Thursday, February 24, 2011

Shuttle Discovery Launches!

Latest Space Shuttle News

Space Shuttle Discovery Launches on Final Voyage

It was a bittersweet moment when I saw this article today.  The Shuttle Discovery has launched successfully for its 39th and last time.

I have always loved reading and learning about the space program.  I suppose I come by it naturally.  My dad loves looking up at the stars at night, as do I.  And since I was a young child, I have always dreamed of traveling to space.  How amazing must it be to look on our tiny earth and see the immensity of space.  I cannot imagine orbiting the earth and not thinking of our amazing Creator nonstop.  But, alas, science was not my best subject.

For my entire life I have only know the shuttle program.  I have seen its joys as we have built the International Space Station (ISS), and its sorrows when we lost the Challenger and the Columbia.  I know the technology it has brought the U.S., and the advances it has made in science.  Some of the most basic tech tools we have today are a result of the space program.

So, reading this article was bittersweet.  The Discovery will be retired when it returns, eventually making its way to the Smithsonian Museum, where it can long be treasured and admired.  And, after Atlantis and Endeavor make their journeys this year, they, too, will be retired.  And the shuttle program will end.  And since President Obama has cut back on funding for NASA and instead encouraged the private sector to take over, it may be a long time before we return to space.

It is my prayer and desire that this mindset be changed, and we return to the heavens soon.  Thank you, Discovery, for all you have done.  You and your crews have served your country well.  May God bless the current crew, and return you safely home.


**Thanks to nasa.gov for the use of the picture.  This is a picture of the lift-off this morning.  Below picture also from nasa.gov.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Let the Countdown Begin

4 months until Singing School.  Get excited.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Crazy Love

Tonight I went to dinner at Nabeel's.  It's almost becoming a weekly tradition.  The food is delicious, and the atmosphere takes you to somewhere else.  Somewhere in the Mediterranean.  I like it, though, because I can simply bring a book or two and read while eating something fantastic.


So, I brought my One Year KJV Bible and the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  I have not followed the "days" at all, so I'm reading somewhere in June.  Before reading, I asked God to reveal whatever I needed in his Word.  And He did.  Of course He did.  I read 1 Kings 19:1-21.  It tells the story of Elijah, who after defeating the prophets of Baal, runs away from Jezebel.  He tells the Lord how hard he has worked and that only he is left among his servants.  And God reveals himself to Elijah in a small voice.  Elijah repeats the same words, and God tells him to go anoint Elisha.  Usually the focus of this story is that God had 7,000 others who had not bowed down to Baal.  But, tonight I focused in on the fact that God sent Elijah to anoint Elisha.  At one of Elijah's weakest moments, God reminds him that he is raising up servants to serve the Lord.  He is not the only one right now, nor will the ministry die with him.  What a comforting thought!

Then, I started the 2nd chapter of my book, Crazy Love.  I can already tell that it is going to be a perfect accompaniment to the Bible Study I started on Tuesday night.  The first chapter was all about re-discovering God.  Realizing just how awesome He is.  If you haven't seen this, you should really take a few minutes to watch the video below:



Pretty amazing, right?  That doesn't even do it justice.

The 2nd chapter, then, is all about death.  That may seem strange, but Chan points you to the fact that the "Movie of Life" is not about you.  It's about God.  He makes this parallel.  If you were an extra in a movie, and only your head was seen for about a second, yet you rented the entire movie theater out so people could see it, they would think you were crazy.  The movie obviously isn't about you.  And so it is with life.  We are here for a fraction of a second, and our entire purpose is to glorify God.  That's what it's all about (not the hokey pokey...sorry, I couldn't resist).  Let us be about our Father's business.

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."


"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."


Colossians 3:2,17

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Birmingham Sunset

I've been thinking a lot about seeing God in the nature all around us.  I've always known that to be true, but I've really tried to dwell on it lately and not miss it.  It's so easy for a day to pass by and truly miss all the beauty that surrounds us and testifies of a magnificent Creator.

Tonight, as I travelled to Jasper, I couldn't help but be amazed at the sunset right before my eyes.  Now that spring is approaching, I don't leave work in the dark.  I can actually see the sun in its waning moments.  Sunsets are absolutely beautiful.  They leave you speechless and completely inspired.  Whether it's trying to comprehend the light itself or the magnitude of its size, or trying to count the many colors the sunset inspires - purples, blues, pinks, oranges - it all points back to Christ.  He is our light.  He sees and knows each of us individually.  He loves us.