New Eyes on the Heavens
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
“He counts the number of the stars;
He gives names to all of them.”
—Psalm 147:4
Hi Men:
I pray that Jesus Christ is so profoundly real “in” your life that everything else you do in the course of a day pales by comparison.
I was reminded of that early Thursday morning at my son’s home just outside Carson City, beneath an exceptionally dark Nevada sky, watching the Perseid meteor shower. Looking up at the heavens, everything else seemed very small, and Christ very great. I was also over-whelmed by the sunrise:
Being here in Carson City with my 2 grandsons has been another gift from the Lord. Years ago, when a friend asked what I hoped for if I ever had grandchildren, I told him, “I hope I’m still healthy enough to go backpacking with them and have the kind of conversations that really matter.”
So, if I can quit doing dumb things like zip lines and other adventures better suited for younger men, perhaps the Lord will still give me that opportunity, and more importantly, the privilege of leaving a lasting spiritual imprint on their lives.
PHOTO ABOVE
Before I tell you about the remarkable telescope pictured above, let me first tell you how it got its name. It bears the name of a remarkable woman, Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy in the 1950’s and the woman who became known as the “Mother of Hubble.”
Nancy Grace Roman
1925 – 2018 (Age 93)
Age 11, she formed an astronomy Club. She never married and no children. Her life was astronomy. She did have a religion, she was a Unitarian Universalist. If you don’t know, they reject the Trinity, Christ’s deity, Biblical authority, substitutionary atonement, bodily resurrection, judgment, and salvation through Christ alone. I was saddened to read about that. A woman who gave 24/7 to a most remarkable career, then dies and ends up for all eternity……. where? Terrifying!!
Now, back to that amazing telescope pictured above. On Sunday, August 30, NASA plans to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy frtand why astronomers are so excited about it.om Kennedy Space Center. When you see what this thing is designed to do, I think you’ll understand why astronomers are so excited about it.
- 100× Hubble’s field of view — with a mirror about the same size.
- Up to 1,000× faster than Hubble at surveying the sky.
- Could measure light from about 1 billion galaxies.
- Will monitor hundreds of millions of stars in our Milky Way.
- May detect planets smaller than Mars.
- Could discover up to 100,000 new planets.
- Can block a star’s glare to directly image some exoplanets.
- May help answer one of astronomy’s biggest mysteries: What is dark energy?
The 95% of the universe continues to mystify scientists and astrophysicists, yet 100% is known by its Creator.
IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD
Meet my new buddy, Bo. He was my Uber driver from the Reno Airport. Bo was born in mainland China and speaks some English, but seemed to understand fairly well. He became excited when I showed him the JESUS Film in Mandarin and wanted to watch it, so I texted him the link.
As we talked, it became apparent that he knew very little about Jesus and was surprised when I mentioned that Christians are persecuted in China, even though he and his mother had just returned from visiting there two months ago. His son operates an Asian restaurant in Reno.
In addition to the JESUS Film, I gave him several of the gospel tracts I normally carry, and told him, “If you ever have any questions, text me.” Bo was especially excited that we took a photo together, and later messaged me: “I was very happy to meet you. I loved the photo. I will tell you if I have any questions. Thank you.”
You just never know what God may do with a simple conversation, but first, we have to open our mouth and ask.
Amazed and Grateful,
Dan
(Galatians 2:20)
Disciple making is a work of faith
Disciple making is a labor of love
Disciple making involves the patience of hope
The Cost of Investing in Others (#1) – Day 227 Red Book
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
Click Below for the PDF and Part Two
THE METAVERSE
THE MISSION FIELD YOU MAY NEVER HAVE CONSIDERED
The Metaverse is a virtual world where people interact through digital avatars — talking, playing, learning, and building relationships in shared online spaces. Jesus Film Project sees it as a real mission field filled with real people who need the gospel.
Want to understand it better?
JesusFilm.org/Metaverse/#FAQ
I previously shared Jesus Film Project’s short video about Stewart, one of the first VR missionaries, reaching people inside these virtual worlds (5min). Take a moment to watch it…
JesusFilm.org/watch/vr-missionary.html/english.html
The location may be virtual, but the people, the conversations, and the need for Christ are very real.
THE WORK GOD APPOINTED FOR YOU
I ran across an old theologian that I had never heard of Wolfgang Musculus (1497–1563). He was an important Reformed theologian during the Protestant Reformation who began as a Benedictine monk, encountered Luther’s writings while still in the monastery, later left Roman Catholicism, worked alongside Reformers such as Martin Bucer, and eventually became professor of theology in Bern, Switzerland. His name is not nearly as familiar today as Luther or Calvin, but he was regarded as a significant second-generation Reformed theologian.
The sixteenth-century Reformer Wolfgang Musculus made this penetrating observation:
“True godly obedience is to be seen not merely in doing such work as we arbitrarily take up, but in doing such work as God appoints us to do.”
That sounds remarkably similar to Paul’s words:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
—Ephesians 2:10
Although God assured the prophet Jeremiah that He formed him, knew him, sanctified and ordained him, he still was paralyzed by the fear of man:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Then I said, “Alas, Lord GOD!
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
Because I am a youth.”
—Jeremiah 1:5–6
When the fear of man seeks to paralyze us, we must stop saying, “I cannot speak,” and instead say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This verse obliterates every excuse we try to offer for not preaching the gospel to every creature. It counters the fear of man, the fear of rejection, the fear of public speaking, and the fear of offering a stranger a gospel tract.
Do You Believe This?
