Author: Maxsons Import_User

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Bike Rides

Well, I haven't been keeping my blog up like I should. Anyway, here are some ride stats:

Ride Stats:
Distance: 20.1 mi
Time: 1 hr 15 min
Avg. Speed: 15.9 mph
Cal. Expended: 1655 (apx)

Ride Stats:
Distance: 32.6 mi
Time: 2 hr 9 min
Avg. Speed: 15.0 mph
Cal. Expended: 2500 (apx)

Here is an interesting story….I have been locking my bike up in a generic bike rack by the YMCA. ALWAYS when I lock my bike, I run the chain through the front tire, through the frame, and through the rear tire. That way, all the parts of my bike are locked up. Oh, I also take my seat with me too. Anyway, the other day, I went outside and the quickreleases were all undone on my bike. It was off the tires and everything. It looks like someone tried to steal my bike and they were thwarted by my method of locking. So, learn…always lock all parts of your bike so everythin is secure.

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Taking a Stand

Reading blogs this evening, I came across some posts about pharmacists who have refused to follow the orders of the IL state Governor.

Illinois pharmacists defy Blagojevich
Another pharmacist opposing Blagojevich

Here are some quotes:

Metro East pharmacists Peggy Pace, John Menges and Gaylord Richard Quayle say they will not compromise their religious beliefs by filling emergency contraception prescriptions – something Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says they must do.

Rep. Ron Stephens, a Republican from Greenville and a pharmacist, said he, too, will defy the governor's emergency rule that a legislative committee made permanent last week, forcing morning-after pill prescriptions to be filled.

Their positions set up a legal showdown between the state and pro-life pharmacists who see filling the prescriptions, in essence, as participating in an abortion.

…

A new rule in Illinois — the first of its kind in the United States — tells pharmacists that if they're in the business of selling contraceptives, they must fill all contraceptive prescriptions, including those for so-called "morning-after" birth-control pills.

Luke Vander Bleek owns four pharmacies in suburban Chicago and is one of several pharmacists suing Gov. Rod Blagojevich (search) over the administrative rule, which was approved by a rule-making panel of the Illinois Legislature last week.

Vander Bleek said he sells regular oral contraceptives, but is not willing to sell the "morning-after" pill known as Plan B.

He considers it tantamount to abortion, since it is taken after sexual intercourse and can prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus.

I'm sure these professionals will come under fire for standing up for their beliefs. I wonder who we could write to to express support for these pharmacists? Oh well, I guess this blog will have to do….I'm glad these guys are standing for what they believe in. I'm praying they will stand strong in the face of opposition. Don't back down.

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Bike Rides

Yes, I have still been riding my bike. I went Friday, Monday, and this morning. Stats are missing from Friday and Monday. Yesterday, I had some issues with my bike so my ride was cut short. When I went to the boke shop, my axle was bent, so I had to get a new wheel. I had been having issues with my freewheel, so I had the guy put a new one of those on too. Here are the stats from today's ride:

Ride Stats:
Distance: 20.7 mi
Time: 1 hr 20 min
Avg. Speed: 15.5 mph
Cal. Expended: 1667 (apx)

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Opensource Prayer Timer

I want to officially announce that I’m working on some Prayer Timer software (think an OpenSource version of PrayTimer). If you have ideas for features you would like to have the application include, just send me an e-mail. My contact information can be found here.

I expect development of the beta to take a couple of months. Check back regularly…I’ll try and keep my blog up to date with what I have done so far.

One of the things I would like help with is a name. What do you guys think it should be named?

[Update 2012-12-25 22:18:36] First off, I’m not working on this any more.  I didn’t get very far with it last time and no one expressed interest in it.  Also, I had a bad link to the Prayer Timer software.  The link has been corrected.

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DC Part II

I blogged yesterday about our trip to DC. Today we went back. Today, we went to church at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, the Air and Space Museum, the Museum of Natural History, and The National Archives. Again, I'll post the pictures later on (I forgot the stuff to take the pictures off the camera with me).

Capitol Hill Baptist Church

Pastor Zbiden recommended this church when he found I was going to be in DC. I looked it up online, and got interested. Capitol Hill Baptist is a Southern Baptist church that, from what I can tell, is a good conservative Bible believing church (the website has more information on their history). There was a guest speaker today–a missionary from the International Mission Board. How interesting…I just got hired by the IMB and I have to come all the way to DC to see one :^)

He spoke today on Suffering for Christ. His text was II Timothy 1:1-12. The message was excellent. The rest of the worship service was good too. The church seems to have a heart for God and His will.

