The Milky Way like you've never seen it

I'll never forget the first time I really saw the Milky Way Galaxy. It was in August 2004. My wife and I were camping with her parents at Horse Meadow Campground in the Sierra Nevada mountains. We'd been city slickers for the better part of 8 years, and had long forgotten the splendor of the night sky.

But late that summer night, high in the mountains, all of that changed. I stepped out of my tent and was blown away at the sight of the Milky Way Galaxy. You could almost reach out and touch it, it looked so close.

With our rural location and night sky ordinances, Yucca Valley is pretty dark as far as towns go, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to see a totally dark sky with no light pollution at all. I imagine what Abraham must have seen, when God told him to look up, and promised him an offspring that would outnumber the stars in the heavens (Gen. 15:5). With no city lights to compete, it must have been pitch-black with tens of thousands of brilliant stars shimmering down.

Most of us may not have the luxury of totally dark skies in the 21st century, but this amazing time-lapse video captures the majesty of the Milky Way, and the power of its Creator.


Plains Milky Way from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.

Our solar system

My family took a trip last Friday to the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ, where the dwarf planet Pluto was discovered in 1930. Got to view the sun through a special filter and see Saturn through their 24" telescope. Breathtaking!!

Here's a fascinating infographic of our solar system. A great way to capture the size of earth and our neighboring planets. Yes, the heavens are still declaring the glory of God (Ps. 19:1).


Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

Evangelical Exegetical Commentary

The first volume of the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary was just released, and I'm thrilled to be holding it in my hand ... uh, I mean seeing it on my screen.

The book was just released ten minutes ago, and it's already been downloaded and fully integrated into my Logos Bible Software. Ezra/Nehemiah by Israel Loken is the first of 44 volumes that will be produced in this series over the next decade. At first glance, the book looks outstanding.

There are two things that make the EEC truly unique. First is its rich exegetical content. With H. Wayne House as General Editor, the EEC promises a conservative, contemporary, and in-depth approach to exegesis. The editors write in their Preface,

In this series, the biblical books are studied with the tested tools of biblical scholarship, keeping in mind that these books, produced by human authors, come from the very mouth of God (2 Tim 3:16). The EEC reflects the important interpretative principles of the Reformation, while utilizing historical-grammatical and contextual interpretative methods.

Secondly, the EEC is the first of its kind to be published in the digital age and first published in electronic form. Here we see technology at its very best, being used to draw us closer to God and His Word. Again, from the editors:

The EEC is the very first commentary series produced first in electronic form. Doing this has enabled Logos to link each volume to the other resources of their massive electronic library. Additionally, the electronic volumes may contain such items as charts, graphs, timelines, and photos. Another benefit of the electronic edition is that authors will be able to add to their original contribution when new archaeological discoveries or additional insights become available. Thus, the owner of this series can benefit from an expanding resource. The EEC is scheduled for completion in half the time of comparable series. The dedication of the authors and the Logos Bible Software staff make this possible.

How cool is that? These books might actually grow as new research is uncovered.Once again, Logos has exceeded my expectations.

Each section in Ezra/Nehemiah contains the original Hebrew text, textual notes, translation, commentary, applicational and devotional implications, and selected bibliography. Here's a sample screenshot:

While it's too late to get the rock-bottom pre-pub discount on the EEC, you can still order the set at a good price.