14 Days to Christmas, Thursday, Dec 11, 2025

“Something New”

Today, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 29 Starlink satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The scheduled launch time is 1:59 p.m.

I think rocket launches are pretty cool!  I live on Longboat Key, on the opposite coast of Florida, more than 200 miles away from the launch site.  Yet, on clear days or evenings, I can still see the rockets lift off into the sky. That’s brand new for me.

I have no background with rockets. I never dreamed about being an astronaut. It wasn’t even on my radar. But living here where these launches are visible has changed that. Now I find myself fascinated, especially at night, when that glowing orange fireball streaks into the darkness like something out of a movie.  The resulting vapor trail that lingers for much longer is equally incredible.

Before I moved to Florida, if you had asked me about rocket launches, I wouldn’t have known much of anything. Now, I can actually answer questions about them. I keep up with launch schedules closely enough to tell people when the next ones are scheduled:  December 14 at 9:43 p.m. and December 15 at 3:35 a.m.

If you’re on Longboat Key, look due east—right over the top of the Ringling Ca’ d’Zan Mansion. Don’t blink! Within about five minutes, the rocket will be completely out of sight.

I’m sure some folks have already tuned out of this little rocket lesson because space just doesn’t interest them—and that’s okay. But I also know this has probably sparked curiosity in a few of you. You might even be checking your calendar for that December 14 launch since it’s an easy time to stay awake.

The holiday season has been celebrated for thousands of years, and yet every year still seems to hold something new for each of us. Maybe it’s a new song, a fresh production, a special program—or perhaps a food or drink that others have enjoyed for generations but that becomes a brand-new experience to us.

The holidays contain both the old and the new, with something meaningful for both young and old alike. Maybe that’s part of what makes them so special. God designed this season so that everyone can participate—if they choose to.

Of course, someone can decide to ignore the holidays entirely. But that doesn’t mean Christmas stops existing. Nor does it stop changing lives, because the holidays are always changing someone’s life by bringing light into a world that desperately needs it.  So, is that someone you this year?  Is it me?  What might God be preparing for us this Holiday Season?

“Look! I’m doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it?  I’m making a way in the desert, paths in the wilderness.”  (Isaiah 43:19, CEB).