Using surface textures from NASA and a bump map from another online source, I created a fully rotatable, 3D globe of the Earth in Photoshop CS4 Extended. It can be viewed or lighted from any direction. There is also a separate cloud layer I can turn on, edit, and move around. My master file is a very large image (6000 × 6000 pixels), more than ample to fill a full spread at 300 ppi.

Photoshop CS4 also has built-in features for creating red-blue anaglyph images. Below are a couple sample images I made. You will need a set of red-blue 3D glasses to view them correctly (you can also make your own glasses, using markers or red and blue transparencies you may have — or request a free pair (alternate link)).

This is the second version I made, with clouds added:

The 3D features in Photoshop CS4 Extended are a little tricky to learn, but once you get the hang of them, you can do some pretty amazing stuff.

Although creating a fisheye lens effect in Photoshop might seem very easy, using the built-in filters such as Spherize, the advantage of the technique I am sharing is that the original image remains fully editable and distortion-free, and any future edits do not require repeating the distortion effects.

Getting Started

Requirements: You will need Photoshop CS3 or CS4.

The first step is to open an image in Photoshop. If the layer says “Background” (in italics), double-click the layer, and then click the OK button (the layer will now be named “Layer 0″, unless you gave it another name). This gives the layer an alpha channel (i.e., transparency), which is essential for this technique to work. You won’t see the transparency yet.

Now from the menu choose Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object. This is the magic step that makes this technique possible. Again, you won’t see any change in the picture; the only apparent change is a small badge added to the layer thumbnail in the Layers palette.

Next choose Edit > Free Transform. A big “X” will appear across your photo. Immediately click the Warp icon in the control bar:

You will now see several lines crossing your photo, dividing it into nine squares. You will also see various “handles” along the perimeter of the image. You can drag these to warp the image. What you want to do is grab the corner handles, and pull them in. Pull them in until the lines on either side of the handle form a single straight line, and so that the corner point is halfway between the end points:

(If you have trouble visualizing where the midpoint should go, you can make a layer above or below this layer, and draw a big X across it with the line tool. That will give you a guide.)

Do all four corners the same way. When you are done, your image will look like this:

(My background is black because I created a layer filled with black and placed it behind. If you haven’t done that, you will see the transparency checkerboard instead. You can fill the background with whatever you like—on a separate layer!—or leave it empty. It’s up to you.)

We’re making progress, but there is still a bit more to do to complete the effect and make it look realistic.

Now you need to select the circle shape. The easiest way to do this on the Mac is to hold down the Command key and click on the layer. (Control key on Windows.)

Then choose Filter > Distort > Spherize…. Enter whatever value you thinks look good. Values of 70 to 85 seem to work well. This adds a little ballooning to the image, as you would have with a fisheye lens.

You will now have an image that looks like this:

These kinds of lens tend to go dark on the edges, so we’ll add some dark edging next.

Again, select the circle shape. Hold the Command key on a Mac / Control key on Windows, and this time click the the black and white Smart Filters mask, which is right below the layer in the Layers palette.

This will give us the correct selection, since the Spherize filter has actually changed the visible image shape.

Now inverse the selection, with Select > Inverse.

Create a new layer directly above the lens layer (Layer > New > Layer…). Fill the selected area with black, using Edit > Fill, and choosing Black as the fill color.

Without losing the selection, choose Layer > Layer Mask > Hide Selection. It will appear that the new layer with the black has disappeared.

The new layer has two thumbnails now; the layer contents, on the left; and the mask, on the right. Click the left thumbnail to highlight it.

Choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a large number, like maybe 60. It will depend on your image size, which number will work the best. You should see the edges turning dark. However, at very high numbers, the effect will also become diluted. If you want to emphasize the effect, duplicate the layer. Don’t go too crazy with the darkening, though. Keep it subtle.

You should now have an image like this:

Now we are basically done.

But here is the cool part: If you double-click the thumbnail in the lens layer (Layer 0), you can edit the base image. You will see that the original image is still square. You can add layers, type, or anything you want. And when you close the original image window, and return to the lens effect window, anything you added will appear with the fisheye lens effect!

Here is an example, showing type that was added after all the steps were finished. You can see that Photoshop automatically warps the type to have the fisheye look:

If you want, you could even save this image as a template. Any new images you dragged into the original smart object would be automatically warped and shaded for you, without needing to repeat any of these steps.

The project is now complete. Enjoy!

The original photo was shot in 2007, I believe. Even then, not all of the then-current board members were available at the time of the photo shoot. I arranged for one of my coworkers, Kenton Rogers, to take one photo without the missing members, who were added later when they were able to come and sit for a photo.

The original photo:

Kenton later added the missing members:

Unfortunately, that edited version was never published, because we had to postpone publishing the magazine into which it would have been inserted.

