From ancient byways to modern highways, glimpses of faith are everywhere...

Sunday, December 31, 2017

On a Good Note



Kinnickinnic River   (Photo by Sulfur)
Most everyone loves a happy ending.

Although 2017 had its share of lurid news, there were many good  deeds that never made headlines.  So let’s end the year with one that did.

WISN Milwaukee recently reported on a homeless man who spends frigid nights under a bridge. Edward Kingery has been living down by the Kinnickinnic River for the past two years.

Life wasn’t always that way for Kingery.  He had “worked for the same company for 33 years” before things “unraveled.”  This upheaval had a lot to do with the loss of “several close family members in a short amount of time.”

When Karyn Oberlander watched the WISN report, she decided to do something about it.  Having been homeless herself at one point, she well understood the misery that Kingery endures.

Oberlander therefore showed up at his frozen “doorstep” and offered him three gifts.  Not gold or spices, but precious things nevertheless:  a hug, a gift card, and a bus pass.

Kingery was “overwhelmed” and said: My heart is just joyful.  He also promised to repay Oberlander someday.  Perhaps his joyful response already has.

Most everyone loves a happy ending.


Resources
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/whats-hot/my-heart-is-just-joyful-homeless-man-says-after-woman-comes-to-give-him-hug-gift/ar-BBHvWeP

Copyright December 31, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Deadly attacks continue in Egypt



Coptic cathedral in Aswan  (Public Domain)
Two of Egypt’s religious minorities, Coptic Christians and Sufi Mulims, continue to be “consistently” attacked.

“Egyptian military…, police officers” and “news media personnel” have also been targeted by extremist groups such as ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant).  There have been more than 2,000 of these attacks within the past three years.

To date, “no counterextremism strategy” seems to have been successful.  In fact, “counterterrorism blunders” have only worsened the situation.  Egypt’s ongoing “political crisis” has led to an increase in armed radicalization.

Resources
ww.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/casualties-feared-gunman-attacks-helwan-church-171229095924671.html

Copyright December 30, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Friday, December 29, 2017

Will Trump end life on earth?



Make Earth great again!  (Photo by Jared Benedict)
According to Stephen Hawking, President Trump’s decision to “pull out of the Paris climate agreement” might be the straw that breaks Earth’s delicate balance.

This could wipe out life as we know it, due to “irreversible climate change.”  If that weren’t enough, Hawking also predicts the following:  Artificial intelligence will eventually overtake humans.  Before that occurs, overuse of electricity might “fry” Planet Earth as human population exponentially explodes.

Is it too late to reverse such trends?  Theoretically, no.  But Hawking believes that humans are far too greedy for wisdom to prevail.  He therefore urges people to colonize other worlds before choking on their own waste.

Resources
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/science/stephen-hawkings-incredible-predictions-in-2017/ar-BBHq0nc?OCID=ansmsnnews11

Copyright December 29, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved