Steel Vengeance: A Review

Cedar Point is a large amusement park located on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Erie. As a result, the park is completely surrounded by water, resulting in picturesque views. But Cedar Point isn't just known for views. Cedar Point is also known for pushing roller coaster technologies to their limits, breaking records. Since the 1970s, almost every roller coaster that opened at Cedar Point broke world records for speed and height.

In 1990 Cedar Point announced that they would be opening a record breaking wooden roller coaster. Mean Streak would open the following year as the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world. This ride was also one of the longest when it opened. Over the years though many people complained about its roughness and in 2016, it was announced that the ride would be closing permanently. Almost immediately work began on removing the track to the ride, but not the support structure. 

In 2017, Cedar Point announced that Mean Streak was being converted into a hybrid roller coaster (That is a wooden support structure with a steel track). The ride would be converted by Rocky Mountain Construction and would be called Steel Vengeance. The ride would be the first hybrid roller coaster to top 200 feet and would become the tallest, and fastest hybrid roller coaster in the world. This roller coaster also features more air time than any other roller coaster (of any type) in the world. The ride opened this summer. 

I had the pleasure of riding this both as Mean Streak and as Steel Vengeance. While it was rough as a wooden coaster I enjoyed it, but Steel Vengeance is insane. I loved every minute of it. The ride is incredibly intense, and throws you into each element. You spend more time out of your seat than in it. You find yourself upside down 4 times. This ride is so insane it doesn't feel tamer after riding it a second or third time, and the adrenaline rush is like no other. 

For those of you who are familiar with Hersheypark and have not gotten to visit Cedar Point before, I can describe Steel Vengeance this way. Think of Skyrush, but longer, even more intense, more exhilarating and more airtime, and thighs that aren't crushed. Even though Cedar Point has a roller coaster that is literally 2x taller than Skyrush, Steel Vengeance would be Cedar Point's response to Skyrush. It might not be the biggest roller coaster in the world, but it sure is the baddest. It is absolutely a MUST RIDE, and is now my favorite roller coaster of them all. Just in case you were curious here are my personal rankings. 

Overall

1) Steel Vengeance- Cedar Point

2) Millennium Force- Cedar Point

3) Phantom's Revenge- Kennywood

4) Skyrush- Hersheypark

5) Maverick- Cedar Point

Autism: Why me?

Preface: This article is based on what I have found in the bible that answers a lot of personal questions. This article is more universal than my last ones, and isn't specific to the autism spectrum, but can also include any other type of disability or disease, even cancer. The question that often gets asked is why does this person go through this? Does God even care?

As I have said before, I am a counselor at the Woodcrest Retreat in Ephrata. Each week, we as counselors lead bible time with our campers, and day 1 is always regarding Psalms 139 and what it means to be fearfully and wonderfully made. Each week I share with my campers that I am autistic. Last week however, a camper asked me a really good question. "What does the bible say about autism?" While the bible does not mention autism by name, there are some universal lessons to be learned.

Lets start with John 9:1-3. Sometimes it might seem like God is punishing you because you have a disability, but as we see in John 9, this is actually far from the truth. This passage speaks of a blind man who has been blind since birth. This is what is written. "As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth, and his disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, it was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him" (ESV). When I first came across this passage, I was blown away. First of all, this serves as a reminder, that someone who suffers from anything since birth isn't cursed. In fact, there is a purpose.

Even today, we can see God using people with disabilities to impact others. Even as someone with a disability I can see God using OTHER people with disabilities to impact ME. Now, one thing that frustrates me is a common theme. People who have dealt with individuals on the spectrum might say that they learned to be more patient, or they learned to be more understanding. These are broad lessons, but each individual has something more to offer. I decided to ask one of my closest friends what they have learned from me, and this is what she had to say. "Your determination to not let what you have you saw as a negative thing in you to tear you down has encouraged me to think more positively". 

