It was named after James E. Webb, NASA administrator from 1961 to1968 during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.
The telescope was a long time in the making, first planned in 1996 and projected for launch in 2007. But cost overruns and delays and a major redesign in 2005 had pushed the completion date to 2016.
And it was actually launched on Christmas of 2021.
The JWST, a large infrared telescope, is being used to study the history of our Universe, such as:
* the first luminous glows after the Big Bang
* the first galaxies formed in the early universe
* the stars forming planetary systems through dusty clouds
* the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth
* the data to support theories of the evolution of our own Solar System.
As the largest optical telescope in space, its greatly improved infrared resolution and sensitivity allow it to view objects too early, distant, or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope.
Often in short bios, people list the pronouns which they choose to be addressed by:
he/him
she/her
they/them
zhe/zher
it/its
....
whatever
In the name of open mindedness and diversity and tolerance and civility, most respect their wishes and call them by their preferred pronouns.
It's the polite thing to do.
What are God's Pronouns?
He/Him
These masculine pronouns are used in traditional translations of the Bible as well as other references to the Deity: Father, Son, Lord, King, Prince of Peace, etc.
As the One who Created us--male and female--here is a reason as to why God identifies as male:
Yet, I've seen a trend of referring to God as gender neutral, in worship as well as some more recent Bible translations that also strike out other male specific words man, men, mankind, etc.
When I orbited the Earth in a spaceship, I saw for the first time how beautiful our planet is. Mankind, let us preserve and increase this beauty, and not destroy it!
Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday. And this holiday has been the focus of some TV specials and episodes in series, especially in the 1950s. Reflecting on some of the early days of television is a good lead in for this new thread -
One popular show of the 1950s was Father Knows Best (1954 - 1960). At its center was a loving family: a hard working father, a wise stay-at-home mother, and three kids growing up in more innocent times. And it was a time when prayer and patriotism were not banned from public places or ridiculed, but they were encouraged in our culture.
The series first Thanksgiving episode, "Father Knows Best" Thanksgiving Day (TV Episode 1954), focused on this holiday that had started out badly. But in the end, the family came together and the father prayed with his wife and children.
Though it first aired 60 years ago, this final scene still touches me and fills me with nostalgia.
This father leads, loves, and prays. And he thanks God for their blessings, which are our blessings: our country and our freedoms, especially personal rights to worship, think, and speak as we choose. And finally he thanks God for his family and their love for one another.
With the masculine references and King James English, this prayer is as un-PC as it gets. But these virtues are a good thing to remember and something to reclaim. The following Scriptures come to mind:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
My local women's Bible study just finished Gideon using the guide which is shown above. [for a promo: click here]
The series of lessons was written and taught via DVD by Priscilla Shirer - a graduate from Dallas Theological Seminary in Biblical studies. But Priscilla describes herself as a wife and mom first though, in my opinion, she is a wonderful teacher. She connects with students - whether in a classroom setting or on the other side of TV screen - and really knows her stuff.
Why Gideon?
This Old Testament story still is relevant in the 21st century. Human nature - its weakness, warts and all - have not changed. And today, so many of us may feel like Gideon - small, insignificant, weak - especially when oppressed by powerful foes. But God uses our weaknesses as the key to tap into His resources and give us His strength to open the door to victory.
For a taste of the series, check out the clip below:
Now for, a few ...
#LessonsFromGideon
Though the story takes up three chapters, Judges 6-8, there are riches to be mined here and timeless lessons to be learned. In these few short chapters, patterns appear that repeat themselves throughout Scripture and history.
For example:
* Gideon did well - at first - when he was aware of his weakness and totally depended on God, checking in frequently to do His will. Following God's instruction, Gideon with his band of 300 scored a great victory over the Midianites.
* And in the New Testament, St. Paul received a word from the Lord concerning his "torn in the flesh" -
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9(NIV)
Great lesson.
