earth’s shadow
When I see the moon at its thinnest stage, I sometimes think of a passage I read in Flannery O’Connor’s A Prayer Journal. The writer composed these poetic words for God: “You are the slim crescent of a moon . . . and my self is the earth’s shadow that keeps me from seeing all the moon . . . I do not know you God, because I am in the way. Please help me to push myself aside.”
wise in God’s eyes
Who’s the brightest person in the world—the one with the highest IQ? Some would name Abdesselam Jelloul, who has an IQ of 198. Others say it’s Marilyn vos Savant with her IQ of 228. The Guinness Book of World Records lists physicist and engineer Kim Ung-Yong as having the highest confirmed IQ in the world (210). Interestingly, Albert Einstein had an IQ of “only” 160, while the average IQ for human beings is 90-109.
criminally cute
Giddy with delight, my young son Elias slipped out of the room that served as a temporary nursery to newborn kittens. His mother had warned him not to touch them, so she asked, “Did you touch the kitties, Elias?”
“No!” he said earnestly. Mom wasn’t fooled, so she probed a bit further. “Were they soft?” “Yes,” he volunteered, “and the…
anger danger
You can keep your overnight bag!” Frustrated that she had missed her flight, the irate woman tossed the proffered package at the customer service agent and marched away. The rest of us who were in line watched the employee shrug his shoulders and shake his head with disinterest. Left to appease customers for decisions that had not been his, he…
loving others
It was such a dilemma—whether or not to marry the man who had proposed to me—that I agonized over what to do for nearly a year. During that time, I read dozens of relationship books, sought advice from counselors and pastors, and listened to scores of married friends explain how they “just knew” when faced with the same decision.
Ultimately,…
copernican moment
In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus published a theory that marked one of the starting points for the scientific revolution of the 16th century. His hypothesis was: The earth is not at the center of the universe.
Recently, I had what for me was a “Copernican moment.” I was reminded that I am not at the center of the universe. The world…
