Wednesday 24 December - 40 years ago...

Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the Moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts; Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders did a live television broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and Moon seen from Apollo 8. Lovell said, "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth." They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis.

I would like to add JOHN 1 to this reading and I wish you all a Happy & Blessed Christmas!

He's not remote, he's near

"The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn't live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn't take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don't make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn't play hide-and-seek with us. He's not remote; he's near. We live and move in him, can't get away from him!"

Acts 17:24-28 from the Message (Bible in contemporary English)

Picture taken in France, but the sky looks the same almost everywhere, doesn't it? And we're all living on the same planet, under the same sun. Look at the moon tonight and you and I will see the earth's only natural stable satellite reflecting the sun beams and stabilizing the earth's rotation axis to give us seasons and tides while we are moving through space with a speed of 108,000 km/h or 30 km/s. Imagine that.

The ratio of distance to the sun to that of the moon is same as the ratio of their respective sizes (source) and that's why we can have a total eclipse of the sun on earth. Some people call this a coincidence... But I believe we all look up to the same Creator. The One and Only. Seek Him and you will find truth, grace, love and strength. He's not remote; he's near. We live and move in him, can't get away from him!

Waiting for the Big One?

“There is a 99 percent chance of California experiencing a quake of magnitude 6.7 or larger within the next 30 years, according to the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey, the California Geological Survey and the Southern California Earthquake Center and published in Science Daily in April.” Source

Today I’ve heard about the ‘small’ earthquake in California. This again is a reminder that – from a geological point of view – that part of the world is a dangerous place to live. But… I live with my family in an area 4,5 meters below sea level and with rising oceans, where on earth can we be safe?

Well, to be honest, I believe I do know the answer to that question. Read these words and listen carefully if you want to know it too.

So, are you waiting for the Big One, or are you putting your trust in the Almighty One, just as I do?

How fast is the earth moving through space?

I never thought of this before, but just read in a newspaper that the earth is moving with an orbital speed of 67,000 mph / approx 19 miles per second (108,000 km/h or 30 km/s).

Wow!

Are you still with me? Fasten your safety belts!