Monday, September 29, 2008

Prism With A Promise


Light changes speed as it moves from one medium to another (for example, from air into the glass of the prism). This speed change causes the light to be refracted and to enter the new medium at a different angle (Huygens Principle). The degree of bending of the light's path depends on the angle that the incident beam of light makes with the surface, and on the ratio between the refractive indices of the two media (Snell's law). The refractive index of many materials (such as glass) varies with the wavelength or color of the light used, a phenomenon known as dispersion. This causes light of different colors to be refracted differently and to leave the prism at different angles, creating an effect similar to a rainbow. This effect can be used to separate a beam of white light into its constituent spectrum of colors. Prisms will generally disperse light over a much larger frequency bandwidth than diffraction gratings, making them useful for broad-spectrum spectroscopy. Furthermore, prisms do not suffer from complications arising from overlapping spectral orders, which all gratings have.

But there is another way to look at the prism's light...

We are in a sense the prism. We started out as a hunk of ugly and distorted looking rock. Once God chose us to be one of His children he began chipping away at us. (As one of my College Professors stated from a book, "To be healed one must first be shattered."). He smoothed and polished us until we looked clear and beautiful, we then became the glassy prism. We went for awhile looking clean and sweet, but nothing ever came from us, nothing grand, nothing glorious. Christ then washed us with his blood and we became His children; it was now time for His glory to shine through us. Christ's light burst forth and shone brightly through our glassy figure. We were now hid from the world, and all they could see was the shimmering light from Christ hiding our form. Christ was ready to use us, and to show His power. Once God is using us others will soon see the vivid rainbow pouring through our lives, glimpsing the promise God has given. Much like the promise He set in the rainbow after Noah's flood, the prism's rainbow shining through us is also a promise to the lost world showing them that he is a loving God, yet He is also a righteous Judge. The lost world will find that God's promise for His children will never fail, and that at the end of our life we will resurrect and live eternity within His Kingdom. And at the same time they will find that there is a promise for those who do not follow after Christ, and this promise is spending eternity in hell-fire. But we have hope as Believers, God's promise will never fade, it as if the sun should never set and continued to shine through the prism forever, plastering the glorious rainbow throughout the world for eternity. God and His promise will never change, once we are His children He will continue to shine His light on us, and we must use this light to direct our prism, or body, towards pleasing Him. We must ask Him to show us where His light should be shown through us.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Weirock, A Tale of Redshift Hive


“Bar those doors, hurry, lock them tight. Get the spears and arrows from the east section and bring them up front. Take that trolley of darts back and refill their cartridges.” Captain Skie was bellowing out orders when a volley of arrows struck the wooden door with a thud. Many of the guards out front had been killed or wounded from the unexpected approach of Lord Dane’s army of eight-hundred. Captain Skie had no time to count the loss of his men, but he was sure that over ten had been slain, just from the arrows of the army without.
After some time, only the noise of rain, thunder and wind was heard out of doors. Those inside waited agitatedly for what was to come. All was silent for five minutes, as each archer strung their next arrow and each sling was re-loaded.
A young scout from up front bounced from foot to foot waiting for what was to come. His hand itched closer to the slat in the door with none around noticing. He quickly pulled the slat upwards, giving vent to the hole. Before anyone could lay their hand on him to pull him from the slat, he had succeeded in leaning up against the door and poking his eye up to the hole. Nothing was seen through the hole from the errant scout, for just as his eye popped up to the peep hole all those inside the tower could see an arrow growing out the back of the scout’s skull. He slowly crumpled to the floor. A gurgle erupted from the dying scout as blood foamed from his mouth. A trickle of green liquid dripped from the scout's eye and down the side of his face.
“Poisoned… they have poisoned arrows! The slimy maggots!” A guard cursed as he noticed the green poison issuing forth from his dead comrade's pierced eye.
“How dare he open the slat!” Captain Skie stomped across to the dead scout. “I warned you all not to do such, and now we have one less scout. You see what has happened to him, and if I catch any one of you betraying my orders I will kill you myself!” An angry yet somber salute was given by all to their Captain’s orders.


