The Glory of God in the Life & Death of a Dove: Resurrection Day 2012

“And I say, ‘Oh, that I had
wings like a dove!
I would fly away
and be at rest...’”  -Psalm 55:6 (ESV)

We recently lost something very precious to us, a curious and cuddly little, albino dove purchased 12 years ago named Rainbow. We are very grateful to God for the gift of our time with her, and the amazing ways He has displayed things about Himself through her.

Most people’s first question upon seeing this bird was, “Why would you name a white dove ‘Rainbow’?” To that we answer two things: White is composed of the whole color spectrum, and her name referenced Noah’s release of a dove to help find land after a destructive flood before God put a rainbow in the sky, a reminder in part of His promise of a coming restoration. (Genesis 8:1-9:17)

Doves are spoken of throughout Scripture, with perhaps most notable mention as Jesus comes out of the water following His baptism and the Holy Spirit descends on Him “like a dove.” (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10, Luke 3:22, John 1:32) There was no getting away from the remarkable visual symbolism this small creature gave.

When we brought Rainbow home, she was an untamed and frightened baby bird. She lived at my husband's house when we were still dating, and when visiting I would get her out and just hold her, gently but firmly, knowing full well if I let go she would fly off.

One day I had been holding her on my stomach for a while when something changed. This is difficult to describe well, but I felt her tension suddenly leave. She relaxed entirely. I slowly lifted my hands away and she didn’t move. She finally trusted me. We had bonded.

This event constantly reminds me of the moment (actually, moments) when a person stops fighting, struggling and running, and finally trusts God. This has happened in my own life, when I finally believed in Jesus as Savior, and times since when I’ve had to really trust Him in my own circumstances that seem so unsettling. He shows me the One who is holding me really has my best interest at heart and wants me to know Him. I can relax because He is Good no matter how things feel.

I consider that truth now as I type through tears. We dearly loved Rainbow. She was a constant in our relationship, a gentle creature who often came when called or cooed on demand. We knew she was ill for about 7 months, and through much prayer saw many indicators in that time that we gave her the best possible care. We are grateful her worst suffering was brief. Yet this whole event reminds me that all creation groans in this currently broken and damaged world, waiting for a restoration that only Jesus, the Creator, can bring. (Romans 8:18-25)

Yes, Jesus lived perfectly, died and came to life again so those who believe in Him can be forgiven of their struggle against Him and live forever with Him. But He also will return to bring restoration to this planet, creating a New Heavens and Earth where death is banished and this sort of thing, our sort of pain, will never happen again. (2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1)

You may ask if we will see this bird again in the New Earth. I honestly don’t know. The Bible doesn’t give specific answers on the subject. If that is part of the restoration, it will be an exciting gift for any who lost a beloved animal. But far more exciting is the hope of seeing Jesus Himself, being resurrected because of His resurrection, knowing true Joy with Him and never having to suffer such loss or pain again, as He will wipe away every tear. (Revelation 7:17; 21:4)

I do hope God will use these stories of our dove to also show you something about Himself perhaps you never saw before, or to remind you of truths you’ve heard. I pray He draws you close to Himself in whatever you’re going through, happy or sad, that He shows you the way out of struggling against Him so you find rest with Him, asking His forgiveness, accepting His help and believing in Jesus, the Resurrected One who is making all things new.

“The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 

-1 Corinthians 15:26 (ESV) 

Resurrection Day blessings †  (:}>

the missouri bird revival

"It was a fight for survival
that broke out in revival"
-Ray Stevens

The Tweet that started the questions rolling:
"3.5 church staffers just freed 1 very live bird from a drain clogged with over a foot of debris, & a very dead squirrel. Bird WIN!"


Having been a church staff member lo these nearly 8 years, I have lots of stories to tell. Collecting those stories in written form is often suggested, and this is just one of those bizarre yet triumphant tales of God's sense of humor. So sit back and enjoy.


Last week, some uncomfortable situations and news of friends and family in crisis left me in a bit of spin on Tuesday, the first day of my work week. It also happened that on top of my regular work I had a newsletter due and a massive food drive to prep for (which, praise God, went incredibly smooth). I was swamped, literally and emotionally.

