...for anyone who’s ever asked, ‘why?’February 2019Because

Change:

A Pearl of Great Price

Snippets:

Dinosaur Bones and Other Surprising

Finds

Hope:

A Flash of Light

MissingWhat’s lacking in your life?

2

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We’re there…

At A Glance

“I keep six honest serving men (they taught me all I knew); Theirs names are

What and Why and When And How And Where and

Who.”—

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

Science says we have a god-shaped holeAccording to scientists, each of us has a ‘god-shaped hole.’ Apparently, our brains are perfectly designed to believe in a god. But maybe like me, you’re curious to

ask what exactly is a god-shaped hole and why do we have one anyway? Is it a by-product of cognitive evolution, or is there something deeper going on? Join the writer on his journey to find out what could fill this hole. Explore on page 3.

Science said what?!Long gone are the days when scientists were strange recluses with wacky hair and bizarre habits, their work hidden in books lining the shelves of a university library, the public none the wiser. Today, science has become widespread and very influential; whether you are catching up on the news, watching a TV program, or even browsing social media, you are undoubtedly exposed to stories about the latest scientific study. Unfortunately, rather a lot of rubbish is masquerading as science. Here the writer suggests some ways you can sift fact from fiction. See page 8.

Dinosaur bones and other surprising finds Winston Churchill once said, “Men occasionally stumble over the truth but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened!” In the last few decades, there have been some unique finds by none other than shepherd boys who, when searching for their lost animals, stumbled over truths that changed the world, because they didn’t get up and wander off. Come and see what these finds tell us on page 6.

A Flash of LightThe skies have been full of dark, rain-filled clouds. Even at midday, little light filters through—it feels like permanent dusk. It doesn’t help that I work in an office, unable to run out and enjoy the sun when it briefly appears. Similarly, life can bring days that feel dark and cold, whatever the sun is doing. Bad days at work, at home, or at the doctors. In these dark times, we all need moments of grace. Here is a reminder to open the small window of grace and bring some sunshine to others. See page 11.

On beetles, birds, moths and wormsCharles Darwin divides opinion. Renowned primarily for his book On the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection (1859), he was a brilliant naturalist who had immense patience coupled with powers of observation that translated into copious, intricate notes. Although a controversial person whose views polarise people; Darwin is a fascinating study. Find out more about him on page 10.

33Cover Photo: istockphoto.com, photo above: istockphoto.com

Ever checked to see if there’s something missing in your life – a hole that needs filling? The only ones

I find are in my socks!

But we may have to look again, because apparently there is an empty space in every human! I’m not talking about an Iron Man-like hole in the chest, I’m talking about…

…well, actually, I don’t know what the hole is shaped like, or where it is. But according to last year’s Effortless Thinking series in the New Scientist magazine, each of us has this ‘god-shaped hole.’ But maybe like me, you’re curious to know what a god-shaped hole is and why do we have one anyway?

Maybe it looks like how Lady Katherine Tait, author and essayist, described when referring to her father’s loss of faith. She wrote movingly about her father, Bertrand Russell, philosopher and Nobel laureate: “somewhere at the back of my father’s mind, at the bottom of his heart, in the depths of his soul, there was an empty space that had once been filled by God, and he never found anything else to put in it.”1 So maybe this hole is a spiritual hole: a space in our psyche that needs to be filled by something bigger than ourselves; some purpose that transcends our physical being?

Whatever this hole is, some scientists think it means

you and I are hard-wired to believe there is something rather than nothing. The writer, Graham Lawton, in an Effortless Thinking article states, “our brains are almost perfectly designed to believe in him/her [God].”2 A strange statement coming from an atheist. But why?

Lawton goes on to explain that “cognitive by-product theory argues that religious belief is a side effect of cognitive skills that evolved for other reasons. It pays, for example, to assume that all events are caused by agents. The rustle in the dark could be the wind, but it could also be a predator.”3 Therefore, the argument goes, it’s safer to expect something, or someone, to be there than not, as it might save your life! And, thus, those who believe in a God who ‘is there’ are doing so based on deep, ancient, psychological and cognitive conditioning from the prehistoric plains of Africa rather than because of rational thought. Could our brain be predisposed to believing in a higher power because of the psychological imprint from multiple millions of encounters with that something in the dark?

