The World Is A Floating Sphere

EVERAFTER: REIGN OF THE NIGHT CREATURES

2011-10-15T09:42:00.001-04:00

You can read the first 8 chapters to my new Juvenile Fiction novel EVERAFTER: REIGN OF THE NIGHT CREATURES at this link:

http://www.authonomy.com/writing-community/profile/c51a3104-d926-4c8c-9d5f-2a332efaf5ea/casey-sean-harmon/

Please comment and tell me what you think!

Thanks,

Casey

EVERAFTER update

2011-09-22T10:10:00.003-04:00

Hello,

I hate that I do not have Internet at my house; I assure you that if I did, I would write more often. But here I am at the base library, cutting in to my drum practice time to write this blog, so I get some bonus points, right? :)

I have received a number of e-mails from you asking about when my newest book, Everafter, will be in stores. Here's the hard truth:

Because of my current duty assignment, we have been trying to decide if we want to wait until I return to the States (which would be no sooner than the year 2015) or go ahead and publish the book and market it primarily here in Europe. Do you see me delima? I do not have an answer as of yet, however I promise I will let you know as soon as I do have an answer. Please bear with me! I have not forgotten my obligations as a writer.

I promise I will post again soon. Please keep my wife and I in your prayers as we continue to grow in God, the Army and each other. Germany is a lovely place, by the way. You should try to visit some time!

Blessings,

Casey

GERMANY

2011-07-12T07:57:00.002-04:00

Hi all! Just wanted to drop a line. I have been stationed in Hohenfels, Germany, down south near the alps. This month marks my fourth year in the Army, which would have been the end of my contract had I not reenlisted for another four years. I thought about becoming a civilian again, however the more I prayed about it the more I realized that I'm already where God wants me to be--in the Army. I made my SGT rank on 1 June; I am proud to be a part of the corps of Non-Commissioned Officers! Life has been good to my wife and I. We have already traveled to a number of places here in Germany, to include Garmisch (not far from where the famous Neuschwanstein castle is; Neuschwanstein is what the castle at Disney World was based off of), Regensburg (home of the world's oldest hot dog stand, among many things), and many other places. We look forward to traveling out of country, to places like Italy and Sweden.
I have pictures, but since we do not have internet at our house (I am on a computer at the library right now) I am not able to upload any pictures at the moment. I will try to at a later time.

Toddler book available NOW!

2010-09-12T16:58:00.004-04:00

My wife, Lydia, recently wrote a book and today we released it for you to purchase. It is a wonderful book for children 2-3 years old. Here is the bio:

"Duck Friends: A book for young readers and their parents" is a picture book for children ages 2-3. The book captures the excitement of feeding ducks and geese. Your toddler will enjoy looking at the cute pictures and following along with you as you read the funny storyline. A perfect way to spend quality time with your little one!

You may purchase the book through the link below. Please help us spread the word!

Duck Friends: A book for young readers and their parents by Lydia and Casey Harmon | Make Your Own Book

New book

2010-09-11T19:34:00.003-04:00

My newest book, which is a juvenile fiction, will be complete sometime at the beginning of next year. I'm not going to disclose any information about the book yet, however I will say that it is about griffins and other mythological creatures. Visit this link to learn more about griffins, and my upcoming book! GRIFFINS

2010-09-04T18:30:00.003-04:00

For those of you who do not know, I have returned safely from my deployment to Bahrain. Uploaded are some pictures from the deployment at my website: www.caseyseanharmon.webs.com. I wish to thank you all for your prayers and support. I will be resuming my writing soon, with fresh new ideas. I have been debating whether or not to try my hand at another genre other than science fiction, which is what my novel "The Thousand-Year Voyage" is categorized under. It seems as though sci-fi is at its lowest in popularity nowadays, which deeply saddens me. I will forever love writing stories of another time line and of interesting beasts and of controversial ideas that almost always has to do with the Bible. However, a writer must feed his readers, and if his readers are not eating then the writer himself starves. It is a delicate and often unfortunate balance, I'm afraid. My goal now is to discover other writing interests, perhaps to incorporate with my fiction to make it better or simply to change my topics altogether. Only time will tell.
It goes without saying that my mind has been swamped with many deep thoughts since I have returned from the desert.