But Tuesday just happened to be a really beautiful day, the kind we usually tend to miss trapped in an office with windows you can't open. (Well, you could open them. But only once.) So that afternoon somebody, or everybody, got the bright idea to take the staff meeting outside. There's only four of us, so we grabbed some chairs and went off to the side of the building to take in some sun.

As we were sharing prayer requests, I noticed a sound coming from a gutter and went to investigate. Scratching. My stomach sank. There was a bird stuck in there. Maybe a squirrel. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's creatures trapped and terrified.

I walked back to the guys and didn't say anything, but immediately started praying we could get whatever it was out.

Soon they noticed the sound too, and we all went over to investigate. This was a gutter drain from a two story flat gym roof, and it was screwed on to a flexible plastic drain that ran under a bit of ground to open up a few feet later. But the really odd thing was that the movement and scratching were nowhere near the bottom of the metal gutter. It was a foot or more above that point, which could mean only one thing. Clogged gutter.

I told them from experience there were almost definitely dead things in there. I'd freed a sparrow from the side of a house once, only to find him in there with the bones of his brethren. This, I presumed, would not be pretty.

Waiting for tools, I held on to the pipe and tapped. And then... the creature tapped back! This communication took place more than once. If I was a crier, I woulda lost it right there. I've halted traffic to rescue dazed birds in the middle of Highway 67. Nothing would stop me now.

The youth pastor produced a screwdriver, and we started the task of removing metal from plastic. Sure enough, when we got it undone it was clogged full of debris. We tried using sticks, but with little success. So I stepped in to reluctantly reach up the pipe (with my right arm, not the recently fractured left one), and started digging, pulling out clods of dead leaves and who-knows-what, my arm up the pipe nearly to my elbow as I'm mumbling, "Dead things, dead things, dead things..." Not exactly how I planned to spend my afternoon.

Eventually the associate pastor found a crowbar which we managed to use to get some more clumps out. (We also noticed the scratching sound was going higher up the pipe as he pushed...) At one point, said pastor stopped and asked, "Do you guys smell that?" but shrugged, and we kept on working.

Shortly after, a large clump fell out... and a small bird flew out! Followed by something else unidentified plopping on the ground. For the bird I was elated, as it flew off to a distant tree to look back at us in some bewilderment, with the senior pastor, and the only one without mud on his hands, waving and yelling, "You're welcome!" (Yes, he was the ".5 staffer." The cheering squad.)

We all turned back to the unidentified gray thing. Someone poked it with a stick to reveal a very dead, large, adult squirrel, and we all let out a collective, disgusted groan. Fortunately a church member, who also happens to be a nurse, had shown up to watch the spectacle, and provided a rubber glove with which I could carry the poor thing off by the tail to some overgrowth.

Mission accomplished, three of us headed inside to detox. I haven't been that covered in mud in a while, and I still have a nice mark on my forearm from the job. But the satisfaction of freeing that little bird made it all worthwhile. And a day that started off not so great ended up in a classic rescue operation.

If that wasn't enough, after I got home and we were heading out for Ben & Jerry's free cone day, I opened the door to our garage to find a very live squirrel on the hood of my car! He scampered down the hood and out the door quick, but I could not believe it. (There has since been some speculation as to whether they just have a really good network, or if it rode home on the undercarriage to take revenge over a huge misunderstanding of the day's events. However, no brake lines were chewed.)

Honestly, I can't make this stuff up. (Well, except that last bit.) I say it often, I truly love the Lord's sense of humor, and I thank Him for setting all this up in the midst of everything to provide the relief of rescuing one of His birds and giving us a lot of laughs, even in the fairly hilarious social networking discussion that ensued.

The bird we saved to live another day, but a little revival happened in me. Thank you, Lord, for redirecting my focus once again. And for simply making me smile.


"A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
 -Proverbs 17:22

"Indescribable"

Believe it or not, praise music, especially of the modern variety, is something I'm really just discovering (with lots of help from Pandora), and Chris Tomlin is suddenly one of my favorite artists.

I absolutely love this song (written by Laura story and performed by Tomlin) because it is so utterly true. There are many homemade vids for it out there, but this is by far the best I've seen. Take it all in.

30 DoW: Day 24

I chose Psalm 8
1 To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath.
A Psalm of David.

O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

4 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?