Yes, of course, that answers it – the belief of billions of humans down through the ages has come not from rational thought, but the by-product of our curiosity about what or who was rustling in the bushes. Surely, this god-shaped hole business is a little more complex than that?

Science says we have a god-shaped hole. But what does that even mean?

by Richard Fowler

4 Photos: istockphoto.com

But, before I get criticized for the same kind of glib, broad-brush hypothesizing as the evolutionary psychologists, let’s consider why believing something ‘is there’ is rooted more in science than in superstition or survival instincts; why believing there’s an effect to every cause makes sense, and why agency is inferred when effect is seen.

The theory that supports the idea that cause and effect have a relationship comes from Kalam’s cosmological argument which has a simple, empirical and observable premise: if there is an effect, there must be a cause. This is obvious, observable, logical and agrees with everything we experience in the physical universe. Point being: believing there is a cause for everything we observe is the most logical, plausible, and scientific conclusion, even if the cause could be a metaphysical one. Therefore, surely our predisposition to believe in something rather than nothing is self-evident and not conditioned.

So, could there be more to this god-shaped hole? Another reason why it exists? And can it be filled with something more than just superstition?

Let us turn to the philosopher who first came up with the concept of the ‘god-shaped hole’ as he may be able to shed some light (or shape) on what it is and how it might be filled. Blaise Pascal was the 17th century French physicist, mathematician and philosopher, who coined the idea in his well-known work called Pensées (Thoughts). In one of them he writes: “…there was once in man a true happiness of which there now remain to him only the mark and empty trace, which he in vain tries to fill from all his surroundings…But these are all inadequate, because the infinite abyss can only be filled by an infinite and immutable object, that is to say, only by God Himself.”4

Some statement! A statement that led to one of the most famous of wagers. I’m not a betting man, but what would you bet faced with Pascal’s Wager? His wager states, “a rational person should live as though God exists and seek to believe in God. If God does not actually exist, such a person will have only a finite loss (some pleasures, luxury, etc.), whereas they stand to receive infinite gains (as represented by eternity…) and avoid infinite losses…”5

He certainly knew how to frame a wager. Step back, and think about it; he has a point, doesn’t he?

Maybe in our quieter moments we have thought or sensed something missing in our life, an uncomfortable feeling, maybe a gnawing, that there is something bigger or more to life. Maybe you’re not ready to put down some money and bet on the wager. But, if you have felt or sensed this hole, maybe it’s worth exploring what that rustle in the metaphysical dark might be. You have nothing to lose, but maybe much to gain.

As Lawton finished his article, he left us with a challenge: “it is possible to override our deep-seated religious tendencies with rational deliberation – it just takes some mental effort.”6 I like this challenge. It’s necessary, but it may not lead to where Lawton thinks. If we are to have any idea why we experience a gap that can only be filled with something more spiritual,

we have to apply rational thought and effort, not presumption That might take an honest search. Maybe some experimentation.

As I said before, what do you have to lose? Maybe the best way to fill that god-shaped hole in your life is with something shaped like God?

Endnotes and References:

1 Quoted from My Father Bertrand Russell, by Katherine Tait, originally published in 1975, page 185.2 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23631561-000-effortless-thinking-the-godshaped-hole-in-your-brain/3 Ibid4 http://www.leaderu.com/cyber/books/pensees/pensees-SECTION-7.html5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_Wager6 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23631561-000-effortless-thinking-the-godshaped-hole-in-your-brain/

5

Some time ago I heard an individual declare, “I’m as patient as an oyster!” This inspired me to spend

some time and take a closer look at the lowly oyster and ask the question; “How is it patient?”

