Here are just a few scenic pics I wanted to share from my trip from Tucson to Artesia. We saw some really cool views.
Ken’s posting place
My kinda bloggy kinda twittery confused posting place... I'm kinda liking it.
Gadgets and guns are my fun. I take my work seriously, love my family, and am all about sharing it all! A quick google search will reveal more about me than I probably know about...
4th of July family photo
Happy 4th of July! Here are some family pictures we took in our
patriotic attire.
patriotic attire.
I finally got to go skydiving!
This was the biggest rush I've ever had! Me and my dad went skydiving at Skydive Midwest, our last event before academy! I'm ready to go again!
View photo's here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=185079&id=734085269&l=0979f36fce
Skydiving! from Ken Duffy on Vimeo.
Audrey got her ears pierced!
This is no good... she's old enough to want her ears pierced and tough enough to sit through both without stopping! My little girl is getting big too quickly...
Hard boiled eggs...
Well that was odd... I was cleaning out under the hood of the intrepid and it looked like Cathy hit an animal... but I pulled out a birds nest with eggs instead... odd.
Convictions that Conquer the World, Part 2
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The Cross at the Crossroads
So I had to travel out of town today and stopped in "The Crossroads of Opportunity" town of Effingham, IL to get a hotel for the night. The first thing I saw when exiting the highway was this huge cross sticking out over the trees. I thought maybe it was a weird water tower shaped like a cross at first, but I had to go check it out.
After weaving around various industrial roads it turned out to be more than a water tower, there was a small building there I thought might be a church, but it turned out to be a visitor center (that could be covered by the shadow of this thing). This cross turned out to be strategically designed, built, and placed back in 2001, but there's a whole lot of interesting details you can get from their website if interested. Surrounding the 198 foot 180 ton cross were the ten commandments, creatively placed and designed circling and facing the center. Each section had some music playing and an optional message you could here by pushing a button. It was pretty neat to see, and I might go back at night to check out the lighting they have installed.
I headed inside the visitor center to see what the story was behind this massive cross, and met with Melvin Higgs, a friendly Illinoisan who seemed more Texan than anything. We had a good conversation about the area and the construction of this cross. It turns out it was founded by John Herman Shultz, and though being raised and lived Catholic, he wanted to keep this non-denominational, even so much as to turn down an offer from a man who would have paid for the project in full if he would've made it a Catholic shrine, which he refused. The project was fully paid for by supporters and is maintained by a group of volunteers, including Mr. Higgs. They don't have regular services here and it's not a church, but they have had weddings and from within the Chapel you can see a really neat view of the cross through the windows. Just during my short trip there, half a dozen people must have passed through. Melvin said he had just met a couple today from Brazil. There was a map posted on the wall that had pins from people who had visited and where they were from, which was also neat to look at.
There's a lot of interesting information that you can check out at their website. Next time you're passing through Southern Illinois on I-57/70 - Effingham, be sure to swing by and check it out!
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
(download)
Today we heard a great sermon from Pastor Bugh on grace and humility vs. self-righteousness and works. This is a very important parable Jesus used to teach being humble and needing forgiveness as a sinner. This message was done very clear and effectively by Pastor Bugh and I wanted to share it and encourage others to listen when you have 38 minutes to spare, maybe pop in it your mp3 player or phone if you're on the run.
"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
**Original source Wheaton Bible Church: http://www.wheatonbible.org/?p=519 **
Faith, day 4 (w pic)
Here's Faith on day 4, with her big sis Audrey. Quiet, happy, and slept almost 7 hours straight last night! We are definitely proud parents and feel so blessed to have two beautiful children. Audrey has been a very helpful big sister, regularly caring for and helping us around the house. She seems to really treasure having a sister and can't seem to get enough of her. We're so excited for the days, months, and years to come! a sister and can't seem to get enough of her. We're so excited for the days, months, and years to come!
A little snake action...
We got to play with a Burmese python today! Awesome!
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