In my weekly Works & Wonders column, I combine a brief devotional with other interesting and uplifting bits and pieces I gleaned throughout the week. I hope you enjoy this week’s collection! It includes:
- First, Chief, and Perfect
- Then Came a Soccer Ministry
- A Quadrillion Miles of Fungus
- Psalm 119, Volume 2
- Prince Edward Island
- Fried Apple Pie
1.
First, Chief, and Perfect
God is the first being—the one who preexists all others and who, in fact, has no beginning and no end. He has always been and will always be. God is the chief being—the one who is preeminent over all others and who can never be superseded or ultimately contradicted. God is the most perfect being, who is without limit and blemish in each and every one of his attributes, in each and every one of his deeds, desires, and commands. Because God is first, chief, and perfect, all other being—all entity—flows from him and is moment-by-moment dependent upon him. Whatever else in this world may be perfect and unblemished, it is that way only because it is made by God, because it resembles God, and because it is kept unblemished by God. He is the source of all that exists, all that is good, all that is perfect and wonderful. Whatever blessings you enjoy today, you can be certain that their most ultimate source is this great and powerful God.1
2.
Then Came a Soccer Ministry
Christianity Today has an encouraging report about a Colombian soccer ministry that has made a huge difference in a city torn by violence.
For two years, one of Saldarriaga’s friends had invited him to a soccer practice that he said was “different.” Christians ran it.
Saldarriaga finally relented. He had no idea that decision would change his life. And he had no idea he would be one of countless young men across Medellín who found God at soccer practice during Colombia’s infamous decades of drug cartel violence.
In 1988, he joined his friend at a field—a dirt patch in the dangerous Los Colores sector of Medellín—and saw a man with a big book in his hand.
“I came to play fútbol, not read the Bible,” he recalled saying to his friend. “Where are the soccer balls?” The coach, Alvaro Cano, overheard him and assured him they would practice, but first they would have a time of reflection.
3.
A Quadrillion Miles of Fungus
The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks does not sound like a society I’d be interested in joining. But I’m glad it exists! Its scientists have been hard at work mapping underground networks of thread-like fungi that represent yet another wonder of God’s creation. There is so much to see and praise God for on the macro scale, but I’m certain that as we increasingly gain access to the micro scale, we will find even more.
The study … found that the biomass of mycorrhizal fungi was four to six times that of the human population.
Placed end-to-end, the fungal pathways would reach 110 quadrillion kilometres in length, the study predicted. That would make it long enough to wrap around the planet 2.7 trillion times — and cover the distance from Earth to the sun 750 million times.
“There could be up to 10 metres (32ft) of mycorrhizal network in just a teaspoon of soil,” Justin Stewart, a lead author in the study, said in the news release announcing the finding.
You can read about it in the National Post.
4.
Psalm 119, Volume 2
The band Stillcreek took on a rather audacious project in writing their way through the entirety of Psalm 119, one stanza/letter at a time. Yesterday, they released their second album in the series, titled (wait for it…) Psalm 119, Volume 2. It’s really well done!
You can listen to it on Spotify, Apple Music, and so. Here’s the album on YouTube, queued up to the first song:
5.
Prince Edward Island
One of my favorite locations in Canada is Prince Edward Island. And as it happens, this is where my family is vacationing this year. It is isolated enough from the rest of Canada that it has its own culture and feel. We have been here several times and always love it.
My favorite PEI memory is the time we were walking along a beach and an odd, disheveled man stopped us and said, “When I call the foxes, they come to me.” Sure enough, he called, several foxes promptly emerged from the woods, and began to frolic together. I had a camera, so I snapped a photo of a sleepy red fox.
6.
Fried Apple Pie
Did I save the best for last? I’ll let you be the judge. QZ reports the happy news that McDonald’s is bringing back the fried apple pies, which were replaced by the inferior baked version all the way back in 1992. Why now? In honor of America’s semiquincentennial, of course.
Timed to coincide with the U.S. semiquincentennial, the revival marks the end of a more than 30-year absence from domestic menus. Health concerns about dietary fat and cholesterol prompted the switch to a baked version back in 1992. The fried version has remained available in some international markets, including Mexico, Australia, and China, the company said.
Unfortunately, it seems that this will only take place in the United States. But if you’re in the U.S., you can go looking for one beginning later this week, on June 23.
- “God is the first, most chief, and most perfect being from whom there flows and depends all entity and perfection.” (Peter Du Moulin) ↩︎
