Exploring the World

Sunday Mission

It was a drizzly winter day. Most people stayed indoors, but 4 men had a mission to accomplish. Names have been changed to protect the innocent, or in this case, the guilty.

Each man knew the mission would be hard, and there was no telling when they would return to the base camp. Silently they prepared for departure. Each one packed enough food for a week, and warm clothes to survive in the harsh winter temperatures. Their mission would take them far out in into the wilderness and they had no one to rely on but themselves.

The gear they packed into the 2.5 ton, 1986 army truck was specific to their mission. Stealth would be required rather than force. When everything was ready, recon team Alpha loaded up and headed out into enemy territory.

At first the going was easy. The snow on the mountain pass had begun to melt into a slush. This helped to reduce the noise from the truck. The pouring rain also helped mask the noise.

Joe drove while Dave navigated. Sometimes Dave had to stand on the driver’s kickboard and tell Joe when the truck was getting too close to the edge. A two hundred cliff to the left demanded care be taken on this narrow pass. Ryan and “Bulldog” Sam rode in the bed of the truck, awaiting their turn for action. They were not worried at all about running off the cliff because Joe was a trusty driver. They had been in situations like this before.

As they traveled further up the mountain, the rain turned to snow. The temperatures decreased, and Ryan and Bulldog put on extra clothes for warmth. The truck began to have difficulty on the road, and the snow chains were tested to the max. While those in the cab enjoyed a relatively smooth ride, the two in the back had it rough. The truck bounced up and down so much Ryan and Bulldog had to stand up and hold onto what they could to avoid being knocked about everywhere.

Going went slower and slower until finally the truck came to a standstill. It was effectively stuck in the snow. But this was expected, and this is why the men had packed shovels. When they had dug enough snow that the truck could advance again, they loaded back in and started up the mountain once more.

But after this point the stops became more and more frequent. The truck would only move 20 feet or so before more digging was required. Ryan and Bulldog eventually started walking beside or behind the truck with shovels in hand. Every time the truck was stuck, they would rush to the front and start shoveling snow.

And so the hours passed. It became a race with time, as the hour of darkness was approaching. The snow on the side of the road was waist deep or deeper. It became deeper as the men shoveled the snow drifts out of the road, if it could even be called a road at this point. In some places the men digging in the road could not see over the piles of snow to the side. But this did not stop them, and they plodded on.

The men knew they would fail this mission if they could not move faster. At any moment an enemy scout might spot them and they would be trapped. And with every inch further along the road, their chance of getting caught increased.

Then it happened. The wheels of the truck caught in the snow and jerked to the right. The steering wheel whipped around several times and caught Joe’s hand. AAAAAAAHHH! A scream of pain shot through the air. Joe’s thumb was broken. Unfortunately the men did not have a medic with them, so they had to send Joe back. They radioed down to the base camp for someone to bring another vehicle as far up the road as they could to meet Joe.

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But the mission was not yet complete. The three men left knew they had to go on. They continued moving the truck forward, inches at a time. The fear of the enemy hung heavy on each of the three men left and they worked as fast as they could.

Now darkness was setting in, and they had to turn on the truck’s headlamps. This only increased the chance of them being discovered. In desperation, Bulldog began to work in a frenzy. He worked his way up the road ahead of the truck clearing as much snow as he could. Sometimes the truck’s wheels would sink low into the snow and the truck would be suspended on its axles. Ryan kept his shovel close to the truck to lend assistance when this happened.

But they seemed to be getting nowhere, and the deadline for turnaround was approaching. Yet the road was too narrow to turn the truck around, so they had to keep going. In a burst of momentum the truck roared up the section of road Bulldog had cleared. The men felt like cheering. But then disaster struck.

The back end of the truck slipped off the track and swung the truck around till it was almost perpendicular to the road. Then the engine coughed and died. Despite Dave’s best efforts after restarting the truck, the truck would not budge. Tired Bulldog and Ryan both agreed that there was no way the truck would go anywhere without more help. They quickly discussed the situation, and Dave made a decision. “We have to turn back. I will radio to tell them we are on the way.”

But unfortunately they were not able to communicate with the base camp. This left the men in a dilemma. Stuck, without a vehicle in enemy territory. It was now very dark, and the cold air penetrated the clothes of everyone.

Dave, the highest ranking officer of the group barked out orders. “On the double, men. We have to catch up with Joe before he rendezvous with the medic. If not, we will have to hike all the way out ourselves.”

