Last 2 and a half weeks:

Learning and school.

Friends and relationships.

That's all.

Last 4 weeks: spiritual and emotional growth on a scale never before encountered in my life. No time to blog! :P

JHBC Begins

I've just arrived at Jackson Hole Bible College. It's a lot smaller than I expected, but I have a feeling it will be very good. It seems to be more of an adventure camp than a College, and is a lot smaller than I expected. Nevertheless, I'm finally away from home. I'm excited to see where God is going to take this year.

My Mom and Wayne made the drive with me. We stopped at Fairmont hot springs for the night. It reminded us of the times we went to see Uncle Doug in Canada, because we stopped at the other Fairmont on the way there. Anyway, now Wayne is sick and staying at a hotel. I pray he gets better by tomorrow.

The people here at JHBC are all very interconnected. Almost all of the staff (excluding the professors) are immediate family. A lot of the staff were once students, and then married one of the kids! Now they've kids of their own. I'm not sure how much staff there is, but I'm sure I'll know each and every one of them before the year ends. And by the way, there are 21 students, and I was the second one to arrive. (the first was a 30-something year old Dad who lives here in Jackson. I don't think he really counts :P) Anyway, Ken Ham is going to speak here in a few weeks. I'm really pumped for that, because I have more respect for him than almost anyone else on the world now.

That's all for tonight.

It was awesomely stormy last night. I liked it. The wind was howling, the thunder was booming, the lightning was striking and starting fires, oh yeah. We were hurrying around the field, disking buffers for the fire, holding the line, as the sky descended into an unearthly premature darkness. The dust was so thick it seemed like a fog. In the end, the rain put out the fires. But it was an awesome reminder of how feeble we are when compared to the might of the storm.

Rick Warren and the Presidental Election

To-day, To-night, actually, yes, it was To-Night, a night that was this day, and not the previous day or the next day, but it was a time that was to-day at the evening time, but only if to-day was yesterday, (can you tell I've been reading Dickens?) I listened to the Obama-McCain, Rick Warren interview-Presidental-forum. All I can say is "Wow! Why did no one else think of this format before? I learned so much hearing the two candidates answer the same questions in different ways that I think I actually know what kind of people they are! It was absolutely better than any other presidential debate I've ever seen (even though my experence is quite limited). I was looking forward to this, and it was even better than Wall-E! (totally different, but you know, better use of two hours) Rick Warren was perhaps the best host-moderator I've ever heard, and both candidates were at the top of their game. It turns out McCain's game is much higher than Obama's! (heh heh heh)

"At first, when Rick Warren interviewed Obama, I was a little scared. Obama received a lot of applause and adulation from the crowd. His Marxist policies were disguised as usual, but apparant if one can look hard enough. When Pastor Warren asked Obama "What do you think, in your lifetime, is America's biggest failure?" Obama responded with some garbage about how the USA hasn't taken care of "the least of these", quoting Matthew 20 or 28, I don't remember. He seemed pretty proud that he actually used scripture. I know that "the least of these" need help, but why does the government have to do it? And is it really our biggest failure? (On a different [related?] note, Obama said he supported killing babies that survived abortions. Just to let you know.)

"But McCain was a different story altogether. His answers were concise and straight, and he ended up answering many more questions than Obama because he didn't ramble and waste time. He answered all of the questions very well, but the one that made me turn from a lukewarm "vote against Obama" voter into a McCain supporter was his answer to the question, "Which justices currently on the supreme court would you have not nominated?" He answered it exactly the way I would want my president to, exactly the opposite of Obama."

In reality, that's not all I have to say. So check out this discussion if you haven't yet. It was the best presidential event in any campaign I've ever witnessed. You'll get an idea of who these men are and what they stand for. They are both eloquent, but McCain has the substance that Obama lacks. I'm still not totally sold on McCain, but now I'm actually tempted to campaign for him. I have hope for America.

The Shack part Duex

I'm not gonna ever do a two part thing again. I hate feeling obligated to write something.

Anyway, I finished the shack two weeks ago. Monday... And I have to say I didn't really enjoy it, right up until the last few chapters or so. Then it took some wonderful twists and really good Theology and even made me a little emotional. So it was a good book, in my opinion.

The problem I addressed in the previous chapter is one problem of a few... but there is so much good in this book, I don't want to dwell on the negative. The Theology is almost totally sound, and will be an enormous encouragement to anyone who knows "God," but doesn't "know God." It was difficult for me to read because I'm so Theologically minded and educated that I spent more time thinking, "Do I agree with this? Is this true?" then I did actually reading and enjoying it. (I answered that question with an emphatic "Yes!" most of the time) So I wouldn't recommend it for you, Colin. I also wouldn't recommend it for any new Christian, or someone who knows nothing about God. The entire point of this book is to break the box that Catholic Christians and even some Evangelical Christians have put God in, and if you are not familiar with that box this book will not benefit you.

