Thursday, December 31, 2009

Russians Going To Blow Up Asteroid



The asteroid, Apophis, supposedly has only a 1-in-45,000 chance of hitting Earth. But that's too close for comfort for the Russians so they're planning a mission to steer it away from us.

The US is not sure this is a good idea. All the Russians promise is that it 'won't involve nuclear explosions' and that they 'will obey the laws of physics'.

The Word of God speaks of an asteroid which will fall to the earth during the Tribulation time:

"And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters: and the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter" (Revelation 8:10-11).

We are living in the time of God's grace where these trumpet judgments are all future, but as the Lord Jesus Christ is absent and rejected in this world, these days are called "man's day" where man is the measure of all things, and he is the fixer of all problems. It is interesting to see how far man has progressed with the mind and matter God has given him.

P.S.
As we prepare to enter a new year, may everyone reading have already taken the step of trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior, and have appropriated His death as the payment of ALL sins, past, present and future. He truly is worthy to be trusted. And then, a very Happy New Year to all.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

New Year's Blue Moon




Once in a blue moon there is one on New Year's Eve.

Ringing in 2010 we will be treated to a blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't expect it to be blue - the name has nothing to do with the color. 'Blue moon' is just a name in the same sense as a 'hunter's moon' or a 'harvest moon'.

A full moon occurred on Dec. 2. It will appear again on Thursday in time for the New Year's countdown.

A full moon occurs every 29.5 days, and most years have 12. On average, an extra full moon in a month - a blue moon - occurs every 2.5 years. The last time there was a lunar double was in May 2007. New Year's Eve blue moons are rarer, occurring every 19 years. The last time was in 1990; the next one won't come again until 2028.

"O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! who hast set Thy glory above the heavens. When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him?" (Psalm 8:1,3,4)

Ah, yes, what is man that God is mindful of us?

We are created in His image (Genesis 1:26) and He loves us (John 3:16).

As God is mindful of us, let us be mindful of Him in this new year.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

How silently the gift is given. . .

Silent night! holy night!
All is calm, all is bright,
Round yon virgin mother and Child,
Holy Infant, so tender and mild--
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born!
--Silent Night

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is giv'n!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heav'n.
No ear may hear His coming,
But, in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still
The dear Christ enters in.
--O Little Town of Bethlehem

Monday, December 21, 2009

December 21 - Solstice


The Solstice Seen from Newgrange @ AMERICAN DIGEST

Wonderful Christ

For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called
Wonderful,
Counsellor,
The mighty God,
The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.
-- Isaiah 9:6

The Case For Christmas

Defense and Confirmation: The Case For Christmas with Lee Strobel

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Daystar

“When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” - Luke 18:8

Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
Christ, the true, the only Light,
Sun of righteousness, arise,
Triumph o’er the shades of night;
Dayspring from on high, be near,
Daystar, in my heart appear.

Dark and cheerless is the morn,
Unaccompanied by Thee;
Joyless is the day’s return,
Till Thy mercy’s beams I see;
Till Thy inward life impart,
Glad my eyes, and warm my heart.

Visit then this soul of mine;
Pierce the gloom of sin and grief;
Fill me, Radiance Divine,
Scatter all my unbelief;
More and more Thyself display,
Shining to the perfect day. --Charles Wesley

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Mother

"The dying person's spiritual vision often begins even before death," apparently because the two worlds are drawing closer together, so to speak.

It is as if the other world penetrates and infuses this one with a peculiar but distinct energy, something most people can experience when in the presence of the dying loved one.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Weasel

"Here's looking at you, kid."

Casablanca (1942)

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Quiet sun. . .

"This lack of sun spots is a genuine issue for concern."

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Fences . . .


"I would like to know what I was fencing in and what I was fencing out."- Frost

The Kookaburra song. . .


Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree.
Merry, merry king of the bush is he.
Laugh, Kookaburra,
Laugh, Kookaburra,
Gay your life must be.

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Eating all the gumdrops he can see.
Stop, Kookaburra,
Stop, Kookaburra,
Leave some there for me.

(I loved singing this song when a young girl. Don't remember where it was taught but probably in grade school where we would listen to a teaching program on the radio each week and learn new songs. Also our teacher, Mrs. Gustafson, played the piano and introduced many unusual songs. I'm sure I didn't know what the strange words meant. c. 1954ish)

The Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is a carnivorous kookaburra in the Kingfisher family well known for its laughing call. It is about 18 in. in length and is found throughout eastern Australia and neighboring islands.Its trademark "laugh" is to establish territory amongst family groups. When one bird starts, often others will join in, including nearby birds from rival tribes, which can fill the bush with their calls.

Marion Sinclair wrote the song in 1932 for a contest being held by the Victorian Guides. The competition was for an 'Australian round' song. A gum tree is a name for the eucalyptus tree. There are more gum trees than any other kind of tree in Australia. Gum tree leaves are the favourite thing for koalas to eat.

Measuring oneself. . .

Mozart: [hesitantly] I never knew that music like that was possible!
Salieri: [uncertainly] You flatter me.
Mozart: No, no! One hears such sounds, and what can one say but... ”Salieri."

[about Emperor Joseph II's musical tastes]
Salieri: Actually, the man had no ear at all. But what did it matter? He adored my music.
(Amadeus (1984) - Memorable quotes)

Salieri measuring himself to Mozart falls way short!

Consider a true measure to measure ourselves:

"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ...Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ;" (Ephesians 4:7,13).

Grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Let's set our hearts on that measure.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

A goodly heritage. . .

"The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage" (Psalm 16:5-6 KJV).

heritage n 1. something inherited. 2. a condition, lot, or portion acquired by being born (again -to be qualified to inherit).

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman...to redeem...that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts...wherefore thou art a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ" (Galatians 4:4-7).