Exoplanet Investigation: Another Earth?

I am not a Christian who is threatened by science. I am fascinated by it and love to hear of new discoveries and theories that are being propounded. This does not mean that I understand everything I hear or read. I don't. But I also believe that the God who created the heavens and the earth is secure enough in His own Being and His own Truth to stand firm under all investigations and theories.

So, it was with interest that I read the piece in this week's TIME Magazine (Jan. 13, 2014) called "Finding A Second Earth". It features an astronomer, Lisa Kaltenegger, who leads a research group exploring the existence of other "Earths": planets or moons that could support plant and animal life. Planets outside of our own are called exoplanets.

"You need a nice, solid hunk of planet you can plant your feet on. You need lots of water and other friendly chemistry, some of it forming a quilt of atmosphere to keep out the cold. And you need to be just the right distance from just the right star--not too close, not too far; not too hot, not too cold. A terrarium like that incubating for, say, a billion years, might have a fair chance of cooking up something living. Those just-right conditions don't occur often, which explains why it's been so hard to find life on the tiny handful of worlds we have even a remote chance of visiting," the article explains.

And, how to conduct this extraterrestrial search (what, exactly, are we looking for?) poses its own set of diagnostic questions for the computer model working in conjunction with telescopes on earth and in space:

"Our planet, seen by extraterrestrials, would have looked very different depending on the point at which it was being observed. Take a look at us 3.9 billion years ago, and we would have had a brown, globe-girdling ocean and at atmosphere made mostly of hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Not exactly the rain forest. Check in 2.4 billion years ago, and Earth's atmosphere was mostly nitrogen, carbon dioxide and methane; blue-green algae were blooming in the seas. Not long after that, photosynthesis began flooding the atmosphere with oxygen, leading to an explosion of modern forms of life," the TIME article instructs us.

In my daily Bible reading, I read a chapter in Proverbs every day that corresponds with the date on the calendar (handy, since there are 31 chapters in Proverbs!) In today's reading of Proverbs 8, I encountered this description of "Wisdom" personified, meaning "Wisdom" is speaking as a human being. She is describing her role in the creation of Earth:

"The Lord formed me ("Wisdom") from the beginning,
before he created anything else.
I ("Wisdom") was appointed in ages past,
at the very first, before the earth began.
I ("Wisdom") was born before the oceans were created,
before the springs bubbled forth their waters.
Before the mountains were formed,
before the hills, I was born--
before he had made the earth and fields
and the first handfuls of soil.
I ("Wisdom") was there when he established the heavens,
when he drew the horizon on the oceans.
I was there when he set the clouds above,
when he established springs deep in the earth.
I was there when he set the limits of the seas,
so they would not spread beyond their boundaries.
And when he marked off the earth's foundations,
I ("Wisdom") was the architect at his side.
I ("Wisdom") was his constant delight,
rejoicing always in his presence.
And how happy I ("Wisdom") was with the world he created;
how I ("Wisdom") rejoiced with the human family!"
Proverbs 8:22-31 (New Living Translation)

Only time and "Wisdom" from God will tell if there are other "Earths" out there. The Bible only addresses the creation of this one. But I see that "Wisdom" is on the side of believing that a loving, intelligent, powerful God purposely designed our "Earth" to be inhabited by plants and animals. I'll choose to believe "Wisdom".

--Posted by Mama O.

Andrew's Birthday Party

Tyler Nauheimer, Jacob Locke, Andrew Ocheltree and Teagan Frame work to serve the guests at Andrew's 18th birthday party in August, 2013

The Bible on CD in the children's library at Rescue The Children

Carolyn and Steve flank their new adult son at Andrew's 18th birthday party at Rescue The Children

I was teaching a class at Rescue The Children last evening in their children's library, when I looked up on the shelf and saw the birthday gift that our youth group gave to the women and children for my son, Andrew's 18th birthday party.  Aaron Scott, our high school minister, suggested that the youth group chip in and buy the Bible on CD for the families at the shelter. Our youth group helped host a birthday party for Andrew, then played games with the children after dinner. Andrew wanted to do something significant to celebrate his 18th birthday, his entrance into the world of being an adult.  Since adults help care for the helpless, Andrew wanted to celebrate "becoming a man" by having a party with people who can't reciprocate. They can't invite him to their homes, because they are living at a shelter and rehabilitation facility right now. Instead of accepting gifts from other people, Andrew chose to give a gift, shared by our youth group, for his birthday. I am very proud of Andrew. He has already become a great man, and I know he will only get greater from here!