But after great victories, Gideon became a victim of his own success. Pride moved in. And it was the undoing of his family as we see in Judges 8 and the decline of the nation after Gideon's passing in Judges 9.
And Moses gave warning that this would happen:
11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
And the people did not heed the warning as this same theme repeats itself in the Old Testament. After the judges, such as Gideon, came the kings - Saul, David, Solomon ... Some did well until they forgot God. And the same can be said for us as well as our nation.
This series is a timeless lesson for all us Gideons - unsure of ourselves, aware of weaknesses, afraid of the powerful who seem to oppress us. But as it says in that great chapter of Faith:
32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword;whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Hebrews 8(NIV)
If you have a chance, please check out this study, as we continue our journey in the ...
Yes ... I admit it. I have been known to watch cartoons. But what does this have to do with Valentine's Day ... or love? Let me tell you.
In my younger years, I had the television tuned to a cartoon channel as I was going about my business.
The format for this particular set of shows, featuring superheroes, had a goofy looking animated host.
As MC, this toon plugged upcoming shows and made comments during the breaks.
Nothing unusual or memorable about that.
But one afternoon was different.
While promoting the upcoming show, the voice - on script - plugged the featured superhero with superpowers as
"the most powerful force in the universe."
Then - for a second - the MC went off script and added - "that is, except for love."
Bravo!
Though I remember little details about the shows, these words of this wise cartoon host stayed with me.
As shown by the heart circling the Milky Way in the night sky, February is the month of St. Valentine's Day. It is a holiday in which we celebrate love. The cards and gifts exchanged usually are on the theme of romantic love. But love does more than make the world go around. (Love Makes the World Go Around)
Indeed as the wise little toon said, love is the most powerful force in the universe ... and, I may add, beyond.
Consider the words of Jesus when asked -
36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38This is the first and greatest commandment.39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22 (NIV)
Jesus not only stated the greatest commandment was love, but quoted these commandments about love from the Old Testament -Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18
And, likewise, a great picture of love is found - of all places - in the Old Testament. It is the story of the prophet, Hosea.
God spoke to Hosea and told him to marry a prostitute named Gomer. Gomer was unfaithful and left Hosea to pursue other lovers. Eventually, Gomer's lovers grew tired of her and dumped her. She sunk so low that she fell into the bondage of slavery. Yet, Hosea sought out Gomer, bought her out of the slave market, and restored her as a free woman and as his wife.
From this experience, Hosea knew how deeply God hurt when His people were unfaithful to Him, pursuing other gods. From the depths of his heart, Hosea proclaimed to the nation about God's amazing, tender, pursuing love.
Below is a clip of the story of Hosea set in modern times.
Remember the 1980s? Ronald Reagan was president (1981 - 1989). And during most of the decade (1980 - 1988), Tom Selleck starred in Magnum, P.I.
Magnum PI stencil
If you missed the show when it was first on the air and/or its reruns (I have all 8 seasons on DVD), it was story of a hunk, Thomas Magnum - a Vietnam vet, a former Navy SEAL, who had suddenly resigned from a promising career in the Navy.
His reason?
"I woke up one day at 33 and realized I had never been 23." (reference: Magnum, P.I.)
But Thomas Magnum landed in a sweet spot as a security consultant at a millionaire playboy's Hawaiian estate while working on the side as a private eye. He solved mysteries and stopped crimes (mostly for beautiful women) in the paradise of the Aloha State.
And Magnum's boss Robin Masters, highly successful writer of lurid pulp fiction and provider of Magnum's cool pad on his estate Robin's Nest, was hardly ever home. And Magnum got the keys to Robin's red Ferrari (not exactly inconspicuous for a private eye to be driving.) What a deal!
The character of Thomas Magnum was a free spirit and at times a little immature. To balance this "boy" in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts was Jonathan Quayle Higgins III, the caretaker of Robin's Nest. Higgins was the father figure, veteran of World War Two, master of law and order, the consummate Englishman and British soldier, who adored Queen Elizabeth II and admired General Bernard "Monty" Montgomery. The two balanced each other - like yin and yang.
