Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the

King James Holy Bible or Holy Bible, New Living T ranslation, copyright
1996, 2004, 2007 by T yndale House Foundation. Used by permission
of T yndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All
rights reserved.

T HE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INT ERNAT IONAL VERSION, NIV

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica Inc. Used by
permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982
by T homas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995,

1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing
Group.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified Bible. Copyright

1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by T he Lockman Foundation.
Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) Scarred, by Dave Roever with
Kathy Koch, PhD, Roever Communications, copyright 1995 by Dave
Roever, P.O. Box 136130 Fort Worth, T X 76136.

T his book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in any

retrieval system, transmitted in any form, by any means, without written
permission of the author.

Copyright 2013 Ada Brownell

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 1489558284
ISBN 13: 9781489558282
eBook ISBN: 978-1-63003-084-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013909788
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform North Charleston, South
Carolina
This book is dedicated to Melissa, Gabe, Layla, McKenzie,
Stone, Justin, Kirk, Brendan, Olyvia, Emily, Tyler, and Keira
outstanding young people in our family.
Note from the author:

Imagine the Future You is filled with ideas and illustrations

about how to be a success. Why bring God into a book about
preparing for your future? Because the Creator is involved in
the future of individuals, humankind, nations, the world, and
will change things when we pray. From George Washington
to George W. Bush and Barack Obama, U.S. presidents
prayed, especially in crises. You can find and read many of
their historical prayers. God heard because America has been
blessed.
Parts of this book are to give you evidence for belief in God.
Believing is a choice, but much of the education and media in
the United States is designed to keep you from believing in
your Creator.
God has been in your future from conception (See Psalm 139),
loves you, keeps track of the hairs on your head (Luke 12:7)
and will never leave or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). For I
know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and
a future (Jeremiah 29:11). He wants to give you abundant
life (John 10:10), prepare the way before you, keep you and
guide and lead you to heaven. But He will only come into
your life if you invite Him (Revelation 3:20). With the Lord,
youll have a blessed future, not only on earth, but for
eternity.
CHAPTER 1: IMAGINE YOUR STORY
CHAPTER 2: IMAGINE YOUR NAMES FAME
CHAPTER 3: IMAGINE A UNIQUE YOU
CHAPTER 4: IMAGINE YOU AS AN OLDER ADULT
CHAPTER 5: IMAGINE YOUR MENTAL WEALTH
CHAPTER 6: IMAGINE YOU FALLING IN LOVE
CHAPTER 7: IMAGINE YOU ON YOUR WEDDING DAY
CHAPTER 8: IIMAGINE GOD CHANGING
YOUR FUTURE
CHAPTER 9: IMAGINE WHY BELIEVING IN
JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING
CHAPTER 10: IMAGINE ENTERING THE
FUTURE AT YOUR BEST
CHAPTER 11: IMAGINE YOU CAPTURED
BY EXCEPTIONAL LOVE
CHAPTER 12: IMAGINE THE CREATOR
LISTENING TO YOU
CHAPTER 13: IMAGINE YOU ACHIEVING
YOUR DREAMS
QUESTIONS: TEST YOURSELF
 Its a suspenseful tale

S
leep dropped Amanda near the church steps. A foggy mist
appeared, and out of it appeared a tall young man, a smile on
his tanned face. He reached for her hand, took it to his soft lips,
and kissed it like a suitor from another century.
The breeze ruffled his thick brown hair. Hello. Im your
future husband. Surprised? Ive been waiting for you. I will
continue to hold back from serious relationships because I
want to spend my life with a special woman like you. Could I
ask you to do a few things for me?
Li-like what? Amanda stammered, staring at his intense
brown eyes.
Stay pure like you are. Dont allow yourself to be sucked
into the worlds mold. You are unique, and thats why I chose
you. God will prepare us for the exceptional love we will have.
Will you allow the Lord to do this in you?
Amanda, stunned, nodded with tears glistening in her
eyes.
He stepped closer. Dream about your future and who you
will become. His slightly whiskered cheeks crinkled as he
flashed a white smile. With God all things are possible.
The man pulled her into his arms, hugged her gently, and
disappeared.
Dreams, especially daydreams, are an important part of our
lives. Dream big and work toward your goals, and youll write a
story with your life that will cause satisfaction beyond what
would occur if you were a celebrity who plays roles of fictional
folks.
Whether our story is a tragedy or a cherished classic
depends greatly on whom we want to become and whether we
pursue our dreams.
The decisions we make ourselves affect our tomorrows
more than decisions made for us. We control our attitudes, our
work ethic, our sense of wonder, and our faith to believe for
great things. Determination to never give up arises in our own
spirits.
This book is about believing in yourself, people who can
teach and help you, and most important of allthe One who
made you. We all need courage to embrace the future!
The beautiful tune Dust in the Wind, 1 recently brought
back on American Idol, tells a mournful story of how dreams
and lives blow away into nothing but dust. How such a
beautiful melody could have these discouraging words is
beyond me. Life is a wonderful thing and can be glorious here
and forever and ever! Yet, unless we carefully guard ourselves,
all our dreams blow away like topsoil in a windstorm. We need
to water our visions for tomorrow. Then good things will grow
there and our future will be secure.
Most young people dream of solid careers with financial
security. In their fantasies they see a wedding, the bride in a
dazzling gown, wet tears on her cheeks, the bridegroom
standing tall in a tux, smiling. His sweaty hands are ready to
grasp those of the love of his life.
Even in an age when about one in every two marriages
ends in divorce, in their dreams the two of them will mean it
when they vow before God to stick together for life. They
believe their home will be clean, organized, and drenched with
casual elegance. Many friends will surround them. They have
jobs they enjoy, well-behaved children, health, happiness, and
freedom, and they live in a nation that is at peace. They
imagine heaven at death.
But that kind of life doesnt just happen. People who
achieve their greatest desires make important decisions.
Desire and talent dont necessarily guarantee success,
according to experts. Often it is the less talented and gifted
who achieve great things because they wont stop working
toward their goalsno matter how many obstacles they face or
how often they face rejection or disappointment. On the other
hand, greatly talented people can go to their graves without
doing anything of significance.
What makes the difference?
We decide to take what we were born with and grow it into
something greater.
Former President Ronald Reagan said, There are no great
limits to growth because there are no limits of human
intelligence, imagination, and wonder.2 The Apostle Paul said,
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
(Philippians 4:13). You can, too.
But Ive discovered I cant spend all of my free time
watching television and munching potato chips and expect
great things tomorrow. I need to snatch my intelligence from
the brain cell thieves who stuff me with nonsense. I might
enjoy watching a fictional persons life on the screen or in a
book, but Ill never attain anything significant unless I do
something myself.
The same is true for you. What we do today determines the
kind of person we will be in the future and what our lives will
be like. Activities and attitudes of yesterday, today, and
tomorrow become habits that change us for the better or for
worseand sometimes are almost impossible to change.
Habits are like the tree in Vashon Island, Washington, that
grew around a bicycle until the bike became part of the tree.
Somebody obviously leaned the bike against the tree when it
was a small sapling. Now the bicycle is lodged into a large tree
trunk five or six feet off the ground. It is impossible to remove
the bike without destroying the tree.
Dr. Alan Friedman, a botanist at Marquette University in
Milwaukee, says if an immovable object comes in contact with
a growing tree, the growth that creates wood and bark will
eventually cover the object. The only exception is a wire or
rope put entirely around a tree, which will kill it.
Habits entwine themselves into us in a similar way and
become part of who we are. Some habits make us better people
because they cause us to do good things. Bad habits wrapped
into our character jeopardize our future.
Habits are one part of our lives we control, but we cant
choose our parents. God made sure they love you by
implanting love into their beings, although some moms and
dads dont show their love. But even parents who forsake their
children love them, because many come back to them later in
life and ask for forgiveness.
Parents are stuck with their children, and their children are
stuck with them. Parents dont have control over the genes
their kids inherit, either. By the same token, they had nothing
to do with the kind of atmosphere their ma and pa provided for
them that influenced their behavior.
True genetics, culture, temperament, talents, education,
beliefs, quirks, and hang-ups of the people who gave us
earthly life affect us, but we cant blame them if we end up a
drunkard, too lazy to support ourselves, or in prison. No matter
who we are, our background, what internal and external
obstacles we face, we can scramble over everything in our way
and reach a life of joy and fulfillment.