This year we started working on the magazine again. However, the members of the board had changed over the years. We could not get everyone together for another photo shoot, so we had to update the photo that we already had. It was necessary to remove four members, and add one. But since the photo had not been taken with that end in mind, this step was a little more difficult.

Besides the four deletions and one insertion, it was necessary to move other members to fill the gaps, add missing body parts to the people thus moved, and fill in backgrounds where they had been cut out. (Computer novices may imagine that if you move a person in Photoshop, their hand that was hidden behind a piece of furniture will magically appear, and you will see what was behind them. But, of course, it doesn’t work that way. All those things have to be drawn, cloned, or otherwise added.)

The updated version for 2009:

It’s not a perfect arrangement, aesthetically. But considering what we had to work with, I think it turned out pretty well!

Going on the cruise meant skipping GYC, the first one I’d ever missed. I felt a bit sad about that, but then there’s always 3ABN and AudioVerse, where the GYC highlights are captured in all their multimedia glory. The one part I really missed was seeing my friends — but I got to visit other friends, so am consoled.

Our group included my mom, Eugene and Heidi, and me, along with my mom’s Aunt Faye and Faye’s sister Kate. Our cruise was a week-long trip through the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Cayman Islands, and Mexico.

Friday–Saturday, Dec. 12–13

I left home on Friday, December 12, headed for my brother’s home in Arkansas. I arrived in time to attend Ouachita Hills Academy’s Christmas concert, featuring singing, a bell choir, strings, a harp trio, woodwinds, and other instruments. It was a great performance. After the concert I had time to talk with quite a few friends and people I hadn’t seen in a long time. On Sabbath I spent the afternoon with my friends, the Nealls.

Sunday, Dec. 14

Our cruise departed from Galveston, Texas, about a 9-hour drive from my brother’s place. With boarding beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, we had to leave very early — at around 4:30 a.m. My mom was driving from Tennessee, and had gotten stuck in slow traffic due to bad weather and a vehicle accident she passed. At 4:00 a.m. she hadn’t arrived at Eugene’s, and we were getting worried. But a few minutes later she stepped through the door, tired, but there and ready to go.

Arkansas borders Texas, and most of our driving was in TX. The northeast part of Texas makes southern Illinois look beautiful! Almost makes me think of that song “Tumbling Tumbleweeds.” As we neared Galveston, there were more trees, more hills, more palms, and finally glimpses of the Gulf of Mexico.

We arrived with ample time to get through security and board. We had three cabins between us, which thankfully were all close to each other.

My cabin:

After dumping our luggage, we found a pizzeria on the upper deck. All the meals on the ship were free, and we enjoyed a custom cheese-free veggie pizza. As we sat there waiting for our meal, I spotted a dolphin jumping around in the harbor. A couple more appeared as we watched.

Our ship departed at 4:00. After exploring the ship and unpacking, we all met again for supper. The evening meal was assigned seating, and served. We were in the late seating, so sat down for supper at 8:15. I don’t think any of us are accustomed to eating that late, but we managed. While standing, waiting to enter the restaurant, the ship really rocked, and everyone was laughing as we all swayed together. We had great waiters, one of whom was mostly vegetarian, which was a great help. He really looked out for us. The food was exceptional, and there was always one main vegetarian dish, and various vegetarian sides. My first supper was Indian food (rice and curry), with a fruit platter.

Eugene and Heidi:

The housekeeping staff often cleaned our rooms during meal times. When I got back to my room I found a towel on my bed shaped like a walrus. The staff made different animals each day. I thought it was cool.

An elephant towel critter:

Monday-Tuesday, Dec. 15-16

Monday and Tuesday we were all day at sea. I checked my email once, but the prices were crazy: 75¢ per minute, and the speed was slow. It look me more than 20 minutes just to download my email headers and a few complete messages. No more email on that trip!

The ship kept up a good clip — 15 knots or more I think. It was quite windy on deck while the ship was moving. While watching the waves, I spotted several flying fish jumping away from the wake.

We checked out the mini golf game on deck.

The wind was strong enough to blow the ball around, which added some challenge. Although we usually met or beat the par on most sections, the one with the mouth was very difficult. I think it took me about 20 tries to get it. Some took to less conventional methods to get the ball in:

Monday night was the first of two elegant nights. Everyone dressed up for supper. It was quite a show, all the ladies in their evening gowns, some of the guys in tuxedos. It was obvious that black is still the “in” color for formal events, for men and women both. Not everyone was so dressed up — including us. But I had brought a couple shirts and ties on a whim, for which I was thankful!

On Tuesday, Eugene, Heidi, and I checked out the jacuzzi. I think there were four on the ship’s deck, and we had one to ourselves. It was nice.

Personally I did not have high hopes for the food on the cruise, but we had another unexpected treat that day: veggie burgers!

