The Ward Family Crest

2010-09-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

A little flag football to welcome fall. Chris being the best flag football QB...

Going up for the touchdown...

The game winners...

2010-09-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

This is the link to the video slide show of his newborn pictures. Copy and paste it into a new page.

http://video214.com/play/czdTECN1wzU5RE6pdARbcQ/s/dark

2010-09-26T10:30:00.001-07:00

Hi Mom! These pictures are of Grant 6weeks old. He just woke up and was smiling up a storm, so I broke out the camera and got a few good ones. In the first one, I think he's trying to figure out what the camera is. I can hear him thinking, "What is that thing on Mom's face?"

This one is Saturday morning. They fell back asleep listening to lullaby radio on the iphone.

Bath time:

Beach Trip 2009

2009-07-30T20:33:00.001-07:00

Jill and I went to Orange Beach for a wonderful vacation over the 4^th of July! We are thankful to have awesome friends in the Bailey’s and Hollon’s. We only see each other once or twice a year but when we get together we never miss a beat. The highlight of the trip was definitely the shrimp and crab boil. Four pounds of shrimp and six pounds of crab (something like that). It was so good that we had to do it twice in one week! We saw fireworks on the beach at Perdido Beach Resort while dinning to an incredible buffet. We soaked up many rays, built sandcastles, took walks on the beach (got sand flees), vegged out, and spent time with true friends! KC’s sandcastle was quite impressive being that he spent the entire day on it.

Our First Kentucky Derby

2009-05-03T18:44:00.001-07:00

We attended the 135th Kentucky Derby. We decided to go this year because you can’t move to Louisville and not experience the Derby. The city literally shuts down for the Oaks and Derby weekend. Our goal for this year was to figure out the best experience for the general admission price so that when we invite family and friends we’ll know what we’re doing. To get tickets that actually have seats you either have to be someone special, know someone who is special, or be rich. We found parking for 10 dollars with a free shuttle that dropped us off at gate three. Now we know to go in the front gate because gate three is the party gate. Knowing that the infield is nothing more than a drunken frat house party, we made our way to the paddocks. After nudging through the crowd of 150 thousand plus people, we made it to the railing in the paddocks. Here we were able to see the horses enter the paddocks, get their lip tattoos checked, saddle up in their stall, jockeys mount, and then make their way to the track. It was especially nice because we were within arm’s reach of the horses, jockeys, trainers, owners and family. We were then able to watch the race on the giant screen. The race was pretty exciting. Jill and I are not the betting type, but we picked our favorites for Win (1st) Place (2nd) and Show (3rd) just for fun. Jill’s picks: 1st Friesan Fire, 5-1 odds, 2nd Pioneerof the Nile, 4-1 odds, and Papa Clem, 20-1 odds. My picks: 1st Hold Me Back, 15-1 odds, 2nd Pioneerof the Nile, 4-1 odds, and 3rd General Quarters, 20-1 odds. The winner of the Kentucky Derby was Mine That Bird which was the second biggest upset in Derby history at 50-1 odds. Good thing we don’t bet! Jill and I both got Pioneerof the Nile right coming in 2nd place and Jill’s Papa Clem came in fourth. After the races are over, the losing jockeys come back past the paddocks….covered in mud….the track was sloppy all day despite hopes that it would be fast and dry by Derby time. It’s amazing how small the jockeys are, and amazing that they can see anything at all through their mud caked goggles. Did you know that Mine that Bird is a gelding? Too bad, because they could have made a lot of money in stud fees.

Musket Man placed 3rd in the Derby

Pioneerof The Nile came in Second

Mine That Bird Kentucky Derby Winner 2009, his jockey

getting a pre-race fist bump from a handler.

He came from dead last!

