Creation Museum photos

This is the entrance hall to the museum where a child and a dinosaur play together.  This comes from the belief that dinosaurs did live at the same time as humans and even lived in the ADs.  Why do you think we have ideas of dragons in the first place?

The burning tree mastodon which Answers in Genesis can explain slightly better.  If I recall, this is a replica.

Two more mastodons, my dad and Andrew, standing nearby.

The 7 Cs of Creation on one display.

Models of geologists digging for dinosaurs.  The one bald man is actually in the video at the end of the tour, "The Last Adam."  In this room, AiG explains that secularists and Christians all have the same evidence, we just interpret them from different worldviews.

This could be a future facebook picture.  I'm standing in a tent in the same room as the plastic geologists.

Gotta have a dinosaur.

Adam names all the animals.

At some point, my camera broke down because the gift shop failed to distinguish between camera batteries and cheap-o batteries.  I'm back in the entrance hall after lunch about to go into the museum again.

These guys from right to left are David, Moses, and I some prophet.  They represent the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, God's revelation before Christ.

Peter and John peer into the empty tomb.  Christ is risen indeed, therefore, the words he gave us in the Bible are completely true.

This is Paul.  He wrote a majority of the New Testament.  God gave him the words to write.

These are modern days when people, even Christians, throw out God's word and replace it with their words.  Just like Eve and Adam wanted to make their own rules and eat the fruit, we still haven't learned from our mistakes.  This sign is the entrance to a hall that shows domestic abuse, pregnant teens seeking abortions, preachers preaching that Genesis is myth, and other atrocities.

Back in creation, These are some zebra horses that Adam names.

Here is a dinosaur in the same room.  If we believe the Bible correctly, then we believe God created a perfect world.  Therefore, nothing died before the fall of man.  Ergo, dinosaurs lived with humans.

This dinosaur wants me to get the camera out of its face.  It's eating.

Took some pictures of plaques because most people won't see this museum.  Dinosaurs only ate plants before the fall of man.

Adam and Eve had the perfect marriage.  Nobody can say that today.

Then a serpent came along and said, "Did God really say?"  Eve believed him, she and Adam ate the fruit, and we've been questioning God's word ever since, even throwing out obvious evidence of dragons and the Flood because "we know that didn't happen."

Now that there is sin, animals have to die.  Humans can't enter God's presence unless blood is spilled.  It should be our blood but God in his mercy was satisfied with an animal, though temporary.  He covered them from head to toe with skin clothes.  Later on, Jesus provided the perfect blood that will suffice for all time.

More plaques contrasting God's perfect world with our Corrupted world.

Dinosaurs now eat meat.

"The creation is no longer perfect, as God originally designed it, because in Adam, we committed high treason against the God of creation."

At this point, God's had enough and is going to show how seriously he takes sin by sending a worldwide flood.  In his mercy he spares Noah and his family.  Noah obeys God and builds an ark.

Noah pleads with his neighbors to join him on the ark, and this display even shows them helping Noah build, but people are foolishly complacent in this world and refuse to see something beyond it.

And basically, any old-looking rocks, rock layers, buried bones, can all be explained by a year-long global flood.

This is the tower of Babel room, when God confused languages and cultures were born.  The top picture is a couple with twin girls: one is black, one is white.  Their biological children.  Thus, there is really no such thing as race.

Evolutionists would rather see us as animals with no creator and no purpose.  With God and meaning out of the way, then who's to say that the Holocaust, abortion, slavery and lynchings are bad?  It's just population control.

But factor in God's word, and we erase racism.  We see all people as valuable to God and as our relatives.  To assault another person is to assault God's image, making murder so heinous.

Babel was also the birth of false religions.

I really wish that the museum had expounded on the last three Cs: Christ, Cross, and Consummation.  They pulled them all into one video.  I did see a place where they were building, so maybe there will be more in the future.  Of course, to have the good news, you need the bad news.  It makes God's mercy so much more amazing.

Christian Cruise Lines

Inspired by another Eddie Eddings Random Word Challenge:

An actor once slept on a cruise ship
A Christian theme sailed this week
On stage the singers wore halos
Off stage 'twas the pubs they'd seek.

On Thursday the singers would use him
As an extra in some of their skits.
Christ died for this actor's salvation,
So why did he revel like this?

Fine dining and wining, swimming and sun tans
Our actor awoke with a fright.
A pain on his leg and a scratch with his hand,
Saw a leech had latched on in the night.

Then he realized, "I need to resign once ashore.
I won't be asleep in the light anymore.
I'll suffer for Jesus and spread the good news.
Perhaps get a real job. I've got nothing to lose."

The Green Lantern

I saw the Green Lantern this afternoon.  After a wonderful, inspiring day at the Creation Museum yesterday, I now see a friendly pro-evolution movie called the Green Lantern.  I still liked the movie and all, it is a super-hero movie after all, but still.  I have no words. 

