What You Can Never Do Twice

August 12, 2013 § Leave a comment

Parable of the Good Samaritan

Parable of the Good Samaritan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I expect to pass

this way but once;

any good therefore

that I can do,

or any kindness that I can

show to any fellow creature,

let me do it now.

Let me not defer or

neglect it,

for I shall not pass this way again.

– Etienne (Stephen) De Gellet (1773-1855), French Quaker and Good Samaritan  

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The Sad Truth About Advanced Civilizations

August 7, 2013 § Leave a comment

End of the Old World

Atlantic Ocean from Cape Cod Dunes

Atlantic Ocean from Cape Cod Dunes

On a sand dune

overlooking the gray sea,

the Wampanoag boy rested

on a driftwood log

shaded by red sumac,

careful not to touch

the dried white berries

of the poisonous three-leafed bush.

His eyes squinted

in the sunlight. Since

sunrise, he had been piling corn stalks

into a stout pyramid

for the spirits of brothers

walking the long beach

stretching from land’s end in the north

to the wigwams of the Nauset in the south.

The harvest moon had twice set,

leaving a nip in the offshore wind; today

the boy valued the buckskin leggings

and fringed tunic

made by Weetamoo, his mother.

Blinking again,

he spotted a white puff

that grew

from a cloud

into an enormous boat,

dwarfing the largest war ship ever built

by the Algonquians, its tattered sails

strapped to the limbs

of two black trees.

On board, a bearded man

wearing a twinkling breastplate

stood above men and women

stretching hands skyward.

It was morning

that November day in 1620

but for the Eastern people

who had lived here for 10,000 years,

the sun was setting on their world,

never to rise again.

Copyright 2013, Jack T. Scully, Not for Reuse without Permission
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45 Ways to Achieve Bliss

August 2, 2013 § Leave a comment

This post first appeared in October 2011 and is reblogged here by popular request. It was written by Regina Brett, pictured below.

English: Columnist Regina Brett delivering her...

Columnist Regina Brett delivering an acceptance speech at her induction into the Press Club of Cleveland’s Journalism Hall of Fame in 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. God loves you unconditionally, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

2. Everything can change in the blink of an eye.  But don’t worry; God never blinks.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick.  Your friends and parents will.  Stay in touch.

5. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

6. You don’t have to win every argument.  Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone.  It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. Pay off your credit cards every month.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others.  You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

16. Take a deep breath.  It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.  But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.  Don’t save it for a special occasion.  Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now.  Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything.  Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously.  No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

35. Don’t audit life.  Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day.  Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and could see everyone else’s, we’d take ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come….

43. No matter how you feel, get up, get dressed and get going.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t always tied with a bow, but it’s still a beautiful gift.

 

– Regina Brett originally published this list in her “Cleveland Plain Dealer” Column on May 28, 2006

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The Only American Flag Planted in the Ground

July 28, 2013 § Leave a comment

Here is America’s largest floral flag: 740 feet long and 390 feet wide.
You can find it on the California coast, near Vandenberg Air Force Base.
There, several seed companies with a patriotic bent
have engaged in a labor of love
unmatched in natural grandeur. Their flag fills 6.65 acres;
its stars are composed of white larkspur,
each 24 feet in diameter; each stripe is 30 feet wide.
The proud designers claim more than 400,000 larkspur
plants, each with 4-5 flower stems,
were planted to make it. When in full bloom,
more than 2 million flowers are visible
as a living tribute to America’s veterans.
Floral Flag
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Top Sunset of Last 10 Years

July 22, 2013 § 1 Comment

Vermont Sunset Over Lake Champlain Copyright Jack Scully

 Sunset Over Lake Champlain in Vermont
Copyright Jack T. Scully

Basic Beliefs to Live By

July 16, 2013 § Leave a comment

This list is currently circulating on the Internet. Some are trite but read on to find a few gems.

I Believe…..
That true friendship continues to grow,
even over time and distance. 
Same goes for true love.

I Believe…
That you can do something in an instant
That will give you joy or heartache for life.

I Believe….
That it takes us a long time
To become the person we want to be.

I Believe…
That we should always leave dear ones with loving words.

I Believe….
That we can keep going long after we think not.

I Believe….
That we are responsible for what
we do, no matter how we feel or the hardships of life.

I Believe…
That either we control our attitude or it controls us.

I Believe….
That heroes are the people
who do what has to be done
when it needs to be done. 

I Believe….
That my best friend and I
can do anything or nothing
and have the best time.

I Believe…
That sometimes when I’m angry
I have the right to be angry, but that
doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe…
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences we have had
and what we’ve learned from them.

I Believe…..
That it isn’t always enough,
to be forgiven by others. 
Sometimes, you have to first
forgive yourself.

I Believe…
That no matter how bad
your heart is broken, 
the world doesn’t stop for your grief but true friends do.

I Believe….
That our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are, but,
we are responsible for who we become.

I believe

That God has a purpose for each of us but it is not always clear; we must listen to His inner voice to learn its message.