DREAM
One guy who decided to reach out and grasp a dream was Paul
Tutmarc of Seattle, Washington, who traveled in a band and
felt sorry for the acoustic bass fiddle player, who always drove
alone because his huge instrument left room in his car only for
the driver.
An upright bass fiddle is as tall as many adults, quite fat
and wide, and doesnt bend in convenient places as a human
body does. So the bass player missed the fun with the other
band members, whose vehicle rocked with conversation,
laughter, and joking among friends. The bass player had the
company of only his silent instrument.
From age fifteen, Paul Tutmarc had an interest in steel
guitarsthe ones usually used in Hawaiian music. He became
an accomplished musician and wanted to magnify the sound of
the steel. He looked at the innards of the telephone to see how
it worked to pick up sound and began tinkering with it. Bob
Wisner, a radio repairman, worked with Paul, and they figured
out how to use electronic amplification on musical instruments.
Paul electrified zithers, pianos, and Spanish guitars.
Then he carved an electronic bass fiddle about the size
and shape of a cello and the first electric bass guitar came into
being in 1933. Paul eventually made a forty-two-inch-long
solid-body bass, which was lighter and smaller. The guitar was
featured in the 1935 sales catalog for Tutmarcs company,
Audiovox.
The bass guitar, however, didnt become popular until the
1950s, when Leo Fender, with employee George Fullerton,
developed the first mass-produced instrument.
Next time you hear a loud, pulsating bass guitar behind a
band, remember Paul Tutmarc,3 who began his music career in a
church choir and caught a dream.

CUT LOOSE YOUR DREAMS AND IMAGINE

Pauls dream took work, practice, and trial and error, and so
does becoming the person our Creator planned for us to be.
The earlier we start working toward our dreams the better.
When we are young, we are like clay that can be worked and
changed by circumstances, relationships, decisions we make,
what we experience, and what we put into our heads. When we
become adults, our spirits might become hardperhaps even
like clay that has to be hurt and brokenbefore it can be
changed.
So good choices now save heartache later, and we make
those decisions every day.
There is no one else exactly like you, and God loves you
just the way you are. Yet, He expects you to allow Him to lead
you into a great and wonderful life.
Years ago during the hippie generation, many young
people dropped out of school to roam about the country to
find themselves. One fellow said when he got a good look at
himself, there was nothing there.
In order to become someone of great character, people
must invest in themselves. Things of value must be deposited
into the spirit and brain like money in the bank. Worthless
deposits produce people who, although they are still priceless
to God, arent worth much to the world.
Its a good idea to begin with your spiritual life. Jesus said,
The thiefs (Satan) purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.
My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.4
What Jesus said is true. He wants us to have an abundant
life with many blessingsnot only for eternity, but here. But
He expects us to do something with the many gifts Hes given
us, just like the old-time preacher who, during the Great
Depression, prayed for food and found a squawking rooster
and a sack of potatoes on his front porch. He didnt have
dinner until he (or someone in his family) took the chicken,
chopped off the head, plucked the feathers, cut the bird into
pieces, and put it in a skillet. He then had to peel and cook the
potatoes, mash them, and make gravy.
We have to study in school, take music or other types of
lessons, practice our craft, and then go out and do what we
have learned. Sometimes we can teach ourselves important
things by reading, thinking, and trial and error. Everything we
learn is a deposit in our future.

CATCH A VISION FOR YOUR LIFE AND GRAB IT WITH

YOUR GUT
The future is filled with mystery, risk, danger, and maybe even
more than we can dream. Whether its easy to get there or like
climbing up the side of a thirty-story building, we will find
blessings, opportunities, gifts, rewards, many of our desires,
and the unexpected.
The secret to abundant life is to latch on to the
supernatural dynamite power available from God as well, and
let Him go with us on this trek.

IMAGINE POWER GREATER THAN YOURSELF

Why is having God in our lives important? Ive discovered
through Gods miraculous work in mea freckled-face
redhead, the eighth child born into a poverty-stricken family
that God can do amazing things with little to work with! Ive
also learned through studying, observing, and interviewing
people in my work as a newspaper reporter and freelance writer
that:

Without God, lasting internal peace is impossible.

Success, fame, and riches by themselves dont bring
happiness.
With God, our lives reach into eternity and our work
 is more significant.
Everything accomplished on earth without the Lord
eventually crumbles into dust.
We came into the world with nothing, and the only
thing we can take to heaven with us is other people.

MAKING DREAMS REALITY

Who we are in the future depends on our enthusiasm or lack of
it, self-discipline, willingness to work, attitudes, respect for
those in authority, what we enjoy, time management, and
demonstrating love for God, others, and ourselves. Even if it
looks as if all that is ahead is a cliff that drops into a chasm,
when you have hope you never know what will develop.
Sixteen-year-old Jim White rode his horse through New
Mexicos desert in 1898, looking for cattle, when he noticed a
plume of bats rise into the sky. He investigated where they
came from and discovered Carlsbad Caverns, among the largest
and most spectacular caves in the world.
The huge hole in the rocky hill from which the bats boiled
drew Jim back a few days later. He brought a rope and tools he
needed. He made a crude ladder, took his kerosene lantern, and
carefully descended into the cave. The next day he returned to
the caverns with a fifteen-year-old friend.
Extensive explorations began in 1901, and Jim White was
there. He helped construct the first trails, stairs, and lights.
Jim had no idea that day when he mounted his horse he
would discover one of the largest caves in the world. Like Jim,
we never know what opportunities will come, but often they do
appear because were looking for them or expecting God to lead
us to them.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, Even if I knew tomorrow
the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple
tree.5
Behind every apple you eat is someone who looked into
the future with hope and imagination because an apple seed
takes more than ten years to produce fruit.
Today is the time to work on our tomorrows. Will you be
the person you dream of beingor someone from your
nightmares?
You dont need a fortune teller to reveal your future. The
truth is, you are the person who determines who you will be,
what your life will be like, and how your hopes and dreams will
be fulfilled. Today is the time to imagine and to create an
action plan for your future.
Do you know what should be included in your action plan?
Here are some of the topics well discuss in future chapters:

Harness your will so youll be a champion

Make valuable deposits into your mind and detoxify
harmful substances in the brain
Capitalize on your physical attributes
Connect with someone who will make a difference in
your lifeforever
How whom you marry changes everything
How to avoid traps that can jeopardize your future
Where you want your name to appear
This book will show how to make the right connections,
how to grow your talents, and how to begin believing in
yourself and things greater than yourself.
As you go into the next chapter about your names fame,
think on these words written by the Apostle Paul: Whatever
you choose to obey becomes your master (Romans 6:16NLT).
 Your name becomes your identity

H
ey, Joseph! said the baker, his two chins bobbing in sync with
his laughter. I heard you had a tumble with Potiphars wife.
Way to go! Who would have thought it?
Since Potiphar committed all he has into your care, I guess
that was all that was left! the lanky butler added. His cold,
accusing eyes mocked.
Anger and embarrassment shot through Joseph. His chains
tinkled as he shifted position where he sat on the hard stone
floor. You are wrong. I did not do that great wickedness and
sin against Potiphar, myself, or God.
You worried about God when you could have had her?
the baker said, chuckling, his round face showing he didnt
believe Joseph.
I decided long ago to follow Gods will for my life, and I
havent changed my mind, Joseph answered firmly as he tried
to stand.
You are a fool, the baker shot back at Joseph as he and
the butler walked away, heads together and laughing.
 Joseph stared after the pair, the chains on his wrists and
ankles causing his whole body to ache. He wondered why the
two men accused him. After all, they offended the king of
Egypt and were sentenced to prison, too. Joseph had no idea
what they had done.
One day weeks later, Joseph noticed the butler and the
baker didnt pick up their bowls of food when it was time to eat.
By now, Josephs chains were gone because once again
Joseph found favor with his captors. But he was still a
prisoner. He picked up the bowls and then slowly walked to
where hed heard the baker and butler talking around the
corner.
Heres breakfast, Joseph said. You should eat.
Its nothing but swill, spat the baker, holding his head in
his hands.
As Joseph held out the bowl, a loud groan rushed from the
butlers throat. His fingers ran nervously through his dirty
curly hair.
Whats wrong? asked Joseph.
Weve had some terrible nightmares, the baker answered,
adding his cry of anguish. They seem so real we need to have
someone tell us what they mean, but there is no interpreter.
The butler stopped his guttural groans and took two deep
breaths. Im sure the dreams have a meaning. Do you know
anyone? Hey, Joseph! You talk with God, dont you? Sure
you do! He got up from the floor and patted Joseph on the
back.
Quickly the baker tried to stand. His humpty-dumpty body
rocked back and forth three times before Joseph reached and
pulled him to his feet.
Panting, the baker put his arm around Joseph and let out a
blast of putrid breath. Yes, Joe, old buddy. Weve been stuck
together in this prison a long time. You are such a wonderful
fellow to keep on speaking terms with God! Youve been a
good cell-block mate. Havent even seen you in any of the
fights. Now the captain of the guards has you serving us, and
you do it well. Would you like to hear my dream?
And mine? added the butler.
All the noise brought a crowd of other prisoners. They
stood, watching expectantly.
The butler and the baker stared at each other, then Joseph.
The butler stepped forward and whispered in Josephs ear
for a long time. Then the baker stood at Josephs other ear,
whispering and nervously shaking one leg.
Afterward, Joseph turned away and lifted his hands toward
heaven. His lips moved, but no sound came out of his mouth.
Finally, Joseph turned to look at the butler. Within three
days, Pharaoh shall give you back your job. Please remember
me and ask that I be released from this prison.
Thank you! Oh, thank you! A deep laugh rumbled from
the butler. He shook hands with Joseph and some of those
watching. I will be sure to give them your message.
Then Joseph looked solemnly at the baker. In three days,
Pharaoh will hang you.
The baker stood speechless, his mouth dropped open and
his eyes filled with terror. Then obscenities flowed from his fat,
drooling lips. When those were spent, his deep, wrenching
sobs echoed in every prison cell.
 Three days later, the butler was back at work and the baker
was dead.
And Josephs release didnt come. The butler didnt tell
Pharaoh about Josephs request.

