Aaron Stroman

Why do atheists argue against Christianity?

2009-10-28T11:30:00.001-07:00

Why do atheists argue against Christianity?

Obviously there is a HUGE difference between the two belief systems. Atheists believe that if you cannot measure it, record it, observe it, repeat it, IT cannot exist. Atheists put their faith (ironically enough) in this physical world-things observed by the five senses (touch, taste, sight, sound, and smell). Atheists believe that the human does not have a spirit, therefore when a human dies, all life of that person is dead. No heaven, no hell, no purgatory, no reincarnation...nothing. The human being is on the same level as a tree or dog is according to the atheist: you are born, you live, you die, you are put back into the ground to become fertilizer...that’s it. But I’m not here to argue with the atheist, I just want to know why they argue with Christians. If all that happens to a human is birth, life, and death...what does it matter what Christians believe? Is it because Christians claim that sinners go to hell and that is offensive to the atheist? Well if you don’t believe in the spirit of a person then going to hell is on the same level as being called ugly...it is simply offensive towards the atheist. Do atheists argue against hollywood, NYC, pop culture, fashion magazines, or national exercise gyms that set standards for being attractive? After all, many atheists are fat and ugly according to the belief systems of Hollywood, NYC, pop culture, fashion magazines, and national exercise gyms. That should be on the same level as Christianity which teaches that without Jesus Christ, salvation from sin is impossible. So why does the atheist they spend time/energy/money arguing against something that he believes is not real? It makes no difference in the end. They might as well argue with children that Santa is not real, because (to the atheist) belief in Santa and belief in God is equal if both are not real. Is it offensive to the atheist if a child says that Santa brought them presents on Christmas day?

People do not argue against things that are not real. There is no need to prove that something does not exist if it indeed does not exist. I don’t spend my time proving that minchubas don’t exist. Why? Because they don’t exist. You may be asking yourself, “what is a minchuba?” It isn’t anything because it does not exist. So why would I write a book on why minchubas don’t exist? Why would I find it offensive if someone said that minchubas do exist and if I don’t believe in them I will go to hell? I don’t find that offensive, I find it immature (just like the thought that if you are naughty you won’t get presents from Santa).

Here is where I get bias as a Christian: I believe that atheists argue against Christianity because deep down in their soul, they know that God does exist. I think the conviction is so deep and real that it scares them. And instead of choosing to live life according to that God they know is real, they try to talk themselves and as many other people out of the fact that God is real. I think the reason they have this fear of God is because they are living a “sinful” life according to God and they don’t like the idea of punishment and hell...which I understand completely. I don’t like that idea either, and neither does God. This is what I want the atheist to hear: God dislikes this idea so much that He decided to pay for your sin so you don’t have to. So when God came to this earth to pay for the sin (we call God “Jesus Christ” when He was on earth as a human), He did all the work for you. This is how you can be saved apart from works...it is through faith. Salvation comes through believing in Jesus Christ. You can’t earn it, you can’t pay it back, God has already done the work for you.

-So my atheist friend, either believe in Jesus Christ and trust Him for your salvation...or stop arguing against something that doesn’t exist in the first place. You are making yourself sound silly.

-And to my fellow Christians, you don’t have to prove that God does exist...atheists have to prove that God, heaven, hell, etc. don’t exist. But if they believe that to be reality then they won’t waste their time proving it. Atheism is such a hopeless philosophy. Bring the atheist community the hope of Jesus Christ! They need it.

An Open Minded Christian (and my atheist friend)

2007-10-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer:
I want to share a story...a minor experience of mine that leads to a major philosophy of me. I define myself through Christ and therefore I consider myself a Christian. There is another person in this story who has chosen to define himself through atheism, so I will refer to him as the Atheist. I am not revealing his name to respect his privacy. I know not all Christians see things the way I see them, and I know not all atheists see things as my atheistic friend; so please don’t assume that I am making generalizations of all Christians and Atheists based upon us two individuals. Oh, I am the white guy in the picture, but the kid from Guatemala is NOT the atheist. Disclaimer Concluded.