Some evening shots from on deck:

The “whale tail” is the ship’s smokestack:

Wednesday, Dec. 17

On Wednesday we arrived at Montego Bay, Jamaica. We went out to the taxi area, looking for a ride to Dunn River Falls. The first drivers we met were asking $60 per person (for a group of six!). Others said they would come down to $55. Not only was that considerably more than we expected, it was also more than we could afford. My brother kept haggling. Eventually we found ourselves surrounded by taxi drivers, talking to each other in another language, trying to convince us of their prices, and sometimes loudly jeering us publicly. Eventually we found a driver who would take us for $25.

The ride to the falls was interesting. Jamaica has mountains and beautiful beaches. There were large, beautiful resorts. But most of the country was gripped with poverty. The people looked poor; the houses, even those made of brick, were weathered and ill-kept. Locals meandered along the roads. Flocks of goats foraged by the highway.

The driving there is kind of crazy. People pass each other at high speed in short passing zones with oncoming traffic. On a two lane road, cars traveling in each direction will pull to each side, and a third car will pass down the middle. But our driver was pretty safe. I think he was mainly worried about getting a ticket, having given us such a cheap rate.

We finally arrived at Dunn River Falls. But we were disappointed to find that we had to fork over another $15 per person to get in. The main thing to do there is climb the falls, which we did. It was longer and more difficult than I expected, but everyone managed. Even Faye and Kate, in their 80s, made it all the way up (with quite a bit of help from our guides). There were parts that looked difficult, but I always found good footing, as the park staff keep the rocks free from algae. The only scary part was at a natural pool between falls, where the guides would push people backwards into the water. The guides insisted that it was “part of the experience.” I reluctantly agreed to try it — and survived!

At the start of the climb, everyone — a group of 30 or so — held hands in a long chain, which did make the going easier. But as we progressed, and people became more confident, we tended to go it alone, or in small groups.

There were five to ten spots like this one, with natural pools in between:

On the way back we stopped at a small beach and swam a bit. The water was very nice. There were no fish to speak of, but we found some simple shells — the only shells I found on the trip.

Sunset over the bay at Jamaica:

On this trip we learned that we would need more pocket money than we had thought. Unfortunately, even though I had read advice on this very thing before departure, I had inadvertently brought only $20 cash with me for the whole trip. On top of that, having never used an ATM in my life (incredible, huh?), I did not know my PIN, so could not get any more cash on the ship. I had to borrow constantly to get by. Fortunately the others in the group got more money through the ATMs, so this wasn’t too much of a problem.

Thursday, Dec. 18

On Thursday, we arrived at George Town, Grand Cayman. It was a much cleaner city than Montego Bay, and we had no hassles there.

Our ship did not dock at this port, apparently because the water is too shallow. It anchored some distance off shore, and a “tender boat” took us to land.

Our cruise ship (and if you look closely, you can see the tender boat beside it):

My mom had prearranged a trip to Stingray City, but because the waves were a little rough, our captain had bailed out. We did find another ship, but they could not visit Stingray City either, because of the waves. Nevertheless, they took us to several good snorkeling locations. On my first swim, my mask was not adjusted properly, and I kept getting salt water in my nose and mouth. I’m not a great swimmer, and I had not taken any floatation support on that swim, so I kind of wore myself out fighting my mask and the waves. I waited out the second swim. On the third swim, I got a late start, since someone had taken the fins I was using, and I had to wait for a pair. But when I finally got in, I saw lots of fish, and got to pet a stingray that one of the crew had caught. (It had no tail, having apparently donated it to a shark, the crew said.)

Evening sunset pictures:

Friday, Dec. 19

On Friday we arrived at Cozumel, Mexico. This was my favorite part of the trip. (On a calmer day, with a better underwater camera, I might have liked Grand Cayman as much or better.)

We took a taxi to Chankanaab Park, which was a lot of fun. My mom got a picture of me with an iguana and macaw. The iguana sat there so motionless, with its eyes closed. I think it was going to sleep!

Although there were lots of people there (four or five cruise ships were docked at one time — unbelievable), we had this one stretch of beach pretty much to ourselves.

We snorkeled there, and saw all kinds of beautiful, colorful fish. I even saw what I think was a very colorful parrot fish, but I saw it after I had used my last picture in my disposable underwater camera.

This homely fish kept swimming around my head:

Lots of sergeant majors:

Colorful coral and fish; check out the fairy basslet in the lower left.

After a swim, we enjoyed some other aspects of the park.

One of the attractions at Cozumel (and other places that we visited) was dolphins. However, most of the activities were pricey, so we did not do any of them. However, it was fun to watch. Here is a video of a woman getting a “foot push” from two dolphins:

The park included a salt water lagoon, with all kinds of colorful fish, including parrot fish.

We also saw several kinds of reptiles there, mostly iguanas.

