I was given an assignment in my college biology course that asked the question: I love donuts. One time, I basically ate 12 in one sitting (never again). Using the scientific method, answer the following question: do donut holes exist? In your answer, provide multiple reasons to support your point. This class is intended to point us to Christ's attributes even further. Thus, I tried to pull all of my resources into this little post. *To clarify, this is referring to the "hole" between the edges of a donut, not donut balls! My response is as follows! I don't know how much this will hurt my head, but I am going to attempt this. As we know from Hebrews 11:4, God IS. He exists regardless of our perception or opinion. Though no man has actually seen the face of God, He still Is. His existence does not depend on the stimulus of our five senses. We also know that God is Spirit. Thus, though people in Bible times were able to see and touch God the Son, we are not able to see God the Spirit. But does He exist? YES. Just because we don't see Him doesn't mean that he doesn't surround us. He is a physical being (God is fully human and fully God) whose face is not actually seen. Donuts are seemingly circles with a lacking center. The concept of a hole boggles many people today because of the epistemology behind it. Epistemology describes the source of our truth, how do we know what we know? How do we know that a hole is actually a thing? Is it just describing a lack of a thing, or is a hole its own "object" for lack of a better term. Is a donut "hole" just describing the lack of donut in the center of this circle? Well, we know that matter is everything that takes up space. We also know that anything that has a "hole" in it is matter. But the hole itself ins't matter, right? Right. I think. Thus, a hole should not be a noun. A "hole," quite possibly, should be an adjective, because it is describing a lack of matter and it in and of itself does not actually take up space or have mass. If I were to continue on this path, I would be materialistic. But I believe in the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost does not have mass, correct? The Holy Ghost is a proper noun, it is not an adjective of God. Because it is one of the parts of the trinity. Thus, from a Biblical worldview, things that do not have mass can still exist. Thus, a donut can actually classify as a physical noun since the Biblical worldview doesn't require mass to determine the existence of things. Confused? Me too. But I hope this made some type of sense and proved the point. In conclusion, I think I have discovered that the only reason a hole should be classified as a noun is if you believe things can exist without being matter. This is the Chrisitan/Biblical worldview. A hole can't exist as a noun in the materialistic worldview or any worldview that relies on matter to prove existence, because it is actually not "matter". P.s. Except for "hole," love, trust, and other emotions, majority of the nouns I could think of are tangible things. Please add some insight below! Do you think holes exist??
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This last year, In my ComMUNICATIONS113 college class at Toccoa Falls College, the first discussion post that we were assigned to write on was the goal and role of our communication as Christians.
Media is a resource that God has given us. It is a way when used correctly that we may work to expand the Kingdom of God. As Dr. Wanner states in his lecture on mediated communication, "Medium shapes the manner in which we interpret and respond to the message," (00:51:05-00:51:08). Each medium will be perceived differently with varying reactions based on the previous mindset of the listener concerning their opinions on the medium. We as Christians should strive to bring Gospel to all places: our communities, our states, our country, and the world (Wanner, "Mediated Communication," 00:51:09-00:51:16). We each are called to do this in different ways. Although TV, for example, can sufficiently help this cause, it should not be the sole way we do it. Instead, it is a resource that can be used in addition to interpersonal communication to help the cause of Kingdom expansion. One argument against media communication is that it is quick and easy. Media itself is easily accessible and convenient. The Word of God and being a Christian, on the other hand, should not be a quick process. It is a process of continual growth and absorption of the Word, living out the way God directs us and expanding the kingdom. Although the Bible is not quick, posting verses on social media, for example, can be a way to reach those who we may not otherwise be able to reach, such as those we have not and will not see in years. Although there are inappropriate uses of mediated communication with Kingdom expansion, there are many benefits of using it. As I stated earlier, it allows us to reach those we would otherwise not be able to reach, and who otherwise could not attend the church building. For example, prisoners. Recorded sermons through TV is one of the few ways they can hear the Word of God. Another example would be those who have significant health issues, thus preventing them from attending church and receiving a message, even if they want to. With recorded or live sermons and other means of transporting the Word of God through electronics, they can take part in one aspect of spiritual growth they otherwise would not be able to. Before the alphabet, the only means of working to expand the Kingdom was through interpersonal, face to face communication. When the alphabet came along, we were able to use it to write the Word, thus broadening the Kingdom in a completely different way. During the printing stage, we began to use the recourse to spread to Word of God even farther (thus the