Pearls have been treasured for many centuries. They come from oysters far below the surface of the sea. A gemstone needs to be cut and polished to bring out its beauty, but pearls have no need of this treatment to reveal their loveliness. They emerge from oyster shells complete with a shimmering iridescence, an amazing lustre and a soft inner glow unlike any other gem on earth.

A natural pearl begins its life as a foreign body; a piece of grit or shell that enters the oyster’s shell and accidently lodges itself against its soft inner body, where it cannot be expelled. To ease this irritation, the oyster takes defensive action to protect itself and begins to secrete a smooth hard crystalline substance called ‘nacre’ or mother of pearl around the source of the irritation. This is a very slow process, but with great patience and determination the oyster will continue coating the irritant for many years and the pearl inside will get larger and larger. The result is a lovely lustrous thing of beauty, a great prize for pearl fishers.

These are termed ‘natural pearls’ but there are also ‘cultured pearls’ which are impregnated with a foreign body by hand and farmed to make money.

How something so beautiful emerges from an oyster’s way of protecting itself is one of nature’s loveliest surprises! But whether they are natural or cultured they all go through the same process—pain and patience!

Patience is an amazing asset in all kinds of situations; it suffers long and is kind, it doesn’t fly off the handle or get angry, it deals with difficult situations in a very gentle way, always deferring to others. Actually, the gift of patience is a pearl, a pearl of wisdom, a treasure well worth seeking out. Just imagine how much better this world would be if every human being was patient.

No more road rage, no more checkout queue rows, no more family arguments, no more pub fights – the list is endless.

Yes, patience is a precious pearl. Earlier I said it was a gift, and it is. In the Christian worldview patience is believed to be a gift from God, one of the fruits of his spirit which are “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”1

An oyster patiently produces pearls all by itself. With help from the source of everything, we can produce all kinds of spiritual fruits in abundance.

Endnotes and References:

1 The Bible, Galatians 5:22 (NIV)

Pearls of Wisdom by Cliff Neill

A famous quote from Winston Churchill states: “Men occasionally stumble over the truth but

most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened”!

In our world of increasing knowledge and enlightenment, it’s difficult to imagine we could stumble upon things that are totally new to us. But, from time to time, we do happen upon new truths. Things that have been hidden for millennia, from prehistoric animals to lost scrolls. In the last few decades there have been some unique discoveries by ordinary shepherd boys, who when searching for their lost animals found truths that changed the world.

Discovering Dinosaurs

Several years ago, the gigantic bones of a dinosaur were discovered in Patagonia, Argentina (the picture to the right shows one of the thigh bones of the dinosaur). This amazing find by a shepherd looking for his lost sheep caused experts to sit up and take notice. They realised this giant of the ancient world was a herbivore totally unknown to scientists and yet it was the largest creature to ever roam the earth. Its bones have been buried out of sight for, apparently, around 100 million years! After examining the skeletal remains of this creature, scientists believe it to have been about 37 meters long – about the length of four double-decker buses – and weighing up to 70 tonnes; roughly the equivalent of 14 African elephants!1

As a herbivore it would have had to have eaten 680 kilos of vegetation a day to supply it with enough energy – that’s five times what an elephant needs to eat. The heart of this dinosaur was obviously enormous, weighing 230 kilos. It would have pumped 90 litres of blood around its body, with a beat every 5 seconds. Imagine the excitement created just because a Patagonian shepherd happened to be looking for a lost sheep!

Discovering Documents

It was on a hot, dry day when one of the most

significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century was stumbled upon. The Dead Sea Scrolls (pictured below) are copies of ancient Hebrew Scriptures that were accidently discovered in 1947 by a Bedouin boy in Israel’s Judean desert. They were hidden in earthenware jars in a cave near Qumran, at the north-east end of the Dead Sea, by a group called the Essenes; a Jewish sect. Over a period of years archaeologists found 900 scrolls consisting of 17,000 fragments2 dating from the 3rd century BC to AD 70. Today they are on display in the Shrine of the Book Museum in Jerusalem, and over the past sixty-odd years have ignited the interest of scholars around the world, and revealed exciting insights into the beliefs and history of an ancient Palestinian community.