I Believe….
Two people can look at the exact same
thing and see something totally different. It’s therefore okay to agree to disagree.

I Believe…
That your life can be changed
in a matter of hours
by people who don’t even know you.

I Believe…
That even when you think
you have no more to give,
when a friend cries out to you,
you will find the strength to help.

I Believe…
That credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe…
that the people you care about
most in life
are sometimes taken from you too soon. So love them dearly now.

 

Why Is Scotland a Bonnie Place?

July 10, 2013 § Leave a comment

Scotland is highlands and lowlands, separated by giant fijords called firths, kilts, haggish, velvet green barley and bell heather hills, jiggy music, bagpipes, castles and scotch whiskey, deep lakes called loughs, proud, articulate people forever nostalgic for Bonnie Prince Charlie and wary of England who still say aye and wee and love their clans, Bobbie Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Nessie, Mary Queen of Scots, Shetland ponies, and this week’s hero, the Wimbleton winner Andy Murray.

Evidence for the Biggest Bible Truth of All Time

June 26, 2013 § 1 Comment

Throughout human history, man has gazed in awe at the stars, wondering what they are and how they got there. On a clear night,  we can see about 6,000 stars — a tiny fraction of the trillions burning among billions of galaxies.

Prior to the 20th century, most scientists believed our Milky Way galaxy with its 100 million stars was the entire universe.  The prevailing view was that our material universe had always existed.

But in the early 20th century, astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered the universe actually had a beginning. A beginning implies a “Beginner,” which the Bible had firmly revealed. Concerned materialists like Sir Fred Hoyle scoffed at the idea of a one-time beginning, sarcastically calling the explosion a “big bang.”

However, the evidence for a beginning kept mounting. Finally, in 1992, COBE satellite experiments proved that the universe really did have a one-time beginning.¹ Doubters were silenced by the overwhelming evidence. For lack of a better name, this beginning became known by Hoyle’s label of “the big bang.” (see “Back to the Beginning“)

COBE's View of the Milky Way - GPN-2002-000111

COBE’s View of the Milky Way – GPN-2002-000111 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many scientists realized that this discovery coincided with the Genesis account of a beginning. Furthermore, they realized that prior to creation even matter and energy could not have existed. Therefore, after centuries of erroneous belief, science came around to agree with the Bible that everything came from nothing.

Some scientists had a major problem with this confirmation of the Bible, and sought other explanations. However, others like agnostic George Smoot, the Nobel Prize winning scientist in charge of the COBE experiment admits:

“There is no doubt that a parallel exists between the big bang as an event and the Christian notion of creation from nothing.”²

The COBE experiments and Einstein’s theorems both confirm a one time creation of the universe, a position the Bible has maintained for 3500 years.

When one looks objectively at the evidence regarding the origin of the universe and the intricate complexity of DNA, even many non-Christian scientists admit that the evidence of a Designer’s “fingerprints” are coming into focus.

Dr. Robert Jastrow is one such scientist. Jastrow is a theoretical physicist who joined NASA when it was formed in 1958. Jastrow helped establish the scientific goals for the exploration of the moon during the Apollo lunar landings. He set up and directed NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, which conducts research in astronomy and planetary science. Jastrow, an agnostic, wrote these thoughts, reflecting the view of many scientists: “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”³

As an agnostic, Jastrow has no Christian agenda behind his conclusions. He simply notes that the biblical view of a one-time beginning of the universe has finally been confirmed by science. And this “beginning” was not some happenstance explosion, but rather a precisely engineered event that made human life possible. This conclusion perfectly coincides with the biblical statement, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

This post was excerpted with permission from the Y-Jesus article “Are Science and Christianity Compatible?”

_________________________________

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How Do You Know Its Summer?

June 22, 2013 § Leave a comment

The summer solstice arrives like clockwork. Make no mistake about it, the earth orbits the sun with divinely planned precision. Today’s solstice  marks one of four equal quadrants that divide our year into summer, fall, winter and spring. Here is a picture of Lake Champlain on the longest day of the year, June 21st. The Adirondacks of New York are the mountain range on the hazy horizon.

 

Summer Solstice Sunset

Lake Champlain Sunset on Longest Day of the Year

Photo Copyright: Mike Scully 

 

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Does This Song Give You Goose Bumps?

June 12, 2013 § Leave a comment

Turn up your computer’s speaker and enjoy this stirring rendition of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Julia Ward Howe

Julia Ward Howe, Author of the Battle Hymn of the Republic Lyrics  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Miss Howe, a fervent abolitionist and later suffragette, penned the lyrics at the start of the Civil War.  Soon after, they were set to the tune of John Brown’s Body and became the soaring battle song of the Union Army.

In times of war and upheaval, the Battle Hymn celebrates the glorious victory of the forces of light against those of darkness.

So here it is — just in time for Friday’s Flag Day and, of course, that grandaddy of all heart-pounding patriotic holidays, the 4th of July.

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