Shades

This was fun. I have been messing around with a free image software called gimp. Its pretty cool. It can do most of the stuff that Adobe Photoshop can as well as many of the tools of illustrator. It is still taking me a while to learn all of the tools, but I am happy with what I can do right now. Either way, it is fun to mess around with this stuff again.

Jakos Grandrock

Jakos Grandrock is one Bane's most trusted Generals. He is the Dragon Rider and was responsible for the destruction of the Nexus League's mountain base north of Meldui. He killed the great Elvin archer, El Cinder, and has since been Yhhric's arch nemesis.

The Soulless

I must also say, Good job, Shedu! Check this out, Pete.

Finrax, king of Zerintoc

Rifftrax

Ever wonder what happened to the guys from MST3k? Well, Mike Neilson and Kevin Murphy(the mad doctor) now run this website. They sell MP3 "riffs" that you can run simultaniously with your favorate movie. Sure, you don't have the nice silouettes of Mike and the robots, but still. I think I will need to watch the LOTR or starwars

Addressing a post from some time ago

You know, I have been really wanting to respond to this post for a very long time. However, since you address so many things, I never knew where to start. Since I have a test tomorrow and I do not yet know the material at 1 in the morning, I figured now would be a good time to respond.

I guess I would say that I do indeed feel God in my life, at least much of the time. Though sometimes he feels very far off, almost absent, other times I feel Him next to me and in this I am more certain than anything else in my life.

I know you mentioned the "euphoria" as being the catalyst of your religious experience. If I understand you right, you believe that you were somehow tricked into feeling this way, in believing something that wasn't there. While much religious music and architecture it meant to affect the person, it is never meant to deceive them. Generally it is supposed to inform the worshiper/visitor that they are in a special place, a place set aside(holy)for God. In essence, it is supposed to quite all the distractions in your mind so that you can reflect on the holiness of God.

I do not know about the alter call stuff and all that entails, since I am Lutheran and we do not do that sort of thing.

I would like to address your post-experience reaction. You discount your experience because in the aftermath, the joy or emotion or whatnot faded as time goes on leaving you feeling mislead. I want to ask you a question: what indeed did you do to foster the faith that was apparently started at those times?

Many people will have a fervor for faith in God but then they do nothing with the gift that they were given. If you do not believe in double predestination and if you believe that you have free will, that means that you have to do something to seek God. He is not always going to be in your face. He is not always going to make things great for you, because he wants you to seek Him. He is not going to radically change the way you think because he values your free will. If you want to know Him and if you want Him to change you, you need to hear what He has to say. You need to stay in his word, seek his guidance, and pray for his spirit.

Some people say they don't need someone else telling them how to view and understand God. What arrogance! Didn't you need someone to tell you how to understand science, math, the English language? No one would say,"I don't need someone else to tell me what happened in the past. I can know it on my own without archaeological, eyewitness, and historical information." That would be ridiculous. The same goes with God. You can have a vague idea of what God is by observing nature, but this is but a shadow. You can't truly know God unless he reveals himself to you. He does this through his Son, Christ Jesus. And we read what his Son had to say and, most importantly, what he did, in scriptures.

You say you wonder why you why God hasn't touched your life. Well, I gather from what your wrote here and our conversations in the past that He has. Yet the question remains, what did you do in response?

I will respond to one more thing. Many of you have blamed Christians for acting in various ways and not always acting as they should. I must stress, Christians are sinful people like everyone else. Some do not have good instruction and believe they are better than others, but this simply is not the case. Christians are not perfect, and they never will be in this life time. That is the whole point. That is the whole reason Christ came. Anyone that claims he is perfect, or even a good person by God's standards, is fooling himself. Christ died for us because we are slaves to our sin and are, by our sinful natures, enemies of God. Yet while we were still in our sins, Christ died for us. In your baptism, you are brought into this new covenant with Christ. This is our central message. This is what we proclaim. Don't let "Christians" get in the way of your relationship with Christ.

Long post. I'll stop now. As always, no offence taken from yours or any other's views. I welcome and comments of reflections.