Ordinarily one might think of reptiles as cold-blooded carnivores. We were surprised to find this iguana enjoying fresh greens:

Still another part of the park features reconstructions of Mayan artifacts and buildings.

Two Carnival ships were docked side by side; ours is on the left.

That evening, back on the ship, I sat on the forward deck. I was the only person there. Blocking out the ship’s lights with my hands, I enjoyed a spectacular view of the clear, starry night.

Saturday, Dec. 20

On Saturday we had a worship on deck; curiously, it was the same place I had been the previous night. Eugene led the worship. We had one stranger listening in, whom Faye and Kate talked to afterwards.

More sunset at sea pics:

We passed several oil rigs:

That evening my final wisdom tooth, in my upper jaw, made a major effort to come in. After a couple Tylenol capsules, the pain subsided enough that I could eat supper. Thankfully it didn’t bother me anymore after that.

Eugene and Heidi with our friendly head waiter from Indonesia:

A towel monkey!

Sunday, Dec. 21

Our ship arrived back at Galveston early on Sunday. We headed straight back to Arkansas, and arrived sometime after 6:00 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 22

On Monday, we had an early Christmas. We were joined by Heidi’s sister Pam and her kids, along with her brother David, and also Matthew Morea. There was a delicious Christmas dinner, and then we exchanged gifts. Immediately after that, I headed home, arriving shortly after 11:00 p.m. I didn’t even bother to unpack; the next day was a work day, and I needed sleep!

SUMMARY

It was a fun trip, and I really had a good time. I highly recommend Grand Cayman and Cozumel to anyone wanting a relaxing, enjoyable vacation.

Most of these pictures are also online at my Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=77863&l=7c271&id=809418097

and

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=78000&l=7fda7&id=809418097

I wish I knew the name of it. I thought the shape of it was pretty cool. We don’t have too many exotic flowers in Illinois, so spotting this seemed rather special.

On the Sunday that ASI finished, my mom and I headed south from Tampa for a vacation in the Florida Keys. We decided to take the southern route, Highway 41.

It was a scenic drive through the Everglades, but because we were in a hurry to reach our motel in Florida City, we didn’t stop along the way. I saw two alligators by the road; one of them was definitely dead, and I wasn’t sure about the other. I later wished I had stopped to take a picture of the possibly live gator, but I had to make a split-second decision, and with cars behind me I decided to just keep driving.

The landscape along Highway 41 was lush and varied. There were stands of long-needled pines, wide open spaces studded with various palms, broad fields of grass and reeds, swamps with Spanish moss, and more. Every so often there was an exit for an Indian settlement, which often seemed to be collections of small cottages, small businesses, thatched-roofed structures, and mobile homes. At around 2:00 we were getting very hungry, so stopped at a local restaurant. But unfortunately it was the loud, greasy-spoon variety, where about the only thing on the menu without meat in it is fries, so we left without ordering anything.

We finally found a good restaurant at the spot where 41 meets 997 South. That was an interesting drive, lined with endless nurseries featuring every kind of plant imaginable, with special emphasis on ornamental palms. It seemed that every other business was a nursery. There were also fruit stands offering avocados, papayas, and mangoes.

At Florida City we came to Highway 1, but not knowing which way to go (the map was unclear), we turned south. This turned out to be the wrong way, but there were few options to turn around, so we decided to drive on out to Key Largo. Along this route we saw the first of many anhingas, a not particularly attractive bird, but it has the intriguing habit of hang-drying its wings. The first one I saw would have been the perfect anhinga picture, but it was on the wrong side of a divided highway, and there was no good way to stop and get a photo of it.

While on Key Largo we visited John Pennekamp State Park, where we saw some white ibises. We also took a boardwalk through a mangrove forest. We saw some lizards there, including a gray one that would thrust out a brilliant red display from its throat. There were also lots of small fiddler crabs rummaging through the mangrove roots. Unfortunately the place was infested with mosquitoes. Even though I applied repellent, the insects managed to find the few small spots that I missed. They showed no mercy.

Boardwalk through the mangroves:

Shortly after this we decided to return and find our apartment, which we did without difficulty. It was a fairly nice room at the Fairway Inn, right off Highway 1 in Florida City. It was nothing special as motel rooms go, but it came with a cooler, mini microwave, and safe box, and the AC and shower worked well. After a thunderstorm passed, I decided to go out and try the pool. It was just after sunset, and I had the pool to myself. But the water was quite cool, and there was lots of small bits of junk floating in it. Besides that, another storm started to roll in. So I didn’t stay out long.

On Monday we left early for our long drive to Key West. Along the way we stopped at a dolphin research center. But the prices for seeing the dolphins, or getting into the water with them, were outrageous. I think my mom was still tempted to fork over the money, but instead we just looked around the gift shop a little, and then headed on our merry way.

