A boss from years back asked for end-of-deployment awards and performance write-ups for my platoon's troop leaders. As an inexperienced, young leader with a large ego, I casually wrote and submitted the work by the due date and waited with confidence for his approval.

In a 2018 analysis, the Government Accountability Office found that two out of every five brand name products purchased online were counterfeit. These clever knock-offs look precisely like the real thing on the outside, hiding their lack of authentic design, craftsmanship, and material quality on the inside.

At nearly ten times the saltiness of ocean water, the Dead Sea is known for dense, mineral-filled deposits bordering its shores. Since ancient times, workers have harvested the minerals and refined them into useful preservatives, fertilizers, and therapeutic agents.

President John F. Kennedy said, "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard..." No one knew then how much the hard work of space exploration would change our world.

A few years back, our family frequently visited the beautiful Mount Rainier National Park, where fast-moving, glacial rivers wore rocks smooth over thousands of years and, at times, removed entire campgrounds in minutes. Similarly, it seems that we are learning how powerful cultural and institutional forces shape us over time.

In Jesus’ day, what was allowed and not allowed on the Sabbath day was a considerable controversy. For instance, Jesus defied religious leaders by healing a paralyzed man on the Sabbath.