Krowen, son of Derkus

Here is what Shadow looked like when he was young

Today

The night before Shadow died I was trying out a new photo program. As I was speaking to my mom about what they were going to do with Shadow, I pulled up his picture. Here we were talking about this old dog, diseased and in so much pain. We spoke of how we had no choice other than to let him suffer or to put him down. Throughout all this convincing ourselves of his sorry state and his need for his suffering to end, I was looking at Shadow's portrait. I began to imagine him young again. Soon I found myself erasing the signs of age. I darkened his fur, returned the shine to his coat, and erased the pain from his eyes. It all felt so surreal. He was old and at the very end of his life, yet here I was trying to make him new again.

Tonight in church, this experience came back to me. I realized that what I was trying to do with Shadow, was what Christ actually did for us on Good Friday, what he began that day on the cross. I heard His words, "Behold, I make all things new."(Rev 21.5) On that cross, He began to wipe away all of our signs of age. He started to smooth out our wrinkles. He began to take away our pain. Yet He didn't just do this on the surface. In fact, he didn't even start there. He began at the source, our souls.

He began to make you new that day. He died on the cross for you, so that age, disease, and death might not claim you and hold you forever. He died so that He might give you life. So today, don't trust in yourself. Don't fool yourself into thinking you hold back the inevitable. No matter how how hard you try, you will grow old and you will die. There is nothing you can do to hold these things back. Trust in Christ. Only He can make you new.

Good Bye, My Old Friend

Shadow

1994-2007

Izzimeth sketch

Let me know what can be changed, Shedu. I am working on a more finished and more dynamic picture, but want to know I am drawing him right before hand.

How Precious

Thanks to Shedu for putting these up

Derkus

I don't know how this happened, but I know God's involved.

You Are 64% Gentleman

You are definitely a gentleman. You're very considerate and you have excellent manners. Occasionally, you slip and do something foolish... but usually no one notices!

Are You A Gentleman?

Great pictures

These are the best pictures ever

Dogimed

And Yhhric, don't die!

Softball

Today was a good day. I decided that I was going to play softball the year no matter how I felt and so far its been turning out alright. It was rainy and muddy on the field and we had a lot of errors. Not too many people showed up, so I got to play a little more that I have the last couple weeks. I was surprised that I actually out ran and overshot a fly ball to right. I also beat a throw to first which I thought I wouldn't make. All I could hear was my little league coach screaming "Run Torreson, Run!" It felt good.

MAN IT IS HOT!

I like humor. I think I am a pretty funny at times. But, I think God is funnier. Here is yet another poof He exists. Well, not really proof, but it must be Him or the aliens playing a joke on us.

I just think it is great that it seems every event or expedition that is aimed to showcase or record Global Warming has occurred at the same time as a blizzard or snowstorm. A handful of summits on global warming have been canceled this year because of extreme cold. An expedition to the north pole was just canceled because it was so cold that people were getting frostbite and their vehicles wouldn't start.

Now I believe that there is a current pattern of global warming right now. I am not towing the republican line or anything. Now I do think we are either experiencing the the warm end of a natural cyclical process. On top of that, I also think that the earth is still warming up from the Ice age, or "last Ice age" as scientists like to call it. So while I do think it is getting warmer, I just think it is funny that every time Al Gore opens his mouth it snows...a lot.

I wanted to say how deeply I feel for the Dave Matt and Sarah and all those who loved Suzanne. She was a very special lady who really showed the love and joy of God in her life. While we know she is with Christ, it is still hard for us left behind. She sees the resotration of things now, while we remain in this broken world. Yet our hope is that we too will one day stand beside her in the presence of God. This chapter from Romans has always given me comfort in of the most difficult times in my life. I pray that it will strengthen you now and in the years to come.

In the Love of Christ,
Ted

Romans 8
1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Future Glory

18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that^[i] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

More Than Conquerors

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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So long for now

One of the great joys in my life was going to Parkers Prairie, Mn every summer and most winters. It was always with great anticipation that we made those last 25 miles after Alexandria. Sometimes I would doze off to try and make the trip seem shorter, because the anxiousness was too much for a boy to handle. Yet, I always managed to be awake when we rounded the final bend of Mn-29, just in time to catch the growing expanse of Lake Adley. How I love that lake, waves licking air, glistening in the sun. I can picture it now with clarity that is hard to fathom. It is like it’s on the other side of a great chasm that I cannot cross. I can see it for its beauty, but cannot be there for time is too large a span to be crossed.

