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.

Christmas is about giving. God gave His greatest gift – the gift of His only begotten son. “That whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The wise men from the east followed his star to Bethlehem. When they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, they fell down and worshipped him. Then they brought their treasures and opened them. The wise men presented unto the Lord gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11) The gold was fit for a king, the frankincense for our high priest of the new covenant, and the myrrh speaks of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross.

Grandpa Os had a fruit stand where he sold peaches, apples, and melons. He was an expert in testing the ripeness of a watermelon. He would thump it with his thumb. If a customer was not convinced, he would offer to plug the melon. He would cut out a triangular plug from the watermelon and have the customer taste how ride it was. I never knew him to plug an unripe watermelon. The thumping told him when it was ripe and good for eating.

Have you been thumped lately? God allows testing and difficult situations to develop our character and bring us closer to him.

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)

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.

The scream of bombs falling through the night sky, the whining air raid sirens and explosions in the distance shook Joanne out of a fitful sleep. Fires lit up the sky throughout London. Fear and deprivation stalked Joann, my wife’s stepmother, as a young girl in England during WWII. But when the falling bombs shook her house and lit up the sky, she had a hiding place. It was not the bomb shelter her family ran to, but the 91st psalm they trusted in.

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

Could this really be the famed “fountain of youth” sought by Ponce de Leon so long ago? My wife and I certainly felt invigorated as we walked and splashed along the sandy bottom of Spring Run and Sandy Creek. The stream that flowed from Ponce de Leon spring was cold and crystal clear.

We thanked our gracious hosts, Ron and Jane, as they shared some beautiful sights in western Florida. Perhaps these springs were the “fountain of youth” associated with the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. Ponce de Leon made a fortune as governor of Puerto Rico from 1509 to 1512.

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”.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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!”

Christianity is unique because Christ is unique. No other religion’s god gave their life as a sacrifice for their people in fulfillment of prophecy. No other god died and arose from the dead as the Son of God did. Good Friday and Easter (Resurrection Sunday) are the most holy days of the Christian calendar. Just as the Day of Atonement and Passover are in the Jewish calendar.

The sufferings and passion of Christ were prophesied (foretold) centuries before Jesus Christ was born in fulfillment of scripture. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29).

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.

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.