Jump to content
JWTalk - Jehovah's Witnesses Online Community

Blogs

Glimpses of Wonder

It’s a “Wonder” We Didn’t Know This Already — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — Epilogue

We built towers that touched the sky. Then rockets that left it behind. We conquered gravity, crossed the void, and sent human footprints into ancient dust. We reached for the stars — and grabbed hold of the moon.   And yet somehow, the greatest “wonder” wasn’t out there. It was here all along.   Maybe it just took leaving Earth for a little while to finally see it.   When the astronauts looked back — really looked back — they saw our planet with new
Glimpses of Wonder

It’s a “Wonder” Man Returned to Earth — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — 5 of 5

It’s one thing to go somewhere no one has gone before. It’s another thing entirely to come back from it.   When the astronauts of Apollo 11 lifted off from the moon, they weren’t celebrating yet. They had only left the surface. They were still a fragile craft orbiting a lifeless satellite, hoping that every component would hold together long enough to reunite with their command module pilot — and then steer home.   Home. That word carried more weight now.   After al
Glimpses of Wonder

It’s a “Wonder” Man Made It off the Moon — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — 4 of 5

There’s a reason why nearly every story ends with the characters heading home. That’s when the relief sets in — when the tension breaks, the dust settles, and you can finally exhale. But for those who actually went to the moon, the story wasn’t over once they arrived. In some ways, that’s when the danger peaked.   The Eagle had landed. The world rejoiced. But the crew of Apollo 11 — and every crew after them — still had to pull off something far more delicate than the landing. They had
Glimpses of Wonder

It’s a “Wonder” Man Made It on the Moon — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — 3 of 5

The moon had always been distant — a cold companion admired from afar. Poets described it, farmers relied on it, and children pointed toward it from their backyards. But no one had ever touched it. Not until now.   Apollo 11 changed that. With fuel nearly spent and alarms flashing, the lunar module skimmed across the surface like a skipping stone. A boulder field loomed beneath them — ancient, cratered, uninviting. Neil Armstrong, calm and precise, scanned for a flat patch. Buzz Aldrin
Glimpses of Wonder

It’s a “Wonder” Man Made It to the Moon — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — 2 of 5

It wasn’t the launch that made people nervous. Rockets had launched before. We’d already sent satellites, dogs, chimps, and a few very brave humans into orbit. But what kept the world holding its breath this time was what came after the roar — when the engines shut down and the silence of space took over.   From Earth to Moon is about 240,000 miles — give or take a few depending on the day. But the real distance wasn’t just in miles. It was in complexity. In courage. In math. They had
Glimpses of Wonder

It’s a “Wonder” Man Made It Off the Planet — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — 1 of 5

Long before rockets thundered into the sky, humans watched birds. We craned our necks, followed contrails with our eyes, folded paper planes, and built balsa-wood models just to see them float. One astronaut recalled getting his first ride in a barnstormer’s airplane as a child — a single loop around the family farm — and thinking this is it. That moment changed him. But flying wasn’t enough. Not forever.   You can see it in their eyes — the men who became astronauts. Even before they
Glimpses of Wonder

Green Companions — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

There’s something oddly calming about wiping the dust off a leaf.   It doesn’t make much noise. It doesn’t require a degree. And the plant doesn’t respond with a thank-you card or a parade. But in that quiet moment—just you, a damp cloth, and a stubborn layer of fuzz—you feel it: a sense of order returning. A little beauty restored. Something inside you exhales.   That reaction isn’t random.   Jehovah’s first assignment to humans wasn’t to build cities or name const
Glimpses of Wonder

These Birds Named Their Children — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

In the forests and savannas of South America, there lives a tiny, emerald-green bird no bigger than a thumb. It’s called the green-rumped parrotlet. Cute, chatty, and utterly unremarkable to most who pass by — unless, of course, you listen a little closer.   While studying these birds in the wild, Dr. Karl Berg and his colleagues discovered something extraordinary. These parrotlets don’t just squawk or chirp — they name each other. Each adult bird has a unique, learned call that functi
Glimpses of Wonder

We Glow in the Dark —a Glimpse of Wonder entry™—

It sounds like a sci-fi headline: Humans glow in the dark! But tucked behind the dramatic claim is a quiet, beautiful truth — one that most people have never heard.   Japanese researchers equipped with ultrasensitive cameras set out to photograph something nearly impossible to see. Not heat. Not infrared. But visible light — light produced by the human body itself. And what they found is astonishing.   Our skin emits a natural glow. It’s called ultraweak photon emission — not
Glimpses of Wonder

Zero Means Nothing… Right? — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

The label on the mint says sugar-free. The can of spray says fat-free. The cracker box boasts zero trans fat. Sounds healthy—until you read the fine print.   Here’s the catch: In the U.S., if a serving contains less than 0.5 grams of something like sugar, fat, or trans fat, companies are legally allowed to round that down to zero. That’s right—trace amounts don’t count… as long as they’re tiny per serving.   Take a “sugar-free” Tic Tac. It’s made with sugar. But because a sin
Glimpses of Wonder

Feeding Your Brain a Sugar Rush? — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

If you’ve ever joked that your snack habit is just “fuel for your brain,” you’re not entirely wrong.   The human brain—though only about 2% of your body weight—uses roughly 20% of your daily energy, most of it in the form of glucose, a simple sugar. It’s the primary fuel for your neurons, which need a constant supply to transmit signals, form thoughts, store memories, and keep your entire nervous system in sync.   So yes, your brain loves sugar. But not in the way that soda a
dljbsp

dljbsp in Brain Food

1
Glimpses of Wonder

Before There Was Breath

Before There Was Breath — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —   We’ve followed the journey of a human life from spark to cry—from invisible instructions to audible arrival.   And now, looking back, it’s almost too much to take in.   Nine steps. Nine glimpses. Yet none of them tells the whole story. Not one entry could carry the weight of it all: the planning, the layering, the sequencing, the protection, the timing. All of it set into motion—not by accident or adaptat
Glimpses of Wonder

