Consider this

                Two young children spent the summer on their grandparent’s farm.   It was a beautiful place with rolling hills, lots of trees and, most notably, a duck pond.                   One day, the little boy was out playing with his slingshot when he thought to himself, “I wonder if I can hit one of the ducks”.   Grabbing a stone, he took aim and hit the duck in the head, killing it instantly.   Looking around to see if anyone had witnessed what had just happened, he saw no one, so he decided to keep the secret to himself.                 That night, after the grandparents had tucked them in bed and turned out the light, a small voice cut through the darkness.   “I saw what you did today”, his little sister said.   “But I won’t say anything, if you do my chores for me”.    Feeling like he had no choice, the boy agreed.   Every time it was he

 Life rarely unfolds in easy to understand patterns and that leaves many wishing for step by step instructions showing what to do next.   If you are facing an uncertain future, maybe this passage, written thousands of years ago, will help. “When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: ‘Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.’ The officers shall say to the army… ‘Is anyone afr

                  David, Israel’s second king, ruled from 1010-970 BC.   Near the end, he gathered the people and declared, “The Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel... [and now] of all my sons—and the Lord has given me many—he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel (I Chronicles 28:4-5).   That would have been a shocking statement to those in attendance.   Why?   Solomon’s mother was Bathsheba and the story of how she became one of David’s wives is not a good one.   Long story short, she was married to a soldier named Uriah.   Ignoring this fact, David sends for her and sleeps with her.   When Bathsheba sends word that she is going to have his baby, David tries to cover up the entire affair by having her husband recalled from his mili