Our blogging friend Mark Stevens asks us to post pictures of our office, which most of us find interesting. In the past I showed mine:
“Office” of an Invalid; Meme
but a few things have changed so I have an updated picture from a year ago that is now again in season. I won’t go through details of things that have changed from the last post that can’t be seen. The computer stand is a big help.

I will have a pain pump installed (by a doctor) for partial relief, God willing, of low back pain but still have the problem of chronic fatigue and other things, so I don’t know if I’ll stay here or move part-time to a recliner.

Click the picture for a larger one. (This is HDR, for photography enthusiasts, although it’s not a whole lot different than a single exposure.)

Library Thing – my library is small enough that they all fit in a free account

This may sound awfully strange, but I’m so thankful to have a nice place to be miserable, or a place that helps me to be a bit less miserable. I can’t imagine the conditions most of the people in the world live in. I don’t see how I could stand it. I’m so blessed to have this, and more importantly a loving and supportive wife.

If you would like to show us your office, please do.

Athletes have been “Tebowing” since 1977 according to this article. Why do people think Tim Tebow invented it?

Why pray or praise or thank after a touchdown anyway? I can see praying for safety (as in being safe) but that doesn’t need a public gesture.

An athlete praising God after a loss, saying that there is a much higher purpose in life (which I did see on TV once), goes a longer way with me. Not that Tim Tebow wouldn’t do this.

Losing faith in the NFL

Also see this great post:
“Tebowing” -The new planking for God?

Some people say, “God will never reveal his plan for you if you don’t seek out to him for guidance” as Greg Jennings* did. Well if that’s true, I wish God would have told me that I would deal with mental illness, chronic fatigue and chronic back pain so I could be ready for it. But God doesn’t work that way. I can’t find any place in the Bible where God reveals his plans for your life. Certainly he has plans and God’s will comes about no matter what.

Another thing is, when God does supposedly reveals plans, it never seems to be things we would consider negative. But these are the things that God often uses to bring us much closer to him, if we are willing to submit to God’s will.

Just as if God were to answer all of our prayers in the affirmative, can you imagine the chaos if God revealed to us his plans for us? This would have unimaginable ramifications. We need to live by faith and not by sight.

From a human logical point of view, if God revealed to us that we would be successful, we might not work as hard. If he revealed that we would become very ill, we may despair and give up. As far as the small things, learn what God’s will is as well as you can as life goes on, want desperately to please Him, ask for knowledge and wisdom, and if you truly delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4), do whatever you want.

*I love Greg Jennings and the Packers. He is obviously a brother in the Lord and could very well be more mature (more than I was at his age for sure), more faithful and more knowledgeable that me. I disagree that God will reveal to us specific extra-Biblical material, with some minor exceptions. Jennings does come from a very different denominational background that me. “Be Great” is maybe a subject for another post. I hope he can play at his highest level until he’s at least 40 and keep publicly speaking about God as he matures.

2 Corinthians 5:7 GW
Indeed, our lives are guided by faith, not by sight.

For those unfamiliar, a testimony in most evangelical Christian lingo is how you became a Christian. Most people say, “I shared my testimony.” The word share is an  over-used catch-all for explain, say, proclaim (as in proclaiming the gospel), talk, speak, preach and many other words which involve speech. I’m writing this because my ‘testimony’ is so short that I thought I’d write about some other things.

My testimony:

I read the book of John in the Bible and within that time the Holy Spirit came to me and caused me to believe.

That’s about it. I’m so thankful that God used the Bible in his own timing and I can’t claim anything. I didn’t even buy or ask for a Bible. Someone gave it to me and suggested I read the book of John and ask God to speak to me. What a wonderful thing God did and is still doing.

