Being laid up for a week or two while recuperating from surgery has both advantages and disadvantages. The rather obvious disadvantages have to do with the pain and discomfort. But they also include the sheer frustration that comes with being confined to a chair with one’s feet elevated.
In such a posture, it does not take long to get fidgety! And no matter how many times one shifts and re-shifts in the chair, after a while one simply begins to feel like a caged tiger! Not to mention the ordeal involved in simply trying to get up and transition to another room, etc… Suffice it to say that I am need of prayer as much for my attitude as for my convalescence.
Having said this, let me hasten to add that there are some benefits as well. I have gotten caught up on a lot of personal projects. For instance, I have done some writing. I have updated this very website. I have read a book or two. I have processed numerous e-mails. I have worked on some sermon planning. And I even finalized my tax returns.
I have also tried to relax a little. I have watched a few movies, as well as some online videos and DVDs. I have also caught up a little on television. How does one catch up on television? Well, I checked out some newer television shows that I had never seen before. And one of those shows in particular caught my attention.
The cable network known as "The Science Channel" (© Discovery Communications, LLC) has a show out titled "WHAT ON EARTH?". Begun in 2015, the series in now in its fourth season. The series examines and attempts to explain "strange satellite images" (terrestrial images taken from space satellites). Typically, about three or four such mysterious satellite anomalies are investigated per episode.
Let’s be honest. Many (perhaps most) of us fail to realize that over four thousand satellites now orbit the earth, looking down on us each and every hour (if not every moment) of our lives! This, of course, raises all kinds of questions – mostly about privacy and security (or the lack thereof).
But it also reminds me that even if there were no satellites, there would still someone looking down on me. When we were children, we used to sing a little song that contains these lyrics:
O be careful little eyes what you see…
O be careful little eyes what you see…
For the Father up above…
He is looking down in love…
So, be careful little eyes what you see!
Thereafter, successive verses contained similar admonitions to “be careful little ears what you hear”, to “be careful little hands what you do”, to “be careful little feet where you go”, and to “be careful little mouth what you say”! All for the same reason: because our Heavenly Father, up above, is looking down in love!
Years later, I encountered a song titled “Slow Fade” by the Contemporary Christian group known as Casting Crowns. The lyrics are:
Be careful little eyes what you see…
It's the second glance that ties your hands…
As darkness pulls the strings!”
Be careful little feet where you go…
For it's the little feet behind you…
That are sure to follow!”
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away…
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray…
Thoughts invade, choice is made, A price will be paid…
When you give yourself away…
People never crumble in a day…
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade...
All of this is to say that I have no idea just who all may be watching me from up above. I have no idea the extent to which prying eyes note where all I go and what all I do. But I do know that my God is watching me from above. As the Psalmist tells me (in the Old Testament book of Psalms, chapter 32, verse 8), God keeps his loving eye upon me.
And that is all the motivation I need to be careful what I see, what I hear, what I do, where I go, and what I say! For my Father up above is looking down in love! And I have no desire whatsoever to break His heart!
What is more, as Casting Crowns reminds us, little eyes down here below are also watching me, and little ears are listening to me, and little feet are willing to follow me, and little hands willing to mimic me, and little mouths willing to repeat me!
Not only do I not want to break the heart of God, neither do I want to cause anyone else, especially little ones, to stumble.
Rather, as God looks down upon me, I hope that He will be pleased with what he sees. And that my every action will meet with His everlasting approval.
LYRICS SOURCES:
http://childbiblesongs.com/song-12-be-careful-little-eyes.shtml and
http://www.metrolyrics.com/slow-fade-lyrics-casting-crowns.html.
NOTE: YouTube videos showing collections of strange sites seen on Google Earth have been around for quite some time. Just do a web search for “Google Earth anomalies” and you will soon find more such videos than you can hope to watch in one sitting.
Apparently, someone at Discovery Communications hit upon the idea of compiling such anomalies and presenting them in the form of a television series. Given that the show is now in its fourth season, their idea seems to have been a good one.
According to Neil Laird, the Executive Producer of “WHAT ON EARTH?” over at: http://blogs.discovery.com/inscider/2015/02/the-mysteries-of-what-on-earth
.html: The Science Channel’s motto has long been to “Question Everything” no matter how bizarre or strange, and put it under the bright glare of modern science to see what might be revealed. Your guesses about the mysterious satellite photos fit right into that philosophy—they are informed, thoughtful, surprising, and just as importantly, entertaining. We’re thrilled you love the mysteries we are able to bring you here on the web and even better, leave you questioning some of these provocative images along with the experts. Many of the world’s top archeologists, meteorologists, geologists and other experts are as stumped as you are!
Be advised, however. Not everyone is as enthused as the show’s producer. Several reviewers share the view that the show is more “edutainment” than actual science. (See, for instance: https://www.metabunk.org/what-on-earth-science-channel-fail.t7514/.)
By this, they mean that the show is not so much designed to inform as to entertain. The proof is that much more time is spent merely proposing conjecture and speculation (often from the very so-called experts who are supposed to be explaining the mysterious phenomena to begin with) than with giving definitive explanation.
Scientists with proper labels like volcanologists, geologists, oceanographers, etc... are interviewed, and seem to present unanswered questions as to the "mysterious images" being discussed. But often, many more interviews with non-experts presenting conspiratorial guesses are spliced in as well. Thus, the show ends up concentrating on the "mysteries" suggested by the satellite images, rather than actual explanations for the images. The end result is pretty much that most of the respective scientists’ "verbal on-air content" is spent describing the mystery, not giving the real explanation (or telling why it is not really a mystery after all)!
That being said, I personally found the program not only entertaining, but also quite informative. One can easily glean enough information of substance to learn more about the subject at hand. But perceptive eyes and ears can also garner information that leads to the study of other mysteries as well. To watch the show is to realize that for every mystery solved, there are many more that remain to be pondered.