How To Train Your Dragon

2010-09-04T18:07:00.005-04:00

Without a doubt one of the best animated films of the year, and probably the best animated film by Dream Works so far (followed closely by the new Shrek movie). The computer animation was fantastic, the storyline was captivating and the characters (especially the dragons) were most memorable. But the thing that surprised me the most was the overall cleanliness of the movie. I can not recall any adult humor, which is rare even in animated films nowadays. Dean Deblois, Chris Sanders and the Dream Works team certainly did a fine job of transforming Cressida Cowell's book into a movie. And cutos for the cleanliness!

Hangin' out with the cast of AVATAR

2010-01-30T04:57:00.012-05:00

We get to do many exciting things in the Army, especially while deployed. Last night we were surprised with a visit from some of the cast and crew members from the new hit movie AVATAR. (Pictures below.)

With Stephen Lang. This guy is awesome to talk to. He has been acting for 30+ years. He was fighting to stay awake through the whole meeting, and finally fell asleep in that chair. We talked for a good fifteen to twenty minutes about life, acting and my book.

Lang played one of Dustin Hoffman's sons (Happy) in the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman in 1984 and the 1985 television movie, and appeared in the first Hannibal Lecter film, Manhunter (1986), as reporter Freddy Lounds.[7] From 1986 to 1988, he played attorney David Abrams in the television series Crime Story. He played the title role in the NBC 1991 made-for-television film, Babe Ruth. He later played the "One Armed Man" in the 2000 revival of The Fugitive starring Tim Daly. The series was a modest success, but only lasted one season due to its expensive production budget.

In 1992, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his lead role in The Speed of Darkness. His role in the film version of Last Exit to Brooklyn garnered him universal acclaim and Oscar buzz, but its limited release prevented the film from reaching a wider audience. On stage, he was the first to play the role of Colonel Nathan Jessup in A Few Good Men, a role made famous on film (1992) by Jack Nicholson. He is the winner of over half a dozen theatre awards including the Drama Desk and Helen Hayes awards.

He played Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett in the 1993 film Gettysburg and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson in the 2003 film Gods and Generals, both from director Ronald F. Maxwell. He considers his portrayal of Stonewall Jackson in Gods and Generals to be his finest performance. Arguably his most famous film role was his portrayal of the villainous Ike Clanton in the successful 1993 Western Tombstone, with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer.

Before Arthur Miller's death in February 2005, Lang appeared in his longtime friend's last play which was titled Finishing the Picture. It premiered at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in the Fall of 2004. This was the same theatre where Lang had the second run of his own play Beyond Glory, which had premiered in Arlington, Virginia early in 2004, and also his Tony-nominated portrayal for The Speed of Darkness. In 2006 he played the role of Colonel Littlefield in John Patrick Shanley's play Defiance. He brought Beyond Glory to Roundabout's Off-Broadway Laura Pels Theatre in 2007.[8] Since its New York City premiere, Beyond Glory has been nominated for a Drama Desk Award and a Lucille Lortel Award both for outstanding solo performance.[9][10]

Recently, he filmed a key role in the ESPN mini-series The Bronx is Burning as well as roles in the independent features Save Me and From Mexico With Love. He plays a lead role in James Cameron's sci-fi epic Avatar as the villainous Colonel Quaritch.[11]

He appeared in Michael Mann's film Public Enemies as Texas Ranger Charles Winstead,[12] the man widely considered to have fired the shots that killed John Dillinger.[13][14] Also in 2009, Lang appeared in Grant Heslov's The Men Who Stare at Goats alongside Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, and George Clooney, as an intelligence officer.[15]

In 2009 he narrated the audiobooks Road Rage including Richard Matheson's Duel and Throttle by Stephen King and Joe Hill.

And he recently guest-starred in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent 8th season finale episode, "Revolution" as Axel Kaspers.

(Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Lang_%28actor%29 )

With Sigourney Weaver. She ROCKS! The thing I liked most about her was her kind and approachable attitude. I autographed a copy of my book for her. It was very exciting!

Although Weaver has played a number of critically acclaimed roles in movies such as Annie Hall, Gorillas in the Mist, The Ice Storm, Dave, and The Year of Living Dangerously, she is best known for her appearances as Warrant Officer/Lieutenant Ellen Ripley in the blockbuster Alien movie franchise. She first appeared as Ripley in Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien. She reprised the role in three sequels, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien Resurrection. She was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for portraying Ripley in Aliens. She also starred in two films in 1988, receiving Academy Award nominations for her roles as Katherine Parker in Working Girl and as naturalist Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist. She lost out to Geena Davis and Jodie Foster respectively, although she received Golden Globes for both roles.