At the time, the sinner’s prayer (asking Jesus into your heart, which I still don’t understand or find in the Bible, accepting Jesus as your personal savior, etc.) was, and probably is so in vogue that I prayed it later on just to make sure I ‘did it right’. I now know those were brought about in large part because of Charles Finney. Because of God working in us even though we don’t deserve it, belief in Jesus dying and rising again and being the way to God is how we become Christians, not going to church or being a good person (which none of us really are–not enough anyway) or doing good things. (John 5:24, Ephesians 2:8-9)

I’m also practicing explaining things without using Christian lingo. I like to say things in my own words anyway.

So that’s my boring but wonderful testimony. I love how God worked that out so that I can’t brag about anything and he only used Scripture. If you aren’t a Christian and would like to try it, please do. If you need any help with a Bible, how to go about it, or especially need help after you read it, let me and my blogging friends know.

If you haven’t see this plugin/web site feature: Try highlighting any text, like this:
Is God a Moral Monster?
or anything like, propitiation, or D.A. Carson or anything else in any post that you’re interested in. Hover over ‘Learn More’ when it comes up and you can find it at whatever site it thinks would be best (many times Wikipedia unfortunately), search results from this site, and at the top you can also find videos and images. This will make it a lot faster to look up books than going to Amazon and searching for them there. Opt out at the very bottom if you don’t like it.

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I’ve been reading Is God a Moral Monster? and enjoying it a lot. There are a lot of things to praise God for that are explained in that book.

I’m not so sure exactly what the first quote is meaning when it comes to wearing the cross as jewelry. Obviously there are people who wear it and have no idea what it means or even use it sacrilegiously. For a while I was rather against using the cross as adornment, although not having a problem with others who know what it means wearing it, but this second quote makes me think. Let me know what you think. (Scripture added)

The cross has become a piece of jewelry, a beautiful decoration in a church, a symbol of faith. It is difficult for us to pass back through the centuries of tradition to see crucifixion as a form of capital punishment so horrible that polite people would not so much as mention it… If the idea of crucifixion was abhorrent to decent people in the ancient world, imagine the difficulty of trying to convince them that a god—indeed, the God—had willingly endured such a punishment.

– Thomas Schmidt (from A Scandalous Beauty)

1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Once a Muslim expressed to me his disbelief and even scorn at the idea of Christian wearing crosses: “How can Christians wear with pride the instrument of torture and humiliation? If your brother were killed in an electric chair, would you wear an electric chair around your neck?” I replied that it depends: “If my brother happened to be Jesus of Nazareth and his death in an electric chair brought about my salvation and was the means by which evil was defeated and creation renewed, then he would have transformed a symbol of shame and punishment into something glorious.”

–Paul Copan, Is God A Moral Monster?

Colossians 2:13-15
You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

Another ranty, possibly unfocused post without a clear point to it.

There are the stereotypical (having some truth) old Calvinists like John MacArthur, recently slinging his guns, and the stereotypical ‘New’, or ‘Young, Restless and Reformed’, who got shot at. (Let’s say Calvinist and Reformed are synonymous.) Then there are those in between, which is where I am, but don’t yet know where on the spectrum I lie. It probably doesn’t matter a whole lot, as long as I’m headed in the right direction. But it sure can be frustrating and I would like to briefly write about some things I’m wrestling with, especially near the end of the post.

Erik Raymond knows first hand what it’s like to be in MacArthur’s sights, even if it’s indirectly, and he isn’t the type MacArthur is referring to. We’ve both learned so much from John MacArthur. MacArthur and John Piper (another one who is getting a little weird) were instrumental in the beginning of my path to learning so much about God’s sovereignty at a very difficult time in my life. It has been life changing to start to really learn about God’s character as revealed in the Bible.

John MacArthur referenced Erik Raymond (the very first link in the post, unfortunately), who has a blog called Ordinary Pastor (the link is his ‘rebuttal’ of sorts, which is excellent), formerly Irish Calvinist. This was very unfair and I doubt MacArthur went on his computer (if he has one–seriously, he might not, which is OK) and sought out this link himself. MacArthur’s ministry, Grace To You, has now issued a followup to MacArthur’s blog post. He said he did it out of love but he never seems to say that the first time.

