By: Jim Virkler; ©2012 Our previous posts on the collective enthusiasm of birds in our immediate Northern Illinois neighborhood need some updating. Along with my personal sharing of a few…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2012 One recent Sunday sermon at our church was entitled “Finding Ultimate Value.” The title was part of a sermon series designated “The Kingdom of God.” The…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2012 The “soulishness” of many wild creatures we observe in our environment is a characteristic of great significance. The definition of this interesting term is worthy of…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2012 “Acumen” is a term most often associated with human traits. Expertise, intuition, accuracy, perception, and judgment are traits associated with acumen, such as the oft used…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2012 Hymn writer James Rowe (1865-1933) lived during the childhood and working years of our grandparents and great-grandparents–the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In response to…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2012 The operations of most cycles of nature are well understood. The use and re-use of water, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and hydrogen in our world depends on…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2012 Our discussions of major natural cycles have highlighted the big four of elements in living things: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. The water cycle also describes…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2012 To catch the attention of high school students beginning their study of the carbon cycle, I may recycle one or two simple demonstrations they might remember…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2012 For 50 years I was privileged to observe a master agronomist firsthand. My father was a regional agent for a hybrid seed company in the 1940s…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2012 As we study the cycles of nature—the water cycle and numerous other cycles and processes in nature, we sometimes experience some uncertainties about the goodness of…
