For Earth Day, I encourage you to go outdoors and find ten gifts of creation to enjoy. Here are mine:
1. A cardinal was singing at dawn this morning just outside my window.
2. The sunrise was gorgeous in my neighborhood this morning.
3. Right now, the sun is shining on the new leaves - copper red - on a sea grape bush outside my window.
4. Plum-sized mangoes are hanging on the trees near me.
5. A flock of ibises flew overhead.
6. A swallow-tailed kite - one of the world's most graceful and beautiful birds - was soaring overhead a while ago.
7. The beautiful green of spring grasses.
8. The morning breeze.
9. An anole sunning itself on a branch.
10. Noticing how the days are getting longer here in the northern hemisphere as the point of sunrise moves north …
What are your ten? Or five? Or even three? You can post them on my Facebook page…
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-D-McLaren/65814657989?ref=ts
Later on, when you must be indoors, take ten or fifteen minutes here:
http://350.org
The Humor Research Lab (which is evidently a real thing) has formulated the Humor Algorithm (which, is also evidently a real thing), to create the definitive list of America’s funniest and least funniest cities. The project was organized by University of Colorado professor Dr. Peter McGraw while researching his book The Humor Code, and is insanely detailed. In addition to looking at geographic factors (number of comedy clubs, the hometowns of comedians, comedy radio stations, etc.), the team also turned to the Internet. They factored in funny Twitter users, visits to meme sites and humorous web searches traced to cities around the country. Chicago, Boston and Atlanta took home the top three spots, followed by Washington D.C. and Portland. You can go here to see the entire list of rankings and learn more about the team’s methodology ...
What would you do if your college philosophy professor told the class to write "God is dead" on a piece of paper, sign it, and hand it in, or else risk 30% of your grade? In the movie, "God's Not Dead," a freshman named Josh Wheaton is told just that. Josh looks around the room and watches everyone do just as the professor said. But as a Christian, he can't bring himself to do it. As a result, the professor tells him that he must present his argument for why God is NOT dead to the entire class for the next several weeks. Then the class will vote on whether God is dead or alive.
Josh is now sacrificing grades in his other classes in order to devote time and energy to prove that God's not dead. He also faces pressure from everyone --his parents, girlfriend, friends --to just let it go, and let the professor win his argument. But Josh just can't do it. A local pastor helps him to stand up and defend the Truth, reminding him of what Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33, "Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven."
Josh does a masterful job of arguing for God's existence, angering his professor and slowly impacting his classmates. Josh knows that his purpose in life is to glorify God in every area of life, and he's not going to let anyone frustrate or distract him.
As we witness the erosion of religious freedom in our country (especially for orthodox Christians) and we hear about the horrific persecution and massacre of Christians in other parts of the world, it is easy to become discouraged or disheartened. But I hope you take the time to watch "God's Not Dead." It is a positive, hope-filled movie that will inspire you to stand up and speak the Truth in Love. As our Redeemer said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world! (John 16:33b)
Ever wanted to know what NBA team logos would look like if they were mashed up with Pokemon characters? Of course you have. Thankfully, artist Micah Coles has put all of our curiosity to rest with this gallery ...
A new Associated Press-GfK poll has found that when it comes to ideas about science that can be perceived as a conflict to religious or political values, Americans remain unsure. Though only a very small percentage doubts that smoking can cause cancer or have skepticism about the concept of genetic code, ideas like the age of the earth, the origins of the universe and man-made global warming remain contentious.
About 4 in 10 say they are not too confident or outright disbelieve that the earth is warming, mostly a result of man-made heat-trapping gases, that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old or that life on Earth evolved through a process of natural selection, though most were at least somewhat confident in each of those concepts. But a narrow majority—51 percent—questions the Big Bang theory.
Researchers believe that in addition to a variety of political and religious beliefs held by many Americans, big concepts that people don’t regularly encounter (unlike cancer or illness) can often lean them toward skepticism ...
Several years ago, my family had the opportunity to vacation in a friend’s home in the Rockies. When we unlocked the front door and walked inside, we let out a collective gasp—this house was more extravagant than any place we had ever stayed. Our gratitude increased day by day for the custom-made fireplace, floor to ceiling windows which afforded mountain views, and perhaps most notably, the hot tub. When it came time to pack-up, we cleaned with an unusual enthusiasm and thoroughness out of respect and appreciation for the owners.
