“Watch your thoughts, for they become words; watch your words, for they become actions; watch your actions, for they become habits; watch your habits, for they become your character; and watch your character for it becomes your destiny” (Donyes np). The simplest things such as our thoughts and words can impact who we become. Throughout life we become a product of our experiences. Kanakuk was one of those experiences that has changed my destiny. I could never imagine how this two-week long summer camp has changed my life. Over the past ten years, I have spent 140 days at different Kanakuk Kamps.
Kanakuk is a Christian-based sports camp located in Branson, Missouri. In 1926, Kanakuk was created for young men to come to a summer camp and learn
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about Jesus (White np). Since then, girls have joined and the one camp has expanded to many different camps, for many different age groups. Each summer, over 16,000 kids ages 6-18 will go to camp and some, like myself, will have their lives influenced for eternity (White np). Sports are a main focus for many people that go to this camp. Each summer the staff consists of over 2,000 dedicated, Jesus-loving college students (White np). During the “off season”, the full-time Kanakuk staff embark on a journey around the country recruiting top-notch college students, many of whom are collegiate athletes, to fill their summer staff and counselor positions. Even though sports and activities are the main draws to the camp, they are not the primary objective. Furthermore, the primary objective of Kanakuk is to revolutionize America's culture by evangelizing and equipping the next generation of leaders who will reach the world for Christ. The staff shows kids that being a follower of Christ is pleasurable through their words, relationships, and lives. Over the years I have been greatly influenced by the faith of the Christian men that have poured into my life over the span of my years at camp. For example, I have had multiple in-depth conversations with men who had the same struggles that I do today. These men have been an example of how to live a life on fire for the Lord. When I was seven years old I went to Kanakuk for the first time. K-Kountry, the first of many camps I attended focused on young children between the ages of seven and eleven. At the age of seven, the obstacle may have been the thought of being away from my mom and dad for two weeks, but knowing my older brother Tyler, and friends, Cooper and Maris Griffith, would be close diminished the “scariness” of the whole ordeal. Reflecting on the four years I spent attending K-Kountry, my main goal at the time was to have fun. Little did I know that while I was there I developed life-long friendships, a Christian worldview, and a foundation that I continued to build on throughout my life. Geared strictly for kids between the ages of 12 and 14, K-West was for the awkward middle school stage. Like K-Kountry, K-West was an extremely fun camp, but also like K-Kountry, it discretely built that foundation and changed my life without me even realizing it. Comparable to most middle school kids, I would act like I was listening, but it mostly went in one ear and out the other. I knew all the right answers, but I didn’t have a personal relationship with God. A few weeks before entering high school, I once again set out for Kamp Kanakuk. This time the camp, called K-2, was for high school students between the ages of 14 and 18. Not only was this the biggest and most exhilarating camp, but it was also the most spiritually influential. My first year at this camp was when I experienced a spiritual awakening. The talks that were given by Joe White, the President of Kanakuk Kamps influenced me the most. He focused on four main topics throughout our two weeks of camp: creation, purity, Jesus’ death and resurrection, and applying all that we had learned. During the creation talk, we all sat out under the cosmos and Joe pointed out many stars and collections of stars that created images throughout the night sky.
After realizing how intricately placed the night sky was, he introduced the many theories people have accepted as to how our universe was created. “Life originated by accident” was the first theory in which he disproved by quoting scientists and what they believe about this theory. Dr. Edwin Conklin, Professor of Biology at Princeton University, said “The probability of life originating from accident is comparable to the probability of the unabridged dictionary resulting from an explosion in a printing shop” (Donyes np).
The next theory that he disproved was the “Primordial Soup Theory”. Sir Fred Hoyle scoffed at the ridiculous atheistic notion when he said, “The notion that a living cell could be arrived at by chance in a primordial organic soup here on earth is evidently nonsense of a high order.” “There was no primeval soup, neither on this planet, nor on any other, and if the beginning of life were not random, life must therefore have been the product of purposeful intelligence” (Donyes
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np). The “Big Bang Theory” was the final theory that he disproved. . This theory states that “nothing” exploded, and out of this “nothing” everything was created. Contrary, nothing orderly has ever come out of any explosion in history, so I do not understand the beliefs of many, being that our entire existence came from an explosion. Renowned Cosmologist Andre Linde pronounced, “The Big Bang Theory is scientifically brain-dead… one may wonder what came before the Big Bang? If space and time did not exist then, how could everything appear from nothing”? (Linde qtd. in Donyes np) After listening to Joe expand on these theories, I was enlightened to the idea that the only way life could exist is from a “higher intelligence”. I was now contingent to the reality that not everyone believed that God is the creator of all things, and I must be ready to defend my beliefs on this subject. Sharpening my skills concerning Apologetics would be imperative. Slowly but surely, I was beginning to understand my need for a faith rooted deep in the truth. A few nights went by and Joe came back to speak to us again, but this time about Purity. Consequently, I developed strong convictions from listening to this talk. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.” Reading this verse reminded me that there was something greater living inside me that deserved to be kept pure. After hearing Joe talk about purity, I realized that most men in today’s society view women as sex objects rather than actual people. At the age of 15, sitting inside the Kanakuk gym, I was given a penny, in a sealed bag, that had never been touched by human hands. This was a symbol of the kind of purity that the Bible talks about in Galatians 5. At that point in time, I promised myself that I would abstain from having sex until I was married. Nevertheless, I knew I could and would be ridiculed by my peers, but I had given my word to Jesus and I wouldn’t be swayed by the world. I would rather be pure for my future wife, instead of being “cool” in the eyes of my peers. “Cross talk” night was the only night at camp where you were expected to be completely serious.
