tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142929552011-09-05T11:14:01.222-07:00Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.comBlogger1011100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-12668782111772127542010-10-08T08:58:00.000-07:002010-10-08T09:03:10.676-07:00

Originally posted on the White Horse Inn blog on 10.7.10.The theme running throughout the White Horse Inn broadcasts and Modern Reformation issues this year has been "Recovering Scripture." Such a recovery is needed in many areas of our doctrine of Scripture as has been pointed out many times this year already. However, under-girding all of these discussions is a desire to have Scripture

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-22393005088276075602010-08-05T21:08:00.000-07:002010-08-05T21:09:59.815-07:00

So you might have seen this video spreading around the web like wild-fire. In this video Mr. Joel Osteen tells his congregation to go back to the Old Covenant dietary requirements.(H.T.: Heidelblog)Now, if Joel would have taken out the 10% of his "speech" where he referenced the Bible and if he didn't do it behind a pulpit this could actually be beneficial on a purely natural basis. Joel

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-62540852376687480932010-04-30T14:10:00.001-07:002010-04-30T14:13:11.265-07:00

Over at the Gig Harbor Reformed Bible Study site, I posted some info, materials, and schedule concerning our next study series entitled "The Drama of Redemption."Click here to go to the page.

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-18665924912553632002010-02-26T05:37:00.001-08:002010-02-26T05:39:48.176-08:00

A good friend of mine and fellow WSC alum, Brian Cochran, was recently called to a new URC church in Regina, Saskatchewan. Redeemer Reformation Church is really the only consciously Reformed congregation in the whole province and the only URC over a span of about 700 miles between Lethbridge, AB and Winnipeg, MB (and you thought Bellingham, WA to Sunnyside, WA was far!). If you know anybody in

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-70166935512249115942010-01-28T08:46:00.000-08:002010-01-28T09:17:31.322-08:00

After not exhorting anywhere for two and a half months I am excited to go serve God's people again by filling a pulpit. On Saturday I will be flying into Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to exhort at the Parkland URC in Ponoka and also in Lacombe on January 31 and February 7. This church has recently (on January 3) started a daughter church plant in Lacombe which I will be exhorting at in the mornings

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-19810693674498736862010-01-22T16:15:00.001-08:002010-01-22T16:19:06.193-08:00

Many of you might be aware that I have been working on a church plant idea near Tacoma, WA for a number of months. Well, thanks to the generosity of the URC churches in Pacific Northwest classis, we have some funds with which to launch our Bible study! So beginning on February 16 I will be traveling up to the area every other week to lead the Bible Study there (no, we are not moving yet).

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-32293665243458937642010-01-14T12:02:00.001-08:002010-01-14T12:02:31.363-08:00

Originally posted on the White Horse Inn blogIn a world which is so connected news spreads fast. I got an e-mail notifying me of a 7.0 earthquake very near Port-au-Prince, Haiti just moments after the event occurred. A magnitude 7.0 earthquake is large regardless of where it occurs on the globe, but in the Caribbean I knew it could have devastating effects--this is not an area that is prepared

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-31732996180249008672009-10-23T13:32:00.001-07:002009-10-23T13:59:40.813-07:00

Originally posted on the Gig Harbor Reformed Bible Study blog:This Lord's Day I am preaching a sermon on Exodus 20:7 - the third commandment. Quick... what is it?"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain."As I was studying for and writing this sermon it was fascinating to unpack all that this seemingly short

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-20035496941662716622009-10-15T06:18:00.000-07:002009-10-15T06:36:37.430-07:00

Well, my calendar only has one more engagement scheduled and that is on October 25 at Emmanuel URC in Hanford, CA. We are going to drive up there for a little mini-road trip so at least for the time my flying around the country has come to a close. As I have mentioned before I really do enjoy flying, but flying someplace every week for five weeks was a little too much. Since June of 2009, and

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-21604572625929631402009-10-01T05:43:00.000-07:002009-10-01T06:09:14.214-07:00

This weekend marks stop number 4 in my tour of the Western Half of the North American continent. Michelle will be joining me as we go to Regina, Saskatchewan. We are both looking forward to getting away from the Southern California heat (which has cooled off quite a bit the last few days) and enjoying some fall weather (high 40s to mid 50s is forecasted). There is an independent Presbyterian

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-78950446422712602622009-09-30T21:10:00.000-07:002009-09-30T21:12:38.125-07:00

Originally posted at the GHRBS Blog:Martin Luther coined the terms "Theology of Glory" and "Theology of the Cross" after seeing in his own day (the mid 1500s) the church's striving to obtain things that were only promised of believers and the church once we enter into the glory of heaven. Luther pointed people to a "Theology of the Cross" which is the Biblical approach that pilgrims in this

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-71738546151775656112009-09-18T11:56:00.000-07:002009-09-18T12:08:37.372-07:00

For a fanscinating (but largely forgotten) look at Poland's contribution to the 16th Century Protestant Reformation take a look at the first answer on the White Horse Inn Blog's "Five for Friday" post on Sept. 18. The following Q&As focus on more recent history which are great to read as well. Keep Dr. Brycko and his colleagues in your prayers as they try to bring the Reformation back to Poland!