Parker's Prairie was right after that lake. We would pull into my Grandparent's small driveway. An old red tractor, a couple sheds, an old aqua blue fishing boats, piles of firewood, and an old picnic table filled the yard. Usually towels and linens would be hanging from a couple clothe lines. Behind those, we would often find my grandparents working in their garden. I remember running to them, trying to be the first to feel their love.

My grandfather passed away 8 years ago, a few months after the picture above was taken. My family flew out for the funeral. My grandmother was never the same. Since then, there was always some distance in her eyes. It was as if she was looking over that same great chasm that I see now, when I look for my grandparents.

Earlier this week, she found her way across. She spent her last weeks in a great deal of pain, unable even speak in her final days. The last time she spoke she asked one of her nurses if she was a Christian. The nurse then asked her and she answered, "Oh, yes, I love the Lord." After that, she could not muster any more strength to talk. In her final days, my aunt played a tape that my Grandfather had made of himself singing hymns. When my mom called, to tell me the news, she said that "Grandpa sang her into heaven."

As I write this, my family is getting ready to go to the funeral home. So much of me wants to be there. So much of me wants to see that town that I love so much. Yet, it wouldn't be the same. I yearn for the life and the love that once resided there. What I yearn for is on the other side of that chasm that I still cannot cross. Yet I can see it clearly: two young figures standing in a garden, smiling with those familiar eyes.

You....Shot...ME!

Read this and laugh

Bathroom Nazi

I don't ask for much in life. I'm a pretty simple guy. I don't get too fussy about things. Up until I moved to St. Louie, alls I really wanted was a beautiful woman, 20s rolled on command, and all change returned to me rounded to the nearest 64. Things have changed though.

I crave and covet creature comforts that I once took for granted. One such comfort is being able to stand in front of a urinal without stepping in a puddle of the drippsies. Every day I ask myself, "ARE WE FREAKING KIDS!?" I don't understand it. Urinals are made to be stood over. Our man-bodies are meant to pee on, pee over, and pee beyond any object we see fit. Yet strangely, in this life, many master only the "pee on" stage. I mean, seriously, our man-parts are meant for precision as well. That is why we don't have to sit on a target just to hit it. We can stand from some distance and complete our desired objectives. With all these skills, why then did someone persistently pee on my floor, for the last 5 months?

Last weekend, I finally had enough and wrote up a nice sign requesting that the urine flow where it ought to go. Problem solved, or so I thought. Now instead of standing over the urinal, they are just sprinkling the toilet seat. Why do they always think they can slip by the seat without leaving a trail. It rarely works! I guess I just need to write another sign or just lay down another protective layer of paper.

Jello

See that Clock there, the one on the tree? That is how I feel most mornings. I am not really trying to complain, since that is what generally goes on in these types of things. It's just lately I have found myself draped over my desk in my early morning classes. It is not even that I am that tired. Most mornings I afeel okay once I get up. My back just generally doesn't want to hold my body together if I don't get enough sleep. It is a strange feeling. I know this isn't that cool of a post, but it is that time of the month were I realize I haven't posted for about a month. But don't worry. I have an idea for tomorrow. Hopefully I'll remember. Would anyone like to email me to remind me to post?

Cause we bad boys fo' life

I did one for Thor too.

If I could be an animal, I'd probably be a tree Kangaroo

Once again, I have not blogged much as of late. I guess I really don't have much to say...because I don't have much of a life. I think that is why I feel like I would enjoy being a tree kangaroo. Here is this kangaroo is sitting in his tree in the middle of Borneo and BAM, out of nowhere comes some hairless dude that he has never seen before and he wants to rub his belly. Now that is cool. I want my life to be like that. I am sitting in complete isolation. I just want see something new...and...well...maybe get a belly rub out of it too.

