Here is an interesting news item today.
This one is from the Patheos evangelical newsletter.
Let me also share this interesting email, that I received today - from a local community church:
When Life Stinks.
A Letter from Ray K.
In case you missed it, scientific researchers in Switzerland recently discovered $3 million worth of gold and silver flow through Swiss sewers every year. Ummmm…yes, I kid you not. While I don’t know what Einstein would have thought of sifting through the malodorous sludge most of us want to pretend doesn’t exist, the idea has brilliantly paid off.
Scientists propose American cesspools could contain even greater amounts of uncollected booty. Based on one study, that seems to be the case. Arizona State University accumulated sewage samples from around the country and measured metal content by use of a mass spectrometer, i.e., a big yucky waste checker-outer. Sure enough, they hit pay dirt [pun intended]. As much as $13 million worth of gold, silver and other precious plunder is contained in the dark fetid forgotten waters swirling beneath our feet, putting a new spin on the notion of “waste management.”
When reading the above-sited studies, I wondered, Is some nugget of truth about life hidden within these scientific, albeit unsavory, findings? As the image of ASU researchers slogging through dark murky currents with gas masks, waders and five pairs of rubber gloves covering their hands courageously collecting samples of sewage flashed in my brain, I had a thought. The researchers deserve an A+ for envisioning the potential good to be found in the darkest of the mire.
Weird, I know, but I also thought of King David who wrote, “The waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths…the floods engulf me.” Now, it’s safe to assume David wasn’t drowning in an ancient sewer. However, he was experiencing a very difficult time in his life. Yet in the miry darkness, he found some precious realities. He discovered the mercy, love, and closeness of God which brought hope. When he embraced those priceless truths, he was able to say, “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.”
Let’s face it. Sometimes life really stinks. Like schlepping through a dark sewer, we stumble our way through times of loss, illness, broken relationships, financial difficulties and so much more. Along the way, it’s so easy to stare at the sludge. But what if we looked instead beyond the filth and searched for treasure? Every situation contains bad and good. We can choose what we’ll focus on. Next time the sewery depths seem to be overtaking you, don’t search for gold; search for God who is merciful, loving and close. With him, as David puts it, comes the hope of sure rescue from the mire!
Here’s an interesting border story today, from the Dark Web News