A couple of weeks ago me and my friends Victoria, Jordon, and Rachel went to Benny Russell park to get some pictures for a project Jordon had at school. I took some pictures too! It was really fun. Here are some of the pictures I got.
Here is a really good forward I got -
‘Let me explain the problem science has with religion.’ The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.
‘You’re a Christian, aren’t you, son?
”Yes sir,’ the student says.
‘So you believe in God?
”Absolutely.”
‘Is God good?”
”Sure! God’s good.”
“Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?”
“Yes”
“Are you good or evil?”
“The Bible says I’m evil.”
‘The professor grins knowingly. ‘Aha! The Bible!’ He considers for a moment. ‘Here’s one for you. Let’s say there’s a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?’
‘Yes sir, I would.”
“So you’re good…!”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
”But why not say that? You’d help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn’t.’
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. ‘He doesn’t, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?’
The student remains silent.
“No, you can’t, can you?” the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
‘Let’s start again, young fella. Is God good?”
”Er..yes,’ the student says.”
‘Is Satan good?’
The student doesn’t hesitate on this one.
‘No.
”Then where does Satan come from?
The student falters.
‘From God
”That’s right. God made Satan, didn’t he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?
”Yes, sir.
”Evil’s everywhere, isn’t it ? And God did make everything correct??
‘Yes”
So who created evil?’
The professor continued, ‘If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.’
Again, the student has no answer.
‘Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?’
The student squirms on his feet.
‘Yes.’
‘So who created them?
‘The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. ‘Who created them?’ There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.
‘Tell me,’ he continues onto another student.’Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?
The student’s voice betrays him and cracks.
‘Yes, professor, I do.’The old man stops pacing.
‘Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?
”No sir. I’ve never seen Him.
”Then tell us if you’ve ever heard your Jesus?
”No, sir, I have not.’
‘Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelled your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?’
‘No, sir, I’m afraid I haven’t.’
‘Yet you still believe in him?’
‘Yes’
‘According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?’
‘Nothing,’ the student replies. ‘I only have my faith.’
‘Yes, faith,’ the professor repeats. ‘And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.’
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own
‘Professor, is there such thing as heat?’
‘Yes.’
‘And is there such a thing as cold?’
‘Yes, son, there’s cold too.’
‘No sir, there isn’t.’
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested.The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain.
‘You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don’t have anything called ‘cold’. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.’
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.
‘What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?’
‘Yes,’ the professor replies without hesitation. ‘What is night if it isn’t darkness?’
‘You’re wrong again , sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? That’s the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?’
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester.
‘So what point are you making, young man?’
‘Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.’
The professor’s face cannot hide his surprise this time. ‘Flawed? Can you explain how?’
‘You are working on the premise of duality,’ the student explains. ‘You argue that there is life and then there’s death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as asubstantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it. Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?’
‘If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.’
‘Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?’
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
‘Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?’
The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.
‘To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.’
The student looks around the room.
‘Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor’s brain?’
The class breaks out into laughter.
‘Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor’s brain, felt the professor’s brain, touched or smelled the professor’s brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir. So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?’
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers.
‘I guess you’ll have to take them on faith.’
‘Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,’ the student continues. ‘Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?’
Now uncertain, the professor responds,
‘Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.’
To this the student replied,
‘Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.’
The professor sat down.
The student was Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein did write a book titled God vs. Science in 1921.
This weeks picture was called “Dimpled Darling”.
I thought it was adorable all by itself! Here is the original.
See what I mean? Extremely adorable all my itself. But, the fun is going in and messing with it.
I used Adobe Photoshop 7 for my editing. I upped the contrast to my liking(about 40) and the brightness(15). After that I made it black and white. I then cropped it at a slight angle, and upped the contrast and brightness again by about 10 each. This is what I got.
Well, I had fun! It was very simple. I do enjoy messing with photos in Photoshop.
Head over to I Heart Faces and do one yourself! It’s fun!
Here is a review on a book that a good friend of mine wrote.