Oh, Cyndi and I left in plent of time to get there for the service (we left the hotel at 9am); however, we were getting off the metro the time we wanted to be at the service. The goofy metro was running very very late today. On our way from the metro stop, we walked by the Library of COngress and the Supreme Court building. Anyway, back to the point…on our way in, a nice lady suggested we would find more seats upstairs. We went up and found a seat. In a few minutes, she came up and set in front of us. After the service, we chit-chatted for a bit. She was very nice. She lived in the area and regularly attended CHBC. When we found this out, we asked about where to eat lunch. She pointed us in the right direction. Alessandra (SP??), thanks for the help this morning.

Air and Space Museum

Alessandra suggested heading to Pennsylvania Ave. where we would find lots of restaraunts. Well, it was hot again today in DC, so we decided to just quit walking at the Air and Space Museum. We were going here anyway, so we just stopped in and ate at the food court. We paid the airport prices for McDonalds (be prepared!), but we didn't have to walk all over tarnation.

In my opinion, the Air and Space Museum is the best of the Smithsonians. The displays are excellent, they have a wide variety of displays and aircraft, and the museum flows well. They have a good balance of static and interactive displays, and none of the goofy video/multimedia issues I wrote about yesterday with the Museum of American History.

I had heard they were supposed to be getting Spaceship One (the Burt Ratan space vehicle that won the X prize earlier this year). Well, they didn't have it, but everything else was top notch.

Museum of Natual History

Well, Cyndi and I both wanted to go see the Museum of Natural History. Cyndi wanted to see the Hope Diamond. I just wanted to make fun of the left-leaning slant of the museum.

The visit was ok. The MNH had most of the problems the MAH had. Primarily, it was hard to navigate through. It wasn't as hard, but it wasn't easy either. Most of the time, I found myself having to backtrack to see everything. Hey, here is a thought…I should make walking tour guides for the museums. That would be neat…I'll have to think about that.

The displays were mostly good and of good quality. The "millions of years" was prevalent everywhere. If I had the money, I'd give it to Answers in Genesis so they could build a museum to rival this one. Now, don't get me wrong…just as I don't think this goverment institution should push millions of years and evolution, I don't think they should push a literal six-day Genesis creation either. The goverment should be nutural. They should present the facts and possible explanations. Period. Then, people would get an unbiased view of the facts and be able to make up their own mind.

One thing that drove me nuts was the amount of pictures of the "natual" habitat from "millions of years" ago. Instead of being presented as an artists rendition of what people think everything may have looked like, they are presented as fact. The museum also had several "documentary" programs–at least that was what I called them–presenting the millions of years as fact.

All I thought of in the museum was the words to the AIG song:

Billions of dead things
Buried in rock layers
Laid down by water
All over the earth.
Well, there really was
A world wide flood
Just look at
The stoney curse
With billions of dead things
Buried in rock layers
Laid down by water
All over the earth.

National Archives

After tiring of the millions of years indoctrination for the skulls full of mush, we went to the National Archives. This was pretty neat. They have the originals for the Declaration of Independance, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other founding documents. This was cool. Not much to say beyond that.

If you go, they are quick to point out that you don't have to wait in line to see the documents. It is interesting to watch everyone queue up to go through the display clickwise. If you go, you can usually walk right up to the displays and see the documents.

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So Would You?

Persecution Blog today has a post that asks an interesting question:

If you said something on your website about your own personal beliefs and had someone tell you to apologize for it – would you?

It goes on to talk about two pastors who were accused of "vilifing" muslims who were persecuted under the Victorian hate speech law. What did they do? Well, it turns out that they simply told everyone to "love Muslims."

Fredric has this to say in the comments: 

Don't apologize! The law is wrong. If this is paid and followed, it is denying God and His Word. We see so many unwilling to back down for their beliefs here on this site ans suffer. If jail is all they face, then the pastors should not buckle, the church should rally behind them and a voice cry out against this.

I agree. Don't back down! Brothers and Sisters, so many believers are in chains around the world–yes, even today. They are standing up for the Truth. What makes us think it cannot happen here (here=wherever you are)? Chances are, it will eventually happen. We must decide today what we will do when that happens. So, my answer to this question is: 

if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15)

This brings up another interesting point. Americans, what if you are in a foreign country and the government tells you you cannot serve God? What would your answer be? Why do I ask? It turns out that China seems to be cracking down on more and more Americans too. Just so you know, my answer would be the same as above: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Why would I take such a stand? Why would I be willing to die for Christ? Well, to me, it isn't about dying for Christ…it is about LIVING for Christ. God doesn't "call" people to die for Him; however, if in living for Him that is what we have to do to not deny God then that is what it takes. God "owns" me. He paid dearly for my life through the blood of His Son. Since I have already given my life to Him to do with as He pleases, it is just a matter of keeping on.

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Harry Potter Bible School?

This is just nuts. A "church" in Pennsylvania has decided to do a Harry Potter themed Bible School this year.

According to Associated Press, "Wizards and Wonders: The Journey with Harry Potter" is, uh, taking off as young ones mount their broomsticks and learn to fly at the "Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft" which teaches them this and other nuances of the interconnectedness of witches, wizards and magic with Scripture.