Weaver also appeared in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II as Dana Barrett. She played the role of agoraphobic criminal psychologist Helen Hudson in the 1995 movie Copycat, and went on to become one of the most highly paid actresses of the 1990s. In addition to her trademark role as Ripley, Weaver has recently concentrated on smaller roles such as 1999's A Map of the World and 2006's Snow Cake. She has also appeared in comedic roles, such as Jeffrey (1994), Galaxy Quest (1999), and Heartbreakers (2001), in which she starred with Jennifer Love Hewitt.

In 1997, Weaver won the BAFTA Award for her supporting role in Ang Lee's The Ice Storm. In 2003, she was voted 20th in Channel 4's countdown of the 100 greatest movie stars of all time. She was one of only two women in the top 20 (the other was Audrey Hepburn). That year, she also played The Warden in the movie Holes. In 2006, Weaver returned to Rwanda for the BBC special Gorillas Revisited.

In 2009, Weaver starred as Mary Griffith in her first made-for-TV movie, Prayers for Bobby, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award. She also guest starred in the TV show Eli Stone in the fall of 2008.[10]

Weaver also has done voice work in television and film. She had a guest role in the Futurama episode "Love and Rocket" in February 2002, playing the female Planet Express Ship. In 2006, she was the narrator for the American version of the Emmy Award-winning series Planet Earth. Also in 2006, Weaver narrated "A Matter of Degrees". A short film that plays daily at The Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks (The Wild Center) in Tupper Lake, New York. In 2008, Weaver was featured as the voice of the ship's computer in the Pixar and Disney release, WALL•E. She also voiced a narrating role in another computer-animated film, 2008's The Tale of Despereaux, based on the novel by Kate DiCamillo. Weaver has also expressed interest in starring in a fifth Alien film. Pre-production details for the film are expected to start soon. Ivan Reitman has confirmed that Weaver will reprise her role as Dana Barrett[11] in the rumored third Ghostbusters movie due for release in 2012.[12]

Weaver has hosted two episodes of the long-running NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live: once on the 12th season premiere in 1986, and again, on a season 35 episode in January, 2010. Weaver has now broken Madeline Kahn's record for longest gap between hosting appearances on SNL. Kahn had an 18-year gap between her second appearance in 1977 and her third and final appearance in 1995; Weaver, on the other hand, has a 24-year gap between her first appearance in 1986 and her second and most recent appearance in 2010.

(Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigourney_Weaver )

With Michelle Rodriguez. This girl loves Reese Cups! She must have ate ten of them during her stay with us! :) She was very energetic, funny and kind. I'm anxious to see if that video she recorded of the unit makes it to Good morning America like she said it might. (I say in the video, "This is SPC Harmon from 1-7 ADA. Just want to say hey to my wife and family in Florida, and also to my family in Alabama. I love and miss you!")

Having run across an ad for an open casting call and attending her first audition, Rodriguez beat 350 other applicants to win her first role in the low-budget 2000 independent film, Girlfight. With her performance as Diana Guzman, a troubled teen who decides to channel her aggression by training to become a boxer[7], Rodriguez accumulated several awards and nominations for the role in independent circles, including major acting accolades from the National Board of Review, Deauville Film Festival, Independent Spirit Awards, Gotham Awards, Las Vegas Film Critics Sierra Awards, and many others. The film itself took home a top prize at the Sundance and won Award of the Youth at the Cannes Film Festival.

Subsequently, she has had notable roles in other successful movies, including The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil, Blue Crush, and S.W.A.T. In 2004, Rodriguez lent her voice to the video game Halo 2, playing a Marine. She also provided the voice of Liz Ricarro in the Cartoon Network series IGPX. From 2005 to 2006, she played tough cop Ana Lucia Cortez on the television series Lost during the show's second season (the character's first appearance was a flashback on season 1's finale, Exodus: Part 1), and returned for a cameo in the second episode of the show's fifth season in 2009. In 2006, Rodriguez was featured in her own episode of G4's show Icons.

