In the old testament God told the prophet Jeremiah that there would come a day when His relationship with Israel would change. “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt..." Jeremiah 31:31-32
That change was Jesus Christ. This is the first announcement regarding the birth of Christ and it happened 470 years prior to that first Christmas night. He was the new covenant. Before to the birth of Christ Israel was to worship God through a priesthood out of the tribe of Levi. Christ was from the tribe of Judah and He brought with Him direct access to the living God. The birth of Christ signaled the beginning of the new covenant and His death, burial, and resurrection sealed the implementation of that new covenant with anyone who accepted Christ as their Savior. He was Heaven's Child.
Thanksgiving 2015 - Wordless Wednesday
Thanksgiving was spent with my cousins in Kentucky. We arrived Tuesday afternoon and returned home on Saturday. We had a great time with family that we don't get to see but once every couple of years.
Thursday was all about family and food. Therewas plenty of both and everyone had a great time. There was some basketball and football to be watched, but the games were hardly the focus of the day. However, on Friday we went to see some very special athletes.
Everyone loaded up and we headed to Churchill Downs for some horse racing. I have never been to a race track on race day. These animals are beautiful and you can see every muscle. They are finely tuned athletes that love to run.
And they're off! There were twelve races scheduled for the day. The races varied between 1-1/8 mile to about 1-1/2 mile. Two of the races were run on the grass track that is inside of the dirt (actually sand) main track. The position of the starting line varies, but the finish line is always at the same location.
The first few paces out of the gate can set the tone for the race. One or two of the horses want to lead from start to finish. A couple want to trail the leaders but stay close enough to overtake them in the final section of the race.
It can get pretty exciting in the final straight as they head to the finish line. This week-end the stands were far from full, so we could wander just about anywhere along the track and take photos.
This is probably my favorite image. Note that all four feet are off of the ground. We had a great time at the track and didn't wager a dime. Some people believe that there is a great deal of skill involved in picking a winner. I think it is much more of a game of chance than skill. I was just happy to get to photograph something new in sports. So, how was your Thanksgiving?
Track season is winding down, so our youngest grand daughter is involved is soccer, both spring and fall seasons. I really think that sports for kids is a wonderful thing to get them involved. Track can teach them that their individual effort contributes to the success of the team. A team sport, like soccer teaches them that they need to rely on their team mates for their individual success. The grand daughter is about to score a goal because a team mate passed her the ball at just the right time.
The success that we achieve in life depends a great deal on others. While we may have some individual moments of glory, our most memorable accomplishments are typically the result of having someone else in our life to assist us when we need them most. The one person that is ALWAYS there when we need them is Christ. Regardless of our situation, He is there to walk with us and provide us with whatever we need. That doesn't mean that Christ will always get us out of a difficult situation. It means that He will provide us with the strength, comfort, and resources to face the situation. The greatest resource that He has given me is my wife. Together, I believe that we can face almost anything. She is a perfect example of what a wife should be and I would be lost without her. Whatever success that I have enjoyed in this life, I owe to my team mate.
When I was a working man, skywatch photos were pretty easy to come by. I would leave the house early enough in the morning to photograph the sunrise from a couple of locations on my way to work and, in the winter, the sun was setting as I left the office, which gave me a few more opportunities each evening. Now that I am retired, I find that getting a good skywatch image actually involves some effort. I find myself digging into the archives more often and finding images that I haven't posted nor discarded yet. Some of them are suitable for posting. They just don't always happen to be current. For example the image above was take in November of 2011. It has a really cold, winter feel to it. The sky is almost icy in nature. Hopefully I will have some fresh images very soon. Happy Skywatching everyone.
Today the Christmas Music Marathon takes us to the night sky. When they saw the star, they rejoice with exceeding great joy. This song is from The Martins. Enjoy. Remember, this is a marathon, so songs will be posted through the week-end for your viewing and listening pleasure.
