“Next week, I am heading south for a vacation. In two months time, I am planning to start my Harvard off-campus non-credit course on Water Fowl Ornithology. I’m into ducks and geese. A bit of a hobby, I guess. But I am running out of spare time. There is such a need in our city for good leadership, I am going to take a run at the mayor’s position in the upcoming civic election. My term on the “Christians for Social Development” Board will last five years with an opportunity to serve a second term. I am just run off my feet. Our architect has been working on plans for our new home for over a year now. We will be turning the sod in three months time. After I get home from my business trip to Paris, I hope to organize a neighborhood meeting to start developing a long range plan for a green space bird habitat ……..”

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Why did they pick Maggie to be the Sunday School teacher? Why is it that Phil was asked to be responsible for arranging the speakers for the next month? Why did they ask Sarah to take charge of ensuring the waiting rooms at the hospitals and doctors' offices always have current issues of the Gospel magazine?

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The Book of Daniel isn't the easiest book in the Bible to read and understand. Having said that, I always enjoy the story of the young Jewish captives standing tall for God in Babylon. Their fiery furnace ordeal and triumph is awesome. It’s hard to beat the story of the hungry lions that left Daniel uneaten and unharmed. Even the story of King Belteshazzar being terrified as the mystery hand interrupted the big party by writing a message of doom on the wall.....well, it is just one of those classic stories that has lasting appeal and meaning. But Daniel is also a key book for those who enjoy history and future events.

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“I can’t walk another step. I’m just exhausted. Totally wiped!” I’ve only hiked up one mountain in my lifetime, and I vividly recall my steps getting slower and my breathing heavier. I also recall sitting down more than once on the journey upwards.

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Okay - what is going on? I know the Lord is in control. He directs the wind. He sends the showers. I even know the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord and just like the twists and turns of a river, the Lord is able to direct the heart of a mighty king. (Proverbs 21:1) But can there be any meaningful purpose in this latest development in my life?

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I've never been too swift at figuring out my family tree once it goes much beyond my immediate family. For example, I can’t tell you who my 2nd cousins once removed are – probably because I don’t have the concept straight in my mind. But I think I have this straight: when we read in Esther 2:7 about Mordecai's uncle's daughter, I think it means Esther was his cousin. If that’s not right, I am sure someone will let me know.

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How much effort do I put into discovering the greatest treasure in the universe? Thousands of people from around the world come to Oak Island in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia to search for the fabled Captain Kidd’s treasure. Since the 1600’s there have been stories that Captain William Kidd buried a hoard of treasures on an island ‘east of Boston’. People like President Franklin D. Roosevelt, John Wayne and others have been lured to this little island in pursuit of the treasure. Millions of dollars have been spent and six lives lost in the last 200 years as people have searched for the elusive treasure. They aren’t sure of the exact spot where it is buried. Maybe with the new long range directional detector, that uses the Biotronic Classifier System and locates only Gold, just maybe someone will have better success locating Captain Kidd’s gold.

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I am not sure if I have actually blatantly thought this, but maybe it has eroded my enthusiasm at times to do the little things that could be done. The thinking goes like this: "what difference would it make anyway? It is so insignificant, I can't be bothered doing it." Could a coffee with a person actually make a difference in their life? Giving a sweater to someone, well, how could that help the cause? Visiting the child with a sore throat and ear infection? "Nah, its not my thing! The kid probably could care less if I dropped by." Pretty small stuff, eh?

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It was a bad scene from beginning to end. Mother Rebekah was determined that Jacob would receive the family blessing - not his older twin Esau. The Lord had already told her the oldest twin would serve the younger, but she felt she had to take matters into her own hands to help the Lord accomplish His purposes. When it seemed that Esau the eldest son was going to get the family blessing from Patriarch Isaac, mom swung into high gear. "No way! It can't happen like this. I must come up with a plan!" She concocted a scheme for Jacob to disguise himself and to pretend that he was Esau bringing his father's favorite meal to him.

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