Driving through the Keys was an interesting experience. There is just a simple road connecting all the Keys, which are long, thin islands stretching out into the ocean. Between the islands the road is really just a long bridge, with open water as far as the eye can see on both sides. Much of the water was quite shallow, though, so in places you could look out and see underwater features for a long distance. In other places there were marshes or mangrove forests blocking the view of the ocean.

Finally, some hours later, we arrived in Key West. We got veggie sandwiches at a little shop, but although the sandwiches were really good, it was kind of a gross environment with all the fresh seafood “aromas” in the air.

Finally we boarded the catamaran that was to take us on our afternoon adventure. We had two really nice crew, and the other passengers, about eight of them, were also friendly.

My mom with one of our friendly and knowledgable crew members:

It was a beautiful day to be out. A cool breeze was blowing. For some reason the ocean there doesn’t have the strong smell that I often associate with the ocean. There wasn’t really any smell at all. It remained a clear day for us. Around us we could see rain falling here or there. But mostly it remained bright and sunny overhead.

Along the way to our first stop some of the passengers spotted a sea turtle. However, not being fluent in English, they couldn’t communicate what it was until it was past.

Later we ran into a pod of dolphins (the crew knew where to find them). We were told there were probably about 10 dolphins in the pod. One of them was a baby. They came very close to our boat, and I got quite a few pictures.

See the baby dolphin?

They came even closer than this:

After that we went to another place to snorkle. This was my first time snorkeling, but it mostly went well. There were a couple short moments of panic where I breathed in a moutful of salt water, but I didn’t drown. (LOL.) I made a mistake when I took off my mask to clean it, because it was getting really foggy. I had been standing on a submerged piece of junk, but as soon as my mask was off, the current knocked me off the platform, and I couldn’t get back on again. So I decided to put the mask on while floating on my back. But in my efforts to swim back to where I had been standing, my snorkle—which was attached to the mask I was holding in my hand—had fallen out. Despite my best efforts, I was not able to dive down far enough to retrieve it. However, the crew on the boat told me not to worry about it, and they gave me another one.

Although most of the fish were quite plain, we did see a few very colorful ones. I also saw a good-sized lobster. My mom saw a ray. And I also saw a shark. It didn’t come close enough to be clearly identified, but I think it was about 5 to 7 feet long. At first it was just a dark silhouette, which I thought might be a big fish. But I swam a little closer, and then this dark shape turns out to be a shark. It wasn’t too scarey, except I looked around and there was not a single person in sight. Apparently I had swam further out than I thought. But at the same moment the shark swished its tail and disappeared. Then I was torn about whether I should try to find it again and get a photo (I was advancing my camera when it vanished), or just go back to the group. I decided to go back!

Fishies:

Minutes later, we were all told our time was up, and we needed to return to the boat. So ended not only my first snorkeling experience, but also my first time swimming in the ocean!

Later that evening my mom and I ate at an IHOP. Then we watched the sunset at Mallory Square. Personally if I had a chance to watch a sunset there again, I would pick a spot as far away from Mallory as possible. There were too many people, and the view was obstructed by a big, developed island offshore. After the long drive home, it was nice to be in bed!

We also saw this really unusual tree, called a kapok tree:

The next day we slept in. We decided to take the northern route back, which is Interstate 75, also known as Alligator Alley. (However, there is little chance of seeing any gators or other big wildlife there, since the whole stretch of highway is lined by tall chainlink fences on either side, set back quite a distance from the road.) It ran through some pretty Everglades country.

We had hoped to stop at Sanibel Island and do some shelling. But by the time we got there and checked the time, we had to leave immediately.

It was a long and tiring flight home. But it was good to be home again!

While we were out on the Keys, my mom and I had talked about how it would be difficult to evacuate if a hurricane ever passed through. So it was really striking to hear, after we got home, about the hurricane forming near the Keys, and how long it took cars to get off the islands.

I put a collection of photos up on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=40771&l=afab0&id=809418097

There was a great turnout. I’ve put some photos on Facebook (link below), and then I’ve added a few other photos below that.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=42845&id=12296170694

It was great to see long-time friend Staci (L), who was here visiting mutual friends Jill (pictured) and Greg Morikone.

We had a very good panel answering Bible questions on Wednesday night. L to R: Stephen Bohr, John Lomacang, Mike Tucker, Kenneth Cox, David Asscherick, C. A. Murray.

Many 3ABN staff, such as Larry McLucas, put in long hours. It was practically a marathon!

Eva doing what girls do best:

Ken Cox gave a great message on the commandment, “Thou shalt not murder.” If you missed it, you need to find a copy and learn the secret of why women outlive their husbands!

David Asscherick spoke on “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” He brought down the house!

Another friend from college days, David Shin, spoke on “Thou shalt not steal.” It included a powerful personal testimony.

