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Posts Made By: Kevin Krepps

March 18, 2011 03:35 PM Forum: Celestron

F6.3 reducer corrector

Posted By Kevin Krepps

Does anybody use a reducer/corrector on their SCT for visual (non-AP) use? Why or why not? The reason I ask is I have a C8 coming that will have a F6.3 reducer/corrector as part of the package. I haven't used this accessory before.

Regards,
Kevin

July 12, 2011 04:34 PM Forum: Religion

Must Christians quit the military, law enforcement

Posted By Kevin Krepps

What think ye? I think not:

In the Old Testament justice was displayed in "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" Every sin receives it's just desserts. But this is only foreshadowing the New Covenant. Looking to Paul we see a new admonition to love our enemies, just as Jesus taught:

"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

The reason we do not need to repay evil for evil is because we trust the Lord’s promise to provide justice for everyone. Sin is not merely forgiven, as if it never happened. There is justice meted out for every wrong we commit. The Old Testament principle has not changed. This was demonstrated by Jesus on the cross. He paid "An eye for an eye" for our sake.

As a Christian:
When someone wrongs me I can rest assured that every sin has been paid for on the cross, or will be punished in this life or the next. We don’t have to seek revenge, because God will be our just judge.

This teaching is often misconstrued as applying to the proper use of military, or law enforcement, or even personal defense of self and family. However, that is not the case.

"Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer." (Romans 13)

The law is still God's standard to show his righteousness, maintain order in society, and protect the innocent. The Christian in the military, or law enforcement, or defending his family is not seeking revenge...he is defending righteousness and protecting the innocent. How the sword of the magistrate should be applied is considerably debated, but I beleive it's purpose is sound.

February 10, 2011 04:56 PM Forum: Guns and Hunting Optics

Ruger 10/22 vs Recurve Bow

Posted By Kevin Krepps

I have five kids of ages 14, 12, 9, 6, and 3. I shoot with all of them except the 3 year old (I feel that 5 years old is the minimum age to start IMO). My wife shoots as well. All the shooting age kids have their own guns. It's a great way to bond and a lot of fun as well.

March 5, 2011 05:40 AM Forum: Eyepieces

What is the deal with eyepiece boxes?

Posted By Kevin Krepps

I hope you're not actually using your eyepieces are you? If you take them out of the box and put them in a telescope they might get scratched or get dust on them. grin

March 8, 2011 12:37 PM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

Something I didn't expect....

Posted By Kevin Krepps

Mark,
I had a similar experience last night when I was looking at M108, M109, and the Owl Nebula. I sometimes use a very low power 30x eyepiece to get my bearings when I star hop. Last night the two galaxies were barely noticeable because of ambient light pollution. Bumping up to a 50x made them noticeable. Going to 115x made them obvious and gave them a rough shape. Doing the same thing with the Owl Nebula had an even greater effect and I found it looked even better at 187x than at 115x.

Getting my eyes dark adapted does more than anything though. Oftentimes I don't allow enough time to dark adapt to really get good deep sky viewing. Looking for dim objects in the first 30 minutes will just frustrate me. Sticking it out past that point makes it worthwhile and rewarding. I also found the skies to be much clearer and darker after midnight in my semi-rural neighborhood which is not that far from some larger towns. Once a lot of people have gone to bed the ambient light is greatly reduced. The old adage that the best things comes to those who wait holds true when stargazing. This is definitely not a hobby for people seeking instant gratification!
Regards, Kevin Krepps

April 29, 2011 02:11 PM Forum: Refractors

ED80 and light mount.

Posted By Kevin Krepps

I used a ED80 with a Astro-Tech Voyager mount. That was a great combination. That would be comparable to the Vixen Porta mount.

Regards,
Kevin

May 1, 2011 01:13 PM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

NGC4236 (Draco)

Posted By Kevin Krepps

Nice, I've never looked for that one yet. Part of the M81 group?

I had a nice observing session last night as well. Some of the brighter galaxies in the Virgo supercluster. Galaxy hunting is a new thing for me. M87 is spectacular, even more so when I read about it's immense size.

May 9, 2011 11:20 AM Forum: Religion

The End is Near!

Posted By Kevin Krepps

Although different Christian denominations have different views on the end times, pretty much all confess to the second coming of Christ. That's pretty much a requirement for orthodoxy, whether catholic or protestant, or otherwise. It's also outside of orthodoxy to predict an exact date. Churches that have predicted exact dates always seem to center around a specific individual who teaches unique views, a "Cult of Personality".
There are signs of the end times being played out, so I don't see any reason not to think his coming is not imminent. But I don't know if it will be before 2050. The feeling of imminent return based on current events is not unique to these times, many in the new testament church felt that way as well.
1Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,  2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

May 9, 2011 03:36 PM Forum: Guns and Hunting Optics

Wahoo! A New Firearm!

Posted By Kevin Krepps

Great choice!

I have two Henry lever actions, a .22lr just like yours and a Big Boy .357/.38. The Henry .22 is actually my favorite gun to shoot out of all my guns. Very accurate also.

May 10, 2011 11:25 AM Forum: Religion

Waste of space?

Posted By Kevin Krepps

I believe this is what is meant by "The heavens declare the Glory of God". It tells us about his nature. The vastness is a part of that. The beauty and the order is a part of that as well. The more we learn about the universe, the more there is to learn. He's demonstrating his infinite complexity to us.

I think calling it a waste of space is like a housing developer looking at a forest and calling it a waste of space.