Among the old guard there are also sometimes things like this:

In recent church history, earth-toned paisley ties fell off the necks of pastors and were replaced by mock turtlenecks and open-collared shirts of every color in the rainbow.

Open-collared shirts–God help us! I have always hated suits and ties. Why do some people think pastors and churchgoers have to look like corporate executives when we’re supposed to be separate from the world? Some of you will vehemently disagree and say that we should respect God by what we wear when hearing His Word. I still hate dress clothes.

On the other hand: I didn’t come from Arminianism to Calvinism quickly or easily  by listening to a few sermons by “famous” pastors or by reading some blog posts. It was with kicking and screaming (in my head). Although it was without having read Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, which should probably be a prerequisite, I have read quite extensively, including a couple of overview type books, too many articles and posts to count, and I especially have a knowledge and liking of the Heidelberg Catechism and the Belgic Confession. I have the Institutes in my possession and will read them most likely next year. I also went back and read more about Arminianism from good sources, which means material not written by Calvinists, just to make sure I knew both as best I could. I’ve read completely through the Bible, sometimes even trying to see things from the Arminian perspective, but the extent of God’s sovereignty, among many other aspects of God’s character, and doctrine that happens to line up with Calvinism, just keep coming through everywhere. So I know I am a Calvinist.

I’m also not into the stereotypical (which is in the minority, I hope) Young, Restless and Reformed style of boasting about drinking beer, watching MMA (because I’m a real man who believes in a Jesus who could ‘take me’ and not one with flowing blonde hair who always speaks soothingly), and just wanting to be  ’other’ than the typical evangelical. I’m not going to comment on those things at this point. I’m not saying they’re wrong or I do or don’t participate or believe those things. What I’m saying is I’m not constantly talking about it to brag about how different or manly I am. I used to think this way about some other things and it’s very arrogant. I think this is what John MacArthur was trying to get at in his abrasive way.

So I’m not into suits and ties, at all, I don’t like the stodgy old guard, I don’t shun everything new, I don’t like the ESV, and I think the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is kind of creepy even though I’m a complementarian of sorts. And as mentioned in the last paragraph I’m also not into the stereotypical young, [N]ew Calvinist thang. (Do they say that anymore?) So I don’t know exactly what kind of Calvinist I am. And you may notice, I’m not even talking doctrinal stuff, although that is a big factor I’m just not writing about here.

This has been my quandary for a while: I feel like if I didn’t read blogs and material from unproven sources on the webternet, I might be in a better position to just learn, without all the labels and infighting and outfighting and all the peripheral stuff. On the other hand, I have learned a lot from blogs and very much appreciate my blogging friends. It’s lonely being someone who likes to read a lot, studying theology, knowing the difference between a Calvinist and Arminian etc. My blogging friends can help fill that void a little.

Just between us, because it can sound arrogant, here is a great quote on that, found in a comment on a blog post:

jangulat says:
May 22, 2011 at 6:46 pm
Nathan, oftentimes the path to greater learning is a lonely one. We humans are generarally content to possess a breadth of knowlege a mile wide [that's pretty wide though] and an inch deep.

Dig only slightly deeper and the crowd thins out dramatically.
You are apparently past digging and now mining. Hence, your travel companions on the path you’ve chosen will likely be few and far between.

So I’m not about to leave my friends. But when you get on that interwebz machine, even if you’re at a legitimate place of higher learning, it often takes you to the places that suck you in and you don’t realize you just wasted time until after you’ve wasted it (like this blog post?).

So I will keep on trying to keep in step with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:25), trying to figure out which blogs to follow and which to not, try to spend less time on the internet in general–which I’ve improved on–and more time reading proven authors, including the inspired ones, and try to keep my eyes on things above.

I’m not intending to teach or tell people what to do with any authority, but I want to add some value to this post by listing some things I think are important. I hope I’m not embarrassed about this five years from now. Take it for what it’s worth.

