Father Son Retreat - Day 1

Last weekend, we went to a Father Son Retreat at our church (Hope Baptist Church). It started Friday night, and ended Saturday morning. It was a lot of fun! Stephen and I convinced Daddy to camp, so we left from work and arrived after stopping at Walmart to get a tarp, because the weather forecast that it might rain that night. For dinner there was pizza. After we ate dinner, we set up our tent, with the tarp under it. It wasn't too hard, and so we finished right before the sermons started. The first was by Mr. Brown, and he talked about what fathers and sons can learn from the relationship between God and Jesus. Here is a picture of Mr. Brown:



The next message was a short dialogue between Mr. Brown and Mr. Bradrick on how fathers exasperate their sons, and how sons need to honor their fathers.


After a short testimony by a man from Texas, Mr. Breagy, another elder at our church, gave a message about what we can learn from the story of Daniel. He said that we should resist temptation and not be enticed by the evils of the world around us.


Mr. Breagy

After the messages, we got to have smores, and we finally went to bed at about 11:30. We got in our sleeping bags, and then it started raining very hard. As the water poured down the side of the tent, it got caught under the tent by the tarp, so in a few minutes we were in a puddle of water! I got on the huge air mattress we borrowed from Mammaw (with my wet pillow.) And Stephen moved to the back seat of the truck! We spent the rest of the night trying to sleep!

Picking Apples

Picking apples has consequences, especially when doing it at dusk, like getting bee stings that swell your eye shut. Stephen got two bites right over his eye on his forehead which swelled over his eye, and one on his finger which spread all over his hand. Joshua got one under his ear which hardly swelled at all. Stephen's eye was almost covered before he went to bed and it was covered during the night, but it had gone down some in the morning.

Stephen is thankful that his sister Rachel was quick to get some ice for his forehead, and his mother gave him some 24-hour allergy relief, and later some acetaminophen and ibuprofen for pain. It was less than five minutes after Stephen came in screaming that Joshua came in with with similar screams of pain. As Rachel was getting ice for Joshua, Stephen's finger was stung, and we saw 3 bees buzzing in the house. My mother could not find any flying insect killer, but ant killer stopped them from flying so she could swat them on the floor, then Rachel disposed of the mean critters and cleaned the spray off the floor. After the excitement, Daddy came in with the apples, and we filled the dehydrator and 2 bags to freeze while Stephen read from Usher's The Annuls of the World.


His eye:



His finger:



He can make a good pirate face:

Church Planting Conference

On September 5-6 the National Center for Family Integrated Churches did a conference on church planting. The speakers were Dan Horn, Scott Brown, Steve Breagy, and Jason Dohm. On the first day Scott Brown started out with a talk on the "Centrality of Christ in the Church", which was about how Christ is the center of the church and how it can not go on without him. The second talk was by Jason Dohm titled "Establishing the Elements of Biblical Church Life" on how the church should look and how to do it. Then Dan Horn did a talk on the "Complementary Roles of Church and Home" which was about what roles are the church's and what roles the are the home's and how the church is doing the family's roles and the state is doing the church's roles and what the consequences of this are. Then Steve Breagy did a talk titled "Church Planting Checklist" which was not a checklist, because you can not make a checklist of all of what to do to plant a church. We might want a checklist of everything to do, but all situations are different so there is no right way to do it every time.

Then the second day started out with a talk by Dan Horn on church membership and why it is important to have it, with reasons like "the shepherds need to know who they are to protect." The second talk that day was by Scott Brown on Church Covenants, which was on the necessity to have one and he also walked through the covenant of Hope Baptist Church and why they had certain things in there. Next Dan Horn did a talk on "Issues and Answers for Maintaining Doctrinal Unity" which was about what to do about doctrinal unity to prevent a split. Then Jason Dohm did a talk on "Biblical Church Government" which was about qualifications for elders and deacons and he went through the passages which had the qualifications in them. Then Dan Horn did a talk on "Issues and Answers on Leaving a Church" which was about how to leave a church and why and how to avoid those who have left wrongly from their last church. Then Scott Brown ended with a talk on "The Loveliness of the Church" and about how Christ relates to the church and how the church is the bride of Christ. You should get these CDs if you are going to plant a church or if you already have. To buy the CD set, click here. To see upcoming NCFIC events, click here.