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-40719013536323222072009-09-11T09:43:00.001-07:002009-09-11T09:45:20.977-07:00

Repost from the Gig Harbor Reformed Bible Study blogSo Joel Osteen is coming out with a new book on November 3. The title of the book is It's Your Time, which considering the current economic depression a title like that is bound to sell millions. Obviously I am not angry with Joel for writing a book--he can write whatever he wants--but he cannot call this a "Christian" book. Why do I say that?

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-7695361513604674752009-09-09T09:39:00.000-07:002009-09-09T09:51:37.502-07:00

This morning I sent in the bulletin information for the first church I will be visiting over the next five weeks, which means my travels across the West will commence shortly. I am really looking forward to the travel and also that Michelle will be traveling with me for two of the four trips, which will be really nice.For those that are interested here is where I am going to be for the next five

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-29703327902941917192009-09-01T18:27:00.000-07:002009-09-01T20:26:53.341-07:00

So everyonce in a while when I have to run a quick errand I will turn the radio to the Calvary Chapel station coming out of LA. They usually have some speaker on, which is what I want to hear (I know I am a sucker for punishment). So this evening while I was traveling to Albertson's I was listening to some gentlemen talking about the end times (I don't think that was the focus of his message

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-71417462966972848362009-08-31T05:36:00.000-07:002009-08-31T05:58:19.242-07:00

A familiar song for kids is the "Have Patience" song. Even as a 32 year-old seminary graduate who is a candidate for the ministry needs to be reminded constantly to be patient! I know that the Lord is in control and that he does have a place for me minister, but I am sinful and tend to get frustrated when things don't move along as quickly as I want them to. Already it has been 2 months since

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-38514897062814140982009-08-26T06:28:00.000-07:002009-08-26T06:32:33.309-07:00

Originally posted on the Gig Harbor Reformed Bible Study Blog:In today's Christian climate it is thought that one's personal "testimony" is the pinnacle of Christian witness. Doctrine has its place maybe, but being able to tell a person what has happened to you is the ideal way to "convince" somebody to be a Christian. This sort of thinking has been shown to be true on the White Horse Inn program

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-76680064805688758292009-08-24T07:14:00.000-07:002009-08-24T07:18:33.008-07:00

Okay. If you were sending out spam mail trying to make it seem legitimate, don't you think you would at least run a spell-checker before you send it out? Here is the first line of such a spam mail I received this morning:Add Bachleors, Dotcorate or Masetrs Degeres to your resume in just 4-6 weeks and open avenues to promotion and better jobs!Why did I get my Master's Degree from Westminster,

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-42381366084252447802009-08-03T19:30:00.000-07:002009-08-03T19:52:36.202-07:00

Having a good liturgy for corporate worship on the Lord's Day is a must! There are certain items (elements) that should be incorporated into every worship service litury so that the people of God can be fully fed, nourished and sustained for the coming week ahead. Of course the preaching of God's Word is primary, but there are other elements in the service that help prepare the people for the

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-67200159302856175802009-07-11T15:13:00.000-07:002009-07-11T15:18:03.937-07:00

I finally got around to doing a video slideshow of my HST trip. This was something I have wanted to do for a long time, but only got around to it almost in time for the one-year anniversary of the trip.(If you want the high-resolution version leave a comment with your e-mail address or if you have my e-mail, then just ask me for it.)Enjoy!The High Sierra Trail from Mark VPol on Vimeo.

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-43388791825848155152009-07-08T06:50:00.000-07:002009-07-08T07:26:12.968-07:00

It has been one year since I did the High Sierra Trail (HST), which is a 75 mile trail going across the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. I have always loved backpacking but in the past 15 years or so my backpacking trips were limited to only one night trips, except for a four day trip with my wife in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in 2001. Doing all these little trips just made

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-17277167148588904382009-07-02T07:01:00.000-07:002009-07-02T07:04:15.729-07:00

Can anybody else believe that it is already July? This year has gone by so fast!! Just the fact that it has been over five months since I have last blogged is testimony to that fact. However, I hope that my blogging can once again be picked up on a somewhat more regular basis. Back in January when I last posted something I mentioned how busy my end of the year 2008 was. One thing that I

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-34256716106453591502009-01-22T19:01:00.000-08:002009-01-22T19:13:02.968-08:00

Well, it has been pretty much three months since my last post. I am sure any readership that I had has moved on by now. But just in case anybody is tuning in... I have been telling people that September and October were going along just fine, then November hit. Since then I have really been running at full speed, except for a little time around the Christmas holiday. Other than that school,

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-89341403501283491262008-10-25T08:11:00.000-07:002008-10-25T09:11:16.811-07:00

As many of you may know one of my passions is to do things outdoors - hiking, camping, backpacking, and photography. One of the reasons why I love Southern Calfornia and San Diego is there are many possibilities to do these activities within very short distances. Even though I love this area and the many different ecosystems that there are here, there are still many places I would love to be.