• As I’m learning in Genesis right now, God’s purposes will be done no matter how much we think we may mess things up. We don’t need to defend God for how people act other than to let people know who God really is. We need to let people think what they will. Many people hate God and hate Christians and this is how it will always be. (Matthew 10:22)
• If you want to be a Calvinist, make sure to know what it is. Make sure you also know what Arminianism, Open Theism and Universalism are, especially if you want to defend your views. People are misrepresenting each other all the time and it’s maddening to see. I’m not an apologist for Calvinism so I don’t get into that very much. If you’re not very sure about what something is, don’t say anything about it. (This is also why I don’t talk much about politics and economics.)
• Don’t pester those who are solid Christians by trying to convert them to Calvinism unless they have an interest. They’re already Christians! They are in God’s hands now whether you like it or not. (Rom 14:8)
• Lift up Christ, not Calvin. We are a Christians first. If I’m thinking about Calvinism more than Christ and basic Biblical doctrine, I’ve gone off the path.
• If you are a hyper-Calvinist, stop it right now. (Two links there)
• When interacting with other Calvinists, bear with one another. (Colossians 3:13) Realize that we have freedom in Christ, to a point, and not quibble about a beer or open-collared shirts unless alcoholism or addiction to open-collared shirts is involved. There are all kinds at many different levels of maturity. It’s hard enough for Christians to be united. Can we at least as Calvinists show some love towards each other in addition to all kinds of believers? (Galatians 6:10) I’ll try my best to bear with those who don’t like open-colored shirts.
• My only hero is Jesus. The rest are too flawed.

This is not directed in any way towards my blogging friends and those who have blogs devoted to Calvinism. The good ones have been very helpful to me and the people have been great in backing me up here and helping me along. If you disagree with any of this, feel free to continue sharpening in the comments. (Proverbs 27:17)

Colossians 3:1-3 NRSV
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Also see:

• “What does the Bible say about drinking alcohol / wine? Is it a sin for a Christian to drink alcohol / wine?” – explains possible alcohol content too
• New to Reformed Theology

• The London Riots: The Whole Truth With No Ifs And No Buts! – a terrible subject but I think a well-written perspective on it
• G.K. Beale’s Magnum Opus: A New Testament Biblical Theology – looks interesting
• Bible: Sola Scriptura – by Peter J. Leithart
• Is Philippians 4:19 a Promise You Can Claim? – I plan to compile a post on another one of these–Jeremiah 29:11
• I cried out to the Lord for healing. – an excellent post on healing that will make you think

Many of these will be very offensive and politically incorrect.

——

You don’t have to tell people there’s going to be a beep when leaving a message. They already know that.

“Finding a bathroom can eventually become a process of elimination.”
–Accidentally made up by an unnamed friend of mine, which I slightly reworded

Have you ever noticed that it’s almost always pastors who say you need to become a member of a ‘church’? Much worse, that you should “tithe” beyond your means. Um, Paul was saying what the Philippians did, not what people should do. I’ll stop there before I get driven out of blogdom. (Although this stuff is politically incorrect, I don’t mean to offend or ‘go after’ all pastors here. It’s just the idea–and a hotly debated one.)

By Biblical definition, our heart is also our head. I hate to tell you this, but there is no gulf between our head and heart. The two terms aren’t mutually exclusive. Intellectual knowledge vs. true belief may be more to the point in some cases. There may be a post on this someday.

How do you “ask Jesus into your heart”? Could someone tell me what verse this comes from? Do we have the authority to do that? Isn’t it the other way around?

Do we “accept Jesus” or does He accept us? (The NLT and GNT ruined this for me. How could they do that?)

Whenever somebody says they, “Ran into a friend of mine”, I wonder if they got hurt.

The word “share” seems to finally be on the decline after decades of overuse. Or maybe my mind is sparing me and I just don’t notice it as much. I hope the same happens with “comfort zone” and “closure” and asking and answering your own questions. Do these things drive me nuts? Yes. Is there anything I can do about it? Unfortunately, no, other than calling these people dweebs, one at a time.