reformation) (Wanner, “Mediated Communication,” 00:17:25-00:31:35). Now, in the electronic age, the electronics are another recourse like we have had in the past that we can utilize for the Glory of God. Therefore, we should appropriately use this resource we have been given for the expansion of the Kingdom and to express and proclaim the Good News of our Lord. In my past COM113 class, the professor, Dr. Wanner, assigned "discussion threads," and gave us topics that we would discuss and reply to. For one of his prompts, he said, "How do you generally conceptualize the proper and improper use(s) of persuasion within the church?" My response is as follows. “Christian evangelist must be motivated by love and justice,” (Wanner, “Persuasion,” 00:31:32-00:32:00). To properly be a beacon for Christ, Christians in general, especially Christian evangelist, need to be impelled to model the love that Jesus exhibited in His time on earth. In Dr. Wanner’s lecture on persuasion, he stated that showing love in persuasion does not try to force someone into a belief; contrarily, it allows the freedom of assigning meaning (00:31:00-00:31:30). Hell and damnation are often mistakenly talked about to conjure up fear to have people receive the gift of salvation. “…or you will burn in hell…” This is a phrase that is consistently heard and used to coerce and guilt someone into the acceptance of salvation. Freedom does not evoke fear or use coercion or guilt. Thus, the statement above is an infelicitous use of persuasion, especially in the church. When we are persuading through love, we are involved in an incremental process that does not simply hand off information (Wanner, “Persuasion,” 00:32:30-00:33:09). “Love is present.” Continually, people say “I love you” in a flippant manner. Love is present, caring, involved, and concerned about the growth of the other. As Dr. Wanner stated in his lecture, to have love in persuasion, we cannot simply transport information then walk away (“Persuasion,” 00:32:05-00:33:30). Because persuasion is incremental, it requires the building of knowledge, stone upon stone, iron sharpening iron, and a constant expanse of the knowledge of God, which is at times received through the modus operandi of persuasion. In conclusion, not all persuasion within the church is improper. As Jesus showed through the use of parables, we can use persuasion as a means of gently persuading those to see the better path. On the other hand, persuasion can be misused when it is attempting to force someone into a belief without leaving a choice to assign meaning. Thus, contingent upon the way the persuading is approached and used, it can be both proper and improper within the church. In my english class, I was assignend to write an expository essay (an essay with raw facts). I chose the topic of Multiple Sclerosis (AKA MS); I chose this topic because my mother has had this chronic disease for 8 years now, and I thought it would be very interesting to learn much more about. My mother has 30 lesions, yet has remained strong through it all! Did you know that over 2.5 million people worldwide are affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS) (Ann Pietrangelo and Valencia Higuera, Multiple Sclerosis by the Numbers:…)? Although often not heard of, MS occurs in one-tenth percent of people in the United States (Who Gets Multiple Sclerosis, MSAA). This may seem like a small percentage, but it means that out of 1,000 people, 100 of those will have MS. Due to the lack of MRI scans, Multiple Sclerosis used to be difficult to diagnose. My mother was diagnosed with MS in 2009, but her treatment was delayed due to other medical conditions that needed to be stabilized first. Presently, with modern conveniences and research techniques, it is becoming easier to identify. Multiple sclerosis has many debilitating symptoms and is treated in many ways. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can affect many aspects of your life at early stages. One symptom would be vertigo (MS Symptoms). What is vertigo? When a person is still, and feel as if the world is spinning or have a sensation of whirling, they would be experiencing vertigo (Danette Taylor, Vertigo; Symptoms, Causes, treatments, and home remedies). Vertigo is a result of lesions damaging the nerves of the brain that coordinate equilibrium (Dizziness and Vertigo). MS can become very imobilizing, based on where the lesions are on the brain and brain stem, and how large they are. In my mom's case, her neurologist first identified 1 moderate and 15 small lesions that increased to 3 moderate, and a total of 30 small lesions, before treatment was started. Her doctors were confused as to what lesions were connected to her MS, and which areas were later identified as small stroke sites because of a hole in her heart that was allowing small blood clots to travel to her brain, and cause the strokes. Once her heart was repaired in 2011, she stopped having an increase in small lesions. The moderate sized lesions have since filled with spinal fluid, and any brain tissue that 'was' there, is now gone. Because of vertigo and 8 years of figuring out what triggers her MS, my mom has discovered that she is unable to wear high heels and has to be very cautios going down stairs. An additional symptom would be pain in different parts of the body (The Most Commons MS Symptoms). Some pain that comes with MS feels like pricks and pokes of pins. This pain is called neuropathic pain and is caused by lesions in the spinal chord and nerves in the brain (Pain). This neuropathic pain can be agonizing. Numbness is a further common symptom in MS (Amanda Gardner, Could you Have MS). According to Amanda Gardner in her article on MS, numbness often occurs in digits (such as fingers or toes); in addition, it can affect chewing, grasping things, and