5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,

7 All sheep and oxen--
Even the beasts of the field,

8 The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is
Your name in all the earth!

attribute & response:
Excellent. "Birds" drew me right to this one. Of course, I hear this psalm a lot, usually with a particular focus. But I notice again that it talks about His creation, those birds and other creatures, and man's dominion (stewardship and care, not destruction) over them. It talks about an almighty God caring enough to care about the mankind He made. It talks about the simple confounding the strong.

The excellencies of God are upside down and backward compared to the way the world thinks. Thank God He doesn't let any of us run the universe, but that He controls it all beyond our understanding.

30 DoW: Day 23

I chose Psalm 29
1 A Psalm of David. Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.

2 Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The Lord is over many waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes them also skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire.

8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth,
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everyone says, "Glory!"

10 The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood,
And the Lord sits as King forever.

11 The Lord will give strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.

attribute & response:
Majestic. This is another psalm showing the LORD's awesome power over all His creation. It really stands out to me at the moment, because so many people are talking about crazy weather and earthquakes and things going on with the planet, but instead of giving God the credit, they talk about "man made climate change" or "mother nature" or today a guy even said "old man river." I replied, "I'm pretty sure God had something to do with it."

The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood. He was in control of that global disaster. He's in control of a deer giving birth. Death and life. He is in control now. Yet everyone in His temple says, "Glory!" The angels around His throne say, "Holy! Holy! Holy!"

Stop denying God and give Him the credit due. He is in control of it all. Everything. Worship Him in His majesty.

30 DoW: Psalm 19

Psalm 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

attribute & response:
There are so many to choose here, but I picked "Glorious," primarily because of the sheer glory shown in creation as described in so much of this psalm. It ties right back to the first attribute we looked at, "Creator." The beauty of the earth and sky and sun declare His glory, and even non tangible things such as His Law are listed. Creation shows us His glory externally, and our reaction to His Law in fear and reverence—the Law written on every heart—that can show us His glory internally. Both leave everyone without excuse in calling out to Him.

He is glorious, and our purpose in life is to glorify Him, which everyone will one way or another. I pray I can do His will to glorify Him for the rest of my life, choosing to serve and respond to Him now.

30 DoW: Psalm 97 - Unrivaled

Psalm 97
1 The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.

2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

3 Fire goes before him
and consumes his foes on every side.

4 His lightning lights up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.

5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.

7 All who worship images are put to shame,
those who boast in idols--
worship him, all you gods!

Response:
I know so many people who worship idols, other gods, even themselves. Some think they are gods.

But what have they created? Did they even make their own bodies, or their own souls? Did they choose where and to whom they would be born? Do they or their gods or their idols have any control over the growth of even a single seed? Obviously no, much less the sheer and absolute power described here.

The idea is so ludicrous that only they are blind to their own foolishness, and shame truly is soon upon them if their eyes remain closed.

Praise God the He opened my own eyes, and I see nothing and no one else worthy of worship except Him alone.

30 Days of Worship: Psalm 33 - Creator

And now for something completely different. A lot has happened during my recent silence which I hope to address later. But for the next 30 days I should post daily.

Our youth group (of which I am a sponsor) just began "30 Days of Worship," during which we study a Psalm each day, highlighting words within to focus on an attribute of God, praising Him for what that attribute means to us in some way (such as writing a prayer, poem, song or even drawing a picture) and worshiping Him for that characteristic throughout the day.

Since this is a great place to share thoughts and reactions, here we go...

Follow along with your own responses. You can start any time.

Psalm 33 - Creator
1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

2 Praise the Lord with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4 For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.

5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.

6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the people of the world revere him.

9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

response:
Lord, you created us and all we
see in nature
You created us to be creative like You
in some small way
music, building (carpenter), food, art, drama, writing

Thank you that we can know you are
in control of every
drop of water, lighting strike, thunder clap,
wind gust, cloud formation, earthquake,
volcano, flood, drought, hurricane,
fire, ice storm, snowflake, tornado

You have given us no spirit of fear
Yet the fear of you is the beginning of wisdom
That is power, love and soundness of mind

all creation groans

"Created, then drilled and invaded.
If somebody made it, someone will mess it up."
-Coldplay, "Twisted Logic"

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now." -Romans 8:18-22

In reading the above verse, it's clear that it's not just us waiting for things to improve. All of creation is waiting to be delivered. But it also seems, in recent times, that the groaning is getting louder.