Twin Spires built in 1895

Thunder Over Louisville

2009-05-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

Last year we experienced Thunder over Louisville from the 14th floor of the Health Science tower in downtown Louisville. It was a glorious view of North America’s largest fireworks display! Fireworks are shot from the 2nd Street Bridge and a barge close to the I-65 Bridge. They actually shut down I-65 for the show. Both bridges cross over the Ohio River from Louisville, KY to Jeffersonville, IN. This year we decided to experience Thunder from the River Walk located on the waterfront in between the two bridges. It truly was amazing. We were surrounded as the skies were lit up with the colorful pyrotechnic display. Of course to experience Thunder from the River walk you must fight the crowds of 500,000 plus. The air show and fireworks are rated in the top 100 events to experience in North America. Thunder over Louisville kicks off the festivities of more than 70 events during the two weeks leading up the Kentucky Derby. One of the events was the balloon glow which you can see below. We also went to a concert on the waterfront featuring honeyhoney, Everclear, and Gavin Degraw. It poured on us, so we didn’t stay all night, but we still had fun.

Best Pic Award!

Barge under I-65

2nd Street Bridge

Weather in Kentucky

2009-04-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

When we moved here, they told us that "If you don't like the weather here, just wait a few hours." Indeed. We have had a slew of natural disaster type weather here in Louisville, KY in the last few months. But let's just go through them since we've been here.

We had a rash of tornadoes break out across the state in Feb, 2008. Chris was at work in recreation center at Southern. I had just arrived home at our campus apartment. The weather was very freaky. When the sirens started sounding, I caught a ride up the hill into campus with a neighbor. I met with Chris in the rec center. Many of the dorms had come there too since it was a designated safe place. They divided us into the locker rooms since those were the safest most interior parts-but seperated girls and guys. No one was hurt here, but it was scary.

Among many snowfalls we have now experienced in Ky, we had the second largest snowfall recorded from a storm in the month of March, 2008. We were still living in our apartment on campus at Southern Seminary. We met with friends and sledded down the seminary hill at night in the falling snow. School/work was cancelled for a week. We did not lose power.

We had the wind storm September 14, 2008. The remains of hurricane Ike whipped through here on a Sunday. We really didn't know what was going on. Going into church, the wind was blowing some. By the time we got out, it was violent. We went down to the Wendy's on the corner for lunch and I thought their sign was about to blow off. There were reports of gusts at 75mph here in the city. We just took a nap. We didn't take any damage, but a lot of places did. Lots of trees down, some blocking the road and such. A few people died from falling limbs. Lots of power out (60% of homes in Louisville), but not us.

Then we had the earthquake Sept 18, 2008. Although this is not weather, I feel it is worth mentioning, since in AL we don't feel too many (although one did occur close to Centreville, AL a few days ago 2.9 magnitude). This one was the first one that I've ever "felt". It was a 5.2 magnitude. We felt little shock waves at work later that rattled the glass cabinets in the lab. No damage was done to the city. No one was hurt.

Then we had the ice storm Jan 26, 2009. This one was really bad. Everything caked in iced-or rather iced in ice. It really did look like someone had sprayed clear icing on everything around. Work and school was shut down for a week or more. Gov Beshear declared it the largest natural disaster in the state's history. Lots of power out, but not us. Around 700,000 people without power. And it was COLD! All night we could hear cracking, loud pops, and crashes. The next morning we were surprised to see that it wasn't just tree limbs, but whole trees had snapped in half or been toppled to the ground. We had never experienced this kind of winter weather before. Today crews were finally picking up storm debris in our neighborhood.

Recently, Chris has not been happy with the spring weather. It will be beautiful all day, and then rain for 30 minutes on the baseball field just after the first inning. He's had around half the games cancelled because of afternoon rains. This weekend, it felt like summer. Temps climbed up to 86 degrees. I planted most of my garden and got a little sun on my shoulders. Bring on the sun!

