Season 4 Episode 8 "Meet Kevin Johnson" Reaction

This episode did not advance the time line very much and didn't answer a lot of questions. However, it did scratch a very old itch, with what happened to Michael and Walt. I am going to explain this episode with my own observations in the same order as it appeared during the show.

Locke's Compound
The episode started out at Locke's Compound with what seemed like a neighborhood watch meeting complete with Ben, Rousseau, her daughter Alex, Carl, and the other "Losties". Locke brought in Miles (I guess he didn't blow up). Miles says he is here for Ben. Ben says that once they get him they will kill everyone on the island and Ben reveals to everyone that Michael is the spy. Sawyer recounts the obvious sinful past of Michael (I guess they do that to help us make the connection).

On the Boat
An alarm sounds as Sayid and Desmond are awakened. They go to the deck only to find the captain beating the stuffing out of one of the sailors that was trying to escape. Sayid approaches Kevin (Michael) and asks him "Why are you here?" Michael's responds "I am here to die".

Locke's Compound
We go back to Locke's compound where Sawyer confronts Locke and Miles about not telling him about the 3.2 million offer that Miles made to Ben for his loyalty. Locke tells him that he did not think that it was important since Ben couldn't get the money. Miles laughs, obviously he thinks everyone is underestimating Ben. He points out that Ben is now free and that Ben gets what he wants. Which is true. I don't understand it, but Ben does get what he wants. He is a ruthless cold blooded killed that should not be trusted, yet Locke still trust him. Also at the compound, Ben tells Alex, Carl, and Rousseau to go to the "Temple" which appears to be another station. This is the station where Richard and the "others" were going. At this point, I am excited because I think that we are going to see this station tonight. I am sadly mistaken.

On the Boat
We go back to the boat and Sayid confronts Michael and wants to know how he got on the boat.

Flashback
We then go into one long flashback. I kind of enjoyed it for a change, not going back and forth all the time. We find that Michael is very troubled by his past sins (killing Ana-Lucia and Libby). He wants to kill himself. He tries to crash his car and kill himself, he pins a note to Walt on his jacket. We assume this is his first time to commit suicide, but as find out later it is very difficult for former inhabitants of the island to kill themselves so Michael could have tried it before. Further proof that he is haunted, he dreams that Libby brings him a blanket in the hospital.

We find out that Walt is not with him, he is living with Michael's mother. We also find out that Michael and Walt have come back and are not telling anyone what happened. They are using fake names. Walt is not talking to Michael because he told him something (We find out later that Michael confided in Walt about the women he killed). I know that it has been a couple of years since the first season, so they can not show Walt a lot because he has grown up (he looked really old in the episode where Ben shot Locke and Walt appeared to him in a vision). In fact I think they used a different boy for the short time we saw him tonight. I believe that is why they left in the first place, because he was growing up and only a few months time was supposed to have passed. I think that the writers could have woven it in better now that we know about this time travel stuff, couldn't Walt have just grown old very fast as an Island side-effect. Oh, well they chose to phase him out. I am glad that they brought back Michael he was always one of my favorites.

Michael then take the watch that Jin gave him and pawns it for gun and tries to kill himself. Mr. Friendly (Tom) shows up and interrupts him and then kicks Michael's butt. Mr. Friendly then explains that the Island won't let him die. He tells Michael that he can find him in the Penthouse at the Hotel Earle (I don't know if this is important yet). Michael goes home to try to kill himself one more time, but the gun jams twice. He then sees a news report about how Oceanic 815 was found at the bottom of the ocean. He goes to see Friendly.

We discover that Friendly is gay. I could have done without that. I would say more, but I am afraid that he would kick my butt. Friendly tells Michael that the Oceanic 815 crash he saw on the news was staged by Charles Whidmore. Interesting, because we were led to believe that Ben staged that crash. I think we are gearing up for a colossal battle between Benjamin Linus and Charles Whidmore. Friendly tells him that Whidmore doesn't want anyone to find out what happened to the real Oceanic 815 and about the Island. Michael wants proof, so Friendly shows him a picture of empty graves in Thailand and receipts for the plane and freighter rental. This really doesn't prove anything to us, but for Michael it is important. Friendly tells us that a boat is leaving to find the island and Michael's mission is to go on the boat undercover and kill everyone on the boat. Michael is to do this to redeem himself, somehow pay for his past sins.