We observed a series of skits that exhibited the attributes of Jesus. During the final skit, while we were sitting inside the K-Life gym, a black curtain dropped and we saw three men hanging from crosses. The men looked as if they had taken baths in blood, and they were struggling to speak and breathe; the man on the middle cross portrayed Jesus. The skit continued to act out the entirety of the crucifixion and the presence of the Holy Spirit was prominent in the room. I was astonished when I realized that He suffered and died on the cross for a person as broken and sinful as me. After the skit was over, Joe slowly walked out to speak to everyone who had just watched the simulated crucifixion. He revealed to us how undeserving we are of God’s grace, and how Jesus died for every person that has ever lived. He continued on with his disquisition and we eventually began to worship. At this point in time I had begun to pray to Jesus, that he would take over my life and use me in a way that glorifies him. I did not know what this would look like, but I desired to be a living example of a man of God.
The night before we left, Joe talked to us about how it was essential that we continued our walk with Christ. We couldn’t obtain the spiritual “camp high”, and then go back home and fall back into the worldly way of living that we were accustomed to. Many of the kids who go to camp are
active believers. Consequently, while you are at camp, upholding the Christian walk is easily managed, but I knew that once I returned to my everyday world, it would become oppressive. Joe challenged us to apply what we had studied and learned to be true to our everyday walk. I was convicted and took his challenge to heart. Throughout the next three years, I heard these “talks” over and over again, and my resolve grew along with my faith. I now know that living according to what the world says is easy. The ways of the world and our earthly desires is natural comparatively; living according to what Jesus says is much more difficult. Holding myself accountable to the word of God has proven to be a daunting task, but I continue to learn and grow daily. God says in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” All in all, I aspire to use the tools and lessons I’ve been given, to be a living example of our Creator. Throughout my years at Kanakuk, my faith has grown tremendously and I hope to pass that faith on to those to come.
The book draws its name from the first essay, "The Lives of a Cell," in which Thomas offers his observations on ecology and the role of cellular activity. He writes that the "uniformity of the earth's life, more astonishing then its diversity, is accountable by the high probability that we derived, originally, from some single cell, fertilized in a bolt of lightning as the earth cooled" (3).
The primordial Soup theory was discovered in 1920. According to the Russian scientist A.I. Oparin and English Geneticist J.B.S. Haldane life started in a warm pond/ocean in a process that took place 3.8 billion years ago. A combination of chemicals made fatty acids which made protein. In this process a molecule was born in the atmosphere. The molecule was energized with lightning and rain making “organic soup”. The first organisms would have to be simple heterotrophs in order to survive.
John Polkinghorne’s The Universe as Creation does its best to not convince the reader of Intelligent Design, but rather to dissuade the reader from the notion that although the is intelligently designed, but in this way, it has made science possible.
After making the difficult decision of moving out from a school I called home and attended since Kindergarten, my freshman year in a new environment made for a rocky start. I fell into the wrong crowd, tried getting out, but kept making bad decisions, which eventually led to a deep depression. My dreams I had as a child were fading before my eyes, and negative thoughts consumed my mind. I started to believe that I had no purpose and could never amount to anything, but the four days at Camp Barnabas in Missouri changed the course of my entire life. This experience was important to me and helped sculpt me into the person I am today.
Mark Driscoll brings out different viewpoints relating to creation. As Christians, Genesis 1:1 can be our foundation in our belief, “in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” This helps us realize the miraculous act of God by which He brought the universe into existence. We should not have to rely on individuals using Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory to help explain the origin of life apart from God. God creation set us apart. After all, God stated His creation was made “very good”.
The Primordial Soup Hypothesis was proposed by biochemist Alexander Oparin in 1924. He claimed that life started in a warm body of water due to a combination of chemicals which led to form amino acids then to form proteins. The evidence that he used was that organic compounds may have endured a sequence of reactions that created more and more complex molecules. An experiment conducted to test this theory was the Miller-Urey Experiment done by Stanley Miller and Harold Urey.
