We finished the first night of the retreat. We had an awesome time today. It was the best discussion we’ve had with the youth in a long time. Jennifer had a good teaching time with the girls tonight about purity and modesty, while I took some time with the guys to talk about some “guy” issues. Overall, I hope that the youth really learned the message that purity starts from the heart, and that it is more than just physical actions.
Tomorrow, we’re off to Carowinds.
Archive - July, 2006
Retreat Update
Relationships & RollerCoasters
We’re off today to Charlotte for our first Cornerstone Youth Retreat. Our first session tonight will be about relationships. Here is the plan for what we are talking about.
- Purity in a Passionate World – We should focus on staying close to God. Too often we focus on what not to do, not what we should do
- Rating Your Dating – Should you date? How old should you be? Is it ok to date non-Christians? We’ll dig in and study dating and our relationships with the other sex.
- Waiting For Mating – We’ll spend some time talking about God’s design for sex in a relationship. We’ll again talk about purity and intimacy in marriage.
I’m excited about how this has all come together in the last few days. We have 14 youth going with us. After the first session. We’ll split up into guys and gals and talk about rollercoasters in life. Those things that take you on a wild ride, often away from God.
Saturday is Carowinds. We’ll spend all day waiting in line and getting hot. But it will be fun. I also just found out that Carowinds was just bought this month by CedarPoint, see here for details.
Pray for our safe travel and that the youth will be challenged to take a stand for God.
3D Projection
I went to a cool presentation on Monday at the Carroll County Governmental Complex. It was about a new 3D Projection company call 3DH. They were promoting the technology for business and education. I went for my company to investigate using this projection system for trade shows and possible design review meetings. Basically, it is a two projector system that projects on a flat screen. It’s really amazing to see how the image “jumps” off the screen and seems to come out of the screen all the way to the viewer. Here is some info from their site. 
“3DH has developed a patented process to capture, produce, and display images in a revolutionary way. This process allows the brain to perceive the imagery as real, with no nausea or unpleasant side effects. …”
The equipment is extremely expensive, but it’s really awesome to see. But what got me really interested was a demo video clip they showed of the Holy Land in Israel. They have filmed different locations in Israel and are planning on showing the 3D movie and images in a traveling museum show called “From Abraham to Jesus”. It will be in Charlotte from March 14, 2007 – March 31, 2007. After seeing the intro video, I think this will be an awesome opportunity to see the geography and places of the Bible. This really will make it come to life and impact the way you view the stories of the Bible, especially for those who have not been able to travel to Israel. This is an awesome use of technology in helping people understand the Bible.
This groundbreaking touring exhibit features the largest most breathtaking, collection of Holy Land antiquities to ever hit U.S. soil. The multi-media exhibit combines the awe of over 240 priceless artifacts, some dating back to the time of Abraham, original video footage shot throughout the Holy Land, and the power of modern multimedia technology presentation, propelling visitors on a landmark walk through 2,500 years of Biblical history that they will never forget. This event will also feature the U.S. inaugural visit of some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Ossuary (bone box) of Simon the Cyrene, the man who carried the cross for Jesus. This stunning 30,000 square foot walk-through exhibit will travel to 28 cities nationwide, beginning September 2006 and concluding December 2008.
What Are You Waiting For?
That was the title of my sermon yesterday in church. I spoke from Acts 1:11 about the disciples being told about the return of Jesus. What would happen if we started living our lives like Jesus were coming back tomorrow? I think for most of us, we would live differently. Here are some of the ways that I think it would affect us.
- It would affect our choices: We need to be prepared for the return of Christ, so the choices we make each day should reflect that
- It would affect our relationships: We need to be intentional about investing in the lives of others. Do we just coast through life on Cruise Control, or do we pay attention to the people that we come into contact with each day?
- It would affect our attitude: We should be excited about the return of Christ. Why do we get frustrated, exasperated, and constipated about the little things in life. We should live each day to the fullest because of the hope we have in Jesus
Although we should live like Jesus is coming back tomorrow, we should also prepare in case he doesn’t come back in our lifetime. We should leave a legacy of faith for our children and the others that we know. We simply don’t know when Jesus will come back. We know He will, and even though it seems like it could be any day, we still cannot predict when it will happen.
Overall, church was good. We were pretty low on attendance because of vacations, but we had a good time of sharing and coziness. Preparing for this message has definitely made me go back and think about some areas in my life that need improving. That’s the cool part about preaching and teaching, I usually am preaching to myself more than the church because I see so many things in my life that need to change when I study Scripture.
