100 Bright Night Sky Objects

~Selected for observers in the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

~Arranged in order of brightness; except constellations, which are alphabetical.

~Most objects in Section 1 are naked-eye objects, but optics greatly enhance them.

~Most objects in Section 2 require binoculars or telescopes. Enjoy, and God bless!

SECTION 1

Solar System (10)                                     Constellations (15)                              Stars (20)

Moon                                                         Andromeda                                         Sirius

Venus                                                        Auriga                                                 Arcturus

Jupiter (four moons with optics)                Bootes                                                 Vega

Saturn (rings with optics)                          Canis Major                                         Capella

Mercury                                                     Cassiopeia                                          Rigel

Mars                                                          Cygnus                                                Procyon

Uranus (optics preferred)                          Gemini                                                Betelgeuse

Neptune (optics required)                         Leo                                                      Altair

Vesta (asteroid; optics preferred)             Orion                                                   Aldebaran

Ceres (asteroid; optics required)               Perseus                                              Antares

(Pluto is too faint for most optics.)             Scorpius                                              Spica

                                                                  Sagittarius                                           Pollux

    “In the beginning God created              Taurus                                                 Fomalhaut

            the heavens and the earth.”          Ursa Major                                          Deneb

                                                                  Ursa Minor                                          Regulus

                                                                                                                              Castor

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”                    Polaris / North Star

“In the beginning was the Word…All things were made through               Mizar (double)

Him…In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”               Almach (double)

                                                                                                                              Alberio (double)

SECTION 2

Open Clusters (15)              Globular Clusters (10)    Nebulae (15)                 Galaxies (15)

Hyades                                 M22                                M42 / Orion                   M31 / Andromeda

Alpha Persei                         M5                                  M8 / Lagoon                  M33 / Pinwheel

M45 / Pleiades / 7 Sisters     M13 / Hercules               M17 / Omega / Swan     M81 / Bode’s

Coma Berenices                   M4                                  M16 / Eagle                   Sculptor / NGC 253

M44 / Praesepe / Beehive    M3                                  M20 / Trifid                     M83 / South Pinwheel

IC 1396                                M15                                 Cocoon                          M101 / Pinwheel

NGC 2232                            M2                                   Helix / NGC 7293          M110

NGC 2264                            M92                                 Cave                             M32

Double Cluster                     M10                                 M78                               M94

NGC 2362                            M12                                 Saturn / NGC 7009        M106

IC 4665                                                                        NGC 246                       M104 / Sombrero

M47                                                                              M27 / Dumbbell             M49

M24 / MW Star Cloud                                                   M1 / Crab                      M82 / Cigar

M41                                                                              M57 / Ring                     M51 / Whirlpool

M39                                                                              Flame / NGC 2024         NGC 2403

Astronomy Resources

I. Reference

   A. Answers in Genesis                               https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/

   B. Atlas of the Universe                             http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/index.html

   C. Creation Ministries                                http://creation.com/qa#Astronomy

   D. NASA – Missions                                   http://www.nasa.gov/missions

   E. NASA – Solar System                            http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/

   F. Night Sky Info                                         http://www.nightskyinfo.com/

   G. SEDS / Messier Catalog                        http://messier.seds.org/

   H. Space.com                                             http://www.space.com/

II. Pictures

   A. Astronomy Picture of the Day                http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

   B. Hubble Site – Picture Album                  http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/

III. Equipment

   A. New - OPT Telescopes                           http://www.optcorp.com/

   B. Used - Cloudy Nights                              http://www.cloudynights.com/index

   C. Nik Recommends…

      1. $50-$200 – good binoculars

      2. $200-$400 – good beginner telescope

      3. $400-$800 – good computerized telescope

   D. Magnification is important in buying quality optics (you likely want low-medium and medium
   high options in the 50-250x range). BUT…aperture (mirror/lens diameter) is far more important!

IV. Tips

   A. Practice without optics for five minutes per night or three nights per week.

   B. Learn many of the brightest stars, constellations, and “faint and fuzzies.”

   C. Use dark-adaptation, star-hopping, averted vision, and objects high in the sky.

   D. Avoid light pollution, bright lights, non-red lights, a nearly full moon, and objects low in the sky.

   E. Good viewing is on days with short airplane contrails or nights with minimal star twinkling.

   F. The Moon is never north; the Big Dipper is never south; nothing rises in the west; all stars and
   deep space objects rise about two hours earlier each month.

V. Key Biblical Passages

   A. Old Testament: Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Joshua 10, Nehemiah 9, Job 9, Job 38, Psalm 8,
   Psalm 19, Psalm 147, Isaiah 40, Isaiah 45, Amos 5

   B. New Testament: Matthew 24, John 1, Acts 2, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 15, Colossians 1,
   Revelation 2, Revelation 21

Astronomy Glossary

Astronomical Unit – The average distance between Earth and the Sun: about 93 million miles. Note: It is often used to measure distances within our Solar System or in multiple-star systems; for example, Jupiter is more than 5 AU from the Sun.

Astronomy – The branch of science that deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe in general. Note: It is not the same as astrology, which is related to fortune-telling.

Big Bang – A secular, naturalist theory of the origin of the universe which proposes that all mass, energy, and space were contained in a point that rapidly expanded to become stars and galaxies, et cetera, over billions of years. Note: A viable alternative can be found in Creationism.

Black Hole – A place in space where gravity is so strong, and matter so dense, that nothing can escape it…not even light. It cannot be directly observed, only indirectly from the material and activity around them. It ranges in size from ten to billions of solar masses. Note: Most galaxies are believed to have “supermassive” central black holes.

