Hallelujah Chorus and a Funeral

Today we had a funeral that ended with a benediction I had never heard before - the Hallelujah Chorus.  I told someone that we had to be careful lest the celebratory nature of the song be misunderstood. There was no delight in death or in the death of this particular person.  But, before she died, she made sure that those of us planning her funeral end it with this glorious song.  She was no a person to be easily denied. So we did - end with the Hallelujah Chorus.  Her family exited the building behind her casket as the Chorus was being played.  I don't want to deny the pain and suffering of death.  We should not be flippant about it.  But, there is something about reminding ourselves of the resurrection of Jesus and the victory He provides over the grave.  I can't think of a much better way to do that than the Hallelujah Chorus.

Country Church - Pine Ridge Baptist

The church is not a building.  The church is the body of Christ, a living organism over which He is Head.  But, there is something about church buildings.  Pine Ridge Baptist Church - the building - sits in the heart of Melder, Louisiana physically, spiritually, and at least in years gone by, socially.  It was there that I first heard that Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.  Wonderful people who loved the Lord would gather in this place along with some not so wonderful people.  We would sing "Standing on the Promises" and "Revive Us Again" and "How Great Thou Art" out of the Broadman Hymnal.  Kind folks would teach squirmy kids Sunday School out of quarterlies and then help us spray paint macaroni gold before we glued it on poster board.  We had amazing home cooked meals there and we had some very raucous monthly business meetings there that hurt our testimony and sometimes hurt one another. Following Sunday morning worship, men would gather in the Louisiana heat near the front door and several would have a smoke together.  I was introduced to Jesus there and baptized there as was my mother before me.  Her funeral and my father's funeral was held there.  It still stands, a quaint building but so much more.  My life was changed there.  I am grateful.

Memories

My brother recently made this picture available to me.  The memories flooded back when I saw it.  J. D. Ford owned the store.  He and his wife were part of our lives because the store was such an essential part of our existence.  My parents did not buy all of their groceries there, but they did buy a lot of milk and ice cream and cola and chicken feed.  The Ford's allowed us to have a running tab which my dad paid at the end of each month. Occasionally, I could charge a cream soda or a moon pie.  The front porch of the store was a great place to hang out and hear the local news.  There was a post office inside the store where we received our mail.  And, we bought most of our gas there.  It saddened me to see the store close and then be torn down.  The Fords are now with the Lord; they were wonderful Christian people.  Many of the general stores like this one no longer exist.  We buy our groceries and gas from people we don't know.  And, who sits on a front porch to drink a coke and visit?   I am very grateful for those memories.

February 2011 Blizzard

Where were you during the Blizzard of 2011?  It was an awesome display - full of sound and fury.  Beautiful, actually.  Though, I know it caused some significant difficulties.  We cannot control the weather.  It helps put us in our place.  Personally, it could not have come at a better time.

January Skies

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According to a weather almanac, January is the cloudiest month in Illinois.  (July the least, I believe)  So, the telescopes have been parked most of December and January.  I have gotten out for a few quick looks because some of the best targets are out in the winter.  An example would be the Orion Nebulae.  In the winter, the nights are long.  You are able to get started viewing earlier and stay out later - provided you can take the cold.  The cold weather also makes handling cold metal interesting.  I wear "glittens" - mittens which are also gloves and which the "top" is removal to allow you to grab things such as eyepieces.  The two biggest opponents to viewing are, however, the clouds and the wind.  I also find my desire to be a bit dampened in the winter.  Getting layers and layers of clothes on is a bit of a drag.  But, you don't have to worry about mosquitoes, skunks, bats, and other assorted wildlife.  The neighbors do seem to have more lights on in the winter, but that may be because I am usually out earlier in the evening than in the summer.  This Christmas someone surprised me with a  new astronomy gadget I can't wait to try and to write about.  Hopefully, as soon as the clouds are gone, the wind is not blowing, and the temperature above 10 degrees.  Maybe that is the way I tend to serve the Lord, only when the conditions are just right.

Brotherly Fun

My favorite brother was up from Louisiana recently.  We had a very good visit together doing a variety of things, one of which was some "glass time".   Here he is shooting pictures of the moon (in daylight) using the Celestron C8 on a Vixen Porta Mount and his Nikon DSLR attached directly to the scope via a T-Ring.  We went out later in the dark and he was able to take some nice shots of the same target.  And, he wore a shirt to match the scope - which I thought was very kind of him.  If you look really close, his watch also matches.  He has always been a snappier dresser than me.

Family matters.  The older I get, the more it matters.  We had a good visit together, although I was a bit busier than I would have liked to have been.  Sharing these moments together meant a lot. 

His Eye is on the Sparrow

I shot these pictures this past Sunday, October 3rd. My intention was to practice using a new way I have of hooking my Nikon D40 up to my telescope. For these shots the camera was attached to an eyepiece which was in a diagonal which was in the telescope. In order to do that, I had to remove the lens from the camera (which lens was dropped and broken!) and in its place put a "T-Ring". Another metal ring goes between the
"T-Ring" and the eyepiece. The telescope was a Celestron C-8 and the eyepiece was a Baader Hyperion 24. The telescope is an F-10. The depth of field was very shallow so it was hard to focus. If you look closely, you can tell the pictures are "soft". Focus is a tough one. On my camera, you focus by looking through the camera and focusing the telescope. I hope to try it out this week on Jupiter.

The Lord uses sparrows to illustrate His care and concern for us.  If He knows when a sparrow dies, then He surely knows the details of our lives.