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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

Fall is a bittersweet time of the year. The dazzling fall foliage and the mysterious migratory flight of birds and butterflies are awe-inspiring. But the deadness of winter saddens me. Yet, I realize that without seasons of life there would be no spring of new life.

If you are in the fall or winter of your life, God has good news. He offers hope in your season of life. We must all go through the seasons of life irrespective of who you are or how hard you try to curtail or prolong the seasons of your life.

The good news is that your strength can be renewed like the eagles. (See Isaiah 40:28-31.)

Have you ever been bone-tired and weary? I’m ready for our annual pilgrimage to see the eagles. As we drive along the scenic Great River Road on the way to Pere Marquette State Park, I anticipate the exhilaration that comes when I see the eagles soaring overhead. I remember that same feeling several years ago while hiking up the backside of a mountain in Yosemite National Park and hearing the majestic call of an eagle. Now within an hour’s drive from home we have the privilege of viewing what few American’s ever see up close and personal – the American Bald Eagle.

God speaks to us in many different ways. If we would only listen, we would hear his voice. Of course a word from the Lord is always in agreement with the Word of God – the Bible. God gave me a word a few days ago through the Merry Maids. I had been praying concerning a certain situation. One evening I was driving down the highway, praying as I went toward home. I saw an interesting billboard. It was an advertisement from a house-cleaning service – The Merry Maids. In large simple letters the sign read – “RELAX – IT’S DONE!” I imagine the company was telling us that if you hired The Merry Maids to do your house cleaning you could go home and “relax – it’s done!”

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.)

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.