Kentucky Derby Festival Great Balloon Glow

2009-04-26T16:38:00.001-07:00

Last night was the annual KDF Balloon Glow at the KY Expo Center. This event is the eve before the Great Balloon Race, and the pilots tether the balloons in a massive field and light up the night sky. We did not attend last year due to the cold. This year the weather was perfect. Did not need a jacket even after the sun set. At first we were disappointed; we were stuck on a side road, along with around 50,000 other people. It was terrible. We were getting bumped around, we couldn't see the balloons very well, and I had thought it would be a good idea to bring Biscuit, but she was getting stepped on. Needless to say, we thought the hype was highly overrated. But then the balloons started to light up, and they let us "loose". We climbed the fence, passed the dog over, and we were free! It was wonderful being surrounded by the glowing balls of color. You could feel the heat on your skin when they fired a burst into massive balloon. Later we found out that they were keeping the crowds out longer than usual because of the winds. The balloons are not safe to be close to with winds much over 10mph. The whole event actually was cut short because the winds started to pick up again, but not before we had our fun! Enjoy the pictures!

I really like this pic!

Chris says my face is glowing as bright as the balloons!

We had a countdown for an "All-glow".

Pre-All-glow....

All-glow!!

The one that got away....
One reason that the event was cut a little short was that the wind started to pick up again. The other is that one balloon flew away-on accident. The University of Louisville balloon broke its tether, and the pilots had no choice but to take it up over the crowd to avoid an accident. We were actually standing beside it when it happened. It just floated away--up over I-65, under an airplane (that looked a lot closer than it probably was), and then landed in an empty field where the "chase team" (good name huh?) picked them up and packed up the balloon.

Minutes before it took flight...

The UofL balloon actually won first place in the Great Balloon Race today. Go CARDS! At the end of the race you have to drop a bag of Kentucky Blue Grass seed onto a target. I guess the balloon was ready to take off even the night before.
This event was definitely unique! We enjoyed it very much!

Jill’s Birthday Present

2008-11-09T17:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, we decided to go to the Humane Society to just look. Well, we looked pretty good and came home with Biscuit formerly known as Duck. Funny name but she was too cute not to take home. She is very smart of course and mild tempered. We have already taught her to sit, lay, and roll over! She is about 15 weeks old and very playful. Ed is now miserable.

CAN WE KNOW ANYTHING FOR SURE?

2008-09-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

The answer to the question “Can we know anything for sure?” will vary from person to person. Just as personalities differ, beliefs, experiences, and faiths differ. In order to perceive reality, can we depend on others or should we focus on ourselves or maybe a higher being? When this question is asked, there are two important starting points. The first is honesty with one’s self and the second is trust in God. Think of a semi-circle of honesty and a semi-circle of trust. One can trust that there is a God but not be honest with himself that they need Him. One can be honest with himself and know that there is something wrong but not trust in God. A circle of honesty and trust must connect in order to perceive reality.

A person with a life controlling addiction such as drugs or alcohol may not feel or recognize that they have a problem. Reality is obscured. It may be the substance that hides reality, or the person is not honest with himself about the problem. It has been said admitting that one has a problem is the first step to recovery. One must be honest with himself and admit that there is something wrong internally even in the absence of a controlling substance. One must be honest and acknowledge that they know there is right and wrong. We must be honest and ask the question why do we continue to choose wrong over right.

We must trust that there is a God and that He has given us the ability to make sense of our surroundings through Him. This means we must use our senses to logically conclude, if we are honest, that there is a God. Kantzer states this profound idea this way, “To trust the laws of logic is not to put law or logic above God. Rather, it is to recognize that the laws of logic are an
expression of the rational nature of the God of Truth. He created humans in his own image so that we, like him, can think rationally. He also created an objective world that conforms to the reason of God and to our own reason so that we can trust our senses and arrive at the truth.”[1] Once we have done this personally and individually, we can then be open to how God communicates and how He reveals Himself to His creation. This is the only way to know anything for sure.