Anyway, without giving anything away, this book is a good book. It's not perfect, but many people will benefit from reading it. (And just to let you know, in this book God is always referred to as "He." I don't really feel like dissecting the messages in this book right now, so I'll leave it at that.)

The Shack part 1

Working out on the bankout wagon gives me a lot of time to think and a little bit of time to do whatever I may desire (as long as I'm not away from the tractor). So I've been using the time waiting for trucks to read a book I received for graduation called "The Shack." This book has stormed the bestsellers lists with little or no advertising and has been a huge success for its author and its publisher, who expected next to nothing from it. It has received numerous endorsements from people all over the Christian community, who laud it's message and writing style. The book has been called "Pilgrim's Progress" for our generation, a must-read for all Christians, brilliant, one of the best books ever written, life-changing, etc.

Maybe I'm just too hard-hearted. The first time I heard about this book was on the Way of the Master Radio Show (a wonderful program available in podcast form) and it was not necessarily positive. Let me explain why.

The Shack centers around a man named Mack, who lost his youngest daughter to a serial killer, who was never caught, four years ago. The trail dead-ended at a shack in the woods, where his daughter's blood-stained dress was discovered. After that, he fell into the great sadness which has lasted for years. One day, he discovers a note in his mailbox. It wasn't delivered from the postman, and it is signed "Papa," his wife's favorite word for God. The note asks him to come to the shack this weekend and since his family is out of town, Mack goes. There he meets Papa, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Most of the book is concerned with this visit. This is where the book gets a little shaky. Jesus looks like I'd expect Jesus to look like, a middle-eastern not super-handsome Jew. Papa is a giggling African American Woman, and the Holy Spirit is a mirthful Asian Woman. Eh, wot?

The rationale Peterson (the author) gives for this is that God is a spirit, and therefore neither male nor female; showing God as female is just as ludicrous as portraying him as Male. Also, the book is about breaking stereotypes put upon God by mankind, and portraying God like that breaks all the stereotypes. Okay. I can agree with that, I guess. But it's just hard for me. I don't really like seeing my God portrayed as a giggling fat grandma. I'm still reading, and doing my best to not let that bother me. I'm only halfway through, so I'll post my final thoughts when I'm done reading. How about you? Do you think the way Peterson portrays God is respectful?

I'm up way too late.

Yessir. Goodnight everyone. I neeed to sleepel qned rest. Uhg.

Gooodnigh.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, ugh.

So I'm working on finishing all the thank yous I had to write for graduation. I'm finishing today, praise the Lord. Here's a small taste of what I've been through. This is about 8% of the total amount I had to write (about 90). And I know I'll have to write even more once I get married. Not looking forward to that part.

Star Command II

If any of you know me, you know my inherit weakness for anything electronic. Cameras, videos, gadgets, robots, games, they all fascinate and delight me. Lately I've been playing a particularly delicious game called "Star Command II."

Star Command II was released a long time ago, but a few years ago the source code was released, allowing for a geeky fanbase to remake the game for all modern operating systems. The result is a free-as-in-speech game they call "The Ur-Quan Masters."

This game is not a game in the usual sense that you play for some mindless entertainment or puzzle solving. No, it goes much deeper. The story is the main feature, and the immersion you feel while your character explores and manipulates the galaxy will be the reward.

The story kicks off with a cinematic telling the backstory. The people of earth have been fighting a loosing battle with an evil alien race called the Ur-Quan for many years. Your parents were part of a research mission that were sent to an alien planet to find alien technology. Underneath the suface of the planet a vast factory was discovered, but for unexplained reasons Earth lost contact with the reseachers, who had to make due on their own. Eventually they discover the factory can build spaceships, but they only have enough recourses to build one skeltal cargo ship. Your character was born and raised on this planet, and selected to be the captain of this ship. Your mission is to fly to earth and find out what happened.

Of course, that's where things get interesting. Turns out Earth lost the war and is now encased in a red shell called a "slave shield." A solitary starbase orbits earth, crewed by an enslaved regiment of humans. Depending on your actions, the commander of the starbase will help you out, and earth becomes the base for your foray into deep space.

