I could see the brilliant colored race cars whizzing around the oval track. A deafening roar erupted from the crowd in the grandstands. The race official waved the checkered flag as multitudes of brilliantly hued cars zoomed across the finish line to exuberant shouts and applause. No it wasn’t the Daytona 500. It was a race so vivid in my mind’s eye that it seemed I was right there.

It’s said that NASCAR racing is the number one sport in America. Fans travel thousands of miles to watch their favorite driver race. A government official earned the ire of NASCAR fans when he ordered his employee’s to get inoculated before visiting various racetracks.

Summer is almost over. School is back in session. The big yellow school bus stopped in front of me and it seemed odd to be behind the wheel of my car rather than in the driver’s seat of the bus. I reflected on the 17 years that I drove a school bus to supplement our income while pasturing a small church. I enjoyed it, but, I must confess, toward the end of the school year I was ready for a vacation.

To drive or ride a school bus safely there must be some rules and guidelines. Many of these guidelines can apply to us in a spiritual sense in life’s journey. Consider some of the lessons I learned while driving a big yellow school bus.

Someone described the Bible using the acrostic: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. I like that! A mother gave her son a Bible before he went to war. She wrote on the flyleaf, “This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book.” That soldier became my Bible college Professor.

At a prison church service the men were given the opportunity to tell how they came to Christ. A young man shared with us that when he was in the county jail someone gave him a Bible. He intended to use it to roll some smokes when he ran out of cigarettes. He carried it around for days so no one else would take it. The thought came to him that he should at least read some of it before he made his smokes. He began reading the New Testament where he met Jesus the Son of God and committed his life to Christ. His life is being transformed as he devours the Word of God in prison.

The New Year will bring new victories. There is no doubt about it. But every victory has a battle. We have an adversary and a devourer of the souls of men. (I Peter 5:8) We are commanded to stand firm against the devil and stand strong in the faith.

Jehoshaphat was one of the godliest kings of Judah. A vast army of enemy nations was marching against him with one intent in mind – to destroy him and his witness of the One and Only God. When Jehoshaphat cried out to the Lord and God sent His Word, “Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours but God’s . . . Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory” (II Chronicles 20:15-17 NLT).

Gene was the embodiment of the movie “A River Runs Through It”. He was an expert in the art of fly casting. He even tied his own flies. I longed to learn the art of fly casting from him. But, alas, we moved from North Dakota and I never did learn to fly cast.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “casting”? It has many interesting and varied uses.

The Word of God instructs us in the art of casting in many scriptures. Jesus even taught His disciples how to cast their nets for a great catch of fish. (Luke 5:5; John 21:6) How much time, work, and energy we would save if we would follow the Lord’s direction and in faith and obedience cast our net where He tells us.

The 101st Airborne Division has become renowned for its bravery, rapid deployment, and prowess against the enemy. I have friends who have served with distinction in that historic unit.

King David was a great and valiant military leader. Even more so, David was a passionate spiritual leader who went hard after God. He knew what it was to fall into sin, but he also knew that God is “rich in mercy”. I love the sweet sound of this scripture, “But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us” (Ephesians 2:4 KFV). David learned not only how to fight the enemies of Israel but also the enemy of the soul – Satan.

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.

Charise went on a dare. At her friend’s urging she went to a “reading”. She thought it was all harmless fun. But when the fortune-teller began to reveal details about her life that she had never shared with anyone, she became alarmed. Cold chills went up and down her spine. Later, at her home, strange things began to happen. Knocking on her walls and shadowy figures seemed to be watching her when she was alone.

Mitch was stressed out and depressed since he had been laid off from his job. One night, as he was watching television, he saw a phone number for a psychic hot line. Before he knew it, he had hundreds of dollars charged to his credit card.

God loves the city. Not only does He love us, and not only does He love the church (Ephesians 5:25-27), God love cities. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they did not know “the time of God’s visitation” (Luke 19:41, 44). God loved the great and ancient city of Ninevah and sent the prophet Jonah to preach repentance so that He could bless it and not have to judge it (Jonah 4:11 TLT). There are over 500 references to the city in the Bible.

If God cares so much about the city, then we should love and take pride in our city. Pride can be negative or positive, destructive or healthy. “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2 TLT). We will use the word pride in the positive sense, such as having pleasure or satisfaction in something, as when one takes pride in keeping their house or yard clean.

Golf can be intriguing, fun, challenging, and, at times, frustrating. I don’t play much golf anymore. It’s become too expensive for one thing. It’s not the greens fees that bother me as much as the broken window fees.

Golf has been called the true gentleman’s sport. If you hit a bad shot off the tee, your partner can let you take a mulligan. A mulligan is a second chance. God is the God of the second chance. The Bible calls it grace. King David messed up big time. When he confessed his sins and repented, God forgave and restored him. “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:8-12).

If you have missed the mark, take a mulligan. Jesus paid for it by dying on the cross for our sins. Peter denied his Lord three times.

In the 60’s and 70’s there emerged an American rock band referred to as CCR or Creedence Clearwater Revival. I enjoyed the sound of what some called swamp rock. But there also emerged at that time a revival movement called The Jesus Movement. That’s why I particularly like the name Clearwater Revival. If I were to have a Christian rock band, I think I would call it Sweetwater Revival. My voice is getting froggy and is far inferior to John Fogerty of CCR, so I promise not to sing, but maybe by grandson Taet will let me play his Taylor guitar in Sweetwater Revival.

