My grandson, Noah, eyed the collection of eagles in my study. The various eagle paraphernalia scattered throughout the room must have impressed him. “Paw Paw,” he said, “Why do you like eagles so much?” I thought for a moment – how do I explain in simple terms my fascination with eagles to a four year old? “Well, because eagles are so cool. They are so majestic and can soar higher in the sky than any other bird,” I replied. “Oh,” he said as he picked up an eagle statuette. I think it’s about time to take another eagle sighting trip to Grafton.

Manuel’s drug of choice was more costly than he ever dreamed. It cost him his marriage, his dignity, and left him dependent, depressed, and – dead. A well-known talk show host became hooked on prescription painkillers and now faces criminal charges. A church deacon’s drug of choice started with one reluctant drink at an office party and resulted in 30 years of alcoholism.

Our country has treatments and drugs for almost every malady. But there are some remedies we can only obtain from God’s pharmacy.

Miki, our golden retriever, is always read and willing. If you ask if she wants to go for a walk, go for a ride, play fetch or even take a bath, she is eager and ready to go. Ask Miki if she wants to go to the bank and she is in heaven. She knows the teller has a doggy treat just for her. Some people are like Miki, always ready, upbeat and positive. They view God as generous, kind, positive and always desirous to bless people. Unfortunately, some view God as stingy, negative and a reluctant spoil sport.

This Christmas season, if at all possible, hold a baby in your arms. What do you feel, think, and wonder about that sweet, innocent baby? Perhaps you marvel at the new life in your arms and consider the potential of unique giftedness and blessings wrapped up in such a tiny bundle of life.

More that 2,000 years ago the birth of one baby born in the tiny, dusty village of Bethlehem changed the world and divided history into BC and AD. The Babe of Bethlehem became the hinge, the pivotal point on which the destiny of the world turns. As the small land of Israel became a crossroad of the world, so the Babe of Bethlehem became the crossroad that determines the direction your life will take. This Christmas it is imperative that you focus on the Babe of Bethlehem. Consider the true Christmas story. (Read Luke 2:1-40.)

Thank God it’s Friday! Perhaps you have made that remark after a tough, grueling week. Many people look forward to the weekend so they can unwind and rest up. Some consider themselves as inveterate party animals and look forward to the weekend to go bar hopping, drinking, and dancing.

While attending a seminar recently in the Chicago area, my son and daughter-in-law took me to a nearby restaurant called TGIF Fridays. As I waited for my meal, I thought about how many times I had heard someone say, “Thank God it’s Friday!” I recalled a few times when I had said the same thing. Unfortunately, the anticipated weekend becomes a let down for many people; a dismal disappointment. Some go back to work physically dragging or depressed. TGIF turns into TMIM – Tell me it’s not Monday!

As I was walking down the street the other day, I saw a figure coming toward me dressed in clothes reminiscent of those worn by the Pilgrims.

“Who are you?” I asked, thinking this was a leftover from Halloween, perhaps just now finding his way home. “I am Thanksgiving,” he replied, tipping his hat and allowing a bedraggled turkey feather to flutter to the ground. “What are you doing here?” I inquired.

“I’m trying to let people know that I still exist,” he said. “They seem to have forgotten about me over the last several years.”

Where were you that terrible Tuesday, September 11th? As I was getting ready to go to my church office, my wife called and told me to turn on the television. I could hardly believe the footage of the World Trade Center exploding before my eyes. At first, I thought a plane was off course and computer animation was showing what “could” happen. But then the reality of the horrendous trauma hit me. It was really happening!

What happens to our emotional and mental state when we witness trauma? How do we cope with tragic events that touch and change our very lives? We all respond differently. Some are in shock, dazed, some are angry, some are in denial, they can’t believe it happened, some are fearful, and some have disturbed sleep.

We can learn a lot from the animal kingdom. The Bible refers to seven animals that we can learn some valuable lessons from. (See Proverbs 30:24-31.) While living in South Dakota I found that many American Indian tribes would identify their various clans and each individual with a certain animal. They would seek to emulate the positive characteristics of their specific animal.

My grandchildren like to watch the Animal Planet channel on television. One day after watching an animal segment with them, I asked Kaitlyn what her favorite animal was. I expected to hear her name some cute animal like the Koala Bear or a cat. She surprised me by saying that her favorite animal was a turtle!

I heard the shrill cry of freedom before I finally spotted one of the most majestic and awesome sights in all of God’s creation. Soaring on the wind currents high overhead, mounting higher and higher with joyous abandon the regal bald eagle gave a lingering eerie call of sweet liberty. I’ll never forget that first sighting of a bald eagle years ago in the wilds of Yosemite National Park.