Constellation – Visual groupings of stars that divide the night sky into shapes and sections for easier identification and location of night sky objects; many have ancient and mythical origins. Note: Some famous ones are Andromeda, Gemini, Leo, Orion, Scorpio, Ursa Major, and Virgo.

Creationism – A theological, supernatural view of the origin of all things, whereby God created everything with value and purpose, and without Him nothing was made (see Genesis 1 and John 1 in the Bible). Note: It need not oppose science, and science need not oppose it.

Galaxy – A system containing millions to trillions of stars, along with gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction. Note: Scientists think the universe contains 10^10 ~ 10^12 galaxies, with most being spiral, elliptical, or irregular in shape. (Andromeda is a famous, bright galaxy.)

Globular Cluster – A dense ball of stars held together by gravity; typically tens or hundreds of thousands within a radius of a 100 light years or less. Note: Some are viewed as possible failed galaxies, and most of the stars appear yellow or red. (Hercules is a famous, bright globular.)

Light Year – The distance light travels in 365 days: approximately 5.9 trillion miles / 9.5 trillion kilometers. Note: Light from the Sun takes about 8 minutes to reach Earth.

Local Group – A cluster of a few dozen nearby galaxies, and of which our galaxy is a member. Note: The Andromeda and Milky Way Galaxies dominate the Local Group.

Magnitude – A logarithmic measure of the brightness of celestial bodies. Lower numbers – even negative numbers – mean brighter objects. Note: Magnitude 6.0 is roughly the naked-eye limit.

Messier Catalog – The most popular catalog of astronomical objects. It contains 110 items that range from galaxies to star clusters to nebulae. It was chronicled by French astronomer Charles Messier in the late 18th century. Note: It is referenced by amateurs and professionals alike today.

Milky Way – A faint, cloud-like band of light crossing the night sky; the entire galaxy hosts 100-500 billion stars (including our Sun) and spans some 100,000 light years. Note: It also has 150+ globular clusters, 1100+ open clusters, many famous nebulae, and 15-30 dwarf satellite galaxies.

Nebula – A cloud of interstellar gas and dust, often illuminated by nearby stars. Note: Its variant forms include emission, reflection, absorption / dark, planetary, and supernova remnants. (Orion is a famous, bright nebula.)

Open Cluster – A group of stars loosely held together by gravity; generally tens, hundreds, or a few thousand stars lie within a radius of 20 light years, and many are white or blue. Note: Some were known in ancient times. (Pleiades is a famous, bright open cluster.)

Planet – A large, spherical celestial body that orbits a star on a fairly unobstructed path. It may or may not have moons, and it comes from the Greek word meaning “wanderer.” Note: We have identified about 2000 planets so far, but the total number is likely exponentially greater.

Solar System – The nearby area in space over which our Sun has the dominant mass and gravity. It includes the Sun, the four inner rocky planets (including Earth), the four outer gaseous planets, several dwarf planets, 100-200 moons around the planets, an asteroid belt, meteors, comets, and distant Kuiper Belt objects. Note: Most stars can be said to have “solar systems” of some kind. 

Star – A huge celestial sphere of hot, luminous gas, mostly hydrogen and helium. Its own gravity holds it together, while nuclear fusion (which forces lighter elements into heavier ones) produces its energy. Note: Scientists think the universe contains 10^20 ~ 10^24 stars, and they vary widely in size, heat, color, brightness, and distance. (Sirius is a famous, bright star.)

Virgo Cluster – A huge cluster of about 2000 galaxies behind the stars of the Virgo constellation.

Teaching Astronomy for Adult Education - Astronomy 102: Stars, Galaxies, and More!

I. Introduction

   A. Welcome / Names / Course Outline / Plan for Night Observing

   B. Disclaimers

      1. My interest, equipment, study

      2. What I do not know – no science degree, limitations of my equipment (not Hubble!)

      3.  My estimations/sources, lots of numbers and pictures, few formulae

      4. I will focus on what, where, compare/contrast, viewing – less on cosmology, how, why.

      5. My faith

         i. Scripture references; no offense: science always has non-Biblical or Biblical foundations

         ii. Genesis 1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…Then God made two

         great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made

         the stars also.

         iii. Psalm 8: When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the

         stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of

         man that You visit him? (This passage greatly inspired my interest in astronomy!)

   C. Our Solar System in the Spring; Beyond Our Solar System in the Fall!

   D. Ask anything…I’ll try! What are your experiences, interests, and goals here?

II. Number of Stars

   A. Milky Way

      1. All sources say 100+ billion stars!

      2. Some sources say 1 trillion stars.

      3. Most sources say 200-400 billion stars.

   B. Naked-eye visibility

      1. This is severely limited by weather, light pollution, the Moon, nearby obstacles (trees,

      buildings, mountains, et cetera), and how well your eyes have adjusted to the dark.

      2. We can see no more than 10,000 stars.

      3. In the middle northern latitudes on Earth, 1/3+ of the stars are too far south. In the middle

      southern latitudes, 1/3+ of the stars are too far north. Near the Equator, 1/3+ of the stars are

      too far south and too far north. Thus you generally can see no more than 5000-6000 stars on

      a dark night. And of those, you can see fewer than half in a given moment. If you stay up all

      night, you can see most of them rise and set, but some are too close to the Sun. Realistically,

      if you spend two hours under dark, clear, and open skies, you might see 2000-3000 stars.