World War Two and Vietnam vets together in one series ...
And this series was unique in that it may have been the first to celebrate the "Greatest Generation" and World War Two veterans in the character of Jonathan Higgins with the Baby Boomers and Vietnam veterans in the characters of Thomas Magnum and his comrades-in-arms "Rick" Wright and "TC" Calvin.
This series reflected the pop culture of the 1980s and here is the opening scene of this 8-season show:
This series rocketed Tom Selleck to major stardom and later more plum roles. Among them, Quigley Down Under (1990), Monte Walsh (2003), and a favorite TV movie series of mine - Jesse Stone(2005 - 2012).
And as Magnum, P.I. ended in 1988, so did the Reagan years in 1989.
Reagan prepares for farewell address
On the more serious side as the 1980s drew to a close, President Reagan's farewell address sounded a warning for America's future, which included the pop culture. Here are some key excerpts -
"An informed patriotism
is what we want. And are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what
America is and what she
represents in the long history of the world? ... The movies celebrated democratic values and
implicitly reinforced the idea that America was special. TV was
like that, too, through the mid-sixties."
I blogged about this as I kicked off the Culture 101 series - Reagan's Challenge. And the President gave some advice on how to pass on American values to the following generations:
"And let me offer lesson
number one about America: All great change in
America begins at the dinner
table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins. And
children, if your parents haven't been teaching you what it means to be an
American, let 'em know and nail 'em on it. That would be a very American thing to
do."
Old fashioned? And how does President Reagan's warning and advice tie in with Tom Selleck as we approach another anniversary of 9/11 in the 21st century?
Thirty years after Magnum P.I., Tom Selleck now stars in another TV series - Blue Bloods (2010). And he took on the character of Frank Reagan, who comes from an Irish-American family with a long tradition of being police officers. Frank Reagan was a Marine, a Vietnam vet, and an NYPD officer, who rose to Police Commissioner of New York City.
The Reagans on the show seem to heed President Reagan's advice in his 1989 farewell address. The extended family often gather around the dinner table on Sundays having meaningful discussions and debates while reinforcing American values. They are also regular church goers and, when they mention the Name of the Lord, it's not in vain, but with reverence as saying grace.
The scene below, Frank Reagan's father Henry had suffered a heart attack before Thanksgiving. As the patriarch recovers, the family gathers at the hospital for Thanksgiving dinner. Foremost, Henry leads the family in giving thanks to God for His many blessings.
Some camera shots show a picture of the Twin Towers in the background of Commissioner Frank Reagan's office. One of the stories revealed that Frank Reagan with his partner John McKenna were the first responders to 9/11, and they were in the North Tower - getting people out - when the South Tower collapsed.
Statue of Liberty and WTC at 9/11
The episode - "The Job"- dealt with the cancer death of Frank's former partner, Chief John McKenna, who may have gotten ill from complications of breathing the air at Ground Zero. Frank has survivor's guilt and has trouble sleeping. He reluctantly talks to a psychiatrist about his experiences during 9/11 ...
Where were you on 9/11?
Later, Henry talks to Frank about faith in God and God's work in their family, though they may not always understand it. And Frank later gives a moving eulogy for Chief John McKenna and mentions his partner's bravery during 9/11. Then Frank visits to the September 11 Memorial as closure.
Below is the audio from this part of the episode with some still shots. It's worth a listen and is a wonderful tribute to all the first responders on September 11, who saved many lives, as well as those who wonder why bad things happen to good people. (The episode can be watched here: "Blue Bloods" The Job (2012))
Why God?
This very question was asked by Job. And the Apostle Paul gives a response that we often don't understand why - For we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV )
The TV series, Blue Bloods, takes up President's Reagan's challenge as it reinforces American values and culture as well as faith in God and remembering September 11.
And, Lord willing, American culture will continue to be reinforced in this series ...
