One of the last thing the radiology techs do before they ring the bell, walk out of the gantry, and send in the proton beam, is to put on the aperatures and the lens for the beam to go through. The aperatures are the brass rings you see to the right. Actually each of these is only half an aperature, because if the full thing was one piece, many of the techs wouldn't be able to lift them throughout the day. Each half weighs 13#. Once these are put in place, they add the lens, the lucite "ring that tells the beam exactly how far to go (deeper for the middle, more shallow to the outside). They snap all three in place and leave. Once these exceedingly critical pieces are put in place, you are ready to receive the beam. Obviously they need to be created exactly right.The samples you see in this picture are all rejects. They look terrific. The only problem is, in each case something is wrong. Perhaps it's cut a bit too much at the bottom, or the mold in the lucite didn't turn out exactly right, or some other problem. Whatever the cause, though the appear wonderful, they are actually useless. They are so close and yet so far from being the valuable items they were meant to be.
Think there might be a spiritual application here? How many people who call themselves "Christian" do you know who, even though they look the part, don't have lives that accurately portray the spirit and dynamic of Jesus' life at all? Jesus said that people who truly belong to him stand out because of their love for one another. It is so obvious, so winsome, so engaging that others want to know what makes them tick. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. They are the real deal and have lives that show it.
Why would somebody choose to look like the real thing yet in fact be of no value to the Kingdom, especially when they could be used of the Lord to do great and mighty things?
I'm glad they have "real" aperatures and lenses here because those are the things that will bring forth true healing. And I'm glad for those who love the Lord and live like they do. No matter what they face in life, surely they will be richly blessed!
May you find his blessing in this day,
Bill
3 comments:
You are right on the money in your statement about people who truly belong to Him stand out because of their love for one another. That is precisely how my husband and I came to Christ. In Florida at the time, we "came across" a couple started spending more time with them and they were so engaging we did want to know what made them tick. Why were they so together, so happy and wonderful? What did they have that we didn't. Well, we had dinner one night and that is when we found out. They are still very close friends of ours to this day. Thank you so much for your blog Pastor Bill! We love getting our "Pastor Bill sermon" fix every day as we read. You are such a blessing to our family with all you teach and instill in us as we walk newly in Christ each and every day. We pray for your continued success in treatment and look forward to your wonderous return. Blessings to Betty as well and I hope to see her back at Women's in the fall :-)
Much love,
Jolene and Bryan Bollman
That is a great analogy. "What makes those people tick" is the recipe I've always wanted to have.
The brass or lucite ring precision is amazing to me. It seems like the Proton machine is a very large camera - technology is astounding.
Walt (and Sue)
Thank you Pastor Bill for all your wisdom and the continual updates to keep us in touch with you and Betty.I tried to send a Birthday Wish, but it was not sent( Oh those computer glitches), so here is another though it is late now... Happy Belated Birthday from the Northfork Folk. We certainly do need each other through the good times and the bad. We to are blessed with many friends and they mean so much...We will keep Greg and Family in our prayers, How very sad is this to us....You and Betty are in our prayers as well...We love the blog and the updates....We send Hugs, Dee &
Don
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