Creation Teaching
We recently moved to my husband’s hometown, a city that features a beautiful metro park system. Every day, prior to work and after dropping off two of our three young daughters at school, we take a brief hike together. My husband straps our baby onto his back in a backpack-like contraption, and off we go!
eyes for fireflies
Just 5 and 7 years old, Liam and Elias eagerly awaited darkness and a fireworks display. Dancing with anticipation in a meadow, they pacified their impatience by marveling at the pyrotechnic sideshows of fellow holiday celebrants. Cherry bombs, sparklers, Roman candles, and fireworks of dubious legality violated the dusk.
reverent fear
The ocean was churning. Massive waves were causing the huge vessel to list from side to side. As I stood and looked out a window, I was amazed at the power and fury of the storm. The beating of the raindrops on the metal deck matched the rapid beating of my heart as the ship was buffeted by fierce elements.
arrogance and ingratitude
Fabiola Gianotti led one of two teams that discovered the Higgs boson, the most exciting feat of modern physics. Her team used a $10 billion particle accelerator to crash protons into each other at nearly the speed of light. When they sifted through the microscopic debris, they found evidence of an energy field, which apparently permeates the universe. As other forms of energy pass through this “Higgs field,” much like an airplane pushes through a stiff headwind, the Higgs bosons attach themselves to these particles of energy and give them mass. And that’s how every physical thing gets its body.
origin of the species
A previously unknown monkey species, the Caqueta titi monkey, was discovered deep in the Amazon jungle in August 2009. A month earlier, two newly identified species of fish were found in the area affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Taxonomists today are discovering new species of animals, birds, and fish all the time—some 18,516 new species were discovered in 2007 alone. On average, 50 new species are discovered each day. Quentin Wheeler, of the International Institute of Species Exploration at Arizona State University, said, “Most people do not realize just how incomplete our knowledge of Earth’s species is.”
limitless
In the movie Limitless, actor Bradley Cooper plays Eddie Morra—a lazy, unkempt man with little going for him. Morra’s life takes a radical turn, however, when he’s given the drug “NZT” that enables him to access 100 percent of his brain. While on NZT, the former sloth has unbridled abilities, allowing him to rake in money, success, and women.
At…
flexible
With power outages, blown debris, and downed trees, recent storms left their mark around our town. While certainly not the devastation experienced by those enduring more significant and destructive displays of nature’s power, it was a mild reminder of man’s limited power. On our way to church the next day, my son asked why the thinner and smaller trees seemed…
Artist of the earth
In her book Source, art historian Janine Bourke says that many of the world’s most celebrated artists developed their greatest work when they retreated to nature. Monet painted his Waterlily series after moving to his garden-home at Giverny. Picasso was most creative when based at Cỏte d’Azur in France. Jackson Pollock’s abstract paintings were inspired by Long Island landscapes. The…
gaia needs God
I had mixed feelings watching the film Avatar. Like most, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of Pandora. Like some, I was put off by the film’s political preachiness. The portrayal of the Na’vi people’s perfect harmony with nature and each other seemed naïve. But make no mistake, the movie gripped me from beginning to end.
What really caught my…
God's grand pursuit
The news story was the kind of breathtaking romance you would expect to see on the big screen. Patrick Moberg spotted a stunningly beautiful woman across the crowded Manhattan subway station, but he wasn’t able to reach her. In desperation, Moberg created a Web site (www.nygirlofmydreams.com) and began a search across New York City, looking for the girl whom he…