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-34573558003072835122008-10-22T19:40:00.000-07:002008-10-22T21:16:17.064-07:00

As I have mentioned here before I am a co-teacher for my church's 7th-8th grade catechism class. We are working through the "Gratitude" section of the Heidelberg Catechism which includes the Ten Commandments. A couple of weeks ago we were on Lord's Day 35 which deals with the second commandment. POP QUIZ: What is the second commandment?... That's right - No idols or images of God. One of the

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-31177726976388626292008-10-15T15:55:00.000-07:002008-10-17T22:03:35.911-07:00

One of the perks of working at White Horse Inn, is that I get to have the CDs in my hands as well as Modern Reformation magazine before anybody else (besides those in the office). Well today the perks are even greater as I am holding in my hand both the book and DVD versions of Dr. Horton's yet-to-be-officially-released Christless Christianity!!For more information on the book and DVD check out

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-84915449062073305222008-10-14T21:08:00.000-07:002008-10-14T21:45:31.014-07:00

This week's White Horse Inn broadcast is entitled "Getting Stupid." Quite the title! I was actually kind of worried that we (I work for WHI) would be getting some negative comments about this program, but all I have seen so far has been positive. The show is definitely one that all should listen to as it makes the case that there is an intellectual element to the Christian Faith. We have to

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-89004963219985243802008-10-11T07:17:00.000-07:002008-10-11T08:20:29.937-07:00

Believe it or not I have actually been thinking about "Baby Dedication" a lot lately. Not because I am thinking about going over to that practice, but I have been trying to understand people's reasoning for that practice. It makes no sense to me, and actually grieves me that it is being done! This practice of "baby dedication" has no Biblical support (if you want to argue that point, then we can,

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-76393672841044111772008-10-08T13:25:00.000-07:002008-10-09T09:27:35.237-07:00

Because some of you might not be aware, one of my professors, Dr. Michael Horton, has a new book coming out at the end of the month. The title is Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church. It is a very provocative title, but yet sadly it is a true title in many respects. I will post more about this book in the future, but in the meantime check out the book's official

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-77846042902368558652008-09-27T11:47:00.000-07:002008-09-27T18:43:27.665-07:00

I have always been a nerd on many different levels. One of those level is my love of classical music. I have always liked orchestral music, not so much organ or chamber music (unless they are really good), but big full symphonies. One of my favorites for a long time was Beethoven's Sixth Symphony entitles "Pastorale." A few years ago (maybe 2003 or 2004) Michelle and I went to hear the Chicago

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-7403834431636484012008-09-19T15:18:00.000-07:002008-09-19T15:45:14.067-07:00

I know that summer has unofficially been over for a couple of weeks now, but I thought I would update the two readers of this blog with what Michelle and I were up to this past summer. It was a really busy summer, but a great summer in my opinion. I am not going to elaborate too much on some of these items at this time, but I might in the near future.JuneJune was marked by my being able to

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-1049694959283686432008-09-14T15:44:00.000-07:002008-09-14T16:30:06.746-07:00

My pastor is currently preaching a sermons from the Book of Exodus in the mornings. This morning we were in Exodus 16, and in verse 1 there was something that always caught my attention, but something I never looked into. Exodus 16:1 mentions the people of Israel left Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin. Now this has always puzzled me, why was this place called the "Wilderness of Sin?

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-60524644134884951502008-06-25T11:39:00.000-07:002008-06-25T12:20:11.627-07:00

The Christian Reformed Church in North America recently had their annual Synod and their communications department sent out a list of "quotable quotes" heard during Synod 1008. The link to this list is here.One of the quotes that jumped out at me was given by none other than the President of Calvin Theologial Seminary, Neil Plantinga. Here is his quote:"The church today is so much more diverse

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-27863816627847118332008-06-24T21:24:00.000-07:002008-06-26T07:09:31.488-07:00

This past semester I took a class with Dr. Clark called Reformed Confessions in which he was going through the Three Forms of Unity (The Heidelberg Catechism, The Belgic Confession of Faith, and The Canons of Dort). Part of the assignment for this class was to draft up our own confession covering all the major loci of theology (Doctrines of God, Scripture, Man, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Church

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-57629520339821077232008-06-11T13:26:00.000-07:002008-06-11T13:35:09.869-07:00

Below is a link to a fellow's WSC student's blog concerning his life as a seminarian as well as a foster parent to eight boys. If you think that Reformed Theology (as taught at WSC) isn't relevent to everyday life, if you think that the broader Evangelical church's "methods" are the way to go, or if Calvinism is only for the "frozen chosen" and leads to such a state, then you MUST read this

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-22357013921952837952008-06-10T09:40:00.000-07:002008-06-10T09:42:54.210-07:00

I was never satisfied with my blog title of VPol's Blabbing. Well yesterday Dr. Horton actually suggested the name Vanderblog, which sounded great to me! Therefore, my blog now has a new name! Now I just need a new sub-title, any suggestions?

