PONDER on THIS for Monday, August 18th, 2008 by John. St.Augustine in LIVING AN UNCOMMON LIFE

“Literally, when was the last time you had some dirt under your fingernails? For most of us, the ground on which we walk is something to fertilize, plow, or shovel. Just beneath the first couple layers of grass, rock, and stone, another world exists. If drilling is not an option, find a flagstone or brick to uproot. Check out what kind of activity is going on without regard to your human existence. We think we have dominion over everything until we remember this fact: there are five major themes in the biodiversity of the Earth.

First, there is the plant life in all its forms, from the mighty redwoods to the smallest ferns and lichens. Second, there is the animal life in all its forms, which includes everything swims, crawls, walks, and flies. Third is the water world – the amazing system that is the lifeblood of the planet – the oceans, lakes, streams, ponds, and the acquifer that feeds it all. Fourth, there is the geology of the Earth itself – the rocks, minerals, stones, sand, and dirt that hold this amazing little blue ball in space together. Fifth is the human race with all its potential and problems – just over 6 billion people, with more showing up every day. Now here is the kicker: the first four don’t need us to survive, but we need the other four in order to survive.”

John St. Augustine, in “Living an Uncommon Life”

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Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” rovides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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