Three men. The butler and the baker had names, of course, but
they were not included in the biblical account. But even if we
knew their names, they probably wouldnt be worth mentioning
or remembering.
But we wont forget Joseph. Todays youth would have
called Joseph hot in his youth. I despise the term myself, but
you know by the way Potiphars wife flung herself at the
young man his handsome face could put girls hearts in a
flutter.
Some biblical scholars believe Joseph lived about four
thousand years before Christ.6 Thats a long time ago for his
name to come up now. Even though Joseph has no last name,
his name will never be forgotten. Joseph is on the minds and
lips of many people even today because of who he was and
what he did.
Who could forget the sound of Josephs weeping in the
desert cistern as he heard his brothers planning to kill him and
then deciding to sell him as a slave? His years in prison
suffering because he wouldnt tumble into bed with Potiphars
wife, who then ripped her dress and accused him of rape? Or
after Josephs promotion to governor, his heartwrenching sobs
when he recognized his brothers bowing before him in
Pharaohs Egyptian palace asking for food?
Or can any Bible student forget how Joseph forgave those
brothers and fell on their necks, weeping and kissing them?
And what Joseph said? But as for you, you meant evil
against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about
as it is this day, to save many people alive.7
Our tongues still speak Josephs name with respect
because of who he was and what he did.
Josephs name remained on a small pyramid in Egypt,
according to Bible historians and archaeologists, until Moses
led the Israelites in their exodus. When Joseph knew he was
dying, he prophesied God would take them from Egypt back to
their own land, and when they went asked them to take his
bones with them. The Bible says the Israelites took the bones
back to Israel, and Joseph was reburied in Shechem. Thats
where the Jews of modern times found a tomb they identified
as Josephs in 1921. His name appeared on the tomb in the
heart of Shechem (Nablus) in Samaria. But then on February 23,
2003, the carved stone over the grave was destroyed and the
tomb vandalized and filled with burning garbage. In February
2008, vandals set burning tires inside the tomb. Yet, until
September 2008, Jews journeyed to the tomb to pray, although
Muslims have attempted to make it a holy site to Islam.8
Despite the damage to his tomb, Josephs name is
rememberednot because it is so unusual, but because it
belonged to an unusual man.

IMAGINE YOUR NAME

What about your name? Your name has already appeared in
many places. It first appeared on your birth certificate and the
wristband you wore in the hospital after you were born. The
newspaper might have run your name with the births. It
certainly was on the birth announcements your parents mailed
to friends and relatives.
Your doctor has a whole file that begins with your name.
The school has files with you as the star. If and when you get a
job, there will be files on you.
The government has archives on you, beginning with your
Social Security number. The drivers license bureau will keep
records under your name. Your name will appear on loans,
titles, and deeds.
Your name will be in the news in many cities if you make
the honor roll or you receive awards or do notable things. Your
name will be listed with marriage licenses and your engagement
and wedding announcements may be in the newspaperbut
hopefully it wont be in the divorce column. If you are in a
serious accident or arrested after age eighteen, your name
would be in the news.
If you become a screen star, a politician, an inventor, a
hero, extremely wealthy, a philanthropist, a model, a successful
businessman, a writer, or just someone who voices an opinion
in the right place, people will see your name. Your name could
become a household word.
Mostly, however, our names are spoken more than written,
as Josephs was. Sometimes your name just runs around in
peoples heads.
For sure, unless the Lord Jesus Christ returns first or you
are lost at sea or buried in an unknown tomb, someday your
name will appear on a tombstone or an urn containing your
ashes.
For the most part, your name reflects who you are and what
you do. Today is the day to prepare for the future and decide
who you will be and what you will do.
That brings us to an important book where youd want
your name to appear.

IMAGINE ULTIMATE ACHIEVEMENT

Your success at achieving the ultimate life begins with your
name in the Book of Life, the Whos Who of who is going to
live forever in heaven.
How do you get in?
Different from some other Whos Who books, you arent
required to pay a fee or buy that edition. An entry is free of
cost to youbut a huge amount already has been paid in
blood for your name to be included. Thats called redemp tion
because we were born into sin and the penalty for sin is death.
Jesus told his disciples to rejoice that their names were
written in heaven.9 The last book of the Bible, Revelation, has
multiple references to the Book of Life.10
Revelation chapter 20 describes the vision the Apostle
John saw of the Great White Throne Judgment: I saw the
dead, both great and small, standing before Gods throne. And
the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the
dead were judged according to things written in the books.
In chapter 21, were given a description of heaven that
has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates
the city, there will be no night, nothing evil will be allowed to
enter, and the only humans who will be there are those whose
names are written in the Lambs (Jesus) Book of Life.
It all begins when we make a decision to believe, and when
we repent of our sins and accept the redemption, the abundant
life, Jesus promised.
Thats when your name becomes special.
 You can be comfortable with
who you are

S
ome people dont seem comfortable with their own identity. A
feature in the July 2010 417 Magazine highlighted people who
star in Branson, Missouri, showsbut take the role of
another person. Tony Roi is Elvis. Dave Ehlert plays Mark
Twain. Actors and singers assume the roles of the Beatles,
Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, and other stars, and thats all they
do. They are greatly talented, but they didnt become famous
for who they are but for being able to impersonate someone
elseoften a dead person.
All of us, however, copy other people, especially with our
fashions and our speech, making us like impersonators.
Imagine twenty-five years from now what your children
and grandchildren will think when they see your old photos
and look at todays attire. Will they wonder why skin shines
from holes in jeans? Why some boys couldnt find pants that
fit at the waist so they nearly fell down and the crotch hung at
their knees? Or why they didnt shade their eyes with their
baseball caps but wore them backward instead?
You might need to explain that way back then some
people dressed that way on purpose, usually youth. Young
people, like no one else in society, conform to each other. If a
rich media star who is their idol wears holey Levis, ragged
jeans become the fashion rage.
Although throughout history rags were a sign of poverty,
now theyre so in they cost a bundle. If you left holey jeans
where she saw them, my mother-in-law would have them
patched before you paid the credit card bill for them!

IMAGINE BEING DIFFERENT

We discover when a star bares a part of her body, a large
number of teen girls do it. Female movie and television stars,
like the Old West prostitutes in the movies, always bare
cleavage. Thin women who think thats the only way to be
admired pay big bucks and go through the pain and risks of
plastic surgery to have saline or silicone implants for
cleavages sake.
The amazing thing about fashion is women, especially
those in the public eye, often dont wear enough clothes to
keep warm in air-conditioning, while men around them are
wrapped in fabric. Doesnt seem right, does it? Well, it isnt
right. Women go around half-naked because men like to look at
a womans body, and men are well dressed because women
arent interested in looking at a mans hairy legs and stomach,
plumbers behind, and legs.

IMAGINE STARTING A FASHION RAGE

Although designers are involved, the young seem to start
fashion trends, and that can be good. I wrote fashion articles a
few times a year for the newspaper where I worked in Colorado,
and I learned to observe styles. I was also educated by experts
what clothing improves my appearance. Jackets and even coats
cut in at the waist make me look slimmer than the boxy type.
Three-quarter-length sleeves give a thinner image than long
sleeves. Gathered skirts plump me out so I feel like a bag lady,
while straight skirts flatter. I dont look good in sleeveless or
raglan sleeves (raglan sleeves are sleeves that extend to the
neckline with slanted seams from the underarm to the neck)
because they transform me into dumpy.
Short jackets look good on me, especially with pants or
long skirts. Long jackets are better accessories for short skirts.
I like to go through the mall and see how the mannequins
are dressed. Fashion store displays show how to dress trendy
or classy, depending on the designer lines the stores carry.
Displays demonstrate in colors for the season, jewelry,
accessories, and how to put an outfit together in the hottest
(not necessarily sexy) ways.
Only thing, one store manager said, trendy fashions
change so quickly theyre often out of style before we get them
on display.
When old people start dressing with the same flair teens
use, the young abandon the trend and start something new.