So they set off at a trot. But it readily became apparent that Dave was slowing the group down. He was having trouble running on the icy snow with all their gear. Ryan stopped and called a meeting. He suggested that they send a man ahead while the other two keep on at a slower pace. This was agreed to, and Bulldog started off again. Once he met with Joe and the medic, he would keep them from leaving until Dave and Ryan showed up. At least that was the idea.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, and indeed it was, all the men arrived safely back at base. Joe was able to get medical attention, and he ended up not needed surgery. However, he was out of commission for a while.

Back at Bighorn

The first afternoon back most people went on a gear trip. Just a handful of us stayed. I wanted to finish my lost and found paper, and repair some gear (sewing plus gluing). There was a men’s retreat going on this weekend at camp, so we weren’t supposed to hang out in the Lodge. A section in the office was set up for us to hang out in instead. After lunch, I met three former explore students, Andy Peckham, Katie and Tim. They are hanging out at camp for the weekend. Katie lives in Plains. Also Aaron was visiting for the weekend (former camp staff). After lunch we sat around a table and talked. Pam was also there, and she explained the changes to the explore program to the others. She went into a lot of depth, and I learned some new things.

It was fun to watch the interaction between there former students, all of whom had been interns. It made me really want to stay for the reunion. But I really don’t think that is a possibility. There is another former explore student here, John, whom Dwayne says I remind him of. Evidently we both play frisbee the same way. John and Josh went to shuttle some people around so I haven’t had the opportunity to talk with him much.

It is good to be back. Right now, until the retreat is over, all team Burgundy guys are sharing Black Team’s room. Tomorrow night Dylan, Kyle, and I will hopefully move back into Red Team’s old room. It is kinda hard, because I can’t really unpack everything right now because I am just going to move it. My packing job was kinda rushed because of the excursion Brad and I went on Thursday night.

It is kinda sad to see that a lot of camp staff are no longer here. Aaron, Bethany, Jenna, John Curry, Nate, and Christa are gone.

…2

Something happened, the server must have crashed and the host reloaded a backup or something. Several of my posts were lost. I don’t really care though, it is a small thing compared to everything else that has been going on in life. But it is kinda like being hit when you are already down. But a lot of that seems to have been happening lately to Red team in particular.

I don’t know anymore. Maybe I never did.

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Authorship of the Pentateuch

There is a question I never asked growing up. This question calls into uncertainty where the foundation of my belief in Christianity originates. The question: who wrote the first five books of the Old Testament (hereafter, the Pentateuch)? Growing up I had always been taught that Moses had written them and never considered any other possibility. However, I have learned that there is debate about this issue and have now conducted my own research. My taught belief that Moses physically wrote the Pentateuch is challenged by a theory called the JEDP theory. However, my research has shown that Moses is indeed the author of the Pentateuch; even though this does not necessarily mean he physically wrote all of it.

The JEDP theory claims that there are four main “source” documents that make up the Pentateuch (Elwell, 64). According to the theory, these four documents were written over a long period of time in different communities and later compiled by editors into what we have today. Proponents of the theory also claim that the different names referring to God and different writing styles used throughout the Pentateuch are proof that it was written by multiple authors. Another reason used to back up the JEDP theory is the existence of doublets, two renditions of the same story, within the Pentateuch. Main examples include the two creation stories in Genesis chapters 1 and 2, and the two stories of Sarah with a foreign king in Genesis 12 and 20. These are the main arguments for the JEDP theory.

However, this evidence is not conclusive and can be interpreted differently. The existence of distinct writing styles and doublets does not eliminate the possibility for a single author of the Pentateuch. Interestingly, most of the time when the writing style changes in the Pentateuch the subject matter also changes. For instance, a particular writing style was used when the words of the Law were being recorded. However, when the text is telling the story of the Israelites escaping from Egypt, a different writing style is evident. This does not mean multiple authors wrote the different sections. A single author could have switched styles to fit the type of material he was writing about. In the same way, one author could have used different names for God according to what characteristics of God he wanted to emphasize.

The most convincing evidence against the JEDP theory rests in the foundation of the theory itself. The theory suggests that the text of the Pentateuch evolved over time as it was written and edited by many different people. The final version supposedly was not finished until the time of Ezra, around 450 BC. This implies that the Israelites would have had no well-developed concepts of sin and sacrifice until that time (Elwall, 7). However, we know this to be false from the text of the Pentateuch itself. God gave the Israelites the Law through Moses before they entered the Promised Land, which was well before the Exile. G. J. Wenham in Numbers: An Introduction and Commentary says that the four source documents “cannot be written from widely differing time periods” as the JEDP theory claims (3). The final form of the Pentateuch was probably finished shortly after the life of Moses, and definitely before the time of Samuel (Hill, 82). All this evidence supporting the JEDP is not substantial enough to be conclusive unlike the evidence for Mosaic authorship.

