Physical vs Spiritual or Physical + Spiritual

"It's all about connections. The more we learn to connect God's truth to the physical world and the culture that surrounds us, the more we will be able to live a life of worship. Worship does not consist in leaving the world to see God, but in learning to see God at all times in the world.

The physical world is not disconnected from the spiritual one, nor is it at odds with it, but the physical world can embody all that is spiritual. " John Fischer


There are some who have the view that this world,the physical world, is dying..they only look at the spiritual world in the future not at where they are now. God is present in this world..he created it for us to enjoy..not to destroy or ignore or give up on. There are people in this physical world who need the love of Christ..it's up to us to go out and share that love and help them realize that God is there where they are ..we sometimes need to help share that spiritual world with a physical world that desparately needs Christ.

Thoughts

Prayer for a soldier

Yesterday morning I was browsing some of the blogs I read and pulled up one that I hadn't read for awhile His post really touched my heart You can read his post here Please pray for Josh and his family as he prepares to go to Iraq . I couldn't stop thinking about him yesterday and even when I went to church last night it was as though God was reminding me ; The name of the series they are doing at Apex...WAR (based on Ephesians 6:10-13) The stage was designed as a "camp" and the worship team and minister wore fatigues The sermon dealt with spiritual warfare
You may not agree with why we're over in Iraq and Afghanistan but there are men and women who need our prayers and support.

Last day to be 45

A journey of a thousand miles must
begin with a single step."

This is my last day to be 45 :) and I hope I'm only at the 500 mile marker :)

Someone in the sports world you can look up to

"The Lord has a plan. We always think the plans are A, B, C and D, and everything is going to be perfect for us and it may not be that way, but it's still his plan."
Tony Dungy

This man is definitely a class act..read the article

We're home..

We left Hilton Head around 8:15 this morning and got to Springboro around 8:00 tonight Twelve hours in a car is a long time :) Darrell drove the whole time...he hates when I drive..he says it makes him "car sick" ..I'm really not that bad of a driver :) I love to drive through North Carolina and Tennessee ..you get to Kentucky and Ohio ..ugh hazy
Our friend Sue dog/house sat for us Pumpkin loves Sue but she didn't eat well and probably lost about 4-5 lbs She cried everytime one of us walked out the door ...poor thing
Now comes the dreaded chore of unpacking and laundry which I'm doing now It's funny what everyone does 1st Zach..playstation Darrell..cut the grass Kristen...Tyler Me..computer (of course:) I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed..ahhhh :)
The picture is of us at Mike and Bona's cabin

Friday Last Day in Hilton Head

Today is our last day of vacation Part of me is sad..it's beautiful here and no stress Part of me misses home We spent the day at the pool/beach and then went back to Harbourtown tonight There is a "legend" Greg Russell who plays under a big oak tree This is his 30th year there and kids love him
So tomorrow we leave for home... and it's back to reality

Vacation Thursday

We decided to go to Savannah to a single A baseball game..The Savannah Sandgnats The baseball stadium reminded me of Cooperstown..If you've ever seen "A League of Their Own" that's what the stadium was like We went downtown to the historic area "River Street" The picture above is what it looks like Supposedly there are alot of "haunted" areas in Savannah We went into a coffee shop and the girl said their closet is haunted..things disappear and then reappear It was a nice place to visit for a couple of hours but I wouldn't make a vacation of it or want to live here

Vacation Wednesday

The sun is back It was a quiet day of sun and reading I am almost done with The Davinci Code...I finished Mind Games which was really good but at the same time I saw myself which was hard I've just started on "Through Painted Deserts"
We walked along the ocean..found some shells..one little girl found a starfish and some sand dollars There was alot of sealife washed up from the storm
We played putt putt and then walked along the Shelter Cove harbor..they have shops and live entertainment ..it's kind of like walking on the boardwalk

Tomorrow we are going to the ocean and then into Savannah ..the plan is to go to a single A baseball game tomorrow night 2 more days..then the 11 hour trip home Sat-- ugh

"Mind Games"

I've started to read a book called "Mind games" by Matthew Paul Turner He's one of my favorite authors He has a way of expressing in words what I think Here are a couple of "thoughts" he uses to start out his book which really made me think about how I play my own "mind games"

"Your thoughts can make you believe or make you doubt. They can be true or false. They can lead you toward a healthy lifestyle or steal away your ability to live a fulfilled life. Perhaps most powerfully, thoughts have the ability to free you, or they can enslave you inside the worst cage of all....yourself"


"I believe God has place inside each of us a desire for intimate passion, soulful purpose and mind-boggling potential. Yet too often we let our minds(or the way we think) get in the way of all that. We let our poor thinking dictate how we are going to live. We invest poorly in our minds, so we get a poor return on our investment. In short, we play mind games with ourselves."

"I've coined the term freethinking to describe a mind that is free of game playing,free of bondage, free of self-absorption. A mind in pursuit of being surrendered to the passions and dreams of Jesus is truly free. I've often had to learn this the hard way on my journey of faith. But I've come to realize that the more I surrender, the more I am able to be free from the bondage of worry, anxiety, and depression. It's not like I don't ever feel those things; I do, but they no longer define who I am They don't lock me up in a cage They don't control me My pursuit of being dependent on Jesus sets me free from that cage"


"Reality brings challenges into our lives that can send us into mental tailspins. I've been there. You've probably been there,too. But no matter whether it's depression or anxiety or codependence or anger or lack of confidence or fear that cripples our ability to think free, God can heal it. That's what freethinking is all about-finding freedom and healing. And we all need it, no matter what our stories entail....."