Michael arrives at the dock and I first notices the name of the boat was scratched out (KAHA-----). I don't know if this is important. Michael gets a package from Friendly before he leaves. Friendly also calls him and tells him to wait a few days and use the package to kill everyone. On a side note, it was interesting that Miles knew that Michael was lying about his name. Miles must have a "sixth sense". Out at sea Frank, the helicopter pilot, confirms a couple of things. He confirms that the boat is in fact owned by Whidmore and that he and Whidmore agreed that the Oceanic 815 in the ocean was staged. Later on the "Boat People" are out on the deck of the boat shooting clay pigeons with automatic weapons. Michael asked if they were on a rescue mission and the guys tell him to go clean something. Michael then goes to blow up the boat only to find that the bomb is a trick that gives a note that says "Not Yet". Very cruel, Ben. He then gets a call from Walt, which turns out to be Ben. Ben tells Michael to give him a list of everyone on the boat then to take out the communications and them to take out the engines.

On the Boat
When we come out of the flash back Sayid asked Michael "So, you mean to tell you are working for Benjamin Linus?" Which is ironic, because Sayid goes to work for Ben later on. Sayid them attacks Michael and takes him to Captain Gault. Sayid tells the captain everything. He tells him that Michael is a traitor and that he was on Oceanic 815 and that he sabotaged the boat. I don't understand why Sayid did this. This seems a little rash for him, you would think that Sayid would want to think out his next move, unless he has a plan.

On the Island
Rousseau, Carl, and Alex are making their way to the "Temple Station". When they stop for a drink, Rousseau and Carl are shot. Alex comes out and yells that she is Ben's daughter. I don't know who is shooting, but I assume it is the "others" who have orders to kill them. So did Ben intentionally lead them to their deaths?

Questions and Next Week
As I mentioned this episode didn't deliver like I thought it would. From last weeks promo I thought the time line would be advanced more, but it did give us some good insight into Michael.
1. What is the temple station (Ben referred to it as a sanctuary, it seems only some know about it)
2. What is going on with the "Losties" on the beach, we did see them this episode.
3. Who killed Rousseau and Carl?
4. Is Ben going to pay Miles?

Well it looks like we have to wait a month for an new episode (Darn you, writers strike). But it seems like a battle is going to happen. And from the promo, I learned that they are counting Aaron as one of the six. You probably knew that, but it surprised me. Oh, well see you next month.

The Greatest Day Ever!

Why Today is the Greatest Day Ever:

1. It is my birthday (28, groan, I feel old).

2. Kentucky is playing in the NCAA Tourney today.

3. Lost is on Tonight!

4. My parents are in town and taking me out for a nice dinner.

5. Amanda got kicked off of American Idol last night. (Okay, so this didn't happen today, but it definitely makes today sweeter.)

Update: Okay, so it wasn't a perfect day because UK lost to Marquette. Oh, well there is always next year.

3 New Links

I added three new links to the sidebar today:

1. Walt Mueller's blog. He is the founder of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. His blog seems to be a good resource for youth workers and parents.

2. More Than Dodgeball Blog. This is a blog from some of the guys at youthministry.com (Group). It is both informational and comical.

3. Improv Everywhere. This is a really funny site about people doing funny improv things in the public. One video showed 16 people performing a spontaneous musical in the mall about needing a napkin. Definitely check this site out for a laugh.

A New and Dangerous Drug: Salvia

I recently read an article by the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding about a new drug called Salvia. I became very concerned; in the past I have had to help teens that are on over the counter drugs like Triple C. However, this drug is new and dangerous because many people see it as an "herbal" remedy. Actually it is not a new drug. It has been around for a long time, used mainly by Mazatec Indians. It is native to Mexico and is officially called Salvia Divinorum (also called: Magic Mint, Ska Maria, Sally D, and Pastora). It is a plant that can be smoke, chewed, or brewed. Each of these methods delivers a different type of high with varying lengths.