Throughout the Pentateuch Moses is regarded as its source and author. Many verses support this, such as Exodus 17:24, 24:4, 34:28; Numbers, 33:2; Deuteronomy 31:9, 24 and others. In addition to the verses that indicate Moses physically wrote, the Pentateuch is filled with references of God relaying the Law to Moses. This strengthens the stance for Moses as the human author. Inversely, no verse in the Pentateuch indicates Moses was not the author. Walter Elwall, in his Evangelical Commentary on the Bible says, “As a methodical principle, one should accept the testimony of a literary work about itself unless it can be proven otherwise” (7). The Pentateuch claims its author was Moses and we have no reason to doubt this claim.

Throughout the rest of the Old Testament and the New Testament Moses is regarded as the author of the Pentateuch. Verses that exemplify this are Joshua 23:6; I Kings 2:3; Ezra 6:18; Nehemiah 8:1; Daniel 9:13; John 7:19; Acts 13:39; Hebrews 9:19 and others. Paul even goes as far as to equate the name of Moses with the Law. In II Corinthians 3:15 he says, “But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart.” Furthermore, no verse in the entire Bible indicates that Moses was not the author of the Pentateuch.

However, Moses did not necessarily physically write the Pentateuch in its entirety. We know that he did physically write at least some of the text, but we do not know exactly how much he wrote. Despite this debate, the fact remains that Moses did indeed write at least portions of the Pentateuch. We know from the text that God gave Moses a mandate to communicate the Law to the Israelites (Young, 42). Part of this mandate included speaking the Law to the people, but it probably included more. It makes sense that Moses himself would have provided a written form to ensure the Israelites would have a copy the Law (Archer, 122).

The fact that portions of the text were not written by Moses, but instead were probably dictated to a priest or scribe does not change the fact that Moses is the author of the Pentateuch. We know from Numbers 5:23 that a priest was designated to write down a portion of the Law. We also know that Moses had a history of designating tasks to others (Exodus 18). He set up men to govern groups of Israelites to ease his burden of being judge over them alone. It is logical that he would have designated the writing of some of the Law to others as well. In the New Testament we say Paul is the author of Romans, but we know that the letter was dictated by Paul and physically written by Tertius (Romans 16:22). It is also implied in Galatians that Paul dictated more of his letters. In the same way we still say Paul is the author of those letters, we can say that Moses is the author of the Pentateuch.

It is probable that there were limited edits made to the Pentateuch after Moses died (Hill, 63). Sections of the narrative naturally had to have been written by someone other than Moses, such as Deuteronomy 34, which talks about the death of Moses. A period of time must have passed before the final update to this chapter because of verse six, “but no man knows his burial place to this day.” It would have taken time for the people to forget where Moses was buried. Another noted edit is in Numbers 12:3 where the text states that Moses was the most humble man in the world. It would be contradictory to this statement if Moses wrote it himself, thus it was obviously added later. However, edits such as these do not make Moses any less the author, as he was still the source of the text.

Moses was clearly the author of the Pentateuch despite not having physically written the text in its entirety. All the evidence from the Bible backs this up while nothing in the Bible contradicts it. The alternative theory is not supported from inside the text or with outside evidence enough to offer a viable position. If the JEPD theory is true then it is harder to accept the Pentateuch as God-inspired. How could such a document, changed and evolved over a long period of time, still reflect what God wanted to communicate to His people? If the foundation of the Bible crumbles than the rest is sure to follow. If Moses was not the author, then where does that leave us as Christians?

World’s Largest Mall

So I went to the world’s largest mall today. It has a theme park and water park built inside. Dustin said it takes 8 minutes of straight walking to get from one end to the other, in one direction.

The theme park has a sweet roller coaster called the Mindbender. It is tones better than the Mindbender at Six Flags. Dustin and I rode it three times, the last time backwards.

Toque

I finally did it. I got a toque.

See, a lot of the guys in Explore took up crocheting. It started with Tanton, but spread rapidly. At one point almost all of the guys were doing it, including Levi and Nathan. However, now it is just Jason, Scott, and Tanton. Scott made me a sweet toque. It has ear muffs and everything.

Deer Meat

This past week I have been involved in the butchering of 6 deer. I still have 9 fingers. It has been sweet. First I helped Tim Fodor (former director of Explore) and he taught me a lot. Tim likes to have good quality meat, and spends a considerable amount of time cleaning the meat. I got a lot of practice doing this. I also did things like cut steaks, cubed meat, and ground meat. I helped operate the grinder and package some meat.

