A Lesser Light

"And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also." (Gen. 1:16)

Back to a favorite subject.  This one captured off the coast of Cephalonia, Greece as we steamed westward towards Rome.  It was fun to imagine the same moon being seen by our family stateside several hours later.

The "lesser light" can only reflect that of the greater and yet when it turns its full face to the Source, how great the glory!  And how apparent the path that it illuminates across the water.

Following the Mob

Try to imagine this entire theatre filled to its 24,000 person capacity, everyone shouting "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" over and over again for two full hours.  The roar must have been deafening. And most of them didn't even know why they had gathered together. (Acts 19)

Turns out some silversmiths were pretty concerned that this new Christianity thing might really catch on.  Not that they were that worried about their business or anything.  Really, mostly just concerned that the "great goddess" (Artemis) might be offended and her magnificence destroyed throughout Asia. So they stirred up the people.  Even before talk radio. Or presidential campaigns.

We probably can't do too much about those who will always try to stir up the crowd and demagogue the issues.  But we can stop and make sure we aren't running headlong behind them, not knowing why we're even there.  To the contrary, just across the Aegean Sea, the Bereans were called noble because they searched the scriptures to see if what they were hearing was sound. (Acts 17:10-11)

Scale

We're all familiar with the "Objects in the Mirror may be closer than they Appear" warnings.  A picture can also be quite deceiving if there is nothing in the image to help us with the scale.  The mammoth Coliseum, its ruins actually a shadow of the original grandeur, presents such a challenge.  If you look closely, you can see the people; and thus the scale.

How often in life do we react (over-react?) to something when we lose our sense of proportionality.  Fear can grip and our minds extrapolate to the "worst case" or "nth degree".  Maybe that's part of why I enjoy flying so much -- the perspective from even a few thousand feet above the ground affords just a small reprieve from the sometimes overwhelming nature of everyday life.

Yet most important is to trust God, whose infinite power and love dwarfs all fear and despair.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Lower Lights II

This shot returns me to a favorite thought, captured best in the hymn, "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning" and featured originally here.

I love a good lighthouse.  They come in all shapes and sizes and are often quite photogenic (more will appear here when I have a chance to travel with my digital camera to a suitable spot!).  But it's their purpose that is so interesting.  Silent sentinels warning sailors about the rocky shore lest they should become shipwrecked so near their destination.  Some people stand strong in our lives, their lights radiating in a way that just inspire us to live circumspectly.

But it's often the less noticeable examples that seem most noble to me.  This little guy isn't all that grand.  But our giant ship would have come to grief even on the tiny spit of land it marks had we sharpened our turn towards the port of Argostoli on Cephalonia, Greece.

Greg & Diana

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13)

Our son Greg is engaged to Diana Wagenbach and we find ourselves deeply grateful and humbled at the Lord's tender leading and care for our children.

Suspense

We use phrases like, "I was left hanging."  Or, "It kept me in suspense."  And we don't usually like it all that much.  At least those of us who treasure certainty don't like it much. 

But what if we could see the invisible yet strong cables of God's arms holding us up?  If through the eyes of faith we could be more at peace just hanging, knowing that we are kept by His grace (see I Peter 1:5).

The Rio-Antirrio bridge spans the Gulf of Corinth from the Greek mainland to the Peloponnese.

Fiskardo

For some reason this picture makes me think of the phrase, "I'm going to my happy place."  While I wouldn't suggest "escape" as a recommended regular practice, it certainly can be beneficial to let one's thoughts drift to a "place" where there are good memories of peacefulness, time with friends and loved ones, vacations, etc.

This little village on the north end of the Greek island of Cephalonia evokes some of those warm thoughts as I recall the day--in a week of such days--I spent there with my best friend and helpmate.

And with the cold and gray of winter reaching like tentacles all around us, a little blue sky and water doesn't hurt either.  Would you agree?

Santorini

San-tor-EEE-nee.  A gem of an island in the Aegean Sea.  Its crescent shape marked by stunning west coast cliffs plummeting into the caldera of a long dormant volcano, and dotted with dozens and dozens of these white-washed, blue-domed churches.  Absolutely stunning.

This particular shot is in the northernmost town of Oia (EEE-uh).

Happy Thanksgiving!

"So the children went in and possessed the land...and they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness." (Neh. 9:24-25)

Sound familiar?  We are blessed.  Happy Thanksgiving!  And watch out for v. 26.

God bless each of you.  Among my many blessings are those of you who take the time to drop by and read these musings...or just look at the pix...that's OK too!  :)

Not One Stone

We identify visitors to the city by their upward glances in admiration of the skyscrapers.  (Though I could be mistakenly identified that way too as I've never lost my sense of wonder for such things--including pointing a camera in all directions.)

I guess it's no surprise the disciples pointed out the magnificent temple during their Jerusalem visit in Matthew 24.  It likely did surprise them when the Master prophesied of the day when "There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down".  How permanent those stones must have seemed to them then.  I believe it was around 70 A.D. when the Roman Titus was responsible for fulfiling that very prophecy, as chronicled in the arch that bears his name in Rome. 

Nothing on earth today is any more permanent.  Nothing.