Through the revelation of God’s creation and the revelation of God’s spoken Word, we can know divine guaranteed truths. Some say revelation cannot be proved or disproved empirically, therefore disregarding revelation altogether. They say it must be accepted by faith. However, all things in one way or another must be accepted by faith. One must still place their faith in an airplane while boarding, even though it has been tested and proven it flies. Scientists place their faith in percentages when doing research to trust a desired outcome. We are people of faith whether one believes in creation or evolution. Faith is not something that can be disregarded or dismissed, for it is apart of everyday life. Faith is not the only measuring stick of judgment. We do not put our faith blindly into something without reason or logic. People do not get on airplanes that have not passed an inspection. Scientists cannot make conclusions without the proper conclusive researched evidence that supports their ideas. Faith is placed as an action of assurance after a sufficient amount of evidence has been discovered. The evidence of truth is in general and specific revelation.

So how do we know anything for sure? We receive the answer when we are honest with ourselves, when we trust in God, when we see the transformation in the lives of others after they have placed their faith in Him, when we use the logic and reasoning that God has given us to conclude that He not only exists, but has made a way for us to know Him. When we take the first step and acknowledge that we need Him, we begin to see reality for what it really is.

[1] Kenneth S. Kantzer, Doing Theology in Today’s World, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1991), 475.

Angels

2008-06-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hey check out our angels laying eggs.

This is our fourth spawn. We sold a bunch to Tim the pet store guy at Pets Galore on Grinstead. He's a nice fellow if you want to check out his store. The gold is the female; the marbled is the male. It's really cool to watch them take care of the babies. Once the eggs hatch, they have little tails that wiggle, but their heads are still attached to the rock. Sometimes they wiggle off and Mom or Dad catches them in their mouth and spits them back out onto the rock. The babies eat brine shrimp that are less than 24 hours old once they can swim around. We hatch the shrimp ourselves-they are tiny, tiny, and orange. You know a baby has eaten when his belly turns orange!
I LOVE ANGELS!!

(Click on the video link!)

Check out our 55 gallon. It has grown up angels from our first and second spawn. We used to have some other cool fish in this tank, but after the move to our new house, tragedy struck. Both our needle nose and our rope fish died. The needle nose jumped out of the tank while we were at work-we had him for almost a year. The rope fish died of unknown causes-we had him for two years- he even made the eight hour trip to Louisville from Auburn in a cooler. So now this community tank only has nine angels, a clown loach (I'd like more; they're my second fav fish), and a pleco.

Image of God

2008-05-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

I believe the image of God is interwoven into all aspects of our being. The image of God is what makes up a human being - the mind, body, and soul. I use these terms to describe human beings physically, as male and female; intellectually, the ability to reason; emotionally, the ability to feel and relate to others; and spiritually, the ability to have a relationship with God. I believe the image of God is not only what we do, but it is who we are. We would not exist as humans if God had not created man in His image. With this said, I believe that structural, functional, and relational views on the image of God are so closely related to who we are, that together they determine what we do as compared with other beings. Millard Erickson says the image of God is in the very nature of man, that it is something man is rather than something he has or does. My understanding of the doctrine of the image of God supports this statement. However I also add that what man is will determine what man does differently compared with other beings.

We can look to what humans do to help us understand what the image of God looks like. In the structural perspective man has been given the ability to function properly in relationships and exercise dominion. This is certainly part of the image of God, because it is in His command of what man should be and do. In the creation account the Bible says, “God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”[1] If Adam had no knowledge of God then he would have not been able to hear, accept, and follow the commands of God. Yet, Adam was created in the perfect image of God and in a perfect creator-created relationship. He had knowledge of how God created him and instructions for how to live.[2] This brings us to the functional perspective that says to be in the image of God one must have some knowledge of God. The book of Colossians says, “Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”[3] This is directed to those who have been raised in Christ for holy living. (This indicates that the image of God has been marred by sin, which will be discussed in the next paragraph.) The functional aspect is important in understanding the image of God in mankind, because God allows us to have knowledge of Him and wants us to grow in righteousness and holiness by conforming to the example He gave in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the true image of God, because He is perfect in His relationship with God, perfect in His relationships with others, and perfect in his dominion over nature. In the relational view the image of God is the experience of relationships with God and others. This idea brings significance to our relationships, because Jesus sums up the Law with two commands concerning relationships in Luke, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.”[4] Structural, functional, and relational views give us great insight of what the image of God is, but to try and narrow down the image of God into one of these aspects of a man will fall short. I agree with Hoekema when he defines the image of God in the whole person in both immaterial aspect and material aspect. The image of God can be found in the relationships that people enjoy and the functions of life they engage in.

