Blessing for a Meal

Bless, O Lord, this food to our use and us to thy service, and keep us ever mindful of the needs of others. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Remembering Fanny Crosby

Today, celebrate the life of hymnwriter Fanny Crosby (Frances Jane van Alstyne 1820-1915). Although none of her hymns are in the 1982 Episcopal Hymnal, the "Lift Every Voice and Sing" supplement contains five, the most famous of which is probably "Blessed Assurance": 

# 29 – Near the Cross

# 122 – Close to Thee

# 129 – I Am Thine, O Lord

# 139 – Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior

# 184 – Blessed Assurance

* Here is more about Fanny and her work: https://liturgyandmusic.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/february-11-frances-jane-fanny-van-alstyne-crosby-hymnwriter-1915/

* A Collect:  O God, the blessed assurance of all who trust in thee: We give thee thanks for thy servant Fanny Crosby, who, though blind from infancy, beheld thy glory with great clarity of vision and spent her life giving voice to thy people’s heartfelt praise; and we pray that we, inspired by her words and example, may rejoice to sing of thy love, praising our Savior all the day long; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God in perfect harmony, now and for ever. Amen.

#Episcopal #Methodist #FannyCrosby #hymns #hymnwriters #music #gospel #BlessedAssurance

Oceans of Interstellar Space

Almighty God,
You are author of life.
We are in awe of your creation.
The vast oceans of interstellar space reflect your majesty. Hold us in your celestial brightness as we rest and sustain in us your peace as we refresh ourselves for a new day.
Amen.

#Episcopal #prayer #Anglican #Space #Hubble #peace #Universe

Hubble top 100, ESA and Hubble Heritage team

Up to No Good...

This stained glass window lamb always cracks me up at St. Paul's! He just has this look - like he's up to some mischief! :-) 

Life is Short

I posted this a long while back on my main blog page, CARSONIA, but it also fits well here and is an absolute FAVORITE of mine! I hope you enjoy it too! :-)

My friends,
Life is short, and we do not have
much time to gladden the hearts of
those who travel with us, so be swift to
love and make haste to be kind.
And may the blessing of the One who
made us, and the One who loves us, and
the One who travels with us, be with
you and those you love this day and always.
AMEN.

~ Adapted from Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821–1881)

#blessing #prayer #morning #Amiel #Episcopal #life #love #kindness #God

Morning Has Broken

"Morning has broken, like the first morning

Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for the springing fresh from the world"

~ E. Farjeon

#Episcopal #hymns #morning #EDOLA #peace

Charleston, SC sunset on the Battery, iPhone pic by Caroline Carson

NASA Social #StateOfNASA at John C. Stennis Space Center

I was VERY fortunate to be selected to attend the NASA Social event for the #StateOfNASA address given on Monday, February 2, 2015! 

Here is a bit more about the event. I chose the John C. Stennis Space Center because it's close to me than any other AND I have been remiss in not visiting it these past years I've lived in New Orleans! It was about time! 

"If it goes to space, it goes through Mississippi!"
"If it has engines, it goes through Mississippi"
~ Charles F. Bolden, Administrator of NASA

Here's an article The University of New Orleans put out and I am SO excited and happy that they didn't alter my quotes. I truly feel this way about STEM / STEAM education and space exploration!

The day was AMAZING! I got to meet the movers and shakers at the John C. Stennis Space Center, have behind-the-scenes tours, ask questions about the programs and work done there, watch a live broadcast of the national #StateOfNASA address with other media, and be one of the voices of Stennis during this day. It was such an incredible honor and I absolutely LOVE and admire the important work being done there. There were only three of us so I truly felt like I had a significant voice that day! We also got to go out to the engine testing stands - the GIGANTIC B-stand and both A stands. The Stennis Center, grounds, fee area, and buffer zones are absolutely massive. NOAA offices, various research buildings, and universities also share the grounds. 

After that, we spend some time inside the Aerojet Rocketdyne building and got to see engines being put together in various stages. 

There was even a room where 1.6 billion dollars worth of finished engines were being stored under giant white tarps (being pumped with dry air). SO COOL!!! I am planning to take a group of UNO Physics students up to visit Stennis! I'm including the link to my twitter transcript for that day in this blog post because it's too long to paste the text, shared articles, and photos! Here's the LINK Do check it out if you have time!

I was tweeting under myself @Conductor222 and The Solar System @The_SolarSystem 

Though it's rather lengthy, I'm thrilled that I was able to get so much information out about what I was experiencing, what we learned about Stennis' role, and fun times during the day. I was able to do it with two twitter accounts. Most of my Solar System followers are scientists, photographers, educators, big space fans, folks who work on NASA missions, some NASA missions themselves, and even accounts such as ESA's Rosetta and the CSA. I'm pretty proud of the fact that the account has a solid science, space, and STEM reach. I also learned a TON by preparing a few info. tweets beforehand from articles I had read about the work that has been done at Stennis!

I hope you enjoy reading about it!

https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=%23StateOfNASA%20OR%20%23NASASocial%20OR%20%23NASAStennis%20OR%20%23Stennis%20from%3AThe_SolarSystem%20OR%20from%3AConductor222%20since%3A2015-02-02%20until%3A2015-02-03&src=typd