Thursday, March 24, 2011

In Defense of Creation...

Taken from Earth Age:

Those who hail evolution as a “fact” are either ignorant of the facts, or lying about them. The fact is that scientists have only been able to create 13 of the 20 amino acids that make up protein molecules. And even these (almost always) consist of 50/50 mixtures of L-type (left-handed) and D-type (right-handed) amino acids. This is about as far from making a living organism as a piece of silver is from a computer (with monitor, printer, and electricity) running Windows XP. For even the most "simple," self-replicating, bacterium contains many thousands of protein molecules, of 600 different types, that consist of left-handed (only) amino acids --each of which is connected in just the right order, like words and sentences on a page, while the most basic protein molecule (only 8 amino acids long) has never been observed to form naturally.

The most basic self-replicating bacterium is called Mycoplasma genitalia. It consists of at least 40,000 protein molecules of 600 different types, has 482 genes, and can't survive on its own but requires the aid of a more complex "host" organism. To suppose that one of these extremely complex creatures came into being by itself (over Billions of years) is an unsubstantiated speculation of the highest order and is NOT based on empirical (i.e. observed) science, but rather upon a blind faith in the power of matter to somehow organize itself by time and chance, while overcoming the destructive forces of nature such as heat, oxidation, hydrolysis, and numerous toxic chemicals.

For example, is there any reason to expect that a "Creative" bolt of Lightning, or "Ocean Bubble" could ever produce a half-way-formed "pre-mycoplasmic" organic blob of cells, that would --in 100 Billion years --make itself more and more complex, to the point where it could maintain and Reproduce itself ? Or would such a (hypothetical) halfway formed blob of chemicals simply decay and degrade via natural processes? Like it or not, the facts of science declare that such an imaginary "pre-creature" would not complete this process on its own, but would instead merely decay back into the unintelligent matter from which it came. In other words, a belief in evolution is based much more on (blind) faith, as opposed to scientifically observed facts.

For example, living organisms possess a molecule called DNA. This molecule contains the information needed to make a specific life-form, and which enables it to maintain and repair itself. The DNA molecule is mysteriously broken down into genes. One DNA molecule may have thousands of different genes (i.e. protein blueprints) in it. These genes are (relatively) small portions of chemically coded information that are used to make protein molecules. The DNA cannot "decode" itself, but requires the aid of numerous proteins (that also don't form naturally) to do so. If a DNA molecule were compared to a book, then its genes would be the equivalent to individual (long) words or sentences of that book, and the DNA equivalent to the Book itself, but the living organism itself is even more complicated than that because it can actually reproduce itself, and because.... The DNA in Living organisms can make molecular copies of itself called RNA (with near perfect accuracy) and transfer that information to ribosomes. In other words, the RNA molecule is a mobile copy of DNA. Meaning that once the RNA copy is complete, it literally travels to a different part of the cell (i.e. the Ribosome) where the information is used to make proteins. Ribosomes are tiny protein factories that take the information from the RNA and use it to make homochiralic proteins from L-type amino acids. Proteins are not known to form naturally in slime-pools, or Ocean vents, or Laboratories, but rather are only made by living organisms. The great majority of living organisms are also quite fragile and require a protective membrane to enclose them and to keep harmful substances out. If they get too hot or too cold they will die. If there isn't enough oxygen, or if there are poisonous substances present they will also die.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Cole's Miracle



A little over 7 years ago Kirstin and I experienced nothing short of a miracle with the birth of our son Cole. Since I have pretty much neglected my blog for some time and I needed space to explain the situation for an acquaintance I felt it was a good time to get this moving again :-)

It basically started out with Kirstin having a feeling that something was not right with Cole about 4 weeks before his due date. He was not being active like he had been and this worried her. After a call to the OBGYN it was decided to go ahead and visit the hospital and run a few tests just to make sure all was ok.

Well, they stuck a small pig tail looking device in the top of Cole's head to monitor his heart rate and many other things I can not pronounce much less spell. His heart rate stayed constant and his movements were very few which alarmed the doctor and nurses greatly. The next thing I know we are hearing it is time for a emergency C-Section.

