Pine Springs Ranch and the one in MI were
also snowy). For all of you that will be there, too
... see you soon!
I'll be back home on the 23rd, just in time for Christmas.
I'll be back home on the 23rd, just in time for Christmas.
Thanksgiving Vacation
2007/11/25 22:31 Filed in: Journal
As stated in my previous post, November 21-25 I spent
with my family at my brother Eugene and his wife
Heidi's place in Arkansas, which is on the campus of
Ouachita Hills Academy and College.
The ride there was somewhat stressful. Somewhere near the Arkansas border I ran into torrential rains. While listening to the radio I learned that quarter-size hail was falling somewhere in my general area, a severe storm warning was in effect, and a tornado watch had been issued. Between steady strobe flashes of red lightning I did my best to keep my eyes on the road. Most of this occurred after sunset.
I was glad to at least have a nicer vehicle for the weekend. My Jeep has been having transmission problems and other issues. Getting stranded several hours from home over a holiday did not sound like the kind of outcome I'd want to risk experiencing, so I rented a Volvo S60. (I had reserved a "standard" car, but for some reason Enterprise didn't have it ready. So I was stuck with the Volvo.) It was a very comfortable car with nearly all the features a person could want, and it is the first car I've driven with a speedometer that goes up to 160. It handled very nicely, and was very responsive. The only negatives were that it had a somewhat bumpy ride on certain surfaces, and it was somewhat of a fuel hog (I think my Jeep gets better mileage!) — and it was also a little too easy to speed when driving it.
Because my Jeep's radio and cassette deck have been nonfunctional for some years now, I got to enjoy some things usually absent when I drive: the radio, and music CDs. I think I found the perfect music for driving: Vivaldi's Cello with Yo-Yo Ma. I also listened to NPR, which I hadn't heard in ages. I love the voices of the NPR hosts. The two programs that occupied most of the that evening where Marketplace and Fresh Air. Both were quite interesting.
Finally, sometime after 9:00 p.m., I arrived at my brother's place. My mom had arrived only about 15 minutes earlier. It was good to see everyone.
On Thursday we went hunting for arrowheads, a past-time Eugene and Heidi have enjoyed. They have quite a collection now. I found what Eugene identified as part of a knife. Others found other minor things, nothing too exciting. I also found a perfectly smooth, round stone, about the size and shape of a softball that's been squashed a little. Ordinarily it wouldn't have been interesting at all, but it was the only stone like it in the field; all the others were rough and jagged. It made me wonder if it had some sort of use long ago.
We had a great Thanksgiving dinner, with "turkey" almondine, potatoes, cranberry sauce, salad, and three kinds of pie — pumpkin, pecan, and carob pudding. Heidi's sister Pam was there with her children, and also her brother, and some students.
On Friday we posed for a new family portrait (this one was taken on my camera, but there were other poses taken with other cameras, which I haven't seen yet).
We also played a very long game of Taboo, enjoyed some National Geographic videos, went to church at the church plant Eugene and Heidi have been helping, and visited a nursing home. I also managed to get in some long-needed naps.
Overall it was a nice vacation. I hope you enjoyed yours!
The ride there was somewhat stressful. Somewhere near the Arkansas border I ran into torrential rains. While listening to the radio I learned that quarter-size hail was falling somewhere in my general area, a severe storm warning was in effect, and a tornado watch had been issued. Between steady strobe flashes of red lightning I did my best to keep my eyes on the road. Most of this occurred after sunset.
I was glad to at least have a nicer vehicle for the weekend. My Jeep has been having transmission problems and other issues. Getting stranded several hours from home over a holiday did not sound like the kind of outcome I'd want to risk experiencing, so I rented a Volvo S60. (I had reserved a "standard" car, but for some reason Enterprise didn't have it ready. So I was stuck with the Volvo.) It was a very comfortable car with nearly all the features a person could want, and it is the first car I've driven with a speedometer that goes up to 160. It handled very nicely, and was very responsive. The only negatives were that it had a somewhat bumpy ride on certain surfaces, and it was somewhat of a fuel hog (I think my Jeep gets better mileage!) — and it was also a little too easy to speed when driving it.