Only in the past one hundred years have men finally put aside their Biblical and mythical tales about creation, and looked to the facts in order to piece together a logical explanation for the origin of mankind. In turn, men were now able to explain the enigma of their origin without the presence of a supernatural being responsible for their creation. At the head of a slew of men trying to uncover logical reasons for mans derivation was Charles Darwin. Darwin was the most accomplished of these men because he was able to put forth a logical conjecture that was based upon facts and observations. This theory, for a short time, was able to end the feud among educated men because many now put their trust in this new “theory of evolution”. Unfortunately, this revolutionary new theory threatened the religious beliefs about creation and soon a new rivalry emerged between the creationists and evolutionists.
After Sir Charles Darwin had introduced his original theory about the origins of species and evolution, humanity’s faith in God that remained undisputed for hundreds of years had reeled. The former unity fractured into the evolutionists, who believed that life as we see it today had developed from smaller and more primitive organisms, and creationists, who kept believing that life in all its diversity was created by a higher entity. Each side introduced substantial arguments to support their claims, but at the same time the counter-arguments of each opponent are also credible. Therefore, the debates between the evolutionists and the creationists seem to be far from ending. And though their arguments are completely opposite, they can co-exist or even complement each other.
In the early 1800's, a group of naturalists led by Captain FitzRoy, were planning an overseas trip, which they called the Voyage of the Beagle. They invited Darwin along, not as a naturalist, but as a helper. Through this trip, Darwin met many explorers that had their own theories about evolution. The first theory, which is the best known and most widely accepted one, is creationism. Creationism states that God created the heavens and the earth. Th...
For as long as long as history has been recorded there has been interest in how the universe came to be. The science community seems to agree that the big bang was what created the universe, but there are many conflicting arguments surrounding what existed before the big bang and what initiated it. While there are nearly infinite responses to this question, there are only two paths one can take when answering it; either something existed prior to the big bang or the entire universe came from nothing. Lawrence M. Krauss, acclaimed physicist and cosmologist, uses his understanding of science in his book, A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather than Nothing, to elucidate that it is logical for something to come from nothing. Krauss recognizes that much of the world attributes the creation to God and quotes Steven Weinberg in saying that “science does not make it impossible to believe in God, but rather makes it possible to believe in God” (183). Using the big bang theory, the discovery of both dark matter and energy, and the idea that many features of the universe do come from nothing Krauss makes a convincing argument that the universe did indeed come about with no preexistence.
It has been around 14 hours since I have gotten back from the Freshmen Retreat, and I happy to be able to write about the success of the trip in all parts, regarding my personal goal, what I learned about my fellow advisory peers, and realizing a bit more about myself.
My personal cultural identity is a lot different compared to the society I am surrounded by. I am considered an outsider in my society. I am an outsider living in a constantly changing environment where there are many different kinds of people and many different cultural identities. In my culture we know how to respect people and their belongings, know how to work hard, use what we have while being thankful for it at the same time, and last we know how to stay true to ourselves in this very fast pace world of ours. I am a cowboy.
One thing that really bothers me is how much I changed. I used to play games all day, not focus on school, wouldn't get in serious trouble, and was very innocent compared to my present day self. There are cons and pros of my past self compared to how I am currently. I am more happy of how I am now then I am before. As time changes, so do I and I can not stop that. What’s done has already been done and can’t be changed so you always have to look towards the future and never the past. The past will not definite who you are today unless you let it. I would have never expect that I would be transferred to a continuation high school in my freshman year. It is a bad thing to many people, but I am thankful that I am sent to it because I will learn
“The greatest mystery of existence is existence itself” (Chopra). Chopra, a world-renowned author, perceives the existence of life as a truly mystifying cerebration. The pending question that many scientist, and even theists, attempt to answer is how life ultimately began. Currently, the mystery is left with two propositions, evolution and creation. While both approaches attempt to answer the origins of life, evolution and creation are two contrasting concepts. Evolution views life to be a process by which organisms diversified from earlier forms whereas creation illustrates that life was created by a supernatural being. Creation and evolution both agree on the existence of microevolution and the resemblance of apes and humans but vary in terms of interpreting the origins of the life through a historical standpoint. A concept known as Faith Vs Fact comprehensively summarizes the tone of this debate, which leads the question of how life began.
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution took years and years of research. Throughout these years he found different people who were also interested in this phenomena and had them join him in the study. Before Charles conducted his research he looked back in time to other scientists who wrote about this theory. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, believed there were natural laws in how the world came to be. “He believed that there were “higher” species and also “lower” species, and the lower ones gave rise to the higher” (Rosenberger 3). He believed against the usual myths about how the universe came to be and had similar ideas to Darwin. In 1831, Charles was asked by Capt. Robert Fitz-Roy to set sail on the H. M. S. Beagle, which sailed around the world. “Charles was to record information about the geology,...