It is becoming more and more common in foreign cities like Amsterdam. It can be bought on the Internet, even on Ebay. It is not nationally illegal yet, but many states are considering a ban. I can only image as the drug become more and more popular that it will be banned nation wide. Many people relate Salvia to Marijuana, but this drugs "high" is much much more intense than pot. It also causes more loss of control that pot. CPYU described that "Users experience visionary trances (bright lights, vivid colors, pronounced shapes), a loss of control of their body, slurred speech, and a sense of being transported to a different place and time. The experience is intense." Dr. Bryan Roth says the high is "as potent as LSD, and essentially, the most potent naturally occurring hallucinogenic drug,"

Among teens this drug is becoming more and more prevalent. Don't be fooled by those that say this is an "herbal" remedy or home medicine. It is dangerous because users lose inhibitions which can cause a number of bad consequences including death. One teens suicide is linked to the drugs use. Parents, talk to your teens about all drugs, but especially about new ones as they are not considered harmful because they are not illegal. Set boundaries and rules regarding drugs and alcohol. CPYU reports, "alcohol and drug use is relatively low among teens whose parents set and enforce strict rules about alcohol and drug abuse." So start a dialogue about this today.

Read the CPYU article in PDF format

CPYU Site

NPR Article

Lost Season 4 Episode 7 "Ji Yeon" Reaction

This episode was okay, it had a lot of fluff in it, but also had some very good answers to some very old questions. I am sure that a whole lot more question about the future are coming. But for now, I am very happy. I will start with the flash-foward

Flash-back/Flash-forward
Tonight we were treated to both a flash forward and flashback at the same time. Sneaky, sneaky Lost writers. They started with Sun being at home getting ready to go out and she starts having pain, she calls the ambulance. This was a flash-forward as we see that she is extremely pregnant. Then we also see Jin trying to buy a giant Panda for what we assume to be his baby. Some of this seems to be time filler, he loses the giant Panda and his mobile phone is run over. He then pays a lot for a replacement Panda that is on hold for another customer. We then see Sun back in the deliver room where she is in pain and is screaming for Jin. Jin finally arrives at his destination, it was the hospital, but we find out that it is actually a flash-back. I was really confused a this point, but apparently the Panda was for a business client and Jin was just making a delivery. He tells the nurse on the way out that he has only been married for two months. Sun has the baby which by the way looked very realistic. It was all a little confusing, but all is cleared up on the final flash-forward when Sun is alone her apartment, when Hurley arrives. He ask "Is anyone else coming?", Sun answers "no". They then take the baby to the cemetery where I assume they are at Jin's grave (It was in Korean). So that was the big twist, Jin dies or so we are led to believe. I have read other places that the date on the tomb stone was 9/24/04 which is the date of the crash. My theory is that it is an old tomb stone erected after the fake crash but before Sun is rescued. So how does Jin die and when? Time will tell. Just to summarize Jin was in a flash-back where nothing really important happened and Sun was in a flash-forward where we learn she is one of the Oceanic Six, she has a healthy baby, and Jin dies at some point.

On the Island
So we find the "Losties" on the Island, bored as usual. Sun takes on the investigative role and starts to question Kate about what happened last episode (if only she had the Internet and a computer she could read my blog). She then goes to confront Daniel. Finally someone is asking direct questions. She asks him if they are going to rescue them. Even though she asks a direct question she does not get a direct answer. Daniel says its not up to him, which is probably true. Sun loses confidence in the "boat people" and wants to leave for Locke's compound. Juliet finds out that they are going to leave and tries to talk Sun out of it, but Sun is not persuaded. Sun and Jin start to take off and Juliet stops them by telling Jin that Sun had an affair. It is surprising to me that four months ago (in Lost time) that Jin couldn't speak any English, but now he seems to understand it very well. I took four years of Spanish in school and I don't remember anything. Anyway, Jin is upset and is consoled on a fishing trip and he forgives Sun, they make up. It is a happy ending and they decide to stay because if Sun does not leave the Island in three weeks she is going to die. I can already see it now, she will not leave until the last minute before she is going to die.

Locke's Compound
They didn't show the compound this week. I am sure they are doing normal compound stuff. Like playing horseshoes, skinning rabbits, and sticking grenades in the hostage's mouths. By the way what happened to Miles, did he blow up yet?

