Saturday, September 21, 2013

PALE BLUE DOT ?


Carol and I are in Arizona two weeks, and the nights here so far have been amazing. I was going to use the adjective "heavenly" but "Amazing" is more appropriate. The nights here are clearer, cooler and brighter, whether the moon shines or not, than any other place we have lived. It made me think once again of how amazing our planet earth is in relation to the rest of the universe.

Thirty-six years ago in 1977, the Voyager I spacecraft was launched on its way to the edge and beyond our solar system. In 1990, almost four billion miles from earth and at the very edge of our solar system, scientists turned its camera around and took pictures that revealed the earth as a "pale blue dot" among the mass of heavenly bodies in space.

Astronomer Carl Sagan requested NASA to take the photos, and they became the basis of his book, Pale Blue Dot. In his book he espoused his atheist views that the earth and mankind were insignificant, little more than specks in the cosmos. Despite the magnificence of the photos, he said earth is barely worth considering.

What Sagan failed to mention, however, was that this "pale blue dot" is unlike all other bodies. For example, it exists in a "Goldilocks zone." This means it is in a place that is not too hot, not too cold, but "just right." It is also not too far and not too close from other heavenly bodies, but "just right," and its gravity, moon, atmosphere, magnetic field and molten center are all "just right." Because of this "just right" placement among the planets, our earth can support complex human life, something that makes it absolutely unique.

No other planet in our solar system is so well situated to its "home star" as the earth is to the sun. No other planet has life such as we have it here, with seven billion people living, working, learning and growing such as is on our earth. No other heavenly body has people who write, sing, laugh, love or invent such as we humans do.

And most importantly, no other life forms, anywhere that we know of, have an almighty God who cares for them such as we do. In fact, there's no proof that any other life forms are even possible, because they do not live within a "Goldilocks zone." God has put us here, and that's a miracle in itself.

Even more amazing, we human beings, as frail and faulty as we are, are "Superstars" to our God. Psalm 8:3-5 tells us, "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,  the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor."

Think about it! God who by His Word created the universe, including the planet on which we live, created us and cares for us. He cares for us enough that He chose to send His only Son to be our Savior, so that we might live with Him forever. 

The next time it's a clear night where you live, go outside and look up at the moon and stars. Look up in wonder at God's creation, and praise Him that He crowned you with glory through the mercies of His Son Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord, thank You for caring for us, despite our doubt and unbelief! Amen!

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

FLOOD DAMAGE

Last week I spoke of construction mess, not realizing the flood mess coming to Colorado. Since last Tuesday, 20,000 Colorado homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed due to a storm system that stalled over the area for five days. We give thanks our area was spared flooding, but others were not so fortunate. The flooding Platte River cut farms and towns in half, including Ft. Morgan. Fortunately, their old "Rainbow Bridge," built in 1923, is still taking traffic, while the "new" bridge next to it is unusable.

Flood waters don't stand still. To say flood waters are destructive is an understatement. Flood damage as not caused by rising clean water. The flooding debris, trash and mud do that. Floating branches, backyard items, broken buildings and even cars destroy other structures along as the flood moves along. Roadbeds are torn apart, hillsides of mud slide down and culverts are washed out. Sewers pollute fresh water and homes are ruined.  If a flood was just rising clear water, that be bad enough. It's what the water carries that does the damage.

How very much like our life! It's not merely time or age that can hurt us, or even illness and accident. It's the garbage we carry along with us and release along the way. The bad decisions, hurtful words, destructive habits and evil acts can turn a safe, sedate life into a raging torrent that destroys individuals and families. The trash let loose during the storms of life has hurt more people than the storms themselves.

What can we do about it? For one, we can make sure we have as little buildup as possible. We can start by confessing the garbage of sin we pick up along the way. Ask for forgiveness rather than gloss over or hide bad things said or done. Stop doing what we know is unhealthy or immoral. Most importantly, we can call in the Trash Man so He can haul all the bad stuff away.

Jesus is our Trash Man, the Holy One who removes life's garbage whenever we ask Him. He will remove it from us as far as the East is from the West, and He does so by taking it to a landfill called Calvary where He will bury it forever.

