Sombrero Galaxy – JWST 11/25/24
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”
(John 1:1-3)
Hi Men:
Take the verse above and replace “Word” / “He” / “Him” with Jesus. Then it reads, “In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God. Jesus was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Jesus, and apart from Jesus nothing came into being that has come into being.”
When the reality of those verses were first revealed to me… wow, what a jaw-dropper! Just think about part of verse 3: “All things came into being through Jesus…” Now, apply that to what happened in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. That same Jesus, who spoke the Sombrero Galaxy (and billions of others) into existence, humbled Himself to be born in a manger and later died a shameful death on a cross—for you and for me!
Question: “Since Jesus gave His life for you, are you willing to surrender your own desires and live fully for and “in” Him? Or do the pursuits and distractions of this world still hold you captive?”
PHOTO ABOVE – SOMBRERO GALAXY
You guessed it. I was having “galaxy withdrawal.” I wonder if that could be considered a legitimate addiction? 🤠 Just last month NASA published the latest photo of the Sombrero Galaxy taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This image shows the Sombrero Galaxy in mid-infrared light (top) and visible light (bottom). Webb’s MIRI highlights the galaxy’s smooth inner disk, while Hubble reveals the extended glow of its central star bulge. Amazing!
Here are a few cool facts about this galaxy. Even though it’s 28 million light-years from earth, you can still spot it with a small telescope. From Earth, it is tilted nearly on edge and resembles the broad rim and high-topped Mexican hat. Very cool! It’s one of the most massive objects in the Virgo cluster and equivalent to 800 billion suns! That’s hard to get you mind around……….right? It’s 50,000 light-years across and as mentioned, 28,000,000 light-years from Earth. If your Ford Edsel could travel at the speed of light, it would still take you 28 million years to get to the rim of the sombrero.
Check it out: Universe Size Comparison (YouTube 5 min)
I thought we needed to reflect again on this powerful verse. This is for YOU!
“But you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
(1 Peter 2:9)
I strongly encourage you to listen to Chris Martin’s talk at Zion:
“Whose Job is the Ministry? — Owning Your Priesthood”(62 min)
(After you click on the link, Chris’s talk is #11)
Photo Below:
Chris Martin sharing “Steps To Peace With God”
with Luke Rice @ Zion.
✟ HAVE A MOST BLESSED CHRISTMAS! ✟
Jesus + Nothing,
Dan
(Gal 2:20)
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Note: In Skip Gray’s book, “Insights” (page 33), he states, “All it costs to invest in someone else is your life.” Isaiah 43:4, “I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.” Skip Gray discipled many men, including Walt Henrichsen.
A Final Thought: Don’t get too distracted on the Middle-East, drones or the characters in Wash DC, they’re NOT going to save you! Stay focused on the eternal and “making disciples” (Matt 28:19).
Men: This profound devotional should give us all pause. The God that gave these instructions (Law) in the OT, is still the same God we worship today. (Heb 13:8)
Instructions to Men – Day 355 Red Book
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically.
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
(1)- 1 Cor 15:22, (2)- 1 Cor 7:1, (3)- Job 31:1
Please pray for the Winter Retreat 2025
Camp Hebron, PA
Jan 31 – Feb 2
Men: This is a must read by our brother, Jerry Bangert……. take your time!
THE CHIEF SINNER
by Jerry Bangert | Dec 17, 2024 |
Paul reveals his candid evaluation of himself at three different times in his life. He first calls himself “the least of the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:9 NASB); then “the very least of all saints” (Ephesians 3:8 NASB); and finally the chief sinner (1 Timothy 1:15 KJV). This is the chronological order in which these letters were written. But how does this help me in my own self-inspection, if none of these descriptors are my own honest judgment?
Men: A number of guys have told me this is a “must see” Christmas movie. I haven’t seen it yet, but my wife and I plan to see it before Christmas.
You can stream it from Amazon Prime HERE (Rent or Buy)
Watch The Trailer (YouTube 1:23 min)
Men: Two days ago, I received this encouraging note from Advancing Native Missions (Christian ministry since 1992). I think you will like it…..!!
Daniel,
I want you to know about something amazing that happened in Lebanon recently.
After the Lebanese people who live in Tyre received a warning to leave because Israel would attack them, all our people (more than 400 people from our church) went to stay in the building of Holy Spirit Church in Beirut.
A few days later, a Muslim-background believer returned home and entered her house. She found that some Hezbollah soldiers had hidden in her house while she was gone.
How did she know?
Because she found someone’s lighter as a bookmark in her Bible, a verse underlined, and a note: “Thank you, because God loved for me to come to your house to accept Jesus.”
The Hezbollah fighter gave his life to Christ because of the Bible in that woman’s house! He also left her some money as a gift.
This is the kind of miracle that happens when we pray.
Thank you for praying, and Merry Christmas!
Ten Most Wanted
Want to find a ministry you can start on your own, you just found it…….
Make sure you read the Attached PDF testimony by our dear brother, Jack Carter.
A Couple Quotes by Walt Henrichsen:
“God promises us that if we will devote ourselves to His cause, He will greatly reward us in heaven. I frequently hear believers say that they could never be motivated by so base a thing as eternal profit; such motivation smacks of selfishness. This kind of piety may be a cloak covering a fear of God holding them accountable for how they invested their lives, an accounting that appreciably influences their standard of living in eternity. Not wanting such accountability, they hide behind piety.”
“When God presents you with an opportunity to participate in what He is doing, you can either be cooperative or passive. In either case, God will execute His will. You cannot alter the plan of God, either by your opposition or inattention. …. The only person that can be hurt by disobedience is you, and who knows, our Father may have brought you “to the kingdom for such a time as this.””
As we say in MIM, “Don’t waste your ammo on secondary targets!”
William Carey (1761–1834) was called the “Father of Modern Missions.” Born in England, he was a shoemaker by trade. He traveled to India in 1793, where he spent over 41 years sharing the Gospel.