But maybe more significantly, these ancient writings, foundational to the faith of millions, have shown a remarkable accuracy in scribal transmission. One of the most significant and famous finds from this library of biblical scrolls was the Isaiah Scroll – a complete scroll of the biblical book that bears its name. It shed light on the authenticity of our modern version of the biblical Old Testament. This ancient Isaiah Scroll, when compared to the Isaiah found in a modern Bible, are in “fundamental agreement”3 with each other. Other documents found at this site were also important for the evidence they provide on the life and doctrines of this sect before and just after Christianity was born.

Of course, the shepherd boy who discovered the scrolls in the cave while searching for a lost goat had no idea what he had stumbled across. The National Geographic has created an animation that tells the story of this find and the history of the Bible. It can be seen at: https://on.natgeo.com/2DketBT.

Surprising what a search for a lost animal will turn up! To these shepherds’ complete surprise, they found things that have astounded scholars and scientists alike, and have shed new light on the world of dinosaurs and the Bible.

Snippets:by Cliff Neill

Dinosaur Bones and Other Surprising finds

Photos: istockphoto.com

A M A Z I N G A R C H E O L O G I C A L

D I S C O V E R I E S Here are 7 fasc inat ing f inds from around the world .

The skeleton of English king Richard III was found under a Leicester car park. DNA from the bones matched that of descendants of the monarch's family. Reigning just 26 months, he was the last English king to die in battle in 1485.

King Richard III Terracotta ArmyConstructed to protect the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, in his afterlife. Discovered by local farmers in Lintong District, Xi'an, People's Republic of China. They were made in the 3rd century BC by over 700,000 builders.

Epic of Gilgamesh

Discovered in 1853, the 7th century BC library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh contained thousands of clay tablets including the Epic of Gilgamesh. The Epic is regarded as the earliest surviving great work of literature. This is the 11th tablet: the flood story.

Kilwa Coin

This 900-year-old African coin was discovered on one of the Wessel Islands, Australia. It is believed to have originated in what is now called Tanzania, around 1100 AD. This has led to speculation that Northern Australia was visited by other mariners from Africa, long before Europeans.

Jamestown: Sir George Yeardley?

At the Jamestown Rediscovery site, scientists may have found the remains of the skeleton of Sir George Yeardley, the Briton who helped save the first permanent British colony from the brink of collapse. He presided over the first General Assembly that established the rule of law in America.

Rylands Library Papyrus 

This is among the oldest known fragmentsof the biblical New Testament dating to the second century AD. Found in Egypt, it is a copy of a few lines in Greek from chapter 18 of the Gospel of John.

Rosetta StoneAccidently found by soldiers in Napoleon’s army (1799), near the town of Rashid (Rosetta) in the Nile Delta and dating to 196 BC. It was an important clue that helped experts read Egyptian hieroglyphs due to the same message being written in three types of writing, including Ancient Greek.

What Finds Will You Make?

One of Britain’s most famous writers and poets, Rudyard Kipling, wrote the following about discovery: “I keep six honest serving men (they taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.” You know when we ask those questions and get the answers, many things become very clear indeed! These questions can even lead us to a better understanding of ourselves. What are we? Why are we? And who are we? Deep questions, but just like the shepherds in these stories, if we go looking we may come across unexpected treasure. Who knows, maybe in 2019 you will

stumble upon a truth. A truth that you can’t walk away from.

If you would like to reach out to us and learn more about the topics raised in this edition, you can call us on +44 (0)1858437099 or write to us at info@because.uk.com.

End Notes and References:

1 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3411727/Sir-David-Attenborough-dig-largest-creature-Earth-Titanosaur.html2 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-427738783 Clive Anderson & Brian Edwards, Evidence for the Bible, p.112.

8

Do you ever find yourself puzzled by conflicting news stories?

