Imagine facing your worst nightmare. Perhaps it’s Freddy Krueger splintering your bedroom door with a blood soaked axe. You’re lost and you cannot find your way out of a dark house of horrors. Someone is screaming with ear piercing decibels and you wake up realizing that those terrible screams are emanating from your mouth.

Perhaps your fear is not near as dramatic as some people face, but it is just as real. In school, I had a mental block when it came to math. I had an incapacitating fear of math class. For some people the fear factor is simply an adrenaline high reality game show. But the reality is that most people have certain fears that they must deal with. Courage is not the absence of fear but it is punching through the fear. To live the life that God means you to live, you must overcome fear. “Fear hath torment” (I John 4:18). Fear neutralizes, paralyzes, destroys, and stymies faith and love.

Two brothers running across America, as well as a young couple sitting on the steps of a subway station near the collapsed World Trade Center, all must face the question: “Where are you headed?”

A famous rock singer sang, “The world is a bad place, a very bad place to live. Oh, but I don’t want to die.”

Today we watch shattered children, the victims of war, groaning on the six o’clock news while we calmly eat our dinner. We hear people threaten one another and plot the bombing and massacre of innocent families. We suddenly realize that we Americans are also vulnerable along with the rest of the world. The enemy, the devil (John 10:10) is trying to rip apart our world of peace and freedom, leaving only a memory.

The tongue can produce terrible evil or tremendous good. The tongue can lash and libel or the tongue can liberate and express love. Recently two talk show hosts were fired because of their constant abusive tongue. Terrorists are fomenting mayhem and death through their rhetoric of hate. The Word of God tells us, “But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire and the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a world of wickedness corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself” (James 3:1-12 NLT).

Too many have traversed the minefield of trial marriages. Multitudes of couples have been deceived and scarred by the experience. Scores have shed bitter tears resulting from trial marriages.

In a program called, “True Love Waits,” thousands of teens have signed public pledges that they will practice sexual abstinence until marriage.

Rush Limbaugh sent a cameraman out on the streets to report the public’s response to the program. People were asked, “Do you think teens should practice sexual abstinence?”

My grandson Seth is a rock hound. Wherever he goes he collects rocks. Little rocks, big rocks, colorful rocks, and plain rocks. Seth is only 4 years old so I doubt his choice in a rock has much to do with its geological or elemental make-up. He even gives names to his pet rocks.

I love the natural beauty of a rock garden and the uniqueness of a house made with field stones. I think God must love rocks – after all He made enough of them.

When the Son of God made his “triumphant entry” into Jerusalem, his followers gave him praise. “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.”

What is the sense of suffering in the world? Young lives are snuffed out by a drunk driver, grieving family members stand by the grave of their loved one and ask the age old question – why? Crying children and a brokenhearted wife sit in the cold and confusion of the after math of a broken marriage and a shattered family.

From the fall of man in the Garden of Eden up to the present time through tears we still ask, “Why do bad things happen, even to good people?” Many have become estranged in their relationship with God because of this one issue. But instead of asking why bad things happen, we would do better to ask, “How should we respond to suffering?” How does God respond to tragedy and suffering?

He was the son of a well digger. If you have ever lived in an arid land, you know how vital water is. In the old west, range wars were fought over water rights. Man or livestock could not live or thrive without adequate water. Years ago, well diggers were revered men. My grandfather once hired a well digger. Those that I’ve met seemed to have a certain mystique. Isaac’s father was a well digger. He knew where to find precious water and bring it up to quench the thirst of the parched and weary.

There is a secret place and a secret power unknown and untapped by most people today. Jesus lived and taught by this secret power. He revealed this secret and assures us, “But you, when you pray, go into your room and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6 NKJV).

A recent survey revealed that over 90% of Americans say that they pray on a regular basis or at least occasionally.

More Americans than ever have climbed the ladder of success. For many people, though, life is getting better while they are feeling worse.