Everything happened really fast at this point. My wife was taken to the OR for prep and I was taken to a changing room to get some make shift scrubs on. Once I got inside the C-Section started withing minutes. I watched as the doctor made the incision across my Kirstin's lower mid section and remember her side stepping an ocean of amniotic fluid that came next. I was nervous and knew something was really wrong but never let my wife in on it. The doctor pulled Cole from the incision she had just made and I noticed that Cole was the color of an elephant. He was grey, not moving and not crying. Cole is our second child so I knew
how the first delivery went and how Logan looked. This was a complete 180 from that.

Cole was handed from the OBGYN to our Pediatrician who immediately went to work trying to get Cole to breathe. I remember taking a step to go see what was happening and another doctor taking my arm and telling me to stay with Kirstin. I lied to Kirstin and told her everything looked fine and that they were just getting him to move. It took around 6 minutes for the doctor to get Cole to breathe and somewhat cry. From there he was taken to the nursery and put on oxygen.




Next thing I know it is being explained to me that he probably had been sitting on his cord and swallowed meconium. Then MUSC sent their Meducare Ambulance for transport from East Cooper Hospital. I then had to leave Kirstin at East Cooper and follow EMS to MUSC where we would spend the next 2 weeks.


When I got to MUSC I was told by doctors that he probably would not survive the night. They led me back to where he was and all I could see was him hooked up to an uncountable number or wires and hoses.



From the time we knew something was wrong Kirstin and I began to pray. This was the biggest storm we had ever faced and we had to completely depend on God to give us strength and pull Cole through. We depended on our church family for support and prayer as well. You see I have always been a Christian but I had not always been the spiritual leader God expects me to be. I had just started back to regularly going back to church maybe 2 months before this happened.

Now back at East Cooper they told Kirstin that once she was able to shower on her own she would be able to discharge and go to MUSC with Cole. So that day she showered on her own and headed down with me to MUSC ;-)



Over the next 2 weeks we were told numerous things were wrong with Cole. His liver and heart were not working right, he had to have frozen plasma injected constantly, and his lungs were not strong enough to support life were the first troublesome issues. How did we handle this? We prayed. We also had a church family praying and fellow Christians all over the world praying.

Next up they told us that they had found hundred tiny bleeds on his brain and that if he survived them (which was slim) he would be vegetable like. We turned to God again and prayed.
The next day they did another brain scan and could not find any bleeds. The doctor actually said to us, "I do not understand this...I have never seen this happen before. Ever." He may not have known why but Kirstin and I did.



Over the last week of being at MUSC Cole slowly recovered from every thing that was wrong with him. Finally a nurse came in and asked us if we were ready to take him home...it was New Years Eve 2003. As we got Cole ready to head home the doctor explained to us that Cole probably would never use his arms and legs. They were so weak from all the damage he had suffered and would not recover. The doctor also explained that his speech may be affected as well. We really didn't care, we just wanted our son home.



After his birth we had to follow up with the High Risk Clinic at MUSC once a year so they could assess his disabilities and help us with any rehab he might need. Every year we had doctors read his chart outside the room. They would walk in and look at Cole then walk out to make sure they were in the right room. Every one of the doctors would tell us that there is no reason that Cole should be alive. Science said Cole should be dead but God had other plans.



So here we are 7 years later and Cole has absolutely no effects from all the issues he had! As a matter of fact we nickname him Calvin from Calvin and Hobbs as well as Tornado because he has two speeds: High and Sleep.



Through this ordeal Kirstin and I learned to rely on God totally. We saw nothing short of a miracle. My personal opinion is that God used this storm to bring us closer to Him. He taught me to rely on his timing and his mercy. He made me grow as a Christian and a father. We never know for what purpose God places these trials in our lives. We never can see the big picture that God can.