   C. Nearby stars

      1. Proxima Centauri: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-resources/far-closest-star/

      2. 33 stars within 12.5 light years: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/12lys.html

      3. 120 stars within 20 light years: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/20lys.html

      4. 2000 stars within 50 light years: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/50lys.html

III. Nature of Stars

   A. Size

      1. How big do stars get?

         i. Slide show of Moon ~ VY Canis Majoris: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130606.html

         ii. If the largest stars were where our Sun is, their surfaces would be beyond Jupiter’s orbit!

      2. How small? http://www.universetoday.com/116951/what-is-the-smallest-star-2/

      3. Did a binary dwarf star system recently and briefly enter the edge of our Solar System?

   B. Classification

      1. What give a star its appearance? (Distance, brightness, size, mass, properties, temperature)

      2. Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

      3. More simply: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/startype.html

   C. Other Solar Systems

      1. Almost 2000 planets have been confirmed around nearby stars.

      2. Astronomers think the Milky Way may contain up to 100 billion planets!

IV. Magnitude and Catalogs

   A. Apparent and Absolute Magnitude – give examples

   B. Catalogs: Messier Catalog (M), New General Catalog (NGC), Index Catalog (IC), Caldwell

   Catalog (C), Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Star Catalog (SAO)

V. Star Groupings

   A. Job 38: Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have

   understanding…Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion? Can you

   bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? Do you

   know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?

      1. God is questioning Job, who has wrongfully accused God of injustice.

      2. The implied answer to all of God’s questions is that Job can answer and has done none of

      those things, while God can answer and has done all of them.

      3. Today, we still view, study, and enjoy the night sky objects God mentioned.

   B. Constellations and Asterisms

      1. http://www.constellation-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Orion-Constellation.jpg

      2. http://sci.esa.int/science-e-media/img/26/heic0717c.jpg

      3. http://www.scienceinthebible.net/KNOWLEDGE_BIBLE/bigdipper_december.jpg

   C. Binaries, Doubles, Sextuplets, etc.

      1. How many Big Dipper stars? http://astropixels.com/stars/images/MizarAlcor-01w.jpg

      2. Alberio: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050830.html

      3. Almach: http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/almach-andromedas-colorful-double-star

      4. Polaris – the North Star: http://www.space.com/15567-north-star-polaris.html

      5. Multi-star systems: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/orbits.html

   D. When dealing with space, motion, distance, mass, and time in astronomy...gravity rules!

VI. Clusters: images

   A. Open clusters: closest ~ 150 light years (Hyades)

   B. Globular clusters: closest ~ 7000 light years (M4); note the lack of stellar collisions

   C. Examples: M3, M13, M22, M41, M44, M45, NGC 869/884, 2264

VII. Nebulae: images

   A. Nature: clouds of interstellar gas and dust – some are heated, others are not

   B. Types: reflection, emission, absorption, planetary, SNR

   C. Examples: M1, M8 and M20, M16 and M17, M27, M42, M57, California, Rosette

VIII. Galaxies

   A. Psalm 147: He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of

   the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His

   understanding is infinite.

   B. Revelation 2: To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I

   will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except

   him who receives it.

   C. Nature

      1. Large systems of stars and interstellar matter, typically containing millions to trillions of

      stars and solar masses, spanning a few thousand to several hundred thousand light years.

      2. Besides stars, they typically contain star clusters, nebulae, and black holes.

      3. Usually separated from each other by millions of light years.

      4. Various forms: spiral, lenticular, elliptical and irregular.

         i. Types: http://messier.seds.org/galaxy.html

         ii. Spiral structures: http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/milkyway/components.html

   D. Estimated number of galaxies: 100+ billion!

IX. Milky Way: images

   A. Nature

      1. 100-500 billion stars; 1 trillion solar masses

      2. 100,000 light years in diameter; 150 globular clusters; 1100+ open clusters

      3. The Gaia Telescope is currently trying to resolve/plot 1 billion stars.

   B. Zooming out from our Sun to the Milky Way

      1. Sun: 26,000 light years from Milky Way center; 230 million year-orbit, at 500,000 mph

      2. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/250lys.html

      3. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/2000lys.html

      4. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/5000lys.html

      5. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galaxy.html

  C. Satellites

      1. Up to 30 dwarf galaxies (Note the satellite galaxy pictures!)

      2. Absorbs other galaxies or their globular clusters (again, gravity!)

         i. Similarly, star clusters absorb other stars.

         ii. M87 has stolen so many globular clusters that nearby galaxies have few or none left.

   D. Galactic Center

      1. Supermassive black hole Sgr A

      2. Black Holes: http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/black-holes/

      3. Active Galactic Nuclei: http://www.outerspacecentral.com/agn_page.html

   E. Local Group

      1. M31: Andromeda

      2. Local Group: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/localgr.html

X. Other Galaxies

   A. Isaiah 40: “To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy

   One. Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host

   by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His

   power; not one is missing.

   B. Are other galaxies like ours?

      1. Drawing of MW + pictures of others: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/milkyway.html

      2. Milky Way twin? http://www.space.com/11841-milky-spiral-galaxy-twins-photo.html

      3. The Milky Way has several arms – many spiral galaxies have two or three, one has one!

   C. Biggest Known Spiral: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/galex/galex20130110.html#

   D. Brightest Known Galaxy: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/150526-astronomy-

   brightest-galaxy-quasar-universe/

   E. Famous Galaxies: M33, M51, M86, M87, M101, M104

XI. Galaxy Groups

   A. Nearby Groups

      1. Sculptor Group (closest): http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/scl.html

      2. M81 Group: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/m81.html

      3. M101 Group: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/m101.html

   B. Galaxy Clusters and Beyond

      1. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/virgo.html (note the Local Void)

      2. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/vir.html

      3. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/superc.html

   C. How do we measure big distances? http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galax200.html

XII. Man versus God

   A. John 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was

   God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him

   nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the

   light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

   B. The ancients couldn’t see what we can see, but God could, and He knew everything about

   everything – just as He does now! Not only that, but He can control everything!

