The Sound of the Stars

Well done to NASA, the American space agency.

In a new experiment, they put music to the stars. By identifying the position of the star, its size and its density, this all counts as to how the sound is then reflected.

First NASA identified an image from the Hubble telescope with which to work. They call this particular image a 'galactic treasure chest' because of the number of galaxies displayed. Each visible speck on the picture is a galaxy which is itself a home to countless stars.

Then NASA added a computer generated sound.

Objects near the bottom of the image produced the lower notes, while those near the top produce the higher ones. The higher density of galaxies near the centre of the image results in a swell of mid-range tones halfway through the video. Short galaxies give clear tones and spiralling galaxies have longer tones.

It’s a reflection from NASA on the message from the stars and although it is a computer generated sound, it shows in sound what we see in the skies.

The Psalms say ‘The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.’ (Psalms 19:1).

And now we can hear it:

A 100,000 Thank-You's

Some time during the Christmas period, my blog went past the 100,000 mark in terms of ‘hits’ – people visiting the site. My youngest daughter tells me that this is a rather modest achievement when compared to other social media sites, but I’m grateful.

A 100,000 thank-you’s to all those that have visited, read, commented and posted.

I started out on 6^th December 2006. I was 51 years old and the blog address reflects this: Mountain50. 

The title of the blog, Mountain Climbing for Beginners, comes from a preach I did at the time, at KingsGate Church in Peterborough. It reflects my favourite Old Testament character, Caleb. At 85 years old, he climbed a mountain and defeated what seemed an impossible enemy that had held back the children of Israel for 40 years.  (Joshua 14: 12, 15: 14). As I grow older, I want to be a Caleb- still taking mountains in this life at 85.

As I write this, I am entering my 65^th year. I used to work in pensions, so the age of 65 has always been important to me- traditionally the UK’s ‘normal retirement age.’ In fact I left the pensions industry a few years ago now and have moved on to more book writing, working with Mission24 and other charities and with our amazing church, Chroma.

Looking at those that read the blog- I have some diagnostics on there – it tells me that my many friends around the world look in on me- India, New Zealand, Slovakia, United States, Canada, Argentina, Ghana, South Africa, Eswatini and more. Some are more puzzling- quite a lot from Russia. Are they real people or the famous Russian ‘bots’ checking in?

My most read blogs continue to be the ones on sacrifice, Laminin and being an introvert. My most controversial are the political ones- I’m an unrepentant Blairite and await some reasonable leadership to arise in the Labour party!

Anyway. Thank you. Thanks for reading this. And thanks for being among the many. A 100,000 thank-you’s.

WISE MEN'S SONG

WE CAME FROM OUR HOMELAND IN THE EAST

STARGAZERS AND PRIESTS AS WE WERE KNOWN BACK THERE

TO SEEK OUT THE CHILD BORN TO BE KING OF THE JEWS

FOR WE HAD OBSERVED HIS STAR RISING IN THE SKY.

HAD TRAVELLED MANY WEARY MILES TO WORSHIP HIM

FOR WE WERE WELL VERSED IN PROPHECIES AND SIGNS

WELL STUDIED, RESEARCHERS, INTERPRETERS’ OF DREAMS

WE ENTERED JERUSALEM IN OUR CAMEL CARAVAN

CREATING A RIGHT STIR AND COMMOTION

PEOPLE PUSHING AND GAWKING TO SEE US PERSIANS

WITH OUR LINES OF SERVANTS AND ARMED GUARDS.

WHEN KING HEROD HEARD OUR WORDS, HE WAS SHAKEN TO THE CORE.

WHAT SHOOTING STAR? WHAT NEW KING?

HE ENQUIRED WITH DEADLY CALM

WANTING TO KNOW THE EXACT TIME THE STAR HAD APPEARED.

HIS OWN JEWISH PRIESTS CAME UP TRUMPS

WITH A PROPHECY ABOUT THE MESSIAH

POINTING THE WAY TO BETHLEHEM

WHERE THIS SHEPHERD-KING WOULD EMERGE.

WE WERE QUICK TO LEAVE HEROD’S COMPANY

TO JOURNEY OUT AFRESH, WHEN SUDDENLY THE STAR

WE’D SEEN IN THE EAST REAPPEARED

LEADING US DIRECTLY TO THE EXACT PLACE

WHERE THE CHILD WOULD BE.

WE WERE SHOUTING AND HALLOOING

TEARS FLOWING, PUNCHING THE AIR WITH JOY.

WHEN WE GLIMPSED THE YOUNG CHILD

WITH HIS MOTHER, MARY, WE FELL TO OUR KNEES

OVERCOME WITH AWE AT THIS DIVINE  KING

WORSHIP SPILLING FROM OUR LIPS.