"'When you put on a luncheon or a banquet' Jesus said,'don't invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.'" Luke 14:12-14 (New Living Translation)

--Posted by Mama O.

Off To A Good Start

I am a firm believer in beginnings. I think that "how" you begin something sets the stage for how you will continue. Therefore, every January, we have the "Sweets Purging" ritual after the holidays. I wait until New Year's parties and celebrations are over, and then I do what my mother-in-law, Janice Ocheltree, taught me to do many years ago.

"Even if it's a half-eaten box of See's Candies, you throw it out," she instructed me. This solidifies a commitment to healthful eating habits as the year begins. Last night was that night at our house. Christmas sweets that had not been eaten were dumped in the trash: homemade and store-bought cookies alike. It hurt a little, as all sacrifices and commitments should. No pain, no gain.

Steve has the gym membership coupon. We sign up this week for the new year special.

Our house has been cleaned from Christmas and New Year's and is ready to support a disciplined lifestyle.

I got up this morning when my alarm rang at 5 a.m. I read my daily Psalm and chapter in Proverbs.

We have the ingredients for lentil and Swiss chard soup and whole grain bread out on the counter for tonight's dinner.

We just returned from several days at Pismo Beach, a sort of Sabbath rest, which renewed and relaxed and rejuvenated us.

I will download my book club selection for January onto my Kindle and begin to read it this week.

I will be at Rescue The Children this evening, where I have the privilege of working with women who have been in jail or prison and are now rebuilding their lives in a safe, Christ-centered environment.

I do not share all these New Year disciplines to brag, but to share my life with my friends, in hopes of encouraging one another to do right in the new year.

I just finished reading a wonderful book by Church of Christ preacher and teacher Joshua Graves. It is called The Feast: How To Serve Jesus In A Famished World. (Leafwood Publishers, Abilene, TX, 2009) In the final chapter, he gives this encouragement about practicing discipline in our lives:

"Spiritual disciplines are the daily means by which we come into contact with God.  These practices do not ensure a magical appearance of God, as if God is a genie in a bottle waiting for us to rub the bottle the right way. Rather, these disciplines give us the eyes to see the way in which God is closer to us than we are to ourselves.  The key element in understanding disciplines is this: they are not rules or practices one must follow in order to be 'saved.' Spiritual disciplines create space for the Holy Spirit to work anew, changing us in steady ways.  My friend, Rabbi Mark Kinzer, once reminded me, 'Josh, keeping Torah is not a burden, Keeping Torah is a blessing. It is true freedom, for it is life-giving.'"

--Posted by Mama O.

The Invisible Woman

Our lap dogs, Vanilla (Nillie) and Ginger being walked by Paul Ocheltree with Steve Ocheltree (right) and Andrew Ocheltree (rear) Bruce Ferri walks Arthur, the St. Bernard (rear left)

My "invisible woman" outfit: a polka-dot bathrobe, lime green pajama pants, Yosemite commemorative socks and leopard print house slippers