Atheist: Explain to me how Jonah could have lived for three days inside a whale.
Christian: Well, it wasn’t a whale, it was a big fish...and technically a whale is a mammal, not a fish.
Atheist: Ok, how did Jonah live three days inside a fish?
Christian: It was a big fish.
Atheist: And?
Christian: It’s a crazy story isn’t it?
Atheist: Yes, hard to believe.
Christian: Lots of crazy stuff has happened on this earth.
Atheist: Ya, but a man living in a fish?
Christian: Would you believe that a man fell off a six foot ladder and it killed him, the same year a woman jumped out of an airplane and her parachute didn’t open yet she survived the fall?
Atheist: Sure, I could believe that.
Christian: Did you see it happened?
Atheist: No
Christian: But you could believe it?
Atheist: Sure.
Christian: And I believe that a man lived inside a fish for three days. Part of my Christian Faith is believing in things I cannot see.

It wasn’t an argument. It was an exchange of thoughts and beliefs. They weren’t words of hate, but a conversation between two friends. But here is what gets me. I get accused of being closed minded because I am a Christian and I don’t believe that all religions lead to the same God, or I think the universe was created, or I believe in things that I can’t see with my eyes or measure with my hands. And so this “open minded” atheist questions my faith in God and my belief in the Bible because it holds account of a man who gets swallowed by a fish and survives being in the belly for three days? I have two points I want to offer for consideration:
1. The point of my faith isn’t to believe that a man was swallowed by a big fish and survived it. The reason I put my trust in God isn’t so I believe that an entire nation walked through a path down the middle of the Red Sea. I don’t claim to be a Christian so everyone thinks I believe that a donkey spoke in human language. Here is the reality of my faith: I believe that at the core of who I am, there is something fundamentally messed up about me. I believe that messed up”ness” to be sin. I believe that everyone have sinned. I believe it is sin that separates me from God. I believe that God loves me and does not want to be separated from me. I believe that I must be saved from sin to be connected to God. I believe that the only way a sinner can be saved is through someone without sin. I believe that Jesus Christ is without sin. I believe that Jesus Christ traded His sinlessness for the my sinfulness through death on a cross (the fancy word is sacrifice) and resurrection from death, therefore defeating sin. I believe that Jesus did this not only for me but for everyone in the world. I believe that to be saved from sin one must believe that Jesus Christ died as an innocent man for the guilty and rose from the grave (3 days later-ironic isn’t it?). I believe that when someone believes this they are a new creation, the old is gone and the new has come. What it all comes down to for me is that the Bible is not just a book full of some ancient history, incredible stories, and foreign poetry. The Bible is a message of forgiveness and redemption. The Bible is a story of a God who loves His creation and is willing to do anything to have a relationship with us. The Bible is a story of a God who is willing to see me trapped in sin with no way of escaping it on my own, so He steps in and provides a way out for me (and the Way happens to be fairly simple). That is the point of the Bible...God providing me with a new life, a new way of living.
2. The second point I want to make is about being a closed minded Christian. Every person who has directly called me closed minded (not just this atheist friend) insists on believing in and only in the tangible (history, science, five senses, etc.). But doesn’t that make me a little more open minded? Isn’t Christianity a little more creative than traditional atheism? Sure, both take faith: it takes faith to believe that this perfect earth is a product of random chance of molecules and elements that resulted in a bang stimulating some sort of evolutionary process, in fact, to believe that takes great faith. But it takes faith to believe that this universe was created by a Being who is above human kind. I’m not arguing for the sake of proving someone or some group wrong. I am making a point that my faith is not closed minded. Most of all, I want to make a point that God actually cares for His people and He is doing everything possible to bring us into a loving relationship with Him.

I believe God loves you whether you believe in Him or not. And I believe that as God is transforming my heart and mind, He wants me to show His love. So if you want to know more about my heart, leave a comment or email me.

It's Legal

2007-07-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

Now I'm allowed to kiss my Katie since we are married. This is a pic from our reception.

Married

2007-07-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

I got married on April 14th, 2007. Here is a picture of Katie and me at our rehearsal. Sorry I haven't posted anything earlier...I've been busy doing other things ;)

Lock In

2007-03-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic of me and Katie at the Middle School Lock In...it wore me out. I don't know how I used to do those all nighters, but I feel old now. We had over 140 middle school students for a 12 hour period...loads of fun!