OUR DESTINY DAY, OUR MISSION ACHIEVED

WE WERE CHANGED FOREVER.

OPENING OUR TREASURE BOXES, WE GAVE HIM GOLD IN ABUNDANCE

MYRRH AND FRANKINCENSE, FITTING GIFTS FOR THIS PRINCE OF PEACE.

Words by Christine Pearson

SHEPHERD'S SONG

THE NIGHT IT HAPPENED.

WE WERE SITTING IN THE STILLNESS

WATCHING OUR SHEEP NEAR BETHLEHEM VILLAGE.

NO IDEA OF THE MOMENTOUS MOMENT ABOUT TO HAPPEN

THE REVEALING SPLIT SECOND OF AN ANGEL’S RADIANCE

OF THE FIELD LIT UP WITH HOLY GLORY

OUR EYES DAZZLED, OUR BODIES FROZEN.

I’VE GOT GOOD NEWS FOR YOU GUYS.

SAID THE AWESOME MESSENGER,

THE BEST NEWS THE WORLD HAS EVER HAD.

IT’S FOR YOU, NOT JUST THE PRIESTS, THE RICH

BUT FOR EVERYONE, BOTH HIGH AND LOW.

FOR TODAY IN BETHLEHEM A RESCUER WAS BORN

HE IS THE LORD YAHWEH, THE MESSIAH.

YOU’LL KNOW IT’S HIM BY THIS SIGN

OF BEING WRAPPED IN STRIPS OF CLOTH

AND LYING IN A FEEDING TROUGH.

JOY JUMPED IN OUR CHESTS

WE WERE ALL QUIVER AND TINGLE

AS THE ANGEL CHOIR APPEARED

ABLAZE WITH SWEETEST SINGING:

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST HEAVEN

ON EARTH PEACE AND GOODWILL

TOWARDS EVERY MAN AND WOMAN.

WE WERE OFF AS SOON AS THE ANGEL SHOW

DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW, TO SEE THIS GOD-CHILD

THAT HAD BEEN REVEALED TO US FEW.

THE MUSIC STILL PLAYING IN OUR HEADS.

WE RAN INTO THE VILLAGE ASKING AND KNOCKING

UNTIL WE FOUND THE VERY PLACE

WHERE THE SAVIOUR WAS LYING.

WE WORSHIPPED AND BOWED TO THIS TINY CHILD

KNOWING THAT HE WAS EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US.

YOU COULDN’T KEEP US QUIET FROM THEN ON

HIGH-FIVING, PRAISING, TELLING OUR AMAZING

ENCOUNTER TO EVERYONE.

Words by Christine Pearson

MARY'S SONG

IT WAS A DAY LIKE ANY OTHER

WHEN THE MESSAGE CAME

EXPLODING LIKE SPARKS IN A FIRE

CHANGING MY LIFE FOREVER.

I WASN’T EVEN PRAYING

JUST QUIETLY DUSTING, REARRANGING

WHEN AN ANGEL APPEARED

HIS PRESENCE OVERWHELMING.

SAYING, THE LORD WAS WITH ME

I WAS HIGHLY FAVOURED

AND SINGLED OUT FOR GOD’S BLESSING.

MY HEART BEATING LIKE A FRENZIED HAMMER

MY THOUGHTS RACING, MY BODY REELING

GABRIEL’S WORDS WASHED THROUGH ME.

SAYING I WAS THE LORD’S DELIGHT

HAD BEEN SPECIALLY CHOSEN FOR A WONDERFUL GIFT.

THIS IS WHERE IT SPIRALLED INTO THE STRATOSPHERE,

HIS MESSAGE IMPRINTING VERY CLEAR

THAT I’D BE PREGNANT WITH A BABY BOY

WAS TO CALL HIS NAME JESUS.

THAT HE’D BE THE GREATEST, THE SON OF THE HIGHEST,

AND REIGN FOREVER AS ISRAEL’S KING

HIS KINGDOM HAVING NO LIMIT.

I WAS UNMARRIED, YOUNG, STILL A VIRGIN

THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION ON MY LIPS…. HOW?

THE ANSWER MELTING ALL RESISTANCE

THAT I WOULD EXPERIENCE THE ANOINTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

KNOW ALMIGHTY GOD’S SHADOW OF POWER IN A GLORY CLOUD

SO THE CHILD BORN TO ME WOULD BE HOLY, THE SON OF GOD.

I WAS UNDONE, THE YES RESOUNDING LOUD

THROUGH EVERY FIBRE OF ME.

I’M GOD’S SERVANT, I REPLIED

MY HEART EMBRACING EVERY WORD

FROM THE ANGEL’S MOUTH.


