DAY BLIND STARS

Overcast Skies, Jamestown NC

I’ve boarded both commercial and business jets on some of the most dismal, overcast days of my life.  These are the kind of days in late fall when there is a cold nuisance mist in the air which just adds to the depressing atmosphere.  These are not the kind of days that you wake up for a trip with unrivaled enthusiasm.  The plane begins its slow crawl away from the tarmac and makes its way in line for takeoff.  The engines strain against the grounded brakes and are suddenly set free to race down the runway and lift off into the mucky weather.  Droplets of moisture form lines across the windows as forlorn passengers blankly stare out into the nothingness.

And then it happens!  We burst out of the dense cloud ceiling into a pure white floor of mounding clouds highlighted by the bright sunshine.  That’s when it occurs to you that the sun was shining all the while you were complaining about the dark weather outside.  It was only the temporary cloud cover that had obscured your outlook on the day.  The sun was doing its thing in spite of the brief interlude of a weather front that was slowly dissipating. 

But have you ever considered that even on a beautiful sunny day in June the stars above are also waiting with their light?  It’s actually the intense sun that is obscuring their beauty and rendering us to being day blind to their presence.  Then the sun begins to pale on the western horizon as it slowly slips out of sight, taking its intense light with it.  Soon we are unconsciously aware that the light saber has been passed on to the myriad stars in the evening sky as the moon begins to rise and subtly reflect the sunbeams cast from the other side of our planet.  This becomes even more poignant when flying overhead at this transitional time of the day with a view of the skyline as major city lights begin to appear in the darkness below.  You’re left to wonder what all those millions of souls are doing right now and reflect on the unique smallness of your own being. 

  

Once I began to experience this revelation, dim overcast days and sunny days that I thought would never end came into better focus.  The Light in this world is always with us even though there are times that make it seem we have been abandoned.  We simply need the understanding that there will be times when life is obstructed by the dark things of this world and we need the faith to believe that the Light will never leave us and brighter days will come regardless of the situation.   

MAKE THE WORLD GOOD AGAIN

TOTALITY ECLIPSE, NASA

The Greek historian Herodotus noted that a solar eclipse in 585 BCE occurred during a fierce battle between the Lydians and the Medes. As the the daylight blended into darkness, this celestial event prompted the soldiers to immediately lay down their weapons and declare peace. Steve Ruskin, a historian of astronomy, has observed that “no matter the time period or the scientific knowledge, human responses to an eclipse are consistently, universally, expressions of awe and wonder, and even fear and terror.”

Astrologists consider an eclipse a time of new beginnings and an awakening. Native American Shamans consider a solar eclipse a powerful time of healing. It’s considered a time of mutual understanding that can help the world unite in love and harmony. What better time in world history could this heavenly alignment of the cosmic trinity of earth, moon and sun bring to the human race? According to NASA, a total solar eclipse of the moon covering the sun’s rays happens somewhere on the earth every year and a half, but it generally only happens once in a person’s lifetime. And it’s been 99 years since the grace of a total eclipse descended on a 70 mile wide swath of America from coast to coast. That prompts many to consider this an omen or a portent.

And what more timely words from Martin Luther King, Jr. than those spoken during the civil rights era that “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” "Experiencing an eclipse changes the way we feel about space and how we are connected. I hope this moment reminds us all that we share a common origin among the stars, and that we are all citizens of the same planet," said Bill Nye, CEO of the Planetary Society.

There are two ways of spreading light in this world: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. Jesus spread love and light and we can reflect His light back into the world through our lives and our actions. Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life noted that “receiving, reading, researching, remembering, and reflecting on the Word are all useless if we fail to put them into action. We must become ‘doers of the word’. Your heart represents the source of all your motivations—what you love to do and what you care about most.”

We Americans were drawn together for a brief few minutes yesterday by a rare cosmic event that reminded us of our place in the universe. It also reminded us of our ability to join in peace as one brotherhood of man. And it was a visible clarion call to action so that the words of Edmund Burke would not be our legacy; “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

WINTER SOLSTICE HAIKU

STONEHENGE SOLSTICE, Internet Domain

The Earth tilts away,
withdrawing warmth and sunshine.
Dark night of the soul.

A time of stillness.
A stirring of inner strength.
A transition time.

Embrace the darkness!
Let die those parts of ourselves,
that do not serve us.