In 2008, she appeared in Battle in Seattle alongside Charlize Theron. Rodriguez next appeared in the fourth installment of the The Fast and the Furious franchise, which was titled simply Fast & Furious and released to theaters on April 3, 2009.[8] Rodriguez can currently be seen in James Cameron's big budget sci-fi adventure Avatar, which was released to theaters on December 18, 2009. She also recently wrapped filming on Trópico de Sangre, an independent film based on the Dominican Republic's historic Mirabal sisters who were assassinated in 1960 by the Dominican dictator Trujillo for opposing his rule.[9]

As of 10 January 2010, Rodriguez's films have grossed $916,296,898 in the United States and $2,100,145,993 world-wide.[10]

Rodriguez can next be seen in Robert Rodriguez's Machete, and starring alongside Aaron Eckhart in the sci-fi film Battle: Los Angeles.

(Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Rodriguez )

With Jon Landau. Jon has a sarcastic kind of personality that you can't help but like.

Jon Landau (born July 23, 1960) is an American film producer.

Landau was born in New York City, New York, the son of Edie, a producer, and Ely A. Landau, a studio executive and producer.[1] He is one of the "famous faces"[2] due to being a regular player on the online poker website Hollywood Poker which is run in conjunction with Ongame Network. He is best known for producing Titanic, a film which won him an Academy Award. Throughout the early '90s, Landau was Executive Vice President of Feature Film Production at Twentieth Century Fox.

In 2009, Landau and James Cameron produced the motion picture blockbuster, Avatar.

Filmography:

* Avatar (2009) - Producer, with James Cameron
* Solaris (2002) - Producer, with James Cameron
* Titanic (1997) - Producer, with James Cameron
* Dick Tracy (1990) - Co-producer
* Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989) - Co-producer
* Campus Man (1987) - Producer

(Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Landau_%28film_producer%29 )

The guy in the black shirt with his arms crossed is Mike Cameron, James Cameron's brother.

It's been a while...

2010-01-23T12:56:00.009-05:00

Greetings from the desert!
It has been a while since I last posted. I'm not going to say much; I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Interview with The Washington Times

2009-08-24T09:50:00.003-04:00

My interview with the Washington Times came out last week. You can view it here.

my mind is my time machine...

2009-06-05T19:10:00.004-04:00

What is time? What I mean to ask is, does time exist outside our consciousness?

This is a study that I have been working on for a long time now. The idea is that there are many layers of time, and everyone we know exists in the same layer. However, there are people who exist outside our layer of time, who are going about at the same rate we are, in the same places, only we can't see them and they can't see us.

Am I making sense? Hmmm Try this: move your hand very swiftly in front of your eyes. What happens? Your hand disappears, right? Why did it disappear? Because your eyes transport the information to your brain too slowly, causing the movement to mesh into a blur. Well, who's to say that there aren't objects moving all around us so fast that we can't see them? It's very simple.

Anyway, the study also takes us deeper. Imagine that you are among the objects who are rapidly moving around us. Do you think that, according to your consciousness, you are moving rapidly? Or are you as calm and moving as "slowly" as all of us? Maybe, for all you know, we are the ones who are zipping back and forth at speeds of light.

The point is that, even if our perspective of time was altered a little bit, if indeed we COULD follow the full movement of a blade on a swiftly rotating fan, what wonders would be opened to us? What would it be like to step outside our layer?

Time travel may indeed be possible. Maybe we first have to overcome the greatest obsticle: our minds.

C.S.H. 2009

The physics of Pixar's Up.

2009-06-05T18:53:00.005-04:00

I ran across this article on MSN concerning Pixar's new animated film, UP. (If you haven't seen it yet, you should. It's a winner.)

How Many Balloons Would It Take To Lift a House?
The physics of Pixar's Up.
By Nina Shen Rastogi

In the new Pixar film Up, a crotchety old man named Carl ties thousands of balloons to his house and proceeds on an awesome flying adventure to South America. This left several Explainer readers wondering: Just how many balloons would it take to lift a house?

Between 100,000 and 23.5 million. The lower figure comes from the Wired Science blog, which took a crack at the calculation last week. After consulting with a house mover, Wired estimated that Carl's home in Up would be about 100,000 pounds. (Most houses weigh between 80,000 and 160,000 pounds.) Given that 1 cubic foot of helium can lift 0.067 pounds, it would take 1,492,537 cubic feet of helium to lift the house—or about as much as would be contained in 105,854 balloons, each 3 feet in diameter. This figure doesn't account for the weight of the balloons themselves, however. A 3-foot latex balloon...

