I love trees. Today I stared for a long time at one of them through my window. Their wide trunks and solid appearance inspire me with confidence and a certain hint of reverence. On a windy day like today, I also consider how their root systems help them stay unyielding in stormy weather. But here […]

Although not very large, seahorses are one of the most beautiful of underwater creatures. Their changing pallet of colors functions to camouflage them from both predators and prey. Ranging in length from approximately ½ inch to a foot, (1.5 to 35 cm),1 their hunting success rate exceeds 90 percent, higher than that of even the […]

“I thought we should try to enjoy the last moments of these flowers,” my friend Teresa said as she handed me a limp arrangement of wilted roses, a tired orange daisy, and a disheveled yellow spider chrysanthemum. The only thing that seemed to be living was the added greenery, which made the flowers look even […]

Who am I? I live in the sea, usually in a crevice, under a rock, or even on a ledge in shallow water near the low tide level. Others of my kind live on sand or mud flats in sheltered water, and some even lie exposed on the rocky sea floor in deeper waters. I […]

This past summer we enjoyed the beauty of the sunflowers growing on our college farm. The huge heads of these amazing flowers towering high up on their stalks have always fascinated me. I’m especially intrigued by how the sunflower knows to turn its head toward the sun. Here’s what I found. Sunflowers are “heliotropes,” a […]

Through the centuries, stars have both challenged and charmed us with their elusive yet constant presence. Drawing us above the ambitions of human pride and arrogance, these orbs of light have caused our jaws to drop in stark admiration.  The vast expanse of occupied space provides an unparalleled challenge to the deep yearnings of the […]

Recently I was pondering the methods God uses to communicate with me. I was wishing that He would just come down and speak to me in plain English. I was asking Him, "How am I supposed to understand You? Why does it seem as though I have been going in circles my whole life?" As […]

Pit. Pat. Pit. Pat. A cool breeze blows as the sky begins to darken.  Pitter, patter, pitter, patter. The rain increases its intensity. Whoooosh! Torrents of rain come pouring out of the sky and pound onto the ground. In a matter of minutes the ground is soaked, leaving dirt roads transformed into swaths of slick […]

Life is challenging. Today especially. I won’t bore you with the list of my stressors. Your own list will do. The point is, I just saw something that planted courage right exactly where my “can’t bone” was buried. I want you to see it too. Everybody else is asleep. The house we’re lodging in smells […]

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.... And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” Gen. 1:1–3. When I was a freshman in high school 50 years ago, I was fascinated with […]