Hi Friend, When religion and politics intersect it is often a disaster.  It is also inevitable.  Most Westerners don’t know that Freedom of Worship was permitted in the constitution of the former Soviet Union.  The USSR was officially an atheistic state, so it’s a bit shocking to learn this little-known

Hi Friend, A few times each week I drive by a sign whose message is unavoidable, not only for its location along my route, but also for the bright red letters against the stark white background that delivers the obnoxious message, “In Science Lives Hope”.  Obnoxious is not too strong

Hi Friend, The phrase “keeping it real” was once in vogue and still pops up from time to time.  My college philosophy professor might ask, “What is ‘real’ to the person making the statement?”  If you experience something with one of the five senses, it’s real. Is there a reality

Hi Friend, Humans exist in a deceptive environment, protected from reality by layers of steel, brick, and mortar. Have you ever been outside during a thunderstorm? Camping next to the Snake River beneath the Grand Tetons once, I witnessed at close range the power of a huge thunderstorm. Separated from

Hi Friend, As I write, it is the National Day of Prayer—a day to call upon God to intervene for our nation.  Throughout its existence America has observed days of fasting and prayer on many occasions.  Presidents Washington and Lincoln called on Americans to set aside a day to pray

Hi Friend, When our granddaughter Emma was three she told me that her head hurt. “I throwed up,” she said. “I throwed up twice!” she declared. She delivered this bit of information with equal amounts of sincerity and enthusiasm and I received it with a mixture of concern and joy.

Hi Friend, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” The news reported the story of a couple that dropped their elderly, wheelchair bound mother off at the airport to catch a plane.  The flight was cancelled, and the attendants called the family who returned 45 minutes later to

Hi Friend, Walking through a museum in St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in the U.S., I was intrigued by several books on the history of St. Augustine.  It was established in 1565, long before Jamestown, Virginia or Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts.  The writer used that otherwise ancillary fact to accuse

Hi Friend, What would happen to a judge who ruled that a person MUST study the Bible?  In 1946 a juvenile with a history of problems faced Judge E.J. Ruegemer in St. Cloud, MN.  This time the juvenile had seriously injured an adult while driving recklessly. The judge could have

Hi Friend, When Saul of Tarsus recognized Jesus as the Messiah, he continued an observance that had taken place for over a thousand years.  It was Passover and, with some exceptions, it was much like the ceremony the Israelites had observed more than a thousand years before.  The differences were

Hi Friend, It may seem strange to some, but this season marks the beginning of the year.  Since it makes more sense for the year to begin in spring than in the dead of winter, God instructed Moses to tell the Israelites that the Passover season would designate the beginning

Hi Friend, When the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy to warn him about how bad things would be in the “end times,” he penned an accurate analysis of our day.  Paul wrote that “In the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves….” Following this

Hi Friend, On December 25th, 1776, George Washington engaged his army in one of the most courageous and risky battles of history.  Had he lost the battle the quest for freedom would have been crushed.  The Declaration of Independence would have been nothing more than a piece of parchment to

Hi Friend, There was a time when a man by the name of Isaiah had a revelation from God. In our vernacular we might say, ‘The light bulb came on!”   Isaiah was excited about the message. It would change the world. He hurried for the door on his way to

Hi Friend, There are crimes which rise to the level of forfeiture of life itself.  They are called capital crimes. One such, the sin of presumptuousness, is described in the Old Testament.  When a disagreement arose between citizens in which one suffered loss, they were to bring the matters before

Hi Friend, Having just gone through the account of the Israelites coming out of Egypt, I am drawn to the purpose for these catastrophic events.  There was more to it than simply making people free, though that was the means to the end. God does not hide His intent.  In

Hi Friend, Choosing leaders without a commitment to God has always led to corruption. That’s why the Psalmist also It’s true that the pen is mightier than the sword—and sometimes more cruel.  Books have changed the course of mankind in dramatic ways for both good and evil. Recently an article

Hi Friend, A lot of biblical commentators try to explain “what” is 666 but the bigger question may be, “Why 666?”  It’s in the Book of Revelation—a book whose very title is intended to “reveal” the truth.  The question naturally arises, why did the Apostle John use this mysterious metaphor

Hi Friend, In his book “Straight Talk to Men” author James Dobson shares an anecdote that may illustrate, as well as any other simile, the problem our country is facing. A mother took her young son, Robert to the dentist. Mom loved Robert more than anything in the world and

Hi Friend, What would it take for you to walk away from everything you own and move to a foreign country?  Let’s say you own a business, a home, have friends and family and a few financial investments.  What circumstances could cause you to walk away from every bit of