Reformation Day!

Today is not only Halloween, but also Reformation day, because on Oct. 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed the 95 Thesis to the chapel door. Here's a video in honor of this day.

Harvest Moon

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving

The boys each designed their own pumpkins. Caleb's is the "spooky" one on the far left, Ben's is the one with the Moon and stars in the middle, and Mine is the one on the far right. Emily hasn't carved hers yet.

Halloween Costumes

Last Minute Halloween Costume

If you need a costume idea on a budget, you mind find some help here. Or you could just print them out and have some fun with the masks.
Link

Fall Festival Pictures

Last night was the fall festival at church. The boys had a good time. They climbed up hay mountain, but it was pretty chaotic because of the older kids running around. They just wanted to get in the holes between the hay bales, which was messy and kind of odd, but whatever. They both got in the bounce houses too. Caleb and Ben both had their first Candy apples. They liked them a lot of course, but they were very messy. I was surprised how few kids dressed up in costumes.

Odd Catches

Here is a list (with pictures/video) of the 10 strangest catches by fisherman. Some of these are very interesting.

Candidate Mike Huckabee on evolution question

You may have already seen this. It has made it's rounds on the internet. I think he knocks a home run and wanted to show why I like this guy. I admire his unapologetic response of what he believes. I don't agree with everything he stands for, but at least he isn't dodging the issues like so many politicians.

Ghost Pictures

I don't usually pay much attention to ghost stories and haunted stuff. Emily and I went to Savannah this past year and Charleston the year before, and ghost tours are a big business down there. These pictures are pretty interesting though, if nothing more than a novelty. Link

So do I believe that dead people are haunting us? I don't find anything about it in the Bible. The closest thing I know of is Saul visiting the witch at Endor in 1 Sam 28, but there it is debatable whether that was really Samuel or just a demon/vision that looked like Samuel. Since spirits that trust in Christ go to heaven when they die, and spirits that reject Jesus are condemned to hell when they die, it seems that that would leave demons to explain any true ghost sightings. (So can you take a picture of a Demon/Angel?) Sure, demons could take on the appearance of a dead person, especially if it would confuse people and lead them away from God.

My question, why are all of the ghosts so sad looking? If I were a ghost I would at least want to be smiling. And I would hang out at the Krispy Kreme factory, not some dark basement!

Parables Puzzle

Here is one of the coolest jigsaw puzzles I've seen. Someone at our church did it and hung it in one of the classrooms. It's very well done.

Link

Mirror Gag

http://view.break.com/384045 - Watch more free videos

Vacation Home

I think I've stumbled upon the solution to Emily's dream of having a home at the beach! A Tumbleweed Home. I had no idea there was a market for this, but apparently so. Some of these are smaller than a prison cell (literally). At least I would feel tall in my miniature house. I've looked over the plans, and I can't figure out where you do your entertaining in these homes??? The price per square foot for these homes is through the roof. You must be paying for luxury add-ons :).

So which one would you choose?

The Ultimate Baby Accessory

Having trouble deciding what to get that expectant mother? Worry no more. This is a sure hit at the baby shower. Designer pacifiers.

Romney for President???

While Huckabee is probably my first choice of presidential candidates right now, Romney is sure making some headlines (especially among evangelicals).

Wayne Grudem (a Christian Theologian and author) says yes to the Mormon candidate, and here is his reasoning. It's worth a read. Romney's biggest issue is his flip-flopping, which Grudem addresses.

Richard Land (Baptist Ethics Leader) says he would be a fine choice.

I hear that the president of Bob Jones University is also supporting Romney.

Very Interesting.

Head Massage

Don't worry, he'll grow into the head massager eventually.

Stanley Nickel

I found these online. Remember office fans,

1 stanley nickel = (1 schrutebuck * 1 leprechaun)/ 1 unicorn

Housekeeping

Emily has hired some new help to keep things clean around the house. He's got a lot to learn, but is real excited about his new job. Hopefully he'll still enjoy it in a few years. (please note that he is wearing the headband as part of his Indian costume, he just forgot to take it off).

British Museum Sacred Documents

I just discovered this site. It has a selection of the British Museum's sacred documents online. They tend to focus on the illustrations in the ancient texts rather than the words themselves (which is somewhat ironic since they are sacred texts).