Speaking of overused words–I know John Piper wants his translation (version) of the Bible to have “all of the words”, but we don’t need the word “for” at the beginning of every sentence in English. Really. I’ve asked. (Read 1 Cor. 1:17 through the end of the chapter in the ESV.) I’m sure there is something else to base a sermon on. And by the way, as much as I like them, I think it would be just great if the big three–Sproul, MacArthur and Piper, would never ever be allowed to say anything about translations ever again. Please forgive me for my lack of humility towards my elders. They have shaped my view of God’s sovereignty in very major, life changing way during the time that I needed it most.

I don’t care what some Baptists on a committee think about the new NIV any more than I care what liberals think about guns. The NIV and guns will always be there and they both work pretty well for good or bad.

Some praise choruses cause many people to (unknowingly) lie, like when they sing, “I Surrender All”. The more you lose, the more you realize how difficult it is to Surrender All. Maybe I’m taking it too literally, but that’s how the song is worded. It could have said it’s a goal or frame of mind.

What if the leader says to pray if you “feel” led and I don’t feel led but I still want to pray?

All of my blogging and Facebook friends are great about handling my comments and prayer requests regarding chronic suffering of various sorts. How is it that all of them know not to give dumb advice and just give a word of encouragement and/or let me know they will pray? Those of us who suffer chronically will tell you it can be a nightmare when it comes to the “advice”. I can’t tell you how nice this is not to have to be afraid every time I post something personal in that regard. I’m very thankful for that.

But I am. (Warning: this post may not have a specific point.) I hope I don’t fit the negatively stereotyped Calvinist. I don’t even like the ESV. But I don’t like explaining my position to those who aren’t, because it’s shocking, as it was to me when I first started turning away from Arminianism, although I had no idea of the terms at that point. I came to it kicking and screaming (in my head). It’s not fair. It’s not Democratic. I don’t get a vote, as I wrote in a previous post. But I firmly believe these principles are all over the Bible, not just the typical proof texts.

After coming to Calvinism I revisited Arminianism just to make sure.

I make sure to show no animosity to Arminians and I’m never ever sarcastic about them or the theology. When people are this way towards Calvinists I stay away. It’s more stress than I need. It pains me when there is animosity between people who are obviously Christians. And worse when a Calvinist tries to convert another Christian to Calvinism unsolicited. I will be sarcastic about that!

I came across this on Between Two Worlds which is encouraging, although I think it will sound prideful if applied to myself.

It takes a certain courage to look at what the Bible teaches, not like it all that much, and still believe it. I am thankful for brothers and sisters who believe in hell or believe in complementarianism or believe in election and reprobation or believe homosexuality is a sin despite their internal protestations. It’s a good sign when we take our stand on the Bible even when we’d prefer to take our stand somewhere else.

But it’s a better sign when we take our stand on the Bible and learn to love where the Bible stands.

–Kevin DeYoung, read the rest

The more I read the Bible, the more I trust it and love where it stands in how God is portrayed.

Maybe the problem is I’m too concerned about how I feel in front of people more than God.

First of all I was raised Catholic, baptized as a baby, attended mass almost every Sunday, learned about who God, Jesus and Mary were from my mom and often talked to God. After I became born again by reading the book of John in college, I started attending a Lutheran church, just because it was within walking distance and I liked it. I didn’t really care much about denominations. I still couldn’t really tell you the differentce between a Methodist and a Baptist.

On Saturday I went to a funeral at a Catholic church of my great aunt who I was very close to. I was on the verge of tears most of the funeral and it was a very nice mass/service. I was very much looking forward to communion for a number of reasons. When the time came, the priest said that anyone who is Catholic may receive communion and everyone else who believes (or something like that) can come up, fold their arms over their chest and receive a blessing. At first I was very angry, then I just started crying uncontrollably. I’ve never been so offended in my life. Ironically, one of the passages read was from John where we are to eat His body and drink His blood and then he mentioned that in the eulogy. I asked my mom what to do and she said just take communion. I was so embarrassed at how hard I was crying. I know part of it was grieving and it was bound to come at some point anyway. I hate crying in front of people, especially when I have to walk in front of them.