An issue of the image of God that must be addressed is the fallen nature of mankind. Is fallen humanity still in the image of God? Yes, but it is marred with a bent towards sin, and we must carefully separate the image of God and the fallen nature of man to illustrate this argument. The reason for the command not to kill is because man is made in the image of God. This command is given after the fall of Adam and Eve. The Bible says, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.”[5] The one doing the killing does not reflect the image of God through his actions, and murder is not acceptable to God for the reason that man is in His image. It is not just an offense to the one who has been murdered but also an offense to God, because the murderer is not reflecting the image of God and took a life that was made in the image of God. Fallen mankind has not lost His image, because through common grace fallen men and women can still reflect God’s image through kind acts of love, humanitarian efforts for good, or the betterment of society. It is the fallen nature of man that has broken the relationship with God, and now His image is imperfect, stained by sin, and a savior is needed. The image of God is marred by sin but not completely destroyed. This is evident because all people groups of the world have some knowledge of God however small it may be. Paul says, “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”[6] All people have some knowledge of God by observing creation and living in God’s created world. This reaffirms that the image of God has not been lost in the fall, but is only imperfect after the fall.

With this in mind it is important to remember my position stated above - I believe the image of God is intimately interwoven into every aspect of our being - therefore, it cannot be fully understood with analogies because they can not encompass this kind of complexity. However, throughout the rest of the blog I would like to give examples to help us appreciate some recognizable aspects of the image of God through relationships and activities. One analogy is that God gives us family to help us understand the importance of relationships between one another. Image is closely related to relationships. When one portrays a certain image they want to be treated in a way that allows that image to continue. In other words they want people to accept them for who they are and the image they are portraying. If they are accepted then the image is encouraged. If they are not accepted then a person may try different images that will be accepted. This is seen in adolescence when teens are trying to find who they are and how to be accepted. Some choose not to change their unaccepted image for reasons unknown or because they don’t want to conform to society’s idea of acceptable. The idea is that our image plays an important part of our interaction with others. Because we bear the image of God, our relationships with others should be Godly, be Christ- like, and have an attitude of service towards others. Because of the imperfect image we bear as a result of the fall, our relationships suffer because of selfishness and a pull towards sin. This is why we place our hope in Christ. As the perfect Son of God, He bears the perfect image.

A second analogy that helps communicate the idea that the image of God is interwoven into all aspects of life is that of an artist and their painting. A painter may leave their initials at the bottom of the painting, but that is not the only image left behind. The image of the painter is in every detail of the painting. Someone skilled and knowledgeable about the artist may recognize the painting’s artist without seeing the initials. They are familiar with the way the artist paints even though the artist may paint several completely different pictures. Many would acknowledge that God is in every detail in the realm of creation, but we are speaking of the image of God. The image of God is what separates us from other creatures. Would we be human if we did not bear the image of God? What makes us human is the very fact that we do bear the image of God. God’s image is not just His initials after His creation. God’s image is the very fabric of our being, the framework of our existence. The Bible says, “Let us make man in our image.”[7] The very reason He created man is so that man could bear the image of God. This is where the painter painting analogy breaks down. God’s image is not found in the beast of the field or the birds of the air; His creative splendor is found but not His image. What makes humans different from beasts is the fact that God chose to make humans bear His image. This is what makes humans special to God over all His creation.