Since dealing with some very difficult events, I have really struggled with my identity and who I am. I began to let my identity come from my disability, and yet, according to 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come" (ESV). What this means is that when we accept Christ, and that he died for us to bear the weight of our sins, our identity comes from HIM. I am the biggest hypocrite in the world when I say that. I say it almost every day, even though I struggle with it myself.

Something else that struck me though in my search to what the bible said about autism or other disabilities is the story of Moses. I came to discover in Exodus 4:10 that Moses wasn't exactly gifted with communication skills. This is something that many people on the autism spectrum struggle with. What God said to Moses however is something we need to take to heart. Exodus 4:10-12 says "But Moses said to the LORD, Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue. Then the LORD said to him, Who has made man's mouth? Who made him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?" (ESV). Here, we see God literally reminding Moses that he was made in HIS image. Not man's image.

What does all of this mean? First and foremost, everyone serves a purpose in the Kingdom of God. A question that people often ask, is does God even care for the disabled? The answer? This shouldn't even be a question. Because God created us in His image, he loves each and every one of us, and he actually has a purpose for those differences. As David says in Psalm 139:14a "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (ESV). With people who walk through life with these struggles, come testimonies that change lives. But even more so, those with disabilities, are walking testimonies. 

I have a friend who works at a camp upstate, that is designed for people with severe developmental disabilities. I ask her regularly how things are going, and her response is always the same. In her words, "God has just been teaching me so much about His love that never fails. His love is so evident here, I'm so overwhelmed by it". Why does God give some people disabilities? Again, as John 9:3 states, so that the works of God might be displayed in those people.

Need more reasons why? Sometimes coming across an individual with a disability will completely change your life. It is our story for his glory. It isn't just the individual with the disability who is impacted, but it is also everyone who comes across that person. Sometimes we just need to be reminded about how much God loves us. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that our identity comes from Christ, not our disabilities.

Here is another thing to think about, and this is more geared toward watching people suffer. I have heard plenty of testimonies regarding cancer. Stories of those who beat it, and stories of those who lost their battles. No matter how that battle is going, it serves as a reminder, that GOD IS ALWAYS IN CONTROL. No matter what the illness may be, it serves as that reminder. Even if a battle is lost, that individual still serves their purpose in the Kingdom of God. Loss might be a painful thing, but it is a reminder, that our time here on Earth is short, but it is the decisions that we make that determine how we spend eternity.

One last thing. No matter what you are faced with, Faith, is the most powerful thing in the world. It says so in the bible. Matthew 17:20 says, and this is Jesus speaking "For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you" (ESV). With faith, even just the size of a mustard seed, there is no challenge that cannot be overcome. That being said, we also must realize, that sometimes God will decide to move us instead of the mountain in front of us. In my case, the mountain is my autism. But God decided to move me instead. He gave me a new perspective that came with purpose.

God did not make any mistakes when he created anyone. God created each of us on purpose. And just like everyone else, we have a purpose to serve in the Kingdom of God. Because no matter what our disability is, God still gifts us talents.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: A look at Psalm 139

This summer I stepped outside of my comfort zone and entered into camp ministry. This summer I am serving as an overnight counselor at the Woodcrest Retreat in Ephrata. One of my responsibilities is to lead a bible lesson with my campers each day. While the lessons are given to us, they are flexible and we have the ability to work them in a way that allows us to build meaningful connections.

One of these lessons is based on Psalm 139, which is written by David. The main idea of this lesson comes from the first half of verses 14 which says "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made". I have gotten the chance to really get my hands dirty with this concept, and it plays a major role in my testimony over the last few months.

The first thing we should look at is what is going on here in Psalm 139. David has an intimate relationship with God. It is on display here. The God who has created him. We also see how much God loves us and cares about us in this passage.

Let's break this down a little bit though. What does David mean when he says that he is Fearfully and wonderfully made? To get a better idea of what he is talking about, we need to discuss what we mean when we say that we fear God. To say that we fear God is not to say that we are afraid of Him, but rather, we look on in awe, with great respect.

What does all mean to us? The beginning of the christian narrative is creation. The bible begins with "In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the Earth". Everything that he created was how HE wanted it. In this Psalm, we see that we are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made in the image of GOD. 

