You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.– Mahatma Ghandi – |
How Excellent!
This morning I was sitting out on the courtesy dock, over the water, meditating at sunrise. That doesn’t happen all that often anymore. Even great beauty can begin to be common place when you live with it everyday. It was cloudy today and there wasn’t the spectacular sunrise seen in today’s photo, but as my meditation ended I still sat there amazed at the creation of God, remembering the wonderful images of the eclipse we watched via livestream from NASA. There was great emotion coming from people viewing this event — even scientists.
The words of Psalm 18 came to mind.
Psalm 19[a]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
As I watched the eclipse as it crossed the country yesterday I remembered the excitement I felt the first time I saw a human brain. I was studying physiological psychology at the time. Our knowledge of how the brain actually worked was still rather limited back then, but I was amazed at how unimpressive an actual human brain outside of the body can be, knowing that the brain is responsible for everything we do and think, waking as well as sleeping. Even our breath and heartbeat are controlled by the brain. In recent years great strides have been made in our understanding of the brain and how it works making it even more amazing that the wonders of human life are controlled by that hunk of gray matter.
When I was in college there was a fear among some Christians that if Christian young people studied science they would become atheists. There are many scientists around the world who are people of faith — people who still stand amazed at the wonders of nature and by studying them believe in God, Creator, life force, what ever name you use, even more.
So if you stood amazed at the Glory of God yesterday as you watched the eclipse, carry that with you in your heart. It is easy to get caught up in the trials and tribulations of daily life and forget. Let your heart be softened and changed by this encounter. Take this memory out from time and time and let your heart sing….
“The heavens declare the Glory of God! “
Stay Calm, Be Safe and Enjoy the Eclipse
Happy Monday. Today is the big day — the Solar Eclipse of 2017. Here are a few tips for you concerning the eclipse.
- If you are traveling today, please drive safely.
- No driving with your cellphone out the window trying to take pictures and no stopping on the side of the road to view the eclipse.
- Be aware that there may be more traffic on the roads today and drive accordingly.
- If you want to watch the eclipse be sure any eye protection you may be using will actually protect your eyes.
- Consider making a pinhole cardboard device to view the eclipse, or better yet watch live news coverage of the event.
- Watch out for soothsayers and false prophets trying to instill fear in people over this natural (albeit rare) occurence. For more information on this please refer to Bob’s blog post https://espirational.org/2017/08/14/its-your-choice/
So what are Bob and I doing today? Well we tend to stay away from large crowds, especially where an outbreak of mass hysteria could possibly occur. It is also very important that we both protect our eyes right now. So we are staying off the roads, for the most part staying in and enjoying the NASA TV coverage of the event. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-television-coverage-for-aug-21-solar-eclipse
For more information concerning the eclipse please visit https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/1
Whatever you are planning to do regarding the eclipse, remember, stay calm, be safe and enjoy!
Thought for Today
“And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.”– William Shakespeare – As You Like It Act II, Scene I |
Lunch on the Deck
Copyright 2015 by R.A. Robbins
When the weather is warm Bob and I enjoy our lunch on the deck. During nice weather we will take any reason for being outside. We enjoy the cool breeze and being serenaded by bird song. After lunch we like to stay outside and spend some time looking up — like in straight up, overhead. So, what’s up? Well where we live, lots of things. We both love to watch clouds and see who can spot something interesting first. We watch the jet streams stretching across the sky. Every once in awhile we actually see a plane. Sometimes eagles are circling overhead or over the pasture behind the house. We listen to birds singing and try to spot the singers in the trees. We welcome the birds to the feeder. Sometimes neighbors will drive by on golf carts and wave.
It can be very difficult to go back inside and get back to work, but we do — eventually. Our outdoor lunch hour is a special time. It is a break in the busyness of the day that reminds us of who we are and why we choose to live here. It revives and refreshes us, not just physically, but spiritually as well.
What is your favorite way to take a break?
Thought for Today
“We must become bigger than we have been: more courageous, greater in spirit, larger in outlook. We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations but to our fellow men within the human community”.— Haile Selassie
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/spirit.html
The Prayer
This song always brings tears to my eyes, but especially now. This is my prayer for our world.