IMAGINE RESPECT
Outward appearance doesnt have anything to do with our
character, but it might demonstrate some of who we are.
Whether we are in rebellion, too lazy to work on our
appearance, trying to attract attention, or too timid to be our
own person might show on our bodies. But if we keep our hair
clean, brushed, and styled; and our clothing clean, wrinkle-free,
and well fit; and use colors and styles that complement our
age, complexion, hair color, and body shape, it says we care
about the details of life.

IMAGINE YOUR UNIQUENESS

As young people grow up, their choices begin to show. Their
creativity, eye for style, and desire to be respected blossom in
hairstyles, makeup, and clothing.
Appearance also sometimes demonstrates whether you are
a leader or a follower.
Many young women today would rather dress warmer (in
cool weather or intense air-conditioning) and less seductively
than their peers, but their self-images depend on guys
devouring them with their eyes. A large number of young
women dont feel they have worth unless they have a
boyfriend, and this starts about age twelve. Some will do
almost anything to keep the guy, because they cant deal with
rejectioneven from slime. Some attempt or succeed at suicide
because of broken relationships that werent worth pursuing in
the first place.
How did a girls self-worth depend on how she looks and
whether a guy is leading her around as if shes blind? Does she
understand outward looks and most young relationships are
temporary?
Ill never forget Dr. Laura Schlessingers answer on the
radio one day when a teen girl called, greatly upset about
breaking up with her boyfriend. Are you ready to get
married? the counselor asked. Courting is for people who
want to get married.
She said dating when youre young adds too much grief to
your life. When you break up, youre mad at the former beau or
gal, and then youre mad at your best friend when she or he
dates your heartthrob.
Not too long ago a commercial confirmed that fact when
two guys on a ski lift were discussing one dudes former
girlfriend. The other skier admits hes called her and theyre
going out now. Shes sent photos. The former suitor asks to
see, and then he tosses the phone into a canyon.
Schlessinger advises teenagers to go out with groups of
guys and gals, getting to know one another, having fun and
being friends with everyone until theyre about ready to get
married.
Furthermore, having relationships too early can risk your
future, especially if you participate in premarital sex. Have you
noticed how many entertainment stars are addicted to alcohol
or drugs, apparently to kill the pain because despite all their
so-called beauty, professional success, and going to bed
with many partners, no one seems to make a commitment
strong enough to love until death?

IMAGINE GOOD LOOKS

Every person is uniquely attractive because we all are made in
the image of God. Humankind finally figured out its not the
color of our skin that matters, but we still dont seem to know
its whats under our skin that counts.
My mom told me the most beautiful thing I can wear is a
smile. But even a smile wont cover an ugly attitude, hatred,
envy, anger, lies, greed, jealousy, and rebellion.
I know life sometimes hits youth with ugly blows, but you
can have peace and joy. Ill discuss more about that later.
Guys and gals who have the courage to look good, inside
and out, despite what everyone else is doing, will receive
respect. If you dont believe that, think for a minute about a
young individual you look up to because of who they are.
Listen to how guys and girls treat and talk about people you
know who arent respected.
Ask yourself why people respect someone you know. Is it
only because of how they look or more about how they act?
Were not talking about being popular here. Were talking
about people you trust and admire. Who do you know that you
respect? Can you trust people who always party, make poor
grades, disrespect their teachers and their parents, use bad
language, and dress seductively? Do you think they will have
marriages that last for life?

IMAGINE SETTING TRENDS

People who dress modestly and tastefullystill staying in
stylewill create peer pressure. More than one person will
want to be just like them.
I am a freckled redhead, and Ive had more than one person
even recentlytell me they always wanted to be just like me.
I hope I live up to the person they think I am because I know
my imperfections. But its a great compliment. I know its more
about who I am, not how I look.
In my teens, those around me helped me grow my character
and to be wise in what I chose to wear. My four older sisters
set wonderful examples, and one of them always says, Be
classy, not sexy.
My aunt who owned a beauty shop was the first to save
my teen self-image. I have seriously curly hair, and during
childhood Mom kept my hair in Shirley Temple-style coil curls
that bounced from my scalp all around my head.
About age thirteen, I decided the curls had to go, so I
brushed them out and looked like I wore an auburn
tumbleweed. I was walking down an aisle in church and a
bunch of boys looked at me and laughed.
There goes Fuzzy-Wuzzy, said the guy I liked.
I was devastated.
My sisters tried to do something with my hair and gave up.
Then my aunt took notice. She straightened my hair,
conditioned it, and cut my hair short. The hair was still wavy,
but tamed. My aunt saved my emotional life. Bless her!
A married cousin, who probably graduated from all the
charm courses in town and knew how to dress, went shopping
with me to spend my savings from working over the summer.
Wanda told me what colors looked good on me and helped
me put coordinating outfits together. Ive used what I learned
from Wanda most of my life, but I added what I picked up as a
newspaper reporter from interviewing fashion designers, store
clothing buyers, models, beauty queens, and fashion
consultants.
Yet, I wouldnt win a beauty contest, and I know other
things are more important than outward beauty because they
last for eternity.
King Solomon, who had seven hundred wives, since
having more than one wife was acceptable in Old Testament
days, wrote, Charm is deceptive. And beauty is fleeting; but a
woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (Proverbs 31
:20NIV).
My parents, brothers, sisters, and ordinary people from my
church helped me desire a godly character, to develop my
natural talents, and to covet a productive, righteous life. That
was far more important than knowing how to put attractive
outfits together and style my hair.

IMAGINE YOU AS AN OPINION LEADER

Recently I learned of Patrick Alan Pat Day, one of Americas
most famous jockeys. Despite being only four feet, eleven
inches tall and weighing only one hundred pounds, Pat
wrestled in high school and, at the advice of others, decided to
train to be a jockey. He was told it would take years of training,
but within a year he won his first race. He started in forty-one
thousand horse races and rode 8,804 winners. Day rode in the
first twenty Breeders Cups and won twelve. He also has nine
wins in Triple Crown races. He won the 1992 Kentucky Derby
on Lil E. Tee. He had five victories in the Preakness and three
wins in the Belmont Stakes.
Despite being raised in a Christian home, Day forgot God
and his life unraveled. He became bound by sinful habits. He
made big bucks, but no matter what he did, he had no peace or
joy. After winning a race, he started thinking, Is this all there
is?
Then one day in a hotel room in 1984, he repented of his
sins, accepted Jesus as his Savior and discovered redemption.
The peace of God came over me at that time, said Day,
according to a report in The Saratogian on August 18, 2010.
Day eventually retired and decided to spend the rest of his
life spreading the Gospel in the place where he spent so many
years and there are so many spiritually needy people. He joined
the Racetrack Chaplaincy of America as an industry
spokesman.
It is so fulfilling and rewarding to work for God and for
things that are everlasting, said Day.
He recalls when he gave his life to the Lord, those around
him noticed something different. Previously, Pat admitted, he
often treated people around him with disregard and disrespect.
Today, the man who holds so many racetrack records is a
preacher. It doesnt take a big man or a whole group of people
to create peer pressure. Im sure some of the folks in the horse
race industry dont want him preaching at them, but many want
what hes got, and Day is able to lead them to the Lord.

IMAGINE FUZZY SHEEP

For some reason, humans follow other people like sheep
following other sheep, even if they have no idea where theyre
going.
Sheep will blindly, habitually, stupidly follow one another
along the same little trails until they become ruts that erode
into gigantic gullies, says Phillip Keller, a shepherd and
Christian author.11
Keller says, Instead of being one of the crowd, I am
willing to be singled out, set apart from the gang. Most of us,
like sheep, are pretty gregarious. We want to belong. We dont
want to be different in a big way, though we may wish to be
different in minor details that appeal to our selfish egos. But
Christ pointed out that only a few would find His way
acceptable, and to be marked as one of His would mean a
certain amount of criticism and sarcasm from a cynical society.
But it is the few who dare to be different who change the
world for the better.