Many of us have things that we do not like about ourselves, things that are beyond our control. A couple of months ago I shared my story about growing up with autism. At the end of the last semester I dealt with significant events that lead to me believing a lot of lies about myself. However, God has a plan for each component of us. In March I went on a missions trip with about 20 other people from LBC, to Houston. There I met someone who I have since grown very close to. During this week however I was under the impression that she strongly disliked me and thought I was annoying. However, on the plane ride home she passed me a note. I had gotten the opportunity to talk to her on this trip, and I had impacted her. The moral of this story is What you see as a weakness or an unpleasant attribute could change someone else's life. 

We might often be told by other people that we aren't good enough, or that we are weird. Growing up I was constantly being bullied. A friend of mine went through a similar struggle. The problem is that growing up, it is easy to start to believe what others are telling us. Even as adults, people might tell us things like we just aren't good enough or we should be different than who we are. The truth is though, that We are created in GOD'S image... not MAN'S. 

So we talked about the fact that God created us, but what about the why? Why did God create us? To first get an understanding of this, it might be worth while to look at Luke 15, where Jesus shares the parable of the lost sheep. We often hear about how He leaves the ninety-nine for us. In other words, he pursues us. Why does he pursue us? Because he loves us. Just how much does God love us? According to John 3:16, God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God loves us so much that he sent his son, to die for the sin of man, so that man may have salvation.

God created us so that he can have relationship with us. We know this because he didn't want Heaven without us. He sent his son to die for us, to carry the wrath that we so much deserve. As such, our identity doesn't come from anything that is worldly. Our identity comes from Him. 

The three main takeaways from all of this is

1. God created you in HIS image. 
2. God created you to have a relationship with you. 
3. Our identity comes from HIM. Not anything on Earth. 

For those of you who might be struggling with your identity, I hope this provided some encouragement for you. Remember, because of all of this, Each and every one of us has a place in the Kingdom of God.

Note: All references to scripture come from the English Standard Version (ESV) translation

Past Disappointments and the impact on relationships

"HAVING COURAGEOUS FAITH GIVES US HOPE TO SEE BEYOND PAST DISAPPOINTMENTS" -MATT MYLIN, 2018

You may recall seeing that the end of the last semester at LBC was particularly rough on me. I had a friend that stabbed me in the back in one of the worst possible ways. What I haven't really talked about however was the lasting impact that it left. It has impacted me in a number of ways.

I have a very tight group of friends, each of which I love very much. However, over the last several months, I have been fearful of them. They hadn't done anything to me. They were and are real friends. I'll take that a step further. Words do not even begin to describe how much they mean to me. But because of what happened with someone else, I have had this anxiety that they would do the same.

There are several reasons for this. First of all, because of what was said about me, I had this feeling that I was nothing but a burden to them. Like I said in a previous post, I have had feelings of shame, feelings of inadequacy, feelings of just not being good enough for anyone. This week at camp while teaching a bible lesson to my campers, I came across a significant re-revelation. The truth is found in Psalm 139:14a which states "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (ESV). We are made in the image of God. He has a plan to use our lives. We are created to have intimacy with Him.

I had a very meaningful conversation today with one of my co-workers about what I have been dealing with over the last couple of months. First of all, the fear of some of the people that I love that they would hurt me just like the last person did. That they wouldn't be there when I needed them most. But he brought up the point that they were there for me when I was dealing with what I was dealing with over the last couple of months.

I was convicted. I was looking for a sign that they would be there for me no matter what. So much so that I missed it. They were. They are. They will be. Even further, I am not a burden to them. Granted, they have said that more than once, but the enemy is strong and puts lies into your head. But upon sharing some of the interactions that I have had some of these people, it was obvious to my coworker that my friends don't see me as a burden at all. In fact, quite the opposite. There is a takeaway from a sermon given by Matt Mylin at Worship Center that was very convicting. "Having Courageous faith gives us hope to see beyond previous disappointments"  

So why does it matter that we are fearfully and wonderfully made? God created us in HIS image. He has a reason for every part of us. I discovered that this week at camp. Being autistic allows me to understand other people with special needs on a different level than someone who doesn't have special needs. Its so easy to look at what we see as disadvantages as exactly those, but we fail to recognize the advantages.