In contrast to the elation of seeing an eagle in free flight there remains a sadness etched in my memory of seeing an eagle confined to a small cage, its leg strapped to a perch in a small zoo in North Dakota. I understood the injured eagle was being protected, but I felt so sorry for the depressed captive eagle.

He was a survivor! A bear and a lion attack was no match for this young man. He became a champion when he killed the giant of Gath. His courage in battle helped catapult him from obscurity to a great military leader. He survived numerous attempts on his life. Promoted to the head of state he survived petty politics, slander, and a coup led by his own son to usurp his throne. He even survived a sex scandal involving the Bathsheba affair. Yes, King David was a survivor who lived to a ripe old age. David would be the first to tell you that it was not his cunning, courage, charisma, or physical prowess that made him a survivor, rather it was his trust in God and a heart after God that enabled him to survive and thrive.

Graduation is a happy and hopeful occasion for graduates and parents alike. But perhaps you have noticed that a high school diploma or college degree does not guarantee success in life. Some people have a great education but lack good common sense or the needed character to succeed in life. One of the wisest and wealthiest men of all times – King Solomon – wrote Proverbs, the book of wisdom, that teaches God’s principles for success in life. If you truly want success in life, study and apply the principles found in God’s Word. Let’s briefly examine some of these characteristics of success in life with the hope that you will do a more in depth study on your own. God wants us to prosper. (II Timothy 3:15-17)

Families and marriages are in terrible turmoil. Is there hope for the institution of marriage? Yes, for the One who instituted marriage in the beginning not only gives hope, but also gives us the greatest marriage manual in the world – the Bible. Your marriage can make it. This article is for those who want their marriage to work and succeed. It is not for those who are unwilling to work at it or those who are unwilling to change and grow.

You can have a solid rock marriage. All marriages face various storms in life. Jesus told the parable of a wise man and a foolish man who both built a house. The storm came to both, but the man who built on the rock withstood the assault – so can you. (See Matthew 7:24.)

Some of my most vivid memories as a young boy have to do with water. I remember the year my grandpa Os planted two or three dozen trees around his homestead. That summer there was very little rain. To keep the young saplings alive they had to be watered. My grandparents didn’t have running water. They had a good well with cool refreshing water. I would pump five gallon buckets full of water and carry them to the thirsty trees. They survived and thrived on the cool life-giving water. Just as those saplings could not have survived the long dry summer without water, neither can our soul live and thrive without the water of life – the Word of God.

I love autumn. I enjoy the golden leaves, the bountiful harvests, and the mysterious wonder of migrating birds and butterflies. Just imagine the first frost, the smell and taste of ripe persimmons, apple cider, roasting wieners, and smores while sitting around a glowing campfire in God’s great outdoors.

What an awesome sight to see the flight of geese heading south for the winter. It’s so amazing to watch their perfect “V” formation and hear their incessant honking up high in the sky.

Perhaps you have heard the statement, “Silly as a goose”. Some have remarked that a certain person is “Silly as a goose that doesn’t have enough sense to come in out of the rain.”

I think that I may have missed my calling in life. I probably should have been a driver’s training instructor. It’s hard for me to sit quietly while riding with someone else driving without giving instruction on the rules of the road or putting my foot through the floorboard. It’s not that I’m a perfect driver but maybe I’ve learned something by experience. It could be that after driving a school bus for over 17 years that I’ve learned to drive defensively or not take other driver’s intentions for granted. It could be the teacher in me that compels me to offer instruction or advice whether it’s wanted or not. Perhaps it’s because my two brothers and a cousin were killed in a car accident. If I can prevent someone from dying or driving a bit more safely, then perhaps it’s worth the ire of reluctant “students” who frown on my backseat driving.

As we celebrate another 4th of July we need to pray and proclaim freedom to the captives, as never before. Satan is working overtime to try and take away our freedom on all fronts. That, of course, is his nature. Jesus described the enemy’s character and purpose, ‘The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10 NLT).

When General George Washington led his beleaguered troops into battle at Valley Forge, they were an army that had suffered hunger and exposure to the harsh elements of winter. Historians tell us that their march could be traced by the bloody foot prints in the snow. Many of them had no shoes.

A couple of years ago I saw the movie The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. It was scary and powerfully acted by Jim Carey. The grinch thought he could wreck Christmas by stealing all the Christmas gifts. In the end, he realized that Christmas is not the gifts but the giver.

Today, modern day grinches are trying to steal Christmas by bans, laws, and decrees. Some stores and merchants even forbid their employees from wishing their customers a “Merry Christmas”. It seems to be fine to make millions of dollars on the back of Christmas, but don’t mention Christmas, as some merchants demand.