Jack

2007-02-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you drop a 100 lbs tree trunk on on your toe.

Fully Engaged

2006-12-14T19:27:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of my fiance and me. I asked Katie if she would marry me this past Wednesday and she said "yes". The wedding will be on April 14th. Everyone is invited, it is an open invitation to all. It will be held at New Life Church in La Plata, MD. I hope you can make it.

Turkey Day in OK

2006-11-26T21:07:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of my crazy family when we were in Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. I had a great time and it was good to get out to the mid-west. There's something different about those Bible-belt, republican, landlocked states...I love it! There are many other pictures, but this might be the best one. Katie made it out to OK as you can see and she had a blast too (I think my family likes her more than me!).

Back to my roots

2006-11-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

I can't answer all the questions you have abou these pictures, so you will have to use your imagination...

the Fam.

2006-11-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

Here is the Thanksgiving picture with the family. I was in Oklahoma for the holiday and I had a great time!

:)

2006-11-26T04:35:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of Katie and Aaron. Katie is the better lookin one in the pic. Aaron is the luckier one in the pic.

I have arrived

2006-10-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

Finally, I have a DW kit. The same week of giving up drums in general God provided me with this kit at a Godly price...I think it was a sign. So I got this kit with the hardware and the 9000 series DW Double Bass Pedal. It also came with a brass pork pie snare. So if anyone needs a contract drummer (snare or stage)...let me know.

time for dw

2006-10-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a close up of my tom...isn't this badge a beautiful sight?

4th of July

2006-10-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

I know this is late, but I took this pictue on July 4, 2005. The fireworks in DC are amazing! Of course, I give my due respect to all my USMC friends who have served or who are serving. Always Faithful

USMC Forever

2006-10-17T18:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a cool picture if the Iwo Jima Memorial I took before the sun set.

fun with adobe

2006-10-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

I was playing with adobe photoshop and put these pictures together.

Baltimore Marathon

2006-10-16T05:38:00.000-07:00

I ran a marathon with my friend Matt on Saturday. A marathon is 26.2 miles. It was in Baltimore, and it was not fun, but we did it. We learned a lot of lessons during the race and we actually spoke at The Riot on Sunday night and paralleled our physical race with the Spiritual race we are on. I couldn't have finished the race without Matt, he is a good friend and he was there for me the entire time...

Support Group

2006-10-16T05:34:00.000-07:00

Katie and Shannon were our support group for the marathon. As you can see, they were at our side during the whole race. Actually, they took advantage of some malls and shops while Matt and I were running. We couldn't have done it without them.

profile shot

2006-10-16T05:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a cool picture of Katie and me in Baltimore

The Woman of my Dreams

2006-10-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

It is official...I have a girlfriend! This is Katie, she is the woman of my dreams...need I say anything else?

PooP Group

2006-08-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

Kewl

2006-08-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

[View Guestbook]

Uncle Aaron

2006-08-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

Fix You

2006-08-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

Provided By MetroLyrics

Watch out Shane and Shane

2006-08-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a sweet picture of Me and Tessa. Tessa is the guitarist for the Riot worship team.

NTS

2006-07-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

This is the speaker at our youth camp. His name is Shawn. Shawn is the senior high youth pastor at Saddleback Church (ever heard of it?). He did a great job. It was cool to meet you Shawn!

Congratulations

2006-06-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late, but someone once said, "Better late than never". My sister, Michelle got married on June 3rd to Frankie Giudicessi. Frankie is about the coolest brother anyone could ever have (other than me). I got to go home to Oklahoma for the wedding! It was nice to be there.

Silhouette

2006-06-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

Here is another cool picture of the love birds...I wish the best for you two!

Father Daughter

2006-06-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

Here was the last time Dad got to hold his daughter as Michelle STROMAN. She is now Michelle Giudicessi.

Two Studs

2006-06-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of my new brother (in law). Frankie and I had a great time over the weekend, I just wish he lived closer to me.

GQ

2006-06-15T13:02:00.001-07:00

Me, Frankie, Dad...

