This afternoon on the eve of the darkest day of the year, same-sex marriage is one step closer in becoming legalized in Utah. What usually happens politically from the powers of the government, the church has historically has followed to avoid persecution. I wonder how long it will take.
NEWS ARTICLE: "A federal judge has struck down Utah's same-sex marriage ban, saying it is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby issued a 53-page ruling Friday saying Utah's law passed by voters in 2004 violates gay and lesbian couples' rights to due process and equal protection under the 14th Amendment. Shelby says the state failed to show that allowing same-sex marriages would affect opposite-sex marriages in any way, and the state's unsupported fears and speculations are insufficient to justify deny allowing same-sex marriages.
Many similar court challenges are pending in other states, but Utah's has been closely watched because of the state's history of staunch opposition to gay marriage as the home of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
2014 will be a very interesting year.
Friday, December 20, 2013
226: WINTER SOLSTICE 2013
In my opinion I feel that time is speeding up as things are starting to wind down on this earth. The above video is a time lapse video that I came across. I have a great appreciation and love for God's Creations. I have heard people who read a great article say, "I wish I had written that"... well, likewise.. "I wish I could have filmed that". link to youtube video
Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice which marks the shortest daylight period and longest night of the year. Beginning tomorrow, Light begins to conquer Darkness and for the next six months, the days again grow longer as the sun increases and ascends after 6 months of decreasing and descending from the lowest point in the sky.
In preparing to observe this important day, I hiked up into the mountains a few days ago and took a few photos of the snow. I was able to zoom in with my camera and I could see the intricate detail of the fallen snow. Snowflakes are essentially ice crystals whose shape are determined by the organization the water molecules are in when they freeze. Temperature greatly influences their final form. Snow crystals tend to form simpler shapes when the humidity (supersaturation) is low, while more complex shapes at higher humidities. More adverse conditions create more intricate snowflakes.
It is amazing to see the beauty formed from just one drop of water with two basic elements of hydrogen and oxygen. Just image if we allow the God, the Creator of all, to shape our lives and become His work and His masterpiece.
May we reflect tomorrow how each of us can increase more Light into our life in the coming days ahead when darkness has been gaining momentum and power.
Sidenote: However, to see some really amazing photographs, a Moscow-based photographer captured dozens of amazing close-ups of snowflakes. See some of these images here: SNOWFLAKES
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