Journey of Faith by Katie McCurdy
Legacy of Purpose Series – Book 1
Rating: 5 out of 5
14 year old Faith Martin is just a normal, Christian girl living Birchwood, Missouri during the 1800s. Her faith in God has always been strong, but is suddenly tested when her father unexpectedly announces that they are going to move 1,000 miles away to Praire Grove, Wyoming. Faith starts wondering if God really knows what he’s doing, and if her dream of becoming a nurse is possible in such a small community so far away. Yet Faith still holds on to Romans 8:28 – ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose.‘
Not knowing what future lies ahead, Faith and her 7 siblings, along with their parents, set out on a wagon train to Prairie Grove, where Faith makes many new friends.
After arriving in Prairie Grove, Faith is holding on tight to what she believes is right: That God knows what he is doing, and that all things have a purpose.
But Faith has a tragic testing in faith when her and her 12 year old brother, Ben, are kidnapped by outlaws. Will Faith be strong enough to stand firm in her faith as she goes through such hard times? Find out in “Journey of Faith”!!!
The Positive -
First of all, it’s a Christian book placed in the 1800s, my favorite timeline.
The story was very well told. I wasn’t ever confused about what was going on, or where someone was. It was all explained very thoroughly, yet at the same time the author did not over explain 1 simple subject.
The adventure in this book was very nice, and a tad bit of a sweet relationship made this book a great one.
I really enjoyed that fact that Faith had a huge family. Her relationship with each of her siblings, especially Ben, was one of enjoyment and love. She helped her siblings through each of their troubles, whether the troubles be large or small, with an attitude of eagerness.
Faith was very respectful to her parents, and to all her elders. She was willing to help wherever and whenever it was needed.
Faith, although around many boys during the wagon train, was not flirtatious by any means. She quickly pushed away any talk that might have been flirtatious, and when unable to change the subject, she simply walked away.
The Negative -
There was a character in the book that I think should have been spoken, or thought, of more, but that’s just me. I’m a romance person, which is why I’m dying to read the next one, which is about Faith’s courtship.
The time went by very quickly, but I guess that’s understandable considering the wagon trail itself took 4-5 months!
Although I stated some cons, I really had to scrounge for them. I could not think of anything!!
To Sum It Up-
Journey of Faith was a great book. The adventure was great, the characters were great, the story was great. It was great!
I must warn you though, once you pick up this book, you will not put it down until you have finished it!
To buy this book, or learn more about it, go to Amazon.com, or Barnes and Noble!!
Review and Book Description written by Kait Culbertson
Umm. Hmm. What should I post about. Hmm. Umm. Am I boring you? Sorry.
Josh and Spencer, cameraphobic?
Every week after lunch the boys come out and play football.
This is our Creative Writing class. Starting on the left end and going clock-wise, we have Katie, Kesha, Kevin, Kaleb, Nathan & Jake(you can’t see them), and Dylan. At another table are Spencer and Joshua, and at the table I’m sitting at is Victoria, Bethany, Alex, and me, of course.
Victoria teaches a ballet class. Starting at Victoria and going clock wise is Anna, Tabitha, Cadence, Katie, Kesha, and Makenna.
And last, but far from least, is Anna. Anna is the cutest kid there!
For co-op, me and the other older kids(11 and up) had to write an Easter presentation, with whatever we want on it. We can team up with a friend, or do it by yourself. I haven’t been to co-op for the last 2 weeks, so I didn’t get a buddy, which is probably a good thing because I have a tendency to take over the project, by accident.
I thought that since almost none of you go to my co-op, I ‘d go ahead and put my Easter presentation on here. I just finished it about 20 seconds ago, so your the first to see it!
Easter Today by Kait Culbertson
“I will start by reading Matthew 28:1-10
Matthew 28:1-10 – After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
That is the story. The rising of the dead of our LORD Jesus. The one who died a terrible death on a cross was risen again on the 3rd day. He is alive! He is sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, alive! It was, and is, good news!!
