The game of heads-up limit Texas Hold ’em poker has effectively been solved. As I understand it, solving a game means identifying the best move to make in any given situation. Other games, like tic-tac-toe and checkers, have been solved in the past, but this result is significant because it is the first solved game where the player does not know everything about the current game situation–mainly, what cards their opponent is holding. The lessons learned have applications to a wide range of real-life situations where decisions have to be made without complete information about one’s circumstances. [Read more…] about Science Corner: It’s in the Cards
future
On Transitions (Part 1)
As I sit to write, friends of ours from Boston are a few miles from our home, having stopped for a brief visit with us en route to their new town.  They are in the middle of a major transition for their family; after sixteen years in Massachusetts, they are moving on to plant a church in Texas.  Two hours after their arrival in Pittsburgh, they had to get back on the road.  As they pulled away, the heartache set in.   My four-year-old son verbalized what we were all feeling, “Why do they have to leave?  I want them to stay longer!† My heart aches because I love them so much.  It is a blessing that our stories overlapped.  Precious memories with dear friends!
When we moved to Boston, we were pretty sure it was temporary; my husband was in graduate school.  When a season of life is temporary, it’s tempting not to invest much in the people and places around you during that time.  No matter how short a season, however, I would like to suggest to you that it is of extreme importance to resist that temptation.
Here are a few reasons:
1. The Lord is intentional.
2. The church is the people.
3. You don’t know the future.
Before expanding on those, allow me to share this with you:
Jesus knows a LOT about transition!