Blemishes

I took this picture yesterday morning about 10:00 A.M.  (Yes, I should have been at work!)  There are two regions of sunspots that are obvious.  One is on the limb of the sun, the other is more centrally located.  Lately, the sun has been relatively quiet.  That is changing, however.  More and more spots are appearing. And, with those spots come solar flares.  Solar flares can be very disruptive to our lives.  They can interfere with communication.  But, with the bad comes the good.  Solar flares also produce auroras - the northern lights. 

Sunspots are hot, but not as hot as the surrounding sun.  If they were on the earth, they would be brighter than a welder's arc.  But, because they are on the sun, they appear dark.  If they were separated from the sun and hung in space, they would appear bright. Context matters.

Don't go look at the sun with the hope of seeing the spots.  That will make YOU see spots, perhaps permanently.  I took the pictures using this telescope and a special sun filter.  The camera was a Nikon D40 that was hooked directly to the telescope by removing the camera lens and using a "T-Ring".  The telescope, in essence, became the camera lens.  More spots are developing and I hope to make some more pictures soon. 

Dark Days

It seems wrong to have an image I made of the moon on a cloudy October evening to be the picture used on a blog entitled "Dark Days".  But, I would be hard pressed to find something more appropriate.  Dark, cloudy, brooding - that is how these days have been.  To publicly admit that is dangerous.  I am a Christian, someone who clings to the hope of the resurrection.  I am a middle class American who has seen little of suffering and really have no legitimate reason to complain.  I pastor a great church and work with wonderful people and have a fantastic family.  To be depressed, to be discouraged in such wonderful circumstances when so many others are ravaged by horrific circumstances is offensive.  That only serves to heighten the acuteness of the darkness. Depression does not necessarily make sense.  There are circumstances which contribute to it, though when seen by others, they may not seem very significant.  Self analysis can be dangerous and so can self consciousness.  Clinging to the hope of the resurrection, praying for daily grace, acknowledging frailty, seeking to focus on serving others, getting rest and exercise, getting perspective by looking at the glory of God in the heavens - all of these help.  Having a loving wife is a great gift as well.  Please know, if you sometimes walk in the dark in the day, that I do indeed feel your pain.  I find solace in a verse in the book of Daniel.  He was so discouraged he was bed ridden.  But, he got up, and did the king's business.  That is what I seek to do during these days.  Get up and seek to do the next thing and pray for the light to return and for the clouds to lift.    

"Small" Blessings

They come to us in a variety of ways.  Recently, mine came to me in the form of a bird and a flower.  I was sitting on my patio with my wife and she told me to look at a nearby sunflower.  There, perched on it, was a goldfinch.  He waited long enough for me to snap this photo.

It was a serendipitous moment.  No big deal, really.  And, I don't want to read more into it than I should.  Did God send that bird at that time for the pleasure of my wife and me?  I'm not sure I could articulate it that way.  But, I can say with absolute confidence that it was a blessing of God to my wife and me to see that little bird sitting on that flower.  I would call it common grace and it comes to all men in a variety of ways and it comes to us from the Creator. 

Sometimes it is a tasty breakfast, an unexpected greeting from a friend, a thoughtful gift - all sorts of gifts of grace that come as blessings to us.  And, I want to acknowledge them.  I can dismiss them, ignore them, think of them as nothing.  Or, I can cultivate gratitude for them.

Don't Mess With Martha

My cousin Martha is married to a mountain of a man.  Hershel is tall - 6.5 or so - and his forearms are the size of fire hydrants.  He use to work for Volkswagen and the word around town was that he could lift an entire Beetle engine out by himself.  He is a wonderful Christian, but definitely not the sort of fellow you would want mad. Martha, however, is not so tall and has a very sweet disposition.  She is kind hearted, gracious, a great cook - and - from the looks of things, an awesome shot! 

Rattlesnakes are usually thought of as belonging to Texas or Arizona.  But, Louisiana has its share.  This one is a diamond back - a snake with a rather mean disposition and size to match it.  However, it appears that they better stay out of the way of Martha.  Normally, she would not be too interested in harming anything.  But, she definitely did not want this fellow crawling around her house, especially with their dogs running around and people coming over to visit.  So, this week, she dispatched it with a 410 shotgun.  The fact that she simply did not run for the house gives you an idea about her grit. 

So, the next time you are in central Louisiana, look Hershel and Martha up.  Shake hands with Hershel and be amazed at his size and strength knowing he could crush your hand.  But the one you better watch out for is Martha.  Be nice and hope she invites you for supper, but know that she won't put up with any shenanigans.