I admit that part of the reason I was sad is because I have very fond memories of communion as a child. I was so excited when I finally got to my First Communion and was able to participate. I’ve always loved anything having to do with relationship with God. And this priest is telling me I can’t participate in the very things that were read and talked about even though I myself am a born again Christian.

I felt an arrogant and artificial division cut right through thousands and thousands of people. When I was “in”, I never realized this division. Now that I’m “outside”, I obviously didn’t understand it when a denomination of the Christian religion would try to set itself apart as the denomination or even The Church. Obviously those of us who have major problems with the Catholic denomination feel it has glaringly incorrect “theology” which is man-made, but I’ve always thought of it as Christian.

I’ve never been hurt by the or a church before. I now know how it feels although this was only one-time thing, it wasn’t my church and it’s not anything like many of you have had to go through. I told my mom and three aunts about this after the mass and they said this is how it usually is. At one of my cousin’s weddings, they said nobody outside of the Catholic faith could take communion. I hope the differences in how Catholics view communion aren’t so different that it wasn’t a bad thing for me to participate. But like one of my aunts said, God knows what’s in my heart and that’s what’s important.

I didn’t hold it against the priest. He’s just following protocol. He even sat at our table during the luncheon and I immediately thought of “forgiving anyone who offends you” (Colossians 3:13). Someone must have told him I have a bad back and he got me a much better chair. (Boy did that help!) I thanked him for a very nice service, which it otherwise was, as far as Catholic churches go. In fact, because of the liturgy, it was probably even better than a lot of non-denominational churches.

So that’s my story. I think this is very wrong but I don’t think I can do anything to change the way the Catholic denomination operates or sees itself. I wonder how much this is up to individual congregations or archdiocese or whatever the corporate structure is.

Edit – for any who aren’t regular readers and just so that nobody misunderstands–I’m a mature Christian and don’t let little things like this affect my view of who God is or who His church is. Messed up people, including myself, shouldn’t change our view of the God of the Bible. Scripture is the only way to know God in truth (sola scriptura) and it’s by faith alone (sola fide, which is given to us by God, as Stan mentions below) that we come to God through Christ. The church comes in to help us learn about the Bible, build each other up, pray for each other, etc. Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), not imperfect people. If people could only get that straight, which is for another post.

I was asked to put a banner ad on my site (which I wouldn’t do for something unrelated to the subject matter of this blog) or review a remote control toy sold by xenonproject.com. I don’t normally respond when someone asks for posting content of something that’s off topic from this blog.  But I’ve been wanting to try a remote control helicopter for a few years now. I chose to review the S107G Mini Gyro 3 Channel Helicopter by Syma, which they sent to me free of charge for this review. I hope this one time you’ll allow me to take a rare departure from the main objective of this blog, Christianity, and have some fun in a different way. If you are coming here from a Google search and want to see what Christianity is about, please see Christianity Explored and feel free to explore this site.

This helicopter is the smallest in their line and is made for indoor use only. Even being too close to a slight breeze from a fan or a furnace register can throw it off. The cost is $25 plus shipping, which is inexpensive, but as you’ll see, it’s not cheap. It’s 5 inches long, 2 inches wide and three inches high but seems much bigger, probably because of the blades.

The flying time is about 6 minutes which could be seen as a plus or minus. The rechargeable battery (included within the helicopter but is replaceable) needs to be small because of how small the helicopter is, which also keeps it affordable. This makes it good for taking breaks when working in your home office, having fun with the kids or just learning how to fly yourself. Time isn’t wasted playing video games for hours on end. The helicopter is recharged via USB on your computer and takes a maximum of 30 minutes. There is a red light in the USB connector that turns on when the recharging is complete.

There are only two negatives I can find with this product. The remote control uses six AA batteries, which is an awkward number for those of us who use rechargeable batteries, in addition to being of a lot of batteries, especially since they’re not included.