In the February 26th issue of the Centralia Sentinel, an editorial by Gregg Easterbrook, caught my attention. The title intrigued me – “Stress is the dirty secret of success”. Mr. Easterbrook made the following observation – “Americans are finding that merely possessing the good life does not ensure happiness. This may tell us there is a ‘revolution of satisfied expectations’ – that general prosperity brings with it an empty feeling. Here is another possible explanation of the progress paradox: That along with getting better at manufacturing cell phones, DVD players, and SUV’s society gets even better at manufacturing stress.”

The spiritual side of man has always reached toward the secret, mystical realities. History has shown us the rise in secret societies, secret rites, and so called “secret” knowledge – much of which emanates from pride and prejudice.

Rhonda Byrne’s book THE SECRET has sold over 6 million copies and was endorsed by Oprah Winfrey. Byrne claims to have discovered “The Secret” that you can be a god and through your mind create your own reality, which is really the age-old deception of Satan. In short, if you think positively – good things will happen to you; if you think negatively – bad things will happen.

Some teachers you never forget. We thought Nellie Phillips was ancient. It was scary because she taught my mother and now I was in her class. The fifth and sixth grades were in the same room on the top floor of the red brick school. Mrs. Phillips was not only the teacher but she was also the schoolmaster or principle of Longfellow Grade School. Mr. Phillips was a good teacher. She was always fair but a strict disciplinarian. If you got out line or didn’t obey the rules, she might rap your knuckles with a ruler or grab you by the ear, if need be, and march you to the hallway to be disciplined.

King Manasseh was one of the most wicked kings of Judah who ruled the southern division of Israel. Manasseh had a godly heritage. His father, King Hezekiah, was one of the most righteous and devoted kings of Judah. Manasseh began his reign when he was only 12 years old. For most of the next 55 years he led Judah in idolatry and wickedness. But in the story of Manasseh we find a surprising twist in his life.

First – Consider the CORRUPTNESS OF SIN. Manasseh became corrupt, sinful, and detestable to God.

Women especially value a big rock on their finger. There’s a song that says, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” But I want to draw our attention to a rock greater than diamonds.

I’ll always remember the day that I took my granddaughter to the park to play on the swings. But instead of swinging, she sifted through the dirt and rocks until she found the treasure she was looking for. She ran over to me with her dusty outstretched hand. She said, “Here, Papa, this rock is for you just because I love you.” She then handed me a small heart-shaped rock that she had found. I still have that rock in a medicine bottle sitting on my dresser.

On a cool, beautiful morning, I recently walked a stretch of old Route 66. Very few vehicles passed me as I walked along this now mostly deserted roadbed. Route 66, which passed through the heartland of America, was one a well-traveled route for thousands who drove it, perhaps seeking job opportunities during the 1930’s, or after WWII seeking the paradise of vacation land in California. Its roadsides were once filled with thriving motels, diners, service stations, and tourist attractions.

With the coming of the modern airlines and the interstate super-highways, Route 66 began to be bypassed, neglected and abandoned. Now it is “the road less traveled.” Few travel now except maybe via nostalgic memories, or by history bluffs, or by hikers and bikers.

The pilgrim fathers of America came to a bountiful land. The first winter was harsh and they were ill prepared to survive in the wilderness. Over half of them perished from the cold, hunger, or disease. With the help of some kind Native American Indians, they were taught to grow corn and squash and to hunt for wild game to make provision through the year. The next fall they celebrated with a feast to show their gratitude to their new friends and to offer thanks to God for their bountiful harvest.

Our founding fathers openly recognized God.

I’m not an aficionado of pudding but I do like the old-fashioned, homemade type. I don’t consider the instant box type as real pudding, but homemade rice pudding, tapioca, or custard pudding – now that’s delicious. A century or so ago many people considered plum pudding a delicacy. I’ve never eaten plum pudding but if anyone makes a good plum pudding I’d be glad to sample some of it.

There is an interesting quotation dating back to at least 1615 when Miguel de Cervantes published “Don Quixote”. In his comic novel he uses the phrase, “The proof of the pudding is the eating.”