mobility. This happens because of demyelination, which is the stripping of the myelin sheath on the nerves in the brain; in demyelination, nerves are unable to send clear signals to each other and the brain, which can cause numbness (How Numbness, Tingling Are Connected to Your Multiple Sclerosis). Although these are just three of the many symptoms of MS, they are some of the most common. Although there is no cure for Multiple Sclerosis, there are ways to treat it in order to slow the progression of the disease and keep the symptoms under control (Multiple Sclerosis: Diagnosis and treatment). One treatment that is meant to treat MS attacks (symptom flare-ups) is Corticosteroids (Multiple Sclerosis: Diagnosis and treatment). This treatment prescribes prescriptions, such as prednisone, to reduce nerve inflammation. A treatment for MS symptoms is physical therapy (Multiple Sclerosis: Diagnosis and treatment). In this, the muscles that have previously been damaged or weakened are stretched. Of course, there are many prescriptions and medicine that are taken to improve MS symptoms. Such include Dalfampridine, Alemtuzumab, Teriflunomide, and much more (Roth and Cafasso, Promising New Treatments for Multiple Sclerosis). The previously listed medicine “can help manage the course and symptoms of this chronic disease” (Roth and Cafasso, Promising New Treatments for Multiple Sclerosis). One medication that my mom has used would be Betaseron. She took this for one year, but had to stop because she started having Lupus like symptoms...a negative side effect of this drug which requires the patient stop the medication. Another medication she had to take was Copaxone injections. She had a rare, very serious side effect from this drug that made her heart go into dangerous arrhythmias (abnormal heart beats) and had to stop it immediately because of it. Since then, my mom's neurologist said that many of the choices for MS treatment for her could be life threatening due to other, underlying medical conditions; her neurologist has recommended my mom be on a high fat diet of meats, nuts, and healthy fats to help rebuild myelin on the nerves of her brain. Multiple Sclerosis is treated in many ways, though it is incurable, and has symptoms that are often debilitating when experienced. Some symptoms include feeling pokes and pricks, while another is vertigo. There are many prescriptions and medicine that can help reduce any MS attacks, but a further method is simply physical therapy. These treatments or exercises are often meant to rebuild the lesions or weakness in muscles that the MS has affected. Although there seems to be many solutions to improving Multiple Sclerosis, there is still so much to learn! What MS is capable of doing to a person's brain, can be devastating! Lord willing, a cure for this brain destroying disease can be found. Did you know that, according to Culture of Safety in their article “Deer vs. Car Collisions," there are roughly 1.5 billion deer-related car accidents every year? In addition, one billion dollars is spent on those car repairs. These numbers are only concerning deer and do not include many other accidents caused by numerous animals other than deer. The facts previously stated are outrageously high numbers, and this is a problem that needs to be fixed. Therefore, I invented the NO GO DOE, which is unique in the way it functions and has many reasons for why it is needed. The NO GO DOE is something that I have created to prevent the immense amount of car-animal collisions. It appears as just another mile-marker alongside the road. But, in reality, the NO GO DOE is a motion sensor that projects high-pitched sound waves to any animal that is sensed to be near. It is about two feet tall and has a sphere at the top, which has motion sensors that will detect any movement within 15 feet. When motion is detected, the high pitched sound waves are sent out. These sound waves can only be heard by animals and not humans; they are projected up to 20 feet in a 180-degree angle, which excludes the road from the path of the waves. The animals that are within 15 feet of the NO GO DOE will hear the irritating sound waves and try to escape the unpleasant noise, therefore keeping them away from the road. With this tool along highways and roads, animals are less likely to be in the way when a car comes, thus preventing numerous wrecks and deaths of both animals and humans. The NO GO DOE is an invention that is needed on all roads. One million animals are hit by some type of motor vehicle each day, and 400 million each year (Mark Braunstein, Culture Change). Not only is the number of animals killed copious, but humans are also very often killed in these tragic accidents. According to the Insurance Information Institute in their article “Facts+Statistics: Deer-Vehicle Collisions,” in deer-related car accidents alone, the average number of human fatalities is a horrific 150. But, because the NO GO DOE would prevent animals on the road, this number should significantly, if not all, decrease. The number of animal and human deaths caused by wrecks is extortionate. But, the NO GO DOE provides a solution to this problem. With it, animals are much less likely to enter the danger of a road. Not only will this reduce the high number of human deaths caused by animal-related wrecks, but it will also decrease the extensive amount of animals that are killed by being hit by a car. The NO GO DOE is unique in the way it functions and is needed to reduce the outrageous amount of animals and humans killed in car-animal related car accidents. Works Cited: Unknown, Author. “Facts + Statistics: Deer Vehicle Collisions.” Facts + Statistics: Deer Vehicle Collisions | III, Insurance Information Institute, www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-deer-vehicle-collisions. Braunstein, Mark. “Driving