Because my Jeep's radio and cassette deck have been nonfunctional for some years now, I got to enjoy some things usually absent when I drive: the radio, and music CDs. I think I found the perfect music for driving: Vivaldi's Cello with Yo-Yo Ma. I also listened to NPR, which I hadn't heard in ages. I love the voices of the NPR hosts. The two programs that occupied most of the that evening where Marketplace and Fresh Air. Both were quite interesting.
Finally, sometime after 9:00 p.m., I arrived at my brother's place. My mom had arrived only about 15 minutes earlier. It was good to see everyone.
On Thursday we went hunting for arrowheads, a past-time Eugene and Heidi have enjoyed. They have quite a collection now. I found what Eugene identified as part of a knife. Others found other minor things, nothing too exciting. I also found a perfectly smooth, round stone, about the size and shape of a softball that's been squashed a little. Ordinarily it wouldn't have been interesting at all, but it was the only stone like it in the field; all the others were rough and jagged. It made me wonder if it had some sort of use long ago.
We had a great Thanksgiving dinner, with "turkey" almondine, potatoes, cranberry sauce, salad, and three kinds of pie — pumpkin, pecan, and carob pudding. Heidi's sister Pam was there with her children, and also her brother, and some students.
On Friday we posed for a new family portrait (this one was taken on my camera, but there were other poses taken with other cameras, which I haven't seen yet).
We also played a very long game of Taboo, enjoyed some National Geographic videos, went to church at the church plant Eugene and Heidi have been helping, and visited a nursing home. I also managed to get in some long-needed naps.
Overall it was a nice vacation. I hope you enjoyed yours!
Holiday Travel Plans
2007/11/19 13:25 Filed in: Journal
For Thanksgiving I will be joining my mom at Eugene
and Heidi's home in Arkansas (at OHA/OHC). I'll be
there November 22-25. It's always nice to be with
family during the holidays, and there is a chance I
may see some other friends there as well.
In December I am planning to attend the GYC conference, December 19-23. Just yesterday I finalized by airfare and hotel reservations. Glad to have all of that out of the way. I'm still not sure where I will actually spend Christmas, but there is a good chance it will be here at my home unless I have a new car before then. The same holds true for New Year's Day. It will be the first time I've been here at my home for those holidays in a number of years, maybe five years or more.
In December I am planning to attend the GYC conference, December 19-23. Just yesterday I finalized by airfare and hotel reservations. Glad to have all of that out of the way. I'm still not sure where I will actually spend Christmas, but there is a good chance it will be here at my home unless I have a new car before then. The same holds true for New Year's Day. It will be the first time I've been here at my home for those holidays in a number of years, maybe five years or more.
Bell Smith Springs
2007/11/17 20:00 Filed in: Journal
I
had a great time outdoors with friends at Bell Smith
Springs state park, about an hour from 3ABN.
On the descent: April, Adam, Gabriela, Jason, Eva, and Ashley:
We had to cross a stream on poorly spaced and unstable stepping stones — half the group declined, and went another way; the rest of us continued up this ladder embedded in the stone on the other side:
At the top we went out onto this natural stone arch:
Myself, Adam, and Gabriela:
One of the cool sights for me was the fiery beech trees, against a wall of grey trees (not sure what kind) in the background; it was much more dramatic than this one photo suggests:
On the descent: April, Adam, Gabriela, Jason, Eva, and Ashley:
We had to cross a stream on poorly spaced and unstable stepping stones — half the group declined, and went another way; the rest of us continued up this ladder embedded in the stone on the other side:
At the top we went out onto this natural stone arch:
Myself, Adam, and Gabriela:
One of the cool sights for me was the fiery beech trees, against a wall of grey trees (not sure what kind) in the background; it was much more dramatic than this one photo suggests:
Generation of Youth for Christ (GYC)
2007/09/24 23:17 Filed in: Events
Labor Day Weekend
2007/09/06 07:29 Filed in: Journal
During August 30-September 3, I took a long weekend
holiday to visit my mom and friends in Tennessee.