Far be it from the church growth pundits to criticize growth in any normal sense, especially when it comes from a denomination that has been losing members hand over fist for decades. But have we really digressed this far? Wizards? Flying broomsticks? Witchcraft … and the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Enrollment has doubled!

But, asks the holy skeptic, at what cost? The Episcopal Church, along with other mainline denominations, has cheapened Scripture (which didn't work for church growth), discounted traditional Judeo-Christian morality (which also didn't work for growth), lowered standards of membership (again, didn't work), and has so confused a church in Pennsylvania that its members decided to try Harry Potter to see if witches, wizards, and magic might not work wonders for the appeal of Christ.

But … enrollment has doubled!

ARG! This is exactly what is wrong with most churches. Yes, we have to figure out how to be relevant and reach people; however, we also have to be set apart and different (remember the salt and light?!). No wonder people are fleeing "church." They see this double standard. What is next, "Christian" strip joints to reach the people who go to strip joints? Christian porn (porn, but at the end, it has the plan of salvation or something) to reach them?

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Missionary Documentary

Agape Press has a story today about a missionary documentary.

Beyond the Gates of Splendor details the deaths of missionaries Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully and Roger Youderian, who were violently killed in the remote Ecuadorian jungle by the notoriously savage Waodani tribe known then as Aucas. With first-hand accounts from the missionaries’ widows and interviews with their children and the actual tribesmen involved in the missionaries’ killings, the documentary provides a compelling look into the spearing deaths that providentially changed the violent nature of the tribe. It also details the remarkable story of how two American women reached out and brought peace to the Waodani people as a result of the spearings by living among the very people who killed their loved ones.

[Update 2012-12-26 16:12:07] Agape Press has changed names and I can’t find old articles.  I’ve updated the link to the wikipedia page on the theatrical version.

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Starbucks

I was reading blogs this morning and came across this on Starbucks. I have heard of the issues with their cups but decided that it wasn't a big deal (they had many different people talking about "the way I see it")

Now, I'm confronted with this:

a letter to boycot starbucks. in it, it had stated that they supported a gay pride parade in San Diego and some other interesting items, thus the call was for people to boycott their venti double soy lattes with a singe mint twists ala mode w/ light foam, chocolate powder on and top extra hot. well, its not that i don't trust people, i do but i also like to make sure that facts are straight in order to protect the accuser as well as the accused. So after email #10 0r 11 i decided to email Starbucks corporate HQ for verification and accuracy of the widely circulated email

Well, it turns out that Starbucks did indeed respond:

Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company.

As a Company, we are deeply committed to our Mission Statement and Guiding Principles. One of our six principles is "embracing diversity as an essential component to the way we do business." This includes the gay and lesbian community.

Starbucks has a long history of giving back to communities where we operate. Supporting local events like the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Festival gives us the opportunity to give back to the community of San Diego. We also strive to support organizations that are important to our partners (employees) and customers. Starbucks was among many local and national companies listed as a sponsor and participant, including the San Diego County Police Chiefs and Sheriff's Association.

Starbucks is aware that three sex offenders volunteered for the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Festival this year. The three volunteers have resigned as Pride Festival volunteers. The Pride Festival organizers are also taking steps to institute new screening procedures for volunteers and staff who work at next year's event.

So, it turns out that it is true. And the company is proud of it. I wonder if they "supported any local events such as a Promise Keepers convention, a Christian movie night in the park, or any other such thing? Probably not, but I don't know for sure.

I usually didn't go to Starbucks all that much to start with–I thought their coffee was way way too expensive–but I probably won't be going at all now.

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Courts, Schools, and Christianity

Agape Press is reporting that a federal judge in Ohio has reversed a lower court ruling on the wearing of christian tshirts to school.

(AgapePress) – A federal judge has told an Ohio school district it can no longer bar a middle school student from wearing a t-shirt with a Christian message.

Judge George Smith has ruled that Sheridan Middle School in Thornville violated the constitutional rights of student James Nixon by prohibiting him from wearing a t-shirt bearing a quote from the Bible verse John 14:6. The front of the shirt reads: "Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.'" The back of the shirt contains the statements: "Homosexuality is sin. Islam is a lie. Abortion is murder."

I'm glad that James and his parents were willing to take a stand. Remember, Christians are citizens too.

While I'm on this subject, isn't it interesting that those who claim to be tolerant, all-inclusive, and all-accepting are unwilling to practice what they "preach"? For example, they claim we must tolerate all religions; however, Christianity is not tolerated by them. I think that conservatives are much more tolerant. For example, I believe that Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Light. He is the only way to heaven. Since that is what I believe, that is what needs to be shared. People who believe differently will have to suffer the consequences if they choose not to belive. That is their own personal choice…a choice they should be allowed to make.