It seems whatever your viewpoint there is a news article with “evidence” to suggest the opposite! Having a degree in biochemistry, I’m often left frustrated and disturbed by how “science” is reported in the media.Long gone are the days when scientists were strange recluses with wacky hair and bizarre habits, their work hidden in books lining the shelves of a university library, the public none the wiser. Today science has become widespread and very influential; whether you are catching up on the news, watching a TV programme, or even browsing social media, you are undoubtedly exposed to stories about the latest scientific study. Unfortunately, rather a lot of rubbish is masquerading as science.

The website Vox recently posted an article titled “This is why you shouldn’t believe that exciting new medical study”,1 which I highly recommend you read. The article goes into detail about the unreliability of vast numbers of medical studies, stating “only 3,000 of 50,000 new [medical] journal articles published each year are well-designed and relevant enough to inform patient care” – that’s just 6%! Whether it is the method of collecting data, the sample size of the study, or the organism used, there are many reasons why a scientific article may be unreliable.

The article confirms what many of us have suspected – there seem to be studies claiming numerous everyday items are both beneficial and detrimental! Interestingly milk, coffee, eggs, and corn all had near equal numbers of studies claiming they both caused and prevented cancer2. So which one is correct?! Who do we believe?! What is the truth?!

There’s a good reason for this. Scientists are generally cautious and conservative, so on the whole they are careful not to make rash statements. To quote a National Geographic article: “Scientific results are always provisional, susceptible to being overturned by some future experiment or observation. Scientists rarely proclaim an absolute truth or absolute certainty. Uncertainty is inevitable at the frontiers of knowledge.”3

So why, then, is science being reported so unreliably? There are a few possible reasons to consider:

1. Scientific results can be very dull! Most of the time the results from scientific research aren’t ground-breaking or exciting. True science is methodical, thorough, and constantly testing to repeat results. This translates to slow and boring reading for the rest of us and certainly doesn’t make for eye-catching news – it therefore gets spiced up to generate interest.

Science Said What?! by Jo Mortimer

9Photos: istockphoto.com

2. Scientists are under constant pressure to publish as many scientific papers as possible in the most prestigious journals. The success of a scientist can be measured by this, impacting jobs, salaries, and prospects. This pressure has lead some scientists to make their results seem more exciting, even if not completely true, in order to generate interest especially from high-circulation publications.

3. The media and the internet want eye-catching headlines to attract people to look at their website or watch their news programme. More views means more money. Distorting or misrepresenting or even just misunderstanding the research being conducted is extremely common. The results though are damaging as misinformation is spread, leaving the public confused, all in an attempt to put out news items that capture your attention.

The result is sensational headlines and misleading articles that are completely misrepresentative of the actual science behind them. If you are still in doubt, let me give you an example:

The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published a study entitled “High-flavanol chocolate to improve placental function and to decrease the risk of preeclampsia: a double blind randomized clinical trial.”4 Yes, I had to double take on that too! In summary, they were looking at whether two different types of chocolate had any effect on pregnancy, and unsurprisingly they found no significant effects. However, this was then reported in the news as, “Good news, pregnant Mamas: chocolate is good for baby!”5 I’m afraid you can’t use this as an excuse to justify that extra piece of chocolate!

Fundamentally it is important that we question anything and everything before we accept or believe it. Paul, a biblical writer who lived about 2000 years ago, wrote: “prove all things and hold fast that which is good.” 6 A principle which is as helpful today as it was back then.

A good approach to help sift fact from fiction is to ask four questions whenever you are provided with “evidence” or a news story:

1. Who is saying it?

2. Why might they be saying it?

3. What evidence do they have?

4. What flaws might there be in the evidence? What limitations are there?

The truth can be hard to come by, sometimes obscured by a mix of fact and fiction, but it has the ability to empower, enlighten, and liberate us.

Science at its heart has a pure intention, and a sincere desire to find the truth, but for the reasons outlined above, we shouldn’t believe everything we read without question. Neither should we dismiss all science or assume scientists are evil, but a healthy dose of cynicism and fact checking will go a long way to helping you next time you see a news report you find a little hard to swallow.