Between the six-hour drive to get there and a couple
hour-long drives to Chattanooga from my mom's home, I
managed to put over 900 miles on my Jeep.
Since my mom is trying to sell her place, I spent part of the weekend helping her sort and clean. My mom has enough books to start her own library.
On Friday I met my friend Eve at the Tennessee Aquarium. I had been there before, but a number of new features had been added since then, and I was looking forward to checking them out. Besides that, it is such an awesome place, I'd visit again even if nothing was new.
The lighting throughout the facility is very subdued, so I did not get many good still pictures. However, I discovered I could get acceptable images by using my still camera's video function. The movies below are not award-winning quality, and they are all very short (the longest is under 20 seconds). But they still offer a glimpse of some of the things I saw and enjoyed.
One of my favorite sea creatures, the sea dragon (a relative of the seahorse):
We also saw some cool jellyfish. This one was absolutely amazing. I could not get my camera to focus on it for some reason, but still you can see its amazing lights, which blink in multiple colors in a mesmerizing pattern (the video doesn't show the colors very well):
There was a tank with several of these jellies inside, lit very dramatically. It looked like a living lava lamp.
This sea turtle was really cool:
There were tanks where you could touch sting rays. But those were not as cool as these fresh water rays with amazing patterns:
In another place there were adult and juvenile alligators:
The penguin exhibit was really fun. The penguins were absolutely amazing under water. They swim unbelievably fast, like underwater torpedoes. Here's my friend Eve visiting with a curious, friendly penguin:
We also enjoyed a large walk-through butterfly exhibit. With the natural light, it was much easier to get photographs there:
This one had amazing blue wings, but he kept them folded whenever he was resting:
I had to laugh at this T-shirt, in the style of an iPod poster:
On Sunday I got to visit my friends Alan and Nicole Parker, who just recently moved to Southern Adventist University. It was fun to catch up with them. Nicole's home reminds me why having three preschool age children is not for the faint of heart. But she does a great job of keeping the little monsters/cherubs in line.
Since my mom is trying to sell her place, I spent part of the weekend helping her sort and clean. My mom has enough books to start her own library.
On Friday I met my friend Eve at the Tennessee Aquarium. I had been there before, but a number of new features had been added since then, and I was looking forward to checking them out. Besides that, it is such an awesome place, I'd visit again even if nothing was new.
The lighting throughout the facility is very subdued, so I did not get many good still pictures. However, I discovered I could get acceptable images by using my still camera's video function. The movies below are not award-winning quality, and they are all very short (the longest is under 20 seconds). But they still offer a glimpse of some of the things I saw and enjoyed.
One of my favorite sea creatures, the sea dragon (a relative of the seahorse):
We also saw some cool jellyfish. This one was absolutely amazing. I could not get my camera to focus on it for some reason, but still you can see its amazing lights, which blink in multiple colors in a mesmerizing pattern (the video doesn't show the colors very well):
There was a tank with several of these jellies inside, lit very dramatically. It looked like a living lava lamp.
This sea turtle was really cool:
There were tanks where you could touch sting rays. But those were not as cool as these fresh water rays with amazing patterns:
In another place there were adult and juvenile alligators:
The penguin exhibit was really fun. The penguins were absolutely amazing under water. They swim unbelievably fast, like underwater torpedoes. Here's my friend Eve visiting with a curious, friendly penguin:
We also enjoyed a large walk-through butterfly exhibit. With the natural light, it was much easier to get photographs there:
This one had amazing blue wings, but he kept them folded whenever he was resting:
I had to laugh at this T-shirt, in the style of an iPod poster:
On Sunday I got to visit my friends Alan and Nicole Parker, who just recently moved to Southern Adventist University. It was fun to catch up with them. Nicole's home reminds me why having three preschool age children is not for the faint of heart. But she does a great job of keeping the little monsters/cherubs in line.
ASI Retrospective
2007/08/09 22:10 Filed in: Journal
I had a good time at this year's ASI convention. I've
added a couple posts about it to my Xanga blog:
St. Louis
2007/07/30 20:52 Filed in: Journal
This past Sunday, July 29, I went with my friends
Adam and Gabriela, and Michael and Jan, to the
St. Louis Art Museum. I
didn't take any pictures inside, since I assumed
that photography there was prohibited (the usual
practice in art museums).
