Becoming

 

It has been a hard road to travel in this life. Recent times have been a test of mental, physical and spiritual strength. It doesn't get easier but is steady and for the perseverance of the soul. Getting older is not for the faint of heart. We travel and survive with the assurance that if we fight the good fight our Lord will be with us the whole way. Many friends, loved ones and others that have already joined Him we pray are at peace now and forever. Those that are left behind must lean on the strength of the word of God and pray continuously for the day ahead. Our hopes and dreams are on the power of the Christ we serve and no other. in a previous post I quoted the passage on the cross I wear and I believe it completely. Acts 4:12 "there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved". Though I stumble and fall, I will get up and continue on blessing Lord Jesus always for His grace and love. If we stay down, do not get up and continue on in spirit and belief, we are in danger of a death worse than death. We will fall often in our walk with the Lord but He is always there to help us back up again. He takes us by the hand and guides us along the way and forgives us, telling us we are his and He loves us. He tells us our pain is His pain, our concerns are His concerns. He died on the cross for the whole of Gods creation to assure that if we believe in Him we are forgiven and will be with Him always. (from Lumen Fidei by Pope Francis) Believing means entrusting oneself to a merciful love which always accepts and pardons, which sustains and directs our lives, and which shows its power by its ability to make straight the crooked lines of our history. Faith consists in the willingness to let ourselves be constantly transformed and renewed by God's call.

May the good Lord bless and keep you safe. Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Looking Back to January 7, 2015

 SOME EDITING HAS BEEN DONE TO THE ORIGINAL POST.

January 7, 2015 Change

            There is little in this life that is guaranteed. Change is one of them. Much has happened in the roughly three months that I was absent from blog land. The world has gone on. It has moved on as it always has. Each of you has had your experiences in life that marks what change is all about whether unnoticed or traumatic. Change is always present.

            It is difficult to tell of the changes that have happened in three short months. There has been a sense of greater bonding in my marriage. There is greater awareness of life and how important it is to cherish every moment. Most of all, there is a sense of the presence of our Lord. Spending an hour or more in reading the word and praying and spending even a few moments of quiet time to listen or just be in His presence several times a day has profound effects on us. These things change us not only inwardly but outwardly as well. I used to take a one day pilgrimage to an overlook on a mountain south of Gettysburg, Pa at least once a year. It was known as Indian lookout point. It was a magical place that had a long beautiful view and a huge rock where you could sit and meditate and just be with the Lord. It is no longer accessible and I miss it. Change is inevitable but it need not be a bad thing. All things are given that we may become stronger and wiser in His ways. Always be glad for what you are living and thank Him for all things.

From my book of poetry and prose: (copyrighted)

      I often see others become envious or even depressed when  someone close to them experiences a powerful "revelation" or "touch" from God. It isn't the earth shattering religious experience that keeps us or makes us whole but the realization that every moment we live is an incomprehensible touch from God. Life continues but sudden experiences fade and become diluted with time. Life, on the other hand, renews itself constantly and is a constant, living, flowing revelation.

          

 I do have some photos to share from our recent visit to Longwood Gardens. Longwood is the estate of Pierre S. du Pont (1870–1954). It is one of the premier botanical gardens in the US and is located Near Kennet Square in southeastern Pennsylvania. It consists of over 1077 acres (1.68 square miles) of woodlands, gardens and meadows. The pictures are mainly of the summer gardens, conservatory and Christmas lights of last year. This will take awhile so grab a cup or glass of your favorite beverage, sit back and enjoy! 

The summer of 2014:

  
 This is a very small sample of the grounds. Next is the Christmas out door display. A large portion of the grounds were closed for a renovation. 

 The tree consists of lighted spheres.

The final area is the conservatory which is always spectacular. Again, this is only touching on the spectacular displays.

 The entrance

 The pink rose is for my DW. She loves pink.

This final picture is in the childrens garden.

(Since this post there has been significant construction and improvements to the grounds and displays. In a future post I will share the photos of those new constructs and displays.)