   C. Thousands of astronomers, millions of hours of research, billions of dollars in equipment…

   Yet frequent differences / debates prevail – not just on random websites, but in research papers.

      1. M32 – Does it have star clusters, gas, and dust, or not?

      2. M31 / Andromeda – It is close and big, yet what are its distance, size, and satellites?

      3. M45 / Pleiades / Seven Sisters – It is close and big, yet how many stars does it have?

      4. M42 / Orion – It is close and big, yet how far is it, and has it many stars and a black hole?

      5. M13 / Hercules – Does it have 100,000 stars, or 1 million stars?

      6. M27 / Dumbbell – Is it 500 light years away, or 3500 light years away?

      7. Moon recedes from Earth 1-2” per year; Earth’s magnetic field decays 5% per century.

      8. Uniform temperature across the universe versus distant starlight? Star formation problems.

      9. Very little antimatter! Why should laws across the universe obey the laws we find here?
      10. Big Bang / Expansion – Yes, even this has one competing ideas among secular scientists!

   E. Science teaches us a lot – and I think it should go hand in hand with increasing one’s faith.

   But science can’t explain, enable, prove, or disprove everything. On the other hand, God can!

Syria’s Dead Find New Suspects: Bashar al-Asad Not Blamed in Loss of 1,400 Syrians

January 2014

The flight attendant on my flight from Qatar to America sounded like any other Westerner in his 20s, from pop culture, to family, to hobbies. But when he said he was Syrian, my curiosity woke up.

His immediate family had left Syria years before, but like many Middle Eastern immigrants, lots of his relatives stayed behind. At the time of my flight in late 2012, his family was still alive, but he worried for them.

The young man called himself a Christian. His sympathies lay with Syria’s President Bashar al-Asad—as do many Christian Syrians, who are a minority along with Al-Asad’s Alawite Muslim sect. But his real passion showed in his condemnation of Qatar’s media, which he believes stirs hatred among his people and gives only one side of the story. I heard this theme often during my four years in the Gulf emirate.

Al-Asad’s brutality over the past three years deserves no praise. Yet his rivals have reached their own crisis. The first two years of the civil war saw a highly fragmented coalition try to battle the government. Their disunity made foreign governments wary of supporting them. But as Western nations began to change their tone, growing news of radical Islamists among the rebel armies has deepened and further complicated the calamity.

Ironically, while the first series of peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, is under way, headlines on the conflict are saying little about Al-Asad and much about the “1,400 dead” in January from the “rebel-jihadist clashes.” A three-way civil war is in full swing.

Lebanon’s top English newspaper cited the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying 190 civilians have died. This includes 21 whom the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria executed at a pediatric hospital in Aleppo.

Back in Qatar, a Syrian man sat with his elderly father in a clinic waiting area a few months ago. Both smiled as they watched my young son playing on the seat next to them. He found a video of “Barney” on his smart phone and showed it to my son.

The man worked on a Qatari government farm. He had just brought his father from Syria. He had to evade gunfights in order to rescue his father. Now his father will live with him for the duration of the fighting.

He affectionately translated parts of our conversation to his father. The man’s voice was dry. His eyes were hopeless. He seemed too tired to try blaming anyone.

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(Originally published by Yahoo! Voices.)

It Does a Body Good? Reviewing Montana’s Effort to Legalize Raw Milk

In 1979, Jeff Lewis’s father started dairy farming in the scenic Bitterroot Valley in southwestern Montana. Today the business milks 260 cows three times a day. He tells me his milk gets tested “every time a truck comes to pick it up.”

Lewis opposed HB 574 during Montana’s 2013 legislative session. The bill aimed to allow small farmers in Montana to sell unpasteurized milk, also known as raw milk, with minimal regulation. He appreciates the present rules and costs that govern his Grade A operation, and would be wary of lighter bylaws.

For Lewis, the issue has nothing to do with size. Montana has no corporate mega dairy farms, he notes, adding that the biggest has 600 cows. Then again, he knows one farmer with fewer than 20 cows that have produced certified organic milk for years at a sizable profit of $2 per gallon. The issue for Lewis is to start easing parameters on “the guys who have Grade A dairies.” If that goes well, maybe the state could consider other options later.

Jennifer Holmes is another Montana dairy farmer. She tells me she supported HB 574, saying the bill looked like a “successful” program in Idaho. She resisted excessive deregulation, but wanted folks to have the freedom to make their own food choices.

Holmes interrupts a few times to tell someone something about “bottles” and “greenhouses.” She eventually states that safe milking involves cooling fresh milk from 100 degrees to 30 degrees in one hour. This takes special equipment that hobby seekers may lack.

Both Lewis and Holmes recognize the risks of unpasteurized milk – then move on. They like raw milk and hope to see it sell in Montana, provided it is done wisely.

HB 574 was defeated in April 2013.

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(Originally published by Yahoo! Voices.)

Papal Visit to Jerusalem Illuminates Christian Challenges in Holy Land

May 2014

Roman Catholic popes do not visit Jerusalem very often. But Pope Francis I is coming to town—and many right-wing Jews are none too pleased.

Last week the Israeli Shin Bet security agency ordered an undisclosed number of Jewish activists to stay out of parts of Jerusalem during the pope’s visit. The order said the activists were thought to be planning “disruptions” and “provocative illegal acts,” including what the Israeli newspaper Haaretz called a possible “major hate crime.” This follows a recent trend of right-wing efforts to call for “death to Arabs and Christians and all those who hate Israel.”