IMAGINE YOU: CHANGING THE WORLD

When you are committed to God and do your best with your
talents and follow His will, the things you do in your vocation
can help many. Pastors, evangelists, and witnesses since the
time of Christ tell the story of redemption, and missionaries
literally change nations.
Recently in our Sunday school class, a missionary told
how he grew up in a dysfunctional family three doors away
from a church. His alcoholic father found another woman and
left his family. His mom and his stepfather didnt live righteous
lives, either, but one day his mother visited the church and
took her children. She accepted Jesus as Savior and Jerry did,
too.
They were empty-pockets poor. The boy didnt receive
great grades in school, but suddenly he had a desire to study.
He decided to go to Bible college, and there God called him to
be a missionary, and he obeyed. Eventually, Jerry was able to
take the Gospel to an unevangelized village who had never
heard the story of Jesus. There now are more than a hundred
churches there.
Martin Luther brought the world back to the Bible and the
teachings of Jesus when he began to preach salvation is by
faith instead of works. Evangelists such as Charles Finney,
John Wesley, Dwight L. Moody, and William Booth won
thousands of people to Christ and changed nations for the
better. Pope John XXIII also impacted the world by calling the
Second Vatican Council, which impacted Catholicism by
changing the Mass from Latin to the vernacular; further
revising liturgy; and stressing the importance of ecumenism.
Women have even been used mightily by God. William
Booths wife, Catherine, used to gather women, and they
would go down the streets of London and other European
cities with a band and bass drum, calling people to Jesus
Christ. Catherine would climb up on a soapbox and preach.
Soon men joined them, and they literally became an army
drawing people from prostitution, crime, drunkenness, and
other sin. Catherine pointed them to the One who gives
deliverance, joy, and peace.
In one small town a man told another that if the women
went on much longer all the publics (bars) would have to close
because he went to every bar in town the other night and he
found only four men in them all.12
The Booths and their Salvation Army continued preaching
and helping the poor. The Salvation Army still reaches out to
the spiritually and physically needy more than a century after
the Booths deaths. Catherine Booths life touched so many,
an estimated fifty thousand people attended her funeral!13
David stood up to negative peer pressure when he fought
Goliath, who kept threatening the Israelites and gloating over
their cowardice. Daniel stood up to peer pressure when he kept
praying and the lions could have had him for dinner. Three
Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were the
only ones who would not bow down and worship King
Nebuchadnezzars golden image. They were thrown into a fiery
furnace, but God delivered them without even the smell of
smoke on their clothes. Their act of boldness brought
recognition of the one true God to Babylon, which was about
fifty-five miles from where modern Baghdad is today. Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego were promoted to more important
positions in the province.

IMAGINE: YOUUNIQUE
People who are not afraid to decide themselves what they are
going to believe, how they are going to act and live, how they
will dress, and the kind of face they will show the world dont
follow the crowd. When you decide to take responsibility for
yourself, you arent afraid of being different or saying no when
everyone else is saying yesor saying yes whenever
everyone else is saying no.
The ones who do everything their friends do arent their
own bossthey give over their identity. They might as well go
back to being two years oldor live in a nation where there is
no freedom to choose.
 Even a relative or a best friend sometimes shoves us
toward things we know are wrong.
I think of Herodiass daughter, a teenage dancer, who
performed before King Herod at a party one night. Her name
isnt given in the scriptures, so Ill call her Halah.
You are so beautiful and nimble, the rotund king
declared, dribbling wine on his red velvet robe. You please
me. The music and your gracefulness set my heart to thumping.
Because you bring me joy, Ill give you anything your heart
desires.
Stunned, Halah bowed before Herod, who recently became
her stepfather. Thank you, oh King. Will you allow me to
speak to Mother?
The sleepy king nodded, and Halah rose and twirled to the
exit to ask her mom, Herodias, what great thing she should
request.
Shortly Halah returned to stand before His Majesty.
Halah spoke clearly. I want John the Baptists head on a
platter.
John the Baptist was a prophet. The king was stunned.
Halah could see it in his face. He had listened in the past to
John, the whiskered, wild-haired man who was always
shouting, Repent! But Mom was having none of Johns
religion. John condemned Herodias and Herod for their
adultery, and Halahs mother hated him. Herodias left Halahs
father, Herods brother, and married the king.
Your daddy is a nobody, Herodias said before the
wedding. The king is a powerful man! We will live in luxury,
and every woman will envy us.
 John lay in the Roman prison because of Herodiass
hatred, so within an hour, Halah carried the heavy, lifeless head
of the prophet on a platter. She slowly made her way to the
king and her mother. Blood dripped down Halahs skinny arms
onto her dance costume. Balancing the object was difficult, and
occasionally it slid from side to side on the platter, threatening
to topple14 on the floor.
I admit to enhancing the story to help you see the horrible
thing the teenager did, but the gruesome facts are in the Bible.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke dont tell us about the girls reaction,
but I think what she did haunted her every day until she drew
her last breath. Even people with hard, sinful hearts cant get
away from the guilt of sin without Jesus.
The daughter of Herodias could have said, No! What are
you thinking, Mother? But instead, she did the deed without
protest.
She needed to think before she acted. We cant allow
others to lead us into sinor sink into the pit of sin by our
own sinful nature. James wrote, Each one is tempted when, by
his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after
desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is
full grown, gives birth to death.15
With the help of God, we can snatch our future from our
enemy, Satan himself. We can learn to stand firm and do what
we know is right.
People who know who they are, who they want to be, and
what they want their future to be like become unique people.
With the help of God, we can make wise decisions, and
sometimes when we live that way we are surprised when others
want to be just like us.
Only a young person with a strong will is different. The
Psalmist wrote, Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the
advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in
with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted
along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves
never wither, and they prosper in all they do (Psalm 1:1
3NLT).
 Your really big show!

I
f you dont die young and Jesus doesnt come back during
your lifetime, youll probably spend about 75 percent of your
life as an adult.
Of course, that doesnt surprise you. I wanted to remind
you of how long youll be an adult because many teenagers
live as if theyll be kids all their lives. So when youre imagining
The Future You, think about you at thirty. Then forty-five.
Now think age sixty. Can you imagine yourself at eighty?
The decisions you make now are helping to form your adult
character and mold your personality (and even your body) in
ways that are difficult to change. The real You peels off the
mask when you become an adult and who you are is revealed.
You might be surprised yourself. People who do great
things often look back in awe, because when they were young
they had no idea how God would use them. On the other hand,
Ive met people who dont like who they became. One old man
told me he wished he could live his life overas somebody
else.
 As Ive said before, many people assume they became the
person they are because of their parents and other outside
influences. Sure, what happens to us and around us affects our
lives, but it is how we react to our environment that determines
what kind of person we become.
Reaction: This word in a sense could be similar to nuclear
reactors, which can power a city. A nuclear reactor produces
heat a million times greater than an equal mass of coal. A
coolant is used, thus producing steam. The steam creates
power.
What Im saying is you might have a heated reaction to
distressing circumstances, but if you cool it with common
sense and love for God, yourself, and others, you emerge a
more powerful person. Your reaction to the events in your life
decides your character as much as environment and outside
influences. Yes, if your mother or father is an alcoholic, your
genes may make you more susceptible to alcohol. But you can
decide whether or not you will take your first drink.
When I started as a reporter at a fairly large newspaper, I
was about the only one on the news staff who didnt drink
intoxicating beverages. At a staff picnic one year, a
photographer who had been drinking poured beer on me. He
said he did it so Id smell like I had a good time when I got
home to my husband.
Another time when I was young, a man tried to force me to
taste beer. I just clamped my mouth shut, and although he was
bigger than I, he didnt get it open. I never did taste beer or
take a first drink of an alcoholic beverage. Every time I see an
alcoholic or a drunk, I am thankful I never succumbed to peer
pressure.
Your environment affects who you are as much as the
genes that held the pattern for your nose and ears. Often
environment determines whether or not you use foul language.
If family, friends, and your entertainment speak filth, those
words pop into your mind. But that doesnt mean you have to
say those words.
If you have been abused, that could affect the kind of
person you are and might help determine what kind of parent
you become. Its a generational thing, where the sins of
parents are visited into the third and fourth generation.
But children who have been abused are successful people,
successful Christians, and good parents who dont abuse their
kids. If you know someone in your home has had sex outside
of marriage, that knowledge could affect your behavior when
you date. Yet, young people whose relatives committed sexual
sins can go into marriage as virgins and remain faithful to their
spouses for life.
It is not easy. Its a matter of the will.
Your will is an integral part of who you are. Many
theologians define the soul as the mind, will, and
emotions. You also have a spirit and a body.
Understanding the will is simple. Its the part of you that
says, I will do something or I wont.
But what kind of person you become goes beyond even
that. In many situations it is only the power of God that can
give you strength and determination to be all you can be
instead of stumbling into temptations that could destroy your
future.
 Some young people have an excellent chance in life
because they have parents who are wonderful examples
mainly because they follow Gods principles. Gods principles:
1) Love God, 2) respect one another, 3) love each other as
yourself, and 4) take responsibility. 16 People who do that are
usually good parents. Some non-Christians follow all of the
commandments but those about loving God and that helps
them live good lives, but refusing to acknowledge God does
have an impact on their lives. They never have the
supernatural peace and joy Jesus gives and will spend eternity
in hell separated from God despite clean living.
We can never be good enough in ourselves. Thats why
Jesus came. The Bible says, Its not by works of
righteousness we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us (Titus 3:5). Because of His mercy, Jesus bled out so
sinners could be clean and live forever (John 3:16).
If the parents are Christians, the children have an even
greater opportunity to be a credit to society and glorify God
with their lives. But that doesnt mean the children are
Christians or perfect. God has no grandchildren. Its a matter of
individual choice. No parent can accept salvation for a child.
Few children want to be like their parents, even if they have
admirable habits. But whether you like it or not, their lives make
an indelible print on youlike a thumb-print, unique and
largely unchangeable. Yet, you still are a unique, different
person.