--Briar Frost, from the book "Weirock, A Tale of Redshift Hive." (Part II "A Tale of Slavery," ch. 37, Pgs. 288,289)

“He teacheth my hands to war,
So that a bow of steel is broken in mine arms.
For by thee I have run through a troop;
And by my God have I leaped over a wall.”


---Psalm 18:29, 34 (KJV)
“There is no hope for the ones we love,
For all have passed on into dimness.
But a still small voice that we dream from above,
Comes to us like a light in the darkness.
When I kiss the one that I love so dear,
I pray this will not be the last,
She is taken away in the tears of her fear,
The years we spent grew too fast.
So I’ll sing to you love, in the dark of the night,
When the clouds of sadness seem so strong,
I will come for you and for your life I shall fight,
But for now sleep on in my song.”

--Briar Frost

Friday, September 19, 2008

The String Theory


The string theory says that we have six dimensions that we cannot see, and they are put into smaller forms than a cell. Now, we know that we have three dimensions in the universe (width, length and height), but they are claiming that the other six dimensions help everything to stay together, like water in its liquid form. Now this sounds pretty reasonable and why not? But they are also claiming that the six dimensions are in everything around us and we just don’t know it. Like in our water, so we are drinking six dimensions. Supporters of the string theory suggest that the reason we do not normally see the other six dimensions (which there has to be because the quantum mechanics are such small particles they must be in string form, or elementary form, to work however these "strings" would require at least six additional dimensions’ of space, we already know that the universe has three normal dimension of time) is that they are tightly curled up and hidden within the tiny particles themselves. At extremely high energies however the extra dimensions could manifest themselves. Therefore, particles physicists can predict what kind of behavior strings exhibit when they accelerate particles to extremely high energies. And since water is broken down into the molecule to the hydrogen atom and then to the proton, inside... this proton is the string, or quantum mechanics, meaning that this is where we get the other six dimensions, inside the strings of that water cell, for the string to actually work, they need more dimensions because the strings vibrate and send so much energy out at one time like the universe.

Space has three dimensions. Space is not "nothingness"; it has three dimensions-- width, length, and height. When an object moves, it moves through these three dimensions of space. (If we measure a room, we are really measuring the three dimensions of space.) Now, Time also has three divisions. Past, present, and future, we would not necessarily call these dimensions, but only divisions. (And then Matter of course has three types of particles, atoms except for hydrogen are composed of protons neutrons and electrons, but this really has nothing to do with dimensions). These three dimensions of space can remind us of God and His triune nature. Jason Lisle says that this may be the reason for God creating the dimensions in space, and in Romans 1:18-20 it says “Being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” And one verse combines them all... “In the beginning (time), God created the heavens (space) and the earth (matter). So the universe itself is a three-in-one of sorts, thereby reflecting its Maker. The logical, orderly way the universe behaves is also a reflection of the One who made it and sustains it by the Word of His power! (Hebrew 1:3)

A Bit Of Science


"Gravity bends the path of light because light travels through space, and space is "moved" by gravity. We don't notice the effect of gravity bending light here on earth because earth's gravity is very weak compared to the speed of light. But the bending of light by gravity has been detected in space. This effect is merely one of several verifications of Einstein's physics; so we can have some confidence that gravity really does bend space and time as Einstein claimed. Since space itself is pulled by gravity, modern physics indicates that it is indeed possible to have a gravitational field so strong (and thus, space would be moving so fast) that light itself cannot escape. And since nothing can travel through space faster than light, nothing would be able to escape from such a powerful gravitational field. This is a "black hole"- a term coined by physicist John Wheeler in 1967. Although they may seem counterintuitive, black holes are a real phenomenon.---- AIG, Jason Lisle

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The Voyage Of Our Life


Ships which sail for years with a great captain at the helm have many stories to tell in her lifetime. Voyages to unknown lands, or pillaging performed by buccaneers, corsairs, or pirates fill books, fiction or non fiction. But there is more to the life-span of a ship than the amount of time it spends cresting the waves. Her stories go deeper… under water.

