Andrew Abbott

Commuting has become a basic part of my daily routine. I’ve learned to use my commuting time well (mostly through audio books) but I’ve also noticed how driving has sharpened my senses. I’ve begun to drink in the sights of the freeway, especially when it comes to noticing other cars. I’ve definitely seen a variety…

Spring flowers can seem to shout or whisper based on how you “listen” to them. The first Spring blooms that caught my eye a few days ago seemed to shout, “Spring is here!” But when I scanned the panorama around me and realized that they were only gracing a tiny rock crevice in the vast…

The voice of the interviewee began to ramp up in intensity as he described the details of his adventure. He and his teammate were talking about their lifelong vocation and calling—they were rock hunters. Before you shrug this off as a quirky fancy that’s only for a select group, let me tell you that these…

A star-studded sky seems to be designed to spark awe. But this particular night sky was especially exquisite because it had very little “civilized” light to compete with. We had a front-row seat to the usual constellations in all their stark splendor and backing them was a majestic band of starry haze that made up…

There’s something fresh and exquisite about listening to blowing snow. I’m not talking about the boisterous sound of a snow blower whisking snow into the air as it ploughs down the sidewalk. I’m talking about the gentle whoosh of a winter breeze gently brushing the snowflakes through the branches of a pine tree. Stopping and…

I was immediately arrested by the little prints in the snow, not because they were unusual, but because they seemed to have such purpose. I had often seen snow tracks—those of rabbits seeking shelter, deer plodding down a trail, dogs romping through the drifts. But these were turkey tracks that were making a trail straight…

I still remember the chuckles echoing around the large room as each participant shuffled, felt, and stumbled through the elaborate obstacle course. We were all taking part in a leadership summit at the summer camp for youth ministry. The instructor for the course we were taking had kept the lectures fairly routine up to this…