Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Let us know what you think at info@reasonstobecheerful.world. Sweat it out As temperatures soar in New York, where Reasons to be Cheerful is headquartered, creative cooling solutions are top of mind. We’ve covered many, including cool pavement in Los Angeles and cool roofs in India. Last summer, we reported on reflective cooling paint in Singapore — and as ScienceNews reports in a story shared this week by RTBC Executive Editor Will Doig, scientists in Singapore have now added a new twist: paint that cools by both reflecting sunlight and evaporating water. Will says:   I just found myself absorbed in this story about paint that cools houses in Singapore by “sweating,” just like the human body does. Postpartum pampering In South Korea, rather than going straight home with a newborn, the majority of mothers spend time at joriwons — postpartum care centers — after giving birth. Not so in the U.S., where a recent report identified “major gaps and barriers in the postpartum maternal health care landscape.” But according to a story that caught Editorial Director Rebecca Worby’s eye in the Houston Chronicle, deep-pocketed families can now opt for postpartum care at the Ruby Postnatal, a brand-new “luxury postpartum retreat.” Becca says:   A luxury postpartum retreat: Sounds amazing, albeit not exactly an accessible option for most people. But as this story points out, dedicated postpartum support is rare here in the U.S., so this at least “points to a different approach to postpartum care.” What else we’re reading A map, a myth and a pre-Incan lagoon: the man who brought water back to a drought-ridden town — shared by RTBC founder David Byrne from the Guardian Could this city be the model for how to tackle the housing crisis and climate change? — shared by Rebecca Worby from NPR In California’s largest landback deal, the Yurok Tribe reclaims sacred land around Klamath River — shared by Rebecca Worby from Grist In other news… RTBC Contributing Editor Michaela Haas’s story about how the Hopi grow crops without irrigation has won the solutions journalism category in the Los Angeles Press Club’s 67th Southern California Journalism Awards. The judges called the story “a powerful reminder that Indigenous knowledge has a lot to teach us about sustainability and resilience.” Big congratulations, Michaela! The post What We’re Reading: Paint That ‘Sweats’ to Cool Homes appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.