(To read more, click HERE.)

Interview with Paraglide

2009-05-20T21:05:00.003-04:00

I found out a few days ago that my book and I will be featured in tomorrow's publication of Paraglide, Fort Bragg's newspaper. You will be able to see the article on their website, HERE.

Isn't God good? He blesses us beyond measure!

Blessings,

Casey

So easy a caveman can do it

2009-05-08T08:17:00.000-04:00

Haha! Just HAD to put this up....

Killer Of Man: His Own Ignorance

2009-05-05T14:15:00.003-04:00

By Casey Sean Harmon (All Rights Reserved)

People become possessive. We search for things that make us happy, and when we find them we don’t want to let them go. Happiness can be found in anything, from objects to people. And, depending on the environment, people sometimes go to extremes with what we consider “pleasing.” One of the number one killers in America is drug abuse. People do drugs for a number of reasons. Whether it’s because they want to fit in, they think drugs make them forget their problems, or because they have poor self esteem. People who abuse drugs are seeking one thing: liberation from all that ails them.
Society recognizes the danger drug abuse poses and is constantly holding “anti-drug abuse” protests. Their efforts have been a success, for the most part. It seems the “glory days of tobacco” back in the 1920s when smokers were ignorant to the damages they were doing to their bodies by smoking, are over. Authors of a report on longevity in the Archives of Internal Medicine say that “Smoking, diabetes, obesity and hypertension significantly reduced the likelihood of a 90-year life span . . . Furthermore, men with a life span of 90 or more years also had better physical function, mental well-being, and self-perceived health in late life compared with men who died at a younger age. Adverse factors associated with reduced longevity--smoking, obesity and sedentary lifestyle--also were significantly associated with poorer functional status in elderly years.” We see here that smoking is an influential evil, but it isn’t the only evil.
Freevibe.com, a popular website devoted to helping teens “say no” to drugs, has posted facts about the consumption of alcohol and what its effects are. “Alcohol can damage every organ in your body. It is absorbed directly into your bloodstream and can increase your risk for a variety of life-threatening diseases, including cancer. Alcohol depresses your central nervous system, lowers your inhibitions, and impairs your judgment.” The article goes on, “Drinking can lead to risky behaviors, including having unprotected sex. This may expose you to HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases or cause unwanted pregnancy. Drinking large amounts of alcohol can lead to coma or even death. Also, in 2004, 36 percent of traffic deaths of 16- to 20-year-olds were alcohol-related. That equates to the deaths of 2,115 people in this age group alone.” And perhaps the most interesting fact Freevibe.com states is that “If you're around people who are drinking, you have an increased risk of being seriously injured, involved in car crashes, or affected by violence. At the very least, you may have to deal with people who are sick, out of control, or unable to take care of themselves.”
Many religious and health organizations form methods that they hope will assist in the prevention of suicidal deaths. The U.S. Army teaches soldiers to apply “ACE” (Ask, Care, Escort) as part of the “ASIST” program, whenever confronted with a suicidal situation. The program lists many reasons why people are tempted to commit suicide. Among these reasons are: depression, loneliness, the inability to fit in with groups, death of a family member or dear friend, hopelessness and drugs. (Primarily alcohol.) It’s interesting to point out that alcohol abuse is usually last on the list, and briefly mentioned. The Division of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York writes this in one of their articles: “Retrospective studies indicate that a large majority of suicide decedents with alcohol use disorders meet criteria for alcohol dependence. Alcohol dependence is a maladaptive pattern of alcohol use, leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by three (or more) of the following, occurring at any time in the same 12-month period: (i) tolerance; (ii) withdrawal; (iii) the alcohol is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than was intended; (iv) there is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control alcohol use; (v) a great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain alcohol, use alcohol, or recover from its effects; (vi) important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of alcohol use; (vii) alcohol use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by alcohol.” This clip from The Hutch Report sums it up nicely: “…the US military should be even more mindful of the potential problems that could occur if their youngest soldiers are left alone for too long and have access to alcohol.” The Division of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry also says this in their article: “During recent years, the relationships between suicide rates and measures of alcohol consumption have been investigated in several studies. The association between alcohol consumption and suicide rates have been analyzed in 13 nations of the world (Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the US, and West Germany); in 10/13, suicide rates were positively associated with per capita consumption of alcohol.” Alcohol seems to have many adverse effects on lonely soldiers’ minds. Consider this news clip from USA Today: “BAGHDAD (AP) — American soldiers took turns raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl, and one of them put a bullet through her head after killing her parents and 5-year-old sister, an Army investigator testified Monday. The attack followed a session of whiskey drinking and card-playing during which five soldiers plotted the March 12 assault, criminal investigator Benjamin Bierce said.”
It is a fact—not idea—that alcohol is a mighty killer. But why do people continue to drink? Let’s go down to the root of the problem: Why is alcohol still allowed to be manufactured? Some people say, “Well, there are those who drink way too much, and then there are those of us who know how to drink responsibly. We should not have to suffer because of their stupidity.” Would not the responsible thing to do be to put concerns of yourself aside and to care about the health (physical and mental) of your fellow man/woman? If the “leaders” would stop their consumption (“responsible” or not) of alcohol, and stop supporting its producers, proper rules and reinforcements could be set to prevent a majority of the accidents that occur because of alcohol. But because the “leaders” refuse to set the example, no changes are made, and alcohol-related accidents continue to occur. The effects of alcohol consumption are clear. Why do we continue to drink?

