During this week, there are many people reflecting about 2013, about their lives as we are about to turn the page to a new year. God has been doing amazing things in my life lately and despite all he had done, I have that feeling that he hasn't even warmed up yet. 2013 highlights were good but not many per say. The most stand-out ones was when OakTara confirmed at the beginning of this year that they would accept my books, then at the end of the year, they offered me a contract, not just for two books as I initially expected to have, but three. In the mean time I have continued to substitute for the Socorro ISD here in El Paso as I continue to search for a full-time teaching job. However, I have known that in the last few years, God has been putting together some big plans for me. I've had glimpses of it and what it could be with all I have been involved with and it looks like God is starting to put it all together and the ride is about to start.
So, I'll start with my books. I am writing a trilogy that depicts the battles we face spiritually through a fantasy setting. My first book is a re-release of the book I had out three years ago but did not have the final editing job I was hoping for, neither did it have the final cover art I was hoping for. But that is one of the dangers of going self-publishing relatively blind. Since then I have attended the Colorado Christian Writer's Conference twice and while there the first time, I met Ramona Tucker of OakTara Publishing. She expressed a very strong interest in my books when I met her there and as a result, I now have a contract for a trilogy. My first two books are in OakTara's hands. They are working on the type-setting (transferring it from Microsoft Word to the book format) and the cover art. I will be posting the back of the book summary when we get close to setting a release date and/or when the cover design is finalized. The second book will wait until we have a realistic time frame for finishing the third so that we can pace the releasing of the three books evenly. We don't want to release books 1 and 2 too close to each other if book 3 is a ways out. But I am working on it. Slower than preferred, but slower with fewer re-writes is better than faster and more re-writes. I will be announcing the release and info on where you can find it as soon as that information comes in.
There is more. I have been invited to the Creation Truth Foundation in Oklahoma City for their "Cadre" program. This is a rare invitation-only program that is designed to teach Biblical Foundations and Biblical Worldviews to students who will then take it back home and teach it in their home churches and beyond. It is a four-part program of five days each over two years. I will be going up in mid-January for the first leg, then return again in September/October, then back in January 2015 and against in September/Oct 2015. When it is all said and done, I will be in position to teach Biblical Foundations in a small group setting or more. I got the invitation through working Charles Jackson, the director of college ministries at the Creation Truth Foundation when I brought him to UTEP in 2011. Charles Jackson has read my first book and wants to promote my trilogy through the CTF bookstore.
There is more. At the end of the Colorado Christian Writer's Conference last year, another author and I have gotten to know each other quite well and we decided to check with the director to see about teaching a workshop on Spiritual Warfare at the 2014 conference. She liked the idea and while we did not get the 5-hr Continuing Session we would have preferred, we have been asked to teach a 1-hr workshop. I have not officially confirmed this yet as I need to check my finances. Being faculty would pay me $30 and give me half-my registration costs off, but I would still need to cover housing and transportation, which alone would be about $300, not including the $150 discounted registration costs. Once I get back from OKC and the first round of the Cadre, I'll be able to assess my finances and make a decision. I seek to go, but I just need to be sure I can with summer months of no pay due to no school.
There is more. A project I have taken up showed itself in the last couple weeks. In my variety of Facebook debates, primarily on the Creation/Evolution debate, I posted once about how with the new "longer" half-life of DNA (not for dating purposes but for how long it could last) does not match the numbers they give. To make a long story short without doing the math, a "Nature" article talked about how DNA will break down by about half after around 521 years, much longer than previously thought. The same article thought that DNA could be read if it was 1.5 million years old but would completely break down after 6.8 million years old. To put it simply, using this 521-year half-life, DNA will have completely broken down after a mere 15,000 years. And that got me thinking, if evolution-based data is this far off from reality, how much is their primary dating methods? So I've been looking into radiometric dating, using the data that is well-published and well-publicized and seeing if their own numbers actually work. For the longest time, I thought these guys were smart enough to make their numbers remotely work within the bounds of their theory, but I was wrong. And the deeper I am digging, the worse the numbers are looking. I am mathematically disproving radiometric dating with their own numbers and basic Algebra. I am not done yet, but when I go to the Cadre program, I plan to present my up-to-date results with the intention of getting this in the hands of the major Young-Earth Creationist organizations such as Answers in Genesis, Institute for Creation Research, Creation Ministries International, etc. I have yet to see something like this done. I've always heard about the assumptions that go into radiometric dating, but I've never seen anyone actually check out their numbers for realism under their worldview. I am and it's not looking good for Evolution's side.
There is still more. Just this morning, I have been formally invited to join a ministry called Worldview Warriors based out of Ohio. Their vision and goal is to train this next generation not just with a Biblical Worldview but also practical skills on how to live the Christian life. I met the director on-line via Facebook and he's seen some of the stuff I post often on the Creation/Evolution debate. So I have been asked to come on board, not as a paid position, which is fine, as a regular blogger to post things about the science and math that back up the Biblical account. I will also be blogging about how Christian doctrine traces back its roots to the book of Genesis. This may open the door for public speaking events as well. Worldview Warriors has more than just their blog. They have a two-hour weekly radio show called "Do Not Be Silent" and they offer opportunities for public speaking events, conferences, and seminars. I will be gradually weened into a regular blogging post so the audience can get to know me with suddenly being exposed to a lot of me at once. My posts will show up Wednesday mornings either weekly or bi-weekly, we have not decided yet. Not only can I provide this ministry with the loads of stuff God has give me both scientifically and theologically to help them strengthen youth in their faith in Christ, but they can provide me a platform that I have not yet had to expand the ministries God has given me through fencing, my books, and the rest of this. What is more is that this invitation comes right at the same time as I will be going to the Cadre Program. Here is the link to their website. http://www.worldviewwarriors.org/
I'm not even sure I have covered everything yet. I may have an opportunity to do my fencing presentation at another church here in El Paso that I am exploring. The only thing I know for sure is that God has called me to full time ministry working with youth and that he has BIG plans for me. And seeing ALL this coming together at once, I cannot help but think that this is just about to start. I am so excited to see what God is going to do. And all this is WITHOUT getting a full-time teaching position...yet. God has not told me to stop pursing one, so I will still be seeking one. I'm still trying to fathom putting all this together, and I know BIG stuff is about to go down. And all I can think of to say about it is "Bring it on!" Going to be such an awesome year.
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