Embrace the bright light!
Welcome the new light within.
Plant new seeds that serve.

Nurture healthy growth.
Light is ascendant again.
Hope springs eternal!

CHRISTMAS 2015

Angel Mosaic, Bethlehem, Israel

There is a field just east of Bethlehem in this war ravaged region that is the hallowed ground of a momentous announcement. It is where an angel of the Lord and a heavenly host of angels announced the arrival of a Savior for the world. Isaiah prophesied that this child would lead the wolf to live with the lamb. It’s important to note that this message was not delivered to kings and religious leaders, but to one of the lowest classes of the time—shepherds who were watching over their flocks on one very significant starry night. The world of that generation was filled with hate and war and the people of the region were anxiously awaiting a warrior king to bring peace to their lives.

They received the Prince of Peace. The mystery of this miracle was that the Creator entered his creation wrapped in human flesh as a present to all mankind. The angel told the shepherds not to be afraid for he was announcing good news. And then a host of angels sang:

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

As I walked this land in February, I couldn’t help but wonder why we still had not achieved that peace which was promised over two thousand years ago. As an adult, Jesus gave men a simple formula for peace—love God and love your neighbor. And He left mankind with a way of living through his teachings and model that can restore peace in the world.

People at the birth of Christ and people today expect him to save us from our enemies, but he came to deliver all of us from ourselves. And on that fateful night we were sent an ally to walk with us as we exercise our free will to do something actionable about the hate and darkness in this world we were given stewardship over. Darkness and hate were not eliminated that night in this field, but light and love were sent to checkmate them.

MAY THE PEACE OF CHRISTMAS ABIDE WITH YOU ALL THOUGH THE NEW YEAR!

OPPOSITES

Love, London, England

There’s an interesting comparison of how opposites relate in the physical world versus the emotional. Laws of thermodynamics show that cold is not only the opposite of hot, but actually the absence of it. Likewise, darkness is not only the opposite of light, but actually the absence of it. Hate is considered the opposite of love, but does not necessarily result as a consequence of its absence. However, if there is no love, a void exists and there is a better climate for the growth of hate in the environment. We understand that God is the essence of love and we were created in His image. His Son taught that there is one basic guideline to live a good life: to love God and others. As the world celebrates the life of Nelson Mandela, many are revisiting the legacy of his life and his words. Perhaps the following quote encapsulates why:

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite”.
--Nelson Mandela

THREE HOURS OF DARKNESS

Both the gospels of Matthew and Luke record that the sun stopped shining and a total darkness came over the land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour prior to Jesus’ death on the cross. Then he cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He was echoing the words of King David in Psalm 22 who was also experiencing a painful separation from God and was vainly appealing to God for acceptance. Those three hours of darkness were a period of great duress when the gravity of all the sins of the world were being taken upon God himself to atone for them as the final blood sacrifice for all mankind. There is no scientific explanation for such a phenomenon. Science records, for instance, that the longest duration eclipse of the sun is seven and one half minutes.

The Jewish clock begins at sunrise, so this darkness descended right in the middle of the day when the sun is at its brightest overhead. Total daylight hours are divided by twelve to arrive at each Sha’ah Zemanit or proportional hour. Those three hours of darkness had to be both physical and spiritual. They were symbolic of the separation of the Son from the light of the Father who had been together for all time. And of course, the Prince of Darkness has long been associated with world sin. If you’ve ever experienced total darkness, such as exploring an underground cave, it will definitely get your attention! All the people in the land surely must have known that something very extraordinary was happening. Revelation informs us that in the ultimate new heaven and new earth there will be no need for a sun or moon, as God’s eternal light will always be present. That infers that those who have not chosen to be with God will spend eternity away from the presence of God in a state of total darkness. No one would wish that fate on anyone if they had experienced such a painful separation for those three hours.

We all have the ability to be the carriers of the light of God’s grace to assure that others will not suffer this terrible fate.

GOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE!

Morning Sunshine, Jamestown, NC

There’s much darkness in the world today, as there has been for every past generation. That provides an opportunity for every generation to rise up to the challenge of spreading the light of God’s Son into even the darkest corners and pathways. As long as the light prevails, so will mankind.

Footnote: A milestone posting #400.