If you missed it, I’ve heard that the DVDs should be shipping sometime in July. Eventually the programs with air again on 3ABN, as well. Check the program listings for times.

I stand at the edge of a small lake. It’s quiet here—a good place to meditate, to think. As I skip a rock across the water, I notice the ripples. At each point where the stone strikes the surface of the lake, waves radiate outward. Together they look like a series of points, each sending out signal waves in every direction. In a sense, that’s what this series is about. Our Christian heritage is a string of pivotal events, each with its own lasting repercussions in the stream of time. It’s a story that inspires me every time I think of it.

I thought it would be cool to add a little thumbnail illustration. I tried to look for stock photos of a rock skipping across a pond, but couldn’t find any. So Adam and I headed down to the nearest little pond, and this is what we got:

The original photo:

Unfortunately, despite numerous attempts, we couldn’t quite capture the feel of skipping stones. The surface of the water was really icky. We did get some nice splashes, but they just didn’t look like what I wanted to convey.

Add “Pond-Scum-Be-Gone” (aka, Photoshop):

Ripples:

A nice reflection:

Some nice early morning mist, and we’re done!

* * *

My flight departed on Sunday, April 20. It was a long flight, but mostly uneventful. I traveled from a regional airport in Marion on a small plane (18 seats or so), to St. Louis where I caught a larger plane (an MD-80, I think) to Atlanta, where I caught an even larger plane (a 767 I think) to Copenhagen. I managed to sleep quite a bit, and this seemed to help me adjust to the time zone change, which was 7 hours.

Flying over Denmark was quite interesting. Looking down I could see all these little farms, bunched together in oddly-angled shapes, not like the large one-mile square tiles you may see in the western U.S., but not too different perhaps than the smaller farms in New England. Denmark and Sweden are both covered in farmland.

My flight arrived in Copenhagen the next morning, Monday, April 21. Theresa Nybo was there to meet me at the airport. She had brought her dog Max along, and this was my first time meeting him. He is a big fluffy white dog (there is a picture of him below). After a little shopping in Malmö, we were on our way to LifeStyleTV.

I have several longtime friends working at LifeStyleTV: Claus and Theresa Nybo, Daniel and Antonella Pedley, and Richard and Roxana Ramont. It was great to see all of them again. It was also neat to see their facilities — which are extremely modest compared to what we have at 3ABN. Still, what they do with what they have is quite amazing.

Daniel at his workstation:

Claus:

The LifeStyleTV master control:

Their cool OS X based server rack:

Dan and Jennica:

Torleif:

Huldah:

Andrea:

Max — always ready to play:

The guys’ “dorm” — where I stayed:

My room:

A couple times a day I walked this 10-15 minute journey from the dorm to the LifeStyleTV center (the Nybos’ home):

On Tuesday I worked in the Nybos’ garden, mulching the berry bushes and other things. I miss the garden I had at my previous residence, so it was a fine way to spend the morning. Later I went with a group to a place called the Hallesberg Stones. These are statues and carved stones created in the 1800s by a Swedish farmer. One set of stones contains writing and pictures related to the Bible, including Old Testament chronology, the Fall, and prophetic symbols with interpretations. LifeStyleTV was planning to use these as a springboard for doctrinal presentations.

The badly eroded mountain of sculpture at the Hallesberg farm:

This stone depicts Bible chronology:

This one depicts the Fall:

This one shows the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension:

This one is full of prophetic symbols — the Lamb on Mount Zion, the King on the white horse, the woman riding the beast — along with dates and explanations:

A stone face:

On Wednesday I led morning worship for the group, in which I talked about how God has led all types of people into the unity of the Adventist message, and how that unity in the truth is so important for a ministry such as LifeStyleTV. Later Theresa took me to look at a castle in the area. Later I helped prepare lunch (tofu squares with tartar sauce), which I didn’t get to eat. Instead, I had lunch with the Pedleys. Their children are so cute!

A Swedish castle — this one remains a private residence:

The Pedleys:

Thursday I flew to Stockholm, where I met up with my good friend Ellen. That evening we visited the Vasa Museum, where a large warship that was raised from where it sank, is on display. It was really fascinating. Later we walked around the downtown area called Gamla Stan, ate out at a Korean restaurant, and had some sorbet and oat-based “ice cream” for dessert. On the way back we stopped by the Royal Palace. I spent the night at the church headquarters, in an apartment shared by a new friend, Ronnie.

A church in Stockholm:

The warship at the Vasa Museum (photo: Ellen Kim):

Ellen:

One of the many canals in Stockholm — it’s built on a series of islands (photo: Ellen Kim):

Ellen and me:

A street:

Moi (photo: Ellen Kim):

On Friday Ellen and I visited some shops in the morning, and then I was on my way back to Malmö. But the bus that was taking me to the airport kept crashing! Computer crashing, that is. The monitors were locked in an endless cycle of Windows XP booting and crashing with an error message. Tsk, tsk. If only they had Mac OS X.

