A powerful military establishment, a booming economy, food in abundance, healthy citizens, prosperity abounding – all that any nation could want or hope for.

But then a prophet of God sends a message to the leader of this blessed land which said in effect, "Because of your arrogance and pride and your failure to give credit to God, your mighty nation shall loose its blessings. You are cursed. Your nation shall be brought down, to become the lowest nation on earth, and foreigners shall rule over you – from now on!"

On this mid-August morning, as I'm writing, I can look out my home-office window and see dead yellow leaves falling from the trees in the yard. That's not supposed to happen in North Carolina until late September or October!

As we opened the car door, the invigorating smell of mountain air filled our lungs. The sun was already setting behind the peak and the chill of night was beginning to envelope the cabin. A warm fire was in order for this, our first night away from the pressures of the everyday routine in quite a while. We needed this!

Science has discovered so many amazing things about our universe! A National Geographic article (March 2007), for instance, discussed the work of astrophysicist Adam Burrows which suggests that intense sound waves are the key ingredient behind supernovas, the massive explosions that destroy dying stars.

In fact, the computer models indicate that an exploding star would generate an audible tone to anyone foolishly close enough to hear it. According to the magazine it would be "roughly the F note above middle C."

It’s the Easter season, and the pastel colors are coming out! Beautiful dresses for little girls hang in the department stores, kits for coloring eggs appear on the shelves, and that elusive species of hare—the chocolate bunny—comes once again into season.

Many churches will put on shows and pageantry, attempting to depict their understanding of the final week of Jesus Christ’s life here on earth, leading to His triumphant resurrection. But some will ask themselves an important question this weekend: Does Jesus Christ really want everyone doing all of this?