These are the words of famed cosmologist Stephen Hawking on God... and he certainly is not the last word on the subject of religion or God, or even the universe. The last book I read of his was, "The Universe in a Nutshell." The thing that struck me most was, that for a man who professes to "believe" in Science, he has more faith than I do. He has faith in the power of his own mind, though his body has so apparently failed him.  And, this is strange, in my opinion, seeing his take on the power of the brain, and that he expects it's power to terminate at death.
     He envisions our mind as the product of a supercomputer, that was not intelligently designed, and morphed into being on its own. He believes in spontaneous generation of life... of universes... of the cosmos. Yet, he does not believe in a resurrection, a higher power, a supreme being, or a different state of existence for mankind. He only believes in what his fragile mind can conceive, as if the human mind isn't as prone to failure as the rest of the body. And, as if the brain is not a part of the body. Clearly, this is flawed reasoning, as his brain is his god.
    "I see Earth! It is so beautiful!" These were the words of the first man in space... Yuri Gagarin. The 12th of April was Yuri's Night, the anniversary of Yuri's famous Sputnik capsule spin around our planet. Though his flight would have international implications, and propel the U.S. organization to push their plans for the Moon landing up, now Yuri's Night is celebrated around the world each year. Star Parties, and what have you.  Here is a remake of an old video I've shown before, which I see has been removed since I blogged about this a year ago. The music is different, but it appears to be the same video image colorized. (I liked the original better :)

    But, imagine what the first men to view Earth from the planet would have seen, on foot. Imagine you are the first man, Adam, and walking around the Earth for the very first time. I can just hear Adam's words, with God walking beside him. "Adamah, it's so beautiful God!" For, Adam was named  after the Earth since he came from the ground, much like naming a boy Clay now. 
     Now, imagine when we walk our eternal homeland. Heaven will be a paradise unimagined heretofore. Past limitations will have no meaning there. The solar system will not be an unknown. No longer will mankind suffer and war. We will all be at peace. I know others have sung a song they titled "Imagine." But, just imagine with me that there is a God, and all the people are waiting to meet their Maker. Imagine we see the Light of God in all His splendor, and all the atheistic, agnostic fears are dispelled finally and God is revealed to man. What will be your words?

      But, more than imagining the removal of earthly limitations, and the beauty of heaven; imagine living a life that is for someone else, rather than for the greatest value for ourselves while here on Earth. What if I spend my "threescore and ten," minus the fourteen years before I met Jesus, entirely for God? What if I give myself to His service and glory, and become a vessel of His praise? Is that of value to anyone here on Earth? That is determined by what happens in those minutes after the components of our brain stop working, as referred to by Stephen Hawking. If there was nothing before Creation, and there is nothing after death, then I've lived my life for an idea... a thought, which is exactly what Stephen is doing at 71 years of age. He is living for the thoughts of his own ideology. No more...no less. Same/same. But, if God is and was, if He will be and awaits me; then I will have lived for so much more than I could ever be within the limits of my own imaginings. I will have lived for the glory of the magnificent Creator of all that Stephen worships.
     If Stephen is right, then our brain is no better than a stick, since it will fall into the earth and rot... and the remains will lay motionless for hundreds of years like a rock. This makes his trust of the human brain as ultimately evolved as ancient man who worshiped stone statues. I may as well worship my big toe, without which I could not walk. If I did, then my God would be dead if I could no longer walk. Likewise, since Science can not be comprehended by late stage Alzheimer patients, then their brain can not be a god; else it would be a dying god.
     If Stephen is right, then he very soon will be dead, as is the fate of all of mankind. Then what will it matter if we understand anything at all? How is it for the most value to know anything, if we all die and go to the grave in the end? Why care where the Earth came from, or where it is going...unless, of course, somewhere out there, there will be a meeting with eternity?

     Does it sometimes feel as if it would kill you to forgive? No, we never feel that way. Or at least I don't. Most of the time, we just feel as if it would be so unjust to forgive an offense against us, or our loved ones. We think of it in terms of justice, as if holding the grudge is a punishment held against the offender, and they deserve it. In reality, the grudge is a malfunction of our own hearts... a mechanical breakdown... a fear of loving. The human heart was never made to hold a grudge. We were made to love and praise God. Nothing in the original Creation was made to frustrate or upset man. He was given all his heart could desire, yet something in his heart misfired... at a mere suggestion made by a serpent. After the Fall of Adam & Eve, man began to feel the emotion of unforgiveness. But, this mechanical breakdown of the heart can be remedied. After I explain, I will share with you 7 ways to forgive your brother.

