By Cindy Koch –

The clouds hung low this last Sunday morning. Already shivering as I stepped outside, I called back to the hustling brood to grab their jackets before we piled in the car. Damp palm trees and lonely puddles hinted that it was about to rain, but only a gray mist colored our morning drive to church. The children and I traveled together in unusual silence, taking in the gloom. 

Three minutes late to church, the six of us loudly tiptoed into the sanctuary, peeling off our coats and scooting past the punctual (forgiving) members to our usual pew, seven rows from the back. Finally, we were all seated and quiet. I glanced at the kids and did a quick count to confirm we all made it, but then I noticed one with unbrushed hair, another with unmatched socks, and of course, the boy grabbed the dirtiest jacket he could find.

Suddenly, my oldest daughter grabbed my arm. “Mom, am I supposed to sing this morning?” Frantically, she scanned the church for the other Psalm cantor. I didn’t know. She snuck over to the organist after the first hymn, whispered to him, and did not return to the seat next to me. I guessed it was her Sunday to sing.

Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes…

A hauntingly clear voice cut through the quiet rustle of the worship service. Words that were so familiar but so beautiful caught me by surprise. This song was so loud and confident that a few people in front looked over their shoulder.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

My seventeen-year-old daughter sang these words this morning, and I was overcome with what my little girl confessed with her lips. Her hope danced in the ears of the whole church with a sweet song. How can she keep her way pure? By desperately clinging to the Word of Christ.

With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments.

This is the song from my teenage girl, who has had her proper share of adolescent vices, trials, and punishments. Often she recalls that her heart has loved something else. Many times she remembers God’s commands she had broken. She knows this is not the description of her own will, and yet she sings strong and unashamed.

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Her song, the Church’s song, Christ’s song, has been stored up in her young heart since she was baptized at six days old. I turned to my other four children next to me and saw their ears and hearts pulsing with Christ’s Word as well. But these Words are not their own—the Words that have been washed over black baby hearts and poured into disobedient little ears. Yet, these Words of Christ that fill my children have made them pure.

Blessed are you O Lord, teach me your statutes…

The confident voice of my little girl sharply contrasted the countless sorrows that I have seen in the deep, wide world. An angry world boasts of shallow lies. Crooked men and women call the evil things good. Outside of one’s self, a hope in Christ is shushed and scorned. The Lord’s commands are twisted into a personal résumé, and there our song of hope is silenced.

With my lips, I declare all the just decrees of your mouth.

These decrees are God’s judgment on her. In His justice and righteousness, God says she’s a sinner. She will walk out of this church and step into a dank, sinful world. She will measure her thoughts, words, and deeds and fall far from God’s mark. This morning, for her, God’s music of righteousness is only beautiful because Christ sings it. Her lips chant the melody, but His breath speaks about joy in God’s justice.

In the way of your testimonies I delight as much in all riches…

As she sings on, I wonder about the path before her. There are so many distractions and temptations. I am afraid for my little girl. Will His righteous Law continue to kill her deadly pride? Will His life-saving Gospel give her comfort more than all the vain riches of this life? I worry that the Evil One will seduce her to sing his song. I worry that her sinful heart will desire to sing to the god of herself. I worry that this world will shout too loudly, so much that she can’t hear Christ’s everlasting song from his empty tomb.

I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.

But here her voice rhythmically meditates. Here her ears are filled with a Savior that has rescued her from death. Here her steps walk beside poor miserable sinners that have been declared saints. Here her mouth is fed with forgiveness. Here her eyes are fixed on Jesus Christ and her eternal home.

I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

Oh, my daughter, do you know what you sing? Your words come from the obedient Son who dwells in you. Your words sing love for God’s commands. Your song sings freedom from death and the devil. Your voice sings of a restored relationship with the Creator of everything. He makes a promise as you sing. Christ will never falter or forget the Word of the Father. He will always be there for you.

The service continued, and my daughter found her way back to our pew. Her steps were light and happy; her smile was genuine. She truly loves singing the introits during worship services. I gulped down a little lump of emotion when I saw her simple delight in the Word of God.

I watched her sit next to her sisters and brother, open a hymnal, and join in the great song of the Christian Church. The little ones followed, singing together more Words of life everlasting and hope in Jesus. But even with all of the disheveled untrained voices from the rest of our family, I still heard the One who was singing. Christ shone from the tongues of my children today. He gave all of these little singers a sure Word that will never be forgotten.