As I've stated previously, it's taken us just at 100 years to pollute the entire planet in order to have things "we can't live without." But as discussions of "global warming" and "climate change" arise, I frequently like to remind people, there are two very important things everyone needs to remember:

1) In general, we have very little control over this planet.

Yes, a lot of our behavior is affecting environmental changes in various ways. Take for example the heat island effect in larger cities, the fact that destruction of swamp land below New Orleans allowed Hurricane Katrina to hit with much more force than if plant protection had been in place, or the destruction of rain forest which lends itself to, among other things, further extinction of plants and animals exclusive to the region.

However, many of the "climate changes" we see also come with standard weather patterns and the way the planet is designed to work in general, and we can't forget all that just because local temperatures aren't reading the way we're used too for a week, or even a month. Honestly, it wasn't so long ago that we were talking about global cooling and the possibility of having to forcibly melt the polar ice caps. (See Newsweek magazine, April 28, 1975.)

So, as a very fine local weather man recently put it, the question is how much of climate change is due to what humans are doing, and how much is just the planet doing what the planet was designed to do?

Now, for some, the theological question is how much of the wild weather and natural disasters we're seeing might be due to God's wrath? We currently have no answer to that question, but we're also not hearing loud claims of responsibility for events such as tsunami causing earthquakes and other such phenomena.

No matter what your take on that, consider this:

"For I know that the Lord is great, And our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places. He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries." -Psalm 135:5-7

Bottom line? God is in control of all that's happening, one way or another.

2) Most people don't realize how much effect each individual has on their immediate environment.

Industrialized nations produce tons of waste and byproducts per person each year. It has gotten to the point that we are actually paying people to dig recyclable products out of our landfills for reuse.

It would certainly make a lot more sense to save that money by taking the time up front to recycle the maximum amount of product possible, and limiting use of anything we are unable to recycle. And a lot of people are making attempts to do just that.

That's just one example of something you can do. And we all know many other ways to do what's best for everyone by doing what's best for the planet. Remember, we've been placed in a specific and orderly framework with specific and real consequences for every action. Clearly, pollution and disease are unquestionable consequences, but folks have a tendency to conveniently forget that when their convenience is threatened.

It doesn't take a genius, or a theologian, to figure out that everything is suffering more and more on account of mankind's demands to have things easy, especially in an age where we can clearly see the damage we've caused. Once again, I call for that fine balance between acting upon what we care about and realizing the Lord is in control. And I pray more Christians become willing to step up and help in the right ways and for the right reason—the glory of the Creator—as we await for that Day when we, and all creation, are delivered from this mess.

• Read all related posts.

christian environmentalism

If you were surprised by this header, I'd consider it upsetting. But don't be. I'm not alone.

(Watch the surprisingly good documentary "Is God Green?"
Also, take a moment to read a commentary by Greg Koukl.)

That's becoming quite clear of late as we hear increased talk of "global warming" and "climate change," but even more as we see environmental damage affect us personally. All of a sudden, many who have, for whatever reason, been silent in the past are now sitting up and taking notice that something is wrong.

When I was a kid, we heard a lot about acid rain, turning off the water tap and light switch, and always cutting your six pack plastics before throwing them out so ducks wouldn't get stuck in them. But environmentalism was often considered a movement of the fringe–those who were just trying to make life difficult for the rest of us. It became a political struggle, just like everything else, between those battling for the planet and those fighting for industry.

Now I realize, as with anything, some folks take things too far. And, usually, those are the ones who get the media attention. But that's not everyone. There are a lot of people who genuinely care that we are doing serious damage to the only planet we've got (despite the ideals of individuals like Stephen Hawking, who would have us "boldly go" elsewhere). And many of those who care are also followers of Jesus Christ.

In reality, this is only fitting, as our Lord is the One who created it all.

"All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." -John 1:3

So for the Christian, environmentalism has nothing to do with worshiping the creation, and everything to do with worshiping our Creator by respecting all that He made.

I often ask, what type of future do we expect for the generations who follow us? For those who believe in the sanctity of human life, this should be an especially important question. Is our life of ease more important than clean air and water, safe places to spend time in creation and healthy food? Or do the conveniences of our "now" overshadow any consequence for tomorrow—for everyone including ourselves?