One, I can't like a hero who is in bed with one girl at the beginning of the movie and completely in love with a different girl toward the end.  They did that in Iron Man and in Troy.  I can't love a main character who uses girls like tissues. 

And lastly, the Green Lanterns are powered by their will.  It is the most powerful power in the universe.  That must mean that the main enemy is a Calvinist.  Actually, he was the embodiment of fear, but seriously, is that a bad thing?  Isn't the Fear of God the beginning of wisdom?  And are people truly free if they are following their wills?  Remember, there is no Biblical concept of free will, and from our perspective, whenever we use free will, we rebel against God and ruin our lives.  That's not freedom. 

So, the Green Lantern is an okay movie.  I liked Pirates 4 way better.

Adventures with David -- Week two

This week, I can't remember much of what I studied in Beth Moore's lessons, but I will go over the main questions and things I underlined. 

First day, I remember this being an excellent lesson from doing this before.  This is where Jonathan makes a covenant with David.  David now lives with Saul as a son-in-law.  Jonathan knows full well that David will take his place on the throne, but he still loves and honors David.  Beth asked if there was in instant bond to a new friend in my life?  I can say yes.  My friend Hannah Collins was an instant best friend the moment I met her.  We have the same beliefs and politics and media tastes.  She's way busy in college now, but I still think she is a swell gal.  Beth compares Jonathan's actions to God and Abraham in Genesis 15.  This was the first time I read about the smoking pot passing through the pieces of the animals.  It was a sign that the one passing through would die if the covenant was not fulfilled.  God passed through the pieces.  Abe didn't.  God eventually did come to die for us because we could not complete our end of the bargain.  Jonathan gave David his armor, risked his life to defend him before Saul, and eventually did die in battle before David could be king.  In 1 John 4:10, 15, it is clear that God loved us way before we loved him.

Good quote, "Few people have 'in mind the things of God' at the risk of their ow favor and position."  This was true of Saul.  He wanted to be king and even God.  He was not going to give his throne up to a runt like David. 

Skipping to day 3, Beth asks if I've ever been talked out of a negative spiral of emotions only to be captivated by those feelings again?  My senior year of college I dated Chris.  I was into bad music, bad affectionate relations, and even fell into despair.  My relationship with my parents were strained and by the grace of God, I got out of that after three months with my faith and my virginity.  During holidays when I separated from Chris, I would go back to before and put away the bad music and want to start over, but when I saw him again, I would revert back.  I finally resolved to break up with him. 
This lesson is when Saul got an evil spirit and David played the harp to soothe him.  He would calm Saul down, and then Saul would be back to his angry self in no time.  "Our best course when negative emotions begin controlling us is to fall before the throne of grace and seek God."  Amen, Beth.  I am totally depraved unless God takes control of my life.  I'm so thankful that he did.  Later, David ran to Samuel when Saul threw a spear at him.  "Why do you think he ran to this particular person?"  Sam had anointed David to be king.  He was wondering if Samuel knew what he had gotten David into.  He had to be reminded that God is in control.  He said David would be king, David would live to be king.  When I'm being tormented by a spirit, I have to pray vigorously for the Holy Spirit to fight for me.  sometimes I need to go to someone older who I trust and talk it out, and thank God for bringing them into my life.  Either way, only God can exercise the demons. 

That's all I will write today.  Would love feedback.

Horton, chapters 2- part of 7

Still reading through Gospel Commission on my Kobo.  This guy has wonderful insights on what is lacking in pop church today, mainly they've forgotten Jesus, who is the message, and now they just want to reach people where they are lest God should have forgotten them, too.  Praise God he didn't or nobody could faithfully serve him.  He has been more than gracious to me in allowing me to serve as youth pastor and counsel at a pregnancy center.

Chapter 2, Michael Horton draws on Exodus and Conquest.  God saved Israel from Egypt and forty years later conquered Canaan for them.  Years later, when Jesus came, the Israelites still could not see a world beyond this one.  They thought the Messiah was going to Exodus and Conquer them from Rome.  They could not see the invisible world that held both the Jews and the Romans captive to eternal damnation, a life apart from the only source of life.  Fast forward to now: the Emergent Church, which infiltrates most of Christian publishing, sees no world beyond this one and has gone beyond and even forgotten that a Messiah has already come and saved it.  They think we have to plant trees and save the planet, along with saving the poor, even though if you save the planet, you must eliminate the poor due to Darwinian theology.  The church has woefully lost sight of her King and Horton is way nicer about it than I would have been or will be.  Even when quoting Brian McLaren, at first he's a bit ambiguous about where he stands on his theology, but later on you can tell he's very much against the monster McLaren has perpetuated.  I'm so glad Horton brings up John Lennon's "Imagine."  I'm glad my dad and I aren't the only people who hate that song.  A beautiful tune with destructive lyrics and a wonderful world with no heaven, and certainly no savior outside of ourselves to get us there.  That is not good, people.