Jews and Christians revere the Tomb of King David in Jerusalem. But for Christians, Jesus’ Last Supper supposedly took place in a room above David’s Tomb, according to tradition—although archaeologists doubt the traditional site is the actual site. In any case, Israel permits Christians to perform services in the room only one day a year.

During the pope’s visit, the Israeli government might sign an agreement to give Christians access a few more days per year. According to Haaretz, this could anger many far right Jews, though no change of ownership or managerial responsibilities would occur. If the government makes such a move, it would bolster Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims that Israel upholds religious freedom.

Author and Economist correspondent Nicolas Pelham contrasts many aspects of Christians living in Israel and those living in the Palestinian Territories. He says some Christians in Palestine have high political or economic position. Nine Palestinian towns, including Bethlehem, are obliged to have Christian mayors. And Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has attended three Christmas worship services.

Similar trends in Israel exist little or not at all.

Yet Pelham and others admit that whatever support Christians find in Israel or Palestine may just be politically motivated. Author and journalist Ray Hanania is a Palestinian-American Christian, and often blames Israel for the troubles of Christians there. But Hanania cares more about aiding Christians than attacking Israel:

“To survive, Christians need friends in the Middle East. And if Israel is willing to extend its hand to help us, I am not sure that as a Christian Palestinian I can say no.” Hanania doubts any chance of dialogue with Jewish extremists, such as those who created flyers condemning the pope’s visit because “the pope is responsible for the continued deception of millions of people who believe in false G-d’s [sic]” and because of “the lies perpetrated by the Christian faith for 2,000 years.”

But he puts no hope in radical Islamists, either. In fact, in an open letter to the pontiff, he asks for action against all extremists, since “Christians are not treated well by any side.” In a recent report on Mideast Christians, the Pew Research Center states the percentage of Christians in the region has cut in half since 1900.

So far the pope is on day one of his Middle East trip—Jordan. For three days in three nations, he will meet with kings, prime ministers, and patriarchs, Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Already he is discussing peace and religious freedom with whomever will listen.

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(Originally published by Yahoo! Voices.)

Summer Jobs for Teenagers: Making Money or Serving a Purpose

Every teenager needs cash, and every student needs to feel significant. What you do during your summer holidays can yield either of these blessings, or even both.

There is nothing wrong with mowing lawns—try it! But here are some other options to ponder:

Gas Station Clerk

You hate to pay gas prices. Working at a gas station will not give you any discount, but it will let you see the other side of the counter. People rush in, get their stuff, and rush out. Smile at them—it might make their afternoon! Ten years later, you may remember some of your regular patrons, or at least you will recall when gasoline cost half as much. Oh, and the shift options can be quite flexible.

Piano Teacher

It is Graduation Day +1, and you already forgot everything you studied for finals. But you likely still think about your favorite—or least favorite!—teacher once in a while. You are fairly good at music (not necessarily piano), and lots of your friends have little siblings—or perhaps your sister babysits a bunch of kids somewhere. Hire out your time and training to some parents who would love to see their prodigies learn the marvelous fundamentals of music. Practice an hour a week to keep up your skills, then smile to yourself when you ask the young novice to practice three hours a week. Be patient and encouraging, and know that you may be inspiring a life-long love.

Ranch Hand

Or farmer. Learn the real meaning of hard work. Let it seep into your very soul as you sweat out in the fields. Your work ethic may change forever. Watch the experts closely—even though they probably lack a huge savings account. Maybe they are rough around the edges. Maybe your level of education already exceeds theirs. But they are the salt of the earth. Oh, and speaking of which, learning to respect the land—its mercy, its judgment, and its stunning beauty—is essential for an enviable summer experience.

Camp Staff

Last but not least, summer camps are one of the best things America does for its youth. Learning about sports, friendship, and in many cases, God, are what make camps thrive across this nation. Do not plan on making much money here. But as non-commissioned officers form the backbone of any military unit, and as mid-level managers drive a company forward, so camp staff—usually in their 20’s but often in their late teens—create an unforgettable experience in the life of at least one kid in every cabin…if not all ten of them!

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(Originally published by Yahoo! Voices.)

Finding Gems in the Treasure State: Homestead Cabins in South-Central Montana

An old logging track and ditch lead through the woods to a small clearing as the sun shines down patiently. There, wooden boards, a sloped ceiling, and a large rectangular shape are obvious—the remains of a homestead cabin. But the roof lies mostly flat on the ground, fairly burying the floor and crumpled walls beneath it. A rusty beer can lies in a nearby bush, not far from an iron seat—possibly from an early tractor. Bees defended the former home late in the summer, but they have vanished by November.

Records show that a husband and wife once homesteaded here. Herbert and Eva Roquet built the house and claimed the surrounding 243 acres in 1926. Herbert acquired the land from the United States, but in 1927 he formally added Eva’s name to the property. They sold their plot in 1929 to a nearby rancher for $1000, having joined the thousands of successful homesteaders—albeit only briefly.

Herbert was born in Indiana in 1893. He served in the Armed Forces during World War I, and he was a veterinarian—though he probably stopped practicing while they homesteaded 20 miles out of town.

He and his wife most likely picnicked on Devil’s Creek, a stream 200 feet north of their house. It crossed their land from west to east, and was the source of the aforementioned ditch. They would have strolled up their long hillside across the creek as well. Sagebrush thrives there, but from the ridge they would have witnessed sunrises and sunsets together—as well as oncoming storms and blizzards.