COMFORT WORDS

Comforting Word, London, England

We human beings like to be in control. Actually, we have this surviving DNA that’s been passed along our family tree branches for centuries which instinctively drives us to control everything in life to assure our survival. When a serious issue presents itself or we’re confronted with a life or death situation, we fight for control and survival! God entrusted us with this priceless gift of life and expects us to live it to the fullest. There’s no way he would be satisfied with us if we squandered it by abusing and neglecting our minds and bodies.

That’s all easy to say, but sometimes the storms of life can beat us down pretty hard. We can encounter periods of extreme anxiety between the calm centers of the hurricanes that can be almost debilitating. That anxiousness keeps us alert, sometime to a fault, and keeps us awake in the dark hours of the night. Have faith--that internally wired DNA is what kept our ancestors from being eaten alive by the saber tooth tigers pacing at the mouth of their cave! But there is peace to be found with a foundation of faith in an eternal comforting power.

Sometimes anxiety can lead us to comfort foods like ice cream, but there are comfort words that can be much more therapeutic. The twenty third Psalm would seem to be the standard for comfort words in this world—yes, though I walk through the valley of darkness at times, I have nothing to fear for my God is with me. Paul found this profound peace deep within a Roman prison as he wrote to the Philippians in chapter four. He counsels us to: be glad that the Lord has promised to be with us always; relinquish control and turn over those issues that are beyond our control to him in prayers for strength, healing, and an incomprehensible peace that comes over us to calm our anxiety; focus our thoughts on positive aspects of our day or life along with going to a peaceful place in the calm center of our mind; and learn to be content with our present circumstance while invoking our survival DNA to strive for better circumstances. This sage advice has survived the shifting sands of time because of the powerful wisdom and positive effect it has had on countless human beings who have walked through the valleys of darkness, navigated the storms of life and triumphantly emerged on the other side.

TORCH BEARERS

Torch Bearers Save Man Who Lost Both Legs, AP

Plato has written that the souls of people on their way to earth life pass through a room full of lights. Most receive a taper to guide them in the dim country of this world. A chosen few receive a torch. These are the poets, seers and saints who lead and lift the race out of darkness toward the light. They are the law-givers, way-showers, truth-tellers, grace-givers and life-savers. Without them humanity would lose its way in the dark.

I guess he missed the room where candle snuffers were also being issued. It’s dark enough in this existence without experiencing those who are law-breakers, dead-enders, lie-tellers, hate-givers and life-takers. Many of these extremists operate under the guise of some religion. Their lives ease out of the light so far that their soul devolves into permanent darkness. They consciously seek to turn out the bright lights of humanity and cast the world into a chaotic existence apart from the presence of our Creator.

Fortunately, we still have torch bearers among us. And we have the assurance that God’s Son has power over the dark side and will ultimately persevere. In the meantime, the torch bearers appear in the middle of the most catastrophic events and can be seen running towards the cowardly bombing carnage and walking up the stairs of the World Trade Center while others run the other way.

ABSORB BEAUTY

Reflecting Beauty, Jamestown, NC

The bright sunlight of spring ushers in a much welcomed time of the year after the dark bleakness associated with the fallow winter. And with springtime comes the beauty of blooming colors all around us. A Facebook friend recently posted a thought by a person I have absolutely no knowledge of but like the sentiment. Paramahansa Yogananda is quoted as musing that “Life has a bright side and a dark side, for the world is composed of light and shadows. If you permit your thoughts to dwell on evil, you yourself will become ugly. Look only for the good in everything, that you absorb the quality of beauty”. One eyeglass maker has a specially coated lens that is sensitive to light and reacts to it. When we look for the bad aspects of life, it coats the lens through which we view life until we can only see darkness. But when we look for the goodness in life, the lens opens up to the Light of the World and its beauty.

I don’t believe we should ever live with the false illusion that there is no evil or darkness around us, but I also believe that we see in life what we look for in life. And it is well that we seek out the goodness of life that can rise out of the ashes of darkness after the flames of destruction have passed. New spring life rises out of the recycled star dust of every winter season. The shining love of our creator is reflected by every new creation we look for and absorb.

KNOCKING HOLES IN THE DARKNESS

Sunrise, Wrightsville Beach, NC

Young Robert Lewis Stevenson was watching a lamp lighter at the turn of the century lighting the gas lamps in his neighborhood. When young Robert’s father asked what he was finding so fascinating that evening, he innocently replied, “Daddy, I’m watching a man knock holes in the darkness”! And there’s a lot of darkness in this world.

