My father used to tell me, "On you wellest day, you're sick enough to die."  It sounds morbid doesn't it?  But he would use this statement to remind me that I didn't know everything, I couldn't do it all by myself, and from time to time I needed to ask for help.  My teenage cockiness would subside (temporarily) as he reminded me of my humanity with this poignant statement.

As I look back, though I chuckle at my father's frankness, I have to admit that he spoke with wisdom.  The fact is, we all have circumstances that occur in life that may seem impossible to overcome.  Great leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King had obstacles in their lives, but they overcame them to accomplish historic feats for their generations.  The Bible sites stories of leaders who faced impossible barriers, yet they are remembered for their triumph over them.

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It's springtime!  This is my favorite time of year.  That's because spring says LIFE, new life.  To me it seems like spring gives everything outside a fresh new energy.  See the blossoms and the flowers blooming.  New grass, new leaves, oh I love it.  This is my season. 

Now think back to winter for a moment.  In my region of the country we had a horrible winter.  I remember the schools being closed several times because of the weather.  Ice storms, record cold, 4-foot snow drifts -- our winter was treacherous.  But as I look around me now, I see the new life springing up all around.  Winter's over...it's time to bloom!

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I haven't written in a while because my heart has been heavy for this nation.  When I read the headlines -- our children aren't safe anymore, our leaders are falling, our financial institutions are crumbling -- I sense that our nation is suffering major cracks in the foundation upon which it was built.  And that foundation has been the root of our heritage, the principles found in the Bible, the Word of God. 

Jesus said, "Whom the Son sets free is free indeed."  He raised up America, using godly men and women, with the intent to make this country a Christian nation, a light of freedom to shine on the whole world.  Though the framers of this nation were far from perfect, they had within them the fire of God to build this country upon God's Word.  And God has blessed America to become a beacon of freedom and prosperity.  But my distress is that we have used our liberty as a shield against obedience to God's precepts.  There are cracks in the foundation of this country and if we don't work to fix them, this nation will fall and its glorious light of freedom will be dimmed.  We're cracking up.

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Democrat!  Republican!  Liberal! Conservative!  Pro-this, anti-that! Race, gender, experience, religion, Ahhhhhh!  This is the time of year when we hear so much rhetoric, so many promises, slogans, ads, debates -- and why?  Because all the candidates want our votes.  Will they do what they say?  If they do, they'll be the first.  Each party has its platform, its system of operation.  The republican platform says lower taxes, less government.  The democratic platform promises more opportunities, less poverty. 

As I attempt to sift through the burrage of speeches and debates, I am finding it difficult to know who will be the best for our country.  I wish I could pick a candidate who would truly do what he says he will do.  My choice would be Jesus, the Candidate. 

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For several years I have made it a practice to exercise at a local recreation center.  I have become acquainted with the regulars, and I recognize the "seasonals".  The seasonals are the folk who show up after the Christmas season to fulfill their New Year's resolutions.  In January the walking track is shoulder-to-shoulder, clogged with seasonals determined to lose weight and get in shape.  As time goes by, this crowd thins.  Inevitably, by mid-March the throng of seasonals has dwindled to few or none.

Many of us make annual resolutions.  Rarely are these promises kept, though we make them with pure intentions.  In our frailty we fail, feel guilty, and wait until next year to make the resolution again.  A resolution, according to the dictionary, has three components: 1) a formal expression of opinion,  2) a decision, and 3) firmness of purpose.  Any resolution we make possesses these three attributes.  For example my seasonal fitness enthusiasts go through these stages: 

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