On the Boat
It starts out with Frank (the helicopter pilot) bringing Desmond and Sayid some canned food claiming that they are having problems in the kitchen. The women guarding the door is acting funny, a little crazy maybe. While locked up they get a note warning them not to trust the captain. Who is the captain? Well we finally get to meet him. But just before two very important things happen. One, Frank has taken the Helicopter out on an "errand". The doctor indicates that he has gone to the island, so I wonder how long it will take him to get there. Second, the lady that guarding the door commits suicide by jumping into the ocean will heavy chains on. The crew doesn't hardly seem to notice and while Des and Sayid are freaking out the captain appears and calms them down. I don't see what is so bad about Captain Gault. Everyone seems to be afraid to make him mad. Though I don't see why they kept him a secret so long, it is not like he is some past character or some famous actor. Anyway, Gault takes Des and Sayid and shows them a black box from the fake crash of "Oceanic 815". He tells them that this is Charles Widmore's boat, which causes Des to go "hmmmm". He also tells them that the reason they are looking for Ben is to find out why the crash was staged and where he got all those bodies from. As if Ben had anything to do with the crash, not little ol' Ben, he is as harmless as a flea. The Doc then takes Des and Sayid down stairs to their new quarters where their is a fresh blood splatter on the wall. It seems that the crew members are going insane and committing suicide. Captain Gault thinks it is because they are stuck so close to the island (some one has been sabotaging things like the engines and the communication equipment). The Doc then calls over "Kevin" to clean up the mess. "Kevin" turns out the Micheal. Remember him from a couple of season ago, when he and his son Walt made a deal with Ben and took off in a motor boat. It seems that Michael's freedom had some strings attached. We also assume the Michael is Ben's inside man. So that is the big secret that I called last week. Not really, I read it on a spoiler site.

Questions and Next Episode
One major question is how did Michael get on the boat? And where is Walt? Is he Ben's hostage so Michael will do his bidding? Finally Where are Ben's people? I feel like I am the only one asking this question. What happened to Richard and the "others"? Next week (from the trailer) Michael gets beaten up by Sayid, who wants answers. We go back to the compound where is looked like Locke tells everyone that Michael is Ben's inside man and Sawyer isn't happy. It also seems like the "boat people" are packing some serious heat, does this spell trouble for the "Losties". And they promise that someone will die. Oh no, it will probably be some small character, like that guy with grenade in him mouth or maybe Locke makes up a special batch of Kool-aid for the compound to drink. Next week's episode is called"Meet Kevin Johnson" so it probably safe to assume that it focuses on Michael. Until next week...

Indiana Baptist Evangelism Conference 2008 Columbus, IN

I just got back at midnight last night from the SCBI (State Convention of Baptist in Indiana) Evangelism Conference. They had a great line up this year, which included Ed Stetzer, Bobby Welch, and Johnny Hunt. Because I attend the various conventions and meetings I hear these guys usually at least once a year and I have to say these were the best messages I have heard from these guys. It might also have been the smaller arena. In the big conventions it is hard to feel connected, but in a sanctuary of 400 you feel more connected to the speaker.

Ed Stetzer was definitely my favorite speaker of the convention. He spoke on 2 Cor. 5:16-21. I want to give a full report on his sermon and how God spoke to my heart through his message. I don't have time to expound on it right now, but I will in another post. Bobby Welch was great. He pounded the pulpit and yelled "Pow" a lot. I didn't get a lot of notes from him, but his message was very good. He spoke on Romans 9:1-3.

Johnny Hunt's message was titled "What You Lose When You Leave" Rev. 2:1-7. I have heard this passage preached before, but Hunt explained it better than anyone else I have heard. He even gave a very good explanation of who the elusive Nicolatians were. He explained from his research in Ephesus and from other scholars that they were probably a group of Christians that were using the excuse of Christian liberty to sin. They claimed they could do these things because of "freedom in Christ" Oh, no not the freedom in Christ issue. It was funny because Johnny told us that his most requested sermon was on alcohol. My most read and commented on blog was about alcohol(post 1, post 2), what is with this issue that we like to discuss it so much. Anyway, the main point of the sermon was to encourage us to return to ministry that God first called us too. For instance in my life God called me to make a difference in the lives of students and train them to reach their friends. Often what happens is we get caught up in the business of church work and forget our first calling or "first love". He then gave eight things that we lose when we leave our "first love". Of course they are alliterated: Passion, Power, Purpose, Priority, Purity, Prudence, Perspective, and Perception. It was a very good message and caused me to think about my own ministry.

