Grace Alive

I’m sure you’ve had this experience recently. Your computer screen flashes on, you click the news link, and there it pops up, front-and-center amid the headlines, “CORONAVIRUS.” Every news page seems to be giving special coverage to this latest, nearly global, virus. A scare this big hasn’t hit our planet since Ebola, SARS, and Swine…

On a mountaintop half-way around the world, a monument to scientific study stands aloof and foreboding. It’s a ramshackle stand of eerie buildings and lonely towers rigged with antenna. They stand as a testament to this past-its-prime laboratory in the deserts of Armenia. But the weird thing about this lab is that its actually still…

Radiation doesn’t wait to be invited. It’s influence can seem negligible or highly dangerous depending on the type of radiation and the amount. But the radiation that this article talked about was definitely the dangerous variety. That’s obvious enough based on the location, since the site was bathed in left over radiation from the disastrous…

The sight of a human face has a personal impact that hardly anything else can match. There’s power in a human face that shows what numbers and data can’t show. But believe it or not there are scientists today who think they’ve gotten to the point where they can even capture a human face in…

I just read about a reunion of 40 family members with a 92-year-old Greek woman who played a big part in their lives–for many before they were even born. Melpomeni Dina was a teenager living with her two older sisters in Veria, Greece, when they learned of a Jewish family of seven who were hiding…

When I was scanning the year-end headlines on the web last week, one particular title grabbed my attention. It read in large type, “2019 in photos.” As I flipped through the assortment of eye-popping images, one particular scene grabbed my attention. It was a huge stone structure with baroque spires engulfed by jagged, orange flames—Paris’…

Beginning a new year very often has a sense of eager anticipation, adventures in store, and a feeling of starting over. We’ve probably all had conversations or at least overheard them about new year’s resolutions and contemplated our own resolve for another year. But for veteran astronaut Scott Kelly, his 2019 began with a strange…

Who hasn’t felt the exhilaration of a looking up into a bough of graceful red autumn leaves? I’ve enjoyed this sight several times this Fall season already. There are few sights that bring a sense of refreshing seasonality like Autumn leaves do. But just recently I learned that this feeling of abundance at Fall has…

Wind is definitely a fickle, yet powerful thing. Anyone who has watched a kite whipping back and forth violently on a blustery day can see that. But despite the fickle, disturbing power of wind, there are still some hardy souls who willingly surrender their course to the wind each year as part of a harrowing…

There he was, a heavily suited man with two jet engines strapped to his feet, soaring gracefully over the water. You may think that this scene must come from a science fiction flick, but it actually was a real new story reporting a real-life event—the first man to fly across the English Channel wearing a…

Video and photographs have been a key part of reporting for many years. Ever since the first photographs in a newspaper back in 1880, visual images have helped tell stories. But recently the stories people can present through video and photos has been scarily vivid. Amateur videographers and photographers can now doctor clips and images,…

Just recently, I was listening intently to the story of a man who had a truly fascinating job. He was a sound expert. But he didn’t just spend his days in a small studio sorting through sound bites. He specialized in nature sounds so he spent his time romping through the forests and fields around…

Artificial Intelligence has gotten a lot of hype in the last couple decades. In the midst of the sensational claims, worrisome predictions, and urban legends, the purposes for which A. I. can be seriously useful can get a little muddled. But an article I read recently suggests that A. I. can be much more powerful,…

Driverless Cars. This phrase would conjure up pictures of a dangerous accident if mentioned 60 years ago. What could a driverless car be if not terribly dangerous? It would be like a ship without a helm, a plane without a pilot, mindlessly speeding into whatever obstacle lies in its path. But today, the phrase driverless…

As I glance over my daily schedule and calendar briefly before eating breakfast, deadlines seem to leap out at me. Every task has a deadline attached to it, whether it’s spelled out in front of me or not. Each one has a time for completion that makes me especially conscious of the ticking seconds and…

The woman mustered all of her strength in stretching out her aching hand towards her only hope of healing. And with one touch, a current of life-giving energy and health pulsed through her body and restored her frayed nerves and pale flesh. He had been healed by faith! But the odd thing about the story…

I still remember vividly the book cover that caught my eye. It wasn’t exactly what you’d call a spectacular sight. In fact, you could even call the sight ugly–a shriveled husk of a songbird that had been dried and preserved many years ago. But even though the picture wasn’t pleasing–the title and the promise of…

Commuting has become a basic part of my daily routine. I’ve learned to use my commuting time well (mostly through audio books) but I’ve also noticed how driving has sharpened my senses. I’ve begun to drink in the sights of the freeway, especially when it comes to noticing other cars. I’ve definitely seen a variety…