Final Answer Friday --- Temperature

ANSWER FROM WEDNESDAY:

-136.58 degrees CYou cannot add and subtract coldness...you can only add and subtract heat. To make something "twice as cold" you would have to remove 1/2 the heat. The problem with our F and C temperature scales is their zero point still has heat in it. So to solve the problem you need to either convert the temperature to a scale with an absolute 0 (Kelvin), or find the temperature in C at which there is no longer any heat and find the midpoint. Both answers will get you to -136.58 --- so if it is ever going to be "twice as cold" as the day before, BUNDLE UP!!! Jen gets the point for the first to post the correct answer, Jason a point for the best explanation, Jerry loses a point for getting a math question wrong, and I get a point just because I can.

Theological Thursday --- Can Satan Heal?

The other night, Jen asked me an interesting question..."Can Satan heal people"? The more I thought about the question, the more I realized there are several things that need to be considered before the question can be answered. Here are a few:

1) Satan can do nothing outside the Sovereignty of God. The only power that Satan has is the power that God has allowed Him to have. So if Satan can heal people, it would have to include the understanding that God has allowed it. Satan's limited power (because of God's ultimate power and sovereignty) is clearly seen in Job 1:6-12 and the story of the demons begging Jesus to send them into the herd of pigs.

2) Satan is known only for evil and his main agenda is to destroy (John 10:10). However, if a temporary healing would ultimately cause more destruction and deception, he would certainly do it! Jesus warns us of false prophets and their deceptions in Matthew 24.

3) In Revelation 13 we find the "beast" (some interpret that to be Satan, the Anti-Christ, the Roman Empire, Obama...but that's not the point!)...this beast receives a fatal wound (13:3) and is able to heal.

So putting these facts together, I come to the conclusion that yes, Satan could heal people (only under the sovereign control of God) and does not and would not do it for good, but for ultimately increasing evil and the deception of many. The healing of the beast in Revelation 13 and its final demise shows the authority and awesomeness of the power of God. All things are under His control...including Satan.

Anyone have other thoughts or disagree?

What Is It Wednesday --- Temperature

On Wednesdays, I am planning on asking a single question for people to try and answer. I may post a distorted picture and ask what you think it is...might be a math question...could be a riddle...etc. Everyone can post their guesses/answers or ask questions in the comment section. Then the following Wednesday I will post the answer/winner (if anyone got it right) as well as a new question. Not sure if this will work well or not (or if people are interested), so even if you have no clue what the answer is to this week's question but like the idea of trying out a new question next week, at least make a comment like, "I have no idea" so I know you are at least thinking about it!

Since this weekly blog idea may be short-lived, I am going to start out with a tough question. So here it is...good luck!

Today it is 0 degrees Celsius outside. Tomorrow it will be twice as cold as it is today. What will the temperature be tomorrow?

Talking Point Tuesday --- Vacation

In honor of the Superbowl, I've always wanted to say this...

I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!

I graduate (for the 2nd time) on March 12th and have a magic show here in Ashland on March 13th (that will also be Jen's last day of work). On the 14th, we are heading south for 2 full weeks to celebrate our new jobs, our 5th anniversary, Valentine's Day...a little bit of everything...before we move to Hershey on April 13th.

We will be staying 7 nights at Coronodo Springs Resort (pictured above)...one of the properties located in and owned by Disney. We were trying to decide between hotels, value resorts, etc...but this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime trip for just the two of us so we are going to go all out and enjoy ourselves (also an extra treat for Jen for being way under our budget this year that put lots of extra money into our savings). The resort has a man-made lake where you can get Jet Skis, paddle boats, etc and free transportation to and from all the Disney parks to which we each have 7 Disney Day Passes. Anyone want to come?

So that takes care of 7 days, but what about the other week? Well...unfortunately I can't tell you, because it is a surprise for Jen. We will be spending the other week at a place (that I think is even better than Disney), but you all will have to wait until we get back to hear about it. But if anyone wants to come along, you are all welcome! Or, more importantly, you are all welcome to come help us pack up for our move back to PA when our vacation is over.