We may not be able to avoid all floods, but Jesus is our lifeline through them. He is our "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," and He cannot be torn down. So long as we are in contact with Him by faith, we may be muddied, even threatened, but we will be okay. When you see the trash of life heading towards your bridge to the Lord, get rid of it. Make sure it doesn't destroy that precious lifeline with Him and His people.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

MY LATEST BOOK

Besides being a retired minister, I am a fledgling writer. I have seven E-Books on Amazon, and also a printed book, a short novel, MURDER AT PALM PARK, which you can see at:
http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Palm-Park-Intrigue-Justice/dp/1492202037

This is a fun, short (140 pages), "whodunnit" mystery about a retirement RV park, and how a minister gets mixed up in solving the murder of the RV Park Manager.

I also have a second printed book on Amazon, a daily devotional book that is listed there called DAILY WALK WITH JESUSwhich you can see at:
http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Walk-Jesus-Christian-Devotions/dp/1490549242

This 380 page work will provide you with Christian devotional readings for each day.
You can find all of my books on amazon books by typing in my name.

Writing is my retirement hobby, and I hope I can bring some hope and a little joy to my readers. ALL THESE BOOKS MAKE GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFTS, so please keep that in mind as you look them over.

God's blessings to you all,

Rev. Robert L. Tasler
Castle Rock, CO, and Casa Grande, AZ

Friday, September 6, 2013

EMBRACE THE MESS!

We had a hard rain a few days ago, and while driving through a new subdivision near our home, I saw dirt and clay from earth movers as they shaped new streets and lots. Trucks delivering materials left muddy tracks on the streets. Construction sites were littered with dumpsters filled with lumber, paper, rocks and all sorts of trash, so it was quite a mess. Even the newly started houses looked ugly with their insides exposed as they were being framed together.  

Yet this mess is necessary to have a finished product. When completed, those homes will be beautiful. New landscaping will make them look as if they are pictures in a home design magazine. Everything will be clean and neat for the new homeowners when they move in. During construction, however, the mess seems unmanageable, and we can't wait for it to end.

Our walk with God can be much the same. In life we must occasionally go through a messy period of confusion or disharmony. It is in those times that God is building a new part of life for us. He might be removing some old boards in our lives and replacing them with new ones. He might be adding another room. He might even be changing the shape of our lives altogether. But unless a messy time takes place, we will never see the new and improved version.  

The Lord’s goal is for us to become more like Himself. To achieve a change for the better will require removing all that is not from Him. It can be a painful and messy process, but in the end it will be worth it.

If God is allowing a mixed-up period in your life right now, just remember this time may be necessary in order to ensure something better for you. Like one woman said, “I embrace the mess!” You don’t have to like it or revel in it, but you can accept it and not consider it a tragedy. It's up to us to learn from what is happening in these times so that we might see the fulfillment of His purposes. 

 “My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2)

Embrace the mess, and then expect wonderful things to emerge from it.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

MISTAKEN E-MAIL


(My paperback novel, MURDER AT PALM PARK, is now available at CreateSpace.com and Amazon.com. Next week DAILY WALK WITH JESUS should be also available in paperback on those outlets.)

Have you ever make a mistake on an e-mail address? A Minnesota couple decided to go to Florida one cold winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier, so it would be fun.

Because of their different work schedules, it was difficult to come on the same flight. So the husband flew to Florida on Thursday, and his wife had a ticket to fly there Friday. The husband checked into the hotel, saw a computer in their room and decided to send his wife an email.

However, he omitted one letter in her email address, so the message was not sent to his wife, but to a widow in Houston who had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who'd died of a heart attack.

The widow checked her e-mail, expecting messages from relatives and friends, and after reading the first message, screamed and fainted. Her son rushed into the room to help his mother and saw the e-mail message. It read:

"To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived
Date: July 19, 2013
I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and checked in. I've made sure everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.
-- Your loving husband
P. S. It sure is hot down here!"

Today's WEEKLY MESSAGE has little to do with Labor Day or our Faith in Christ, but I hope it has lightened your day just a little.