Cup A Joe

The Dude and The Rock

Click on it. Go ahead. That's a big rock...an asteroid. This particular asteroid is about 1,300 feet long.

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That is roughly the size of the Empire State Building, only fatter.

For those that haven't seen the Empire State building, imagine a rock floating around in space about 400 feet longer than the Titanic or the Yorktown. This particular rock has a name, it's Apophis.

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   There are thousands upon thousands of Asteroids in our Solar system but this one is special because it will pass very close to our earth on Friday, April 13, 2029. If you are a Friday the 13th freak, Merry Christmas. It will be so close, that it will pass inside the orbit of most of our man made satellites. It will be so close, that the earths gravity will bend or change the course of the asteroid and some have calculated that that change of course could put it on a collision course with earth exactly 7 years later (2036). Scientist say that rocks of this size pass this close to the earth on average, once every one thousand years.

If this particular Asteroid hit earth, it would release 880+ Megatons of energy. How can I describe that kind of power for you:

Hiroshima was about 15% of one megaton.

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The energy required to produce this crater (click on it. it's huge) has been calculated at between 3 and 10 megatons. This is the crater out near Winslow, Arizona. It is about 4,000 feet across and 500 feet deep. You may have seen it in the movie Starman from 1984 starring The Dude and Karen Allen. Great movie by the way. (Dutch Apple Pie?). Yummy!

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    Anyhoo, back to our life-on-earth-as-we-know-it-destroying explosion...880 megatons; that kind of blast wouldn't necessarily end life on planet earth but somewhere on the planet there would be a hole roughly the size of Texas. If it landed in the Ocean..surf would be up dude. You folks in the lowcountry might would want to head this way and stay at our new beach house. Know what I mean?

   I won't go on and on with this one but it should be obvious that space and God's awesome universe is very interesting to me. It is actually an important part of worship. It helps keep me grounded and aware of who I am as compared to who He is. That is a healthy frame of mind to be in in worship-I am nothing -HE IS ALL. And this Asteroid thing I shared today is just a reminder that He is in control even when we don't have a clue how close death is (did you know this asteroid was there?).

Psalm 136: 5-9 

Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully.
         His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters.
         His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights—
         His faithful love endures forever.
the sun to rule the day,
         His faithful love endures forever.
and the moon and stars to rule the night.
         His faithful love endures forever.

Part Deux

   Continued from this post.

   Some of you may not believe this but Albert Einstein was smarter than me. Stephen Hawking is smarter than me too. Stephen, Albert and the other members of the Modern Brainiac Hall of Fame would represent the absolute height of man's knowledge about the universe and compared to what I know, it is a tremendous height. These men spent their lives in pursuit of unlocking the secrets of the universe and it was or is the absolute passion of their lives. The sad thing is that neither Albert nor Stephen will ever know the secrets of the Universe despite the amazing, once in a generation minds they both possessed. And with quotes like this, I doubt they ever will.

Stephen Hawking- However, if we discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable by everyone, not just by a few scientists. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God.

  I think he shouted that from the top of the Tower of Babel.

Job 38:4-6 (ESV)- Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements-surely you know!Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were it's bases sunk, or who laid it's cornerstone.

  God could have the same conversation with Albert or Stephen as he had with Job. You might say, "Oh but we are gaining in our understanding" but can you really gain or get closer to infinite knowledge.

John Piper- God means for us to be stunned and awed by his work of creation. But not for its own sake. He means for us always to look at his creation and say: If the work of his hands is so full of wisdom and power and grandeur and majesty and beauty, what must this God be like in himself! These are but the backside of his glory seen through a glass darkly. What will it be to see the Creator himself! Not his works! Not even a billion galaxies will satisfy the human soul. God and God alone is the soul's end.

   The reason I gave all the facts, figures and photos in part one is to elicit a sense of awe and a sense that some of the things man teaches as known are, infact, unknowable by man.

   And it will always be that way.