The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced this morning that three physicists have been awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics for their mathematical methods used to discover and define black holes: Roger Penrose (age 89) of the University of Oxford earned half the award for "the discovery that black hole formation is the robust prediction of the general theory of relativity," and Reinhard Genzel (68) and Andrea Ghez (55) jointly earned the other half for "the discovery of a supermassive compound object at the center of our galaxy" (see Academy announcement here).
Read MoreAre you ready to start paying for stuff you don't need with the wave of a hand? Amazon debuted "Amazon One" this morning, new technology that connects the palm of your hand with your credit card, allowing you to pay for items as you exit a store with the simple wave of your hand.
Read MoreFor many of us, the sight of a retired Boeing 747 perched on the roof of Evergreen Wings & Waves in McMinnville is a marvel: Can you imagine the water cooler conversation or board room meeting where the idea first launched?
"And then we could use a crane to lower a 747 onto the roof and run four huge slides looping 62 feet down into a splash pool ..."
Read MoreThe air quality index in the Portland metro area ranks as "hazardous" again today. For days, Portland has had the worst air of any major city in the world as we strain for a glimpse of blue sky or even a wisp of cloud through the smoke. Much like the Israelites of the Old Testament, we long for deliverance -- dreaming of rain that will wash the air clean.
Read MoreAs I write this, the Douglas firs surrounding our home are swaying wildly to and fro against a reddish smoke-thick sky, dropping fir cones across our deck like hail and showering loose branches across the driveway with each new gust. The air is thick with smoke from a Christmas tree farm down Baker Road that began burning last night, and sirens blare every so often as fire trucks speed past.
Read MoreBorn on a Scottish farm, Evelyn Glennie began losing her hearing at the age of 8; by age 12, she was profoundly deaf, having lost nearly all of her hearing to nerve damage. Glennie says she was angry at first, but when her percussion teacher asked her to rest her hand on the tympani drum, Glennie realized that she could listen by discerning the varying beats as they rose up through her forearm.
Read MoreHow are you doing with the humor challenge of this past Sunday? Have you made someone laugh today? Are you able to read Scripture with a new lens this week, seeking the moments where we too quickly read past God's good humor? (For a reminder of Sunday's sermon, check out our August 23 livestream here.) If you need inspiration, here are a few spiritual one-liners to get you started:
Read MoreI hope you are recognizing the importance of story in this crazy COVID era of confusion and consternation. What new narratives are we writing as we traverse this curious time? Can you imagine the bonds we all will share one day as we reminisce about 2020, telling tales of face masks and lockdowns, battles over toilet paper and Chlorox wipes? What better way do we have to connect with one another than the stories that we share?
Read MoreWarning: Please don’t run from bears or push your slower friends down in attempts of saving yourself.
Sometimes it's in our humor that we most clearly hear the slings and arrows of a culture, and even the National Park Service is not immune. Listen to these tips posted a few days ago warning visitors how to respond if they encounter a bear:
Read MoreWhat does it say about our culture that we have a fascination for cakes that are meticulously crafted to look like anything but cake? Why is it so enticing to watch a knife cut through a T-bone steak or a Doc Marten only to reveal red velvet or chocolate layers? Hyperrealism emerged alongside the technology explosion, finding its footing somewhere in the '90s and growing increasingly more popular in the unmooring of 2020.
Read MoreAs we strive to bring Holy Spirit peace and hope to a culture unmoored by social injustice, racial strife, and political enmity, it can be difficult to know what to do -- particularly when a global pandemic keeps many of us confined to our homes. But do you realize that the words we use have a remarkable impact not just on how we communicate but on who we are and how our culture evolves?
Read MoreIf you find yourself longing for something more in the strain of 2020, know that you are not alone. And while the Lord desires for us to live in His peace despite the circumstances that surround us, the longing we feel -- more often than not -- ultimately is a longing for Him. Hear the longing for God in these moments in Scripture:
Read MoreImagine a place where you are greeted by welcoming signs that read "For You"; your friends are already gathered waiting for your arrival; friends and strangers alike clap you on the back and offer hugs of encouragement; the music is familiar and the decor is exactly what you like most; and when you are asked to share with the room -- always an intimidating moment -- you are offered witty scripts to choose from and a cadre of friends ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you. Could we be in Narnia?
Read MoreSaturday evening closed with a peaceful worship service buoyed by the sounds of Clear Creek trickling across the rocks below, a light breeze through the forest, birds chattering in the limbs above, and laughter from distant campgrounds. We listened together to C.S. Lewis' opening chapter of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, pondering the tenuous situation of the children who have been displaced from their homes in wartorn London as Lucy steps tentatively through the fur coats of the wardrobe with her fingertips stretched forward:
Read MoreGerard Manley Hopkins was an English poet and a bit of a tortured soul who became known after his death in June of 1889 as one of the Victorian era's most influential writers. Hopkins was compelled his entire life to describe the beauty of God's creation through the rhythm and imagery of poetry, although when he converted to Roman Catholicism and joined the Jesuit priesthood in his 20s, he burned all of his poems in a bonfire and did not write again for many years.
Read MoreAs we welcome a beautiful Oregon summer this week, enjoy these words from Pulitzer Prize- winning poet Mary Oliver: The Summer Day
Read MoreDietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor, theologian, and writer who spent a foundational year studying and serving in the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem when he was in his mid-20s. Bonhoeffer later wrote that it was in America’s Harlem that he began to see things “from below” – empathizing with the oppressed and recognizing the church in the United States was doing little to encourage integration.
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