Richard F. Ames

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.

On July 4, 2005, NASA's Deep Impact probe completed its scientific mission by colliding with comet Tempel 1 at a speed of more than 23,000 miles per hour. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California reported: "Deep Impact scientists theorize the 820-pound impactor vaporized deep below the comet's surface when the two collided." Scientists want to know more about the nature of comets.