The other is aesthetics. The plastic gears and metal sides of the helicopter are visible. It would be nice to have a panel covering them, but again this would add weight, reduce flying time and increase cost, so I’m certainly willing to live with that. You will see this in the photographs I shot below.

On to the good stuff. Flying this is great. Once I learned that the up lever on the remote needs to be turned up harder than I would have thought to get it up and flying, it’s fairly easy to get it going. That doesn’t mean you will be able to do figure eights in a day but you’ll be taking off and landing, hopefully without crashing much or at all. Start out slow.

This is a 3 channel helicopter which includes left/right, up/down, hovering and landing movements.  It can spin around while hovering and move up or down while turning at the same time, with smooth, stepless controls on the remote–up/down only with the left lever and 360 degrees motion with varying speeds (distance from center to outer edge) with the right lever. There is also a button to turn if the helicopter wants to turn either to the right or to the left (after crashing?) so it’s possible to have it fly in place without moving at all, which enabled me to take those pictures while it’s flying–one hand holding the remote and the other hand holding the camera using autofocus and flash bounced off the ceiling.

Flying is something that takes a lot of practice, which is part of what makes it fun. I try to improve one notch each time I fly it. As a person who struggles with chronic depression, one of the rules learned right away is to do something fun every day. This can be one of those things. The improvement in learning how to fly it better each day makes it something to look forward to. The video shown below is something I aspire to and will take quite a bit of practice to be able to master. The most difficult part is when the helicopter is facing you–the remote control stick needs to be moved to the right to move the helicopter to your left (its right).

Regarding crashing–I don’t want to overstate this, but I’ve had some bad crashes and it has come out just fine. The reason I’m hesitant to overemphasize this is because an important part could very well break at any time, for all I know. I just want to be careful in what I say. Fortunately they have 18 replacement parts for virtually the whole thing. But its durability is very impressive, probably due to the metal body, quality construction and light weight. Edit: From what I’ve read, the rear rotor might be the most fragile. You can find it for about $5 including shipping.

Here are some pictures taken while flying it in our living room. There is a light on the under side of the front of the helicopter that flashes between red and blue when it’s turned on. You can see this best in the video they provide at their site at the bottom of this page.

The little square you see in the metal just below the yellow part on the side of the helicopter is the proprietary USB outlet. You can see the light in the front is blue here. In the second picture you can see a very small ON/OFF switch in the same spot on the other side and the light in the front is red. Click on a picture to see a larger one.

I had the opportunity to email customer support and they were very friendly and helpful.

I would highly recommend this helicopter. I would like to look in on some of the enthusiasts out there and see what types of maneuvers I can work on. I’ll try not to look at the higher end helicopters which can have cameras mounted on them. Maybe someday.

If this is too small or the wrong color or the wrong vehicle for your tastes, there are a slew of other options at their site.

Where to buy:

• xenonproject.com
• Yellow S107 Page which includes a lot of pictures and specs

Note: I suggest buying these from a reputable dealer like xenonproject.com because there are fakes out there including some sold through Amazon who is selling fakes sold by Planet Stuff. Be sure you know you’re buying the genuine Syma because from what I’ve read, it makes a big difference.

Christianity Explored

Every once in a while I like to remind people that many of us bloggers have links to Amazon, Westminster or other associates that provide us a (very) small but much appreciated commission. So if you see a link at your favorite blogger’s site, please consider supporting them in this way if you buy products from those web sites.

Westminster pays a tiny amount for each click without even buying anything. I like to look at their bestsellers or editor’s picks.

Mine can be found in the sidebar at the right, which of course won’t show up in an RSS reader so you would need to come here.

I was looking at Take Your Vitamin Z’s site, which gave me the idea to change what I have regarding Amazon without copying him.

5. You see a group of six tulips and just have to cut one off and put it in a vase.

4. You’re relieved you don’t have to explain the gospel, except to Arminians.*

3. You don’t think Thomas Schreiner is a Calvinist because he really does think all or everyone really means all in 2 Peter 3:9.