After leaving their homestead, Eva opened a restaurant in downtown Big Timber. My dad recalls getting Cokes at Eva’s diner as a kid. He remembers her warm hospitality. The restaurant closed during the war, but then reopened well into the 1950s. Eva was an election clerk during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fourth and final presidential race. She outlived her husband by 10 years, dying in 1974 at the age of 78. Herbert had died in 1964 at age 70.

The Roquets homesteaded as young adults. And while they did not stay there long, they probably remembered their experiences there for the entire second half of their lives.

During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Homestead Act of 1862. It allowed small farmers to claim public land all over the United States for almost no financial cost. Most people homesteaded up to 160 acres, where they had to live and “proof” (improve) the land for five years or more. Later legislation in the early 20th century provided some 320-acre options and three-year requirements. People could reduce their time obligations for $1.25-$2.50 per acre. Homesteaders had to be 21 years old or the head of their family. Given the ongoing war, veterans earned certain exemptions—but no one who had fought against the government could claim land.

Homesteading lasted for more than a century, enabling 1.6 million people to own 420,000 square miles of the nation. That is 11 percent of America or almost three times the size of Montana. The last homesteading occurred in Alaska in 1988, but most land claims had stopped 50 years earlier. Large farms, new technology, New Deal era legislation, and possibly drought and the Depression all contributed to the decline.

An intriguing fact of homesteading was the formation of otherwise unlikely relationships. People from different places moved to the same region at the same time. Some probably became friends, business partners, or helpful neighbors. Maybe they attended church together, educated their kids together, or even—since both men and women could homestead individually—got married. Then again, others would have become hermits or troublemakers. Sadly, most of these stories are gone forever.

Still, the Roquets surely would have met a fellow homestead family just a mile upstream. In fact, perhaps Henry and Minnie Fischer personally welcomed the Roquets to Devil’s Creek, since the Department of the Interior had awarded Henry his “Final Certificate” in 1924, two years prior to the Roquets. This prized document entitled Henry “to receive a Patent [No. 929688] for the land” he had claimed in 1920.

The National Archives and Records Administration furnished copies of 30 or so pages regarding Henry Fischer’s homestead. These included his immigration papers, which were crucial since the Homestead Act only applied to citizens. Of course, countless homesteaders were first-generation Americans, since millions were coming to America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Henry was born in Germany before the American Civil War. But the Franco-Prussian War would have been more relevant to him. It occurred in 1870-1871, and it might have helped the teenaged Henry start thinking about migrating across the Atlantic.

In 1891 a district court judge in Minnesota acknowledged that “Henry Fischer has resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States, for at least five years…and that during the whole of that time he has behaved himself as a man of good moral character.” The court then ordered that he “be permitted to take the oath to support the Constitution of the United Sates, and [to renounce] all allegiance and fidelity to every Foreign Prince, Potentate, Sate, and Sovereignty whatever, and more particularly to William 2nd Emperor of Prussia.” So he was “admitted” to all “the rights, privileges, and immunities of a naturalized citizen of the United States.”

But at 38 or 39, Henry Fischer was not the youngest new citizen. And 32 years later, he certainly was not the youngest homesteader! He and Minnie had seven children. One of them, Paul, filed a “Testimony of Witness” in 1923 at the age of 37 for his father’s claim. Paul’s siblings could have been adults by then, too, so perhaps Henry and Minnie did most of the work themselves.

And work was indeed required. To get that all-important government patent, they had to “proof” the land. In 1920 they built a house, a barn, and a fence around their claim of 122 acres. Further, they broke up 25 acres of ground for crops. In 1921 they seeded and harvested 25 acres of wheat. The next year they broke up another 25 acres and reaped 50 acres of wheat. During their last trial year they planted 50 acres of wheat and oats. All of this was on rocky soil at 6300 feet elevation, and it cost them $1500—which today would be $20,000.

In addition, they could not take long vacations during their three-year claim period. In fact, in his testimony, Paul said he had seen his parents on the property every two weeks since they began to reside there. This also excluded warm-up trips to Florida during the frigid mountain winters. The elevation shot up 4000-5000 feet just five miles due west, to peaks that often have snow on them from October to June.

Finally, Henry could file no other claims during the three years, even if he found a place he liked better. The land itself could not be owned or occupied by Indians. Henry could not mine minerals during his claim years. The local newspaper was to print a notice of his intention to gain the land for five straight weeks. He also needed to find two witnesses willing to attest to all he had stated.

Meanwhile, local and federal officials had to approve all this information in an era rather void of computers, Internet, smart phones, and Priority Mail. His final paperwork began in July 1923 and ended with his Patent in January 1924. And as was customary, President Calvin Coolidge signed a letter from the United States to Henry regarding his new homestead (this was in addition to his “Final Certificate”).

The Fischers stayed on their property for a decade. Sadly, Minnie Fischer died in 1928, one year after she and Henry celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on their land. She was 73 or 74. Henry sold the small estate two years later. He died in 1936 in his mid-80s. Today only the cabin and part of another foundation remain—the rest of the land looks much as it did 90 years ago.

“Free land” was the popular cry of homesteaders. But as already noted, proving the land was not free. And in the case of one family on the eastern slopes of the Crazy Mountains, fiscal resources simply may have run out, bringing to a quick end a dream that otherwise had a spectacular view.

Fred and Estella Tucker claimed 160 acres around the same time as the Fischers. But before they even got their patent in August 1923, they mortgaged their land that April. Melville Commercial Company lent the Tuckers $103.36 “for provisions used while living on said Homestead Survey while making proof.” In other words, they needed money in order to finalize their claim from the government.

To their credit, they paid their debt in just under a year. But two days later they sold their eight-month-old homestead for “$1 and other…”—common diction in public files to conceal the full amount.

