What would you do if you were thrown in a den of ferocious, hungry lion? Would you run, scream, faint, or pray up a storm? In all probability you very likely would perish. But Daniel, counselor to kings, spent a night in a lion’s den and lived to tell about it. Why did he survive? Daniel didn’t wait until he was thrown in a lion’s den to pray – he lived a life of prayer.

Daniel’s enemies coveted his job and sought to destroy him. (Daniel 6) The only thing they could find against Daniel was that in their view he prayed too much. So they plotted to have the king throw Daniel into the lion’s den.

Constantine the Great, emperor of Rome, saw it blazing high in the sky and it changed his life and the course of the Roman Empire. According to Eusebius, while Constantine was fighting his rival Maxentius in 312 he saw in the sky a fiery cross and the words “By this sign conquer.” He adopted the cross as his symbol, killed Maxentius, and issued an edict that Christianity would be tolerated throughout the Roman Empire. Constantine promoted humanitarian reforms and in 321 made Sunday a holiday. He was later baptized on his deathbed. When Constantine lifted high the cross he conquered.

Years ago I came across a placard that read, “Life is fragile – handle with care.” Yes, life is fragile. Several years ago that became more than a slogan and more than a trite cliché. It became all the more too real when grief-stricken, I stood at the graves of my two teenage brothers and a cousin. A drinking driver hit them head-on. Like numerous others, as I stood in the rain that dark afternoon I asked, “Why, God?” One thing I have learned – “Life is fragile.” No one has a guarantee of tomorrow. But there is hope. In high school I had a bumper sticker on my old ’55 Ford that became more than a cliché – “Life is short, but eternity is sure.”

Working in the emergency room of a hospital can be extremely hectic and demanding. Recently my cousin’s wife started a second career as an EMT in the ER. She could tell you how stressful it is at times and yet rewarding.

Perhaps, like me, you feel that you have been in life’s ER for most of your life. Life in the ER is a daily encounter with trauma, tragedy, and tears, but there are also times of joyous triumph. Job was one of the most severely tested men in the Bible. He experienced life in the ER – life full of trauma, tragedy, and tears.

Dear friend,

Over the years, we have conversed about the existence of God. We have discussed creation and the unlikely theory that this vast, varied, and complex universe could have just come into existence by accident or have evolved over a trillion years. We have considered the Apostle Paul’s argument that from the creation of the world people have seen the earth and the sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they are without excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. (See Romans 1:19-20.)

My cousin flies helicopters. This past Memorial Day I enjoyed having a conversation with him at the annual family barbeque. He recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq and is scheduled to return in December. Perhaps he thought my question a little strange when I asked, “Did you realize that you were flying over the very cradle of civilization?” He replied that he had been more focused on doing his duty and returning home to his family.

Iraq is intriguing because it is the area of ancient Babylon. The Garden of Eden was located there as well as the Tower of Babel.

They swarmed around us. I initially thought they were flies of some sort, that is until my four-year-old grandson started screaming and my son dropped to his knees in pain. My son had consented to help me move some cement blocks away from a fence. We had inadvertently disturbed a bee’s nest. My grandson was stung four times and my son nine times before they could get away.

As painful as that experience was, we can learn some valuable lessons from the bees. We’ve all heard about “the birds and the bees,” but let’s consider some other of the numerous lessons we can learn from the bees.

Has your heart been pierced by cupids arrow? You’ve vowed to “love and to cherish until death do us part”, but now you find your love diminishing? Many work to woo and win their love but then leave their marriage to chance. Whatever we don’t work at or pray about in our life, we leave up to chance. That’s not good enough when it comes to marriage. The problem with chance in a marriage is chances are there will be some difficulties. Chances are there will be disagreements, misunderstandings, and hurts. That’s because we are all human. If we leave the outcome of marriage to chance, chances are it will fail.