YOU CAN CHOOSE TO BE A MASTERPIECE OR A

GARBAGE RECEPTICLE
Yes, we were formed with some of the same gene clay that runs
through our heredity, but we can become a masterpiece or a
garbage receptacle. If we allow just anything in life to influence
us, well probably end up a trash can. But if we submit our lives
to the master potter, the Heavenly Father, He will mold and
shape us into something beautiful.
Chuck used to say when he grew up hed drop out of
school and be a bum. Sounds easy, but its not. Getting out of
work is just as hard as doing it, and much less satisfying. At
least if you have a home, you have a bed to go to every night
and have food on the table.
Sometimes God puts a desire in us at a young age for a
certain type of vocation.
Yet, I never dreamed of being a newspaper reporter. When
my friends were having tremendous experiences with God and
they announced a call to a foreign country, I always said, I
think Ill be a missionary in my own backyard, meaning my
hometown. No, I didnt know my newspaper writing would be
read by more than fifty thousand subscribers. Each newspaper
is estimated to be read by 2 people, so that would be more
than one hundred thousand nearly every day. I didnt win
thousands of converts, but I was able to share my faith in the
newsroom and with many of those I met on my beat, some of
them opinion leaders of the community or state. I wrote
personal opinion columns now and then where it was easy to
share my faith, but I could be a witness, too, just by reporting
the truth and doing it with sensitivity.
A Christian also can be a witness just by being a good
worker.
 If you feel drawn to prepare yourself for a certain vocation,
God might be calling you to serve there. If you feel you can
never do it, remember God prepares the way and equips us
when He calls us.
Heres a good scripture to remember: Dont copy the
behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you
into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you
will learn to know Gods will for you, which is good and
pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2NLT).
My three brothers worked their way through collegetwo
of them received doctoratesin the days when my family was
empty-stomachs poor. Everette became a pastor; Joe and Virgil
taught in a Christian university.
When opportunities present themselves, we should be
willing to accept them. We should go in faith through doors
God opens, but be sure to stay close enough to God to know if
He opened the path.

IMAGINE
You dont have any time to lose in preparing for your future.
Search your own heart to determine what kind of life you would
like. Analyze your goals to see whether they will bring lasting
satisfaction. If riches are all you want, read the biography of
Howard Hughes. If fame is all you want, read the biography of
Marilyn Monroe or Michael Jackson. If power is all you want,
read the biography of Adolf Hitler. Then you will realize where
those kind of empty ambitions lead.
If you want to see how a person abused by his family and
wrongly imprisoned who nevertheless found peace and joy,
remember Joseph and read his story in the Bible.
No matter who you are, you can find the same satisfying
life Joseph did. And no matter who you are, you need to
prepare for the future.
Just recently I watched a beautiful teenager in church as
she refused to go to the altar with other teens. As the
dedicated teens prayed and worshiped, tears streaming down
their cheeks, this girl looked at her younger sister and made a
face showing her disapproval of the other teens.
I could hardly resist bending forward and telling her,
Those kids are being filled with power to deal with problems
they have at home. Most are from broken homes. Some dont
have one parent who goes to church. Some parents will be
drunk when the teens get home. Some youngsters have lost
parents or siblings to death. When your brother or sister is
dying, somehow God has a way of getting your attention. Its
better to give Him your attention now.
Sometime in life, whether or not weve prepared for it, we
need God desperately. Yes, well need Him when we face
eternity, but I, for one, wont ignore Him until then. Give Him
your life while youre young.
If you want to prepare for your future, look again at who
you admire. This time, look beyond your friends and people
you know at school. Who are your heroes? Are they really
admirable, or do you think theyre great because everyone else
worships them? What do you like about them? If you admire
their talents, thats good. But does God approve of their
character traits? Would you expect them to be in heaven if they
continue to live as they do now? Why would these people go
to heaven? Do you know what is required to get to heaven?
The Bible tells us to get to heaven we must believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, turn from sin, and tell
others we have made that decision (see Romans 10:9).
That is the best way to prepare for the future. But no one
can force you to make that decision. Christianity is unique in
that respect. The decision to serve God or to turn away from
Him is a decision only you can make.
Such a decision doesnt have anything to do with our
outward actions, being good, or working our way into
heaven. Its a matter of accepting the love Jesus
demonstrated for us when He allowed Himself to be crucified.
His blood takes our sins away, and His Resurrection ensures
us of eternal life.
Imagine living forever with the person who loved you
enough to die for you!
But watch out for forces of evil that would like to keep you
from achieving your dreams and Gods purpose for your life.
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but
against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against
mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the
heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of Gods armor
so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then
after the battle you will still be standing firm Ephesians (6:11
13NLT).
 What you need to know and what you dont
want to know

Y
ou came into this life empty-headed.
When we were kids, my brother used to tell me he could look
into one of my ears and see out the other. Then I had an MRI
(magnetic resonance imaging) of my brain so I could do a
firsthand story on the latest technology.
I started the newspaper article with My brother was
wrong. There is something in there.
What I mean by empty-headed is that no stored
information existed in our brains when we came into this world.
New brains are like a blank sheet of paper, although fantastic
stored data governing our neurological systems and instincts
operate even while were still in the womb. What God
programmed into us commanded our arms, legs, fingers, toes,
and so forth to move even before birth. Instincts God installed
in our DNA prompted us to suck, swallow, cry, and feel
hunger, as well as caused the various inner parts of our body
to function. Babies arrive with a brain download to literally cry
for love, care, and being held, and they wont thrive without
these things.
When we were a few months of age, we learned to
coordinate movements so we could reach for things because
our muscles and brains developed that capacity.
Nevertheless, we all needed outside stimuli to use the
potential from the brain. Children who are given no attention
often dont learn to sit, walk, or talk.
We learned our language skills by imitating. If Mom kept
saying Mama over and over to us, soon we worked our
mouths and tongues around, using our vocal cords so we
could come up with a fairly good imitation. Sometimes the child
says Dada first and learns later what it means.
If the parents speak Chinese, the child obviously will learn
Chinese instead of English, and children of Spanish-speaking
parents communicate in Spanish or whatever language is
spoken in the home.
All through childhood, children imitate what they see and
hear. Adults imitate other peopleat least in some degreeall
their lives. For instance, we like to imitate the experts on
everything from sports to dancing, to gardening, to playing or
singing music, to doing tricks on a bicycle or skateboard.
But imitation isnt all there is. At some point we think for
ourselves.

IMAGINE THINKING FOR YOURSELF

As children, we started thinking for ourselves when we gagged
and spit out the spinach baby food and then decided which
cold cereal we like best. If we were born into a poor Oriental
family, we might like rice instead. If we lived in an African slum,
wed be grateful for slimy oatmeal gruel in a dirty bowl.
In some parts of the world, youd think putting live bugs
between two slices of bread was a special treat, even though
bugs crawled around on your fingers as you ate them. In other
countries youd eat dog and monkey. In times past it was quite
common for Americans to eat cow and pig brains and kidneys.
They made head cheese, which was a meat jelly made from
the head of a calf or pig. You can still buy pickled pigs feet. I
dont know if they still sell head cheese but it became popular
in a society that didnt waste anything. In hard times, people
also ate squirrels and turtles.
You cringe at the thought. Your stomach turns. Thats
because you think for yourself and form an opinion.
Your head is not empty now. You learned by experience
and from other people. Thats the only way we assimilate
knowledge.
After we learn something, we usually can recall it
spontaneously. We ride a bike without thinking about how we
balance. We can type, text, cook, clean, repair cars, and
program computers. We balance checkbooks, do income tax,
use math to buy and sell, and make chemical formulas to create
medicines that save peoples lives or to invent guns, bombs,
and rockets to kill them. You can store billions of information
blocks in your memory.
According to Kenneth Higbee, author of Your Memory and
How it Works and How to Improve it ,17 your two-pound brain
can store more than todays most advanced computers.
Everything you put into your mind, especially what you
experience, changes you. You study to learn or pick up
information from your friends, your parents, or through the
media, and you are affected.

IMAGINE BEING ON GUARD

I am choosy about what goes into my brain and hope you are,
too.
The Bible says when we have a close relationship with
God, He will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus
(Philippians 4:7). Yet, you decide whether or not to post that
guard, the Holy Spirit, at the door. If we listen to what our
conscience and scripture tell us, 24/7, and resist, Satan and his
cohorts flee in fear.
The Holy Spirit, through our conscience, convinces us of
sin (so well know what it is), righteousness (so well
understand that), and judgment (so well know God will reward
those who live for Him and punish those who do not).18
It helps to think on things that are true, things that are
honorable, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. 19 That means
we are careful about what we read, what we watch on
television, the movies we go to or rent, and what activities we
practice. We pray for His wisdom and knowledge and actively
reject smut, lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, the pride of life,
vulgar language, gossip, backbiting, and wrong attitudes.