2. You call John Calvin by his first name.

1. You contributed to Rob Bell’s PR campaign in some way.

*This is not meant to disparage Arminians. In keeping with the spirit of the post, it’s making fun of Calvinists who try to convert people who are already Christians, in addition to the absurd idea that Calvinists don’t need to evangelize.

Click it

Are you mad? This fad fortunately came and went. It was fraught with problems I need not go into. But I found it in a closet not even remembering I had one. When I see it, I will think, “What would Jesus have me do?” usually with my time. Or I’ll just think about Jesus. After a week I won’t notice it anymore and I’ll probably take it off. I’m not wearing it for others to see, not that I get out much. No big deal. I’ll use it as a tool to remind me to think about Him frequentlier, which I’m always striving to do more of.

Proverbs 3:5-6 HCSB
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
6 think about Him in all your ways,
and He will guide you on the right paths.

Also see:
Christian Fads: Did WWJD give Way to New “Marked” Bracelet? for a good treatment of Christian fads by my blogging friend, Michael Acidri (please remember me when you’re famous)

[W]hen asked by a student spouse the other week how she kept up with reading all that I read so that she could support me in my work, my wife’s response (worthy of Newman himself) was ‘Read what he’s reading??? Lovey, I don’t even bother to read what he’s writing!’ In fact, she famously claims never to have read anything I have ever written. Why should she? She lives with me and knows what I am really like;

–Carl Truman, Our Own Propaganda: Wives Must Not Believe It

My wife learns more about me when she reads what I write. Unfortunately this means I’m not communicating these things to her so that she knows me this well. This is a huge weakness of mine. I can’t see even getting close to this level. With God’s help hopefully I can make progress. How are you doing in this area?

Jesus is my only hero. There are others I admire, but they pale in comparison to him. Don’t let your favorite preacher or scholar be your hero. I’m proud to say this because of what God has done in me through the Holy Spirit, otherwise I wouldn’t see Him this way.

Jeremiah 9:24 GW
If they want to brag, they should brag that they understand and know me. They should brag that I, the LORD, act out of love, righteousness, and justice on the earth. This kind of bragging pleases me, declares the LORD.

1 Corinthians 1:12-13 GW
Each of you is saying, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in Paul’s name?

Dave reports at 5:48 PM on January 17: “At church this morning I ran into a man I had not seen for a very long time.” He didn’t mention any injuries but it must have been embarrassing. This shows you should never run in church.

Here is a stupid video to prove the point. Stupid way to make a theological point too. (Receiving doesn’t always mean actively taking.) It’s a little loud so turn the speakers down a little.

receive

1. to take into one’s possession (something offered or delivered): to receive many gifts.
2. to have (something) bestowed, conferred, etc.: to receive an honorary degree.
3. to have delivered or brought to one
4. to get or be informed of: to receive instructions; to receive news.
5. to be burdened with; sustain: to receive a heavy load.
6. to hold, bear, or contain: The nut receives a bolt and a washer. The plaster receives the impression of the mold.
7. to take into the mind; apprehend mentally: to receive an idea.
8. to accept from another by hearing or listening: A priest received his confession.
9. to meet with; experience

Ad playing Doritos for Eucharist yanked from Super Bowl contest

So now I’m an activist I guess. The tiny amount of letter writing generated from the blog may have made a small difference. I don’t know how much this helps, but hopefully some people’s eyes will be opened and want to look into it all.

Also see:

• Total Depravity
• Frito-Lay PepsiCo Response

This is one of many firsts for me. This is the worst commercial I’ve ever seen. I will not put this video on my site. I will give you a link to the video and where to write. I don’t know if this does any good–like I said it’s a first, but I want to try.

Feed Your Flock Doritos and Pepsi Max Crash The Superbowl 2011

www.fritolay.com/about-us/contact-us.html

HT: Alondra on FB

Edit: Please see Tim’s post in the comments for another perspective. Let me know if you have an opinion. I’m very open on this.