The Soul and the Spirit Part 1

I'll not quote the cliche, but I do get a definite sense about a persons eyes.  Most of the time, I just pick up on the degree of clarity which I take as an indicator of overall health, but every so often, I get a really strong sense, usually in the positive.  Those are the times that my impression is of something greater, more along the lines of (I use these terms creatively) a pure or vibrant spirit, a kindred spirit, a young soul or an old soul.  It's unmistakable when it happens, or is shown to me (it doesn't happen at my will).

What is the soul?  Is it separate from the body?  Does it depart the body when we die?

No Crib for a Bed

At our Christmas Eve candlelight service, we read Luke 2:7 and sang "Away in the Manger." Although I've been singing the song since I was a child, I still was not familiar with one translation of the scripture:

"And she bare her firstborn son, and wrapped him in `clothes, and laid him in a feed-trough..."(WYC from www.biblegateway.com)

I learned that the Greek word for manger, phatne, can mean either a stall for keeping animals or a feed trough for animals. (http://www.orlutheran.com/html/chrbirthfaq.html