Most people in the world seek purpose, success, significance, and love. Each day millions of people hope, covet, and labor to obtain these profound yet elusive ideals. Those who pursue happiness and meaning in life by grasping for riches, fame, or power seldom if ever obtain true contentment and happiness.

Is it possible to have a sense of purpose? To feel special in this world of more than six billion people? To prosper spiritually and financially? God gives us His Word and says, “Yes!”

Let’s look at some principles of enjoying supernatural prosperity.

People in America spend millions of dollars annually for purified water. Would to God that purity of soul and mind would be more important to people. Purity of soul is a determining factor in our spiritual health, power, and place with God.

A few years ago I had a terrifying dream of black, filthy, and ferocious looking ducks climbing out of the sewer in the basement of homes. They ascended up a sliding-board into the rooms of the homes. I was busy swatting and chasing them out of the rooms, back down the sliding-board, and back into the sewer.

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.

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?

One of the delights of spring is the colorful array of flowers. This Easter I observed busy florists surprising fortunate recipients with the delivery of dazzling floral arrangements.

During Easter families have various traditions. On Easter and Memorial Day my family visited the cemetery. For several years we put flowers on the graves of my two brothers and a cousin who were victims of a drunk driver when they were just teenagers. A few years later we added flowers to my dad’s grave who died at the age of 52 from cancer. Over the years the recipients of the graveside flowers has grown considerably.

I enjoy Daylight Savings Time. It makes life a little easier and more delightful. Little Johnny and Suzie don’t have to wait for the bus in the dark. More commuters can get home from work while it is still daylight and people generally function better with more sunlight. Time being outdoors is lengthened. Now congress has decided that people can save energy by moving Daylight Savings Time to an earlier date – March 11th. I don’t particularly like the overabundance of legislation in our personal lives but I do enjoy saving daylight.

Did you know that God is for saving daylight? Spiritually speaking, we are taught to live our lives on “Daylight Savings Time”. Consider some scriptural advice on saving daylight.

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.

Revival. What comes to your mind when you see that word? Some may think of the rock group “Credence Clear Water Revival”. For some it is a word on a church sign. Architects may refer to Greek revival. In Effingham, IL Mid-America Motors sponsors a Volkswagen festival and a Corvette revival each year. Recently over 1,000 VW’s converged on Mid-America Motors and enthusiasts showcased their restored vehicles. In September 1,000’s will view restored Corvettes. It takes much time, talent, and money to restore classic cars.

More than anything else in America we need a spiritual restoration – a national revival. America has strayed from its roots and lost her moral compass.

As I leaned back in my favorite La-Z-Boy recliner and closed my eyes, my granddaughter walked into the living room. “What are you doing PaPa?” she asked. “I’m just resting my eyes,” I replied. The other day she asked, “PaPa, are you going into the room where you rest you’re eyes?” I guess she noticed I enjoy going into “my” room, kicking back, and “resting my eyes”.

We all will one day “rest our eyes” in death. The Word of God tells us, “It is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). In the old west, when pioneers and settlers would bury someone, they would often erect a wooden grave marker with R.I.P. inscribed on it. One child remarked to his parents, “There sure were a lot of people named ‘RIP’ around here.” R.I.P. was a short sentiment that would fit easily on the marker – Rest In Peace.

Some people seem to enjoy “raising cane”. But I’m amazed at four friends who were so full of compassion that they literally razed the roof to get help for their paralyzed friend, who was sick with palsy.

A roof can be a really hot place to be. My brother-in-law and I recently shingled my mother’s roof. With temperatures soaring to over a hundred degrees on the roof, I’d rather had been in the comfort of the air-conditioned house. But the work needed done. Sometimes there is a price to pay to get help for your friends and family. These four friends knew that if they could get their sick friend to Jesus, he would be made well. (See Mark 2:1-12.)

Her brother was gravely ill. An urgent message was sent to her brother’s best friend. “Please come quickly, your friend is dying.” Lazarus died. Martha and Mary were devastated. Why did Jesus not come? He, the miracle worker, could have healed their brother. Was Jesus so uncaring that He refused to take a short walk to Bethany? Why did he wait four days? Why did he wait until Lazarus was already dead?

Jesus said something astounding to His disciples, “Lazarus’ sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God. I, the Son of God, will receive glory from this” (John 11:14, TLT). How would God be glorified? Because Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, proving He was who He claimed to be – the Son of God. (See John 11:1-44.)

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.

Springtime is seed time. There can be no harvest without planting. Two things must precede planting. First – you must envision what type of harvest you want. Do you want pumpkins, apples, corn, or tomatoes? We envision the harvest and plant accordingly. Jesus told us to envision the ripened harvest fields of souls. (Matthew 9:37-38) Second – before seeds are planted, the soil must be broken up and prepared to receive the seed. Prayer prepares the soil of the heart to receive the seed of the life giving Word of God.

The harvest is now ripe in jails and prisons. Not all can go, but all believers can pray. As you pray, here are some things to pray for. One way to pray for harvest and harvesters is to go through the alphabet and use it to pray A – Z. I’ll give some examples of what to pray for using each letter, but add your own.