The gameplay mainly consists of visiting other worlds and exploring them with your lander, collecting resources and information on indigenous lifeforms which you can use to hire crew, buy fuel, acquire new technologies, etc. In this way, it's a little like an RPG. Along the way you will meet over a dozen alien races, each one with a unique and often humorous history. I've made contact with at least 11 races already, and I still haven't met many that the other races refer too. (e.g. Syreen, Mmrnmhnrm, and the Sylandro are still somewhere out there.) The guys in the picture on the right are one of my favorites, the Yehat, who were one of the human's greatest allies in the first war and speak in Scottish accents.

You'll want to keep a notepad beside the computer while you play this, because the conversations are only had once and you'll want to take notes. Often the aliens will drop a critical piece of information, such as the location of a homeworld, only once. If you don't write it down, you'll spend hours searching the hundreds of star systems for the right place.

The other part of the game is the battle sequences. Some of the aliens you meet are unfriendly, and allied with the Ur-Quan. While you can still converse with them, it almost inevitably leads to a battle. Personally, I try to avoid battles as much as possible. It's almost impossible to get through one without some of your crew dying. It's not hard to get more recruits, but I still feel bad when any of them die.

Now for the real meat of this post. This is one of the few games that I've ever played that actually had a real story. I'm not talking about the "let's go save the princess" story, I'm talking about a story that is as good as or better then any book or movie I've ever seen or read, especially better than all the sci-fi ones. It has so many side stories such a full history that rivals Tolkien's Middle Earth. All in all, it is the greatest science fiction experience I've ever had. I think I'm about halfway through, but I don't want it to end. It has my attention like a good book. It's easy enough to put down (you can stick a "bookmark" anywhere), but I don't want to because I want to see what will happen next. The histories and cultures invented in this game are absolutely enthralling. Unfortunately, like most sci-fi, it approaches the universe from a naturalistic viewpoint. The aliens repeatedly speak of their "evolution" and how they "invented religion" when their good friend died. Typical. It's sad that that sort of worldview is typical in every science fiction movie, book, and tv show, with the possible exception of "Firefly." It's especially sad since it's a very fun genre.

In conclusion, if you want to play one of the greatest game/book combos ever made, one that lets you feel like what it would be like as a genuine starship captain, download "The Ur-Quan Masters." Make sure you download the optional voice and music packs, it makes the game a ton more enjoyable. And if you don't like computer games, well, I feel for you. You're missing out. No one else in my family likes them, (except my brother, but he won't admit it to anyone including himself) so I can understand it. But not really, because this game is way too fun.

Has anyone here gone on a long backpacking trip?

This week the wheat was too moist to harvest (it has to be less than 12% humidity for the elevators to accept it, and we were harvesting stuff that was at 20%, which is bad) so we've just been doing weird things at the shop. I even de-virused my Uncle's computer there, so now the green star gps system in the combines should be able to sync with his computer. Anyway, on to my story.

Yesterday I took a trip to Spokane with my Mom and Brother to get ready for my year of Bible College. One part of that year is a week long backpacking trip. I am not the most outdoorsy person you'll ever meet, and I love "earth-worshippers" the same way Jesus loved the Pharisees. Anyway, we spent a bunch of time in REI looking for backpacks and non-cotton clothes. I had no idea it took so much time to find all of this stuff. When we were done, and I had a back car seat full of gear, my brother turned to me and said, "You get to see me jealous of you today, Darren. It's like the Salmon spawning, you don't get to see it very often."

Today I had to work in the field and Wayne and Mom made a trip down the road and boated on the river. When I got home from work I told Wayne, "This is a rare opportunity, Wayne. You get to see me jealous of you. It's like you getting jealous of me, you don't get to see it very often."

What is a "Daring Wagon Dragon?"

What is a "Daring Wagon Dragon?" Many people have asked me this (well, two), and so I thought I should take this precious time before bed I usually take to play a computer game and actually write something. (but don't worry, I'm still collecting meat and radioactives in the background) Anywho.

Daring Wagon Dragon. Say it out loud. Daring Wagon Dragon. Ah... feel it cleanse your pallet. It has a blustery quality that is belied by its rhyming nature. Say it again. One more time please. Now, don't you feel silly? You should, because I do.

Now for the meaning. My name, as you should know, is Darren. In the original Persian or German (I'm not really sure which) it means "Great One." Wait... No that meaning has nothing to do with it. Daring Darren. That's it. "Darren" sounds like "Daring." So, actually, it's pretty simple. Simply complex, eh?

Wagon: My younger and only brother is named Wayne. In the original Persian or English (I'm not really sure which) it means "Maker of Wagons." So naturally, I wanted to honor him a bit and have a family connection in this name. And I do.

Dragon: collectively, dragons are cool beasties. I want one.