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-59833914017352573052008-06-06T11:30:00.001-07:002008-06-06T11:30:47.994-07:00

A thought occured to me this morning as I was walking into work. Since it looks as if we are at the beginning (I guess it has been going on for a while) of an economic recession with the largest monthly increase of unemployment rates in 20 years, I wondered how the prosperity gospel preachers are going to handle this? I would assume it is easier for them to gain a captive audience as to the

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-8549035229035117502008-06-05T09:19:00.001-07:002008-06-05T09:36:50.546-07:00

Something I have written is in print! Actual printed text on an actual paper page! The June 2008 edition of The Outlook printed an article that I wrote entitled "It's Decision Time." This was a paper I did for a class in the Fall of 2007 looking at the history of the issue of women's ordination in the Christian Reformed Church of North America (CRCNA) and the need for the denomination to

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-81123188011716652112008-06-04T08:43:00.000-07:002008-06-04T08:46:24.377-07:00

I finally updated my website with some new photos from the past six months or so. Please take a look!HomepageNew Photos Gallery

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-8317364976351891542008-05-30T07:29:00.001-07:002008-05-30T07:44:17.405-07:00

Well, another semester is completed!! I finished my last exam, Historical Books, at 2:43pm Thursday afternoon. Now I am truly into summer mode, even though I acted like it in many respects the past two weeks when I should have been studying more for finals! Summer for the Vander Pols will actually be very busy. In many respects we have pretty much our whole summer planned out already! Just

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-47681990241412448722008-05-19T14:26:00.000-07:002008-05-19T16:52:56.810-07:00

This week on The White Horse Inn the topic is "Selling Jesus" and the tendency in our culture to treat the Triune God as just another commodity with the same principles of "supply and demand" that governs the marketing and selling of everything else we consume.Part of my duties working at the White Horse Inn is preparing the e-newsletter that goes out every Monday (sign up here). This week I was

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-13691346767050168802008-04-11T05:50:00.000-07:002008-04-11T06:06:49.364-07:00

First of all I just have to say, "Wow, the two months that have gone without me posting have gone by quickly." Sorry about that, but it is hard to devote time when the school year is in full swing.Therefore, you might be thinking that something must have provoked me to write a new post - and you would be right. I know that I have commented a lot on this blog about Joel Osteen and the "

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-58532324898344600272008-02-12T05:33:00.000-08:002008-02-12T05:48:07.281-08:00

I really wasn't expecting such passionate responses from some of you when I talked in my last post about sermons. I guess I better hold off talking about worship for a while! :-) There is a lot that I still need to say in response to the questions raised because of my last post (either in the comments or in e-mails to me). However, much of what I wanted to say has been said this week on the White

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-28906348663013086192008-02-05T07:39:00.000-08:002008-02-05T10:43:02.282-08:00

The other day in an e-mail to a friend I was bemoaning the fact that a lot of churches in our own Reformed Tradition (multiple denominations) were not preaching Christ and him crucified consistently from the pulpit. In fact one church that I looked at was just starting a series on how to handle money, entitled "The Master's Card." In that sermon there was nothing that made it "Christian." Just a

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-54127205373146399252008-01-24T06:46:00.000-08:002008-01-24T06:51:58.355-08:00

Dr. Horton has used the example of many Evangelical pastors using the Bible as a "Fortune Cookie" to make the Bible say whatever they want. This usually evidences itself in taking passages out of context because otherwise the passages doesn't fit the intended message. As I have mentioned before (granted it has been awhile) that I receive "Today's Word with Joel & Victoria" from Joel Osteen

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-49930807465064890492007-12-19T20:42:00.000-08:002007-12-19T20:46:27.006-08:00

Well, I am done with all my exams!!! However, I am still busy for the next little while. I am writing a sermon for January 6 as well as trying to put in a sprinkler system in our backyard (the rain is putting a damper on those plans). My sister is coming down from Seattle for Christmas so we will be at my mom's quite a bit.But I will try and post some stuff soon, and be a little more regular

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-5610647504249236582007-12-07T10:45:00.001-08:002007-12-07T10:45:51.437-08:00

Seeing that it has been a long time since I have updated my blog, I thought I would offer my apologies and tell you what has been occupying my time lately.Part of being in Seminary (I would assume this is true of most seminaries) is that there are papers and other projects for certain classes. This past summer I was telling a professor what classes I was taking and he said, "That is a lot of

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-31487140216259389812007-11-17T10:45:00.000-08:002007-11-17T10:46:31.801-08:00

I finally updated my photography website after almost a year. Check it out!http://www.mvpol.com

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-3073809870265046412007-11-07T14:51:00.000-08:002007-11-07T15:37:50.217-08:00

Dr. Horton has just written a review of Joel Osteen's new book, Becoming a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day. Because I was responsible for posting this, I can be the first person to make it public!! Selfish I know...Click here for the webpage.Here is the PDF version.We need to thank Dr. Horton for reading this stuff so we don't have to!