I have talked about the ability to create and maintain meaningful relationships, perhaps more so than a "normal" person. I have also talked about the ability to be productive, which I have seen in previous jobs. But in the end, it doesn't matter what happens around me, because God's plans are bigger than mine. There is a song that comes to mind when I write that, by the name of Wide Open, by Austin French. The first verse is "Plans, I'd been the fool, thought my plans was so much bigger, so much better than Yours". That verse right there is very convicting. Everything that happens in our lives happens for a reason, and we often get so caught up in our own plans that we blow off the fact that our plans mean nothing.

I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank my friends for being who they are and for being there to me. There aren't words that describe how much they mean to me and how thankful I am to have them.

Finally accepting myself as someone with autism

Preface: This article is about how being diagnosed with a disorder as significant as autism really rocks your world, as well as your family's world. The only people who truly know what its like are those who see the world through the eyes of someone with autism. And I have tried so hard to see the world through the eyes of a neurotypical person to no avail. 

Over the last 2 months, I have shared several articles. The first was my story about my own life with autism. The second was how you can care for your friend who has autism, regardless of where they are on the spectrum. Lastly, I shared about my experience with friendships. All of these took a lot of thought. I am 20 years old, and didn't open up about my autism until about 2 months ago.

You could compare the emotions of being diagnosed with autism to being diagnosed with cancer. Unbelief, uncertainty, despair, general other negative feelings. Don't get me wrong. Cancer and autism are two very different things. Autism is a developmental disability, and cancer is a physical ailment. I was officially diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 2006, around the age of 7. My understanding of what autism was at the time, and even for most of my own life was that it was this serious mental handicap. People with autism need professional help to live life. That was my understanding. I refused to accept my diagnosis for many years after. Trying to be normal, trying to fit in.

None of this however was truly effective. It's like trying to pretend your leg isn't broken and trying to walk on it. I had some difficulties. I've gone through years of therapy, and have experienced rejection from my peers my entire life, often leaving me very depressed. I had and still have very low self confidence, because it seems that I would always fail, especially when it came to social issues.

One of the challenges that I deal with is in fine motor skills. Its odd, because I began playing musical instruments before I was diagnosed, which require fine motor skills. This didn't stop me from playing cello. In fact, I was part of district orchestras in 6th and 8th grade, but refused to do it in high school. Playing music for 9 straight hours is not productive or healthy. If you are in the same place for that long playing music, you begin to lose your inspiration.

Since finally owning the fact that I am autistic, I have found myself in a lower place than ever before. Granted, there were events that lead to this, but it still was a low place. I saw myself as someone who will never be able to amount to anything. Someone who was a burden to society. Someone who was a burden to his friends. Someone who will never be able to do anything in life that is at all meaningful. The enemy is very powerful. We cannot deny that. Over the last couple of weeks, my church (Worship Center) has been doing a sermon series called Courageous Faith. And out of this series I have several key takeaways.

Having autism means that I have certain needs that a neurotypical person does not need. Some of them that I feel ashamed to need. A normal person will never understand what it feels like to need social coaching at the age of 20. It's humiliating, and if it weren't for the support of my closest friends, it would be even worse. These feelings of humiliation subsided though when Matt Mylin brought up this first takeaway

A need is not a setback. Its's a setup. 

Having this need gives me a significant opportunity to grow as an individual. In fact, I could almost say I am looking forward to going through social coaching now, especially with the people that I have beside me. People who I know will be there every step of the way. As I have previously stated, a neurotypical person learns social skills naturally by observing and interacting with other people. For people with Aspergers, it requires a lot of training, and a LOT of hard work. I gave up at a younger age, and now it's time to start again.