No, Seriously Guys, I think somebody shaved this cat.

Mel

That's how I learned

Enjoyable

Yhrric

Derkus never lets me shoot arrows

This is great

I want it!

I'm so tired, I feel like this cat

Ducks

So we have this fountain in the middle of our campus. Every year a hand full of ducks stop in to say hello. Sometimes they are wood ducks, sometimes mallards. Usually one of the mallards stays and decided to have her clutch next to the fountain. Over the last few months I have seen these animals go from small chicks to full blown ducks. A couple weeks ago the mom took off and just the three duckling have been swimming around the fountain. So I started to wonder, How do ducks learn how to fly?

Your normal bird begins in a tree. It either is coaxed out of the nest by its mother, or takes the jump on its own and sees what its wings can do. It either flys or dies. A duck, on the other hand, begins on the ground. Apparently the parent doesn't stick around for any lessons. So how does she learn how to fly? Its getting colder, and the young ducks are just swimming around the concrete lake oblivious to what's coming. Every time I walk by I try to imagine what is going to happen. Is a flock going to fly above them and give them a couple of quacks to let them know they should give it a try? Does someone need to scare the crap out of them to get them to try out their wings? Are they just ingrained with the knowledge that they are flyers? I'm not sure.

Emperor finds a job

The Emperor Finds A Job | Send To Friends | Funny Pictures at JibJab

There be some crazy stuff goin' on

So, first off. I got this letter from my mom. As most of you know, my dad teaches 3rd and 4th grade. One of his students got a couple of kittens the other day. She named them both after my dad, one Rodney, the other Torreson. Unfortunately she gave Torreson away to her friend, so she can't just yell my dad's full name when she is going to feed them.

The second funny thing comes from a letter from my Aunt. My grandmother is in the Alzimer's unit of a nursing home. I guess she was in some woman's room the other day and that woman just started yelling at my Grandma for no reason. So my Grandma decided to leave. She took the woman's walker and started down the hall. When the woman realized what was going on, she took off running after my Grandma saying, "Give me back my walker. I need that!"

Now that's tallent

Any which way but loose

So I can understand people being upset about the kangaroo having to box a real person. I don't want some man beating up on a poor kangaroo. I also understand the bear. It probably had to be treated pretty badly in order to train it to hang onto those rings, even though he looks pretty awesome doing it. What I don't understand is the chimp. All animal activists, note this: Never use chimps for your poster primate. It doesn't work. I feel bad for the other animals and then I look at that chimp and he looks darn proud. Look at him! He looks ready to bring home the gold. Chances are, that was the only picture of him that they could publish because he was probably smiling in the other ones. Stupid activists. Learn your lessons. The chimp is not on your side!

mmmm....Yummy!

I went to go and make myself some tea yesterday and found that my travel mug was curiously heavy. I opened it up to find some of the above nasties floating all up ins. I have cleaned some pretty nasty stuff out of containers but this was bad. I dumped out the contents, at least the stuff that hadn't turned to sludge yet. I put it under the faucet and cranked the hot water.
BAD IDEA! I was able to keep the sludge from flying out, but the extremely hot water was enough to vaporize and shoot a hot steam bullet of bacteria funk right up my nostrils. I think my lungs collapsed for a good twenty seconds or so. And while I haven't died yet, I just thought I would give you the heads up just in case.

Ask a Ninja

With this post, I here by callange the Hairy one, El shedoro, to return to the bloggosphere and comment on this post! Go ask a ninja!

This is for Ugly kid

Underrants

Ever been so tired that you start putting on a second pair of underwear?
Lift leg. Lift other leg. Pull. Lift leg. What?!?!? I need sleep, so bad.

I'm drunk on Panda Mystery

Why Mr. Calvin...How avant-garde?

Well, here I am trying to read 200 some pages about John Calvin, in one night, due to the laxness of proactness. The book I am reading is by John T. McNeeeeil, entitled "The History and Character of Calvinism." If I was Stemshul, I would probably just have put down the title of this book and wrote, "Read It!" and left it at that. However, since I am not the "Protector of Pheesh's hamburger Hole," I will leave you with a little more flavor to savor.