While going through the trial of Kirstin's chronic illness (which I will need an entire book to chronicle) I had two different friends tell me something that helped he. At different times each of them told me, "You never know who is watching you go through these times. You don't know who you are affecting and possibly turning to God because of your compassion towards your wife and how you care for her. God is using your trouble for a greater good".

That helped to sustain me through some of the roughest points in Kirstin's illness. They were right and I will never know why God allowed my trials. I just know he used them for his greater good. And when I finally make it to Heaven I hope He will tell me, "Well done my good and faithful servant..."



Monday, December 29, 2008

Cole's Police Helmet...

Cole got a neat little police helmet from Santa this year...


Monday, December 22, 2008

Cole's 5th Birthday...

Even though Cole has been sick for a week we had a Spiderman cake to celebrate his birthday. He still is not feeling well but hopefully he will take a turn for the better after seeing the doctor today.



Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Busy, Busy...

The last couple of weeks have been really busy and my blog has suffered for this. I have had several family shoots and weddings along with picking up 4 clients who need web pages. We have our last wedding of the year this Saturday then Kirstin, the boys and I will be heading to Florida for Christmas. Not to mention our youngest son has his birthday this Friday....whew...

Hopefully I will be able to get a few shots up before we head out...

Monday, December 08, 2008

On the Way to Bishopville...

Mike and I found this place on the way to Bishopville on Saturday and had to stop for a few shots...







Wednesday, December 03, 2008

McKenzie Comes Over..

Kirstin and I got to see McKenzie today and my has she grown so fast!! I got a couple of shots of her with Kirstin before she left:









Friday, November 28, 2008

Mike Frys a Turkey...

Mike, Rach, and the kids came over for Thanksgiving yesterday. I had never seen Mike do any type of manual labor so I had to snap a few shots of him frying a turkey. I must say he did a great job!

Filling the needle with cajun butter...



Looking for just the right spots...


I do not know why he had that look so I left at this point...

AWANA Pinewood Derby...

This year Logan had an Air Force themed pinewood care for the AWANA derby. This car was much faster than last year's car. While he did not place he is much closer and hopefully will have it down for next year!

Logan's is in the middle..




Mommy and Cole...



Logan watching intently...



Friday, November 21, 2008

Two Local Vendors...

You have probably seen me blog about two local vendors here in Charleston that we use a bunch. One is Seaside Gift Baskets and the other is Breathe Soy Candles.

Seaside Gift Baskets just added their holiday section so swing by there to check out all the great things you can send to family and friends...most baskets have a Charleston flair to them which makes it even better!

Breathe Soy Candles just added new scents and new holders...My favorites are the Charleston Sweetgrass and CoCo.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

13th Anniversary...

Kirstin and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary on November 11th. Over the last 2 years or so Kirstin has been very hard on her iPod...it was thrown away accidentally, has been dropped, fell into water and kicked. I sent it off to be fixed and the estimate was not worth it. Instead of getting a regular iPod I decided to get her one of the new Nanos...Man this thing is small and light! It has 8 gigs of memory and comes in several new colors. Kirstin wanted purple. If you order one online they will engrave it for free..



Thursday, November 06, 2008

Team One...

We got our team together to take a few photos at Patriots Point. Credit for the photographs go out to Ray Haupt who was gracious enough to take these for us:


Here the team was fighting the no see 'ems





Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Mistaken for a Bartender...

So Mike and I photographed a wedding on Sunday that was a total blast. Everything went well and everyone was great to work with. Now at the reception I took a moment to sneak over to where the drinks were to pour myself a nice cup of Diet Coke. As I poured my drink a guest pushes three cups towards me and asks me to please fill her cups with ice. I know I had a confused look on my face which was unintentional, but I obliged and found the ice for her. Something funny like that seems to happen at every wedding we go to. Sorta like the time Mike got pulled over...

;-)

Voted Today...

My voting experience today was pretty good. I stood in line for about 2 hours which was not too terribly bad. 2 of the 8 voting machines were broken at my precinct but the poll workers were courteous and helpful. A couple of people in line were complaining about time in line, why are workers not doing more, where is the coffee, etc...I come to expect anymore.