That is it for this post. I would apologize for the length of it but if you are reading this you must have liked it. LOL. As Darnell says, life is short. Stop and enjoy the beauty all around you. Until the next post, ALWAYS LOVE THE DETAILS.                           

All that you are I am

 

All that you are I am.

Do you have a phrase that you both love and hate? I have several but there is one in particular. It is "But for the grace of God there go I". It is true in one sense. Without Him I could not exist nor would it be possible to strive to be sin free. On the other hand, what a gross case of judgmental audacity to imply someone is better than another. That includes self. We were brought into this world with every sin, every possible tendency and fault of every other person that ever existed. Quite a paradox, huh! Want proof? Have you ever been brought to the point of saying or thinking you would like to kill someone for something they did to you? Or how about, I got an extra twenty cents in my change at the grocery store. It must be a gift from God. REALLY????? Give the twenty cents back because if you don't you just stole money from the store and cashier. She may have to make that up at the end of the day. Give it back even if it is a penny. Do you ignore "Do not touch", "Do not handle" or "Do not move" signs? Do you hold grudges? Do you get even? Should I go on? Didn't think so. The flip side to this and the reason for the statement is not that one person is better than the other but realizing you have been given a chance at redemption by changing the way you perceive things and how you act on events in your life. If you are invited to a party that will have 40 guests and you volunteer to bake a cake will you bring only half a cake to the party or the whole cake? I know someone who would and does bring half a cake. How self centered and crass. The "I and Me" must become the "You and They" in your life. There is only one place that "self" cannot be compromised and that is your salvation. This is the only place where self is number one. To get there means removing self when you are around others. Christ became a servant when dealing with others and became the example of what we are to be. We are to be the example of Christ working in our lives but always mindful that "all that you are I am but for the Grace of God." 

Listen closely to my words, be attentive, understand what I am saying. Does the ploughman plough all day to sow, breaking up and harrowing his ground? Once he has levelled its surface, does he not scatter fennel, sow cummin? Then he puts in wheat, millet, barley and, round the edges, spelt, for his God has taught him this rule and instructed him.

The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Is 28:23–26). New York: Doubleday.

This post I want to share a few Hubble photos with you. The pictures are available for download at the Hubble picture album. God's glory is awesome. 

M51 The whirlpool Galaxy and it's small companion NGC5195 in the constellation Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dog).

The "M" stands for Messier and the "NGC" is for New General Catalogue.

NGC 5128 (better known as Cenaurus A) The two lobes or jets coming from the top and bottom of the galaxy disk are what are known as radio jets from a very active black hole at the galaxy core. Beautiful but deadly if you were in that galaxy.

 NGC 1300 is barred spiral in the constellation Eridanus (The River) 

This is a general idea of what our home galaxy would look like if we could see it from afar. Our galaxy would have more arms.

NGC 1073 in Cetus (The Sea Monster) 

This is another barred spiral. It is considered to be an archetypal type barred spiral.

A nearly perfect ring of hot, blue stars pinwheels about the yellow nucleus of an unusual galaxy known as Hoag's Object. This image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captures a face-on view of the galaxy's ring of stars, revealing more detail than any existing photo of this object. Notice the apparent second ring galaxy in the far distance between the ring and the core at the one o'clock position. Fascinating!

 

NCG 4313 in Coma Berenices

The ring is composed of hot new young stars. It is enhanced to show them more distinctly. 

Arp 148 in Ursa Major (the Great Bear or The big Dipper)

Arp 148 is the staggering aftermath of an encounter between two galaxies, resulting in a ring-shaped galaxy and a long-tailed companion. The collision between the two parent galaxies produced a shockwave effect that first drew matter into the center and then caused it to propagate outwards in a ring.

I hope you enjoyed my short tour of the wonders of my long time love affair with astronomy. The beauty and wonder of God's creation is mind blowing. It does not matter if you don't understand the jargon, just enjoy the beauty of the object and images. Thank you for joining me and allowing me to share the wonder and truths of our Lord.

Until next we meet, Remember to "ALWAYS LOVE THE DETAILS."