Overall, the book is well done enough for a solid meaty core of hard biographical fact, with enough peculiarly humorous juices to allow the bulky meal to slide on down. Since I can't stretch this metaphor any further, and probably should have stopped earlier, here is what I really wanted to share.

Calvin's father had been accused of some..Ahem, dubious book keeping. In his disputing with Bishop, he was, I quote: "criticized for his modern ways and for daring to wear a beard[!]"

Where does he get those smokes?

Which Lost Character Are You?

You Are Sawyer. You're a realist, not an idealist. Sarcasm, wit, and leers run rampant whenever you are around. Whether it's making a racist remark or shooting a polar bear, you're sure to leave a lasting impression on those around you. Add a cigarette and some beard stubble, and the formula for redneck charm is complete.
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Um....A little crazy?

All I want to know is what is going on with these crazys. If you haven't heard, the Pope read from some debate between a Byzantine Emperor and a Persian Muslim. In this document, the Christian emperor asserted that Mohammed had brought nothing new to religion other than the concept of Jihad, which he called "unreasonable." He also said that this innovation of Mohammed's was "evil and inhuman."

Now what should be a reasonable response to this allegation? Going on the news and demanding an apology would be fine. Even taking to the streets in a peaceful protest would be fine. I understand these types of reaction. When my religion is slandered and defamed in the media, and by many leaders from around the world, I wish people would get a little more upset about it and maybe protest or demand apologies. I can understand the these desires to defend one's most sacred beliefs. What I don't understand is throwing all reason out the window in doing so.

Does it make sense to react to an accusation of violence by committing violence. Five churches were set on fire today and shot up. I don't know if anybody has been hurt or killed yet in this barbaric rampage, but it has happened many times before in the Gaza strip. As I said, I understand them being upset, but I don't think they are helping their cause by proving the allegations against them as correct.

Nice

So I guess this really wise man decided that for his 50th birthday he was going to parachute out of his plane more times than anyone else in a 24 hr period. Can you guess how many times he jumped out? 640!!! I imagine it went something like this. About 18 hrs. into it, he was at 490 and thought, "well, if the rule still applies at such numbers, over the time I have left, I might just make 640." And he did.

So that's what's really wrong with me?

Now I know that it is really heard to narrow it down to one thing. I mean, if someone were to ask you what was wrong with ol' ikyam, you would probably say, "where do I start?" Well in my explanation, I'll start here.

Every year we are supposed to have a couple interviews with our campus counciler. He is in charge of making sure that we are well rounded and that none of our personality traits are dominant to the point where it could detrimental to our ministries. (I know what you're thinking, "Bad news for Ikyam.") At the beginning of last year we had to take a hand full of personality tests to help determine what is wrong with...ahem...what we need to work on.

Within the quarter I was supposed to meet with Dr. Schoper to talk over our areas in need of improvement, and, well, it took me about 6 months to get back with him on that one. I actually had a really good time. He was struck with awe about how open and I guess self reflecting I was. I had pretty much figured out what he was going to tell me in advanced, which was kinda fun. I had him laughing, crying, and a few times he even yelled out while laughing: "YOU HATE ME, DON'T YOU?"

Anyways, I guess what I am trying to get at is that he wanted me to get tested for ADD. I was pretty happy with this because I had hope that he would give me the referral so I could get a discount on the test. Well, I went for the preliminary test today. We went over a list together on the criteria for ADD. There was a notation above the list saying that if one exhibits that tendencies of just 12 of the 25 criteria, they are chronically ADD. At first I was afraid that I would fill enough of them and they wouldn't know why I had such a difficult time concentrating. Much to my surprise, I met all 25!

wow

You know, I just can't understand this culture. It used to be that one took care of those things of necessity before taking care of things of frivolity. For instance, in the old days, people would make sure they had decent transportation before buying a $2000 Television. Now I am not really sure if the TV was exactly $2000 dollars or not, but I am sure it is close, as people make weird desicions when they have hair on the brain. Alls I'm sayin' is that I feel better about buying a $35 dvd set when I sould be buying school books.

MMM... taste good...in my brain

yup, I bought it.