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-8326707542472005702007-10-29T07:22:00.000-07:002007-10-29T07:27:05.229-07:00

Over on my photography blog I am starting a discussion on the basics of photography, which could also be entitled something like "Telling Your Camera What to Do" or something like that!So check it out if you want to learn about the more technical aspects of photography enroute to mastering that little high-tech box you just bought.http://mvpolphoto.blogspot.com

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-42393710478711202192007-10-23T21:04:00.000-07:002007-10-23T21:08:12.401-07:00

Well, after working at Calvin for the afternoon we are back at our house for the night. The air is a lot clearer although our house does kind of smell like smoke still, mainly because our windows don't seal all that well and let in a lot of ash! The fires are still raging around the county and SoCal as I am sure you all know from watching the news, but for the time being I think that Escondido

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-33197541798544583492007-10-23T11:43:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:31:30.218-08:00

Here are some photos by some friends of ours of the evacuation center set up at Calvin Christian School (my alma mater) where we were at helping out last night.

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-49793937820893851502007-10-23T10:46:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:31:31.071-08:00

Well, we made it through the night! Michelle, Beth, and I left our house around 11:00 yesterday morning. The photos I posted yesterday showed all the smoke to the south of us. The winds shifted and started sending a lot directly towards us. Because it was so bad we were thinking of leaving and the decision was made final when we heard of mandatory evacuations just a couple of miles away.So we

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-46922528485718127122007-10-22T09:17:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:31:31.754-08:00

If you don't know already there are a number of large fires burning in San Diego County and all over SoCal this morning. On my flight from Phoenix last night we flew directly over one of them and it looked really bad. This morning San Diego county is pretty much stopped everything - all schools are closed and some of the major freeways are also closed. The fire actually forced my sister-in-law

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-30879082536561579242007-10-19T11:55:00.000-07:002007-10-19T12:07:20.821-07:00

Since there has been somewhat a revival in my desire and interest in photography once again, I decided to devote a blog entirely to that endeavor. The blog is located at mvpolphoto.blogspot.com, so take a look if you feel so led.I have deleted the two posts that I put on this blog related to photography and posted them on the new blog, I have also given the purpose behind that new blog here.

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-47720105713718327722007-10-17T10:39:00.000-07:002007-10-17T10:44:18.481-07:00

Last week I started some "Google Alerts" concerning the upcoming Osteen interview on 60 Minutes. Although I didn't have my alerts set for "Osteen", I have noticed that all the blogs that I have been alerted to as posting something concerning the 60 minutes story, have been by and large sympathetic to Dr. Horton and the Reformed camp. I just find that interesting. Does the Broadly Evangelical

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-89426114706767914912007-10-11T18:37:00.001-07:002007-10-11T18:38:03.112-07:00

One of my professors at Westminster Seminary California and the host of the White Horse Inn Dr. Michael Horton was interviewed for this week's edition of the CBS show 60 Minutes! This segment of the show deals with the preaching and teaching of Joel Osteen and Dr. Horton is "critiquing" his theology (or lack thereof!).Since I work for White Horse Media I have had an intimate connection with all

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-63534551863349520852007-10-08T15:27:00.000-07:002007-10-08T16:30:36.246-07:00

So I am a glutton for punishment. I signed up earlier this week to receive the "Today's Word with Joel and Victoria [Osteen]". I knew I would get frustrated, and I held my tongue for awhile...Here is Friday, October 5's devotional:Pleasant WordsToday's Scripture“Pleasant words are as honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body” (Proverbs 16:24).Today's Word from Joel and VictoriaDo you

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-71399991343156723762007-10-04T12:59:00.000-07:002007-10-04T13:00:55.907-07:00

50 years ago on October 4, 1957 the then Soviet Union launched the first man-made object into orbit around the earth - Sputnik. In the 50 years since, mankind has set foot on the moon, sent satellites through the Solar System (Voyager I has essentially entered into interstellar space), and through "rovers" has driven around on the planet of Mars. Pretty remarkable considering the relatively

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-69740311181996052242007-09-19T05:58:00.001-07:002007-09-19T05:58:43.119-07:00

One of the highlights on MLB.com for the San Diego Padres' game from Tuesday night was entitled "Fan catches ball." Since it is unusual for them to include this type of thing in the game highlights I thought it must be good. Well, if you watch the video you will see that it is not the catch that was the reason for the inclusion of this video, but it is the fact that this man stole a ball from a

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-82778811377877379392007-08-22T20:48:00.000-07:002007-08-22T20:59:49.863-07:00

If you have ever read Machen's Christianity and Liberalism you were probably like me wondering over and over again, if Machen had come back from the grave to write this in the early 21st century. Church historians are right to point out that history repeats itself, although in the case of Christianity and Liberalism it is being repeated in "Conservative Evangelicalism" instead of Protestant

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-2870515213985597952007-08-20T12:20:00.001-07:002007-08-20T12:21:08.374-07:00

Michelle and I were driving behind a car the other day that had a bumper sticker that read something like, “I wish those with closed minds would also have closed mouths.” I told Michelle that this shows that this driver is actually the one with the closed mind. The reason being is that this person doesn’t even allow those who disagree with him to speak about it – how “open is that?!” If one

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-64312865536938420592007-08-15T11:24:00.001-07:002007-08-15T11:24:47.210-07:00

Another year has come and gone. If you know me or my family, or if you read my blog post from last year on this date, you know what I am talking about. On August 15, 2000 my father died very suddenly of a heart attack. Seven years. SEVEN! Just under a quarter of my life spent with out my dad. Unfortunately that percentage will continue to climb.Death stinks.Just last week Thursday I