The museum has a portion of Codex Sinaiticus, one of the oldest copies of the entire New Testament that we have (it dates to the 350's). Here is a picture of one of the pages. Notice the all-capital Greek letters and the lack of spaces or punctuation. Now, say a prayer thanking God for the Greek scholars who waded through this and countless other manuscripts to give you your English Bible! To learn more about this document, click here.

One thing that a seminary education has provided me is a greater appreciation for the scholarship that goes on behind the scenes to provide us with the variety of Bibles on the shelf at Lifeway. There are thousands of manuscripts that have to be sorted through to better understand what the original text of the Bible said. It is a blessing to have so many copies, but quite a task as well. Praise God for the men and women who have devoted their lives to this task (Its called textual criticism. If you want to learn more, skim this article)

You can also find the Gutenberg Bible, William Tyndale's New Testament (1 of 2 that survives), Original King James Bible (AV1611), as well as many more.

Caleb and Ben

This was a picture Emily took on the way out the door to her 10 year reunion so that she could show off her boys. Good smiles on both boys! Quite an accomplishment.

Joel Osteen - 60 Minutes

Boy is he making some headlines right now. His 60 Minutes piece is all over the internet. If you haven't seen it yet, watch this (11 minutes). I think the reported did a great job (surprisingly). Then be sure to read this analysis by the internet monk. I think he's spot on. Be sure to check out the book cover on that page as well (blink blink).

Seven Wonders of the World

Here are some interactive panoramic photos of the new seven wonders of the world. They are pretty cool, although I'm left wondering why some of those places got nominated as a wonder of the world. I mean, what about the pyramids?

Transformers Sing Deep and Wide

Every once in a while the autobots and decepticons lay down their weapons and join together to sing a song. This one is led by Megatron (hence the raspy deep voice).

Caleb, Ben, and the Twins

No, not our twins. Jamie and Tara brought their little ones by. They're a sweet bunch. The boys love the twins!

Dubai has created an island paradise called "The world" because it is shaped like the world map. You can own your own man-made island, but act now, because they are going fast! These guys have more oil money than they know what to do with apparently.

Well Wishes From the Boys

Top 20 Theological Pickup Lines

Theological Pickup Lines

#14. ”Your name must be grace, because you are irresistible.”

Em's Cake

Here is a cake Emily made for a Sunday School Women's party. I think she did a great job, don't you?

Presidential Quiz

Do you know which candidate agrees with your views? This quiz might help. It said I should vote for Brownback or Huckabee, which didn't surprise me too much. I doubt I'll get that chance in the final election though. It rated Obama and Clinton as my least likely choices, no surprise there either. So who does the site want you to vote for?

Here is another quiz Ashley found. I got similar result from it, although it said my top choice is somebody I've never heard of and didn't even know was running. Interestingly it said I had a 50% match with Giuliani and a 30% with Clinton. Not very much difference there huh!

10 Year Reunion

Emily had her 10 year high school reunion a few weekends ago. The music was ridiculously loud and you couldn't hear anyone talking. She had a great time catching up with some old friends. I enjoyed the food :).

Heavenly Sex

Peter Kreeft (a catholic theologian) takes on the topic of will there be sex in heaven. He says yes. Before you dismiss him as a heretic, skim this article to see his twist on the subject (a bit long). Be sure to check out the conclusions where he discusses whether there will be sex or something better in heaven.

Power Makes Em Go

The boys inherited two power wheels a few weeks ago from their cousins. They think they are big stuff in those cars. One is a dump truck and one is a pickup truck. The pickup seats two and will be great, but we've got to get some new batteries for it first. The yellow one is actually made for one to ride, but the boys figured out how to both fit on it. Caleb steers and Ben presses the gas. That's good teamwork boys!

Russia - New Home of the Whopper

A Russian family just welcomed their 17 pound baby into the world. WOW!

Family Beach Trip

Here are the best of the pictures we took from the beach this past week down at Myrtle Beach. We had a great time, although it was a little cloudier than we would have liked. We played putt putt one day and had wonderful heated pool at our house that felt more like a hottub. It was sooooooo relaxing. The boys had an incredibly fun time playing with all their cousins for a whole week.