Running & Biking on the New River Trail
Jennifer and I went bike riding on the New River Trail this morning. We started at Gambetta and rode all the way to Byllesby Dam and back. We rode about 13 miles all together. I absolutely love the outdoors and we are blessed to have such incredible natural beauty right in our hometown. I try to get out and ride or run at least twice a week. It is really a pain (literally) to get back into shape. As I have gotten older and larger, it really has made a difference.
Luckily there is some technology that can help as you run and bike. I’ve got one of the little bike cyclocomputers that I purchased at Wally World on clearance. It tells you your average speed, distance, and time riding. It really helps when you are pushing yourself to know how fast and how far you are going. It uses a simple magnet sensor to count how many times the wheel spins in a given time. Using the circumference of your tire, it is easy to calculate how far you have been. I also occasionally use a chest heart rate strap that tells me my pulse on a special watch. Knowing your heart is important to push yourself at a good pace.
Now for the good stuff. Apple and Nike have teamed up to design a sensor that fits in your shoe and transmits to a receiver plugged in your ipod nano. At first I thought it might be a simple pedometer which just measures your steps and are typically inaccurate. But this sensor is a 3D accelerometer which measures the acceleration and deceleration of your footstrike while running. It can tell how long your foot stays in contact with the ground and can differentiate between walking and running. The coolest thing about it is that it only costs $29. It is supposed to be over 90% accurate out of the box and even more so after you calibrate it to your running/walking style. 
Since I don’t want to put down $100 for a new pair of Nike shoes, I plan on doing some X-Acto work on my shoes and placing the sensor in my Pearl Izumi running shoes. I’ll let you know how it works out.
I have been convicted about how important it is to take care of my body and keep in shape. I know we all have heard a million times that our bodies are the temple of God, but do we really believe it? If you were only given one car to use for life, would you be careful with it and not abuse it? So why do we ove
r-eat, why do we sit on our butts all day, and why do we not take care of ourselves? I also want to teach my kids the importance of staying in shape. And to top it all off, we get to learn and enjoy about the beauty of God’s creation.
If a little technology helps to accomplish this, then why not take advantage of it?
Podcasts
I looked at my subscribed podcasts and realized that maybe there is something to this ‘faith engineer’ thing. I also realized how much I listen to during a typical week. Thankfully, I am usually at my desk and I have the freedom to listen to whatever I want to during the day as long as I get my work done. I also listen as I drive to work and back home each day.
Engineering Podcasts
- SolidWorks Podcasts (3D Engineering CAD software)
- DDi SolidWorks Podcast (SolidWorks News and Tips)
- CNet News.com Daily Tech News (good tech news, mostly about M$oft and Google)
- Mountain-Wave Solidworks (Solidworks Video Tutorials)
Faith Podcasts
A New Beginning with Greg Laurie (One of my favorites preachers to listen to)
A Youthful Expression
I had a meeting last night about an upcoming youth rally in Felts Park. I’m excited about what God is doing here in Galax. Over 10 different youth groups will be coming together to participate. Cornerstone already had lined up Todd Shaw to come speak, so we are going to get him to speak at the rally. I’m also excited to see churches reach out and break racial boundaries that have existed for years in this area. Our area has been hit hard by drug arrests and job layoffs in the past year. I hope that this rally will give youth a chance to share their troubles and focus on God. Todd is a great speaker, so I’m looking forward to the wisdom that he will share.
Check out the flyer
Faith Engineer?
Why is the blog name ‘Faith Engineer’
Well, my college degree is from Virginia Tech in Mechanical Engineering. Engineers solve problems. They apply technology and science to develop new solutions. Engineering is more than knowledge, it is knowing how to correctly apply that knowledge. Engineering requires creativity, persistence, and wisdom. So how does that apply to faith?
Ministry is very similar to engineering. You have to solve problems, apply principles, and creatively find new solutions to sharing your faith in Jesus Christ. So maybe I am a ‘faith engineer’
My job is engineering. My passion is teaching others about Christ.
Cornerstone Sermons
- Powerful Prayer May 14, 2012
- Which God do you serve May 9, 2012
- The Making of a Man of God May 1, 2012
- Living a Missional Life April 24, 2012
- Building a Discipling Culture April 16, 2012
- Death Brings Life April 10, 2012
- Looking Back April 7, 2012