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-59401188444448996552007-08-13T07:44:00.000-07:002007-08-13T07:50:50.429-07:00

I have finally created the webpages for some of our photos from our Malawi trip! We took almost 1,000 photos and stripped them down to just over 100. There is so much more to say that couldn't be done on website. Some of that was said in the update e-mails posted below, but most of it needs personal interaction, therefore, come and see us and we would love to chat about it! If you can't come

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-58121690851064900762007-08-02T22:05:00.000-07:002007-08-02T22:06:17.879-07:00

We are working on getting a website made with our photos from our trip to Malawi. But that is taking a while. So in the meantime you can read our updates that we sent while we were gone.Just a note on the posts to come. Blogs usually stack posts on top of each other, therefore, to go in sequential order you have to read from the bottom up, which is annoying. So I posted in reverse order so

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-25572481640565948722007-08-02T22:04:00.002-07:002007-08-03T12:02:35.497-07:00

Hey all -Just wanted to let you know that we have arrived safely in Johannesburg!! We are staying in a hotel tonight and will be leaving for Malawi at 10:20 (local time) tomorrow morning.That is all for now! Talk to you all later, D.V.Mark and Michelle

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-14248005625745303902007-08-02T22:04:00.001-07:002007-08-03T12:04:53.638-07:00

Hello all!We are finally able to get a message out to tell you that we made it to Malawi, and actually have been here since Thursday. There is so much that we can say, but for the time being a brief recap will have to do.Thursday:We arrived in Lilongwe (the capital) and were greeted by Steven Roberts who was already here. Going through customs was not a problem although the bag the officer

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-67236619862327591792007-08-02T22:03:00.000-07:002007-08-03T12:09:59.339-07:00

Mwadzuka Bwanji -First of all, the internet access that we have access to is very, very limited. So therefore we are unable to keep you as up to date as we would like. We have actually had to come to the capital city of Lilongwe to send this e-mail. So it might be awhile until you can hear from us again!Being completely immersed in another culture has been great! We are slowly learning the

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-514942661457285412007-08-02T22:02:00.000-07:002007-08-03T12:18:58.646-07:00

Hello!!Well, in a way there is nothing major that has happened in the past week plus, butyet there is a lot for us to say! We are still in the town of Nkhoma and have "settled" into a routine over the past two weeks. Although on Wednesday (July 4) classes will end and our routine will have to change.The best way to keep you up to date on our happenings is just to go day by day from our last

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-51997652642669106302007-08-02T22:01:00.002-07:002007-08-03T12:30:11.931-07:00

Good morning, afternoon, evening, whichever it is for you as you read this.Well today is July 9 which means I (Mark) am sending this e-mail after dropping Michelle off at the airport for her return trip to the States. She is leaving two weeks earlier than me so that we can continue to survive the rest of the summer! She really did not want to leave and it has only been in the last week or so

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-63590050844289243902007-08-02T22:01:00.001-07:002007-08-02T22:01:51.275-07:00

Hello all -Well, this is probably one of the last e-mails to be written from the country of Malawi. Lord willing, in a week, those of us remaining will be heading back to theStates on Monday the 23rd, arriving back in SoCal on Tuesday the 24th. In case youhaven't heard, Michelle made it back safely last week, and has already been back towork for a little bit. She wants to be back in Africa

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-86829027751953921622007-08-02T22:00:00.000-07:002007-08-02T22:01:17.118-07:00

Well, well...It is hard to believe but the Malawi trip is over for both of us as Mark came homeyesterday afternoon. All the flights went great and were uneventful although,long... very long! The one thing that happened is that none of Mark's and the otherguys' checked luggage made it out of Africa with them! Thankfully, Mark just lookedup the report on-line and all the luggage has been found

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-12808921743242122712007-08-02T09:42:00.000-07:002007-08-02T16:26:01.527-07:00

This morning we got news that Robert den Dulk had died after a long bout with cancer. Dr. den Dulk was a great friend of my family and his death hits very close to home. Dr. den Dulk worked very closely with my father at WSC and even stepped in to temporarily fill his position when my dad died almost seven years ago.May the Lord be with the den Dulk family during this time of mourning and

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-66105123872870951422007-06-23T01:12:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:31:32.979-08:00

We have been in Malawi now for almost 10 days, but it seems like so much longer! All the experiences we have had and the people we have met have been amazing and we are looking forward to more in the weeks to come. Below are just a few photos so that you can follow along with us on our journey somewhat! And, oh, don't try to find some of these place names on a map. Even in the country of

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-12397868239477901702007-06-11T20:04:00.001-07:002007-06-11T20:32:19.074-07:00

Well, actaully it is 8:00 PDST now, so we are leaving Escondido in under 7 hours, and leaving Los Angeles in 11.I cannot believe that we are actually doing this! Are we actually going to be in Africa in two days and in Malawi in three (D.V.)? On the other side of the world and underneath the equator? Amazing.