     Today, as well as in Bible, the words "feelings" and "thoughts" are used interchangeably as functions of both the mind and heart. The fact is, the human brain is a fluid thing, and is affected by the things we see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. Our life experiences alter us and shape us, as an ongoing process. The heart itself is assigned functions of emotions by many. The brain is seen as the "thinker." But, realistically, the thinking brain has a filtering system of values that we use to make cognitive decisions on every topic. There is, after all, a reason most men like bacon. Why do men like bacon? Think about that for a moment. The brain does not just think rationally without input from emotions.
     And, where do your emotions come from? They are partly influenced by hormones secreted from glands, which have nothing to do with the brain or logical thought. Yet, no one could deny that emotions influence our decisions. Look back at the bacon question. A strip of bacon has very little actual meat. Bacon is a huge percentage fat, and will not provide the protein that would fill us up. Compare a slice of bacon, or two, or three, to a ribeye steak. There really is no comparison, is there? Which one is more filling? Yet, you do not see the media craze for steak that you do for bacon. Bacon is portrayed as meat for a hearty appetite. This is illogical, to say the least. I would choose steak over bacon any day, logically! Yet, many value bacon. Their mental value filters tell them to think of the bacon as good.
     The heart functions mechanically by a series of valves that circulate blood; which issues life throughout the body, (if we don't eat too much bacon.) The brain functions mechanically in a similar way; in that neurons fire off electrical impulses, which travel along synapses through the nervous system of the body. This dual fluid and charge system makes up our life force. Blood and neuronal impulses are constantly regenerated throughout the body. What the heart and brain receive,they have already sent out. They get nothing they haven't already given. What they give, they will get in return.
     Likewise, when dealing with sociological concerns like mercy and forgiveness, we can not physically receive what we do not give. If we criticize those around us, we will "feel" condemnation in return.

     Will itself will not change our emotions, but rather will gives us the power to change our emotions. Changes in emotion are made by changing our actions and thoughts. Thoughts are themselves exchangeable by changing actions. Therefore, most emotions are exchangeable by changing our mode of action.
     Likewise, we can choose as a matter of will to forgive others. That is usually the way it is done, since God does not rescind our human will, and coerce forgiveness. There are many good ways to help yourself forgive someone, short of dying on a cross. Below are 7 ways I have tried myself, and they always seem to work for me. If you find them useful, feel free to drop me a note to let me know.

#1: Forgive Vicariously!
     If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you have received forgiveness by being washed, metaphorically, in the blood of the cross. What this means, is that since Jesus died in your place, the blood He shed was an act that covers your sins.  If you have received this forgiveness, then you have already directly been exposed to forgiveness, first hand.  He has basically given us a figurative "blood transfusion;" replacing the unforgiveness and evil nature inside of man with His own goodness, through the cleansing power of the blood. This forgiveness for our sins killed Jesus. It may kill you, figuratively to forgive some offenses. But, you have an example. You can forgive those who offend you vicariously, that is through the actions of someone else, Jesus Christ. 

#2: Forgive as an Example!
     If someone is always being critical of you, try forgiving them for a mistake they make. If you can't find something to forgive them for, forgive someone else in their presence.  Criticism is a physical problem that can be remedied by repeated exposure to forgiveness. Seeing examples of forgiveness cures a condemning spirit. Choosing to forgive others is a way that we can demonstrate the power and forgiveness of Jesus to the world.

#3: Forgive in Proxy!
     If you no longer have contact with the person who has hurt you, because of death or distance, choose a person who has the same problems or vices that the offender had, and forgive them. Remember, forgive is a verb -an action word. Physically doing something for this person to help them with a problem their vice has caused will result in an internal release of forgiveness. For example, if a parent was an alcoholic, and caused you anguish throughout your life, but they are no longer living for you to practice the action of forgiving, help someone with a drinking problem, or volunteer at a rehab clinic. Actively helping someone stop an offense that has hurt you in the past, will allow them to receive your forgiveness as a stand-in. You benefit by releasing forgiveness out of your own heart for the person who is gone, into the life of another person who will live better because of your gift of forgiveness.

#4: Forgive in Increments!
     If what someone has done hurt you too deeply and traumatically for forgiveness, then choose a small part of their mistake to forgive for starters. By chipping away the unforgivable bit by bit, you will find you have no grudges left. Bitterness drains your heart's reserves. Forgiveness gives you power.

#5: Forgive early; Forgive often!
     Forgiveness is accumulative. Practice forgiveness by forgiving "little crimes." Repeat as often as necessary, until you find your heart is overflowing with forgiveness. The most difficult time to forgive is when we are "running on empty" and feeling like we are drained. Store up forgiveness, because you never know when the hard years will come, and you may have to hurt for awhile. When that happens, you will be thankful that your heart is full of forgiveness, and you find it easy to release the pain into forgiving someone else, because you have been learning to forgive all along.

#6: Forgive Yourself!
     Offenses hurt the offender, too. Sometimes you were punished for those things you did wrong, and that hurt. So, you need to forgive yourself for hurting yourself like that. Spend one week listing everything you've done in your life that was wrong, mean, or painful for anyone else. It will take at least a week, because we often block our own offenses out of our memory. Write it down even if you weren't caught, because you suffered mentally, and emotionally in some way for having done it: guilt, shame, bad dreams, fear of discovery. You can keep a running list in a note-taking app like Evernote. After 7 days, mark the offenses off your list one at a time as you tell yourself you are forgiven. This may sound like faulty logic for a moment, unless you realize, you really are being forgiven, because you are forgiven by yourself. You may not be forgiven by the person you wronged, but you forgive yourself. 