Windows XP: Where do you want to go today?

Back in Malmö, I enjoyed a tasty haystack lunch at the church. Then I joined other workers from LifeStyleTV handing out fliers in the community, inviting them to an upcoming event with Louis Torres. Later, back at the Nybos’ home, we had a tasty fruit smoothie supper. And then we discussed Bible verses related to baptism, which Claus was gathering for his sermon the next day in Malmö.

Saturday morning found us at the Malmö church. The program was good. Theresa interpreted the sermon in English for several of us. After the very nice fellowship lunch, I joined the Ramonts and Pedleys for a walk in the park with their families and some friends. Later, back at LifeStyleTV, we had a birthday supper for Andrea, and then played a fun game, “Four on the Couch,” that I had never played before (the guys won, haha!).

On Sunday the Nybos took me for a little drive to the beach. On the way we saw a sheepdog herding competition. It was quite fascinating to watch. The dogs did such a good job, but the sheep were just a little too stubborn. We had a great time at the beach. The Nybos’ dog Max met some new friends. It was a beautiful beach, with white sand. There were swans out swimming on the water.

Sheepdog competition (the dog is crouched to the right of the sheep pen):

Another Swedish castle:

I thought this was funny — the “Badhotell” (it actually translates to the “bath hotel” — it’s near the beach):

Claus and Theresa, with Max:

The beach is lined with these concrete bunkers from WWII:

White sand:

A creek flowing into the ocean:

Flowers at the beach:

Later I traveled with some of the other workers at LifeStyleTV back to Malmö. Jonathan, Jennica, and Huldah gave me a tour around the city. In the evening a couple of us watched a David Asscherick training video that had been taped at the Bible Institute in Norway. This was my last full day in Sweden.

Banner at the church advertising the meetings with Louis Torres:

Jonathan, Jennica, and Huldah enjoying their falafels:

The Turning Tower in Malmö:

This is a small dam in a park area; the small black things are faucets — quite clever:

On Monday I took a bus, and then a train, which took me to the airport in Copenhagen. With the benefit of the reverse time zone changes, I arrived home the same day, at around 9:00 pm. It was great to be home again!

First, my hopeful prediction on February 3 that we might be nearing the end of winter weather turned out to be grimly mistaken. In the several days leading up to 2/11, we had warnings that a severe winter storm was afoot. Nevertheless, the morning of that day wasn’t too bad. I started to see snow and a bit of sleet coming down on the way home for lunch. Still, I was somewhat surprised to be caught at home after lunch, when I learned that 3ABN was closing due to badly deteriorating road conditions.

Sleet and freezing rain fell all afternoon and into the night. On top of a couple inches of snow, we had a 1/4 to 1/2 inch layer of ice. The ice covered my wireless internet antenna, knocking out my internet access, which left me without a convenient source of news and information for the next several days. (Not to mention no chatting with friends!)

I remained stuck at home Tuesday morning. The mound of snow on the windshield of my Jeep was encased in a hard shell of ice, and presented quite a challenge when I tried to clear it off. I tried to get to work, but Hernando and I couldn’t get the Jeep unstuck. We finally managed to back it out of the space where it was parked, but then it became caught in a thick mixture of slush and mud. We worked for maybe 30 minutes or more, and with the aid of a snow shovel loaned to us by the Troys, we were finally able to free it. But by then Hernando had given up on going to work. It was nearly lunchtime, so I decided to just wait and try again after lunch. I did make it in to 3ABN in the afternoon. Only about half the employees were there. Greg and Jill were running the Call Center by themselves.

Ice storm nature pics:

Carving out the snow under the ice on my Jeep’s hood and windshield:

With cold temperatures, the snow lasted nearly a week. On Friday, 2/15, I got stuck in the slush twice: once at the T’ville post office, and once on the road that connects Main Street to the curve on 149; but was able to get myself out in both cases. The snow was mostly melted by the next Monday, 2/18, but there were still mounds of snow where it was plowed.

As explained in previous posts, the last week of January I had been taped for the 3ABN Today “Behind the Scenes” program, to air on Valentine’s Day, February 14. I was on the set with Jim Gilley, Mollie Steenson, and John Lomacang. My topic was the viewer survey we were preparing to release. Mollie was talking about camp meeting, and John about a series, “Where Are All His Miracles?”, soon to be taped at the Thompsonville church. But 3ABN overbooked its guests, and Lonnie Melashenko took that date on a live program instead. Because my taping included topics that were dated, the producers decided to reshoot it. We were scheduled to do it again on February 21.

However, on February 21, another ice storm rolled in, and the taping was canceled. Kenton, Adam, and I worked until about 4:00, or a little later, and then went home. It was sleeting, and we knew the roads would soon turn slick. By this time I had developed a good technique for removing ice from my vehicle’s windshields, but it was starting to get a bit tedious. We all came in a little late on Friday morning, and found again that many employees were missing. But the main roads were not too bad this time.