Chapter 3, I loved this chapter.  It is about contextualization.  It confirms my idea that it is a terrible idea.  I have no problem with translating Bibles or using electric guitars to reach the youth, but when it comes to accommodating people so that they are better Hindus, Buddhists, or Muslims, yet not converting them to Christianity, then you are doing more harm than good.  You are making them better hellions than they were originally.  People have really disserviced the Muslims with contextualization by telling them they can believe in Jesus on the inside yet still do all the Muslim duties.  This is tragic.  Even more tragic, my seminary, a conservative ARP seminary, taught contextualization, not so much keeping people in their religions to avoid persecution, but trying to accommodate the Gospel to different demographics.  Jesus didn't come to celebrate diversity.  He came to unify us all into himself.  I'm tired of people paying so much attention to differences when we should focus on what we have in common while throwing off all the sin that so easily entangles.

I honestly can't remember the rest of the chapters.  I assure, it's still a good book.  I suppose they kind of blend together.  Horton makes an excellent case for paedobaptism.  I think soon I'll repost an e-mail a sent to someone appalled at my paedobaptist beliefs if I can find it in my Sent archives.  All I can say here is it was good enough for Calvin who dissected all the Scriptures, and it's good enough for me.

VBS week 1 -- Pictures

This is Nugget the Wonder Horse portrayed by Chocolate

This is Sadie's Sarsaparilla Parlor

The sign for said parlor

Our notorious candy thief.  Duh, duh, duhn

This is the door to my classroom/office

The lovely Petunia, portrayed by Amy Frey

My dad, Andy Smith, who rewrote the Gold Rush skits.  He plays Scruffy

Darlene Cato, Chocolate's owner, teacher, and an amazing blessing to our church and VBS

Nugget on a normal day

By the last week of VBS, Nugget will be married.

Some of our youth.

Me leading in "the Solid Rock."

VBS Gold Rush week 1 -- Bold Claims of Jesus

Here is my talk for the 9:30 gathering.  I told them to come at 9:30 so they'd get there at 10:00.  I started with the hymn, "the Solid Rock."

John 6:48—I am the bread of life.

John 8:12—I am the light of the world.

John 8:58—Before Abraham was, I am.

John 14:6—I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 10:30—I and the Father are one.

In Exodus, Moses asked God what his name was.  He told Moses, “I Am.”  All these things that Jesus said in John are just five of many instances where Jesus declared that he is God.  In many of those instances, the Pharisees picked up stones to stone him because a mere man is not supposed to call himself God.  They knew what he was saying better than Jehovah’s Witnesses today or even many Christians.  Many Christians today emphasize Jesus as God’s Son, and that’s true, but Christ’s death on the cross and life on earth would not be a loving act of the Father had Christ only been his Son.  Isaiah 43 claims that God is our only Savior, and Exodus 20 commands us that we have no other gods except God.  Therefore, we have to believe that Jesus is God.  Nobody else could save us.

I wanted to close with this prayer by Arthur Bennet printed in the leader guide but I left it in the classroom:

"Thou Great I AM, Fill my mind with elevation and grandeur at the thought of a Being with whom one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.  A mighty God who, amidst the lapse of the worlds, and the revolutions of empires, feels no variableness but is glorious in immortality  May I rejoice that, while men die, the Lord lives; that, while all creatures are broken reeds, empty cisterns, fading flowers, withering grass, He is the Rock of Ages, the fountain of Living Waters."

Here is my Sunday School lesson:

We did a skit in church where a gold miner gives Bibles and tracts to other miners but we were all reluctant to read them.  Here is my spiel after that before we went to crafts and did motions to the songs in lieu of recreation.

Those people sure seemed reluctant to read the Bible.  Do any of you hesitate to read the Bible during the week?  Do you read it at all?  Or is it just boring and irrelevant to you?

Romans 10:17 says that faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.  Now, the Bible is the Word of God, and Christ is also the Word of God, therefore, the Bible is all of Christ’s words specifically to us.  Christ doesn’t walk on earth to day in flesh that we can touch, so God gave us the Bible to know specifically what he says and how we are to be saved from an eternity away from God.  You need to read the Bible during the week so that you can hear the words that give you eternal life.  If you reject the Bible, then you reject life.  The kids will come with me early today, so at this time, the kids can come with me to Children’s Church.

Overall, I think the day went well except I forgot to call the lady who was going to teach the lesson to the toddler.  She had a death in the family last week and was at a funeral and I totally forgot to call and remind her.  It was too late before I remembered.  I also should have gotten here a sympathy card.

Here's one last picture of me in my role as Sadie.  Note the price tag on the hat.