In 1546, Italian physician Girolamo Fracastoro proposed a theory that epidemic diseases are caused by transferable tiny particles or “spores” that could transmit infection by direct or indirect contact or even without contact over long distances. This was an entirely revolutionary idea. His theory laid the groundwork for germ theory, which revolutionized science and medicine […]
“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’ And now here we are, standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a well-built city; its seamless walls cannot be breached. All the tribes of Israel—the Lord’s people— make their pilgrimage here. They come to give thanks […]
Last Thursday, two days after Election Day, I made a visit to my doctor’s office. In the elevator I said hi to a woman who had joined me for the ride. She was pushing a stroller, and inside was a sleeping newborn baby dressed in pink. I asked about the baby’s name, and she told […]
“Boy, it would be nice if God would appear in a burning bush and tell me exactly what he wants me to do!” “I would be a lot more confident in my faith if I could see miracles happen all the time, like they did in the Bible.” Growing up in the church, and continuing […]
Picture this. You walk into a corporate office, a maze of cubicles and conference rooms. In the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, the cubicles are full of gravely serious employees, staring at balance sheets and engaged in low-toned telephone conversations. Their shoulders slump under a burden of worry, the weight of a company’s performance resting […]
After conquering her enemies and defending the weak, the superheroine peels off her mask and gently pats the flesh wound on her shoulder, where her costume was torn (again) in the heat of battle, exposing her flesh. She would have her costume repaired in time for the next battle, and the wound would heal. In […]
I’d like to introduce you to my friend Janelle Alberts (you can read more about her and her work at the end of this post). She’s got great things to say, and she says them in a way that both disarms and convicts me on a regular basis. She has a particular talent for helping […]
The sensational displays of God’s power described in the Bible may seem to us as though they happened all the time, because they are collected and familiar. But like us, most people throughout history, even ancient history, never saw such faith-bolstering events. They believed based on the stories they knew and on their own experience […]
Should you be worried? Well, if you’re like me, and in this regard I feel confident that you are, you have many reasons to worry. And you probably spend a lot of time and energy worrying–but you haven’t admitted it yet. My new book, Anxious, is written for people like you: people who aren’t convinced […]
When was the last time you dedicated yourself to pursuing a dream? Followed an impulse to reach out to someone you didn’t know–but wanted to? Said what you really wanted to say? Held your tongue to let a powerful moment unfold? If you’re like the rest of us (and I’ll bet you are), you have […]
© 2014 Amy Simpson.