The God Particle
I’ve always wanted to write a book report. I’m now reading The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question? In Kindle-speak I am only 46% into the book, but the urge to tell you all about it is growing. The book is something of a science classic. It was written in 1993 by Leon Max Lederman, who is an internationally renowned high-energy physicist and Director Emeritus... [Read more]
Be amazed!
Let our amazement not become dulled in this age of unbelievable space exploration. Ponder this image from Astronomy Picture of the Day for April 14. There is a space vehicle way out there, following a path prescribed by the laws of physics set down by Isaac Newton around 1700 and carrying a wee camera that can be snapped from earth. It is “seeing” things that we cannot see from here, like... [Read more]
Spiral galaxy Messier 106
Isn’t this a beautiful galaxy? I gathered the photons for this image with the help of Adam Block at the Mt. Lemon SkyCenter just north of Tucson, using their big 32-inch Schulman telescope. For more information about this image, go here. I’m writing this on Easter Sunday, 2013. With Christians all around the world, today I celebrated and wondered at Jesus rising from the dead. Now I am... [Read more]
He is risen indeed!
I think back over Easter Sundays I have known, probably seventy of them to one degree of awareness or another and exactly 43 of them since I got serious about following Christ. It’s the one time each year where we as a professing Christians are intentionally encouraged to think hard about the meaning of the cross and the resurrection. I will try to focus on the Cross this Easter Sunday and make... [Read more]
How long until the end?
This is day 40, the last day of Lent, and I am reading Daniel 12:5-13 (quoted below). What am I to make of “time, times, and half a time,” and “1,290 days,” and “1,335 days”? For many years I have read and pondered the various ways commentators have applied these time descriptions to their favorite millennial schools of interpreting Daniel and Revelation. I’ve... [Read more]
Resurrection to glory or shame
This is day 39 of Lent and I am reading Daniel 12:1-4 (quoted below). I read this passage along with chapters 20 and 21 of Revelation, trying to get the last resurrection straight in my mind. I am content knowing that I only partially succeeded in this, because mystery will always remain. When I bring my western mind to the Bible, I have to fight my impulse to analyze. What I really want to do is to... [Read more]
Conflicts among nations
This is Lent day 38 and I am reading Daniel 11:2-45 (quoted below). My broad brush summary of this long and detailed vision (no wonder that Daniel was overwhelmed) is that it deals with the history of the world starting from Daniel’s time and ending at the cosmic battle of Armegeddon, when the God of all history finally steps on the stage and rings down the curtain. From timeless eternity, He... [Read more]
A terrifying vision
This is day 37 of Lent and I am reading Daniel 10:10-11:1 (quoted below). I think there is more than a hint here of a cosmic battle between God’s angels and Satan’s forces. The man in Daniel’s vision apparently was involved in the conflict and needed a bit of help from the angel Michael to free him for his present mission to Daniel. It occurred to me as I was reading this passage... [Read more]
News of heavenly conflict
This is day 36 of Lent and I am reading Daniel 10:1-9 (quoted below). Daniel, now in his 70th year, was overwhelmed at the thought of his people in Judah experiencing deprivation and persecution. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a little guilt involved as well, since he was living high in the court of Cyrus while his Hebrew brothers and sisters suffered. He fasted for 3 weeks. I try to screw... [Read more]
The angel Gabriel answers
This is day 35 of Lent and I am reading Daniel 9:20-27 (quoted below). What a wonderful way to have prayer answered! God’s special messenger, Gabriel, came to give Daniel words of insight and encouragement and to tell him he was “greatly loved” by God. I am tempted to wish for such a response to my prayers, but I don’t dare. It would be terribly presumptuous for me to do so,... [Read more]
