When the headlines give you every reason to feel down, I like to pass on some headlines that I have come across on the internet that remind us that there is abundant Good News in the world!

What I share below is in no way to minimize the pain of what is happening to those coping with the loss of children and loved ones killed in mass shootings or the unspeakable trauma of those who have suffered and died in Russian war crimes in Ukraine.  Rather, it is to say that it is important to know that lives—and our planet—are also being transformed in positive ways every day.  

If we would place as much daily emphasis on the positive energy that is at work in our world, I am convinced that we would surely be restored, uplifted, and most importantly, inspired to be channels of that positive energy ourselves.  

The stories below came to light in just the last month.  And there are many others as well.  If you’d like a daily inspiration, you can visit www.goodnewsnetwork.com.  It is not a religious site, but it is one that, I believe, tracks the work of the Holy Spirit nonetheless!

So, did you know that…

• Millions of tons of earth dug for a new New London subway line became a new bird sanctuary.
• New immunotherapy has put 75% of children suffering from peanut allergies into remission.
• An inexpensive gel pack can pull liters of water from dry desert air.
• A bird-watcher who was wrongfully accused of harassing a woman in Central Park landed a Nat Geo TV show about bird watching.
• Two sisters who had been separated for 45 years discovered that they were both living in Las Vegas with sons attending the same high school.
• A new drug combination lowers the risk of an asthma attack by 25%.
• The dwindling population of monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico has suddenly surged by 35%.
• An all-black climbing team made history by reaching the top of Mt. Everest.
• Researchers have developed a way to extract lithium from water which could revolutionize battery production.
• Otters are returning to the Detroit River for the first time in 100 years.
• A photo from the Curiosity Rover on Mars appears to show a doorway!
• Divers have removed 12 tons of trash from Lake Tahoe.
• A portable, 3 lb. wind turbine has been invented to fit in a backpack and can charge all of your electronics while camping.
• The mechanism behind memory loss in aging has been identified by scientists at Johns Hopkins.
• Big Brothers/Big Sisters received a $122 million donation from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott.

As they say: “The list goes on!”

While it is easy and appropriate to lament the current state of the world, it is vitally important that we recognize that great things are happening as well; some big some small.  

The question is: In what way will you help create and magnify that Good News as it seeks to find expression each and every day?

See you in church,

–Rev. Dominic