Keep in mind everything we have learned. If "Daring Wagon Dragon" were "untranslated," it would be "Darren and Wayne's Beast." This is actually misleading, as Wayne has no dominion over the beast that is this blog. If he did, it would have a lot more kayaks, Celtic designs, good dancing, and fashion sense, but since he doesn't it is what it is. It has stupid dancing.

"Daring Wagon Dragon" has a lot of cool qualities about it too. Imagine a world without horses, a creature that has done me more harm than good, and to replace them we had dragons. Or even a world with horses, but dragons are to horses as horses are to oxen. I'd like to have a dragon pulling a wagon into the places no one else will go. That's what I'll do, (go where no one else will go) and this name reflects that mission. Someday, I want to make a cool graphic of a dragon pulling a wagon for the banner at the top of this page, but that's a ways off.

To be honest, I just came up with "Daring Wagon Dragon" out of the blue. I thought of my name, my brother's name and the animal that went with them, and it just sorta came out. I liked it, and so here it is.

Video Blog 1

So I didn't have enough thought or want to type everything out, so I making a video. Here it be, like a wasp about to sting you. Swat it with your clicker!



I actually didn't say everything I wanted to. I'm not as eloquent as I'd like to be when the camera is on, but I'll get better. Like tofu!

We Started Harvesting Today...

It's only the first whole day of harvest, (we started yesterday afternoon) and I'm already tired of it. It's like I never left for the fall, winter, and spring... Oh well. Only six weeks left. :D

I'd type more, but I want to sleep. Goodnight, you ragamuffin imps. Goodnight, knight. Goodnight, moon. Goodnight, Blogger. Goodnight, word "goodnight."

Direction of Daring Wagon Dragon

Daring Wagon Dragon is now a blog about me. I'm gonna talk about me and the things I like, because I never get to do it any other time and I'm potentially the only one who will read this. Posts without the tag "Journal" will not be about my life. By the way, I've been accepted into Jackson Hole Bible College, so I'll be going there in a few weeks. Yay!

Harvest Begins!

That could be a title of a movie or some b-rate video game. Anyway, we got out of the shop today and into the fields. I don't like fieldwork, but I was tired of shopwork, so it's all good. Pays well, and I need money because I want to make money and pay for college. Yep yep.

The Dark Knight also came out tonight, technically tomorrow. I wanted to see it, but it was sold out! Ben and I were going to go. Some other people too... Ben and Pastor and Jordon V. are still going, but I'm not. Oh well, I'll see it later. It's going to be great. I'm almost more excited for it that I was for spider-man 3, but that was a more youthful excitement. This is a mature ecstasy.

Hellboy II

Went to see Hellboy II today with a bunch of friends. Actually, only 4 of them were around my age, the rest of them were parents. Good movie. I'll watch it again someday.

My Mom is a wonderful person, as is my Dad. They have been married about 30 years. That's quite a while. At one point, their marriage was strained and almost shattered, but Godly council and grace kept them together. Now they have Wayne and me! If that's not a good reward, I don't know what is.

Super sooper soup!

All the soup in the world could not drown a good swimmer. Unless, of course, that soup was very cold and numbed the summer to death. But then again, in that case the swimmer would die of hypothermia and not of a plethora of liquids. A hot soup would kill like hot springs, basically boiling a person alive. But there are just as many hot soups in the world as cold ones, so if they all combined they would create a wonderful vat. Of liquid. You could swim in.

First post!!!

I was going to do a really deep post analyzing whether or not theology is a worthwhile subject, but I'd rather do something more first posty for the first post.

Daring Wagon Dragon - Delivering where others fear. Like lava beds. And baby stores.

So that's the name. That's what we'll do, metaphorically. Sometimes you might be thinking, "gbala gbala" because nothing makes sense, but it's like impressionistic art. You have to stand back to see the whole picture.

So who am I? What do I do? Not that anyone cares; Darren, the Miller's son, farmer by trade, anything else by choice. Almost no one will read this. Why am I doing this? Am I in such a need to be heard that I must post things that someone might potentially read? I'm not one who reads many blogs, except for some that my acquaintances write. So why write a blog? A gasp for fame? A call to my generation? Hopefully my reasons are worthwhile. My reasons are: I'd like to experience it, I'd like to give others enjoyment (which is why I only write about things that interest ME), and I'd like to chronicle my growth. I'm almost an adult. If I look back on these things later, when I'm old and gray, how will I be different? How will I have grown? These questions can only be answered with time. And time is the only thing in life that is free.

So what can you expect to find here??? Dreams, humor (if I'm in the mood), analyzing of theology, and other stuff. Social critique and such. I'm not going to write much about my life because that doesn't interest me. Maybe when it gets interesting I'll write about it... Some of the oddest dreams play out in my mind...