“Shipwrecks have long served preachers as an analogy for human condition, because it is not until we see our lives as corrupted, and act correctly upon this knowledge that new life from outside of ourselves can take up residence in us." --Anonymous

The great ship has died, her life above the water has ended and her sails no longer furl in the wind. Her life begins anew, and naught but the still and silent marine life give praise to her beauty as a home. Where once mighty masters lashed themselves to her strong helm now only small and distant life-forms dwell inside. But there is a far greater meaning to this beloved ship now that it rests on the ocean’s floor. Much like our earthly bodies, this ship held many a drunkard or thief. Inside this small wooden home dwelt sin and corruption, and daily it was being washed over with the footsteps and the handprints of those vile humans. The lovely ship was slowly beginning to be looked upon as something worthless. The outsiders who knew what dwelt inside cared no more for the beauty on the outside, and eventually only the master of the ship (and sin) and his followers would set foot inside. After years of labour through sin this ship which was so beautiful on the outside, died while out at sea. The sinful men inside had no where to look to for safety and eventually drowned in the ocean’s current. The lovely ship gave up her hold on the life outside and sank to bottom. This ship is now cleansed of her sinful state, and the washing of the ocean’s water continues to cleanse her daily. Now all that dwells inside the truly beautiful wooden body are sinless beings, the marine life that God has created.
If we will let go of the worldly pleasures in this life and “sink” into the strong hands of Christ then that sinful being that we once were will be washed from our body. But to be cleansed daily as the ship now is we must wash our body in much of the same way. Daily we must delve our minds in the Word, washing what grime may come into our bodies away. Much like this beautiful ship we now have something new living in our body; this is the sinless Holy Spirit. Many of the outsiders view this ship as ugly and twisted, and they may never see the true beauty that lies within. We cannot allow the world to pull us back up out of the water, only to bring us back into the sinful state that we once were. Thankfully though, the Word of God tells us that once we are saved from our sins we can never be pulled back up out of the cleansing water. Just like the ship must be wary of strange divers entering her beloved walls, we too must watch ourselves so that no temptation enters in.
“Her life is over; new life has invaded her from the outside. All her efforts to protect herself have long ended and her twisted frame now serves as a vessel not to accomplish her own plans, but to contain the lives of others.” --Anonymous
“When the great Captain is at the helm, we need not nervously pace the deck!” –Anonymous

Friday, September 12, 2008

Painting Our Lives


"All the impressions made upon your character ought to be such as will not need to be removed. Washington Allston, the great painter, had been a long time at work on a most magnificent painting. He had nearly completed it, when his keen eye discovered some defects in a portion of the piece. He hastily drew his rough brush over that portion of the picture, intending to paint it anew. But in the midst of his plans, death seized him, and his painting remains, just as he left it. No other person can carry out the conception that was in his mind. If you allow wrong impressions to be made upon your forming character, death may meet you with his stern mandate, and fix them for ever, as immovable as it left the rough print of the coarse brush upon Allston's canvass." -- Harvey Newcomb