A really short video of the February 21 storm:

This storm knocked out my internet connection again, but this time I had two things going for me: I had learned how to connect via by cell phone (sloooooow … 14.4 kbps). And, lastly, after one cold, tiring, and unproductive experiment, I found a fast way to de-ice my antenna. (I knew that water cannon was good for something.) But, for next time, I think I’m going to invest in the aerosol de-icing spray.

Saturday was warm enough to melt off some of the ice and snow, but we got a couple inches more Sunday morning, which began melting later that day. As of Monday, 2/25, most of it had melted, but a little still lingers.

Apparently my “Behind the Scenes” segment will still be taped, but I have not been told the new taping date yet. I know some of you may be tired of hearing about it already, but it’s my first significant appearance, so I guess I’m just excited. (I’m not sure if I should be; I’m not the TV type.)

I arranged my own hotel through Priceline this year, and that saved me a little money (it was $60/night). The hotel I got was the Hyatt, right next to the convention center, and one of the main hotels other GYC attendees were using. My room was nice, with a king size bed, and a nice 15th-story view of downtown Minneapolis. For some reason the thermostat was a little flaky, and the wireless internet ($10 extra per night) was very poor — worse than dial-up. But I had a comfortable place to rest, and everything else worked well. Nothing I couldn’t live with.

All of the main meetings (plenary sessions) were very good. I especially enjoyed the testimony by Steve Kasperbauer, the 1888 panel discussion (since my bro was in it … and because the content was good ), and all the presentations by David Shin. Steve’s testimony was absolutely incredible. If you didn’t hear it, get it. I believe it will be available from the GYC website eventually.

The seminars were good, although not really the highlight for me. I enjoyed one of Mark Finley’s seminars (“The Shaking and the Sifting”), but it was so packed that I could not get in more than once. I attended two seminars by Nathan Renner (about friendship evangelism); I enjoyed hearing his testimony, and the other content was good, but a little too heavy on the theory of why, and a little too light on the subject of how, for my tastes. The surprise for me was two seminars by Bruce Ashton on the topic of music. I was expecting the usual “how to tell good music from bad” approach, but it wasn’t really that at all. If an attendee could look past the fact that Bruce read everything from notes, there were some really awesome concepts to glean. I would even dare say revolutionary concepts for the worship services at many medium to large churches. The main gem was a clear explanation of the purpose and nature of worship, and the consequential implications for what passes as worship at many churches. In a nutshell: Most churches fashion their worship services to please the congregation, or visitors, or “seekers”; but real worship, and all decisions about style and format and content, should be about pleasing God alone. In this light, much of the music labeled as “worship” music has nothing to do with worship at all, even if it is acceptable in a larger framework.

This year’s outreach was challenging on at least three fronts: Many people weren’t home (it was just before Christmas). Those that were home were often not interested (Minnesota is a hard area to witness in, as numerous GYC attendees noted). And it was freezing cold. If not for a block of apartments that we were able to enter, I wonder if I’d be nursing my second case of frostbite on my toes. Still, it was a good experience, especially in light of all that was accomplished by the group in total. My partner and I had a really nice talk with a woman who seemed genuinely interested, and I was able to pray with her. I hope that she will sign up for the studies.

3ABN’s booth was in a prime location this year, and although I was not there officially representing 3ABN, I pitched in at the booth a few times. Greg and Jill did a great job of manning the booth. We made observations that hopefully will help us be better prepared for these kinds of events in the future. The booth seemed to be quite popular, and it was great to hear all the positive feedback from attendees both young and old.

3ABN’s booth, with Greg and Jill, and our president, Jim Gilley:

GYC is always a great place to catch up with friends, and make new ones. Although I am probably one of the worst people for remembering names and facts about people, I gain some satisfaction from seeing familiar faces (even if for the life of me I can’t remember who they are or where I recognize them from). At last year’s GYC I learned that if I really, really try to remember, such as by utilizing various memory association tricks, I can actually remember new names pretty well. In fact, I still remember the names of the two persons from that conference that I tried this technique with. Ironically, I’ve never seen them again.

I saw so many friends at this year’s conference, I can’t really name them all. But it was a blessing to talk with them and learn what’s new in their lives.

Eugene and Heidi:

One of the beautiful churches in the area (note the low clouds/mist — the top third or so of the skyscraper in the background is completely hidden):

Bradford pears along the entrance way to 3ABN:

Beautiful tree just outside the reception entrance at our Production Center:

A short little video taken from the road alongside the Production Center; the trees in the background were also quite colorful, but the color is lost in the haze over the distance (this was taken with a plain ol’ camera that happens to have video ability):