Our site will be undergoing maintenance from 6 a.m. - 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 20. During this time, Bookshop, checkout, and other features will be unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Bookshop Genres Riding the Blue Marble: A Meditation On Faith, Science and Hope by Dave Wasserman
Cookies must be enabled to use this website.
Book Image Not Available Book Image Not Available

See inside
View Back Cover
Book Image Not Available Book Image Not Available

See inside
View Back Cover
Riding the Blue Marble
A Meditation On Faith, Science and Hope
by Dave Wasserman

Overview

"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 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.  

Read more

Description

Riding the Blue Marble recalls the story of creation, fall and hope for both our planet and ourselves.  It is a story worth remembering when we consider that many in today's youngest generations will live to welcome the year 2100.  From early reviews:

"As a planetary astronomer for over 50 years, I grew up with the space program.  With Riding the Blue Marble, [Dave Wasserman] offers us poetic words that describe my belief in the creation of the Universe and the fragile nature of our Earth." — Dr. Ed Barker, Research Scientist and Assistant Director of McDonald Observatory (Texas), retired (Santa Fe, New Mexico)

"Riffing off Folliott Pierpoint's beloved hymn, 'For the Beauty of the Earth.' the Rev. Dr. Dave Wasserman's evocative word-journey draws us into a 21st Century experience of the biblical creation narrative.  ...Wasserman explores the "why" of faith and the incomprehensible gift of freedom bestowed by the Divine upon humanity...Worth reading again and again, this holy poem issues a clarion call for us to reclaim our sacred trust as the caretakers of the singular blue jewel we call home."  — The Rev. Vicki Fogel-Mykles, Presbyterian Church (USA), (Ft. Collins, Colorado)

"David Wasserman's Riding the Blue Marble shows his heart for creation, stewarding the planet and encouraging others to be stewards as well.  Mixing science with the spiritual, Wasserman skillfully illustrates how these complement and build off one another in a way that so many miss."  — Beth Russell, Science on a Sphere Operations Manager, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (Boulder, Colorado)

"...Riding the Blue Marble ...offers the spiritual practice of seeing ourselves intertwined with the vastness, beauty and harmony of the Earth and its systems.  May it be a guide to remind us of our common humanity and our responsibility to preserve and heal this wondrous world we share."  — Rev. Dr. Harry Eberts, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, (Santa Fe, New Mexico)

You are invited to pause and reflect as we ride the Blue Marble together!

Read more

About the author

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.

Read more

Book details

Genre:SCIENCE

Subgenre:Earth Sciences / General

Language:English

Pages:44

Paperback ISBN:9781543926880

Overview

"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 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.  

Read more

Description

Riding the Blue Marble recalls the story of creation, fall and hope for both our planet and ourselves.  It is a story worth remembering when we consider that many in today's youngest generations will live to welcome the year 2100.  From early reviews:

"As a planetary astronomer for over 50 years, I grew up with the space program.  With Riding the Blue Marble, [Dave Wasserman] offers us poetic words that describe my belief in the creation of the Universe and the fragile nature of our Earth." — Dr. Ed Barker, Research Scientist and Assistant Director of McDonald Observatory (Texas), retired (Santa Fe, New Mexico)

"Riffing off Folliott Pierpoint's beloved hymn, 'For the Beauty of the Earth.' the Rev. Dr. Dave Wasserman's evocative word-journey draws us into a 21st Century experience of the biblical creation narrative.  ...Wasserman explores the "why" of faith and the incomprehensible gift of freedom bestowed by the Divine upon humanity...Worth reading again and again, this holy poem issues a clarion call for us to reclaim our sacred trust as the caretakers of the singular blue jewel we call home."  — The Rev. Vicki Fogel-Mykles, Presbyterian Church (USA), (Ft. Collins, Colorado)

"David Wasserman's Riding the Blue Marble shows his heart for creation, stewarding the planet and encouraging others to be stewards as well.  Mixing science with the spiritual, Wasserman skillfully illustrates how these complement and build off one another in a way that so many miss."  — Beth Russell, Science on a Sphere Operations Manager, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (Boulder, Colorado)

"...Riding the Blue Marble ...offers the spiritual practice of seeing ourselves intertwined with the vastness, beauty and harmony of the Earth and its systems.  May it be a guide to remind us of our common humanity and our responsibility to preserve and heal this wondrous world we share."  — Rev. Dr. Harry Eberts, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, (Santa Fe, New Mexico)

You are invited to pause and reflect as we ride the Blue Marble together!

Read more

About the author

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.

Read more

Book Reviews

to submit a book review
elaine 		Our wonderful earth Unlike some readers of Riding the Blue Marble, I’ve had the great pleasure of knowing the author, Dave Wasserman, since high school. We just rediscovered each other at Santa Fe Community College where I teach Reading and Dave teaches Science on the Sphere. That’s quite something to say you teach the globe; it makes my work seem very small! I’ve found the sphere itself and Dave’s inspiring book to be life changing. To see the world, its clouds, winds, ocean mountains, fires, hurricanes, tsunamis, crop areas, volcanoes, water tables, and more features than I can write right here, is breathtaking. Dave’s narration, while you fall into the colors of the sphere, spirits you away from the room and place. The book, much like the sphere experience itself, lifts you and teaches you. The spiritual value of the text matches the description of the world in tone and heart. I loved reading the beautiful words, the peaks, rivers, and islands of Dave’s writing. I love the earth more now and care for it’s well-being in ways I hadn’t before. He turns our minds to tending to the earth, not using it up. I’m looking for ways beyond using less water while brushing my teeth, to conserving in bigger ways. I’m teaching my students the same. We came to see the Globe and it moved all of us, in emotional ways as well as to action. Thank you, Dave. Elaine Daniels Faculty SFCC, Liberal Arts, adjunct Read more
Marney 		beautiful poem I love this poem about the planet. Thoughtful, inspiring, beautiful. And the images only add! Read more
BARBARA 		This is a must have book... Well--finally: A scientific presentation about the universe written by a man of faith. "Riding the Blue Marble" is a stunning pictorial journey through space led by a gentle wise shepherd who ties it all to faith and punctuates it with poetry connecting one to the other. David Wasserman is good. The writing is good. The pictures are keepers. Readers will not be able to escape the truth, nor will they be able to deny either the threat we all face or the hope that still lives in spite of us. Ah earth, ah universe, ah creator and creation, Amen." Barbara Wood Gray Pilgrim, poet, mother, lover of all that's holy in our midst and some that's not so much. Read more
Robert 		A meditation on the Blue Marble It is fitting that this book was published on the eve of another Earth Day. It is a a beautifully illustrated spiritual meditation on the earth, its dynamics, and our need to care for it. The beginning is particularly striking, even visceral. The bold black page sets up the beautiful images to follow. The casual verse form offers facts and perspective in a conversational tone. Read more