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-28226498408089777332007-06-09T10:26:00.000-07:002007-06-09T10:27:04.670-07:00

Well, we are getting awfully close to leaving for Malawi! I cannot believe that the time is already here. We have been thinking about this since October/November of last year! Amazing how time flies when you are busy with other things. That busyness makes us nervous in a way because we have not had a whole lot of time to devote all our minds and energy to this trip, but I think we are going

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-63638519433446934882007-05-26T07:30:00.000-07:002007-05-26T07:31:12.360-07:00

The last two weeks have been crazy with papers and finals and from here on out they won't get any better! In the next 2 and a half weeks Michelle and I will be moving our stuff into the place we are going to start living in August, living with my sister-in-law for the time being, preparing class material to teach in Malawi, and getting ready everything ready for that trip as well! Not to

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-90193546779832064802007-05-07T13:40:00.000-07:002007-05-07T13:55:43.864-07:00

Well, I thought I might as well post a little something concerning what Michelle and I are going to be doing this summer.We are going to be traveling with five other WSC students to the African country of Malawi! Four of the students' main responsibility in Malawi will be to teach two classes for 4 weeks at a theological school in the town of Nkhoma. The other WSC student is from Malawi and has

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-48551319741553944612007-05-05T08:35:00.000-07:002007-05-05T08:38:38.590-07:00

As many of you may know, I absolutely love the outdoors. Ever since I was a kid I loved camping, hiking, and backpacking. One of the things that one must always keep in mind when doing these activities is that there is the possibility of things turning south, and quickly. You can get lost, the weather can change, equipment can get damaged or fail, etc. This is a risk we all take especially

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-4516523842528717032007-04-30T07:52:00.000-07:002007-04-30T07:53:01.331-07:00

One of my "hobbies" is to scour the internet reading trip reports and seeing photos of places that I would like to go someday. This allows me, in a way, to see the options available to me and to get a sense of where to go or where not to go. I know, I know, a lot of people say that being spontaneous is half the fun, and I would agree, however, when there are other people depending on me for the

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-43601624577128988072007-04-24T21:59:00.001-07:002008-12-10T10:31:33.150-08:00

As I mentioned the other day, I had my first opportunity to exhort on Sunday night. Well, for all of you who are just dying to listen to that first sermon it has been posted on my church's website. The link is below. Don't everybody flock to the site at once, the Internet might just crash!! :-)Overall, my sermon sounded better than what I initially thought. I did say "um" a lot however! I

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-87593603374570814612007-04-24T10:10:00.000-07:002007-04-24T10:15:06.663-07:00

**Be forewarned. This story is kind of gross, so only read at your own risk! **Last night shortly after I came home from work, my land-lady came to the door and asked if I wanted to make some money. But she quickly kept going and said that I should know what she wanted me to do. "How are you with dead animals?" she asked.Lovely! Well, I really haven't dealt too much with dead animals, but if

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-64617710085262528752007-04-23T06:11:00.000-07:002007-04-23T06:13:47.431-07:00

Well, it was a long time coming, but I was finally able to exhort for the first time at my church last night! Why was it a long time coming? That is a long story, but it is just how the time-frames worked out. The important thing is that I was in the pulpit and brought God Word's to his people for the first time.Was I nervous? You bet! But it was more a nervousness of humility and reverence

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-6665911946025407252007-04-20T06:00:00.000-07:002007-04-20T06:10:02.717-07:00

Michelle and I love to go camping. We try to go as often as possible, but that usually doesn't happen as often as we would like. Because neither of us really had a Spring Break we really thought it was necessary for us to go camping at least one weekend. Both of us really needed to go camping! So with my sister-in-law Beth and some good friends of ours (Joel and Sarah Schreuder) we went out to

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-34997779166727835402007-04-11T06:08:00.000-07:002007-04-11T06:09:14.382-07:00

You can tell a lot about a pastor/church by their Good Friday and Easter Sermons. Do they focus objectively on what God actually did in history to redeem for himself a people or do they focus subjectively on what those two possible historical events (it really doesn't matter if they actually happened) mean for our present experience? It is sad how much the latter is given today - who said

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-26037232972311064322007-04-03T09:14:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:31:33.463-08:00

At 1:05pm PDST today (Tuesday, April 3) the Padres open their 2007 season and begine their defense of the NL West crown against the San Franciso Giants!I created a Google Calendar for the Padres Schedule and that link is below.GO PADRES!!!

