The Snowflake

With a winter waning away with weather that was wanting for wishers of a winning snowfall, let’s stop to wonder at the beauty of a snowflake. “No two snowflakes are alike” is a saying attributed to Wilson Bentley, Vermont’s most famous resident and pioneer photographer of individual snowflakes.

Of the billions and trillions of snowflakes that fall in NW lower Michigan in a normal winter season, there is often little notice given to the construct of this frozen speck of water.

Ski resorts rely on a goodly base of them. Those with pickup trucks and plows delight in daily snowfalls. Snowmobilers, with the abandon of the old West’s freegrazers, see no problem roaring their machines over others’ snow-laden property. (There is simply no policing possible of these violators of private property.)
On the other hand, snow deters traffic, causes fender-benders, and worse. Lots of money is spent by road commissions to keep roads free of snow. Mixtures of salt and snow create slush and rust deterioration of autos. Ten years of weekly commuting back and forth from near Ann Arbor left me with many moments of the sheer terror of black ice and memories of many vehicles in ditches or overturned. On one trip on I-96, I saw 15 vehicles in a row in the ditch because of slick roads.

However, the universe of the innocent snowflake is mind-boggling.

Enter Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht. In the mid-1990s his interest in the molecular dynamics of crystal growth resulted in detailed study of ice crystals and how they grow from water vapor. Using modern equipment and techniques, Libbrecht has surpassed the research of  Bentley. While he can produce artificial snow at any time of the year at Caltech, his field research has taken him to all parts of North America where snow may be found. At least six books on snowflakes are listed on Amazon by Libbrecht. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Kenneth+G.+Libbrecht%27s+Snowflake+Books&x=16&y=18

Just take a look at the many, many varieties of snowflakes identified by Libbrecht viewable at http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/class/class.htm.

With due credit given to Libbrecht, below are five of my favorites he has imaged.

No. 1 – Split plates and stars

No. 2 – Another stellar dendrite

No. 3 – A double plate

No. 4 – A 12-sided flake

No. 5 – A rimed crystal


If anyone can say that such beauty and order are happenstance, look at the efforts of artificial snow. You can see from the picture below that artificial snow is made of frozen water droplets, with none of the elaborate structure found in real snow crystals.



According to Libbrecht, snow machines shoot a mixture of water and compressed air out of nozzles.  The water comes out as fine droplets, and the air cools as it decompresses, causing the droplets to freeze.  A fan blows the ice particles onto the slopes.

I view Libbrecht’s images and come away with a profound sense of awe. His work is opening not only new frontiers of science, but gives to me a reaffirmation of the magnificence of the hand of the divine Artist.

“Ice and snow, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.” (NAB Daniel 3:70)

The Theology of Sports

Does God intervene in sports?  This is the question that has captivated the news recently.  Pundits, sports announcers, some of the clergy of various denominations, newspaper articles, etc., have all had their say about the recent remarkable feats of Denver Bronco’s quarterback Tim Tebow.

The Heisman trophy winner, who helped the Florida gators win two national championships, has amazed football fans of all ages this past season with seemingly impossible come-from-behind plays. The team was 1–4 before Tebow became the starter, but immediately began winning with him on the field, often by coming from behind late in the 4th quarter, until they won the AFC West title.

While pregnant, his mother suffered a life-threatening infection with a pathogenic amoeba.  Doctors recommended that his mother have an abortion.  She declined. Tebow is the youngest of five children, all of whom were home schooled in order that the parents’ Christian beliefs be instilled. Tebow’s father, Robert, is a Baptist minister.  Tebow’s mother and Tim appeared in a 30 second pro-life TV spot in the 2010 Super Bowl.

So did God intervene in the life and career of Tim Tebow?  I would suspect that his mother’s decision to carry him to birth was due to her trust in God, and that God rewarded her with an extraordinary son.

As to his exploits on the football field, there is no reason why God cannot do as He pleases in directing the universe.  Since football and other sports are often the result of human successes and failures, measured in inches or seconds, even the best teams or athletes have their natural ups and downs.  Is God involved? 

Theology says that without His permission, nothing would exist.  So, yes, God is involved in that way.

However, to say that God micromanages this or that detail in human life would go contrary to the concept of man’s free will. This is a gift He has given mankind. He doesn’t want puppets or marionettes that dangle with strings attached to a mechanical manipulator in the hand of the Creator.

There are those philosophers who contend, or grudgingly admit, that God created the universe and let it evolve according to laws of science.  These philosophers think of a “hands-off” Being who does not get involved with mankind’s ordinary pursuits.

In Christianity, we are taught to pray the Our Father.  In this prayer, “Thy will be done” is a powerful component.  Yet, if one looks at the first miracle that Christ performed, at the wedding feast at Cana, it appeared that He was reluctant to honor His Mother Mary’s request to do something about the lack of wine.  He even objected to his mother that it wasn’t his time yet to perform miracles.

Undaunted, Mary told the servants to do whatever Her Son told them.  We know the results.  I draw from this incident the fact that prayer is effective.  I also draw from this incident, that God can and does intervene in human events.

