Spirit Houses

It is said that to be Thai is to be Buddhist, and Buddhism is certainly major cultural force here in Thailand. But Thais rarely practice pure Buddhism; most blend it with animism. One of the more obvious external signs of animism are the spirit houses found in most residences and places of business. This is where Thais beg, bribe, and barter for their daily needs with the spirits that inhabit their part of the world. The little houses are usually on a pedestal in one corner of the yard, and the homeowners offer food, drink, incense, and various trinkets. Here are some pictures of spirit houses in our neighborhood:

Logos 4 for Mac - The Giveaway

I've been using Logos Bible software since version 2, back when I was an intern at Calvary. It's amazing tool that makes it faster, easier, and smarter for me to study, especially when translating. The one weakness was that it was Windows only; well, technically they had a Mac version, but it was awful. But no longer! They have now released Logos 4 for the Mac, and it's good stuff. To celebrate, they are giving away lots of cool stuff. Check them out:

Logos Bible Software is giving away thousands of dollars of prizes to celebrate the launch of Logos Bible Software 4 Mac on October 1. Prizes include an iMac, a MacBook Pro, an iPad, an iPod Touch, and more than 100 other prizes!

They’re also having a special limited-time sale on their Mac and PC base packages and upgrades. Check it out!

A Butterfly

With the nice weather over the weekend came a swarm of butterflies in the bushes in our yard. Here's one spastic little guy who was a pain to catch: