Unknown Mysteries & Science

I have a set of blogs I read each day of the week, seven little folders each containing that day’s ration of reading. If I didn’t keep them in a little daily folder I’d wander all through my list of favorite blogs and would probably miss something really meaningful, or I’d go through the first six in the list day after day.

In my Sunday folder is Real Live Preacher. Pastor and author Gordon Atkinson has been writing essays since 2002. Now an established author, he is a frequent contributor to The Christian Century, The High Calling, and, Wittenberg Door (DISCLAIMER-the Wittenburg site is not for everybody.)

What I like about Atkinson, and others like him, is that he’s an unassuming man of God. He seems to wear his faith like a set of favorite, well-fitting clothes. It suits him (no pun intended); it belongs; it’s a real, authentic part of him.

I admire authenticity.

His writing style is often frank, always playful, and seems to come from someone who’s living mindfully, as author Ellen J. Langer puts it.

In a piece written for Christian Century (01-15-2008), Atkinson shares a delightful episode from his own childhood. He revisits a pair of night-time mysteries which later granted him a wondrous understanding of the harmonious mysteries of Faith, and Brother Scientist.

Listen Deeply. Be at Peace. Grow.

Amazing Planet – Amazing!

I watch a lot of documentaries and this one is excellent. Produced in 2006 by National Geographic Geographic Channel, it’s available on DVD, from the video store, online store or your local library.

It’s an action packed three hours featuring Born in Fire, Ocean Realm, and, Destructive Forces. The pace is intense, the science is great, and the sheer big-picture comprehension of our wonderful world is something you’ll carry with you. This isn’t a green-agenda production. It’s a powerful exposition of the latest facts and theories of our current understanding of Earth, it’s origins, it’s geologic and climatic processes, and includes a sneak peak into our possible future.

In fact I was recently revisiting my collection of Mars images from the two rovers currently trotting across the Martian landscape. I was struck by the evidence of Mars’ own water and wind, and yet it being so desolate. I suddenly realized, but for our own Earth orbit around our star, the Sun, there go we.

Born of Fire focuses not only on volcanology, but on the entire “fire cycle” where Earth’s crust is made, subducted, and re-made; the origin of our atmosphere and our water; and the titanic forces of plate tectonics.

Ocean Realm deals with seven-tenths of our planet, our oceans. We know more about the Moon and Mars than we do about our own oceans. You’ll discover just how important the Earth’s oceans are to our weather, and our climate, and our atmosphere.

Destructive Forces focuses on the three most powerful elemental erosive forces on Earth; wind, water, and time. I know a good deal about these forces having, as most of us have, studied them in science classes from High School through College Geology, but this presentation is fresh and engaging.

If you love good science, well presented, you’ll want to check out Amazing Planet by National Geographic.

Engage. Enlarge. Live.