12 Dec, 2008

A First in Motion Picture History

LOS ANGELES--(Business Wire)--
Twentieth Century Fox makes history by transmitting the first motion picture in to deep space, making THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL the world's first galactic motion picture release. The first deliberate deep space transmission of this highly anticipated science fiction thriller will begin this Friday, December 12, 2008, to coincide with the film's opening day on Planet Earth. If any civilizations are currently orbiting Alpha Centauri, they will be able to receive and view the film approximately four years from now in the year 2012.

In a time when global movie launches are now commonplace, Fox is raising the bar by spearheading, with Deep Space Communications Network located at Cape Canaveral, the ultimate in "wide release" platforms. As millions of Earthbound movie fans get their first look at THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly, the film will be zipping through space at 186,000 miles per second to a heretofore untapped possible consumer base orbiting the three star system, Alpha Centauri.

Industry watchers and film historians will note that due to the distance between our solar system and the Alpha Centauri system, it will take over eight years (accounting for a roundtrip communication) to receive any Alpha Centauri reviews. The transmission is not a single beam aimed at just the Alpha Centauri system, but can be received by any advanced technologically capable civilization along the way to Alpha Centauri, and beyond.

Prior to its arrival at Alpha Centauri, the transmission of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL can be intercepted and viewed at various points in our own solar system (Distance from Earth - at the speed of light - and transmission time, as follows):

Moon: 0.000000038, 1.1991888 seconds
Sun: 0.000016, 8.41536 minutes
Mercury: 0.0000095, 4.99662 minutes
Venus: 0.00000476, 2.5035696 minutes
Mars: 0.0000076, 3.997296 minutes
Jupiter: 0.0000666, 35.028936 minutes
Saturn: 0.000135, 1.18341 hours
Uranus: 0.000285, 2.49831 hours
Neptune: 0.00046, 4.03236 hours
Pluto: 0.0006183, 5.4200178 hours

Story Courtesy of www.reuters.com.
Photo Courtesy of
www.images.google.com.

Never Been A Day Like It

The Day the Sun Stood Still!

Joshua 10:7-15

7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. 8 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.” 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. 10 And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

15 So Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal. (ESV)

What does God's Story scripture teach us?

WOW! Did you know that story was recorded in God's Story? Did you know that God came to the rescue of His people in such a miraculous way? Did you know that Joshua prayed that prayer?

Think about Joshua. First he was Moses' assistant, then his successor. He was one of only two spies who believed that the Israelites could take the Promised Land in the first place. Now, he is one of only two adults who lived to enter the Promised Land, and he is their leader.

Joshua knew what God had commanded him to do, and he knew that God had promised them this land. He knew that God was in control.

How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?

  • Read the first nine chapters of Joshua leading up to today's scripture.
  • Study Joshua's life a little deeper this weekend.
  • Thank God for the times He has protected you from the enemy.
  • Ask God for an opportunity to share His Story with someone over the weekend.

How can we connect today's story, God's Story and our story to others?

  • Listen for conversations about "The Day The Earth Stood Still." There is a good chance that the movie from Today's Story will come up in conversation this weekend.
  • If you don't hear anyone talking about the movie, start a conversation yourself.
  • Ask a friend if they have ever heard today's scripture. Ask them their thoughts on the event in Joshua.
  • Talk about ways you have seen God fulfill His promises to you.

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