Jake was a junkyard dog. A bull-terrier mix, Jake was massive, muscular, and mean. During the day Jake was chained up to an old dilapidated dog house that had his name painted haphazardly on the front with white paint. Mostly brown in color, Jake sported scars and scrapes of numerous fights. A couple of hubcaps served as food and water dishes and collected rainwater for him to drink.

At night Mr. T, the junkyard owner, would turn Jake loose to guard the inside of the yard. Sometimes my friends and I would ride bicycles past the side of the junkyard where the corrugated tin covering the fence was missing.

“Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!” exclaimed Frank as he waved his arms up and down like a goose ready for flight. Frank was an old retired carpenter who worked with us on the farm when I was a teenager. It tickled me to hear him use his favorite expression. One summer day I was on a tractor mowing weeds. I accidentally got into an overgrown weed patch that happened to be the garden of the man who was the milker at the dairy barn. Bob lived in a trailer nearby. When Frank saw where I was mowing, he ran toward me waving his arms and shouting, “Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat! Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!” Unfortunately he was too late and most of the overgrown garden was a goner. Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!

Jonah was a powerful prophet of God. One day God commissioned him to preach to the great and wicked city of Nineveh. God saw their violence and perversion and was determined to send terrible judgment upon them.

God’s prophet despised and abhorred the heathen Ninevites. So much so that he booked passage on a ship that would take him as far away from them as possible. He knew if he told them what God had said they might repent and be spared. He wanted God to punish the ruthless Ninevites – not pardon them. So Jonah ran away.

Glorious things have happened on Mt Hermon in Israel. In the gospel of Mark chapter 9 we find the brief but far reaching account of Jesus taking three of his disciples to the top of Mt Hermon. There, before the disciples, Jesus’ appearance was radically changed. He was “transfigured” and his clothes became gleaming white – whiter than any earthly process could ever make them. (Mark 9:2-12 NLT) Then something extraordinary happened – Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. What did Moses and Elijah talk about? They talked about how the scriptures foretold of the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. (Mark 9:12-13)

How you greet life many times reveals what is in your heart. I once greeted someone with the expression, “Good day.” He replied, “What’s good about it?” When another gentleman is asked, “How are you?” he always responds, “Marvelous!”

Many people do not feel their life is so wonderful. They feel cheated, disillusioned, and disappointed in life. This Christmas season I’ll probably once again watch the movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life.” It’s the story of a young man who was disappointed in the way his life turned out. George Bailey was a dreamer.

A few days ago I was having a conversation with my grandson, Elijah. I made a comment that must have gotten his attention. I don’t remember what I said but Elijah asked, “Did you read that in the Bible, PaPa?

Elijah is just learning to read but he knows that what’s in the Bible is important. Sadly, many adults in America know how to read and have free access to the Holy Bible but have never read it and have no clue as to what’s in the Bible.

Please ask yourself this question – Is God pro-life? Absolutely! There is no doubt about it. God’s Word is unmistakable. “Thou shall not kill” is one of the Ten Commandments. “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). God is the Creator and sustainer of life.

Once, while discussing the abortion issue with a politician, the remark was made that abortion is a moral issue. I concurred. But is not the law of our land and Judeo-Christian ethics based on the concept of a moral God and moral code?

It’s been said that blood is thicker than water. It’s natural and normal for families to stick together and care for one another. Even though there may be disagreements, imperfections, and family issues that all families contend with, there is an inherent quality that says, “Blood is thicker than water.” Jesus stated that, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste and any city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew 12:25 NASB). Strong, loving families living in peace and unity are vital for the health and happiness of society and the individual. The Psalmist declared “God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land” (Psalm 68:9).

My grandmother made a journey in a covered wagon from Kansas City back to Illinois when she was a baby. During the westward expansion of America, her parents, like so many other pioneers, endured many hardships and dangers along the trail. Their dream and hope of free land and a new start in the west spurred them on. Some proclaimed their determination to cross the formidable Rocky Mountains with placards on their wagons. One such sign read, “Pike’s Peak or Bust!”

