The Birthplace of Helen Keller
The Prayer: “Lord, help me see!”
While I am not the one to be able to accurately reflect upon or compare the significance of “E = mc2” to our faith, I think I’ll give it a try…
(🫣 Warning: First, you’re just gonna have to read through this to get the connection. Secondly, I really don’t know what I’m talking about here, but I do know that I’m pretty darn close to getting it… Enjoy this oversimplification of yet another complicated concept, whittled down to expressing the simple truth that God is love, and that love is meant to be shared! ❤️)
My minimal understanding of physics tells me that matter (and its energy) can neither be created nor destroyed. There’s a finite amount of each, created by God, to coexist forever. Sometimes there’s more mass than energy, and sometimes more energy than mass, but the sum total of the two is always constant. Let’s just say that God has given us everything we need, and that it all exists as the sum total that I’ll just call Love.
Since I never actually took a physics class, I simply have to trust the fact that all of this has something to do with the speed of light and the concept of Kinetic Energy, or the energy of motion. This ultimately evolves into the cool notion that once something starts to move, it produces more and more energy. I’ve come to understand that we were taught this in Driver’s Ed: “If you double your speed, the braking distance is four times longer, so the braking distance is equal to the speed squared.” (See below)
Now the speed of light squared is pretty darn fast, and therefore must be producing a huge amount of energy. Take a drop of water and convert it to pure energy and you’ve got yourself a pretty big bang on your hands…
So (and you could feel it coming), even “little ol’ you” can produce huge amounts of energy to “light the lamp” for the world! Your faith, set into motion, can accelerate the power of peace, love and understanding for all to know! And best of all, that acceleration is very hard to stop. AMEN!!!
Here are the snippets of the article that inspired today’s stretch of a thought:
“Energy (E) and matter (m) are interchangeable. Furthermore, it's essential to remember that there's a set amount of energy/matter in the universe… The “c” stands for the speed of light, a universal constant, so the whole equation breaks down to this: Energy is equal to matter multiplied by the speed of light squared… But why is the speed of light squared? The reason is that kinetic energy, or the energy of motion, is proportional to mass. When you accelerate an object, the kinetic energy increases to the tune of the speed squared. You'll find an excellent example of this in any driver's education manual: If you double your speed, the braking distance is four times longer, so the braking distance is equal to the speed squared. The speed of light squared is a colossal number, illustrating just how much energy there is in even tiny amounts of matter. A common example of this is that 1 gram of water — if its whole mass were converted into pure energy via E=mc² — contains energy equivalent to 20,000 tons (18,143 metric tons) of TNT exploding.” (https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/einstein-formula.htm#:~:text=A%20common%20example%20of%20this,such%20a%20massive%20atomic%20explosion.)
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Happy Easter Day #23: Enthusiasm!
As we approach the half-way point of the Easter Season, I can understand the feeling that things have settled in and other routines are taking back their place in life. Our enthusiasm for the faith might be approaching a plateau of sorts, and our energy may be waning a bit, but guess what?
He is risen… He has risen indeed!
HAPPY EASTER MY FRIENDS!
Keep enjoying the ride!
“Send forth your light and your fidelity; they shall lead me on and bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling-place.”
(Psalm 43:3)
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Happy Easter Day # 24: Essence!
The essence of our existence is an active and forgiving love. Life at its core is rooted in all that has been given and all that has been taken away. It’s an ongoing process of growing, pruning, and growing some more, for the Lord “takes away every branch in [us] that does not bear fruit, and every one that does [God] prunes so that it bears more fruit.” (John 15:2)
Easter brings eternal life, and with it we shall never perish. No one can take us out of the hand of God, and no one person, or “that thing,” can ever stop the process of our growing towards that which is pure love! (cf. John 10:28)
❤️
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Happy Easter Day #25: Excitement!
We’re halfway to Pentecost and life is all around us! What excites you about LIFE? That is, what excites about your life and life in general?
There’s plenty of worry and frustration shared here in the “Meta” universe, but what about life? I’m not talking about politics or a board game, I’m talking about the celebration of life!
Thank you for the lives you lead and the life you live!
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Happy Easter Day #26: Existence!
In the beginning is the breath of God. It is a wind sweeps over the mighty waters, breathing life into everything and everyone. It is the source of our existence and the energy that propels us forward. And on its wings is the Word with a proclamation of hope that nurtures and supports even the most feeble among us.
It’s a sweet song indeed.
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Happy Easter Day #27: Fear!
As I look at my daily attempts to be motivational, I do seem to offer a “Pie in the Sky” model that all is always better with God. That is to say, “If you just do ‘X’ then all shall be well!” And while I do submit that it can be that simple at times, I also have to admit that I’m afraid along the way, and I’m guilty of trying to hide behind the typical “everything is great” theme here on Facebook!
With that said, we know that everything is not always great, and that we all have to do our best to get by and get through the day-to-day grind with healthy and not so healthy amounts of fear that drive us in the right and wrong direction.
Driven by fear can mean being afraid to try or to do what you know you have to do to make things right, and that fear is stifling! But acting with a certain amount of fear, as in the Gift of the Holy Spirit or the old school phrase of “fearing the Lord”, brings a great amount of respect to the picture and it helps us stand in awe of the moments that will loom large in our overall journey. Both types of fear are real, and deserve our constant attention.
- What are YOU afraid of?
- How does fear play a part in your journey?
- How does God bring YOU wonder & awe?
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Happy Easter Day #28: Growth!
I think it’s fair to utilize reflections like this to work on personal growth. In fact, I’ll admit that the goal here has always been to help “you” by offering this opportunity to reflect on how faith can make a difference in converting hearts so as to make individual lives better. I’ll also admit to being a little selfish in prioritizing this time to assist in my own personal growth.
But in light of the various serious issues that we face as a community, and the seemingly constant debates and disagreements over these issues, I also think it’s fair to put aside our own needs and think (and do) what’s best for the world around us.
What ways do we as a society need to grow and how can we help by putting aside our own needs to serve the needs of others?
See the precedent in Acts 2: 42-47
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