The Tuckers’ abrupt ending raises many questions. Maybe they never had enough money for the endeavor. Perhaps they lost, or misspent, their money during their claim years. The challenges of homesteading may have overwhelmed them. The bitter winters could have been unbearable. The land itself—abounding in gorgeous panoramas, but hosting lots of hills and shale and little water or timber—might have produced too little to sustain them in terms of money or food. Maybe one of them had an accident or illness. Or possibly they just got bored.

Then again, they may have been shrewd prospectors. Maybe the land, the mortgage, and the sale were beads on a long thread of quick investments. Perhaps they were running from something or somebody. A family emergency could have beckoned them away. Or they may only have passed through, decided to stay awhile, and moved on.

Whatever the cause, they lived long after their homesteading days. Fred turned 80 before he died in 1974. Estella died in 1988, having been born months before the turn of the century. Four walls of rotted logs remain where they were built soon after World War I, of which Fred was an Army veteran. The surrounding bluffs today are called the Tucker Hills. And the stately mountains look on with the same tranquility that potentially drew the Tuckers there in the first place.

According to the Bureau of Land Management, Montana had more than 150,000 homesteads, the most of any state by far. Montana also had the most homesteaded acreage—more than 30 million acres—which is more than the total land area of 20 states. Nationwide, almost 100 million people alive today are descendants of homesteaders.

For decades homesteading was both popular and challenging. Some people lied, cheated, stole—or worse. Others worked hard, raised families, blessed others, and left inheritances. But the main legacy of the Roquets, Fischers, Tuckers, and their fellow homesteaders, no matter the adversity, was freedom—freedom to own, freedom to work, freedom to be silent or to make noise, freedom to pursue dreams, freedom to fail, and freedom to succeed.

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(Originally published by the Montana Pioneer.)

More Important than the President? A Palestinian’s Take on American Elections

Dr. Mohamed el-Zard is a well-educated, well-traveled professional who lives in Qatar. His wife is a dentist, and they have five children. Whenever you inquire about them, he says, “I am under their control!”

He works up to 15 hours a day to provide for his family. His round, bearded face routinely cracks a grin as he tells people that he has “no complaints—everything is all right.” Another dichotomy: he is a heavy-smoking physician. He loathes cigarettes, but jokes that his doctor permits them.

Dr. Zard is a Palestinian. Besides his medical profession, his documents severely limit his ability to travel, even to his own country. He has never voted in an election, as his people lack any kind of absentee ballot system that is so popular in Western countries.

Many Palestinians blame their plight on the United States’ support of Israel. But on November 6, 2012, Dr. Zard noted something other than Barack Obama’s victory over Mitt Romney, although President Obama’s reelection carries important implications for Dr. Zard’s family.

As we watched the television updates together, Dr. Zard applauded the stability and tranquility of the U.S. system of government. He put politics and even the president himself on the back burner in those first minutes after the 2012 campaign finally finished.

America—more than any man or party—wins each free and peaceful election. That the president is weak and expendable is never clearer than at the height of his power. A day after he is elected, rumors abound about the next election four years down the road.

Isaiah 40 accurately juxtaposes God and man, “He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless. Scarcely shall they be planted, scarcely shall they be sown, scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, when He will also blow on them, and they will wither.”

The media commentary Dr. Zard and I missed during our discussion—we did not really miss.

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(Originally published by Yahoo! Voices.)

Offering First Fruits to the First Nations: Montana Missionaries Reach Out to Native American Tribes

When you drive along an Indian reservation in Montana, you notice something missing out in the green pastures and rolling hills. Fences.

That may be the reason a big brown fence seems odd in front of the Four Winds Ministry Center, where two Christian missionary families reach out to Native Americans all over Montana. Drive through the gate and you see something even less traditional: a basketball hoop. But like so many things, first glances tell bad stories.

After you pass the basketball hoop, you start seeing barns, trees, cabins, the director’s wife going to get her husband’s cowboy hat, and—after school ends for the day—beautiful Native American children playing outside. Then you hear names such as Red Cherries, Flatmouth, and Lame Deer, and you know a good tale is underway.

Current Events

National headlines on Native Americans are common. Last May scientists published findings on the most complete 12,000-year-old human skeleton ever found in the Americas. Divers found the skull and bones of a teenage girl in a large underwater cave off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The scientists named her Naia, and have linked her to the ancestors of today’s Native Americans.

A legal battle started in Miami to preserve a Native American village discovered under the heart of the city. The village could be 1000 years old, but some developers doubt its significance.

Government and non-government groups and individuals regularly try to make the Washington Redskins NFL team change its name, calling it a racial “slur.” The team says the name is meant as a tribute to Native American courage, and that many Native Americans support the name.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of tribal sovereignty in June. The State of Michigan had sued a Native American group for opening a casino off reservation land. The tribe said the property was tribal land because it had been secured through a congressionally established land trust. The high court agreed, and barred Michigan’s suit from proceeding.

Tribes from Montana and Alberta signed in September the first American-Canadian tribal treaty since the 1800s. The goal of the treaty was to reintroduce bison, or buffalo, across all their shared reservation lands, which include parts of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain Front.

And this winter NBC aired “Peter Pan Live!”—a new round with an old classic. A descendant of the Cherokee Nation played “Tiger Lily,” a character often played by white actresses in the past. Moreover, they changed the words of the popular song “Ugg-a-Wugg”—with legal permission—to “True Blood Brothers.”