I was very impressed. They had many kinds of art from a wide variety of cultures and ages. Everything from ancient Egyptian, to Native American, to Asian, to European, to modernist, and more. Besides an extensive collection of paintings, sculptures, and other purely artistic objects, they also had many artist household items, including chairs, cabinets, tables, clocks, vases, lamps, tableware, and so forth, from across the last 200 years or so. They also had reconstructions of typical American and European upper class household rooms from the 1800s or thereabouts, which were quite fascinating.
This was taken at the entrance. The regal figure in the statue is none other than Saint Louis himself:
I was very impressed. They had many kinds of art from a wide variety of cultures and ages. Everything from ancient Egyptian, to Native American, to Asian, to European, to modernist, and more. Besides an extensive collection of paintings, sculptures, and other purely artistic objects, they also had many artist household items, including chairs, cabinets, tables, clocks, vases, lamps, tableware, and so forth, from across the last 200 years or so. They also had reconstructions of typical American and European upper class household rooms from the 1800s or thereabouts, which were quite fascinating.
This was taken at the entrance. The regal figure in the statue is none other than Saint Louis himself:
New Harmony
2007/07/30 14:07 Filed in: Journal
The previous Sunday, July 22, I went with my friends
Adam and Gabriela to New Harmony, Indiana. The
drive took about 1.5 hours. Although I had heard
about it a number of times, this was my first
time visiting.
New Harmony was first established as a religious community, and later as a more secular communal experiment. You can read more about its interesting history here and here.
After coming across the old toll bridge joining Illinois and Indiana, our first stop was the Atheneum, a modernist design visitors center. (A more interesting side profile photo is available here.) Aside from a tour and film, which we skipped, the only other attraction inside was a gift shop. One fascinating curiosity in the gift shop was a remake of a 4-sided wood block from the time of the second New Harmony community. The blocks were hung at each worker's station. Each side was a different color, and each color indicated the respective worker's performance that day.
This walled garden with a fountain in the center is a fairly recent addition:
My companions on this adventure were Gabriela and Adam:
A large open courtyard, surrounded by a brick wall, is known as the Roofless Church. Inside is this very prominent structure, which has a statue in the middle symbolizing the descent of the Holy Spirit (that's me in the foreground):
This hedge maze contains a round "temple" in the middle, which is basically a room for meditation. Around the ceiling are various quotes from the Bible and other more contemporary sources; I believe this is a reconstruction based on a hedge maze from the original Harmonist colony:
There were other interesting things there, but our time was limited and we did not see it all. Unfortunately the current community is a bit hickey, and undoubtedly does not reflect the ideals of either of the town's original communities. From various reports, the original New Harmony was quite a spectacle in its day.
New Harmony was first established as a religious community, and later as a more secular communal experiment. You can read more about its interesting history here and here.
After coming across the old toll bridge joining Illinois and Indiana, our first stop was the Atheneum, a modernist design visitors center. (A more interesting side profile photo is available here.) Aside from a tour and film, which we skipped, the only other attraction inside was a gift shop. One fascinating curiosity in the gift shop was a remake of a 4-sided wood block from the time of the second New Harmony community. The blocks were hung at each worker's station. Each side was a different color, and each color indicated the respective worker's performance that day.
This walled garden with a fountain in the center is a fairly recent addition:
My companions on this adventure were Gabriela and Adam:
A large open courtyard, surrounded by a brick wall, is known as the Roofless Church. Inside is this very prominent structure, which has a statue in the middle symbolizing the descent of the Holy Spirit (that's me in the foreground):
This hedge maze contains a round "temple" in the middle, which is basically a room for meditation. Around the ceiling are various quotes from the Bible and other more contemporary sources; I believe this is a reconstruction based on a hedge maze from the original Harmonist colony:
There were other interesting things there, but our time was limited and we did not see it all. Unfortunately the current community is a bit hickey, and undoubtedly does not reflect the ideals of either of the town's original communities. From various reports, the original New Harmony was quite a spectacle in its day.