Endnotes and References

1 http://www.vox.com/2015/3/23/8264355/research-study-hype2 Ibid.3 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2015/03/science-doubters-climate-change-vaccinations-gmos/4 https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(15)01352-6/abstract5 https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/everything-pregnancy/good-news-pregnant-mamas-chocolate-is-good-for-baby/6 1 Thessalonians 5:21 KJV.

“The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us; and I for one must be

content to remain an agnostic.” Charles Darwin.

Charles Darwin divided opinion when alive. Today, over 200 years since he was born, he is still causing controversy. Like him or loathe him, you can’t fail to be fascinated by him.

In Christian circles, Charles Darwin divides opinion. Renowned primarily for his book On the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection (1859), he was a brilliant naturalist who had immense patience coupled with powers of observation that translated into copious, intricate notes on studying the natural world first hand. A controversial person whose views polarise people; Darwin is a fascinating study.

Theories on the evolution of man from non-human species had already been proposed by various people prior to Darwin, including his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, who published Zoonomia (1794). However, there was no evidence to give credibility to this idea in 1794, so Darwin’s detailed scientific observations in the intervening decades prior to publishing his own book gave credence to a theory of physical changes, i.e., if science could observe physical changes within species1, could change occur from one species to another?2

The fifth child of a wealthy family, Darwin entered Cambridge to study Divinity, but spent most of his time collecting beetles. The following excerpt indicates his depth of enthusiasm: “… no pursuit at Cambridge … gave me so much pleasure as collecting beetles…. one day … I saw two rare beetles and seized one in each hand then I saw a third and new

kind, which I could not bear to lose, so that I popped the one which I held in my right hand into my mouth. Alas! It ejected some intensely acrid fluid, which burnt my tongue so that I was forced to spit the beetle out …”3 A new scientific discovery! The closest I’ve personally come to putting small creatures into my mouth is when ‘treated’ to a Chinese delicacy of caterpillars cooked in broth – but at least they weren’t moving in my mouth!

Following graduation, Darwin travelled the globe aboard HMS Beagle, taking in the Galapagos.4 Such volcanic island-systems, where a high number of species exist in only one location and where everything starts out as an ‘immigrant’, make fascinating study for many natural science disciplines. Here he used his observations of birds to augment his theory on natural

selection and the ability of creatures to ‘adapt’ to their environment5. At one point, Darwin proposed that God had created the mechanism of evolution to work on earth, in the same way as other scientists postulated the laws of physics had been created by God to govern the universe.

An expert on orchids, Darwin understood co-dependence between species, such as plant-insect relationships. On being sent an orchid (Anagraecum sesquipedale) from Madagascar with a foot-long spur (1862), he predicted the existence of a pollinator with a 12” proboscis (a sucking tube)6, for which he was heavily ridiculed by

his peers. Years after his death (1903), the discovery of the sphinx moth (Xanthopan morganii praedicta) with such a proboscis validated his observations.

Perhaps we sometimes forget that Charles Darwin lived during the Age of Enlightenment, when science

10 Photos: istockphoto.com

On Beetles, Birds, Moths and Worms!

by Irene Tibbenham

11

and empirical evidence were gaining ground. Within this setting, earthworms and their important role in nature captured his imagination from an early age. His publication (1891) on earthworms turned out to be his last and was surprisingly popular. Amy Stewart, author of a book on worms, wrote: “Few people since Darwin’s day have made serious inquiries into the mental abilities of a worm. Such questions mattered to him” and “He recognized, in a way that no scientist before him had, that they possessed an ability to bring about gradual geological changes over decades …” 7

Charles Darwin didn’t have all the answers or arrive at all the correct conclusions – no one does – but his questioning mind and astute observations inspired many to look closer at nature. I wish I could meet him.

