The Sun Also Rises

The Sun Also Rises

The news keeps getting darker. The world seems to keep getting bleaker. But Solomon wrote, “the sun also ariseth.” The Sun Also Rises transmits the true, the bright and the beautiful, glints of light in a world going black. Each week, host Jeremiah Jacques brings you stories of refreshing accomplishment, intriguing science and inspiring lives—glimmers of hope that hint at a better world to come.


It’s not enjoyable for us to be told that our creative work has problems, or that it is of inferior quality. We like to hear positive feedback, and generally recoil from such criticism. In this episode, host Jeremiah Jacques tells the story of an artist who was bombarded by critical feedback. The artist’s reaction to it contains a lesson for us all.

In our era, it’s usually the innovators who receive the bulk of reward and recognition. But what about those who restore, regrow, recover and rehabilitate? This episode turns the spotlight on individuals who have achieved remarkable accomplishments, not so much with new innovations, but by fixing something that went wrong.

On today’s episode, we dig deeply into a four-word sentence.

What is humor? Why is it? Where does it come from? What happens in its absence? In this episode, host Jeremiah Jacques addresses these questions, and also attempts to demonstrate humor in a way that makes the listeners laugh. Also discussed is the vital role that humor played in the life of a history-altering man.

Racism often becomes a self-exacerbating force. If a person feels hated by a certain group, his normal reaction is to hate that group right back: Meet hatred with hatred. It’s the natural, usual reaction. But today’s episode examines a man who does not behave in the natural, usual way. This man doesn’t meet hatred with hatred, but with authenticity, humility, patience, friendship and hope for his fellow man. This man’s unusual approach has achieved some extraordinary results that we can all learn from.

Outside the UN headquarters in New York City, stands a bronze sculpture of a man holding a hammer high in one hand, using it to beat a huge broadsword into the shape of a farming tool. The inscription reads: “We Shall Beat Swords Into Plowshares.” The UN says the sculpture symbolizes “man’s desire to put an end to war and convert the means of destruction into creative tools for the benefit of all mankind.” Today’s episode shows some examples from around the world of people converting weapons into life-enriching tools.

Grit is more important to success than intelligence or talent. This episode discusses the new book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” to show how you can develop grit in your life. It features an interview with the gritty new World Scrabble Champion, the story of how a young Benjamin Franklin went from a below average writer to a world-class one, and much more.

Today’s episode focuses on individuals and organizations that help people who are in need in remarkable ways. They take notice of others who are not doing well, and who are in over their heads, struggling and sinking deeper—and they reach out and give them a hand. From Paraguay to Australia to the United States, this episode looks for the helpers.

Calum MacLeod lived on the North side of the small, rocky island of Raasay, Scotland—miles away from the nearest road. One night his 12-year-old daughter became stuck in a blizzard as she was trying to walk up to their isolated settlement from the roads on the south of the island. Calum rescued her, but was furious and petitioned the government to build a road. The far-off bureaucracies refused. So Calum decided to conquer the unforgiving landscape, and build the road himself. What followed was an astounding testament to one man’s determination.

What is it about superhero stories that makes people want to put on a brightly-colored leotard, and yell “Flame on!”? This episode shows that the fascination with superhero-type figures is not a new phenomenon. It has left a herculean footprint on just about every culture that has come and gone for thousands of years. We love these stories because people through the ages have wished to break free from the limits of our finite human existence. But could there be something more behind this fascination?