In such a posture, it does not take long to get fidgety! And no matter how many times one shifts and re-shifts in the chair, after a while one simply begins to feel like a caged tiger! Not to mention the ordeal involved in simply trying to get up and transition to another room, etc… Suffice it to say that I am need of prayer as much for my attitude as for my convalescence.
Having said this, let me hasten to add that there are some benefits as well. I have gotten caught up on a lot of personal projects. For instance, I have done some writing. I have updated this very website. I have read a book or two. I have processed numerous e-mails. I have worked on some sermon planning. And I even finalized my tax returns.
I have also tried to relax a little. I have watched a few movies, as well as some online videos and DVDs. I have also caught up a little on television. How does one catch up on television? Well, I checked out some newer television shows that I had never seen before. And one of those shows in particular caught my attention.
The cable network known as "The Science Channel" (© Discovery Communications, LLC) has a show out titled "WHAT ON EARTH?". Begun in 2015, the series in now in its fourth season. The series examines and attempts to explain "strange satellite images" (terrestrial images taken from space satellites). Typically, about three or four such mysterious satellite anomalies are investigated per episode.
Let’s be honest. Many (perhaps most) of us fail to realize that over four thousand satellites now orbit the earth, looking down on us each and every hour (if not every moment) of our lives! This, of course, raises all kinds of questions – mostly about privacy and security (or the lack thereof).
But it also reminds me that even if there were no satellites, there would still someone looking down on me. When we were children, we used to sing a little song that contains these lyrics:
O be careful little eyes what you see…
O be careful little eyes what you see…
For the Father up above…
He is looking down in love…
So, be careful little eyes what you see!
Thereafter, successive verses contained similar admonitions to “be careful little ears what you hear”, to “be careful little hands what you do”, to “be careful little feet where you go”, and to “be careful little mouth what you say”! All for the same reason: because our Heavenly Father, up above, is looking down in love!
Years later, I encountered a song titled “Slow Fade” by the Contemporary Christian group known as Casting Crowns. The lyrics are:
Be careful little eyes what you see…
It's the second glance that ties your hands…
As darkness pulls the strings!”
Be careful little feet where you go…
For it's the little feet behind you…
That are sure to follow!”
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away…
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray…
Thoughts invade, choice is made, A price will be paid…
When you give yourself away…
People never crumble in a day…
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade...
All of this is to say that I have no idea just who all may be watching me from up above. I have no idea the extent to which prying eyes note where all I go and what all I do. But I do know that my God is watching me from above. As the Psalmist tells me (in the Old Testament book of Psalms, chapter 32, verse 8), God keeps his loving eye upon me.
And that is all the motivation I need to be careful what I see, what I hear, what I do, where I go, and what I say! For my Father up above is looking down in love! And I have no desire whatsoever to break His heart!
What is more, as Casting Crowns reminds us, little eyes down here below are also watching me, and little ears are listening to me, and little feet are willing to follow me, and little hands willing to mimic me, and little mouths willing to repeat me!
Not only do I not want to break the heart of God, neither do I want to cause anyone else, especially little ones, to stumble.
Rather, as God looks down upon me, I hope that He will be pleased with what he sees. And that my every action will meet with His everlasting approval.
LYRICS SOURCES:
http://childbiblesongs.com/song-12-be-careful-little-eyes.shtml and
http://www.metrolyrics.com/slow-fade-lyrics-casting-crowns.html.
NOTE: YouTube videos showing collections of strange sites seen on Google Earth have been around for quite some time. Just do a web search for “Google Earth anomalies” and you will soon find more such videos than you can hope to watch in one sitting.
Apparently, someone at Discovery Communications hit upon the idea of compiling such anomalies and presenting them in the form of a television series. Given that the show is now in its fourth season, their idea seems to have been a good one.
According to Neil Laird, the Executive Producer of “WHAT ON EARTH?” over at: http://blogs.discovery.com/inscider/2015/02/the-mysteries-of-what-on-earth
.html: The Science Channel’s motto has long been to “Question Everything” no matter how bizarre or strange, and put it under the bright glare of modern science to see what might be revealed. Your guesses about the mysterious satellite photos fit right into that philosophy—they are informed, thoughtful, surprising, and just as importantly, entertaining. We’re thrilled you love the mysteries we are able to bring you here on the web and even better, leave you questioning some of these provocative images along with the experts. Many of the world’s top archeologists, meteorologists, geologists and other experts are as stumped as you are!
Be advised, however. Not everyone is as enthused as the show’s producer. Several reviewers share the view that the show is more “edutainment” than actual science. (See, for instance: https://www.metabunk.org/what-on-earth-science-channel-fail.t7514/.)
By this, they mean that the show is not so much designed to inform as to entertain. The proof is that much more time is spent merely proposing conjecture and speculation (often from the very so-called experts who are supposed to be explaining the mysterious phenomena to begin with) than with giving definitive explanation.
Scientists with proper labels like volcanologists, geologists, oceanographers, etc... are interviewed, and seem to present unanswered questions as to the "mysterious images" being discussed. But often, many more interviews with non-experts presenting conspiratorial guesses are spliced in as well. Thus, the show ends up concentrating on the "mysteries" suggested by the satellite images, rather than actual explanations for the images. The end result is pretty much that most of the respective scientists’ "verbal on-air content" is spent describing the mystery, not giving the real explanation (or telling why it is not really a mystery after all)!
That being said, I personally found the program not only entertaining, but also quite informative. One can easily glean enough information of substance to learn more about the subject at hand. But perceptive eyes and ears can also garner information that leads to the study of other mysteries as well. To watch the show is to realize that for every mystery solved, there are many more that remain to be pondered.