I often file away interesting tidbits that I come across while meandering (um, wasting time) on the internet. Here are a few things I’ve come across lately, that I’ve found interesting or helpful.
PostCrossing
I have heard about the website PostCrossing for quite some time, but this is the first year that I’ve participated. Loving it. It’s quite nerdy/geeky, really. You sign up, and then you send postcards–and receive post cards–from people all over the world. I love learning about different cultures and people. And, as a kid I collected stamps—now THAT’S REALLY NERDY. So, the stamp collector in me is loving the different postage. Check it out–it’s good fun, and inexpensive. Great activity as a family, or for inquisitive kids–and helps teach that the world is really much larger than our neighborhoods. Send and Recive PostCards from Around the World
Voyager View
As always, I’m captivated by the planets–and these pictures sent back to Earth from Voyager are phenomenal. Take 3 minutes to hope over to the Voyager Tumblr account to get a quick look at Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. Amazing. Truly God’s creativity knows no bounds: Planetary Pictures
Along those same lines….
We all know–or should know–the story of the Apollo astronauts and their mission to the moon. But what about the men and women sitting behind the computers and desks that helped make those journeys possible? Hidden Figures–a fairly recent and phenomenol movie–helped shed some light on some of the women who were heros in NASA, providing the mathmatical calculations necessary for those rockets to fly, and then for them to return home. If you’ve not seen it; rent it. You won’t regret it. And recently, I came across another fantastic video–this time, a documentary on the folks who sat behind the computers at Mission Control in Houston. A great choice if you are looking for something to watch–you can rent it from Amazon: Mission Control
C. S. Lewis
I’ve shared this in this space often, in other writings, so if you stop by here occasionally, this will sound familiar to you–the writings of C.S. Lewis were very influential in my decision to become a Christ-follower. Last year, we went to Washington, D.C. to watch a play about Lewis’ walk down his own journey to Christianity. So good. So I was excited to see that another play is in the works–this time, based on his marriage to Joy Davidman. Their relationship was brought to video in the movie “Through the Shadowlands”, but before that movie was produced, a play was written–and that play is now being revived by the theatre group Fellowship for the Performing Arts. This play will be held in NYC, starting in October. I’m not sure how long it will run–I’m hopeful to be in NYC after the first of the year, but I have no idea if it will still be running. If any of you happen to be planning a trip to NYC, and decide to go–let me know what you think! Shadowlands
When Helping Hurts
This article—A thousand times, yes. With the hurricanes in recent weeks–Harvey, and now Irma and Katia and Jose—we often feel helpless. We want to DO something, to help. We see the destruction and the chaos and we naturally feel deep compassion and a desire to relieve the suffering. However–I can not say this strong enough–we need to be careful in what kind of support we send. This article by CBS says it so well: Be careful what you donate. Sometimes people will send their extra clothes, toys and furniture–but often doing so creates more headaches in the areas so hard hit. If you feel led to donate–consider first giving a donation to an organization that is trained to meet these needs. The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Agency is one of the best–and you can be assured that your donations to that group will get folks the help they need. American Red Cross is another good option. Volunteer for short-term missions trips in the months and years after a disaster, to help with clean-up. But please think before sending items such as clothes and toys. Read this article, for more information: When Disaster Relief Provides Anything but Relief