Artificial Inspiration JamesHoare Wed, 06/25/2025 - 08:26

Christians often hear and use the term “covenant theology,” but some may not know all it entails. The term is an iceberg that floats above the surface of the water with a large mass of ice hidden beneath. This article will dive beneath the water’s surface and briefly explore the iceberg mass of covenant theology by first defining what a covenant is and then examining the three major covenants common to historic Reformed theology. Defining Covenant A covenant is an agreement between two or more people. This definition may change slightly depending on the context in which the term appears. Some covenants are purely promissory, such as God’s covenant with Noah (Gen. 6–9). Other covenants have mutual obligations associated with them, such as God’s covenant with Adam (2:16–17; Hos. 6:7; Rom. 5:12–21). Even if the term “covenant” isn’t in the biblical text, a covenant can still be present. The psalmist gives a series of synonyms for “covenant” when he writes, “[The LORD] remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant” (Ps. 105:8–10). In this passage, God makes covenants with a commanded word, sworn promise, and confirmed statute. But not all covenants operate the same way, so what are the different types that appear in Scripture? Covenant of Redemption God makes covenants with a commanded word, sworn promise, and confirmed statute. Before the foundation of the world, the Father swore an oath to appoint the Son as the covenant surety for the people of God, an oath that made the Son a priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 7, esp. v. 22). Jesus tells us of this covenant when he says to his disciples, “I covenant to you, as my Father covenanted to me, a kingdom” (Luke 22:29, author’s translation). Theologians have called this the “covenant of redemption.” This covenant among Father, Son, and Holy Spirit constitutes the foundation of salvation for God’s people. The Father chooses the Son to serve as covenant surety, and the Father and Son determine to send the Holy Spirit to apply the Son’s work of salvation (Heb. 7:22; John 14:26; 15:26). Covenant of Works In the Bible’s opening chapters, God entered a covenant with Adam by commanding him and Eve to be fruitful, subdue the earth, and fill the earth with God’s glory. God also commanded Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge (Gen. 1:28; 2:15–17). Other covenantal characteristics appear in the early Genesis narrative that confirm the existence of this covenant, including God’s command not to eat from the tree, a command that anticipates the covenantal administration of God’s law (Gen. 2:16–17; cf. Ex. 20:1–17), the invocation of God’s covenantal name (Gen. 2:5; cf. Ex. 3:14), and the threat of exile (death) for violation of God’s command (Gen. 2:16–17; cf. Deut. 28–32). The creation Sabbath also points to God’s covenant with Adam: As God completed his work and rested, so Adam was supposed to work and then enter God’s eternal rest (Gen. 1:28; cf. Heb. 4). We know, of course, that Adam broke God’s covenant. Blessedly, God sent another Adam, the covenant surety, to pay for Adam’s failure and fill the earth with God’s glory. Covenant of Grace Unlike the covenants of redemption and works, the covenant of grace encompasses all God’s gracious ways of dealing with fallen sinners. It begins with the first promise of salvation in Genesis 3:15, that the woman’s seed would conquer the Serpent’s head. This promise unfolds with God’s covenant with Noah (Gen. 6–9), Abraham (12:1–2) and his sons, Israel (Ex. 19), and David (2 Sam. 7:12–17; Ps. 89)—and, ultimately, with the new covenant (Jer. 31:31; Heb. 8). Each of these covenants reveals that God’s promise, rooted in the covenant of redemption, has come to fruition through the seed of the woman, the seed of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David. The branch of David has roots in eternity that stretch into the heavens of history and culminate in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the last Adam (Matt. 1; John 1; 1 Cor. 15:45). The last Adam fulfills the broken covenant of works by paying the penalty for its fracture and by fulfilling the original commission that God gave to Adam. The covenant of grace encompasses all God’s gracious ways of dealing with fallen sinners. Jesus began to fill the earth with image-bearers and subdue the earth through the gospel (Matt. 28:18–19; Rev. 21–22). At the second coming, Christ will consummately fulfill the divine commission and create a cosmic temple, the new heavens and earth, where God will fully dwell with humanity and creation. If Adam’s covenant rested on his obedience, then the covenant of grace rests entirely on Christ’s obedience and suffering. In the words of poet John Donne, We think that Paradise and Calvary, Christ’s cross, and Adam’s tree, stood in one place; Look, Lord, and find both Adams met in me; As the first Adam’s sweat surrounds my face, May the last Adam’s blood my soul embrace. Sinners enter this covenant through the gift of faith so they can believe in the Adamic work of Jesus, the last Adam (Eph. 2:8–10). God reckons Christ’s work of righteousness to the believers’ account, enabling God’s people to stand in the presence of a holy and righteous God. Covenant theology helps us to see the grand sweep of history as it unfolds through the Scriptures. We can see God’s promises in eternity coming to pass in history. We see God’s faithfulness to his word and the mercy that he gives us in Christ by the Spirit.

In this lecture on 1 Corinthians 2:6–16, Don Carson emphasizes that the wisdom of God, revealed through the cross, is accessible only through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps believers understand and proclaim the wisdom of the cross, which is foundational to spiritual growth and revival. Carson warns against elitism and stresses the importance of humility and the gospel in true spiritual understanding. He teaches the following: How the wisdom of God contrasts with worldly wisdom and the rulers of this age The Holy Spirit searches all things, and only the Spirit of God can understand God’s thoughts Why the interpretation of Scripture must be grounded in the Spirit’s guidance How the wisdom of the cross is accessible to all believers The differences between the natural person and the spiritual person The cross as the supreme climax of God’s self-disclosure to humanity Why the Spirit’s work is essential in both individual conversions and church revivals

The Texas Rangers aren’t just a baseball team. And they aren’t just a television show that focused on the not-so-real-life tales of Cordell Walker and his karate-kicking, bad-guy-beating ways. No, they were a real law enforcement organization—and still are! The baseball team and the television series were both named in their honor, of course. But […] The post 10 Surprising Stories About the Texas Rangers appeared first on Listverse.