IMAGINE GREAT DOWNLOADS IN YOUR BRAIN

We also are able to put some beautiful things in our brains:
Gods Word, good music, good information, a willingness to
learn, a willingness to work, a determination to love, a
determination to help, a determination to make heaven our
home for eternity.
Although His covenant is etched into our hearts, we still
need to study good things that Ca-ching! profitable
character. Were told in the book of Timothy to study to show
ourselves approved unto God, so we will rightly interpret the
Word of Truth.
But even if we memorize the Ten Commandments, such as
thou shall not lie or thou shall not steal, and do not take
the name of the Lord thy God in vain, we can turn away when
Satan tempts.
If we use our excellent knowledge of good things, our
character and integrity grow. Our will becomes stronger. Its
like seeing a growing baby every day. He looks the same size if
we see him often, but if we wait six months or a year, we see a
big difference! And you and others will see a change in you
when you put positive things you learn into action.
When we make good decisions, we become more mature,
more trustworthy, more dependable, and our potential for
doing great things increases.

IMAGINE A STRONGER BRAIN GUARD

In addition to a spiritual guard over the brain, often we need to
reject evil that constantly crashes into the door of our mind
and tries to burst through.
Ungodly things we assimilate into our brains (even alcohol
or an illegal drug) can do things to our brains we cant fathom.
Could be like what happened to Jones, my sister Claras
Chihuahua, a little darling dog who did tricks for Claras
husband, Blackie. They would put some glassless eyeglasses
on Jonesy, as we called him, and hed sit up, take his front
paws, and act as if he were reading a newspaper. Hed play
dead when Blackie pointed his finger and yelled, Bang!
Jonesy did all kinds of tricks and received his hamburgers
made to order and a human-style cookie for dessert, not
doggie treats.
But one day he coughed, sneezed, and gagged all through
the night. He wouldnt eat, and he continued coughing,
sneezing, and gagging for several days.
My sis thought Jones was dying, and she couldnt bear
putting him to sleep. Her son was fighting a war, and he was
attached to the dog, too.
We cant let Jonesy die! she said.
After about a week of the dog not eating, Jonesy gagged
and Clara noticed something in the back of his throat. A long
blade of grass hung down his throat and through his nose! She
reached in and pulled it out. Jonesy immediately got a drink of
water and started eating and lived for several years after that.
Sometimes a tiny amount of filth or ungodliness can give
us great grief.
If we are forced to read ungodly material, we can pray as
we read for Gods protection against our minds, but we can go
even further. We can go to the teacher or person in charge and
say the book offends us and ask for a substitute. Teachers
usually provide something else, especially if you come with a
respectful attitude and your grades show youre not just trying
to get out of something.
 I obtained a substitute book in college when Hugh
Hefners biography was required reading. I didnt want that
stuff in my brain. When I overheard another student say of the
biography of the Playboy empire owner and founder, Thats
really a raunchy book! I knew it wasnt for me.
A much more serious problem with our brains arises thats
more difficult to talk about. Yes, we should respect those over
us, but we also need to be aware there is some brainwashing
going on.

A THIEF AT THE DOOR

I am a graduate of a secular college and saw brainwashing
firsthand. Secular college professors often want to reprogram
students who have faith in a personal God. I encountered anti-
God teaching in psychology classes, a course on the
environment, and even in music history classes. Mass
communications classes seemed to be saturated with obscenity
and we spent most of our time in the media law class studying
obscenity law.
If you are a science major, changing your belief systems is
a top priority in a secular college.
In secular learning institutions, Christians often are
ridiculed, discriminated against, and even given lower grades
or flunked if they dont embrace the theology of secularism.
Most colleges and universities promote a one-world
government, teach against freedom and capitalism, and work to
make secularism everyones religion and the earth their God.
Today, the progressive political system and secularists,
and even other religions, are inserting anti-Christian and
ungodly doctrines into public school education to brainwash
out the Christian teaching implanted by the church and
parents. You make up your mind whether to reject it.

IMAGINE RECALL
One thing we learn about our brain is once we put something
into it, its there for recall. Sometimes the things you try the
hardest to forget are the ones that stick. Thats why we need to
be careful what we put into our heads.

IMAGINE BRAINWASHING
Websters New World Dictionary says brainwashing is to
indoctrinate so intensively and thoroughly as to effect a radical
transformation of beliefs and mental attitudes.
In other words, to brainwash you is to change not only
how you think, but also what you think. Furthermore, if you are
brainwashed, it changes who you are.
Armies who keep prisoners of war often brainwash one
person at a time, but communists and Nazis brainwashed entire
societies. In America, we not only have brainwashing in
institutions of learning, but its done by gangs, politicians, and
the media. Gangs and governments can brainwash you so
thoroughly youll kill your brother, grandmother, or mother.
The media brainwashes you by portraying the majority of
Christians as crooks and adulterers. A few high-profile
ministers have been great sinners, but if they break Gods laws,
they are no longer Christians in Gods sight.
The media rarely mention powerful things accomplished by
Christians and Jews. Christian charities have housed and fed
the homeless and hungry around the world for centuries.
Missionaries often bring feeding programs, build orphanages,
and offer free health care and medicine when they go to tell the
world about Jesus. Christians are there, too, when disaster
strikes.
Religion was the reason people learned to read. Since the
Middle Ages, there has been near-universal literacy among
Jewish men because they were required to read the Torah by
age thirteen.
In the early church, Christians copied the apostles
writings by hand, as was done meticulously for centuries with
Old Testament scriptures, with everything being continually
checked and rechecked for accuracy. That is what the scribes
did. With the Protestant Reformation came a desire for
everyone to read scripture. Then Johannes Gutenberg invented
the printing press, and the first book printed was the
Gutenberg Bible.
According to the Encyclopedia Americana, education in
colonial New England grew out of the Reformation as well.
Puritans made sure their children could read the Bible. In the
Middle Colonies, religious sects birthed early schools. In the
Southern Colonies, parents tutored their children or educated
them in a private school, often so they could read Gods Word.
In New England, teachers got their jobs because of their
soundness in the faith. The home and church provided most
education until the early 1900s.
Universities and colleges were started by religious
organizations: Harvard to train preachers; Yale for training in
church work, civil duties, the arts and sciences; Vanderbilt for
teaching law, medicine, theology, and the arts; Baylor was the
fruit of the Baptist General Convention; Boston University was
started by Methodists for training in theology; Boston College
was Catholic, as was Fordham; Cornell College was Methodist;
Rutgers University for eighty years included the New
Brunswick Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church of
America. Universities were established by other denominations
and religious organizations that included biblical training as
well.
Christians are still educating the world. Wycliffe Bible
Translators live with primitive tribes and give them a written
language and teach them to read. Wycliffe translated the Bible
into hundreds of languages and brought literacy to many
nations. Through its Last Languages Campaign, Wycliffes
translators hope to have the 2,200 last languages translated by
the year 2025. Currently, Wycliffe has 1,400 translation literacy
and language development programs, touching nearly six
hundred million people in 176 countries.
Beyond that, Jews and the church birthed most of the
hospitals in our nation.
Christians visit those in prison, mental hospitals, and
nursing homes; care for orphans; and speak for those who
cant speak for themselves, such as infants in the womb.
Churches teach children to obey their parentsthen they
provide wholesome activities for youth, mostly for no charge.
They teach marriage and parenting classes, provide grief
support, and offer recovery groups for alcoholics and others
without charge.
 Christians will come to our side when were dying and
comfort those left behind.