Harvey Newcomb wrote a book on "How To Be A Lady," and one on "How To Be A Man." Newcomb shows through his writing that one is learning throughout his entire life. Whether it be sitting on a mossy bank, standing on the beach with the morning star alighting on your face, or sitting in a hot sticky schoolroom with twenty children about you and school books and papers all about you. In each of these you are learning... but there is only one type of schooling. The word "School," causes many young children (or might I say older people as well?) to cringe. But the word "Education," or "Learning," should send a thrill of excitement up one's spine. Everything we do in this short life here on earth leads up to the eternal life we shall spend in Heaven. Like this: we know that God sent His only Son to become the lowliest of creatures, man, and that while He was fully man and was still fully God, He sinned not once. And with no sin in His body He took every sin upon Him so that when we sin once we will not spend eternity in hell-fire. We are damned to hell, and there is nothing we can do about it. But God did something about it, allowing us to enter into His presence as a spotless lamb. But there is one hitch... what if we don't put our faith in Him and His saving Grace? What if we only consider this as a fairy-tale? Perhaps we think there is some other way to "reach" Heaven. If one of these is our decision, we will certainly be cast into hell after our earthly death. But if we place our faith in Christ, knowing that what He did is the only way for us to enter into eternity with Him, we know then that God has saved our souls from the lake of fire. So in reality, what we decide here leads up to our eternal state after death. What then becomes of our small decisions? If we have been justified through Christ then we are no longer living for ourselves, but living for the one who has Saved us. How can we continue in our sinful lives after Salvation? God tells us in His Word that we may know if someone is His child by watching their "fruits." It is much like a tree... we plant an apple tree and for its entire life it bears small sour tasting fruit that tastes nothing like an apple, as a matter of fact, the apples that grow are so withered and stumped that you almost wonder if you had planted an apple tree. If someone is watching our lives, knowing that we claim to be God's child, what type of fruit will they see producing from our limbs? What are we doing for Christ, and what is our goal in life? We should be producing the fruit of the spirit which is spoken of in Galatians 5:22-"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Yet there is also another way to look at our lives like a tree. You plant a very small tree and begin to watch it grow. As each day passes it grows larger, but something begins to happen. The small tree will bend and grow crooked, the weather will strip it of everything, the insects will come and devour the buds and young leaves... unless we strive to keep the young sapling up. We must place stakes up around our small plant, spray the leaves and boughs with poison so as to keep the bugs away, and make sure daily that the dead leaves or withered stems are pruned or clipped. If we do not take this same advice into our own lives and daily wash our mind and soul with the Word we will soon grow into a state that may never be changed. If we allow that small tree to grow to its full height without any help, it will look gnarled, twisted, and ugly. Our lives will become the same if we do not take hold now and begin to pluck away at the sins in our life, and to restore our minds with pure thoughts and motives.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Atlantic Chorus

"There's a song that I hear every morning,
Of the boats as they roll out to sea;
As the chorus rolls on, the tide flows so strong,
Makes a natural seafaring song.
And it follows the tide down the channel,
In the wake of a fair wind to sea;
With a powerful glide, the keel it rides,
'Neath the white bows that gleam on the sea.
Chorus:
Roll on my childhood song,
Roll on to greet the dawn,
Till your engines sing their homeward song,
Of Atlantic chorus strong.

Now it's early and clear on the water,
I can see how the boats slip away;
As the sun lights the day, they're off on their way,
My dreams all sail on the bay.
And with the ocean so near there beside me,
I'm feeling the change of the tide;
My spirit's set free,
I watch from the lee,
And hear my song of the sea.
Chorus:
Roll on my childhood song,
Roll on to greet the dawn,
Till your engines sing their homeward song,
Of Atlantic chorus strong."

"Love is strange how it grasps you by surprise,
And how it can hold you in this anomalous sense,
And do you ever wonder what bewilderment truly lies,
In this fatal seeming feeling that grows so tense?
But as this strange emotion envelops your every wit,
You suddenly become numb to the sounds and sight of life,
It feels as if a weight of glory has truly hit,
And you know that nothing could ever more become strife."

--Briar Frost

But what's more is that without the love God has so graciously given us we could never express the simple word "love" in such powerful statements. Love is expressed through the notes and melody of musick, the simple yet life-changing words on a page, the strong and tender look in someones eyes... yet we all think back to something or someone in our life when these words come to mind. A mother's love for her child, Christ's love for His people, two young lovers who have been brought together by the supernatural working of God, the young child for his parents, or the Pastor for his Church. What more can we say, but that love has been erected by our Heavenly Father, and there has been no mistake on His part for designing it. 314 times is the word "love" written in the Word of God, we cannot abuse what God has given to us so freely and treat it as some Greco-Roman myth. As a Child of God love goes far beyond emotion, this is easily said when it comes to loving your enemies. Matthew 5:44 not only commands us to love our enemies, but to go beyond emotion... to "Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you..."