Vacation Tuesday

Rain Rain go away...
It rained most of the day..not just showers we're talking buckets of rain We are getting the tail end of tropical storm Alberto We decided to go to a movie We thought we'd see "Cars" but so did every other person on the island with kids All shows were sold out so we saw "The breakup" instead with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn If you read Adam's blog you know that "Ralphie" from "The Christmas Story" is in the movie too Not the worst but not the greatest movie The ending is "different" We walked around some of the shops on the island and ate at a Boston pub called Reilly's We're supposed to have rain in the morning and then it should clear up for the rest of the week but we are going to delay our trip to Savannah to thursday and just do the pool/beach thing tomorrow

Vacation Monday

We got up early to change motels..we are spending the next 5 days in Palmetto Dunes at the Marriott where we stayed last year We stayed by the pool most of the morning/early afternoon We went to Sea Pines/Harbourtown this evening There's a restaurant called Salty Dog that has great seafood We walked around the shops at Harbourtown..little novelty shops that are expensive but fun to look at anyway It looked like rain for awhile but it blew over We're back at the hotel now watching "American Choppers" We don't get this at our house with basic cable
There's a chance we may have rain tomorrow because of the tropical storm/hurricane Alberto thats supposed to hit Florida Might be a movie day and some reading I'm trying to finish "The DaVinci Code", and I brought "Painted Deserts" by Donald Miller and "Mind Games" by Matthew Paul Turner We're planning on going to Savannah Wed night
We saw the news about Ben Rothlisberger..another reason for us to wear our helmets when we ride our motorcycle..hopefully he'll be ok

Vacation ..... Saturday and Sunday

We left for vacation on Sat around 3:30 after a morning of errands It was cold and rainy in Ohio As we drove south toward North Carolina it got sunnier and warmer :)
We reached Bona and Mike's cabin around 9:00 pm It is up in the mountains and is one of the most beautiful log cabins I've been in They have about an acre and are surrounded by woods They have a porch that looks out on woods and mountains Sitting out there in rocking chairs in the morning with coffee was so peaceful We went to church with them this morning It reminded me of being at Southwest when it was at the Jr high It had a very warm feeling to it They are getting ready to celebrate their 4th anniversary We went into Waynesville which is the closest small town and walked around their general store (awesome bargains and candy) I can definitely see us living in a little town like this someday
It took us about 5 hrs to drive into Hilton Head from Waynesville Very warm here about 98 to 100 degrees but it's supposed to cool down into the 80's We ate at an English Pub that we had eaten last year They have awesome fish and chips We had gelato ice cream ..very good :) Now we're just hanging out in the hotel relaxing
Tomorrow..the beach and hopefully sun :)

Last day of work.....vacation tomorrow!!!

Today was my last day of work before vacation Actually it ended up being 1/2 of a day because I found out on Wed that my stepfather had to have surgery..he had fractured his rt hip and had to have pins put in today so I spent 12:30 to 4:30 in the surgery waiting area at Kettering Hospital There are definitely some different people you see in those situations One family had about 15 family members ..had a huge ring of chairs and tables and had a picnic right there in the waiting area
I was a candystriper at Kettering when I was 16 and I don't think that they have updated that hospital since 1976 !!
Tonight I'll be furiously doing laundry and packing We are leaving after Zach is finished with his ACT exam Our plan is to drive to Asheville NC and stay with friends , Mike and Bona Griffieth at their cabin ,go to church with them on Sun am , and then drive to Hilton Head until next Sat when we come home :(
I am going to Los Angeles Aug 8-13 on a business trip for work so I get to see the Atlantic and the Pacific in one summer :) I'm excited !!
I love the ocean..theres something so calming and powerful about it
So I'm off....

Hilton Head....4 more days

Sometimes you have to have something to look forward to... a vacation from reality

The Omen remake on 6-6-06

This is a picture from "The Omen" which comes out today as a remake of the original which came out in 1976
I was 16 when the original version came out and it was one of the eeriest movies I've ever seen
The movie appropriately is being released today 6-6-06
I won't see it today but I will see it..it's fiction .. I want to see if it compares to the first one..i love suspense movies
Why do people freak out about 6-6-06? Because of the following scripture passage:

Revelation 13:16-18 (New Living Translation)
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.


16He required everyone--great and small, rich and poor, slave and free--to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. 17And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. 18Wisdom is needed to understand this. Let the one who has understanding solve the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[a] His number is 666.[b]

Personally, I feel secure in my relationship with Christ and plan to enjoy my day off :)

Boys that make their parents proud

I thought these were cute esp the little boy pouring water :)








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"All I Can Say"

Sometimes when you're going through a tough time..suffering..it's hard to speak words Sometimes you hope that God can just know ..that no words are needed
I heard this song tonight and the words are very powerful for someone who just can't speak


All I Can Say

David Crowder


Lord I'm tired
So tired from walking
And Lord I'm so alone
And Lord the dark
Is creeping in
Creeping up
To swallow me
I think I'll stop
Rest here a while

And didn't You see me cry'n?
And didn't You hear me call Your name?
Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You'd remember
Where you sat it down

Chorus:
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give

Bridge:
I didn't notice You were standing here
I didn't know that
That was You holding me
I didn't notice You were cry'n too
I didn't know that
That was You washing my feet