Missions 2.0

Back at the Four Winds—a 24-acre site a mile or two off the Yellowstone River in south-central Montana—Director Ron Countryman and his wife Kathy rarely follow current events. However, they have been serving Native Americans in Montana for nearly 40 years.

In 1975 they moved from Illinois to Montana with all their possessions in a U-Haul trailer. They had no support at the time, but they sensed God’s call on their lives.

The nine tribes in Montana were not exactly waiting for the Countrymans. They had to develop relationships slowly all over the state. They had to follow through on every promise they made. They had to learn and respect the tribal culture. They had to give up their own desires, and even accept trouble from various sources. All this took 10-15 years, notes Kathy.

She and Ron smile as they recall their first convert, 25 years into their ministry. A Native man at a youth crusade listened to two boys reading John 3, 1 John 1, and other verses. He was illiterate, but the words so struck him that he became a Christian. But overall they have seen relatively few conversions—most of their work is seed planting. They believe less than two percent of Montana Native Americans are Christian.

The Countrymans have seen some prejudice in their ministry. For example, three times they have had to wait at restaurants because Native Americans were with them. As a kid, Ron recalls a sign outside a business in Wyoming: “No dogs or Indians allowed.” He thinks God began coaxing his heart toward America’s “First Nations”—as they like to refer to themselves—from a young age.

But the Countrymans’ Native American friends are both sociable and hospitable. At a dinner one time, their hosts served them first since they were guests. The elders came next, then the women and children, and then the young men—if any food remained. In 2008, the Turnsplenty family of the Crow Nation adopted Ron and Kathy into their family and tribe—a highly uncommon honor.

Now their names are well-known among all the tribes in Montana. This makes their jobs easier—but not easy. They still have much to learn, they say.

Four Winds

A few years after coming to Montana, Ron became an ordained Church of God preacher. He has pastored three churches, and currently is the lead pastor of Big Timber’s Church of God.

They bought the Four Winds property in 2001, with funding from the missionary branch of their denomination. The center opened in 2004, and they now have more than a dozen buildings. They offer adult discipleship and leadership training, and week-long summer camps for young people.

Many Native American children come from tragic or unloving backgrounds. This can be evident in their words and actions when they come to Four Winds. But after a week of fun and love, they usually soften considerably. One summer 26 agreed to be baptized!

But kids are not the only people who change. Some volunteers from big cities can hardly grapple with rural Montana. They avoid the creek at first, for example, but wash their hair in it by the last day. Moreover, the Countrymans say you “cannot be around those Native American kids without falling in love with them.” Volunteers say they come to serve, but they end up getting served.

Fall to spring is more relaxed, but not wasted. They communicate with their supporting churches. They visit reservations, bringing food, clothes, and school supplies—only things they would use themselves—as well as Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas shoe boxes. Ron preaches at Native American churches, and of course he shepherds his own church all year, too.

The Second Family

Personally, Ron and Kathy had to deal with their own child’s apathy toward God for many years. Their son Justin rebelled against his parents’ lifestyle and influence. He turned to anything other than God for many years, until he learned he was digging his own spiritual, if not physical, tomb.

He accepted Jesus as his savior and his life changed nearly overnight. At first, he told his parents he would not join them in their ministry—he wanted to find his own calling. Ron replied, “Never say never.” After spending two more weeks with Native American kids, Justin changed his mind.

Later, Justin fostered children on a reservation for two years. Reservation life is “like third-world countries,” he says. He heard gunshots at night, lone toddlers ran around at 10:30 p.m., a drunken man tried to break into his home, and he sensed a constant spiritual warfare taking place. Yet this very atmosphere drove him deeper into foster care. When he can share Christ with foster children over an extended period, he witnesses enormous and eternal change in their lives.

Amid all this, Justin met a young woman named Jessica. She came to Four Winds with her youth group from Virginia in 2008. She felt God leading her toward Native Americans in Montana, and she visited the following summers, too. She and Justin wed in 2012—and now they foster several kids together and live in Big Timber.

During the interview, Justin invited little S*****ty into the office. Her eyes were timid, but kind. She was about four years old. She slowly offered her hand in greeting, then permitted a priceless smile to escape.

Justin has also become an associate pastor under his father. He says he would never be where he is in his faith or his ministry without his parents. Now and then tension arises, but generally they work well together. Justin says he enjoys being accountable to Ron as dad, pastor, and employer.

Perspective and Conviction

The two Countryman families are hardly wealthy. Ron and Justin have a modest monthly income as pastors. But they raise most of their support and simply don’t spend when they don’t have. No debt is part of their routine, but so are old cars and living week to week.

But they know greater poverty among the people they are serving, which gives them perspective. Moreover, they see God as being very faithful to them. Sometimes Justin has prayed about a bill, and that very day a seemingly random source gave him exactly the right amount of money for it.

“I don’t feel poor, I don’t feel left out, I don’t feel neglected by God,” explains Justin. It is a hard path to take, but “God has proven Himself enough to us.” Ron adds, “We don’t have abundance, but we have plenty.”

All the same, tempting job offers come along now and then. Other temptations include giving up, impatience, not saying no, balancing family and ministry, following through, and feeling alone— since few major ministries exist to reach out to Native Americans. But they press on with a sense of urgency. Their goal is to build enough homes and find enough foster parents to house 100 kids at Four Winds.

Names are terribly important to Native Americans, the Countrymans explain. “Four Winds” has three sources. Part of the property used to be called the Four Winds Restaurant. It is in the center of Montana, near the crossroads of the reservations in the state. Most of all, their key scripture is in Ezekiel 37: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.”

Kathy sums up their mission, with Native American decorations on the wall behind her: “We are living our dream!”

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(Originally published in the Big Timber Pioneer.)