God’s creation is magnificent. It can be seen just by observation or intensive interaction with creatures. The more scientists study and learn about animals, the more we are astonished at their capabilities. Although some people use these findings about animals as an argument for evolution, I believe that it is evidence of the greatness of God’s creation. The findings that animals have the ability to reason, ability for relationships, and a concept of time argue for the fact that the image of God cannot be defined as only one of these aspects. For instance, some apes are smarter than some humans. Birds show their ability to use tools,
Jays will sit on ant nests, allowing the angry insects to douse them with formic acid, a natural pesticide which helps rid the birds of parasites. Urban-living carrion crows have learned to use road traffic for cracking tough nuts. They do this at traffic light crossings, waiting patiently with human pedestrians for a red light before retrieving their prize.[8]

We still don’t know how smart dolphins really are,
Kelly the dolphin has quite a reputation. All the institute's dolphins are trained to hold onto any litter that falls into their pools until they see a trainer, when they can trade the litter for fish. Kelly took this task one step further. When people drop paper into the water she hides it under a rock at the bottom of the pool. The next time a trainer passes, she tears off a piece of paper to give to the trainer. After a fish-reward, she goes back down, tears off another piece of paper, gets another fish, and so on. This behavior is particularly interesting because it suggests that Kelly has a sense of the future and delays gratification. [9]

Some penguins are monogamous and care for their young in the most sacrificial way, more so than many humans. Dogs are very relationship oriented. These are a few examples of the intelligence of animals, and their ability to interact with humans and other animals. We know through the creation account that animals are not created in the image of God, but it was man that God chose to bear His image. I conclude that these examples are witnesses to the fact that man was created in the image of God and this fact is what separates man from the rest of creation. The image of God is not just the ability to reason, or just the ability for relationships, or just the ability to exercise dominion, not just the physicality of male and female, but rather all of these combined plus all distinguishing characteristics of mankind, including how we are made and the actions that are Christ-like.

[1] Genesis 1:28
[2] Genesis 1:28, 2:16
[3] Colossians 3:10
[4] Luke 10:27
[5] Genesis 9:6
[6] Romans 1:20
[7] Genesis 1:26
[8] James Owen, “Crows as Clever as Great Apes, Study Says” National Geographic News (2004), [journal on-line], accessed 29 March 2008; available from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1209041209crowsapes.html; Internet.
[9] Anuschka de Rohan, “Just how smart are dolphins?” BBC Wildlife Magazine (2003), [journal on-line], accessed 29 March 2008; available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/features/299feature1.html; Internet.

Our First Real House

2008-05-29T20:16:00.000-07:00

Jill and I moved into our new home on Saturday. We are excited about our first real house! (Click on pics to enlarge) Beautiful view of sunset and Louisville city skyline from our front porch. A yard for a dog!

Everybody else is doing it...

2008-05-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

I thought it was time to enter the world of blogging. Why not? I have two sense as well! I'm not much of a writer and I don't think Jill will want to proof read any more than she has to. She is the reason I make A's and B's on my papers. This is primarily a way for friends and family to keep up with us. I will post some thoughts and maybe even some assignments I have turned in here at Southern.

Jill and I are moving into our first real house! The timing was a God thing because our lease is up this month and our three-year anniversary is next week. I guess I don’t have to get a present. We are excited to say the least. We are also excited about getting out the grill. Yes, it means that much to us! It’s sort of a way of life for us – tailgating and all. The house has three bedrooms, one that I don't know what we are going to do with. Baby nursery? Before you get your hopes up, don't. Well not for now at least, but we figured that this will be where we will have our first little one. For those of you that may not know we live in Louisville, KY. I am in Seminary working on a Masters of Arts in Christian Education with a concentration in Campus Ministries. I hope to be on campus but I am open to what the Lord has in store. Jill has finished her first year in grad school at the U of L. She is working on a PhD in Anatomy and Neurobiology. Impressive I know. I have little idea of what she is doing, but I am so proud of her and her biggest supporter. She will continue spinal cord research this summer. I will get her to update her progress from time to time.

I am creating a Family Crest that will be sort of like a family motto, but more. (Hence the name for the blog) It will be a visible symbol of everything we stand for, our belief in God, the plan He has for our lives, who He wants us to become, our hopes and dreams etc. This has been a work in progress for about a year and a half. When completed I will have it framed and placed in my home, possibly a ring with the emblem on it. It is my hope that this Crest will become an important part of who we are because it will stand for who we are in Christ.