Baseball Game

On Tuesday August 25 we went to a baseball game with Shea, Stephen, and Mr. Breagy. The game was at the Durham Bull's stadium, and they were playing against the Indianapolis Indians.

Shea, Rachel, Joshua, Stephen, and Stephen

We ate dinner at the baseball game, and we got cotton candy too. The Durham Bulls beat the Indians at the bottom of the 10th inning. It was a really close game! We had a lot of fun since it was the Breagys first time going to the Durham Ball Park. They really liked the bull snorting when the Bulls hit a home run!


This is the player who hit the home run.


The bull snorting after they hit a home run.

We did not stay for the whole game because it was going so long, but the Breagys didn't leave right when we did, so they heard when the Bulls won. We tried to find the radio station to listen to on the way home, but we couldn't.

Beach Trip

This weekend we went to the beach. We had not been for a long time, but Daddy finally took us this week. Mommy, Rachel, Stephen and I drove with Mammaw (our maternal grandmother) to Myrtle Beach Thursday. We arrived there, and went to the ocean, but as soon as we got in, it started thundering, so we went in the lazy river that was there, but then after a little while the security guard said that we had to get out until the storm passed! We went to Walmart, and got some food there. We had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, and then Daddy arrived. That night we started playing a game called Empire Builder. It is a game that is about building railroads, and delivering loads from place to place. It is a lot of fun and requires a lot of thinking. We would play it more, but it takes a long time.


The next day we went swimming in the beach, and then we went in the lazy river again. It was fun. We tried to go as fast as we could, and pass each other.








We went out to eat at a seafood restaurant with Mammaw, and then she went back home.

We went swimming again, and had sandwiches for dinner. That night we played Empire Builder some more, but we were not able to finish. Stephen or Daddy would probably have won.

On Saturday morning we had to leave, so we got up early and swam in the ocean. Here are some pictures.




Scotland CDs

Loch Levin Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots abdicated the throne as a prisoner (we went here after the Faith & Freedom tour)

Vision Forum has published the CDs of their Scotland Faith and Freedom Tour. To Buy, Click Here. These talks on the CD take you back to the early centuries studying the early church fathers from all over Scotland and how they effected America. These talks explain the history of the early church fathers, the things leading up to the Reformation, and the Reformation itself. Some have said that John Knox, one of the Scottish reformers, effected America more that anyone else. If you buy them you will certainly enjoy them. The speakers are Doug Phillips, Bill Potter, Dr. Joe Morcraft III, and last but not least the Celtic Balladeer singer Charlie Zahm. Enjoy!








Other books about Scotland:
Scotland Reading List,
Bonny Prince Charlie,
Crown and Covenant Collection,
In Freedoms Cause

Raft Launching

Last year, Stephen and I made a raft out of logs from our woods. Mr, Brown let us launch it on the 4th of July last year, but it would not hold us because we used green wood. Last weekend, over a year later, we finally got to launch another! This one was made of big (and dry!) fallen logs that Daddy cut up with the chainsaw, and Daddy and I tied it together really well.

Mr. Brown kindly let us use his lake, with a swimming dock in it:


First I tried it out, and it worked great!
But there was some trouble when I tried to take Rachel to the dock.


Here is the result!
Eventually we decided that the best way to use it with two people was to have one person hold on the back, while the other paddles.

Stephen trying it out



We had a great time useing the raft and swimming. The only bad thing was that we all got sunburned.

Scotland - 2008 Trip Summary


Here is an outline of Scottish history, and is very similar to the one we used for a Scotland Reformation presentation we did at our church with pictures from the Scotland Faith and Freedom Tour.



1. The British Museum - The Meaning of History

2. Kilmartin Cairn, 1500BC-200AD – Danger from within and without - A Contrast and a Warning

3. Iona, 520AD-800AD – The Power of the Gospel reaching the entire world and the Perpetuity of the Church

4. Urquhart/Loch Ness, 540AD – Crossroads of History - visited by Columba who founded Iona, attacked by one of Wallace's generals, and by a Jacobite force.

5. Edinburgh Castle / Margaret's Chapel 1100AD – Contrasts with Popery

6. William Wallace, 1250-1305AD – The Importance of Jurisdiction. The English can not rule Scotland, they are a separate jurisdiction.