Over all the conference was great. It is good for me to go to these things from time to time. I don't know about you, but they really help me to get re-fired up. I really do get caught up in the "work" and forget about the reason for the "work". I was reminded that the most important thing we can do in ministry is reach people and train others to reach people.

If you are interested in hearing these message you are in luck. They did record them, however I forget the name of the company and the don't know the website. I will try to locate it over the next couple of days and post it when I talk about Ed's message.

Hulu.com Launches Tommorrow

Recently people have been wanting more and more TV and movie content on the web. Apple has done a lot to bring this content to us for a small fee. ABC and CBS have free show on their sites, but they are annoying with the ads and the not-so-user-friendly players. Other sites are trying to do the same, but you still have to pay for it or you have to break the law to get the content. I am very excited about Hulu.com, which is joint venture between Fox, NBC, and Universal. They will offer TV shows and movies for FREE and it is completely legal. They launch tomorrow, but you can see some shows now on the websites.

I went to the site today and started to watch an episode of the Simpsons (It was the first show available on main page). When I clicked on the play button, the show came up really fast. They let me know that this show was sponsored by Taco Bell and was being shown with limited commercial interruption. After the shows theme song and credits there was a 15 second Taco Bell ad. The video was choppy. It started and stopped a lot, so I quit watching a few minutes in. The choppiness may be due to a crappy Internet connection. I am wireless and currently far away from the router. I getting a signal of 11Mbps. I am going to try it tomorrow closer to the router. Even with the small cliche, it looks amazing. All this content for free and it seems like the ad really aren't all that annoying. I know some will continue to buy and many will continue to steal, but this is a great option for those of us that cheap and addicted to TV.

Update: I went back and watched some SNL clips after the launch. I watched them on a better wifi connection (54 mbps) and it worked like a dream. They loaded and played fast. I am so stoked.

Lost Season 4 Episode 6 "The Other Women" Reaction

This episode was amazing. I can not believe they let us know so much in one episode. First off I love getting to know more about "the others" lives before and after the crash. The flashbacks are back for now. We learned a lot about Juliet's life, after she was brought to the island she had to meet with a psychiatrist (Harper) who from the very beginning was jealous of her. It turns out that Juliet has an affair with Harper's husband Goodwin. Through all of this we found out that Harper didn't really care about the affair, she was just worried about Ben finding out and what he would do to Goodwin. It turns out that Ben has a major crush on Juliet (Harper mentions that Juliet looks like "her", we don't know who that is, but I assume it is Ben's former wife or girlfriend). Ben is really psycho over Juliet, he said "You are mine". Does anyone else think Ben is a stalker? Anyway, we already knew that Goodwin was sent to the tale section of the crash to act as a passenger. When Ana-Lucia discovered that he was an "other" she killed him. What we didn't know was the reaction of Juliet to this news. Again they bring up the whole baby-mother dying on the island thing. I think we are going to find out more about that next week. It seems imperative that Sun gets off the island soon.


Meanwhile, back on the island. They make you think that Daniel and Charlotte are bad and are going to kill everyone on the island. Somehow Ben has Harper track down Juliet and tells her that she must kill them to protect everyone. I wonder how Ben is getting these messages out, or did he have all this planned from the beginning? Harper said that Ben is right where he wants to be. It makes me wonder who is really in control, Ben wants everyone to think he is not in control, but I wonder. It turns out that Daniel and Charlotte are not bad, they make the station called the Tempest harmless. Apparently, this is how "the others" killed the Dharma people all those years ago, with some kind of gas and Dan was trying to render it harmless. He did and Jack and Juliet's faith was restored in the boat people.


Speaking of the boat people, I am curious about what happened to Miles, the last time we saw him he had a grenade in his mouth courtesy of Locke. We didn't get to see him this week, but it wasn't for lack of trying on Claire's part, she tried to convince Locke to take her to see Miles. She thought that she could persuade him with her sweetness rather than brute force. Locke of course refused and goes to talk to Ben, then comes the most interesting part of the whole episode. Ben and Locke make a deal that Locke will put Ben under a house arrest of sorts in exchange for what he knows about the boat people. It turns out that Charles Whitmore is behind the whole think. I think we all saw that coming after last weeks episode. Penny's dad is the one trying to find the island to "exploit it" or so Ben says. Ben has that "Red Sox" tape that has Whitmore beating up one of Ben's men. My first question is how did he get tape and who shot it? Also, is Ben a Red Sox fan? Probably, not because he taped over the game.