The Lord asks Satan where he has been when angels gather in the first chapter of Job. He replies that he has been roaming the earth and then is given permission to tempt Job. Satan shows his powers over this world then as well as when he later tempts Jesus, the Light of the World, in the wilderness before his ministry begins. The Prince of Darkness provides many opportunities for us human beings to exercise the dark side of our free will or choose to resist it. It’s interesting to consider that darkness represents the absence of light. Other worldly examples include cold as the absence of heat, death as the absence of life, and evil as the absence of God’s love in men’s hearts. These concepts are most apparent when we reflect on what is missing.

The Bible is infused with passages referring to God and His Son as light. Isaiah promises that the Lord shall be our everlasting light. The Psalmist tells us that His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We shall see light in His light. There are even more references to Jesus in the New Testament as the light of life, the light of the world, the light of men and the true light. We humans are considered the children of light and the light of our bodies is the eye. When Jesus was transfigured his face shined like the sun and his raiment was white as the light. Jesus promises that He has come as a light into the world and whoever believes in him will not abide in darkness. And Revelation reveals that the new earth and heaven will have no night and therefore no need of a candle or the sun and moon to shine in it for the glory of God will lighten it and the Lamb will be the light thereof.

When we do what is right in loving others and humbly loving our God, we are also growing our character and spirit during our time here on earth and in preparation for our eternal destiny. We do this by volunteering our time, sharing our God-given talents and giving back what we cannot keep so that others might have what we cannot lose. We do this by being a light upon a hill sending sunbeams of grace to knock holes in the darkness. And we do this by following Jesus’ teaching to spread that Light of Life out into the world so that we and others will not walk in darkness, but walk along a straight path in the eternal Light of our Heavenly Father. And as the Son reflects His Heavenly Father’s Light and the moon reflects the sun’s light, the Light of giving has a way of circling back to bless the lives of those who honor their God by their commitment and their actions.

LIGHT IS LOVE

Light is Love, Jamestown, NC

Darkness cannot dispel darkness; only light can.

Hate cannot dispel hate; only love can.

Light is Love


"I am the Light of the World;

he who follows me will not walk in darkness"

--John 8:12

CHRISTMAS 2012

Christmas Eve 2010, Jamestown, NC

Christmas is the light of God’s response to the darkness in this broken world where all have the free will to choose hate or love.

SHADOW COLUMNS

Shadow Colunms, I-40, NC

I was out on the open road recently and encountered another of those “Aha moments” as a passing cloud partially obscured the sun and revealed the sun’s rays shining through to my line of sight. I had learned earlier that meteorologists have actually named these light shafts crepuscular rays. But what I finally realized was that those rays of light had been with me all the time. It was only when a passing storm seemingly blocked them from my sight that I took notice. And what I was really observing were the consequent columns of dark shadows that provided the contrast in the skies above.

Our Carolina church celebrates old time “camp meeting” services for a few Sundays in the summer time. We sing old time gospels and imagine images of folks gathered in gingham dresses and shirts goin’ down to the river for salvation during the Victorian farming days. The spirit of that service brought back memories of my youth growing up in a small church in central Kansas, with the windows open wide on a warm Sunday morning. You could feel the spirit of God coming into that sanctuary on those warm summer breezes. But the invited spirit of God can arrive in many different ways, as demonstrated by a little blond girl that was sitting next to me.

At the conclusion of his sermon, our pastor asked anyone who felt the need to come forward to kneel and pray at the altar for God’s healing touch. And folks of all ages and probable reasons did come forward to be closer to their creator to receive His blessing. As the kneeling rails were vacated, I noticed the young little blond girl nudging her parents. She then reached into the busy bag they had carried with them into the pew and retrieved a small, well-loved, wide-eyed, white lamb. Then the four of them made their way to the altar and kneeled to pray, as the little girl placed the little lamb at the altar among the family. The symbolism was quite touching as the Lamb of God revealed His presence within that family and our congregation to shed His grace among all of us on a bright summer’s morn down by the Deep River.

No one is exempt from the dark days we experience in life, not even God as demonstrated on that Black Friday. But a bright light did shine out of the darkness on Easter Sunday to reveal a way through to the other side. And just as the shadow columns had helped to reveal the rays of light that were there in my presence, the life challenges that were being experienced by those people who had come forward gave us all pause to reflect and be aware of the Eternal light that could help everyone get through those dark shadows.