7. Robert Bruce, Battle of Bannockburn, Declaration of Arborath, (Reign 1306-1329) – Precursor to the American Revolution

8. Highland Games established in Ceres to commemorate the battle of Bannockburn, 1315

9. St. Andrews, (Scottish Reformation) 1528-1547 – The blood of the martyrs

10. John Knox, 1510-1572 – Fearing no man, fearing God alone

11. Covenants, 1620-1660 – God’s people banding together

12. Covenanters, 1660-1688 – “There’s nae joukin in the cause of Christ” - James Guthrie

13. Puritans and Jacobites, 1688-1788 - Examples of Righteous and Unrighteous Rebellion



14. Livingston, 1813-1873 – Worked for Evangelism, Exploration and Emancipation

15. Spurgeon, 1832-1892 – The power of preaching

16. What this all means – we must spend and be spent for the bride of Christ



Alba Gu Bra,

Joshua Horn

Jonathan Park - New Set




Vision Forum has just produced a new Jonathan Park album, one you can take to the zoo, and learn about the animals there from a creationist worldview. You can also buy communicator watches, just like they use in the episodes!




The Castles of Scotland



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Charlie Zahm in Scotland

When we first signed up for the Faith and Freedom Tour, we thought that the only way that the trip could be better would be that Charlie Zahm would come as our balladeer. When we went to the 200 Year Plan conference, Mr. Phillips told us that they had arranged for Mr. Zahm to come! We were really excited. We ordered another CD (Scotland's Heroes) from him to prepare for the trip.

Charlie Zahm mostly sings Scottish, American and Irish folk songs. We first heard him at the National Constitution Party convention in 2004, but when we really learned about him was on the Faith and Freedom Tour in Philadelphia. We also heard him at the Jamestown Quadricentenial Celebration, where we bought a CD.

It was wonderful to hear Mr. Zahm sing Scots Wae Hae at Stirling Castle, Will ye no come back again? at Culloden, and Scotland the Brave at the closing dinner. He did three concerts during the trip, and at many stops along the way.


Here is Mr. Zahm singing Scots Wae Hae at Stirling Castle. Mommy and Rachel and in the background.

'Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome tae your gory bed,
Or tae Victorie!
'Now's the day, and now's the hour:
See the front o' battle lour,
See approach proud Edward's power -
Chains and Slaverie!
'Wha will be a traitor knave?
Wha will fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a slave?
Let him turn and flee!
'Wha, for Scotland's king and law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Freeman stand, or Freeman fa',
Let him on wi' me!
'By Oppression's woes and pains!
By your sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free!
'Lay the proud usurpers low!
Tyrants fall in every foe!
Liberty's in every blow! -
Let us do or dee!'
If you enjoyed this, you might want to visit his website, http://www.charliezahm.com/ where you can order CDs, and listen to samples.

Scotland updates - more comming soon!

No more pictures for a while, because we are leaving for Branson tomorrow.

I am putting pictures in the posts we wrote in Scotland. Some are already up, and there are more to come.

Check back soon!

---
Joshua

Scotland Pictures - Day 4




Scotland Pictures - Day 2 & 3

Edinburgh Castle

Mr. Phillips speaking at Grassmarket, where many Covenanters were martyred


Parking space 23 in the St. Giles church parking lot where John Knox is buried

Scotland - Day 1

We are now in Scotland! We arrived a few days ago and have been on two days of the Faith and Freedom Tour, and have really enjoyed learning all the Scottish and Covenanter history.

We flew out of Charlotte after church. Our flight was delayed because of mechanical and weather problems, and we arrived in Philadelphia, and discovered that we had missed our connection to Glasgow. Kelly Bradrick, her baby Triumph and Blair Brown, who we were traveling with to Scotland, got an alternate flight through London. We walked to the gate of that flight, and they finally got us the last five seats on the plane. After the all-night flight we arrived in London, and we boarded our plane to Glasgow, but Mrs. Bradrick and Ms. Brown were not able to get through security. We arrived in Glasgow, got our car, and waited for them, but they had gotten on a flight to Edinburgh, where we were really headed. When they did not come, we drove to Edinburgh just in time for the opening dinner, and they arrived before we left Glasgow. Our luggage did not make it, since we barely got on the flight to London.