***Spoiler Alert*****
Anyway, for next week I am looking forward to seeing Sayid and Des on the boat. And we will get to find out who Ben's man is on the boat. From what I can piece together and from what I have read it is Michael. Yes, Michael the very same guy who took off in the motor boat with his son and we have not heard from them again (except in one of Locke's visions). I wonder though did they not have a problem leaving the island with all the time warp stuff going on. I guess Ben knows the secret. I think we will also find out next week that Sun and Jin are the final two in the Oceanic Six. As always, I am awaiting the return of "the others". At least we know that they are still following Ben's guidance and still on the island (Harper is proof of that). I am looking forward to Episode 7 Ji Yeon next week.

Republicans for Hillary

I am very surprised today that Hillary won both Ohio and Texas. I thought that Obama had the nomination locked up, but low and behold he lost. I think Hillary needs to thank the Republicans. I have been listening to Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham on the radio lately and they have been encouraging Republicans in Ohio and Texas to vote for Hillary. The reason is simple, Rush believes that McCain can beat Hillary, but he is not so sure that he can beat Obama. So they are doing all they can to make Hillary the Democratic nomination. From what I can tell in both Ohio and Texas you can vote for either Republican or Democrat in the primaries. You just have to declare before you vote and since the Republican nomination was pretty much locked up many choose to vote for Hillary. I don't know if I could do it; I guess if it was for the greater good. Is it really going to help? Or do we face another nightmare because if this plan works Hillary could be president? They had people on the radio calling in saying that this was wrong, that Rep. should stick to their own party and that this was voter fraud. I don't think it is voter fraud if they have open polling. I also don't think it is wrong, I think it is smart. It will be interesting to see if it works.

Bye Bye Brett

I had Brett Farve on my fantasy team last year and he did a phenomenal job. I came in second place. But no more, because he is retiring. I have to give it to the guy, he is amazing. He definitely is one of the best all time quarterbacks. He has a lot of records for touchdowns and passing, but the most impressive is 275 consecutive starts. That is amazing and testament to his durability and a good O-line. I am happy for him. I am the guy that believes that you should go out on top and he did that. Last year was amazing. I guess I will have to look to someone else when fantasy season rolls around. I hope he doesn't come back like some are predicting and like Jordan did. Brett, just enjoy retirement and take up golf or go be a coach somewhere. I am sure you have a lot of wisdom to give. Goodbye Brett, you truly are an NFL Great.

ESPN News Story

The Political Landscape

About 3 years ago I gave up politics. I used to follow politics a lot; reading about it and listening to political radio. I was tired of all the compromise, the hopelessness of it all. It seems that all politicians only care about is themselves and their positions of power. So I gave it up.

Well, recently I have had a change of heart, sort of. I started to read more about politics and listen to more AM radio and the situation does not seem any better. I am having a huge problem with the political candidates. I am basically a what you would call a values voter. I care about the economy and foreign policy, but I care more about values (i.e. abortion, marriage, etc.) Because of this stance I don't like either of the democratic candidates and the republican candidate doesn't excited me very much. I really liked Huckabee, but it seems that it is mathematically impossible for him to win the GOP nomination.

So, what about this guy McCain. I don't know a lot about him, but I get the sense he is a very moderate. I don't think he will do anything to damage our current value system, but I don' t think he will do anything to improve it. There is a lot on the table with stem cell research, snowflake babies, abortion, gay marriage, etc. and I don't think he will further conservative causes.

So what is a conservative to do. Should I bite the bullet and vote for him? My options seem very limited. Any other conservatives out there struggling with the same thing I am? What are you going to do?

How Many Five Year Olds Could You Take in a Fight?

I don't know why this is so funny, but it hilarious. I can take 18 five year olds in a fight. How many can you take? I guess I don't have to worry about a gang of kindergarteners picking on my little girl when she gets there. Click on the box below to test yourself.


