Imagine the Possibilities: Take Action - Part 1

Homer Hickman’s biography, The Rocket Boys, details how his father encouraged him to be a coal miner, but Homer realized he was meant for something else. Discovering what he was meant to be came about in a small West Virginia coal mining town after he observed Sputnik I, Russia’s first satellite orbiting the earth. A light turned on for Homer.

After briefly working as a coal miner, Homer accepted what he believed to be his destiny. His science teacher challenged him to accept what he could do and to stay with it. Homer’s inner values would insure his success. He became an engineer who trained astronauts for some of the first space flights.

It can be difficult to believe you’re valuable to God, that He’s interested in you. Perhaps Homer heard God’s challenge from 2 Corinthians 13:5. "Examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith; test yourself. Do you not realize you are in Christ Jesus?" The values offered to you by Christ Jesus always will enrich and sustain your life. 

Endure: Press Upward and Onward - Part 3

In the decade of the 1960's, values of the previous generation came into conflict with young people, producing a period of political, social and spiritual upheaval. The sexual revolution and escape from conventional values indicated change was inevitable. The Bible, prayer and God were expelled from America’s public schools.

Protests on university campuses and other demonstrations gave voice to those seeking change. Change in a nation’s social structure doesn't come without some degree of outrage. One thing’s for sure, turbulence demands examination of basic values and the will to endure.

Our society has gone through numerous changes, and many more are sure to come. One stabilizing force in times of change is to "love the Lord your God with your complete being and love your neighbor as yourself." James 2:8 calls this the royal law because it demands for tolerance and good will to be extended to others. This command helps us stay focused on the fact that we are God's creation and he love us all equally.