Our city has the privilege of hosting a hot air balloon competition every September. An average balloon system – envelope, gondola, fuel tanks, and 40 gallons of fuel – will weigh about 600 pounds, deflated on the ground. Adding two to three people will increase the weight by another 300-500 pounds. But, once the envelope is filled with hot air…weightless!
This post is in response to the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge.
Flying over Kansas on Wednesday, I caught an optical phenomenon that I had never seen before: a glory. 
From Wikipedia: The glory consists of one or more concentric, successively dimmer rings, each of which is red on the outside and bluish towards the center. The effect is believed to happen due to classical wave tunneling, when light nearby a droplet tunnels through air inside the droplet and, in the case of a glory, is emitted backwards due to resonance effects.
Though the “glory” effect may have a scientific basis, I believe that all creation bears the mark of THE Creator, thus helping us see glimpses of His glory.
11 Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth. Psalm 57:11 (NASB)
May your New Year be truly glorious!
Click HERE for other examples of this week’s challenge: “circle.”
Rural Iowa Pastor 