A few quick notes on public career and technical education (CTE) programs in Arizona.

πŸš‚ This is entry 3 of the blogtrain CTE.

read more ➫

Tips on how to pick a career and technical education (CTE) program while in high school and when to get started.

πŸš‚ This is entry 2 of the blogtrain CTE.

read more ➫

One of the most underrated options for high schoolers is career and technical education (CTE).

πŸš‚ This is entry 1 of the blogtrain CTE.

read more ➫

Selfie-portrait! πŸ€“πŸŽ¨ This was a fun change of pace this evening. I liked painting the blue so much I decided to put the cactus in the border instead of the background.

Self portrait watercolor painting of Christopher Chelpka

πŸš‚ This is entry 4 of the blogtrain The Covenants of God.

The story of how God fulfills the Covenant of Redemption is found in Chapter 7 of the Westminster Confession of Faith. It’s an excellent summary. I’ll quote each section and make a few comments.

read more ➫

  1. Fish and Ships: Zach Purvis takes us to sixteenth-century Brazil with French Reformed missionary Jean de LΓ©ry.
  2. How to prevent someone from stealing your iCloud account.
  3. What are we eating in ancient Roman Palestine?

Among liberals, there’s just way higher levels of anxiety. The only level of religious attendance where that abates is those liberals who attend religious services every week. Conservatives are just less mentally anxious, and that goes even lower when it comes to those who attend monthly or more.

Ryan Burge writes about this and other interesting stats in “Political Ideology, Religious Attendance And Mental Illness.

Mexican Gray Wolf laying in a stretch

A Mexican Gray Wolf looking comfy

  1. This internet train station will get you to some of the more interesting and fun parts of the web.
  2. Help for those who have a hard time telling people about Jesus.
  3. What does it take to develop your own ideas/style/taste? Answers from the world of watercolor.
  1. Tucson 1: Wow. This photo of Adam Sandler playing basketball at the McKale Center is amazing.
  2. Tucson 2: A video of a coyote howling on top a Mustang went viral this week. It’s cool. Next time, make the Mustang a horse instead of a car.
  3. Honoring the “Weaker Vessel”: explanation and advice
Early in December I was eating breakfast at Seis, and they were playing Spanish-language Christmas music in the restaurant. Some songs I recognized from English versions, some I didn’t, but I loved almost all of them instantly. An employee told me the music was from an online stream. So after I left, I found something similar on Apple Music and started my journey. A few weeks later, here’s what I know.

read more ➫

If you’re looking for a good commentary on Revelation, you already have one if you have an ESV Study Bible. The notes on Revelation are written by Dr. Dennis E. Johnson, former NT Professor at Westminster Seminary California and author of Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation.

For my last sermon in the Jesus and His World Series, I preached about the magi yesterday and spoke about Jesus and his relationship to magic. Please give it a listen and also check out the following resources to go further.

read more ➫

The bats were out at sunset doing BMX tricks. So cool. The artist is Stephen Fairfield. 🚲

Public art of bats riding bikes

πŸ”— 55 years ago today, Tucson’s Frank Borman saw ‘Earthrise’

As they circled the moon, they read from the Book of Genesis in a live telecast from the orbiter:

β€œIn the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”

Borman ended the broadcast with, β€œAnd from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you β€” all of you on the good Earth.”

  1. Music: The Incomparable Bola Sete by Bola Sete.
  2. Learn about Theo Global. I’m excited to see what they do in 2024.
  3. AI hallucinations are not a problem. (Via Tyler Cowen)
  4. Fredx3: 18 Theses on the Father and the Son
checking Christmas lights

We haven’t gone full Winterhaven yet, but the new Christmas lights we got from Costco are working great, and we love all the decorations in our neighborhood.

πŸš‚ This is entry 3 of the blogtrain The Covenants of God.

Think of all the names you have. Or all the names you call your pet. The covenants in the Bible have lots of nicknames too. The Covenant of Works, for example, is also called Covenant of Life, Covenant of Creation, and First Covenant.

Why so many names?

read more ➫