Endnotes and References

1 Evolution – observable and measurable micro changes that have been observed in live creatures2 Darwin’s Theory of Evolution – macro changes that have not been observed in living creatures3 Darwin, Francis ed. 1887, The life and letters of Charles Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter. London: John Murray. Volume 1, p. 504 Stewart, Amy, The Earth Moved – on the remarkable achievements of earthworms. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2004.5 Today, we understand underpinning mechanisms include phenotypic plasticity, epigenesis and DNA mutations.6 Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3411” and “Letter no. 3421,” www.darwinproject.ac.uk/DCP-LETT-34217 Stewart, Amy, The Earth Moved – on the remarkable achievements of earthworms. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2004.

The darkness is getting to me. After moving from Derbyshire to Kinross-shire, 15 months ago, I’m

finding the shorter days tougher than I would have thought. I’ve just checked; I now have 40 minutes less daylight on the shortest day (21 December) than I used to.

There are contributing factors. The skies have been full of dark, rain-filled clouds for the last few weeks. Even at midday little light filters through – it feels like permanent dusk. It doesn’t help that I work in an office, unable to run out and enjoy the sun when it briefly appears. Perhaps someone could point out that I should remember the good side of my move. The summer brings over 17 ½ hours of daily sunlight in June, 50 minutes more than Derby! But alas, that misses the point. As I write, it is dark. Yes, I know that the weather will get better, but that doesn’t change how I feel right now.

Yet, there was a moment of grace this week. As I drove to work, a warm red glow filled the sky. Apparently, this should have worried me as, according to the proverb, “red sky in the morning; shepherd’s warning”! But I loved it. It was a tangible reminder that yes, the sun still does exist, that the globe of warmth is out there shining in all its power.

We all need moments of grace. Sometimes life can bring days that feel dark and cold, whatever the sun is doing. Bad days at work, at home, or at the doctors. I remember once sitting with a member of staff as they burst into tears. Their marriage was going through a difficult time. I just sat with them and let them talk and refused to let the pressures of the office interfere. I felt that somehow I was allowing a small window of grace to open in a very dark time.

Recently, someone I know sent me a text after hearing I was dealing with a crisis at work. They asked me something that got me thinking. “What can I pray for you?” It wasn’t the ‘pray’ part that intrigued me – it was the way they said it. They were inviting me to open up, to express my need in a difficult time. They were offering to listen to, and share in, my problem. This too felt like a moment of grace.

Our lives do seem to have the seasons summer and winter. There are days that feel like endless gloom. Perhaps I need such wintry days to truly recognise that my life is full of moments of grace. Anyway, I yearn to always be thankful for such occasions – and where possible, to let some of that grace enter the lives of others who, for one reason or another, find themselves in winter.

A Flash of LightA Flash of LightBy Ian WoodleyBy Ian Woodley

Speaking of Life:Mission to EArth

by Gavin Henderson

Visit our website at: www.because.uk.com

Did you see the pictures from the Yutu 2 “Jade Rabbit” lunar rover in the last few weeks?

If you are a fan of space exploration (and who isn’t?), these pictures are not to be missed as the Chinese rover is the first chance we have had to see what the far side of the moon looks like at ground level.

The moon is tidally locked to the Earth which means that only one side is ever visible from the Earth’s surface. All of mankind’s previous expeditions to the moon (including the famous Apollo 11 mission which saw Neil Armstrong take humanity’s first steps on the moon) have always visited the near side of the moon.

While previously we have had satellite pictures of the far side of the moon, this is the first time we are able to see it up close, and experience what it is like to travel along its stark landscape.

Space has often been associated with the divine. Astrologers and priests have looked up into the night sky and tried to find God in the speckled lights amongst the inky darkness.

Can we ever truly know what God is like though? Is God too far away? Is our image too blurry?

If there is a creator out there, what would he or she be like?

The good news that is the foundation of the Christian faith is that we do not need to find God, because God came to find us.

Through Jesus we no longer need to guess what God is like. We no longer need to look up at the sky and wonder. We can see God up close and encounter him personally in Jesus Christ.

As fascinating as China’s mission to the moon is, far more exciting is God’s mission to Earth.

To find out more about about God’s mission to Earth please visit our website: www.because.uk.com (and if you did miss the pictures of the Yutu 2, here a few pictures below courtesty of the Chinese National Space Administration!)