Hang on to your hats! It’s time for an exciting journey in to the world of astronomy! Last week, a faint gamma ray burst (GRB) was captured by NASA’s Swift satellite. This particular GRB is significant in that it destroyed “the record for the earliest, most-distant known object in the universe”. (skyandtelescope.com) The burst, named GRB 090423 in honor of its discovery date lasted for 10 seconds. Based on how much the light was red shifted (stretched) through the expansion of the cosmos since the burst first happened, it was determined that the gamma rays traveled 13.1 billion years before reaching the Earth. The GRB comes as the result of the explosion of a massive star. When the right kind of star collapses in just the right way, narrow jets are produced that can send gamma rays streaming towards the Earth. I hope that you are still reading at this point. I know not everyone is as fascinated by astronomy in the way that I am.
I love astronomy because it is the scientific discipline that humanity has covered the least ground in, relatively. We have much to discover about our own planet, but we only know a tiny fraction of what exists beyond it. It is difficult to wrap one’s mind around light traveling 13.1 billion years. We are accustomed to flipping a light switch and instantly seeing light. God has existed since before GRB 090423. He knows our origin and our finale. It’s easy to worry when we consider the current recession began in December, 2007 or that the swine flu vaccine could take several months to develop. I love the perspective given in Ecclesiastes 3 regarding time. The writer states that God “has made everything beautiful in its time” and that men “cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (vs. 11) God has always been in control and always will be.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Learning From Failure
Due to the current economic climate, many Americans are experiencing failure for the first time. An increasing number of individuals are losing their jobs, their homes, and their savings. One’s initial reaction to failure is often to immediately reject it and remove themselves from it as quickly as possible. A recent article in Reader’s Digest shares the stories of several individuals who approached failures as opportunities to learn important lessons and to eventually find success. J. K. Rowling, one of the richest people in England due to the success of her Harry Potter books, was “as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain without being homeless”. Bob Williamson, a 62-year-old man from Florida, was a drug addict who had to sell a pint of blood for $7. He recently sold his 9th business, a software company, for $75 million. Randi Ketchum’s husband left her on the day she graduated from college. She had a 5-year-old and was pregnant with her second son. Though overcome with the loss and a massive amount of debt, Randi obtained a job as a kindergarten teacher and earned her master’s degree in education.
There were several other stories contained in this article and I will gladly help you find the article if you wish to read them. One thing I didn’t mention about Bob Williamson is that his faith in God helped him overcome adversity. Hit by a car, Bob was in the hospital for 3 months. He read the Bible, the only reading material available, and began to feel forgiven. He also learned that “God seems to show his strength and power through weakness”. Romans 8:35-39 tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. This passage states, “in all these things we have victory through him who loved us”. We are to forget the things that are behind us and reach for things ahead. (Phil. 3:13)
There were several other stories contained in this article and I will gladly help you find the article if you wish to read them. One thing I didn’t mention about Bob Williamson is that his faith in God helped him overcome adversity. Hit by a car, Bob was in the hospital for 3 months. He read the Bible, the only reading material available, and began to feel forgiven. He also learned that “God seems to show his strength and power through weakness”. Romans 8:35-39 tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. This passage states, “in all these things we have victory through him who loved us”. We are to forget the things that are behind us and reach for things ahead. (Phil. 3:13)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
National Moaner's Summer Vacation
What is the biggest complaint you’ve ever had with your vacations? Maybe it was way too hot and crowded the day you visited Cedar Point. Maybe there was too much noise and alcohol abuse at the campsite you visited with your family. Maybe the hotel you stayed at was incredibly filthy and the shower was too difficult to control. These are all common and valid complaints. A simple inconvenience during one’s vacation experience is amplified ten fold as we are supposed to enjoy this time away from work.
The Association of British Travel Agents has put together a list of the most bizarre vacation complaints (news.com.au). One tourist complained stating, “The beach was too sandy.” Another was made upset when she found fish swimming in the sea. Her complaint read: “No one told us there would be fish in the sea. The children were startled.” Yet another tourist complained, “I was bitten by a mosquito – no one said they could bite”. One man, not realizing he had been eating gravy, claimed the “soup was too thick and strong.” Finally, one woman held her hotel accountable for her pregnancy!
It is easy to find things to complain about. We are temperamental creatures, requiring certain conditions to allow us to remain comfortable. A few degrees separate a tolerable climate from an unbearable one. During the Exodus, the children of Israel were full of complaints even though God had provided for them. Paul tells us to “do everything without complaining or arguing” (Phil. 2:14) Instead, we are to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18)
The Association of British Travel Agents has put together a list of the most bizarre vacation complaints (news.com.au). One tourist complained stating, “The beach was too sandy.” Another was made upset when she found fish swimming in the sea. Her complaint read: “No one told us there would be fish in the sea. The children were startled.” Yet another tourist complained, “I was bitten by a mosquito – no one said they could bite”. One man, not realizing he had been eating gravy, claimed the “soup was too thick and strong.” Finally, one woman held her hotel accountable for her pregnancy!
It is easy to find things to complain about. We are temperamental creatures, requiring certain conditions to allow us to remain comfortable. A few degrees separate a tolerable climate from an unbearable one. During the Exodus, the children of Israel were full of complaints even though God had provided for them. Paul tells us to “do everything without complaining or arguing” (Phil. 2:14) Instead, we are to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18)
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Earned Love Average
I’ve come to accept that Michigan lacks a spring season. As much as I enjoy the perfect climate typically provided by this time of year, I know that I will only see a handful of perfect spring days. Despite this saddening factoid, I wear a smile upon my face when I hear the crack of a bat and smell the finest hot dogs $10 can buy. Baseball season has begun. I have loved the game of baseball since my early days of self-awareness. I even played on a team during high school. However, I remain uncertain and ignorant in the area of baseball statistics. There is a ridiculous amount of data and calculations made in baseball. I will attempt to explain a couple of the more confusing statistics. A pitcher’s earned run average (ERA) is the total number of runs that did not come as a result of errors or passed balls multiplied by 9 and divided by the number of innings pitched. WHIP stands for walks (BB) plus hits divided by innings pitched. I won’t even get in to extrapolated runs.
While statistics are very usual in professional sports, as well as a variety of other areas, they don’t often help our relationships. Imagine if you were assigned a number based on the number of selfless acts you perform on an average day. What if your friends and family wrote down every time you sinned and loved you based strictly on how often you did? One dimension of love that I personally have a difficult time grasping is that love “keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Cor. 13:4-5). We are to fight the urge to blacklist people. No matter what someone has done to you, we should never be unwilling to love our fellow man. By loving others, we know that “God lives in us, and His love is truly in our hearts” (1 John 4:12).
While statistics are very usual in professional sports, as well as a variety of other areas, they don’t often help our relationships. Imagine if you were assigned a number based on the number of selfless acts you perform on an average day. What if your friends and family wrote down every time you sinned and loved you based strictly on how often you did? One dimension of love that I personally have a difficult time grasping is that love “keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Cor. 13:4-5). We are to fight the urge to blacklist people. No matter what someone has done to you, we should never be unwilling to love our fellow man. By loving others, we know that “God lives in us, and His love is truly in our hearts” (1 John 4:12).
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