First Breath, First Cry — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 9 of 9) —

First Breath, First Cry — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 9 of 9) —   Everything has been leading to this.   The lungs are primed. The heart is ready. The body is aligned. And then—after months of silence—a moment shatters the stillness.   A cry.   But how does it happen?   As the baby exits the birth canal, its world changes instantly. Warmth becomes cold. Liquid becomes air. Pressure shifts. And in that moment, a cascade of events unfolds
Glimpses of Wonder

Heart of the Matter — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 8 of 9) —

Heart of the Matter — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 8 of 9) —   The human heart starts beating just three weeks after conception. Before the brain forms. Before the limbs take shape. Before the mother even knows she’s pregnant… a tiny pulse begins.   But what begins as a flicker becomes a thunderous transformation.   Inside the womb, the baby’s heart doesn’t function like yours does. Not yet. It’s running a temporary, alternate design—tailored for a world wh
Glimpses of Wonder

The Breath Before the Breath — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 7 of 9) —

The Breath Before the Breath — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 7 of 9) —   A baby’s first breath is a moment we celebrate. Cameras flash. Applause erupts. Tears flow. But long before that air ever fills the lungs, the body is preparing—in ways we’re only beginning to understand.   Inside the womb, a baby does not breathe air. Oxygen arrives through the umbilical cord, carried in the mother’s blood, passed through the placenta. The lungs? For now, they’re closed for busi
Glimpses of Wonder

Silent Witnesses — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 6 of 9) —

Silent Witnesses — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 6 of 9) —   Inside the womb, a child develops in secret. No breath. No sound. And yet… not alone.   From the earliest days of pregnancy, a complex conversation begins between mother and child. Not with words or thoughts, but with molecules. Proteins. Signals. Each one sent and received in precise timing.   Some of these silent exchanges are expected—hormones that help the placenta grow, blood vessels that dila
Glimpses of Wonder

When Balance Breaks — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 5 of 9) —

When Balance Breaks — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 5 of 9) —   When everything works as it should, pregnancy is a marvel of cooperation—a mother’s body nurturing a genetically distinct life with perfect timing and grace. But what happens when that quiet agreement falters?   The results can be catastrophic… or revealing.   Some of the most dangerous pregnancy complications arise when the carefully calibrated dance between maternal and paternal genes, hormone
Glimpses of Wonder

The Tug of Genes — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 4 of 9) —

The Tug of Genes — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 4 of 9) —   At first glance, it seems like the developing baby is quietly following instructions—just executing a prewritten plan. But look closer, and you’ll see something far more dynamic: a silent negotiation, a tug-of-war not between parent and child, but between the parents themselves—inside the child.   It’s called genomic imprinting, and it’s one of the most surprising discoveries in modern genetics.  
Glimpses of Wonder

Terraformers Within — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 3 of 9) —

Terraformers Within — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 3 of 9) —   Long before a baby’s first breath, a quiet drama unfolds inside the womb. It’s not soft lullabies and warm pastel colors—it’s more like an intense negotiation behind the scenes of life.   Picture this: A tiny cluster of cells, just days old, begins a bold invasion. This is the placenta, a structure built not by the mother, but by the baby—more specifically, by the father’s genes inside the baby. Like an advanc
Glimpses of Wonder

Divine Engineering Begins— a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 2 of 9) —

Divine Engineering Begins— a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 2 of 9) —   By the time the embryo nestles into the uterine wall, the future is already humming beneath the surface.   It’s been about a week since conception. Still invisible to the naked eye, this cluster of cells—now called a blastocyst—is anything but simple. Inside it, a fluid-filled cavity forms, surrounded by an outer layer of cells and a compact inner cell mass. That inner group? It will become the baby. The
Glimpses of Wonder

Spark and Blueprint — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 1 of 9) —

Spark and Blueprint — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ (Part 1 of 9) —   We tend to think of conception as a beginning. And it is. But maybe not in the way we imagine.   The moment a sperm fuses with an egg, something astonishing happens—something that science only recently discovered. A flash of light. Literally. As the two cells unite, a radiant wave of zinc particles is released from the surface of the egg. Some scientists call it a "zinc firework." But it’s more than celebrator
Glimpses of Wonder

Hidden Wonders of the Womb - 9 part series Coming Soon!

Hidden Wonders of the Womb — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — What if you could watch a masterpiece being painted—but only from underneath the canvas? Science tries this all the time. Researchers piece together discoveries from the womb like a mosaic, but many of its most beautiful features are still hidden in the shadows. Some things are just hard to observe while they’re happening.   This nine-part series explores a few of those hidden marvels.   These entries a

About JWTalk.net - Jehovah's Witnesses Online Community

Since 2006, JWTalk has proved to be a well-moderated online community for real Jehovah's Witnesses on the web. However, our community is not an official website of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is not endorsed, sponsored, or maintained by any legal entity used by Jehovah's Witnesses. We are a pro-JW community maintained by brothers and sisters around the world. We expect all community members to be active publishers in their congregations, therefore, please do not apply for membership if you are not currently one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

JWTalk.Net / Jehovah's Witnesses Unofficial Community

JW.org Links / Official Website of Jehovah's Witnesses

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

 Accept Cookies  Reject Cookies

JWTalk 23.8.11 (changelog)