Animals To Their Grave.” Driving Animals to Their Graves-Roadkill Takes One Million Animals Daily, Culture Change, www.culturechange.org/issue8/roadkill.htm. Company, West Bend Mutual Insurance. “Deer vs. Car Collisions.”Culture Of Safety, West Bend, cultureofsafety.thesilverlining.com/driving/deer-vs-car-collisions. For this weeks post, I decided to do an interview with my brother Gabe about his upcoming cardiac surgery, how the future will be with it, etc... Gabriel Lincoln, has had a heart condition since he was born called L-TGA (stands for L - Transposition of the Great Vessels. ) The 'L' communicates that not only are his arteries on the wrong side of his heart, but his ventricles are also on the wrong side of his heart, which is actually a good thing! Two negatives equal a positive! If the ventricles were not also on the wrong side along with the arteries (because they are both on the wrong side they compensate for each other) he would have had to have open heart surgery when he was born. Question: Gabe, how long have you known you have a special heart? Gabe's Reply: My whole life Question: What have the doctors done with you every year at your doctor appointments, all your life? Gabe's Reply: We do a Stress Test. They put me on a treadmill and I run for as long as I can to see if my health[heart] is still in good shape. They also do an echo, which is like an x-ray of my heart, where they see how the blood is flowing etc..... Question: What has it been like knowing your heart is different from everyone elses? Gabe's Reply: Awesome. Question: Why is it awesome? Gabe's Reply: Because everytime I come home from school, I get to take the longest nap in the world! Question: How has having a heart condition affected your ability to play? Gabe's Reply: Makes me want to go harder... Question: Have you had restrictions put on you by your doctors, that have affected you playing your favorite sport? Gabe's Reply: Yes, when I was a 12 they said I can't play basketball cause of my heart, but I was able to help the team out. Question: Are you going to be able to play after you get the pacemaker? Gabe's Reply: Yes, they said after six weeks I can get back to my athletic life, because I enjoy my sport and I want to be good at it. Question: Do you know what the doctors are going to do next week? Gabe's Reply: Yes. Could you tell me about it, in your own words? Gabe's Reply: So, they're going to do a pace maker, but first they have to do an ASD repair, an ASD is a wall problem with a hole in the wall of my heart, so they have to go up there and put a cement like object to block the hole, because it could cause me to have a stroke if it stays open. Question: What is a pacemaker? Gabe's Reply: A pacemaker is a machine under my left shoulder and they put two wires on my heart, one in the right ventricle, and one in the right atrium (the top part of the heart). It keeps my heart beating the beat it should be when my tries to slow down. Question: How long will you be in the hospital?
Gabe's Reply: For right now, it will be one overnight, possibly two. So maybe two days. Question: How long will your recovery be, and what will the recovery time be like? Gabe's Reply: For me, its going to stink a-lot cause I'm going to be in a sling for six weeks straight, so basketball season starts in November, and I can't play at all until six weeks. Question: Why do you have to have a sling for 6 weeks? Gabe's Reply: Because I can't move my left arm since the pace maker could pull the wire out of my heart. It needs to get scar tissue to stay still. Question: During your 6 week recovery time, how are you going to make it without being able to shoot a basketball? Gabe's Reply: You know what, to answer that question, it will be to get 2k18 for the Xbox and just play on that. So it will take time to get back into my shooting position, and I will be stuck at the bottom of the rotation. Question: Will you still be able to help out the team during practices? Gabe's Reply: I can go be an encouragement to the team, but can not play with them. Question: What are you most afraid of? Gabe's Reply: So, there’s really nothing to be afraid of in this surgery, as long as I trust The Man Upstairs. Question: Have you been praying for the Lord to give you peace and to watch over you in the surgery? Gabe's Reply: Yes. Cause I’m going to need it! Question: Is there anything you’re looking forward to when you have the pacemaker? Gabe's Reply: Basketball, Basketball, Basketball! Follow up post coming soon after the surgery on Tuesday, September 26, 2017!! On Thursday, April 13, 2017, the U.S dropped the largest ever non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan. The bomb was the GBU-43, known as the “Mother of all bombs.” General John W. Nicholson, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said "This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against ISIS-K." The bomb was dropped on a cave complex. It was believed to hold Islamic State fighters within it. President Donald J. Trump called this bombing a “very, very successful mission.” Why did the president decide to drop it, though? Although specific countries weren’t really a part of Pres. Trump’s campaign, ISIS was. This bombing was the beginning of keeping his promise about getting rid of it. “But [ISIS-K] has found itself under siege from NATO forces, the Afghan Army and even the Taliban. Although both are enemies of America, the Taliban and ISIS fiercely oppose each other and have been locked in battles as they try to jockey for influence and territory.” ISIS has posed as a continuos threat to America over the past couple of years. This act has showed ISIS that we are not afraid to take military action. This act also could lead to ISIS/Afghanistan’s retaliating and causing much conflict between us, possibly even a war. |