I have returned from the CHEF conference in Saint Louis, where I worked at the Vision Forum booth along with my good friend, Tim Horn. After the conference, I returned home (along with Tim) and we enjoyed the many wonderful activities that Missouri has to offer.

Given the fact that I have to prepare this week to leave town for the first two weeks of July for the California conference along with my partners in crime, Tim and Caleb, and given the fact that I am not quite as faithful of a blogger as my good friend Tim Horn, I am going to recommend that you visit Tim’s blog for a wonderful assortment of photos as well as an in-depth summery of our said travels. A special thanks to Tim for his fellowship this past week. I am truly blessed to call Tim a friend.

Click here to read Tim's report.

Some things are best forgotten...

“China: The Gathering Threat” by Dr. Constantine Menges.

My comment: Bill Gertz has written the forward to this book, and the amount of research that Dr. Menges provides is really quite amazing. Dr. Menges was a scholar in foreign affairs and the information provided regarding China, Russia, and other gathering threats is very sobering. Menges discusses the fact that 40% of all Chinese trade export comes to the United States, and how there is both an monetary war as well as a possible military conflict on the horizon. If you have any interest at all in military affairs and foreign policy, I highly recommend this book.

“The Politics of Guilt and Pity” by Rousas John Rushdoony

My comment: One of my favorites. This is my third reading of Rushdoony’s Politics of Guilt and Pity, and I must say, I am once again finding new insights into God’s law word and application for my life. This book is challenging to the thought process and the Biblical nature of relationships and motives for the actions that we take in the church as well as the pagan world around us.

“1776” by David McCullough

My comment: David McCullough is one of the most gifted historians that I have ever read. His ability to take historical fact and turn it into what is almost an adventure novel, yet maintain the integrity of the content that he is conveying, is truly a remarkable gift. Though he does not have a Christian worldview, he does take great care to present the facts and show the men of history for who they were as men. This is not a perfect book by any means, but it does show the amazing life of George Washington as it related to the men that surrounded him during the war, and the great importance of honor and integrity that defines men’s lives and ultimately our history as a nation. I enjoy just about anything I read by David McCullough and I would highly recommend picking up a copy of this book if you haven’t already.

“By What Standard?” Greg Bahnsen

My comment: I am focusing on particular chapters of this book relating to a study I am working on. My focus is on chapters that deal with Christian’s roles in politics, and how we are to hold our civil magistrates accountable to the standards of scripture. Bahnsen is a brilliant writer, and his ability to take seemingly complex issues and define the terms in a very articulate way is quite remarkable. This is a book that everyone should have on their shelf.

Three weeks ago, I completed my part in the videography work of Bollinger Products that took place at the 2005 Swift National event in Southwest Missouri. The air show is dedicated to the Swift aircraft, a very unique aircraft designed in 1946 with the purpose of providing a enthusiast airplane to former WWII pilots that would fly very similar to the fighters that they flew in the war. These planes are quite remarkable and the air show sported more than seventy five different varieties of the aircraft. I was blessed with the opportunity to leave the ground and fly around in these remarkable aircraft, buzzing runways at over 200Mph, nine feet off the ground, it was truly an experience I will not forget. The videography project is still in production and I am thoroughly enjoying the process of learning more about vidoegraphy, as well as my new interest in Aviation. I am grateful to the Lord, and I grateful to Bollinger products for the unique opportunity to participate in this video project.

Below are several photos taken from one of our four days of shooting at the air show. As you can see, we were put in some fairly risky situations as we were able to go out on the runways and have these aircraft buzz directly over our heads as we captured video footage. I recommend viewing the larger version of the photos to get a better idea of how close these planes were to the ground as they buzzed over.

Don't stand up unless you want to be pushed over by the force of the wind.

Getting good footage of planes flying by this quickly is a difficult task

This is a good time to duck!

200+ Mph makes quite a sound as it zooms over your head.

I am grateful to the Lord for the opportunity I had this past weekend to participate in the surprise birthday celebration of one my dearest friends, Doug Phillips. The event was held in North Carolina at the Brown family’s farm and it was a time I will not soon forget. Many life long memories were made during this truly blessed time.

The most important aspect of the trip for me was, of course, the birthday boy. Douglas Winston Phillips is an example of a man who fears God and desires to please Him in every aspect of his life. He is a faithful husband, father, and church shepherd, who not only articulates the truth, but lives it out with every fiber in his being.

I am grateful to the Lord that I can call Doug a friend, an elder, and a co-laborer in the many battles that we face as men that stand for truth. As a young man, I am blessed to have Doug as an example of an older and wiser man that has gone before me. Praise be to the Lord for allowing Doug another year on this earth, and praise be to the Lord for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of his birthday festivities.