Words by Christine Pearson

Living Globally

This is not meant as a political comment, but Brexit will not keep us out of Europe. Nor will building walls stop Central America from being next to the United States.

More importantly, nothing can stop clear and easy communication from taking place between these nations. We live in a Global World. That world is facilitated by the Internet and social media. If it’s blocked, it going to get through anyway.

Much of the recent popular protests in countries as diverse as Hong Kong and Lebanon started life on WhatsApp, Facebook and other forms of social media.

We trade globally too. If my wife (who is of Indian heritage) wanted to buy a new sari a few years back, she would go to the Melton Road (‘Little India’) in Leicester. She’d pay a premium for it. The shopkeeper had had to pay a wholesaler. He’s had to pay transport costs as well as dealing with wholesalers in India. Today she can go online and buy directly from the factory in India.

Sure, there may be tax and tariffs -the financial equivalent to a wall- but it doesn’t stop the trade.

And all that brings me to another thought. As a Christian, I hold in my hands the Book of Life. When people read the Bible, lives change. There’s power in the words. It’s God speaking with lives changed as a result.

I love that we no longer have to smuggle Bible’s into China. Even if Bible’s were banned, they’d still get through – thanks to the Internet. Electronic versions -legally and illegally- get through any barriers that nations and ideologies may care to put in its way.

I love that in Iran, a nation that outwardly prohibits Christian conversion, there’s one of the biggest Christian revivals taking place right now. 

I love that one of the major celebrities of our age has found a faith in Christ and is reading his Bible every night before he sleeps. There’s power in God’s Word.

I love that in our own family we are spread around the world. Our oldest son and daughter in law are in China. Our youngest daughter and son in law are in Africa. Our ‘adopted daughter’ and husband are in New Zealand. Our sponsored child is in Ghana. I can -and do- travel globally and find Christian friends and family wherever I go.

We live globally. We trade globally. And we share our faith globally. God does not recognise geography, politics or ideologies. I’m part of the biggest family in the world – one that transcends every barrier.

Dear BT, Goodbye.... Kind Of

For those kind people who have followed my blog over the years, they will know of the battles I’ve had with British Telecom (BT). It took them 91 days and 4 hours to provide me with Broadband when we moved house. At the time, I was probably counting the seconds too!

And once installed, I tried to move to my preferred provider, Sky (better people on the phone and they don’t read from a script for starters). It failed of course. I was advised that the servicing company, Openreach (owned by BT), were not able to find me a Broadband line in my village. The only ones available were - surprise, surprise - for BT.

So there I was, paying through the nose for a BT phone line and Broadband. Until I called in to an EE shop.

I went to EE to sort something out on my mobile, but like all good sales people, the guy used the opportunity to offer Broadband and phone. At a price that was £53 cheaper per month than BT. Per month! I thought I’d misheard.

The same deal as BT - just without BT Sport. Now, I know what some of you will be saying…. nowadays, EE is a subsidiary of BT. Yes, exactly. That’s the reason I can do it. Otherwise, it’s back to Openreach telling me the lines are reserved for BT. But - ha! - with EE being a subsidiary of BT, they can’t play that game. And I get to save £53 a month.

How come BT charges so much? It wasn’t long before they called. Here is a transcript of the call, as accurately as I can remember….

BT: Hello Mr Turner, we understand you want to leave BT?

Me: Yes.

BT: Sorry to hear that. You are a valued and long term customer. Is there a particular reason?

Me: Yes. I’m saving £53 a month.

BT: We’d be pleased to match that saving.

Me: Pardon?

BT: Rather than lose you, we’ll match our competitor.

Me: Not really a competitor - you own them. But how come you can match it?

BT: It’s what we do.

Me: So why didn’t you offer this before?

BT: We only offer at this stage.

Me: I thought I was a valued and long term customer. But you were willing to charge me an extra £53 a month so long as I didn’t complain?

BT: I wouldn’t put it like that. But the offer is what all companies do. If you go to Sky or Vodaphone, you’d find they only offer this sort of deal if you are threatening to leave.

Me: That’s not true. Sky call me regularly to check I’ve got the right TV deal. That includes reducing costs.

BT: Oh. Maybe it’s different for TV deals.

Me: Is that all?

BT: So you won’t come back to us?

Me: No.

BT: What if I told you that it will cost you £27 a month if you want BT Sport outside of your current deal?

Me: I’d say that was a threat and it’s not worth that much.

So there we go. At long last, I’m away from the dreaded BT. The new Broadband went ahead without a problem. And EE have promised to be active in keeping the costs down.

Now all I need is a future government to decide that this whale of a company is too big and powerful, and hive off EE into a separate entity.

I continue to dream….