He Who Has Eyes to See (or Hasn’t), Let Him See
We aim to communicate wonder through the written word, but we try to experience it with other senses as well—auditory included. We’re especially excited about a new podcast from NPR: Invisibilia, which focuses on science, narrative, and “the invisible forces that control human behavior.” Their premiere on This American Life makes a provocative claim about blindness: You may not need eyes to see.
This is a topic of particular interest to us, following our feature on regaining sight. It makes one ponder Jesus’ description of the kingdom: “The blind receive sight, the lame walk . . . and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Matt. 11:5, NIV).
When Peace Had Its Chance
This is “The Age of Miracles,” writes Michael Elliot, president and CEO of The ONE Campaign, for TIME. Decades of relative worldwide peace (compared to the two world wars, and the great loss of life in the Vietnam War) coupled with technology and globalization have ushered what may be “the most peaceable era in our species’ existence.” Elliot writes:
We can make what was once miraculous commonplace. And what a great testament to our shared sense of humanity that would be.
Let the Storm Rage On
As I write this, much of the country is still digging itself out of the epic snow from the last few weeks. Can we agree to no longer sing these pesky lyrics from Frozen? “Let the storm rage on. The cold never bothered me anyway.” Nevertheless, we gritted our teeth and prayed along with these old lines at church this weekend:
Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold, drops of dew and flakes of snow. Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord, praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
They do glorify the Lord sometimes, especially along the Chicago lakefront, where untamed Lake Michigan contrasts with man’s glorious architectural achievements in the skyline. Photographer Brian Kammerzelt has captured this in a striking photo series through the last few winters’ most extreme moments.
The Year of Light
The United Nation has declared 2015 the International Year of Light (and light-based technologies), and NASA started it off with some stunning images from their X-ray Observatory. If you haven’t already, make sure to check out our short piece on the technology and science that made these images possible.
