Riding the Blue Marble ― A Meditation on Faith, Science and Hope

"in the beginning...at a 4:00am on-the-open-ocean darkness...in a polar freeze cold beyond cold...and the emptiest of grand canyons...the universe began...with a..." Thus begins Riding the Blue Marble, an illustrated meditation about Planet Earth. The 22 full-color illustrations come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Science on a Sphere (SOS) resource. The poetic text offers a religious overlay to Earth's story. Creation, Fall, and Hope frame a call to responsible stewardship. This book is for people who are concerned about the changes happening in our environment, who welcome a spiritual perspective on life's purposes, and who are awed by the incredible beauty of our traveling planetary home. The purpose of this book is to expand the dialogue between an author and a reader into personal conversations with others as we become better caretakers of our planet. Riding the Blue Marble is an evocative word-journey that describes the creation of the Universe and the fragile nature of our Earth. It tells a story worth remembering when we consider that many in today's youngest generations will live to welcome the year 2100. The book reflects a heart for stewarding the planet and encouraging others to be stewards as well. It mixes science with the spiritual, showing how these complement and build off one another in a way that so many miss. Riding the Blue Marble invites us to see our lives intertwined with the vastness, beauty, and harmony of the Earth and its systems. And it is a reminder of our common humanity and our responsibility to preserve and heal this wondrous world we share. As a holy poem, worth reading and re-reading, Riding the Blue Marble issues a clarion call for us to reclaim our sacred trust as caretakers of the singular blue jewel we call home. You are invited to pause and reflect as we ride the Blue Marble together!

The Rev. Dr. Dave Wasserman is a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). When he retired in 2013, he visited his first SOS (Science on a Sphere) center in Rockport, Texas. During his 40 years in formal ministry, he was actively involved in ecumenical and interfaith endeavors, initially served congregations in Iowa, Arizona and Wisconsin, and later several districts/presbyteries in Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, and Arizona. He is not a scientist; he appreciates the beauty, awe, and majesty of God's creation. The Wassermans live in northern New Mexico. His other writings include: Azure Wind (Lessons for Ministry from Under Sail), reflections on his sailing sabbatical in 2006, and Listen More, Laugh Often, Love Always (Reflections for Today's Church Councils), written shortly after his retirement.