Feature imaget: Wikimedia Commons/Colm Ryan In the pantheon of maritime mysteries, few tales are as strange and compelling as that of the MV Alta. It is a story that begins with a 44-year-old cargo ship, abandoned by its crew and left for dead in the vast emptiness of the mid-Atlantic. What followed was an incredible […] The post Top 10 Haunting Facts About the Ghost Ship MV Alta appeared first on Listverse.

History offers a grim pattern: A tyrant rises, slaughters the innocent, and the world watches — then regrets. From the ruins of cities and graves of millions comes the same old lesson, relearned too late: Free nations must stand together or perish apart.In the fifth century, Attila the Hun terrorized Europe. Theodosius II, the Eastern Roman emperor, bought peace by paying Attila 2,100 pounds of gold annually. The Western emperor, Valentinian III, stayed silent — happy to remain out of range. But Attila didn’t stop. He turned west, burned cities, demanded Valentinian’s sister in marriage, and claimed half the empire. Rome tried appeasement again. Gold flowed. But the hunger of predators cannot be satisfied with treasure.History has handed us one last chance to learn its lesson. Let’s not waste it.Modern history offers another warning. Adolf Hitler spelled out his genocidal vision in "Mein Kampf." He made no secret of his plan to build a racially pure Volksgemeinschaft by eliminating “inferior” peoples. Yet, the world did nothing.When Hitler marched troops into the Rhineland, Europe’s powers stood by. When he absorbed Austria in the Anschluss of 1938, they did nothing. When he threatened Czechoslovakia, the world convened — not to confront him but to appease him. The result was the Munich Agreement, signed in the name of peace, but it delivered only conquest. Six million Jews died. Tens of millions more followed. Once again, the world failed to act until it was far too late.The refrain “never again” echoed across continents. But history’s warning now blares once more — from Tehran.On February 11, 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran was born. That August, it declared Al-Quds Day, with crowds chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” The regime announced its goal: global domination under a single theocratic rule. Nonbelievers would be crushed. Sound familiar?The alarms have only grown louder. In 1979, Iran seized 66 Americans at the U.S. embassy and held 52 of them hostage for over a year. In 1981, Iran’s Islamic Revolution inspired the assassination of Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat. In 1982, it supported the Syrian uprising that spawned Hamas. In 1983, Iran’s proxy Hezbollah bombed the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 Americans. By the 1990s, Iran backed Ansar Allah — the group now called the Houthis.Iran built a terrorist Hydra of proxies, encircling Israel with armed fanatics. And the world did what it always does: It looked away.Even the United States bent the knee. The Reagan administration traded arms for hostages. Obama gave Iran billions in sanctions relief under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — an appeasement deal in all but name, dressed up as diplomacy. In return, Iran advanced its nuclear program while promising not to use it. A familiar bargain: Leave us alone, won’t you? Please?RELATED: When American men answered the call of civilization Illustration by Ed Vebell/Getty ImagesThen came October 7, 2023. Hamas terrorists — financed by unfrozen Iranian assets — slaughtered more than 1,200 Israelis. They raped. They kidnapped. They filmed their atrocities. And still, Iran marched forward, building nuclear capacity for a “final solution.”Enough.President Donald Trump saw the danger. Intelligence revealed that Iran was weeks away from building a bomb. He acted.Eight U.S. B-2 bombers carrying bunker-buster warheads struck Iran’s nuclear sites — Natanz, Isfahan, Fordow, and others. Trump announced to the American people that the regime’s key nuclear enrichment facilities had been “completely and totally obliterated.”Trump did what history demands. He refused to sacrifice nine million Israelis while the world held meetings. He didn’t wait for Tehran to strike first. He acted to stop a second holocaust before it could begin.This is the difference between a predator’s barbarism and a statesman’s vision. Trump offers peace through strength — as opposed to allowing predators to plunder, rape, and murder their way to barbaric “prosperity.” Trump’s prosperity emerges from shared interest. He champions a commonwealth built on commerce, not conquest.History has handed us one last chance to learn its lesson. Let’s not waste it.