Quite a couple of books written for Christians have been using Naked in their titles, of course this doesn't really imply anything about nudity but I am finding this interesting...

Some I have run across (along with Amazon links to them):
Buck Naked Faith - http://tinyurl.com/4ej32 (recommended)
Naked Fruits - http://tinyurl.com/3pmuq (saw it on the shelf)

In the process of searching for the Buck Naked Faith, I ran across a couple of "Naked Christianity" references.
Naked Christianity Ministries - http://www3.sympatico.ca/ncmrevival/
Fort Worth Church - Sermon Series - http://www.fortworthchurch.com/audiosermons/

I am not sure where things are going with this but thought it was quite interesting...

Hello everyone,
Interesting discussion. My first husband is from Pakistan, so I was fortunate to have some exposure to how another country viewed the US. I've traveled once outside of the US to England.
The US is a very young country. Our forefathers don't go back hundreds of years, and we are a melting pot. I think that because we are a large country, that we don't feel the affect of other countries as strongly. The Europeans live in smaller homes, have fewer cars, walk more, and have healthier life styles. Americans have become lazy, both physically and mentally. In order to find an educational program, we have to look at PBS, animal planet, discovery, etc. The average American is not interested in learning from TV, they just want to be entertained. I have yet to figure out how the Survivor shows are entertaining.
The only solution that I can see is for us to raise our children to be more aware of other countries, their cultures, etc. I have tried to do that with my kids. Neither my kids nor myself are the typical couch potato. Our interests are varied, and I have noticed my kids don't seem to be influenced by 'what's the latest.' Especially in their music choices.
Although neither of my kids practices nudity, they were taken to nudist camps as children, and respect my wishes to practice. I hope that they will some day return to the nudist lifestyle.
I could go on and on about American parents, and what I see as detrimental, but I would have to write a book....
Did anyone see the lunar eclipse last night?

Beth in Chicago

Beth, Yes I saw the eclipse last night with my naked eyes. The moon was playing tag with the clouds, so I had only two or three minutes to observe the moon and it would go back behind the clouds for ten or fifteen minutes at a time.

But it was grand. I rushed in to my house to get my binoculars and that helped me see a few more details.

Almost all my neighbors were out looking at it too, as it was a warm night and not very late. One or two asked me why they could still see the moon during the eclipse.

I replied that that's because light refracts around the Earth through it's atmosphere and casts a coppery light on the moon. It was considerably dimmer than a full moon should be.

Logic would dictate that the moon would disappear at totality of eclipse, but the darkness of the earth's shadow before and after totality is an caused by the greater contrast between the sunlit portions of the moon's surface and the areas under our shadow. In other words, the dark areas don't get lighter, they just seem lighter with no remaining sunlit areas of the moon.

By the way, did anyone see those flyby photos of Saturn's moon Titan? It is still shrouded in mist and mystery. We won't really know what's down there until the Huygens probe descends to the planet's surface in a couple of months.

Trailscout,
I keep this web site on my desktop-- Astromony Picture of the Day:
http://antwrp.gsfc.gov/apod/
There is a picture of the moon from 10/26. I like to go into the archives and look at the pics. There are some awesome pics of nebulas. I am always enthralled when I look at this stuff and to think that its the history of our world. God has given us a wonderful sky to view.

Beth

I love the way God takes a subject like a book, then turns it into comparing Americans and others, followed by looking at the Glory of the Universe. This is typical of him, start with the indiviual-work on your self, then by your example work on your community then the Nation is influenced, and the world glorifies God and the universe worships him.

If we are to be encouraged look to the Glory of God in the sky at night, then the work on self is easier as we know that the power of the Creator is the same power that we can tap into to assist us with our own spiritual growth.

I find that the "New Age" enthusiasts are getting it hard as they are trying to do it all themselves. If they could only realise all they have to do is ask God to come into their life and the rest is easy. Being Godly with out God is hard, infact impossible, but with God it is so easy to be Christ like.

Go out and live with Christ in the world!
Tevita

Beth,

You are so right: Americans are lazy. While I myself am currently in a battle against CPS (couch-potato symdrome) I find it disturbing that I'm more active that so many people.

What you said about parents- I'm having so much trouble not freaking out over how my step-daughter and my brothers are raising their children. I was working on my deck the other day, and my grandson was here "helping". He disappeared, and when I went to find him he was sitting in the living room watching TV. He told me he came in because he had almost started to sweat. AAAHHH!! I was a little upset. Later I went through the house again, and he was still in the same spot. I turned off the TV, and he looked at me and asked "So what am I supposed to do now?" I went back outside.

Like so many people, my step-daughter for years used the TV as a baby-sitter. Now, that's all her son wants to do- sit and watch TV.

It sounds like you've done a good job raising your kids to be intelligent, active participants in their own lives, instead of just sitting there watching it go by. Good job.

Later, and God Bless
Kevin

P.S.- I like Survivor. So there.