If you have not voted yet get off your duff and do so ;-) It seems that this election is going to be closer than people expected.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

A Long Time in the Making...

Today was a banner day for Kirstin and I...well this weekend was. Saturday we had Mike and Rachel over for dinner and photography talk. Kirstin made potato soup and chocolate chip cookies. Then today Kirstin sang in the choir while I played bass guitar in church. That was a first for us! Hopefully it was the first of many more to come! We both have been praying for her health to improve for years and I think God has sent us a miracle. Her health has improved more in the past 3 weeks than I have seen in the last 3 years. I pray that this trend continues!

This trial has been a very exhausting one but God has seen me through and sustained me when I felt as if I could continue no more. I don't know why storms enter our lives...but two good friends of mine explained it to me this way: "There are people out there watching how you handle this Chip. God is using this to speak to someone...you just do not know who is watching who may come to know Him as a result of you holding steadfast". Those words have helped me get through the tough times and I hope they can help anyone else facing a storm as well. Trust in God and when a miracle happens give him the credit ;-) In our fast paced society we sometimes lose site of the miracles He performs everyday.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Awesome Gift Baskets...

I found a Charleston based gift basket store online the other day and I must tell you that they have some awesome stuff! The website is http://www.seasidegiftbaskets.com/. They have baskets for every occasion like a new baby, girlfriend/wife, weddings, etc. They are reasonably price too! You can not order online just yet but you can view their inventory and make a call to the owner to place your order. Check out the Taste of Charleston section while you are there!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

And the Winner is...

Shawn Bacote! Thanks to everyone who participated.

Shawn has graciously decided to step aside and allow our second place finisher to have the prize so that means Chris Darling will receive the cards. Chris came in second by a mere 17 minutes.

Anyone else who still needs Christmas cards check out my earlier post below..we are still running the 25% off special through the end of October.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

25 Free Christmas Cards...



For those of you in the Crossroads Community Church Worship Team: The first person to email me the secret phrase gets 25 free Christmas Cards and a 30 min. photo session. The template you win is the one pictured here. It is a 4x5.5 flat card with a front and back. Good luck.

cgooge@gmail.com
Phrase "Calms the Storm"




Monday, October 20, 2008

Picking Out Pumpkins..


We made to Knightsville today and picked out several pumpkins for us to carve out. Above Cole picked out a small one...

Logan also wanted a small one..



Sunday, October 19, 2008

At Yesterday's Wedding...


Mike and I had some time before yesterday's wedding to get a few shots of us. This rarely happens but I think we got some pretty good stuff. I'll post some more later but here is one of Mike on the church steps...looking pretty sexy (at least that is what he said).

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Christmas Cards Discounted...


For those of you who still need to get your Christmas cards ordered we are taking 25% off our normal prices! If you have not had a family session we will do a 20 minute mini session which is included in the price. All cards are printed on high quality, glossy paper. Other options are available. Prices below are for 25 cards:







4x5.5 Folded $60.00

5x7 Folded $67.00 (pictured bottom)

4x5.5 Flat $55.00 (pictured top)

5x7 Flat $65.00

5x5 Tri Fold $80.00

4x5.5 Accordian $90.00

5x7 Folded Wide $95.00


Contact me at chip@tillmanbranch.com for more information and to see the other designs we carry.


Friday, October 17, 2008

Logan Labels his Dresser & McKenzie Visits...

I went upstairs to tuck Logan in last night. Everything seemed normal. I went to get his clothes for the next day and behold...he had labeled his dresser with a black marker. When asked why he would engage in such malfeasance and he stated, "Sometimes I forget"....



We got to watch little McKenzie today although she isn't really little any more. She has started walking and growing and I don't like it ;-)



Thursday, October 16, 2008

Shooting Downtown...

Mike and I met Matt and Sarah who are fellow photographers from NY downtown. They are a super nice couple who turn out so awesome shots!


Here is Mike looking for a shot



Matt with one of the super cool models


Sarah with another


Two of the models: