It was a great week in Marathon TX! B worked hard and we did our thing. We’re headed toward Big Bend today for a long weekend exploring in the National Park. Aren’t TX skies amazing?

This week we enjoyed exploring around the Marathon Motel & RV Park – another little hidden gem that the Lord picked out for us.

For a small little park in a small little town in the middle of nowhere – it was a great find. The views of the mountains were so great, we weren’t bothered by the trains that fly by (except it scared us the first night!) and we love the little courtyard and fire area. We are so far out – there’s no radio signal but there is great cell service (which is why we’re here!). The tiny little town (population 400) of Marathon (that we like to call Radiator Springs) is intriguing. It was surprising to find a quality coffee shop and BBQ place that could have been in any up and coming town/city. It’s funny to step into that environment and then step back out into Marathon. We loved the little “grocers” too.

It was fun and intriguing to find a quality barista and quality chef in this place….. but actually I take that back – chef E travels with us wherever we go and she’s great!

We’ve enjoyed our daily routine of school, exercise, and exploring during the day … and then doing fires in the courtyard and star parties at night.

Look at the pictures RR & E took on my camera while I was back at Woody with AB:

The star above Orion’s Belt that has an orange tint is Betelguese – which means armpit of the warrior:

They really caught the “milky” ness on this one! That’s the Sagittarius arm of the milky way you’re seeing up the center there!

You can see Mr Bill’s laser pointer in this picture. Isn’t that cool he can use a laser to teach and direct?

On the left is Sirius the brightest star, then Orion’s Belt is on the middle left there, and then toward the right is Subaru aka the 7 sisters.

We’ve met really great people at each stop of our trip so far and this stop was no exception!

People of all ages and backgrounds and from all over. What are the chances that a couple from Asheville NC would park 20 feet away from us in little-town middle-of-nowhere, west Texas? The Lord did it. He’s so fun!

Now just some bullet point thoughts and our monthly numbers before I share a science lesson:

• West Texas has been the answer to our prayers for DRY weather! North Carolina friends: “dry” is when there is NOT h2o falling from the sky. Not sure if you remember what that is. It also means there is not water all up in the air around you! I’ve never experienced lack of humidity like I have here. I love it . I also secretly love how the dust is driving B crazy 🙂 . I choose to see the dust as a thin coating on everything we own and every part of our body to remind us that it’s not raining! Thank you, Lord!!!!!

• We can’t believe the temperature difference because the lack of humidity — we were so gloriously hot and sunny in tank tops and shorts the first day here and we stepped into the shade and I thought I had gotten into a trail of somebody’s AC! Wow!!! What a concept. I think there’s a literal 20 degree swing when you take one step from the sun into shade.

• Also there’s a 35+ degree difference between day and night! Tank tops and shorts during the day – 2 layers and hats and gloves to look at stars at night!

Monthly numbers for February:

• “Rent” = $838
• Utilities = $14 for propane (FHU remember 😍)
• Gas = $540
• Laundry = $23
• People with Cowboy hats = 35
• Cowboy hat tips = 1 !!!!! Aw my first hat tip. A nice old gentleman crossed my path and he lifted up his hat for me! I feel like our Texas goals have been accomplished.

On to one of our fave lessons this week.... as you know we’ve been studying the stars, galaxies, and the earth’s movement and rotation in our system. (Remember earth is moving, not the stars). Tuesday we talked about Polaris, the North Star, and the axis the earth rotates on.

So a reminder for those that haven’t thought about this in awhile… because of the axis that earth was designed to have – we have a North and South “end” – a north and South pole. So if you continue to travel north you eventually reach the furthest north you can go … if you keep going past that, you’re headed south again. There’s a set distance between our furthest north and south.

This of course is not true of east and west. Once we start off going east, we can continue east for eternity and never hit a point where we are actually then going west. East goes on to infinity around and around and around. Same with west.

Which led us to this verse:

“As far as the east is from the west, so far as He removes our transgressions from us”

Psalm 103:12

Once we have been saved by grace through faith…. our sins are literally removed from us as far as is possible. They are infinitely separated away from us. Think about that truth – do we really live like we believe that!?

Doesn’t it make you rejoice!? Doesn’t it make you want to love Him with all your heart soul mind and strength – and obey His command to love others for Him!?

We were then SO excited to see the verse right before the east/west one in Psalms:

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him

Psalm 103:11

As high as the heavens are above the earth!?!? Let’s think about that!

Every star we see in the sky with our eyes is part of the Milky Way galaxy, our galaxy. With Mr Bill’s special telescopes and direction this week, we have seen 3 other galaxies! The next closest galaxy to us (which I assume is way closer to us than the heavens since that galaxy is also part of His creation) is 2.5 million light years away. God’s love for us is SO much higher, greater, bigger than that.

<mind blown>

To try to stretch the mind further…. let’s talk about the speed of light. If it were possible to stand at a spot on earth and throw a tennis ball around the earth – if it were to travel at the speed of light it would go all the way around the earth 7.5 times in ONE second.

So the next galaxy is 2.5 million speed of light YEARS away.

God’s love for us is way higher/bigger/greater than the heavens – which are higher than that neighbor galaxy! Woah.

Isn’t He communicating His message loud and clear !? He loves us more than we can ever think ask hope for or imagine. We must believe it! No matter what’s going on. We must remember this evidence every time we look at the night sky. We must remember this evidence any time we think of directions – north south east & west.

I pray to always have eyes to see His love.

These are great prompts in creation for us to remember….

But of course the most visible expression of God’s love is God Himself.

Looking at creation we aren’t seeing God Himself – we are seeing what an amazing Creator He is! To see God Himself – we look at Christ Jesus.

We have seen Him. B & I have both been given the gift of “seeing” Jesus through His Word and personal revelations from the Holy Spirit and we know He is the one and only God like He says He is!

Forget the religious baggage and rituals and politics and distraction and confusion that sinful people have brought into Christianity — the most important question anyone needs to answer in life is — what do I believe about Jesus Christ?

If there is anybody who ever stumbles upon this blog and doesn’t know King Jesus intimately and personally I beg you to please cry out to Him and anticipate His answer! He promises He will be found to those who earnestly seek Him with the heart.

Jesus of Nazareth was a real man – historical evidence overwhelmingly proves this. And we believe His claims about Himself are true and were not the claims of a crazy man.

Jesus is the promised Messiah – God Himself! He created us and then came and rescued us so we could experience life to the fullest and enjoy Him forever. He is coming back to restore and redeem and put everything back under His authority where it was created to be.

All of this beauty we are experiencing pales in comparison to His glory!!! It’s just a dim reflection.

His love is better than anything this life has to offer and the joy, satisfaction, and peace of just being His little lamb is a better adventure than anything you can find in this galaxy.

His love is what we were created to yearn for. That yearning for more that we feel deep down? That unsettled feeling that makes us feel discontent despite being so fortunate and privileged? That yearning for spiritual connection??? That yearning was put there for a reason. It will never be fully satisfied in earthly riches, earthly love, earthly thrills or new adventures. It’s only found in Him.

So great is His love!!!!!