You’re Better Than A Star

May 12, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple or Spotify.

Astronomers admit that they cannot observe the entire universe, because it’s simply too vast for any equipment that has been made. In the Milky Way galaxy alone there are something like 10 trillion stars.

But that’s just one galaxy.

Astronomers used to estimate that there are another 10 trillion galaxies, but they have recently admitted that there are likely three times more stars than they originally thought. Which makes the total number in the observable universe 300 sextillion stars.

300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars

But here’s what is more amazing: God knows each of those stars by name!

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. (Isaiah 40:26)

As awesome as the stars are, here’s what God thinks about you…

When I look at the night sky and see the work of Your fingers—the moon and the stars You set in place—what are mere mortals that You should think about them, human beings that You should care for them? Yet You made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:3-5)

And most amazingly of all, God not only knows the 300 sextillion stars by name, but He knows you by name too (Exodus 33:17)!

Friend, in God’s eyes you shine brighter than a star! He knows you by name. If not one star is missing from His view, how much more does He see you!

If you’re feeling discouraged or alone or forgotten, step outside tonight and look up at the stars. God knows them all by name, but He knows you too—and He thinks the world of you!

You are not alone—God sees you and He loves you!

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Galileo (book review)

April 28, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

You can quickly spot the influential people throughout history: they typically only need one name to distinguish them from all others. And Mitch Stokes does a masterful job showing why this noted scientist/mathematician/philosopher deserves the one-name designation in Galileo.

The first thing that stood out to me was how Galileo “found his way.” As the son of a musician, the field of science was never on his horizon. In fact, the start of his university career was in medicine. But as he quickly showed no aptitude nor passion for these pursuits, it was refreshing to see how his father let Galileo explore other areas of study to find his niche.

The next thing that amazed me was how Galileo’s new study and future employment in mathematics quickly evolved and expanded into areas such as philosophy, and later in life, astronomy and cosmology. Although Galileo is known today for his studies of the heavens through his improved telescope, those discoveries were only pursued to bolster his mathematic hypotheses.

Then it was amazing to see how deftly Galileo handled himself when he foresaw that his new discoveries that supported Copernicus’ claims of a heliocentric universe would upset those in the Catholic Church. Galileo said and wrote often that he was not trying to make new theology or correct old theology, but was simply trying to show how the Bible and science fit together. It was really the politically-minded (and Inquisition-minded) Cardinals in the Church that stirred up trouble for Galileo, but never the other way around.

Galileo demonstrated so beautifully through his observations and careful mathematic theorems how God had created an orderly and wonderfully-made universe. He believed that scientists had the responsibility to use their skills of observation and calculation to show how God and science are companions and not adversaries.

This is a part of Thomas Nelson’s Christian Encounters Series, and I not only highly recommend this book, but I’m looking forward to reading others in the series as well.

I am a Thomas Nelson book reviewer.

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I Went Back To Middle School

December 11, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Yesterday morning was the second annual Parent Shadowing Day at Cedar Springs Middle School, so I got to follow my daughter for a couple of hours. It was a little weird being back in middle school after 30+ years, but I had a lot of fun being with my daughter.

Here are a couple of thoughts on my day:

First hour band

  • Got to sit in my old section: percussion. It was all I could do to keep from jumping in on the marimba!
  • A little painful to listen to middle schoolers working their way through a song, but slowly Feliz Navidad and Greensleeves begin to emerge.
  • I love the way band teachers explain music verbally. Mr. Green said to the brass, “You’re supposed to start with a strong staccato ‘Tah!’ but you’re giving me a slurred ‘Blaaah.’”

Second hour computers

  • When I was in middle school we had precisely zero computers … in the whole building! Now each student is sitting at their own workstation.
  • I’m amazed at how fast these students are on the computer (but I’m still faster!)
  • Some kid just sneezed into the sleeve of his sweatshirt. Nice catch! He says, “Eww, gross!” I say, “Better your sleeve than your computer monitor!”
  • My overachieving daughter just completed her project that isn’t due for another two weeks!

Third hour writing

  • I used to dread going to writing class in middle school, but now I love writing. I’m thankful to Mr. Cochrane who encouraged and invested in my writing skills.
  • The class welcomed a new student who just moved to Cedar Springs. It’s got to be tough to be “the new kid.” I need to remember how that feels so I can make new people feel welcomed.
  • Cool! This class throws around a Koosh ball to help identify who’s supposed to be talking. It’s like having gym in writing class.
  • I love the peer-to-peer editing of each other’s research papers. They have to write down PATS: Praise, Ask a question, Tell something that sticks in their mind, and give a Suggestion. Encouraging encouragement is way cool.
  • The students here are much more quiet and respectful of their teachers than we were in middle school. I’m just saying….

Fourth hour science

  • Fascinating how a folded piece of pre-printed paper and a brass brad can help students learn the position of the sun relative to our latitudinal position in Michigan. And I’m amazed at how quickly the students grasp the concept.
  • We got to leave science early to wish student teacher Miss Nicki a fond farewell. She’s graduating and now looking for a full-time teaching assignment. We celebrated with Tootsie Pops.

What a wonderful experience. It’s so cool to “walk in someone else’s shoes.” I need to make that a more regular discipline in my life.

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God’s Big Hands

April 22, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple or Spotify.

Mahalia Jackson sang it so well, “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” Beautiful song … incredible truth!

But what does that mean? How can we grasp that concept? The prophet Isaiah tried to capture the essence of this when he asked who else but God “has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, or with the breadth of His hand marked off the heavens?” (Isaiah 40:12).

Hold your hand palm up, fingers tight together to make a “dish” in the palm of your hand. How much water can you hold in that hollow of your hand? I just tried it and I couldn’t even hold ¼-cup of water. Yet Isaiah says that the hollow of God’s hand holds all the water of the earth.

How much is that? According to the US Geological Survey, the total water supply of the world is 326 million cubic miles. A cubic mile is an imaginary cube measuring one mile on each side. A cubic mile of water equals more than one trillion gallons (that‘s a 1 with 12 zeros following it!)—

One cubic mile of water (1 trillion gallons) x 326 million cubic miles =
326 quintillion gallons of water (326 followed by 18 zeros)!!
God holds ALL of this in the hollow of His hand!

Now stretch out your fingers as wide apart as you can. What is the distance from the tip of your thumb to the tip of your pinky finger? The breadth of my hand is about nine inches. Isaiah says that all of the stars in the universe fit into the breadth of God‘s hand.

How many is that? According to the European Space Agency, there are something like 10 trillion stars (a 10 followed by 12 zeros) just in our galaxy, and they estimate there are something like 10 trillion galaxies—

10 trillion stars in our galaxy x 10 trillion galaxies =
10 septillion stars (10 followed by 24 zeros)!!
God holds ALL of these stars in the breadth of His hand!

To say God’s hands are big and powerful is an understatement of astronomical proportions!

You might be thinking, “With hands that big, I’m so insignificant. I’m lost to God’s sight because His hands are so big.” But there is another aspect to God’s hands—they are not only big, but they are loving.

“Behold, I have indelibly imprinted—tattooed a picture of you—on the palm of each of My hands…” (Isaiah 49:16 AMP). God knows you by name—you are tattooed on His loving hands. His hands which are big enough to hold all the water and all the stars are loving enough to hold you!

Wow, what an incredible God! Powerful enough to protect and provide for us, tender enough to love each of us as though we were the only person in the universe to love!

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