18

Resource Alert

Currently I am taking my students through The 10 Most Common Objections to Christianity by Alex McFarland during our Wednesday night discipleship time. This week we are on Objection No. 8 People Are Basically Good. This is a great book for youth groups, individuals that want to strengthen their faith, or for seekers. I have developed each chapter into a discussion oriented Bible study (In the back Alex has already put down some discussion questions for group use) so our students can digest the myths and understand the truth. It is very deep, but my students love it. One student likes to engage in online chat boards with atheist and she is using a lot the material from this book. Our student need to know this stuff, because they will face this stuff in college and when they get out on their own. Teach apologetics to your children and students. The myths that the book covers are:

1. God is Not Real

2. Creation is a Myth

3. The Bible is Not Completely Authentic

4. The Bible is Not Completely Accurate

5. Jesus Was Just a Man

6. Jesus is Not the Only Way to Heaven

7. A Loving God Wouldn't Send People to Hell

8. People Are Basically Good

9. Christians Are All Hypocrites

10. A Merciful God Wouldn't Allow Suffering



The second Resource Alert is BSafe Online. I am currently teaching my students about Sex, Dating, and Relationships on Sunday nights during our student worship. I am teaching them about boundaries and accountability and it hits me that I am being hypocritically. I am teaching them to be accountable, but my life if wide open to temptation online. So, I am trying this out for my own accountability and also to be a model for other parents. All of us need this software. It is great, you can set different users to have more or less security. You can also get email reports about the online activity. You can monitor chat and IM. It definitely is one of the best filters I have seen. Check it out today.

Lost Season 4 Episode 5 "The Constant" Reaction

I took me while to break down this episode (I had to watch it twice). I have read some other reviews and they thought the same thing I did; that this episode was something straight out of the Back to the Future Trilogy. I did not see the whole time travel thing coming. They eluded to the whole time gap last week and Daniel was so adamant that the helicopter pilot stay on course that I new something was going to happen. I didn't expect Des to freak out and forget who everyone was and really didn't expect him to start jumping through time.

I was very excited to to see the boat this week. I wasn't quite what I expected, it resembled a broke down junker rather than the Q. E. II. The crew members on the boat and doctor on the boat give me the creeps. It seems everyone knows what is going on expect for us and the people for the plane crash. I am getting sick of all the weird glances. I am glad that back on the beach Jack finally took control and got some information out of them. They new about the time problem. That must be why the island is so hard to find. We still don't know why time is messed up.

The whole time warp thing was very interesting and gave us some more information on Des. By the way he has become one of my favorite characters, I really want him and Penny to get together. Is it just me or this show going even more Sci-fi than ever before. Anyway, I liked the whole interplay between Des and Daniel in the present and in the past. But one thing bugs me, Daniel says you can't change the future, but why didn't he remember Des from 1996. Does he have problem or is memory messed up (Remember they were doing a memory test on the beach in the last episode)? I also remember the doctor says that Daniel "...can't even help himself." All of this leads me to believe that Daniel has a problem, maybe a time problem of his own or maybe from all that radiation he was exposed to in 1996 (Des commented that he didn't wear anything to protect his head), it doesn't seem to be affecting his brain function. However, if you allow me to skip to the end, Daniel found that he wrote that Des was his constant (The constant being that anchor that helps one trapped in the time warp to have a source that brings them to reality).

All that is interesting, but not near as interesting as why Penny's dad wanted the first mates journal to the boat of the Black Rock. If you remember the boat was found inland on the island a couple of seasons ago. I think it is the boat that the science teacher was blown up by the dynamite. Mr. Whitmore must be trying to find the island in 1996. My own personal theory is that the boat that the "rescue team" is from is Mr. Whitmore's boat. Mr. Whitmore must have hired that guy that visited Hurly in the loony bin to find the island, so he asembled a team to find it. Why does he want to find the island? The communication officer, George, said before he died that Penny called the boat a lot but they did not anwser the call because they were instructed not to, like whoever told them not answer the call new who she was and what she wanted.

One random thought, who is the captain? Why didn't the captain know that the communications equipment had be sabotaged? Well, at least we know that Penny know that Des is alive and that she is going to intensify he search. Does he get rescued? I hope so. This is getting rather long and confusing, I am sure I left something out, but oh well all will be revealed eventually. By the way, this season so far is the best since the first season.

Next week, I hope we find out more about the boat people, I also want to know what happened to the others and where is this temple. I think we get to see a new Dharma station, oh joy.