Like the pilgrims and pioneers of early America, multitudes throughout the centuries have traveled with hope and determination toward a new and eternal promised land called “Heaven”. There are many obstacles, dangers, and enemies to discourage and deter weary pilgrims from reaching heaven’s shore. But the hope and assurance of heaven spurs them on.

I didn’t receive a lot of spankings as a child. But I believe I remember every one I got from my dad. One particular one is very vivid in my memory. I enjoyed throwing a baseball, bouncing it off the front porch steps, and catching it. My dad told me not to do it. Why not? What would it hurt? Besides how would I ever break into the major leagues if I didn’t practice?

Shortly after my dad’s warning, I was once again bouncing the ball off the front steps. The ball took a wicked hop and went crashing through the bedroom window where my dad just happened to be resting.

A harried housewife hurried through the crowded store with her whining children in tow. The ringing bells of the Salvation Army grated on her nerves. The press of jostling people vying for the season’s most prized doll wearied her. Finally, reaching the checkout counter, she unloaded her items and exclaimed, “Whoever came up with Christmas anyway?”

Businesses wish their customers a “Happy Holiday”, yet many are not happy. For many the holidays are a time of tiredness, loneliness, depression, or disappointment. How can we prepare to have a happy holiday? Consider some safeguards that will help you enjoy the upcoming holidays.

“Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row.”

Most people today don’t consider the moral of a nursery rhyme. But how does your garden grow? I love the beauty of a well kept garden. But a garden requires diligence and work. Perhaps Mary was too contrary to put forth the effort to keep her garden. Man was created and put in the original Garden of Eden to “dress” and keep it. It was in a garden that Jesus agonized in prayer as he surrendered to God the Father’s will.

I sat in the courtroom on a wooden pew surrounded by rich wood paneled walls. As I looked toward the judge’s bench at the front of the courtroom, the bailiff commanded all to rise and announced the entrance of the Honorable Judge Slater, as court was called into session.

I felt admiration and respect for the judge as he was referred to as “your honor” when addressed. Did “his honor” have respect because of his title, family name, money, or social/class standing? Probably not. “His honor” had been a classmate of mine and, on occasion, we had even driven livestock into the showering of his grandfather’s sale barn. While being a man of good moral character, “his honor” was shown respect, even by his enemies, because he represented the law of the land.

I enjoy finding hidden treasure at garage sales. One man’s junk can be another man’s treasure. I especially delight in finding old classic books at low prices. Some may call me cheap, but I detest paying $20 -$30 for a book when I can find one I value for $2 - $4. I’ve been thrilled at the find of first edition books by Charles Dickens, a Moby Dick, a Ben Hur, books by Andrew Murray, or A Treasury of David by Spurgeon that was headed to the dump.

Have you felt like giving up lately? Here’s hope for you – our great and mighty God loves you and has a way out. Hang on! Don’t give up hope.

We live in a world of trouble, terror, and trials. Since the sin and fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the serpent of old has engendered strife and stress, fear and failure, depression and destruction. Jesus told us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they might have life and might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

It was the most painful and stressful period in my adult life. It was a wilderness experience, “the dark night of the soul”.

For many October 31st is a time for fun and games. It’s a time for pranks and parties, for trick or treating, a time of dressing in costumes of ghouls, ghosts, and goblins, devils and Dracula’s, or witches and warlocks. Some view it as the highest unholy night and worship Satan. Some think of it as simply silly superstitions. But the devil is real and hell is real, hot, and horrible.

Because hell is such a terrible place, Jesus taught about it and warned of the awful consequences for those who go there.

As I drove over the Jefferson Barracks Bridge back into Illinois, I was in awe as I took in the row after row of white grave markers that seemed to flow up and down the green hillside of Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. How many thousands of soldiers lie under the sod of the cemeteries of America, those who served our country, to protect and insure our freedom? Our hats go off to you.

This Memorial Day many will flock to the lakes, beaches, and parks on holiday. Many people will have no thought of those who served to safeguard our freedom.