Semi-Monthly Apologetics

Tonight is our apologetics study. For those who don't know, apologetics is the defending or proving the truth of Christian doctrines. And stems from the Greek word απολογία or apologia (ap-ol-og-ee'-ah) meaning a plea (“apology”): - answer (for self), clearing of self, defence. We do it every two weeks. It's a study where we sit in a group and talk through our questions. It's awesome. If you're reading this and would like to come, email me and let me know.

Other Experiences

Institute for Creation Research of San Diego. We went for a tour through their museum and I didn't have enough time to read everything there. It was cool though. I gathered tons of literature on everything, so I'll be busy reading that for a few days and the website is filled with educational articles too. It was cool to go because it's been awhile since I've looked at creation and the science behind it. It brought up a few new questions that I have to consider, like the methods used to geometrically gauge distance in the universe, the speculated expansion contrasted with entropy making a big bang theory unlikely, and the order of organization of the celestial bodies. All kinds of cool stuff to consider.

Getting lost. Our journey into downtown San Diego for the first time this weekend proved a navigation headache. We wanted to find Horton Plaza, but the mapquest instructions we printed out were wrong and where they left off, we were lost. It took about an hour to find it finally. We'd been driving around it without knowing it the whole time, but then I happened to be going down F and it led straight into the Plaza parking garage. We were extremely relieved.

The Panda Inn. Once inside the Horton Plaza we hunted around and found the Panda Inn. It's a restaurant owned by the same people that own Panda Express, but it's actually a sit down and the food is of much higher quality. Maggie had chicken fried rice and I had Kon Pow Son Yun or something like that. It was basically Kon Pow with chicken, beef, and shrimp. We got fortune cookies at the end of the meal, but these weren't normal cookies. They were dipped in white chocolate. ::taste buds begin to water again:: The funny thing though: Maggie's cookie didn't have a fortune in it, so I guess her future remains unknown. We made an appointment to see a fortune teller next weekend to clear things up. At any rate, it was a satisfying experience for my taste buds. I would recommend it to anyone looking for some good Chinese food.

Wedding Date. The movie wasn't so bad that I had to walk out, but it wasn't edifying. A few good lines, but not recommendable. It'll leave the box office, get rented by a few people, and be forgotten.

Little Italy. The next day we found ourselves in Little Italy. It was a cool place. Tons of Italiano restaurants. I told Maggie we could make a year out of going to the restaurants there. Lots of shops with weird stuff in them. Artsy expensive shops. We ate at Fillipi's: a restaurante specializing in pizza. Have you ever had pizza that was so cheesy that you could feel your arteries clogging while you ate? That was this pizza. After being defibrillated and checking out a few shops we went over to Horton Plaza again cause now I know where the heck it is. We stopped in a few stores, Sharper Image, Sam Goody, and Bath and Body Works (FOR MAGGIE).

Ben & Jerry's Ice cream. It was mint chocolate chip CHUNK on a chocolate and sprinkles covered cone. I felt sick when I was done eating it, but it was the good kind of sick.

Fish Market. That night we went to the Fish Market across from out hotel. I had Alaskan King Crab, which is wonderful. We went there and I was still feeling full and a little sick from the Ben & Jerry's, but by the time the food was laid before me, I was ready to be eating. Crab is probably one of my favorite foods, if not my favorite. I love eating it, but its only downside is the time it takes to crack it all open and extract its meat. I'm getting faster though and King Crab is pretty easy to crack. Maggie had really good New England Clam Chowder, but she left all the clams in the bowl.

Shark Tale. The movie with the fish and Will Smith doing the voice. We went back to the hotel and decided to pay $12.99 to watch this movie. It's less than a movie out would have cost, but geez! Thirteen bucks for a movie on a little TV? After I was defibrillated again, we watched it. It wasn't the funniest movie ever, but it was alright. I told myself that after spending so much, I couldn't have regrets.

Horizon Christian Fellowship. Sunday morning, to finish off our weekend, we went to Pastor Mike Macintosh's church. I listen to him on the radio all the time and love his sermons, so we looked it up and found where it was. It was a good sermon on the attitude we bring when coming to God. It's not God who turns us away, but us who turn God away. We enjoyed it. Worship was amazingly refreshing. I loved the songs we sang. It was a nice change from the hymns we normally sing. Nothing wrong with hymns, but I enjoy worship music more.

Then we came home. It was a lot of fun and needed to be explained in greater detail, so I took a few minutes this morning to write more down and share with you guys. To cap it all off, we came home to our little doggie. We missed her a lot. At one point in our trip we passed a "doggie beach" where everyone was out playing with their dogs. It reminded us of Sandie. She really is a part of our family. We love her and are happy to be reunited again. ::tear:: Now, on our Monday off back at home, we're out of milk and planning on waffles for breakfast. So, I leave you now as I go to buy milk.

Love and the San Diego Sunset

It has been some time since I posted last, so no complaints at having to actually stop and read mine now. You've had your break.

Maggie and I are back from San Diego and happy to be home, though welcomed by a drenching downpoor of rain. It was a good weekend away that served to calm us and relieve our stresses. It was our first vacation with just the two of us since our honeymoon two and a half years ago. It was very nice to go and do whatever we wanted, without having to worry about anybody but ourselves. The weather was, however, sunny one moment and pouring the next. Despite its sporadic nature, it didn't hinder us from having fun.

We went to all kinds of interesting stores with outrageously priced weird things. We ate excellent cuisine at very unique restaraunts: my favorite part, of course. And we walked around and talked. Lots of fun.

The trip also left time to write. My book is actually progressing well beyond the first pages I had such a hard time with. I'm encouraged also because I have the inspiration and ideas for so much more. I was struggling with a small bit of writer's block before the trip, but the new atmosphere cleared me right up.

So, all in all, this weekend was an enjoyable and memorable one. I look forward to many more like it. It is a beautiful thing when you are able to be with the one you love in a place set apart from the stresses and struggles of everyday life. I found fun, happiness, and inspiration. My favorite part of the whole weekend was yesterday evening. We parked and watched the sunset together. A gorgeous sunset over the ocean with the one I love; no other thing can be substituted to bring such a unique joy to my heart. I love you Maggs.

Differing Sensation

The darkness of the light eludes my sight. Our senses belie the obvious existence of the unsubstantiated. There are the things supernatural that evade observation. There also, however, exist different worlds to all people. We know not the perception of others because our knowledge springs from that which only we have seen. The profundity of existence is bound within the mind of man. Colors, lights, smells, tastes, and all sensations are only subjective. Obvious differences exist, which verifies that each of us has been blessed with his own unique perception of created things. Oh how much individuality we have in God to see each thing differently than all others.