This Sunday morning, as gray as the sky appeared outside, it was bright and joyful in the house of the Lord. Christ’s Word was sung clearly on the lips of a multitude of sinners. His voice was heard in the judgment courts of God. Both my children and yours sang Christ’s song.

By Cindy Koch –

There were quite a lot of protest rallies last Saturday and on inauguration day. The gals got together in Washington D.C. as well. In our modern culture, it seems that if we are disappointed with the way things are going, we’d better show up somewhere with a sign. Admittedly, I was a little slow on the uptake. Sitting here a few days later scrolling through all of the pictures of protest groups proudly gathering to send a profound message, it all made me very sad.

It’s clear we live in a turbulent world, as did the generations who came before us. The villains and heroes change, the manner and media adapt, but our passions are still enflamed about the injustice and suffering all around. Maybe you went out to support one of these protests. Maybe you were defending on the Facebook home front. Maybe you were overwhelmed or isolated from the whole affair. But the timeless problem remains: It’s bad out there.

Although this is true for everyone, my sorrow is particularly for our women—my sisters, my daughters, my mentors who have gone before me. We have been crying out for an answer to our pain for a very long time. Yet, even now our world disappoints us again, but we can’t stop searching for a peaceful and just reality. Despite our unified voice and invigorating numbers this past weekend, deep down, we know nothing has really changed. We will continue to be hurt and unsupported. We will continue to fight and struggle. We will sadly take up another sign another time because the problem is still out there, and we haven’t really solved anything.

But what if…

What if there were no problems to protest? Of course, we would have an amazing world. Friends on Facebook wouldn’t type a single hurtful syllable. Nations and peoples wouldn’t plot and plan to kill each other. Women and their babies wouldn’t struggle against each other for that precious breath of life. The lazy and the workaholic would disappear into pleasing moderate balance. Addictions would cease, anorexics would eat heartily, and cancer would have never taken a single loved one from our arms.

What if…

What if men and women lived in harmony? Fights and disagreements would not divide. A man would protect and care for that beautiful female creation that was taken from his side. A woman would love and be a help to her husband. Divorce would have never been a word. They would never dream of hurting each other. A woman would not long for authority or control. A man would stand up boldly and leave his parents to sacrificially cling to the woman God gave him.

What if…

What if we still looked like God’s creations in His garden? We would walk around with God, unashamed and without doubt. We would love the Word of the Creator and listen intently. We would be fruitful and multiply, and we would cherish the way God designed His creatures. There would be no sin, destruction, or death. Trees would produce bountifully. Rivers would flow gently with clean life-giving water. We would be fed by the tree of eternal life, and God would dwell with us, His children.

I know, sisters. I see it too. Our world doesn’t look like the “what ifs.”

But what if…

What if you heard that Christ solved this great and terrible problem? Jesus Christ, both almighty God and perfect man, would be the only one who could stand up in protest to the sin that saturates you and your world. Instead of a clever sign, Jesus holds up his unblemished life and chants, “It is finished…” The fighting, the sadness, the grave, the strife, the anger, and the pain are all put to death in that dying protest of God’s beloved Son, never to touch you again.

And what if…

What if you believed that His death restored you? You would still cry over the injustice of this passing world, but you would also trust in the promises of the world to come. Even now you would believe that you are God’s good creation in Christ, designed to love His will. Today you would walk with the children of God, feeding from the tree of life, now hidden in water and word, bread and wine. Men and women would forgive each other, love each other, and imperfectly live in a shadow of harmony. The unfixable problems of this sinful world would be lifted from your shoulders. Resurrected with Christ, you would be free from protest.

What if?

By Graham Glover –

Last Friday, 20 January 2017, changed everything.

Not about who we are as Christians. Not about who we are as individuals. Not about who I am as a husband, pastor, or father. Not about the Jagged Mafia that follows this blog. Not even about whether we are Falcons or Patriots fans.

But last Friday changed everything about American politics.

The Inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45^th President of the United States will be remembered as a pivotal moment in the history of our republic. Things will never be the same.

I understand some of you love him and others loathe him. No matter, he is our president and more importantly for me, my Commander-in-Chief. Even if you don’t respect the man, we are all obligated to respect the office.