Like Weeds

2006-06-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

While I was home I got to catch up with some old friends. This is James' daughter, Grace. I am one of the appointed "Uncles" of Grace. These kids grow so fast!

Spy Service

2006-06-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

So I never know who is reading my blog, and sometimes I don't post a lot because I think that no one reads it, well at my sister's wedding, I met up with an old friend...Maren! Maren got on to me for not keeping the blog up to date. She stays up with the life of Aaron Stroman via the blog. So Maren, this update is for you.

Our Next Missions Trip (click twice on it)

2006-05-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

Battle Cry

2006-05-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I took the youth group to ATF - Battlecry. It was in Philly, PA. The first night we were in the upper bowl (where this pic was taken), but some of my adult leaders got us floor seats the second day. It was a great event...and of course, I had to get a philly cheese steak while I was there!

Delicious

2006-05-15T15:25:00.001-07:00

Here I am eating a Philly Cheese Steak under a bridge in Philly. This is what we call "absorbing the culture".

Yum

2006-05-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

This is the place where I bought my Philly Cheese Steak

Covert Op.

2006-05-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

Here I am operating the refuling boom arm of a gas station in the sky. This operation requires perfect eye/hand coordination and a sensitivity for the plane. Of course, I was a natural!

Down to business

2006-05-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Here I am outside of Air Force 2. It's nice to travel in class...

Putting my foot down

2006-05-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

This is my in the main cabinet of Air Force 2. Usually Dick Chenney is sitting in this seat, but he had to give it up to me.

The Dogs

2006-04-26T10:11:00.000-07:00

James' Birthday

2006-04-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

Photo

2006-04-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

This is one of the coolest pictures I have ever taken. This is one of my students. His name is Cody. I took this picture of him at the coffee shop at IWU.

Finish the Living Room

2006-04-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

I painted my living room this red color. It is actually "Cranapple". I found out the hard way that red is not a good color to paint because it takes so many coats of paint. I ended up putting one coat of primer down and four coats of paint. I am never doing red again!

Paint the Living Room

2006-04-20T12:34:00.001-07:00

The first coat of paint looked terrible :(

Prime the Living Room

2006-04-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

Joe finishing up the last of the primer!

Red Hot Shed

2006-04-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

This is my shed in my backyard...it came free with the house. The shed was originally a light faded blue color that was very old. I forgot to take a picture of it before I primed it. But below you can see the shed after it was primed (which is 5 times better than the original state). And this picture is the shed after two coats of "red hot" paint on it (I was going for the barn look). I am going to turn this shed into a home gym with a rock climbing wall along the inside of it. I will get pictures of the inside as well.

White Exterior Primer

2006-04-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my shed with a coat of primer...the final product is much better.

Ninja Dog

2006-04-06T10:23:00.001-07:00

Here is Reepicheep in a dog fight with a yellow lab. Reepicheep came out on top!

New House

2006-04-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Well I bought a house here in Maryland. It is way expensive to live here, but I broke down and did it anyway. I'll get more pictures from the inside during the next week.

Climb ON!

2006-04-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

Here I am at Great Falls in VA climbing a 5.7 (this was rated back when everything peaked out at 5.10). Of course, I sent it...I am training to climb Devils Tower this summer with Paul.

pretty

2006-03-30T21:39:00.000-08:00

DC and Maryland are known for their Cherry Tree Blossoms. Here is one in bloom...they are beautiful! When you get a bunch of the trees next to each other, it feels like it is snowing because there is so much white stuff floating around. It is even better if you go to the mall in DC.

His brother?

2006-03-30T21:36:00.000-08:00

Reepicheep has got to hang out with a couple of dogs this past week. Here is a picture of him with Shadow. Shadow is a snoodle. They look like brothers. It was good for him to play with other dogs.

I'm straight

2006-03-17T17:45:00.000-08:00

Secure...yes I am secure in my masculinity. That is why I can display this photo. This picture is of me and James wearing an avacado face mask. I am giving myself a pedicure as well. Good Times!

Chuck

2006-03-12T07:24:00.000-08:00

While I was in Indiana I had to stay somewhere. My friend Charlie Alcock hooked me up with free lodging! Wow, what are friends for? Charlie teaches at IWU and is responsible for the Masters program I am going through.