When asked who in the history of the United States the greatest president was, most would say George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. There have been a lot of good presidents but perhaps fewer great presidents. Greatness is usually determined by how one handles great adversity. Certainly both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln persevered under extreme adversity and guided our nation through a dangerous juncture to make it what it is today.

Both Washington and Lincoln believed in the power of prayer. Both prayed for wisdom and strength to lead the nation. But all of Lincoln’s ideas came from a frame of reference of belief in divine providence. He expressed this belief best in his farewell address at Springfield, “I now leave . . . with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of that Divine Being, who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail.”

Americans seem to be obsessed with power. We have power walks, power drinks, power neckties, powerful SUV’s, computers with mind-boggling RAM power, power lunches, and a host of other empowerments.

The most underestimated and underused empowerment is prayer. Statistics verify that prayer works. Even medical science has substantiated the benefits of prayer. Why do so many people feel a lack of power in prayer even though the majority of Americans claim that they pray? Let’s look at six principles in Mark 11 and Matthew 21 that can give you power in prayer and change your life.

One of our most treasured possessions was given to us almost thirty years ago as a wedding gift. It’s a wooden plague with hand carved praying hands on it. Those praying hands not only remind of the carpenter of Nazareth’s praying hands but also the following story of “The Praying Hands” from an unknown author.

In 1490 two young friends, Albrecht Durer and Franz Knigstein, were struggling young artists. Since both were poor, they worked to support themselves while they studied art. Work took so much of their time and advancement was slow in coming. Finally, they reached an agreement that they would draw lots; one would work to support them while the other would study art. Albrecht won and began to study while Franz worked at hard labor to support them. They agreed that when Albrect was successful he would support Franz while he studied art.

“There goes poor Roy,” Aunt Gertie clucked as she craned her neck to look out the beauty parlor window where she sat for her weekly hair beautification.

Poor Roy rode down the street on his creaky bicycle loaded down with bulging gunnysacks. The oversized metal basket attached to the front handlebars overflowed with a menagerie of treasures collected along his route. Poor Roy, as he was called by some of the locals, could be described as one of the town characters that most towns have. He was somewhat eccentric or “odd turned” as my mother refers to such people. Some made fun of Roy’s severe stutter, which became worse when he became angry with his tormentors.

The company motto has stuck with me for several years for some reason. “We aim to please,” was the motivating mission of this small business. People took them at their word and they became a very successful and growing business.

We all live to please someone. The question is, “Whom do you live to please?” Some people please the public or their employers in order to succeed in politics or business. Some people endeavor to please everyone in order “to get along”. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9 NKJV). But there is a difference between being a peacemaker and making peace.

Recently as I sat in a McDonald’s in Central Illinois, there was a young man sitting on a stool enjoying his extra-value meal. I noticed that he was an employee of McDonald’s and developmentally challenged. He obviously had finished his workday and knew that it was payday. At least a half dozen times he went to the counter and loudly demanded his paycheck. After his job coach finally instructed him on proper etiquette, he received what he was due – his paycheck. In working with and ministering to the developmentally challenged over the years, I’ve noticed that even the most severely challenged come to know and expect payday.

The former governor of Illinois, George H. Ryan, made an astounding move before leaving office – he pardoned all convicted murderers sitting on death row. Whether he was right or wrong in doing so, I leave that to the legal professionals, politicians, and moral ethicists who are more astute in such matters than I am. We could ask those pardoned what they think.

When I walk through Foundation Park, I occasionally stop to read the bronze plaque that is embedded in one of the stone pillars at the entrance to Dr. Hall’s fields. This amazing inscription reads: “I, Dr. J. Carl Hall, announce to all patients owing me at the date of my death, that their accounts are automatically receipted in full, for all medical services rendered to them during my lifetime and not paid on or before the date of my death, and all and singular of said accounts are hereby forgiven.” – August 13, 1961.

A cloud of dust trailed behind the entourage of the royal chariot of the Secretary of the Treasury of Ethiopia, servant of Candace the queen. Dust devils spun away from the convoy as it traveled the desert road to Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian eunuch had come out of Africa to worship God in the magnificent temple in Jerusalem. Because of his great authority and privilege, he had been afforded such a fortunate opportunity. His fathers had worshipped the God of the Jews since the time of King Solomon. There was even a long held tradition, or at least a speculation, that this sect of the Jews had hidden the Ark of the Covenant for safekeeping in Ethiopia until the coming of the Messiah. But he was not privy to such secrets.