Us waiting for our plane in North Carolina

We really enjoyed the speeches that Mr. Doug Phillips and Mr. Potter made, and we also enjoyed Charlie Zahm's ballads.

Mr. Zahm

Scotland - Day 10

On day 10 the bus left at 5:45am to get on a  ferry to the Isle of Mull. The first ferry was a 45 minute ferry ride, after about an hour drive. Once we were landed we got on the buses to drive across the Isle of Mull to get on a ferry to the Isle of Iona. Iona is the place that Columba first came to. Many missionaries left from there to go to all parts of the world. One of them was Brendan, who went all the way to the equator. In his diary it says, "We came to one place where all there was to eat was long yellow fruit that you had to peel." These were bannanas so we know he made it to the equator. There is evidence that some of them made it to North America. We went into the oldest chapel, which is tiny, for a talk by Doug  Phillips. Then we went into a bigger chapel that is still used as a church  for a talk by Doug Phillips and then one by Dr. Joe Morcraft. Then we went into the abbey that is also used as a church for a concert by Charlie Zahm. Then we  went into the graveyard and listened to a speech by Doug Phillips on some of the people that were buried there. There were 48 Scot kings, Pict Kings, Irish kings, and Viking kings. There was also a talk by Bill Potter on the Picts and their lifestyle. Then we went to the Iona Book Store which had old used books and we bought some. After we ate lunch we went to a building which had ancient tombstones and other important stones to protect them from the weather. After that we went down to the beach. Then we went to some souvenier shops but did not buy anything. We waited for the ferry and when it came we got on. When we arrived on the Isle of Mull  we drove back across the Island to the other ferry location.We got on the ferry to the mainland and arrived safely. Then we got on the buses and arrived at the hotel at 9:00pm. We had to pack up because we were leaving the next day.

Scotland - Day 8

On Monday we first went to Urquhart Castle, on the shores of Loch Ness. It has an incredible history, which includes the friends of Wallace, of the covenantors, of Cromwell and Bonnie Prince Charlie. When we arrived Mr. Phillips gave a speech on the Loch Ness monster, Nessie. He said that if we did find a Loch Ness monster, it would be a very serious problem for the evolutionists, because if their worldview is correct, all dinosaurs would have been dead for more than a million years. After this speech, we explored the castle. We went to this castle, and several of the other sites on our trip to Scotland two years ago. You can read our blog posts on it here.





After the castle we went to a little town about a mile away for lunch, and a Loch Ness exhibit if the families wanted to. We went to the exhibit, which is the 'original' exhibit that gives a more favorable view of Nessie's existence. We enjoyed this, as we had gone to the 'new' visitor's center on our previous trip. At the visitor center they had a couple bookcases of used books for only one pound each. ($2.17)

Our next stop was Culloden battlefield. Mr. Potter told us what happened there, Mr. Zahm sang, and we did a reenactment charge. After visiting the battlefield, we walked to the visitor center, which was updated since two years ago. One exhibit was a 360 view of the battle, and a map that showed the movements of the troops. We really enjoyed this, and could have spent more time there, but it closed.



After this we drove back to Fort William, and tried to find a place to eat, and we went to a bad Chinese restaurant, and then we back to the hotel.

Scotland - Pictures




Old books that I bought











The train driving over a bridge near the Jacobite monument.

Scotland - Day 9

We are skipping yesterday for sake of time.

Today we rode on the "The Jacobite" Railway, which runs from Fort William to a small fishing village called Mallaig. It is a steam train that goes through the beautiful Highland country, and passes the bay where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard at a place called Glenfinnan. We had a really fun time. Mr. Zahm sang some songs for us, and we talked with the others on our tour. We arrived in Mallaig and ate lunch (the normal fish and chips for some) and walked around the souvenir shops while we waited for the train to leave.

When we got back from the train ride, we walked down the street and  went to several shops, including the grocery and a used book store. There Daddy got around 15 books and I bought 3. We found four R. M. Ballantyne books there, which was exciting. The owner was nice enough to ferry the books to our apartment for us. After shopping we returned home to cook dinner and consider how to fit these purchases into our suitcases!

---
Joshua