I had a lot of holes in the seat of my pants as a toddler. My mother told me that every time I would wander on to the road my dog, a shepherd mix, would grab me by the seat of the pants and drag me back. One day he grabbed me in the nick of time, saving me from a speeding car.

We recently set our clocks back from daylight savings time to standard time. We all look for ways to save time. Many times I have heard the nurse say to someone’s loved one, “It’s time.” They would whisk them off to surgery as we began a prayer vigil. What feelings flood your emotions when you hear the words “It’s time?”

Tornadoes, floods, fires, terrorists, and tragedies seem to be escalating with ever increasing intensity throughout the world. Many people ask, “What’s going on in this world? Do you think God may be trying to get our attention?”

The sorrows of the world have been afflicting the earth since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. But they do seem to be gaining momentum with ferocious frequency. Could we be coming to the end of the world as we know it? The Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day asked him, “When will the kingdom of God come?” (Luke 17:20)

They traveled from afar. It was a long journey in search of the King of Kings. All they knew was that the prophets and the stars pointed to a great king soon to be born. They followed a mysterious, magnificent star that seemed to be guiding them to where the new king should be born.

We do not know much about these wise men, magi from the east, who followed the star over mountains, deserts, and valleys in search of the Christ child – the anointed one. They had seen His star in the east and eventually it came to rest over an obscure, dusty Bethlehem. Unknown to them at the time, it was a fulfillment of a centuries old prophecy. “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” (Micah 5:2)

It’s been said that a positive, hopeful person sees a light at the end of a tunnel. A pessimist looks at the end of a tunnel and sees a train coming. We cannot really live without hope.

Before the turn of the 20th century, an asylum near Boston housed severely retarded and disturbed individuals. One of the patients, called “Little Annie”, was totally unresponsive to others in the asylum. The staff tried to help her, but to no avail. Finally she was confined to a cell in the basement of the asylum and given up as being hopeless.

A popular brand of clothing that I’ve seen many people wearing is called “Bugle Boy”. Perhaps Christians should be wearing spiritual bugle boys. I believe we are living at the end of the age when our “blessed hope” shall be fulfilled.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery, we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be changed” (I Corinthians 15: 52 NASB).

A few years ago, Michael Landon was cast as an angel in the popular television series, “Highway to Heaven.” As an angel, he was sent to help sincere, but struggling, people and urge them to take the “highway to heaven.”

In the United States, we are fortunate to have thousands of miles of the best highways in the world. We can travel just about anywhere in the country in a matter of hours or a few days at the most. But to reach your destination, you must make sure that you are on the right road, headed in the right direction. It doesn’t matter how smooth and scenic the highway might be, if you’re on the wrong highway, or going the wrong direction, you will not reach your destination.

Many of the great men and women of America have come from small and obscure places. Many have forgotten or have not become acquainted with the great contributions of “The Great Commoner,” William Jennings Bryan, who was born in 1860 in Salem, Illinois. A museum in Salem portrays some of the heritage and works of statesmanship and literature that he left behind. He was almost idolized by the masses because of his masterful oratory and as a champion who was said to have acted as “the conscience of the nation in opposing special privileges for favored groups.”

Spring has arrived! The lilacs are blooming. The cherry and apple blossoms are in full color wafting their fragrances through the air. The bees are buzzing and the birds are busy building their nests. The splendor of God’s creation is awe-inspiring

Someone recently asked me a question concerning God’s creation. “What was the first fruit?” they asked. What do you believe it was? The Word of God is silent on the specific type of fruit. Some would speculate that the first fruit was an apple. Some have even called the round like ball in the front of a man’s throat an “Adam’s Apple”.

You would expect a conquering king in ancient times to lead a procession on a prancing white steed. How incongruous that the Jews long awaited Messiah came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, the colt of an ass. In what is called “the triumphal entry” that is exactly what Jesus did. (Matthew 21) Those who knew the scriptures would know that the donkey that Jesus rode fulfilled ancient prophecy. Matthew pointed this fact out, “All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet saying, ‘Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon an ass and a colt the foal of an ass’” (Matthew 21:1-5). Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey was a direct fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9 and Isaiah 62:11.