Previous failures make this idea of social interaction more daunting to me. That brings me to another takeaway.

Having courageous faith gives us hope to see beyond past disappointments. 

God has shown me over the last couple of months that there is a reason why I have autism. I became emotional when writing this, but there are people who's lives I have impacted. These people were up front about that. I've heard stories of other people's lives being impacted by people with autism as well. I'm not being punished.

There are lies that keep coming into my head telling me that I will never be able to do anything signficant with my life. Looking back on my accomplishments, I am actually ahead of a lot of my peers. At the age of 18, I found a sustainable career working for an airline, which was actually my dream job as well. I completed my Freshman year of college. I am camp counselor at a camp designed for normal people. I am finally involved in ministry.

Having autism doesn't make me a slow person. Heck, it has so many advantages. Having limited interests means that I can truly maximize my productivity in areas that I am passionate about. I can build real friendships that are build around love, trust, and loyalty. I am actually very strong in the realm of public speaking. I love to write and have been told by many that I am good at it.

On June 16, 2018, I was finally able to not only accept who I am, but say "I am autistic, and I am thankful such a blessing". I am proud to be autistic.  

My experience with Asperger's Syndrome and Friendship

Preface: The purpose of this article is quite simple. In my last post, I talked briefly about the misconception that people with Asperger's Syndrome are typically introverted and have no desire whatsoever to interact with people. This is false. In this article I am going to share about the relationships that I have built. 

First of all, let me start by saying the same thing I say every time. Asperger's Syndrome is defined as a developmental disorder related to autism and characterized by higher than average intellectual ability coupled with impaired social skills and restrictive, repetitive patterns of interest and activities. You'll notice that I highlighted impaired social skills. This is because it actually gives me an unexpected advantage with it comes to relationships.

Why is this advantageous? Lacking social skills generally turns people away from you. But then there are those who take the opportunity to get to know you. This means that I have the uncommon ability to make friendships that are built around love, trust, and loyalty. Some of the relationships that I have built over the last several months have proven to not only be meaningful but also beneficial. Like I have said in the previous posts, I went through some difficult times over the last semester. If it wasn't for the love and support I got from these friends, I have no clue where I would be.

Yes, I am finally taking Houston

Most of these relationships began in Texas of all places. Over spring break, I got the opportunity to travel with one of Lancaster Bible College's journey teams to the Houston Area. We traveled to volunteer with an organization called Samaritan's Purse. Little fun fact about this organization, it is headed by Franklin Graham... son of Billy Graham.

This trip would be the trip of a lifetime. It wasn't a vacation. It wasn't a time filled with relaxation and luxury. It was a trip that brought me closer to God as well as to some pretty amazing people.

You see, when you build a house together, you build a unique connection. You get some time to really get to know each other. That would generally make someone like myself kinda nervous, because past experiences would say that at least half of these people would tease me and pick on me because I was different. You can probably imagine my surprise then when I came out of this trip with a "squad". I don't call it that.. they do.

Since meeting these people in Texas, I have always had people to lean on. In fact.. for the first time in my life, one of these people said to me that they would be their for me... no matter what. Of course friendships come and go, but that doesn't make that statement any less significant.

The only downside to all this is that having a social disorder can cause me to make some mistakes. I've lost friends due to a lack of social awareness in some cases, but that only makes the ones that I still have more special to me. You see, a common misconception about people with Asperger's Syndrome is that they don't want to interact with people. In reality however, we just don't know the best ways to do so. Even with my closest friends I have had some awkward moments. But what is so amazing about these people is that instead of distancing themselves or making fun of me, they helped me through those moments.

So you have a friend with Asperger's Syndrome

Preface: The intention of this post is to provide some background information about what it is like to go through life with Asperger's Syndrome, speaking both with facts, and my own personal experiences. Through reading this, my hope is that you find yourself better equipped to love and support your friend with Asperger's syndrome, or any other Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). 

There are many day to day challenges that people like myself are faced with. They change as we grow older and as the people around us change. The challenges are more obvious in grade school than they are later in life. If you have a friend that you care about who has Asperger's Syndrome or another form of ASD, chances are they have been through a lot in life.