My night time job

2006-03-12T07:22:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture I took on my last NASA mission...space is so BEAUtiful!

who is this guy?

2006-02-16T10:59:00.000-08:00

The handsome man on the left (your left) is Nathan Lynch. Nathan was an adult leader who helped out in small groups and lead the game time for the Middle School Riot. Nathan is moving to TN to do some "acting" in a theater. Nathan, you will be missed.

Back in action

2006-02-15T21:18:00.000-08:00

I appologize for not updating this blog in a long time. My digital camera broke so I had no new pictures to add. But, I got a new camera! If you look close, you can see it in the reflection of my sunglasses. I will try to keep weekly updates coming your way...sorry for the dry time.

NYC

2006-02-15T21:13:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of some of my youth in NYC at the Statue of Liberty.

Cool Drawing

2006-02-15T21:11:00.000-08:00

Here I am with a baby. I am feeding it some milk from a bottle. I just finished changing its diaper. No this is not forshadowing...

Sgt. Tate

2006-02-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of my good friend Hunter and his dad Shawn. Shawn Tate is a Bartlesville boy who became a Marine (I am jealous). He got stationed here in DC to do presentations, awards, parades, funerals (at Arlington), and other ceremonies. It is good to have a friend close.

The Beast

2006-02-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of Reepicheep for all of you who miss my dog!

Safety First

2006-02-08T20:03:00.000-08:00

I always put safety first, I never climb alone...I always bring a friend. Here is my friend Kenny reaching for a hold at the rock gym.

Boulder

2006-02-08T20:00:00.000-08:00

I got into rockclimbing because Paul and I are climbing Devils Tower this summer. Here I am at the rock gym just hanging out.

Trinity

2005-12-18T05:36:00.000-08:00

This past week, I was in Marion Indiana taking a theology class. I learned a lot in this class...one of the things that we talked about was the the Trinity. My prof (Dr Bounds) had a cool graph from the old school church that explained the trinity. The only problem was...it was in Latin. So I took the graph and made it in English. Here it is! Give me a call sometime and I'll explain it to ya...peace out.

The Doctor

2005-12-18T05:33:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of me and my Theology teacher...Chris Bounds. I gained a lot of knowledge in this class, and I also grew spiritually in this class. I would love to take some more theology classes, but time is limiting how much time I can spend in the classroom.

West coast meets the East coast

2005-12-15T08:19:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I have learned this week is that all pastors are theologians. The purpose of theology is to teach people about God...anyway, I won't go into that. This is Brandon Smith, he is in my theology class and he is in my cohort for the Master's program here at IWU. Brandon is from California.

Wild at heart

2005-10-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

I got to go on a hunting trip in South Dakota with my dad. I was fortunate enough to give my father a brand new Browning shotgun (12 gauge). It was a great father/son time. We stayed with Jesse Hurkes in Watertown...good times.

Key Lime

2005-10-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

Violet Hurkes made some Key Lime Pie...with whipped cream on top! My favorite!

dynamic duo

2005-10-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Jess and me out in the field...we didn't let one of 'em get away.

Chris Tomlin...

2005-10-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture I took of Chris Tomlin when I was at his concert...I had a sweet connection that got me a free ticket.

What can brown do for you?

2005-10-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of James and ME in our new UPS jackets. I got hooked up with a sweet UPS jacket and shirt...James became a little jealous so I had my source hook him up with a jacket also. Do we look professional or what?

Fat Rib Eyes

2005-10-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a cow that appears to have spotting that resembles a map of the world. I bought this cow for $3971.82 and I ate it. I LOVE BEEF.

Stroman Graphic Design

2005-10-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

Here is the design of my new business...it is a graphic design business. You have probablly seen some of my work on ABC, CBS, oakley.com, and mtv.com.

Rick and Mick

2005-10-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of me with Rick and Mick. We had Rick and Mick here this past week. Rick and Mick do school assemblies during the week and then they invite the kids to come to a pizza blast at the end of the week (so they can present the gospel to them). So my week was filled with these school assemblies and the Pizza Blast. It was a great time to be with these guys and the other people who came with them.

