My first stint as a counselor at one of my church’s youth camps in Texas provoked me to deep thought. As I drove home, the events of the previous week soaked in—all the laughter and pleasant fellowship, the fun and sometimes challenging activities, the dorm chants, the bright faces of the kids, and so much more. It was unforgettable.

Ethnic violence has again broken out in the northeast India district of Assam.  Local people are predominantly Hindu and some are “Christian,” although there are more than 200 separate tribal groups in the region.  Much of the violence is aimed at Muslims—many of whom have come across the border from Bangladesh and Bhutan (The Globe and Mail, July 24, 2012).

As summer unfolds in the Northern hemisphere, most of the United States of America is baking in a protracted heat wave that is putting the power grid to the test and placing real stress on people, plants and animals. These punishing, record-breaking temperatures seem to be stalled over a wide area. At the same time, these same areas have experienced a dramatic decline in rainfall.

Torrential rains inundated China’s capital city last weekend, overwhelming the drainage system.

In 1839, a want ad appeared in a New York newspaper: “Wanted: a few good men to train for a dangerous, low pay, weather exposed assignment.” Applicants would need to leave behind their former walks of life and become expert horsemen. The agency that placed the ad was swamped with replies, but not every applicant proved to be up to the challenge. Many were called, but ultimately—as the ad indicated—relatively few were chosen. Thus the Pony Express was formed.