When I think of this, I consider Jesus' answer to the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:35-40:"Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Everything we do that knowingly and willfully harms the environment also disrespects the Creator. (And we can no longer say "we didn't know.") Therefore, for the Christian, caring for the planet should be as much about "loving the Lord our God" as anything else we do.

Everything we do that affects the environment also affects everyone else around us. Therefore, for the Christian, doing our part to care for the planet should be as much about "loving our neighbor" as anything else we do.

Christian, don't get hung up in all the "love your mother" (as in "mother earth") statements. Love your Heavenly Father and your brother and sister in Christ instead.

• Read all related posts.

look at the stars...

"The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork."
-Psalm 19:1(b)

"Look up, I look up at night,
Planets are moving at the speed of light."
-Coldplay, "Speed of Sound"

I'm not sure where some people got this idea, but God never said it was okay to destroy the planet He made. And, no, "subdue" and "have dominion over" (found in Genesis 1:28) do not mean "destroy."

All of creation was designed to show God's glory and creativity. Destruction of that creation decreases our ability to see His glory clearly.

Where I live, in a heavily lit suburb, I look up on a clear night, see the stars, moon and planets and think, "Wow, that's incredible. Beautiful."

But when I drive a few hours out of town and set my eyes on the sky, I suddenly realize how few stars I can actually see back home. Even something so useful as electric light has diminished my ability to fully see God's glory in creation on a regular basis.

This alone makes me think twice about the things we do to "make life easier." But think about the destruction of fields and forests, oceans and streams, all in the name of progress. I'm not so sure we're progressing in the direction we'd hoped. And if this "progress" continues to drag us further from seeing the glory of our Creator, how is that a good thing?

Convenience is coming at a heavy cost. I pray we are not so blinded by our own desires that we eventually cease to see the beauty of creation, the splendor of God's glory, which surrounds us every day.

• Read all related posts.

who needs fireworks anyway?

"The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork." -Psalm 19:1

"The sun is a mass of incandescent gas
A gigantic nuclear furnace
where hydrogen is built into helium
at a temperature of millions of degrees"
-Why Does The Sun Shine?


This fun little tune is from a 1959 education recording called "Space Songs" and has since been covered and popularized by They Might Be Giants. (The concert version is WAY more fun than the 1993 album version, FYI.)

Now check this out.

When I first studied this pic, I was just blown away. This was from a day when we were having some significant solar flares and sun storms. But I just sat there thinking, "That's a giant ball of nuclear fire in the middle of space, just hanging there. Giant balls of nuclear fire aren't supposed to do that really."

Now just in case you were wondering if there is a God, take another look at that pic. I mean, the mere size of the thing is ginormous. "A million earths could fit inside." But there are other stars way bigger.

I was also thinking, how anyone ever came to figure worshiping the giant ball of fire was a good idea, I can't understand. Doesn't make sense that created beings should worship created things. Clearly it didn't just come from nowhere. One would think worshiping the Creator is definitely the wiser option.

So on Indie Day it struck me that we all stand around "oooing" and "aaahhing" over little man-made explosions, and half the time don't give a thought to all the God-made stuff around us. I can appreciate fireworks too (not so much their environmental impact), but human copycat creativity can't come close to creation.

Go on, look again. You know you wanna. Kinda nice to be able to stare into the sun without burning your retinas, innit?

And now, here's the rest of the song...


"Yo ho it's hot
The Sun is not a place where we could live
but here on earth there'd be no life without the light it gives

We need it's light, We need it's heat, We need it's energy

Without the sun, Without a doubt
There'd be no you and me

The sun is hot
(It is so hot that everything on it is a gas Iron, Copper, Aluminum and many others.)

The sun is large
(If the sun were hollow a million earths could fit inside and yet the sun is only a middle-sized star.)

The sun is far away
(About 93 million miles away! And that's why it looks so small.)

And even when it's out of sight the sun shines night and day

The sun gives heat, The sun gives light
The sunlight that we see
The sunlight comes from our own sun's atomic energy

(Scientists have found that the sun is a huge atom-smashing machine. The heat and light of the sun come from the nuclear reactions of Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen and Helium.)

The sun is a mass of incandescent gas
A gigantic nuclear furnace
where hydrogen is built into helium
at a temperature of millions of degrees"