All Creation Speaks...

I think all creation says something of our Creator:

The universe and space tell of the infinity of God...How he is never-ending.
It can be felt when going so deep into a forest that it seems to be dusk when the sun is overhead because of the thickness of the trees among the steep hillside, the hidden water falls, and how there is another world just beneath our feet on the forest floor. To see the sunset from a mountain... the bright gold onto the orange, mixing with the purple..the light blue hues getting darker as the eyes move to straight above and the stars start to shine through -- the curtains are opening.

The cute-ness of a puppy's face, the butterfly's wings...speak of God's gentleness.
The tornadoes can tell of the fierceness of God.
The calm of the forest and a sunset can tell of the peace of God.
A blowfish can tell of the humor of God.
The ocean can tell of the vastness and how big hugs are from Him.
Wild animals can tell of the wildness.
The sky and stars can speak of His infinity.
Big strong oak trees can tell of His patience.
Even the forest, though it is made up of many different trees, plants, mushrooms, wild flowers, decay...can tell how it all comes together to be one large living organism...much like an example of how Christ's Church should be -- one large organism with it's many different forms built in to one.
In short...I think each part of God's creation tells a little bit of something about Himself....and reminds us of how small we are.

There's always something more to learn in creation...the deeper we dig, the more complex it gets...whether we're looking into the universe with telescope or into a cell with a microscope.

Riding on the back of a Harley for a day or spending time in a forest during a run...and looking at nature, has lead me to know that Creation Speaks.
It speaks loud.
It knows something.
And it's a secret to some, but proclaims it loud to others...It's all a matter of where your heart lays.
Every tree, every plant, every flower, every star, every bird...even the wind....they know something.
And they proclaim it. They proclaim it loud. We have to be quiet enough...quiet enough in our hearts to hear it. "Be still, and know that I am God".
And I begin to understand.....what Jesus meant when asked to rebuke His followers as He rode into Jerusalem..."Even if they kept quiet, the stones would cry out" Jesus said.
I love the saying that "..science can tell you what a star is made of...it can never tell you what it IS". ...Why it's there.
I think I have the least in common with an atheist than anyone else. At least people of other religions, though I disagree with them and they disagree with me on beliefs, can recognize the there exists a spiritual world. I can't understand anyone who cannot see it.
It's nothing personal against atheists...I respect their position, I just can't seem to see their point of view. Every point of view I try to look, I can't see it without God being the backbone...the one who comes into view if we step back and look at the bigger picture.

"Home"

The saying is..."Home is where the heart is".

Have you ever thought what exactly "home" meant to you?
For me, it has always meant where my family is...that same living room, that same back yard where memories are made. And "home" is both the place where I grew up or the home I share with my husband.

I was on my way to go running at Bernheim Forest when a song by Rich Mullins played in my CD player ("If I Stand") and made me think of home. Part of his words are: "...If I sing let me sing for the joy, that is born in me this song, and if I weep let it be as a man - who is longing for his home."

And it made me think of what I identify as home. I want to "long" for heaven as my home. I want Christ to be more familiar and more intimate to me so that He would be closer than anyone in my family -- and long for Him and heaven as my "home". To have my heart there....to store my treasures there. And it was also my prayer.

I don't mean this in a way of taking anything away from my home here on earth. I just mean it in a way that my longing for my home in heaven to be that much more.

Why I love to run...

1. It helps keep me in shape.
2. It makes me feel better physically and mentally.
3. It's my no. 1 incentive to stay a non-smoker no matter how bad I crave a cigarette.
4. It's my time to be by myself.
5. My time to meditate.
6. My time to become apart of nature -- to run into the forest on the paved (or unpaved) paths. Breathe in that smell of the forest.
7. My time when I don't have to think....just run.
8. No matter how short or long a distance I go, I am my own competitor.
9. I can set my own goals.
10. It can be done pretty much anywhere...just have a good pair of running shoes handy.
11. It's addicting.
12. Afterwards I feel like I deserve that glass of wine in the whirlpool tub.
13. I love to do it for ME. It's MY thing.
14. And my dog loves it too!

The girl at the other table....

Have you ever sat in a restaurant...or any place for that matter, and watched people? I was sitting in a restaurant the other day, completely oblivious to the conversation at our own table (it involved co-workers of my husband and a sales rep who was treating us to the dinner -- it was a conversation all about business), and I happened to glance at the table next to us. Sitting there were about five females and one male in the bunch. One girl in the bunch seemed unique to me. She had coal black hair cropped off just below the ears, thick rimmed glasses, an artsy and modern necklace which had one large circular pendant. She looked classy, eccentric. And I thought to myself as I watched her body language as she engaged in a conversation with the others at her table..."I bet she's the type of girl I'd love to be friends with. I just bet she likes to talk about the "deeper" side of things...How interesting I bet she is."...(I don't know why I think this.... She just had that 'air' about her). And I became envious of her other friends at the table.
(I think these thoughts stem from the fact that I get tired of always only hitting the surface of things when I talk with others around me. Are all the doors under the first layer always closed? Are mine closed?)
All this is what I thought just based on a first impression, an assumption all from a couple minute glance...I never have and never will engage in a conversation with her. ....and I've already had an opinion about her, turned her into someone she may or may not be... And, oh how first impressions can deceive us! We can never judge a book by it's cover. And whose to say...maybe they're only scratching the surfaces, too, with their conversations.
But this was a reminder to myself...a reminder that things are usually not as they first appear to be.
If I'm really wishing for a friend like the false portrait I've painted by watching that other table, I've gotta ask myself.."Why is it that you don't have that kind of friend now?" Maybe I haven't looked hard enough. Maybe it's because I'm such an introvert and private person.
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"...right? Maybe I should open up and start conversations on the deeper side with others, and maybe they will too. Maybe I can become like her....not really like her...my own unique self, but with my presumption of what she might be like, to have that characteristic of what I'd like about someone else.

Why "To the Stars?.."

Why did I choose the name "To the Stars" as my blog title? Because that is the meaning of my name Adastra..."ad astra" means "to the stars" in latin. (Okay, okay....no, it's not my real name...)...

I chose this name for many reasons. First, let me quote a verse from the Bible..."The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." Psalm 19:1-4.

I love these verses!

There is no limit to the heavens above, and sometimes I can stare at the night sky, or a sunset and be completely awestruck at its beauty...or ponder even further about what is says of our Creator. ... "Night after night they display knowledge"

It's a beautiful thing...to take a moment and look up in amazement. Why is it that I never catch anyone else doing the same? Am I alone in this? Is life just too busy? I know myself that sometimes it is...But I believe we make time for what is really important to us....at least as much as we can.

But all in all, "to the stars" describes me. I'm always pondering on the mysteries of God...and often I think I have my head in the clouds...or "to the stars".


And the universe is filled with mystery!! So...the title to my blog is "to the stars"...meaning I post about anything...any subject from the depth of the sea to the stars above.

My first post...

This is my first blog and why I created this, I don't know. I'm not sure if I'll even find time to devote to it...I guess it is for my own general knowledge on how to blog and to learn from it. An experiment of sort. Technology is growing so fast. I don't have any specific goals in mind -- when it comes to this blog, although it would be nice if, through it, I were able to find other women friends with similar interests or just for discussion.

I'm thinking I could write on this blog instead of my personal journal. But would I be comfortable with anyone out there reading my thoughts? Who in the world would care what my thoughts were?