On a personal level, when I was principal of a parochial school, and it was faced with financial difficulties, the school board was about to vote to eliminate the high school portion of the school.  The boys basketball team played in a district elimination game the night before the school board meeting.  They won.  The next evening, the school board voted to continue the school in its entirety.  The boys went on to win the district finals.  Today, the school continues on K-12, over 40 years later.

Funny Religious Stories

Since I have never been able to retell a humorous story (I always screw up the punch line), I relied on Google for the following pieces — with adaptations so as not to be offensive!

• Preachers dying wish

An old preacher was dying. He sent a message for his banker and his lawyer, both church members, to come to his home.

When they arrived, they were ushered up to his bedroom. As they entered the room, the preacher held out his hands and motioned for them to sit on each side of the bed. The preacher grasped their hands, sighed contentedly, smiled, and stared at the ceiling.

For a time, no one said anything. Both the banker and lawyer were touched and flattered that the preacher would ask them to be with him during his final moments. They were also puzzled; the preacher had never given them any indication that he particularly liked either of them. They both remembered his many long, uncomfortable sermons about greed, covetousness, and avaricious behavior that made them squirm in their seats.

Finally, the banker said, “Preacher, why did you ask us to come?”

The old preacher mustered up his strength and then said weakly, “Jesus died between two thieves, and that’s how I want to go.”

• Redneck Church

You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if … people ask, when they learn that Jesus fed the 5,000, whether the two fish were bass or catfish, and what bait was used to catch ‘em.

You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if … on the opening day of deer season the church is closed.

You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if … a member of the church requests to be buried in his 4-wheel-drive truck because “It ain’t never been in a hole it couldn’t get out of”

You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if … the choir is known as the “OK Chorale”.

You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if … in a congregation of 500 members, there are only seven last names in the church directory.

You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if … people think “rapture” is what you get when you lift something too heavy.

You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if … the choir robes were donated by (and embroidered with the logo from) Billy Bob’s Barbecue.

You Know You’re in a Redneck Church if … the collection plates are really hubcaps from a 1956 Chevy pick up truck.

• The two Brothers

There were two evil brothers. They were rich, and used their money to keep their evil ways from the public eye. They even attended the same church, and appeared to be perfect Christians.

Then, their pastor retired, and a new one was hired. Not only could the new pastor see right through the brothers’ deception, but he also spoke well and true, and the church membership grew in numbers. A fund-raising campaign was started to build a new assembly.

All of a sudden, one of the brothers died. The remaining brother sought out the new pastor the day before the funeral and handed him a check for the amount needed to finish paying for the new building. “I have only one condition,” he said. “At the funeral, you must say my brother was a saint.” The pastor gave his word, and deposited the check.

The next day, at the funeral, the pastor did not hold back. “He was an evil man,” he said. “He cheated on his wife and abused his family.” After going on like this, he finally concluded, “But, compared to his brother, he was a SAINT.”

• RESULTS

A minister dies and is waiting in line at the Pearly Gates.Ahead of him is a guy who’s dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket, and jeans.

Saint Peter addresses this guy, ‘Who are you, so that I may know whether or not to admit you to the Kingdom of Heaven?’

The guy replies, ‘I’m Joe Cohen, taxi driver, of Noo Yawk City.’

St. Peter consults his list. He smiles and says to the taxi driver, ‘Take this silken robe and golden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.’

The taxi driver goes into Heaven with his robe and staff, and it’s the minister’s turn. He stands erect and booms out, ‘I am Joseph Snow, pastor of Calvary Church for the last forty-three years.’

St.  Peter consults his list.

He says to the minister, ‘Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.’

‘Just a minute,’ says the minister. ‘That man was a taxi driver, and he gets a silken robe and golden staff. How can this be?’

‘Up here, we work by results,’ says Saint Peter. ‘While you preached, people slept, while he drove, people prayed.’

• Church sign

“How will you spend eternity?
Smoking or Non-smoking?”

• His first wedding

A little boy was attending his first wedding. After the service, his cousin asked him, “How many women can a man marry?” “Sixteen,” the boy responded. His cousin was amazed that he had an answer so quickly. “How do you know that?” “Easy,” the little boy said. “All you have to do is add it up, like the pastor said: 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer.”

• Morning people

“Somebody has well said that there are only two kinds of people in the world – there are those who wake up in the morning and say, “Good morning, Lord,” and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, “Good Lord, it’s morning…

• Church Bulletin Announcements

Martha Belch, a missionary from Africa will be speaking tonight at Calvary Memorial Church in Racine. Come tonight and hear Martha Belch all the way from Africa.

Announcement in the church bulletin for a National PRAYER & FASTING Conference: “The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer conference includes meals.”

Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.

Miss Charlene Mason sang “I will not pass this way again” giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
“Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don’t forget your husbands.”

The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.

Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community.

Don’t let worry kill you off – let the Church help.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be “What is Hell?” Come early and listen to our choir practice. Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person(s) you want remembered.
Attend and you will hear an excellent speaker and heave a healthy lunch.

The church will host an evening of fine dining, superb entertainment, and gracious hostility.

Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 pm.-prayer and medication to follow.

Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.

Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.

The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The Congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

Weight Watchers will meet at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.