#7: Forgive like Jesus!
     The mercy you get is the mercy you give from your own heart. It works like the circulatory sstem I mentioned at the beginning. Forgiveness pumped out; forgiveness pumped in! Bitterness out; bitterness in! Mercy out; mercy in! This flow chart assures us that we get what we give. Jesus forgave us of all the sins and offenses we have ever committed. If you are yet unforgiven, you can repent, or turn from your sins right this very moment, and be converted to the Gospel of Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate forgiver. He gives, and He forgives, and He keeps on giving. His heart works! If we close our hearts up, and refuse to allow mercy and forgiveness to flow through us, then we will be unable to receive forgiveness ourselves. If we are already forgiven, then the same forgiveness that flows into our heart, can flow out of our hearts by an act of will, just as Jesus willed Himself to forgive on the cross.  Remember, the mercy you get is the mercy you give from your own heart. Choose to forgive! Forgive like Jesus!

     As the new moon turns into a waxing crescent, tonight at approximately 45 minutes after sunset, we will witness a unique apparition in the skies! I do believe we will still have a wet moon, but either way, at Twilight, the moon will be close to the horizon. If it is a wet moon, as pictured below, the horns will still be pointing away from the horizon, like a bowl, which is mostly a visual effect of the Winter months. (Some call the wet moon a Cheshire moon, because it looks like the Cheshire cat's smile, as in Alice in Wonderland). When it returns gradually to its vertical position, it appears to be pouring out the the water it contains in the Spring rains, so it is often referred to as a dry moon.  Because of Daylight Savings Time, sunset will occur at 7:46 pm here in my neck of the woods. You can use your zip code in the application at http://www.sunrisesunset.com/
     The comet has been in the vicinity  of the southern Hemisphere for about 2 weeks now, but was not visible here until today because it was aligned with the sun. Since it is further from the sun now here, we will be able to see it just after the sun descends, approximately around 8:31 pm here, or maybe even a little earlier because of the mountains on my western horizon. It is now or never, as this comet won't be back. It is a once in a lifetime view for Comet PanSTARRS. And, I have a front row seat to see this remarkable creation!

****Note: There is so much to say that I have to resist the urge to fire off multiple blogs. I realize I am early today, but this is what happens when I take a week off, as I did this past week. I already had Hootsuite loaded up with a stack of re-runs through Saturday night, which left me straining at the bit with several ideas before the re-runs ran out. No harm done, though since I will be home late from Travis' classes tonight. 

     The deaf make a joke, where the sign for standing is displayed (2 fingers pointing down or standing on the other hand, which is palm up.) Then they flip the palm facing downward, and hold the two fingers upside down under the palm and call it understand. Of course, this is not the correct sign for understand, but it presents a funny picture of someone standing under, literally. We use the word supernatural to describe something beyond our understanding of the laws of the natural world. But, we have to keep in mind, our understanding is just that... our understanding. We stand under the omniscient God of the universe, the Master Creator and Designer of all that we see and more.
     Wisdom has been defined as  “the perception of the best end and the best means.” I would also define it as the ability to apply knowledge profitably and sensibly. 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 says, “For the Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jew and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” This stands out to me because what the world seeks, they find the least of. Yet, what believers find, whether they knew it or not, they needed most. Even today, people still seek wisdom and the power of signs. God gives by revelation and by inspiration. Our knowledge of Him does not come from Scientifically searching for Him, but rather from God’s divine self-disclosure to us.
     This passage is ironic, in that we see those looking for a sign, and they trip over the sign. Meanwhile, we see those looking for wisdom, and they are foolishly discounting the wisdom of the Almighty. That which is supernatural is beyond the natural; outside the natural. It really would be foolish to discount everything outside the natural world simply because you can't see it, much like discounting the existence of planets that contain water beyond our solar system. We can't see them. But, the fact that we stand below this knowledge does not make us ignorant. Only discounting that as impossible would make us truly ignorant. Knowing the limitations of your own mind is true wisdom.

     But, imagine what the first men to view Earth from the planet would have seen, on foot. Imagine you are the first man, Adam, and walking around the Earth for the very first time. I can just hear Adam's words, with God walking beside him. "Adamah, it's so beautiful God!" For, Adam was named  after the Earth since he came from the ground, much like naming a boy Clay now. 
     Now, imagine when we walk our eternal homeland. Heaven will be a paradise unimagined heretofore. Past limitations will have no meaning there. The solar system will not be an unknown. No longer will mankind suffer and war. We will all be at peace. I know others have sung a song they titled "Imagine." But, just imagine with me that there is a God, and all the people are waiting to meet their Maker. Imagine we see the Light of God in all His splendor, and all the atheistic, agnostic fears are dispelled finally and God is revealed to man. What will be your words?
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are your ways, you King of saints. Who shall not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name? for you only are holy: for all nations shall come and worship before you; for your judgments are made manifest. Revelation 15:3-4