"True wisdom is less presuming than folly. The wise man doubteth often, and changeth his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubteth not; he knoweth all things but his own ignorance."

--Akhenaton

FTXs

2009-04-30T21:37:00.006-04:00

Me and my buddy Pease.

An FTX (Field Training Exercise) is when an Army unit "deploys" to a field site to rehearse an overseas deployment. Soldiers will usually get a wake up call (around 0300 in the morning, say) telling them to be at formation ASAP. Then it's time to roll out! Soldiers will form a convoy and drive their Humvees (loaded with equipment) to the field site. There, they will set the tents up (sleeping tents, mechanics tents, meeting tents, DFAC tents, etc.) and get things ready and suitable for work.
FTXs can be weeks--and even MONTHS--long. Soldiers take turns pulling guard duty. Some FTXs require you to wear full battle rattle the entire time. You must always have your weapon with you, and on the lookout for an "attack." I am with a Patriot unit; my guys shoot Patriot missles at the enemy when in war. This requires a lot of practice, and it is during field exercises when the unit reherses a battle. The missles have to hit the targets, or else it is mission failed and the missle launching crew has to do it all over again.
As a chaplain Assistant, it is my job to assist the Chaplain with providing religious support to the unit. This includes: Setting up Bible studies and church services, counceling soldiers and their families when they are seeking assistance, conducting funerals, putting together religious retreats, conducting weddings, walking around and visiting the troops and making sure all is well and the morale is up, teaching suicide prevention and much more. Just because the chaplain and I are on an FTX doesn't mean that we stop providing religious support to the unit. We have a 24/7 job. We have to care for the soldiers who are "deployed" with us, and also any soldiers who may be on rear detachment (they stay behind to keep things running back at home).
Overall, FTXs are awesome! Think of it as a strict camping trip. You sleep in tents (usually on cots). You shave and brush your teeth using water from a canteen. You eat MREs, and sometimes hot meals prepared by the cooks. A lot of times you have a lot of down time, which is the perfect opportunity to gather with your buddies and tell stories, watch movies from a laptop and grow close as brothers and sisters. But, just with so many training exercises, it also means being away from your family. In my case, my wife. God is so great to pull us through these hard times.

Field service.

Game Room

2009-04-24T23:14:00.002-04:00

Hey, check out the game room I just added to my website! You can play neat thought provoking games like Perfect Balance or have fun with games like Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong--all for free! Click HERE.

Blessings,

Casey

EBook edition of The Thousand Year Voyage available NOW!

2009-04-21T21:21:00.000-04:00

I just found out today that the EBook edition of The Thousand Year Voyage is now available HERE for only $6.77! Check it out!

C.S.H.

Novel published soon

2009-04-19T18:03:00.004-04:00

I just got an email from Bart at Innovo Publishing telling me that my book, The Thousand Year Voyage, has been submitted to press and will be out within 1 to 6 weeks. The ebook, he said, will be out in about a week. That's great news!

Join the Mission!