Some sense the change. Whether they are the president’s most rabid supporters that have proudly been on full display this past week or the millions that marched in protest around the world the day after his inaugural, change – radical change – is in the air.

How can 1 man bring about so much change? Initially, I never thought it possible. Even after Election Day, I didn’t think it would happen. But now I’m convinced. Donald Trump is changing everything about American politics.

For starters, Trump has ushered in a new era of what it means to be partisan. While winning the Republican nomination and taking the oath as a Republican, Trump’s campaign, typified by his Inaugural Address, was the antithesis of what the Republican Party has stood for since at least the Eisenhower Administration. Regardless of what you thought of it, Trump’s speech was the most protectionist and isolationist of any president in the past century. I can only imagine what Speaker Ryan and Leader McConnell thought as they listened last Friday and as the president has begun signing Executive Orders. Free trade, a staple of Republican politics, is no longer safe. Global alliances, from the UN to NATO, appear to be on the chopping block. This would have been unthinkable under Bush 43, Bush 41, Reagan, Ford, Nixon, or any Republican that has recently lost the presidency, to include, Romney, McCain, and Dole. Donald Trump clearly ain’t your typical Republican. He’s a billionaire populist that has sent shockwaves through the party system. But then again, populism appears to be the new rage, to include Democrats like Sanders and Warren. After Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43, and Obama, this is a sharp turn from the norm and a monumental shift in American politics.

More importantly however is that Trump won by ignoring the conventional way of doing politics. Again, regardless of what you think of him, Trump’s campaign appeared to make no political sense, even as it succeeded at every turn. It defied what both parties have done to win campaigns for decades. If he maintains his voting coalition in 4 years (to include a healthy dose of working class Democrats) and manages to keep control of Congress, we may never see campaigns run like they were for the past 50 years. If Trump’s way of doing politics becomes the norm, filled with facts and alternative facts, establishment candidates and conventional campaigns are a thing of the past. To say we have entered a new era of what it takes to win presidential campaigns may be the political understatement of the new century.

Trump is also changing the tone not just of our politics, but our civil discourse. The Trump-Clinton campaign was as personally divisive as I’ve ever seen, and the disdain each side holds for one another hasn’t stopped. I think it’s gotten worse, and I don’t see things improving anytime in the near future. Politics is dividing people in ways it shouldn’t. Is this Trump’s fault? Not entirely. But he is the President of the United States, and from his bully pulpit has the unique opportunity to help shape our nation’s discourse. If he wants, he can rise above that which divides us, and focus instead on that which unites us. Thus far, President Trump doesn’t appear to appeal to this type of soaring, hopeful rhetoric. Things may change, Trump may change, but for now, the tone of our politics is abrasive and hard.

Like most, I have no idea what to expect of our new president. We’ve never had an Executive quite like President Trump. What I do know though, what I think is abundantly clear, is that Trump has changed American politics. Things will never be the same. Politically speaking, that is.

Metamaterials — materials whose function is determined by structure, not composition — have been designed to bend light and sound, transform from soft to stiff, and even dampen seismic waves from earthquakes. But each of these functions requires a unique mechanical structure, making these materials great for specific tasks, but difficult to implement broadly.

But what if a material could contain within its structure, multiple functions and easily and autonomously switch between them?

Enter a team of Harvard researchers who, inspired by snapology origami, collaborated with designers and mathematicians to create a “blueprint or DNA” for designing reconfigurable material structures. From Harvard.edu:

Once a specific design was selected, the team constructed working prototypes of each 3D metamaterial both using laser-cut cardboard and double-sided tape, and multimaterial 3D printing. Like origami, the resulting structure can be folded along their edges to change shape…

“This framework is like a toolkit to build reconfigurable materials,” said [Chuck] Hoberman. “These building blocks and design space are incredibly rich and we’ve only begun to explore all the things you can build with them.”

Their work can be applied to both nanoscale solutions and large-scale options in engineering of all kinds — mechanical, structural, aerospace, biomedical, solar, wind, robotic, etc — architecture, materials science, and many more.

via Nature.

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In these two clips from the BBC’s Snow Chick: A Penguin’s Tale, emperor penguin chicks venture from their parents’ pouches into their communities. Kate Winslet dramatizes their transitions with her narration.

Plus, Emperor Penguins keep warm in an ever-shifting huddle and Emperor Penguins Speed Launch Out of the Water.