I unwittingly conducted a social experiment yesterday morning at Pismo Coast Village, where we are staying in our trailer. It was about 8:30 a.m. and our two little lap dogs, Ginger and Nillie, needed to be walked for their morning constitutional. We are relaxing here at the coast, and I didn't feel like getting dressed to take the dogs out to go potty, so I just emerged in my polka-dot bathrobe, with lime green pajama pants, Yosemite commemorative socks and a pair of leopard print house slippers. Usually, when I walk two cute little dogs, I get lots of smiles and nods and compliments. But yesterday morning I got an interesting response from passers-by: nothing. When I would try to catch the eye of a fellow walker or the man driving the maintenance cart over by the park office, I found people politely averting my gaze, focusing on steering wheels or asphalt or their own business. I had become invisible in my bright, clashing nightclothes. I suppose some people wondered if I had wandered away from the RV without permission, that my family would find me soon and return me to the safe confines of the little gated yard outside our trailer. Others, out of politeness or personal embarrassment, decided not to call attention to my night clothes. Later in the day, after I took my shower and got dressed, I became visible again. People smiled and nodded and acknowledged me along the walking path. It gave me a small taste of what it must be like to be invisible, to be in the middle of a crowd yet to be ignored, to be considered beneath the dignity of notice or at least hopelessly awkward to notice.

There are circumstances that place people in those "invisible" positions: homelessness, disfigurement, not fitting in, having tattoos or dreadlocks or felony convictions or being gay in a Baptist church. Fortunately, society seems to be getting more conscious of certain "awkward" conditions that used to make people "invisible". Efforts are being made to be more tolerant, inclusive and accepting of people who were formerly marginalized or openly shunned.

What about the church of Jesus Christ? How are we doing with "invisible" people? How did Jesus respond to the "invisible" people of his day: lepers, prostitutes, convicted felons, misfits?

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
Luke 4:18-20 (New King James Version)

--Posted by Mama O.

10 Reasons to go to the beach at New Year's

Carolyn Ocheltree drives the sand buggy

Paul, Andrew and Steve Ocheltree in the sand buggy with Ginger, the dog. Bruce Ferri stands by.

Rick Cummings and Steve Ocheltree hold Ginger and Nillie (lap dogs)

Rosanna Cummings, Cathi Ferri and Linda Sue enjoy the campfire

1. The Henderson family is always at Pismo on New Year's
2. You start the year in a fresh, clean environment
3. You can drive on the sand
4. You can get stuck in the sand
5. A total stranger can help un-stick you from the sand
6. Your dogs love the beach
7. You can take time to visit with people
8. You can pray together around the campfire
9. Gene and Linda Sue come here
10. You get to make pancakes outdoors on New Year's Day

--Posted by Mama O.

Blessed with Frienship

Table for 12: (Clockwise) Doug Pafford, Lynn Button, Robin Button, Gay Morris, Mae Pafford, Terry Cowger, Rosanna Cummings, Linda Sue, Gene Sue, Rick Cummings (not pictured: Larry Cowger and David Morris)

(Clockwise) Carolyn and Steve Ocheltree, Cathi and Bruce Ferri

Spent the first (non-holiday) evening of the new year with a large group of friends from College Church of Christ. Gene Sue made reservations for a 4:30 p.m. dinner at Jocko's Steakhouse in Nipomo. Seems early, but it works on a winter evening. We are continually thankful for and blessed by the gift of our church family. And, just in case you want some "surf" with your Spencer steak "turf", I highly recommend the calamari steak at Jocko's!

--Posted by Mama O.

New Year's Resolutions

MY CHARACTER QUALITIES FOR 2014

1.   Encouraging
2.   Loving
3 .  Honest
4.   Lovely
5.  Creative
6.   Joyful
7.   Intuitive
8.   Compassionate
9.   Energetic
10. Wise
11. Patient
12. Kind
13. Stable
14. Helpful
15. Understanding
16. Fearless
17. Motherly
18. Good Listener
19. Hope-filled
20. Faithful

I've been challenging other people to do this, which means, of course, that I need to do it myself to see how it feels. This list of character qualities are those that I feel I already possess or want to develop in the coming year. Not that a year is enough time to perfect any of these qualities, but it's a start! I will keep a copy of these attributes in an accessible place, like my night stand drawer, or on my iPhone. Then, when I go to make a decision, I will look at this list, and see if my decision matches the qualities on this list. It will be an interesting experiment. Join me! Let's compare notes at the end of 2014. I know we'll have some good stories to share!

--Posted by Mama O.