2009-04-13T01:00:00.003-04:00

I just updated my book website, and wanted to share the information here. It is my mission to sell at least 5,000 books before October 2009. I will be donating $.25-$.50 from every book sold between now and October to support organizations like Holt International, Army FRG functions, and similar organizations to help the needy and to support our armed forces. Hopefully, by the time October rolls around, I'll be able to donate at least $2,500 to these great organizations. But I won't be able to without your support! Word of mouth is the most effective way to promote a book like this. You can start an e-mail chain. Copy and paste banners (you can find some on my website) on your myspace, facebook or website. Buy copies to give to your friends and family. Write articles about the book in your local newspaper, and write reviews on Amazon.com. Anything you can think of to help get the word out. If you own or work for an organization and would like to help advertise, sponser or join forces with this cause, please feel free to contact me. I would love to hear your ideas! I pray that The Thousand Year Voyage touches you like it has touched so many already.

Blessings,

C.S.H.

Army pics

2009-04-12T10:41:00.034-04:00

I joined the U.S. Army in June of 2007. After completing basic combat training, I went on to AIT, where I graduated and became a Chaplain Assistant.

<--The day I graduated BCT. (Me and some of my Chaplain Assistant buddies, Nail and Neives.)

My family and I on BCT graduation day.

AIT class graduation. (I'm in the very back on far right.)

I was sent to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas in November of 2007.

El Paso, atop a mountain. (Me, santa and Tim.)

A month later I was shipped to Suwon, South Korea. I was assigned to 1-7 Air Defense Artillery, an airborne Patriot missile Battalion. I ended up staying in South Korea for five months. Here are some pictures:

Me in my face paint. (Osan, SK)

Field exercise: Breaking down doors/clearing rooms (Osan, SK)

In front of the Blue House (where the president of SK lives).

The Christian band I was a part of. (Suwon, SK)

I met Lydia Lightfoot on Myspace.com, and we started dating via webcam.

In my "Hooch."

Some friends and I. (St. Barber's Day Ball)

50 cal range, DMV trip.

After I left South Korea, I was sent back to Fort Bliss for about a month, and then sent to Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, NC, where I am currently stationed.

Matt and I at McKeller's lake.

Lydia and I, on our wedding day. (October 18, 2008)

Does God have a wife?

2009-04-11T17:37:00.028-04:00

Okay, here's an interesting idea. I was "googling" earlier today, and I ran across a post that was talking about the possibility of God having a spouse. The author of the forum asked: Does God have a wife? If not, where did Jesus come from and what did God do before he created the earth? One of many replies was:

Since the Bible says we neither marry nor are given in marriage in Heaven, it seems God who made the rules would act accordingly. The Bride is the church therefore the collective members who make up the church are part of that Brideship. No one person but all who accept Christ as son of God, dead, buried and risen, now alive in Heaven. The Bible warns about corrupting the simplicity which is in Christ. Also Rev warns about taking from and adding to Rev, sure concept applies to all of Bible too.

---Darlene_1 on 1/18/08

First off, where in the Bible does it state that people can not be married in heaven? Does this mean that my wife here on earth will not be my wife in heaven? (That's an interesting thought piece for later...)

Second off, the Bible does say that "the Bride is the church therefore the collective members who make up the church are part of that Brideship." However, that's a different subject entirely; God could have a wife, and Christians could still also be considered His "Bride."

According to WikiAnswers.com, "Marriage is a human activity. God is not married so he does not have a 'wife'."

This is obviously based on someone's opinion. How do we know that marriage is strictly a human activity?

I'm not saying that I believe that God has a wife. However, I'm not saying that I'm against the idea, either. But I am against the belief that people aren't supposed to question the world. I believe that God is a God of goodness; He wants what is best for us, and in doing so He does not want us to be ignorant. It is common knowledge that the only way to find out an answer is to ask a question. Now be open to accept the answer!

Genesis 1:26-27 (KJV) says: ²⁶And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. ²⁷So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Think about it: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."

Some people would argue that this is talking about God and Jesus. However, it goes on to say: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

It is a common belief that God (the Father) is, in fact, a male. Of course Jesus (the son) is a male. But wait; God just created a female after His image. So there must have been a female there with God when He was creating man! (Note: The Bible states that when two people are married, they become one. So "God created man in his own image" could be talking about He and His wife.

What do you think?

The Thousand Year Voyage

2009-04-11T14:21:00.004-04:00

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