Media Monday --- Sanctity of Human Life

Last week was "Sanctity of Human Life"...of course it was way overshadowed by the presidential inauguration, so if you didn't acknowledge this day at your church last Sunday you probably wouldn't even know it was here and gone. It is a day to mourn the death of all the lives lost to abortion (now over 40 million), pray for the future decisions that will be made by our leaders, and probably what gets pushed back but should be just as important --- to celebrate all those who chose to give life when it was unexpected and wasn't the easiest or most convenient choice (rare these days!).
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There was a VERY powerful video created this year for this day (published below). It will go through many of the Scriptures and reasons to choose life, but come on...it's common sense! Here is what really gets me --- the vast majority of our country is against "Partial Birth Abortion" (unfortunately our new president isn't one of them)...which basically means they believe abortion should be illegal after a certain amount of time (usually 20 weeks). So my question is this...what happens at 20 weeks? A baby at 19 weeks and 6 days is ok to destroy, but if they did it the very next day it would be considered murder and wrong? What happened overnight??? I mean come on...don't insult common sense...you are either for the destruction of the unborn, or your not. Calling it a "choice" is just as much as an insult as well...what "choice" did the baby make (or the father as far as that is concerned)?
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I often wonder what this generation will look like as people look back 100's of years from now. I know we look back just at our own country and are appalled that we actually had slavery. Then came the oppression of women and minorities. Do these things even compare to the murder of 40 million helpless victims? I think 200 years from now, people will look back in disbelief and see us as FAR worse than any other generation because we view this as a reasonable option. We would rather follow the gods of convenience, of "I'm not married", of "I can't afford this", of "This isn't what I planned", etc, etc, etc rather than the God who is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

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One last rant about the "choice"...you always hear the argument, "What about those who became pregnant as the result of rape or incest"? If you don't know, if someone gets pregnant as a result of incest they have a much greater chance that the baby will be born with physical and/or mental handicaps. So I guess the "choice crowd" feels that someone who may be born with handicaps should be an automatic abortion. Even if it were a 100% guarentee, since when did being "handicapped" make you less of a person...so much so that you don't even deserve life? What is our country coming to that we would even suggest this as a valid argument?
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Keep praying for the unborn and our leaders and that God would do a mighty work in this area. And all those of you who chose to give life...praise the Lord! Enjoy the video and feel free to post your thoughts, tell me I am nuts, whatever! Sorry for such a long post...I'll keep them shorter in the future!
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Back to Blogging

Well, I think I have come up with some ideas and will try to start blogging more regularly (3 times a week) starting next week. The last few weeks have flown by...I am currently recovering from a surgery I had to have to replace gum tissue I lost in a sled riding accident as a kid (you may remember a former blog post on here of the story of me jumping out of the dentist's chair and running out of the dentist's office when I was a kid --- same accident). I've also been doing a lot of Bible reading and the church is using me for everything they can before we move in April. I will be teaching a special class on the Abundant Christian Life in February as well as a session for all the leaders in the church at the end of February. I am also helping the church prepare for a church-wide emphasis on Spiritual Gifts in March, preparing for half-time devotions for a basketball game, preparing lessons and training people to take over the detention home ministry, and getting ready to speak/perform at a group called "North of 50" (people over the age of 50) in March. On top of that I have been continuing to learn Hebrew (which lasts 7 more weeks). And of course watching and cheering on the STEELERS!!! There is also some exciting news (at least for me and Jen) that I will share with you on Monday. Have a great weekend and look for me to start blogging more next week.

Snowy Days

Family Christmas

Our Family Christmas

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I am still trying to decide how often and what to Blog about in 2009, so please keep the comments coming...but in the meantime, Happy New Year! I came across this funny video which is a great summary of 2008 from "Uncle Jay". Enjoy...