One of the biggest challenges that face people like myself come from social situations. While a neurotypical person develops social skills naturally by watching people around them, someone with Asperger's Syndrome lacks the ability to do so. For us, it requires some training, and a lot of hard work. A common misconception about people with Aspergers is that we are introverted and have no desire whatsoever to interact with people. This however is actually far from the truth. Many people with Aspergers including myself have a deep desire to build relationships with people but aren't quite sure how to. Sometimes previous failures make us fearful of trying.

Because of our lack of ability to develop social skills naturally, we become very easy targets for bullying. I experienced a lot of teasing as a result of personality traits that I did not have control over. Even in college I have been treated differently because of this. However, me talking about my own experiences doesn't present the bigger picture of a much more serious problem.

When it comes to bullying, people on the ASD are no strangers. In fact, In a study conducted by Autism Speaks that included 1,167 children aged 6-15, 63% reported they had been bullied at some point in their lives. Bullying of course includes a variety of things including your typical teasing up to physical and sometimes even sexual abuse. Because of our lack of natural social skills, we are often targeted for bullying.

In a study conducted by the National Autism Association that was conducted in 2009, it was found that...

1. 65% of parents with children who have Asperger's Syndrome indicated that their child had been victimized by peers in at least one way in the last year
2. 47% of parents indicated that their child had been physically hit by peers or siblings
3. 50% were reported to be fearful of their peers
4. 9% were attacked by gangs and physically harmed in private areas
5. 12% reported their child had never been invited to a birthday party
6. 6% reported consistently being chosen last for teams
7. 3% reported eating lunch alone on a daily basis. 

In my own experience, I have in some ways been victimized by peers. It isn't always the intention of a peer to victimize or discriminate against someone like myself with AS. This has happened to me throughout my life, even in college. In fact, at the end of my freshman year, I experienced a situation in which I was treated like a freak, both by someone who was a close friend and the school I attend. The situation left me fearful of my peers, including those that I was close to and stood behind me as I dealt with this situation. 

Asperger's Syndrome is defined as a developmental disorder related to autism and characterized by higher than average intellectual ability coupled with impaired social skills and restrictive, repetitive patterns of interest or activities. When it comes to these interests, if they aren't interests that are shared with others, they are often discouraged and quashed as quickly as possible. This happened to me throughout grade school. I have a very significant interest in commercial aviation. However, because it wasn't a common interest, it was often discouraged. If only the thousands of pilots in the sky, flight attendants, business executives knew. 

I'm sure reading all of this you are probably thinking.. What can I do to support my friend with Asperger's Syndrome?

First of all, I owe it to my friends for sticking beside me no matter what. If it weren't for the love and support that I got from my friends, I am not sure where I would be. That isn't to say that they haven't made mistakes, and that isn't to say I haven't made mistakes either. There are a few things that you need to know though to be the best friend and ally that you can be, that is if you actually care about that person. 

First of all, make it known to them that you care about them, and that you are there for them no matter what. Because social skills don't come naturally to us, be warned that we might say or do some unusual things. When this happens, be honest. The worst thing that you could do is distance yourself because this person isn't what you call "normal" (what does that even mean, anyway). 

Also, be aware that prior bullying might make it more difficult for them to trust you. It isn't uncommon for people to create conditional friendships to control people on the autism spectrum. It has happened to me, and it has happened to others as well. Always be ready to stand up for them. They will stand up for you as well. 

And most importantly, provided that the interests aren't inappropriate or harmful, encourage them rather than quash them. This is especially true in college. You typically attend college to study a field that interests you, so to discourage someone for their interests that they have come to study would be kind of counterproductive. These repetitive interests and behaviors might at first glance seem wrong and unhelpful, but actually prove later in life to be very advantageous. 

Hopefully by reading this blog post, you have gained a better understanding of what it is like to live life with a social disorder that makes you a target, and how you can love and support friends who have this disorder.