So, why have people forgotten the true meaning of Easter? It is such good news, how could you forget something like that? It must have not been forgotten, but chosen to be disregarded. Why? Okay, some people forgot about Jesus, and what he went through to save us. But where on earth does the Easter bunny come in? I looked around and found a site called Goddess Gift, and sadly, this is what I found.
Easter is named for a Saxon goddess who was known by the name of Eastre. She is a goddess of the dawn and the spring, and her name derives from words for dawn, the shining light arising from the east.
Eastre was a fertility goddess. Bringing in the end of winter, with the days brighter and growing longer after the vernal equinox, Eastre had a passion for new life. Her presence was felt in the flowering of plants and the birth of babies, both animal and human. The rabbit (well known for its propensity for rapid reproduction) was her sacred animal.
Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny both featured in the spring festivals of Eastre, which were initially held during the feasts of the goddess Ishtar Inanna. Eggs are an obvious symbol of fertility, and the newborn chicks an adorable representation of new growth. Brightly colored eggs, chicks, and bunnies were all used at festival time to express appreciation for Eastre’s gift of abundance.
(Found on : Goddess Gift)
Here is a poem I found that I thought would go perfect with this subject.
What is this day all about? by Johnny Hart
What is this day all about?
Hiding eggs for kids to rout?
Cakes and cookies shaped like lambs?
Pink chapeaus on pink madams?
That is not what it’s all about.
Who got buried and then got out?
Leaving no one any doubt?
“He is risen! Here them shout”
That it was this day’s all about.
That is what this day should be all about. But sadly, it isn’t. It isn’t at all. Easter was named and made for a Pagan goddess before Chirst, which means it didn’t start out as the rising of the dead of Jesus Christ. What happened was Christian missionaries tried to go and change pagan beliefs. The pagans didn’t want to change, so the Christians decided to try to coax them into believing by telling them they could keep some of their celebrations, but by adding a little bit of Jesus made it okay. The pagan were then “won over” and the Christians could feel good about themselves for turning pagans into Christians.
So now we have mythical bunnies, painted eggs, and candy treats for Easter. Jesus is just a side character is Easter for most people now days. That is not how it should be. It should be a day where everyone praises and worships Jesus, because only He is worth worshipping.”
Today is my mom’s birthday! She’d probably yell at me if I told you how old she was(just kidding), but I thought I’d say happy day anyway! Head over to Our Blessed Arrows and tell my mom happy birthday! Thanks!
Happy Birthday Mom!!!
Sadly there is no 4th volley ball post because I was sick this week and was unable to attend co-op and P.E.. It started last week, but it was only a mildly sore throat. I thought that was all I was going to get, but I was wrong. I woke up 3 days ago with a cough and a stuffy nose. It had died down a bit today, but I still am coughing every once and a while. Every single one of my brothers has gotten it, and both of my parents. It has been 2 weeks since we went to co-op last, and I am missing it. All of my brothers are feeling better today, so hopefully we will be able to go to co-op and P.E. next week. Since we only have 7 weeks of co-op left, I plan to enjoy them as much as I can.
Well, since I don’t have to write a 5 page story about v-ball, I guess I’ll just ask you guys a couple of questions about the fun you like to have.
- What is your favorite sport to play? – Mine is Volley Ball.
- What is your favorite thing to do? – I love to ride horses, even though I almost never have the chance.
- What summer activity do you enjoy most? – I like it when we set up our giant water slide in our back yard and have our friends come and play on it with us.
Once you are in heaven, do you get stuck in the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
How is it that people could put a man on the moon before they put wheels on luggage?
Why do people say they slept like a baby when babies wake up every two hours?
Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast into a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
Why do we press harder on the remote control when we know the batteries are going dead?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are a billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Why doesn’t Tarzan have a beard?
Why is it that whenever I attempt to catch something that is falling from the table, I always manage to knock something else over?
