Richard F. Ames

Ambitious businesspeople, athletes, politicians—and zealots of all sorts—commit their full energies to advancing their personal agendas. They will lose sleep, drive themselves and stop at almost nothing to achieve their goals. Some may strive for integrity and honesty, but many will use any deceitful tactic, lie or evil to get their way. And for what? Is their all-consuming purpose worthwhile? Will it benefit the character and quality of life of those around them? What is the real goal for which all of us should be striving?

The world seems to be divided between optimists and pessimists. But as we grieve over the mass killings in Kosovo and in Africa—as we are shocked by the murders in Columbine High School in Colorado and Heritage High School in Georgia, we all may rightly ask, "Is there any hope for the future? Is there any hope for my children and family?" Yes, there is—as we'll see.

"Midnight," according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, represents global disaster—"the figurative end of civilization". On January 17, 2007, the Bulletin moved the clock from seven minutes (last set in 2002) to five minutes to midnight!

Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect on our blessings, our purpose and our future. How thankful are we? Have we used the blessings God has given us to fulfill our national purpose and mission? Or do we even know our mission?

Saturday's hurricane headline read: "Running On Empty, Fleeing Rita, stuck in traffic." How can you flee when you are stuck in traffic? The approach of Hurricane Rita prompted nearly 3 million people—more than 2.5 million in Texas as well as hundreds of thousands in Louisiana—to evacuate their Gulf Coast homes.