Greek

2005-10-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

At the pizza blast we had to do a skit called the Grecian Urn...here are the guys who were in the skit along with rick and mick.

Pizza Blast

2005-10-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

We had the Pizza Blast at this place called Capital Clubhouse. This place has a rockwall, gym, arcade, cafe, ice ring, and dry ring in it. We used the dry ring to have our big program. Here is a picture as the students are starting to come in and get their seats.

Set Up

2005-10-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

Here is what the ring looked like with an empty stage and empty chairs.

Empty

2005-10-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the dry ring before anything was set up.

Chris

2005-10-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

One of the speakers at the school assemblies and pizza blast was Chris Bernall-the brother of Cassie Bernall. Cassie Bernall was killed at Columbine High School because she believed in God.

The Crew

2005-10-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

Front Row: Rick and Mick Back Row: Aaron (me), Chris Bernall, Josh (the sound guy), and James

Flipper

2005-09-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

This pool belongs to Mark and Patty Brien. They are some of the youth leaders that volunteer at New Life. We had our youth leader meeting here at their house. After the meeting we went for a nice swim. This photo is me doing a double frontflip with a 360 tacked on the end. Before I did the trick, I took the time to smile and wave at the camera.

2005-09-20T16:22:00.001-07:00

Here is Reep after his haircut...isn't he cute?

2005-09-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my dog (Reepicheep) before he got a haircut. He is standing on a 34lbs watermellon.

2005-09-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

Dork

Web Site Pic

2005-08-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a rad photo of me...I am designing the youth website and I edited this photo to use in it. When I finish, I will post the link so everyone can check it out.

FedEx Tailgate Party

2005-08-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

From left to right...me, James, and David. We went to the Redskins/Steelers pre-season game on Friday Night. Being the hardcore NFL fans that we are...we brought along my huge grill and taught DC how to tailgate. This picture shows us enjoying the fruits of our labor. These slow smoked bratwursts (with sauerkraut) were the best dogs in the district. I'm loving it!

Give to a good cause

2005-08-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am trying to sell my bike and buy a different one. There are lots of kids in the youth group who have four-wheelers or dirt bikes...so my goal is to buy a dual sport bike so I can go hang with them. My bike is for sale...email me if you want to buy it. Check out this website http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mcy/94120174.html

Cool Guys

2005-08-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of me, Caleb, and Patrick. They are two of my students in the youth group. This photo was taken just inside my office.

B-Zoo

2005-08-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a zebra that lives in the Baltimore Zoo. I went there to prepare for a youth trip with the leadership team. We are going to have the students do a scavenger hunt in the zoo.

Tarzan

2005-08-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

I went camping and found this cool vine that I could swing on. It was way fun...good times.

NTS

2005-07-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

This summer I got to go to "Never The Same" camp at Houghton College. It was pretty fun. Here is a picture of me and James getting our team pumped up! Lots of youth gave their hearts to Jesus and many more made some rededications...it was awesome!

Lunch on the road

2005-07-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Christian and me on our way back to the bus from Arbys.

Breakfast

2005-07-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

Nicole made a sign for me...letting everyone know where my seat was.

Beach Trip #1

2005-07-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, July 9th, Rick Colaw and I joined up with Sean Gallahar and his youth group for their beach trip. We went to Virginia Beach. As you can see from this picture, bad words are not prohibited at Virginia Beach...it's nice to see public places restore some good 'ole values.

Lunch Time

2005-07-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic of Rick eating a bannanna and me looking at the camera.

Surfer Dog

2005-07-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

Reepicheep came with me to Virginia Beach, he had a GREAT time. Here we are heading to the water to catch a couple waves.

Sand Digger

2005-07-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Reepicheep and me playing in the sand at Virginia Beach.

Beach Trip #2

2005-07-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of me on the deck of the beach house I had to stay at for my staff retreat. My first day on the new job was this staff retreat in North Carolina. It is a hard knock life...being a youth pastor and all.

Night Fun

2005-07-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the kind of crabs that come out on the beach at night. We had a fun time chasing these guys...they are quick little boogers.