Today I went over to Pam and Dwayne’s house and helped them with their three deer. This time I concentrated on skinning and cutting the meat off the dear itself. I did one complete deer myself, skinning, breaking the legs and head off, and cutting off the meat. It was really good experience. Hopefully I can put it into practice over Christmas break.

Oh, I also ate lunch at the Koop’s house. There were four students there and we all cut our own steak and grilled it. We also had some soup that Pam had made, and some bread that Shane (explore senior intern) had made. It was the best meal I have had in the past 3 months.

Last night I was a score keeper for the volleyball games. That was a neat experience. All the minor officials there were new and had never done it before, including the announcer. My job was fairly easy, just push a few buttons whenever a score was made. I also had to set the timer for timeouts and time between games. I will be doing this again tonight. Tanton, who is in Explore, plays on the guys team so I have someone to root for.

God

Did God know mankind was going to sin?

God used the flood to cleanse the earth and start over, right? But it didn’t really work. The state of mankind after the flood was not really any better. So why did God even do it? It seems as if God failed in His attempt. If he knew that the Flood wasn’t going to work, why did He even bother? And why did He wait so long to send Jesus to the earth?

Don’t do it

If someone asks you to play sting ping-pong, don’t do it. It hurts like mad. Plus it will look like you played paintball without protective gear.

Last Night

What I am about to tell you never happened. See, it was the 2nd to the last night at Camp Bighorn and some of us guys wanted to do something fun before we headed back to Prairie. Oops, it is time for chapel I will have to continue later.

CONTINUATION:

Across the river from camp is a pair of train tracks. On one set are a stretch of train cars with no caboose or engine. They evidently have been sitting there for 6+ months. I thought it would be so sweet to swim the river and spend the night in one of the cars. Like my life wouldn’t be complete unless I did this. I mentioned it to a couple people, but found not much shared interest. Until I talked to Buckmaster.

Jason is a cool guy. From the start of Prairie he and I hit it off through frisbee. His skills and height make him a key player in any game. We are usually split off, much like Noah and I. In fact, we have only played on the same team once. We won. Jason is 24 and from WA. Old enough to know better.

Jason took care of getting the drybags and I readied the raft. We got to use the “reject” raft of camp. It was missing a tharwt and wouldn’t pump up all the way, but it was RED. I was cool with that. We checked out PFD’s and paddles. Joel had joined out expedition. I knew it was going to be a sweet night.

We loaded everything up and headed off. We were being dropped off above the Rock Garden and Cascade rapids. We would raft down them and then head over to the train. By the time we got there, it was getting dark quickly. Dusk does not last long in the valley. We didn’t bring helmets because camp policy does not require them on class II rapids and we didn’t expect any swimmers.

But in the dark everything changes. Our headlamps didn’t do anything so we just left them off. This is when Jason named our raft, the “Devil’s Advocate”. We sang hymns down the flatwater, and then made it to Rock Garden. Rock Garden is named so for obvious reasons. Plenty of rocks make passage kinda difficult, even in daylight. We made it without hitting a single one. Then we approach Cascade. The roar is loud, but we have all rafted this one before and know to stick to river right.

Man it was awesome in the dark. We almost got flipped on the last of the big waves because we hit it broadside, but we ended up making it just fine. Then we head over to river left and look for a spot to beach the raft for the night. Right as we find a good enough spot and are about to get out of the raft, we hear this loud splash. It is the type of splash that happens when someone throws a large rock (BFR) into the water. We stop and look around, but don’t see anyone. We then hear a couple more similar splashes in different spots. We think it must be people from camp who came over to mess with us.

Jason yells up, “What’s up homies?” After getting no answer, he then yells, “Chupp, we know you are there.” Still no answer, but we are sure we hear voices. and there are no more splashes for a little bit. We get out of the raft, grab our stuff and head up the bank to the tracks. We hear a couple more splashes but we still can’t see anyone nor see any lights. Jason suggests we wait them out on the tracks. So we set our stuff down on the empty tracks and climb to the top of the train cars right next to us. However, I make the suggestion to move the bags off the track just in case. At the top, we still don’t see anyone. Then a train comes by at a fast rate of speed. We lay down on top and try to act invisible but it doesn’t work, as we find out later.

After the train goes by, I look down and only see one dry bag in the dark. The other two are missing. The thought crosses my mind that the people could have come by and taken the two bags while the moving train hid them from our sight. However, we climb down and start to look for the bags. Joel’s is 30 feet up the track. Mine is even further up and actually rolled down a hill. I was incredible relieved to find it as it had my rented sleeping bag inside.

More later.