Thursday, September 4, 2008

The Battle of Mark and Agni


"The smoky haze filled the room and the earthy scent of smoldering wood wafted its way into the nostrils of the entranced listener. Great scrolls were lying unfurled on the floor in front of the whispering fire. Large and beautiful pictures were painted on to the papyrus with great care and detail. One strange creature drew Mara closer to the illustration. A creature with wings of an extraordinary size, talons as large as sword blades, scales bearing the resemblance of great shields of battle, and flames erupting from the open mouth. Without her knowing, Mara’s eyes were dancing with excitement and almost hope at the thought of seeing one of these creatures. A spark popped out and flew to the floor next to Mara giving her a fright. She jumped back with a shout, muted by her hand quickly thrown to her face. Mara shot a glance up at Grandmother Nefertari; she could see the sly gleam that penetrated through the small slits she made with her eyes. Nefertarie always seemed to grow strange at times like these. Her words would grow into a rhythmical pattern, and her stories would form pictures in the minds of her listeners. She seemed to be filled with so much knowledge, and she always had something to say about almost everything. Elioneai had always thought warily about her, knowing that she had visions and dreams, ones that actually came to pass. Mara had heard her Father speak in whispers to his wife about allowing the children to listen to the stories. Asenath always passed it off as fiction tales… but Mara wondered if her Mother truly knew that the tales were actual history, or even future."

This is an excerpt from my book "Bondage," from the "Chosen Light" series (ch. 4, pg. 22). Mara's Grandmother, Nefertari, describes this young 16 year-old girl as such: "Mara was the outgoing girl, eager to learn, and ready to imagine; yet she desired to be alone at times, thirsty for thought and words on a page." In this chapter Nefertari is explaining "Dream Scrying" to Mara, and the battle between Agni the dragon and Mark, a man of God, who later turned to worshipping the Egyptian idols. Mara and her Grandmother where very close, yet the girl's Father, Elioneai, was not so sure about the lenghty time his daughter spent listening to the old woman's stories.

"But something about Mara had drawn her particularly close to her Grandmother. Mara desired to learn about history… not just any history, but the enchanting stories from her Grandmother. They were both fascinated with animals, the odd behavior of the Egyptians, the strange gods the Pharaoh worshipped, and they enjoyed studying the word together, building their faith stronger, and learning about the one and only God so as to stand before the Pharaoh if need be and speak the truth that they had learned."

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Musick is the poetry of the air!


"Musick washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

Musick creates a variety of moods in ones body... even when unawares. Scientists have done much research on the effects musick has on a person's body. Soothing musick such as Mozart, Bach, or Chopin releases relaxing pheromones throughout the entire body, giving one a sense of relaxation, and even perhaps sleepiness. But musick directed with a quick beat, loud sounds, and a fast tempo arouses ones mind and causes our body and senses to wake up... ready to get going. Researchers claims to have interviewed more than 72,000 business professionals since 1985, and one of the things they have learned is that incorporating "good, positive music" into the workplace—whether it's audio speakers in the parking lot, musical acts at corporate events or giving ipodes to every employee—can have a dramatic, positive effect on employee productivity. So what is behind all this anyway?

God has created the musick to "calm the savage beast," as someone was once quoted. Even David in the Bible would play his harp to calm the mind and body of Saul, and his harp playing would sooth the sheep he tended. We know that God loves musick, songs are sung and played in His kingdom, and we sing praises to honour His name, therefore, "If the King loves musick, it is well with the land." Or perhaps it should be stated, "If the King's people love His musick, it is well with the land."

"Alas for those that never sing, but die with all their musick in them!"

:Give praise unto God, with prayer, thanksgiving, and song. Sing glad praises of His name throughout the earth, glorify His name in song!" --Briar Frost