My blog

Hi everyone, this is my first attempt at blogging, please be patient with me. I have always been passionately interested in science and always been a committed Christian who believes in the creative power of God, and I honestly believe that the two are not mutually exclusive. I would like to use this blog to explore this relationship.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Upward/Outward/Inward (aka The Magic That Is Me): Lesson from Lemmon

Upward/Outward/Inward (aka The Magic That Is Me): Lesson from Lemmon: "I have been wanting to spend time up on Mt. Lemmon for awhile now. I love the ocean, but I also love being in the woods, and Mt. Lemmon is ..."

God in nature, that's what I'm talking about! Thanks Nina.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

No arms, no legs, no worries

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciYk-UwqFKA

I did a bit of thinking before posting this.  Some of us complain a lot and sometimes we think we're really, incredibly, hard-done by.  But this guy, Nick Vujicic, inspires me to be thankful for what I have.  He has no arms and no legs but can do quite well without them.  He can golf, swim, dive, play soccer (though doesn't play goal that well). . .In this video he gives a speech to some school-kids and has their complete attention.  Many, girls and boys, have tears in their eyes, not because they feel sorry for him, but because he inspires them too.  They hug him as thanks and are very emotional.  I don't know if he is a believer in God or not but I would bet that he is.  I can see it in his face, in his smile.  He shares his spirit and his story, himself.  It's amazing. 

I also don't know if this has anything to do with science, but I would think that there are a lot of scientists studing him and people like him, to figure out better ways to help the physically disabled.  Praise God for those without what we take for granted.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Book and Movie: "Contact" by Carl Sagan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contact_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contact_(movie)


This is another of my very favourite treasures, it's just a joy both to read the book and watch the movie.  I don't know which I like more.   Links to both are provided.
The premise is that the search for extraterrestrial life, on which a lot of money and time is spent, eventually provides fruit.  Jody Foster plays the radio astronomer Ellie Arroway in the movie who turns from being a skeptic into a very confused agnostic. 

feeling insignificant?

http://dingo.care-mail.com/cards/flash/5409/galaxy.swf

This is a very clever piece by Eric Idle, of Monty Python fame.  It's a mind-blower. . .

Volcanic activity.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/07/recent_volcanic_activity.html

Great pics.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

birds on the wire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoM4ZZJ2UrM

This is a video that was posted on Facebook by a friend, it's very clever.  short but hugely entertaining.  Enjoy!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Nelson British Colombia

This is a link an article about one of the most beautiful towns in Canada, if not the planet.  It's in the current issue of Beautiful B. C. magazine.  For sure God lives here.

http://www.bcmag.ca/issue/article/?id=2999

Sunday, September 19, 2010

a natural disaster

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/huge_fish_kill_reported_in_pla.html

This is a shocking situation.  I am thinking that if God is in nature, then something like this is the absence of God.  I am thinking that this is man's doing, this is evil and should not be.  Any comments?

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Quote from Albert Einstein

Religion without science is blind.  Science without religion is paralysed.  (they need each other.)

The Big Picture: Earth from Space

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/01/earth_observed.html

This is a link to some very interesting and detailed pictures from space.  I was astounded at the detail of these.

Native North American Ten Commandments

http://www.youtube.com/v/DY3ZEvOfD1w&f=gdata_videos

Ancient wisdom, beautifully presented.

Supreme Being vs. Superior race of creators

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vancouversun.com%2Flife%2FIntelligent%2Bdesign%2Btakes%2Bmeaning%2F3467396%2Fstory.html&h=7770e

This article seems to dismiss God as being the Creator, rather theorizing that some superior race somewhere created our Universe and other universes as well.  Very interesting but I thought somewhat biased.

from "The Christian Agnostic" by Dr. Leslie Weatherhead.

This book, from 1965, has always been a favourite book of mine.  In it Dr. Weatherhead makes a very valid point, that:

"Paul was a great theologian, as well as a great saint and a heroic missionary, but we are not bound to imprison our minds in his theories.  Newton was a great scientist, but it is no disparagement of Newton to realize that even schoolboys (and girls) today know more than he did about atoms.  Thought moves on in every field of inquiry."

I think his point is that no-one ever has all the answers, not theologians, not scientists, no-one.  God (for example) is bigger than our minds can ever conceive and that is how it should be.

The Divine Proportion

http://www.summum.us/philosophy/phi.shtml

It wasn't until I read "The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown that I understood more what I had learned in school (geometry and art) about this fascinating subject.  God in nature, Lord, I believe!

St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi was a Saint who saw God in nature and was made by the Catholic church the patron saint of ecology, which seems fitting. 

http://conservation.catholic.org/st__francis_of_assisi.htm


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI1Gst7pEqc&feature=related

I found a beautiful rendition of "Make me a Channel of your Peace", the famous prayer of St. Francis, filmed in his home town of Assisi.  It is sung by Angelica.