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-56366102496255166712007-04-03T06:52:00.000-07:002007-04-03T06:54:26.000-07:00

While doing research and writing for my Medieval Church and Reformation Church History Class, I was reading about the Reformer Martin Bucer and some of his "confrontations" with the Anabaptists of his day. Apparently in the region of Hesse in 1538 the Anabapists had "defied all previous measures of control" and Bucer was summoned by the ruler Philip to curb the Anabaptist expansion. Here is

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-30564822297356785372007-04-01T06:59:00.000-07:002007-04-03T07:05:02.170-07:00

I was surfing the web the other day and I ran across this on the homepage of a church's website:We learn and teach through television, music, movies and other mediums of communiction; so, why not use the same popular and effective mediums to communicate the message of Jesus Christ in church?If that sounds like a unique, exciting and creative alternative to traditional church, then ##### might

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-9197842616600069832007-03-16T06:10:00.000-07:002007-03-16T06:25:52.915-07:00

Last Saturday I went hiking up at Daley Ranch north of Escondido. The previous two Saturdays were absolutely gorgeous, but I was stuck inside all day at the library trying to get caught up on school-work. Therefore, I decided that I needed to get out and do something outdoors at least in the morning. The night before, the weather forecast showed dense fog for the morning, and that did not

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-763742797794705802007-03-15T20:35:00.000-07:002007-03-15T20:51:14.236-07:00

Well, in the past seven months I have only posted once, although I have thought about posting a lot more. The fact that blogging has boomed even since I created this blog, I wonder if I am missing out. So I will test the waters again and see if I am.My problem is that I cannot just hit "send" after typing out a message and it usually takes too much time for me to actually be satisfied to the

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-1166625948420853982006-12-20T06:44:00.000-08:002006-12-20T06:45:48.450-08:00

It is interesting how my last post was before the beginning of this last semester and this one is after the semester! I guess blogging fell down my priority list a little ways! It is not like I didn't think of it, I just didn't have time to actually sit down and actually do it.Some of you may know one of my hobbies is nature photography. That is another thing that has fallen off of my immediate

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-1155656950195777012006-08-15T08:48:00.000-07:002006-08-15T08:55:07.103-07:00

Quite often the world measures time as a comparison. The most obvious is the distinction between BC and AD. But when you think about it, there are a lot of things when reading or thinking about history you need to be reminded this was before or after such and such. The Reformation, the Industrial Revolution, the Civil War, the development of atomic weapons, etc. These, and many more are

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-1155133491460494672006-08-09T07:24:00.000-07:002006-08-09T07:24:51.486-07:00

I grew up in a Reformed Christian home.  I went to a CRC church (Christian Reformed Church) and attended a school that held to Reformed distinctives.  My friends from first grade through high school also attended the same church and school and were being taught the same things at home that I was being taught.I also went to a college that held to the Reformed Confessions and close by was another

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-1154872220033490382006-08-06T06:49:00.000-07:002006-08-06T07:17:35.993-07:00

Wow, I cannot believe how long it has been since I last posted. I hope that nobody was holding their breath! It is not like I don't have things to say that the world needs to hear, but that my time was filled with other things.I just got back from vacation to Santa Cruz, CA with my wife's family. Anybody that knows me, knows that when it comes to vacation (especially when the outdoors are

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-1152624373344356802006-07-11T06:25:00.000-07:002006-07-11T06:27:43.140-07:00

(Disclaimer - all analogies break down, so deal with it!)A child being born is a wonderful thing. When that child is born to citizens of the United States, that child is a citizen as well. The child is now, in a sense, under the care of all the citizens of the U.S. Our taxes help pay for that child's education, healthcare (to some extent), welfare (if needed), etc. That child will get a Social

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-1152624295015282942006-07-11T06:23:00.000-07:002006-07-11T06:24:55.016-07:00

Originally Posted Sunday, June 25, 2006I am not an expert in anything. At best I know enough to get me in trouble in a lot of areas. In most areas of the “hard sciences” your lack of real knowledge can be exposed fairly quickly.It is very hard to bluff your way through a chemistry experiment! You may be able to do so for a while, but the final results will reveal your ignorance.In the past

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-1152624168790311192006-07-11T06:18:00.000-07:002006-07-11T06:27:22.346-07:00

Originally Posted Wednesday, June 21, 2006First of all I must say that all analogies break down at some point, but I had fun with this one for a little while.A few weeks ago I was hiking with some friends up San Jacinto Peak here in SoCal. Another friend (Tyler) has a GPS unit that we had played with the week before while camping, but Tyler was unable to come on this hike. However, I asked him

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-1152623875828428022006-07-11T06:15:00.000-07:002006-07-11T06:29:06.086-07:00

Originally Posted Friday, June 16, 2006Last Christmas break I read Machen's Christianity and Liberalism. What an unbelievable book. If you listen to the White Horse Inn, you hear him quoted a lot, and for great reason. Although Machen was fighting Protestant Liberalism in the 1920's his words ring so very true today as we go up against today's evangelicals who are straying from Biblical truth

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-1152623703571601842006-07-11T06:05:00.000-07:002006-07-11T06:15:03.603-07:00

Originally posted on Wednesday, June 14, 2006Not what I exactly had in mind for a first post...I was working on giving some background information and history concerning myself so that anyone who stumbles onto my blog will know a little more about me and where I am coming from. Be that as it may, I abandoned that post in order to jump right into something that got me all bothered (you can judge

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14292955.post-1151466711902827252006-06-27T20:51:00.000-07:002006-06-27T21:00:36.476-07:00

Oops! I forgot that I actually said I was going to blog about our move from Chicago to Escondido, CA almost a year ago.Well, we moved.See the links to the right for my other blog site and my website.Take care,MarkSoli Deo Gloria

Mark Vander Polhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556669808067130138noreply@blogger.com0