THE USE OF PROPAGANDA

Those who brainwash use propaganda, which aims to
accomplish a systematic changing of your beliefs, practices,
and ideas. Its similar to how some journalists and politicians
spin facts, spinning the listeners mind away from the truth,
convincing the audience to believe a lie.
The most successful propaganda usually always has some
truth in it. If it were all lies, most people would resist it.
For a long time propagandists have recognized that lying
must be avoided, says Jacques Ellul, author of Propaganda:
The Formation of Mens Attitudes .20 In propaganda, truth
pays off.
Where propaganda goes to work to change minds is in the
interpretation of the truth, or the slant placed on the truth.
Elluls book says in France between 1921 and 1936, the
Communist Party made progress because of election
propaganda, and the same was true for the Nazi Party during
1929 and 1933.
Mao Tse-tung said propaganda can force people to
become Marxist. His first techniques failed, but then he went to
public discussion, criticism, persuasion, and Marxist education,
especially for children, and he turned China to his way of
thinking.
This was in spite of Mao executing an estimated two to five
million people and sending several million to labor camps.
SOMETHING ELSE TO BELIEVE
To have the greatest effect, propaganda must base itself on
existing tendencies, Ellul said,21 and not go against ingrained
attitudes. Instead of going against what you believe, it gives
you something else to believeusing your own desires and
needs as a basis. Without knowing it, your attitudes are
replaced.
Ellul said preexisting attitudes fade quickly in real
propaganda campaigns, which surround people from morning
to night, childhood to old age, in all they read and hear,
without giving them rest or a moment to pause, think, or catch
their breath.22
Dave Roever, a US Navy SEAL who served in Vietnam, in
his book, Scarred,23 tells how he was trained by the Navy to
resist propaganda should he ever be taken prisoner.
They took all our clothes away from us and left us
standing naked and shivering in the cold rain while they issued
tattered, ruined old World War II `greens, recalled Roever.
We were forced into formation for inspection, and then beaten
because a button was missing. We were given hard labor
because a zipper wasnt zipped, when it wasnt even there.
They put him in a box the size of a baby coffin.
Three or four men forced me into a folded position, my
face on my knees, and they hammered the lid on the box. For
many hours I remained in the box. They would come with large
chains and beat on it. The sound was horrific. I went numb
from my waist to my feet.
The trainers continued the torture, and every time they
stopped, Roever smiled. One officer became so angry, he
struck Roever with his fist and knocked the young trainees
teeth through his lower lip.
The men were starved, shown food, and then the pretend
captors did despicable things to what had been served
before they threw it in the dirt.
Eventually, machine guns firing blanks erupted out in the
bushes, US troops clothed in full uniform and carrying
American guns came in, and the exercise was over. The
trainees shredded the North Vietnamese flag that had been
flying over the compound and sent up the American flag while
a bugler played Battle Hymn of the Republic.
The training exercise had been tough, and Roever
wondered what it would be like to be captured by the Vietcong.

IMAGINE A GRENADE IN YOUR FACE

Roever was not captured by the enemy, but he underwent even
greater challenges when a phosphorous grenade exploded in
his hand one day in Vietnam, blowing off his face, several
fingers, and an ear, and severely damaging an eye and his
chest. The battle he fought was not only to live, but also to
want to live and to fulfill Gods call on his life.
Today Roever is a preacher who goes back to Vietnam with
humanitarian missions and hopes someday to win that nation
for Christ. He also has a program for wounded soldiers in
Colorado.
Today you need to be aware some people and
organizations would like to brainwash you. We need to
actively resist. Roever did, and he came out smiling.
 When someone is trying to steal your faith, mentally say
reject, reject. Dave Roever had his name, rank, and serial
number to answer every attempt by his interrogators to bend
his will and force him to reveal military secrets. Christians have
hundreds of scripture verses that not only will help us to resist
but also send the enemy, Satan, to flight.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7) is
one example of these scriptures.

IMAGINE YOU IN BATTLE

Now, when youre young, is the time to fill your brain with
things that will help you in the future. Your youth is similar to
basic training, because much of what you learn wont be used
until you reach the battles of adulthood.
But if you invite Him to, God will be there to help you in the
difficult choices you need to make. Basic training in the military
shows young men how to make split-second decisions that
save lives or a nation. Basic training helps them build bodies
so strong they can build bridges in hours, dig trenches for
cover in minutes, and stand against the enemy for days with
almost no sleep or food.
Learning all you can now will make you strong enough to
stand up to Satan and his devices and not only save your own
soul, but lead others to freedom through Jesus Christ. But
youll need the whole armor of God described in Ephesians
6:1018: the helmet of salvation, the belt of truth, the breast
plate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the sword of the
Spirit (Gods Word), and feet fitted with boots ready to run
with the Gospel of peace.
 Submitting to Gods love for us and His plan for our lives
will give us the greatest joy that can be achieved on this earth.
You might have heard of the biblical Joy unspeakable and full
of glory (1 Peter 1:8) and the rivers of living water (John 7:38
that will flow through you.
But thats not all. Accepting salvation through Jesus
Christ, who died for us, will give us eternal life, and our souls
will never die.
Thats the most important information of all to put into our
brains memory system.
 Is falling in love an unavoidable dive, or a
decision?

W
ould you like your parents arranging your marriage? That still
happens in many foreign countries. How would you guys feel
about not knowing who your bride is until the ceremony is
over and you lift the veil to kiss her? Some men experienced
that.
An 11-year-old girl, apparently from Yemen, recently made
a passionate plea to her parents to stop pressuring her into an
arranged marriage. The resulting video caught international
attention.
In 1960, the Encyclopedia Americana reported more than
one half of the total female population of India married before
fifteen years of age, and sometimes while they were still
infants. In the western provinces of India, a bride remained at
home with her parents until she went through puberty. But in
Bengal, girls commenced their married life at age nine.
In some countries, a hopeful suitor would give a girls
father a certain amount of money or goods like cattle or sheep
for his daughter, and sometimes the bride brought a dowry of
property to her bridegroom. The amount depended on the
status and economic circumstances of the families involved.
Historically at the engagement, the suitor often gave an
ornament of some value, which signified his pledge. That was
the predecessor of the modern engagement ring.

IMAGINE WORKING SEVEN YEARS FOR A WIFE

In Old Testament times, many marriages were arranged.
Jacob met Rachel leading sheep and was so smitten he
kissed her and wept (Genesis 29:11). Perhaps it was on the
cheek. Who knows?
Jacob stayed with Rachels father, Laban, a month, working
for him like a ranch hand. Finally, Laban asked what Jacob
expected to be paid, and Jacob told Laban he was in love with
Rachel and he agreed to work seven years for her.
Finally there was a wedding feast, and after the ceremony,
Jacob discovered he had been given Rachels veiled older
sister, Leah, instead.
He protested, and Laban said he couldnt give the younger
daughter before the older girl married.
Despite having a wife, Jacob worked another seven years
to get Rachel. In Old Testament times, God allowed men to
have more than one wife.

IMAGINE GOD GIVING A MATE

Abraham arranged the marriage for his son, Isaac, and a
servant picked her out. You can read the story in Genesis 24.
He must have been worthy of the trust, because the servant
traveled some distance to find her and then asked God to show
him the right girl out of the dozens of women who came to a
well to draw water.
Oh Lord, God of my master, the servant prayed, Give me
success and show kindness to my master, Abraham. Help me
to accomplish the purpose of my journey. See, here I am,
standing beside this spring, and the young women of the
village are coming to draw water. I will ask one of them for a
drink. If she says, `Yes, certainly, and I will water your camels,
too! Let her be the one you appointed as Isaacs wife. By this,
I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.
As he prayed, a beautiful young woman, Rebekah, arrived
with a water jug on her shoulder. She went to the spring, bent
over, filled her jug, and straightened. Running over to her, the
servant said, Please give me a drink.
Certainly, sir, she said, and she quickly scooped water
from a dipper. When he finished gulping the refreshing liquid,
she said, Ill draw water for your camels, too, until they have
had enough!
She emptied the jug into the watering trough and ran down
to the well again. She kept carrying water until the camels
intense thirst was quenched.
The servant watched Rachel in silence. When the camels
finished drinking, he gave her a gold ring and two large gold
bracelets.
The servant stayed with her family and told them about
how his prayer was answered. But Isaac wasnt even there.
The father gave Rebekah to the servant, but only after
Rebekah agreed to go.
Isaac saw the servant coming home with someone. Excited,
he raced out to meet them.
When Rebekah saw Isaac coming, she dismounted,
covered her face with a veil, and ran to him.
Rebekah became Isaacs wife and he loved her, the Bible
says. She was a special comfort to him because his mother had
just died.

WHY ARRANGED MARRIAGES SURVIVE

There is a reason arranged marriages work: Falling in love is an
act of the will. Cupid doesnt shoot you with a poison love
arrow and twang! youre a goner. Love happens to you
because of several circumstances.

1. You are around the person of the opposite sex

frequently (thats called propinquitywhat happens
when you are near in time and space).
2. You desire someone in your life.
3. Your God-given instincts are telling you to create a
family.
4. The person will build your ego. You think, Wont
everyone be surprised I have a boyfriend? Wont
everyone be impressed with how pretty sheis or how
handsome he is? Wont everyone beimpressed
because of how popular he or she is? Hes so tall he
makes me feel so feminine; or, she has such a great
figure it makes me feel great to walk beside her. She
or he treats me so nice itmakes me feel special.
 5. Because you decide to fall in love to create
excitement in your life.
6. Because no one better is available.
7. Because you have similar interests.
8. Because you are lonely.
9. Because someone else thinks its a good idea.
10. Most important: Because while you were in the
womb God had a plan for both of you, and your love
is so strong you feel you cant live without one
another (Jeremiah 1:5 and Psalms 37:33).
Some Pharisees came and asked Jesus, Should a man be
allowed to divorce his wife for any reason?
Havent you read the scriptures, Jesus replied. From the
beginning God made them male and female. For this cause shall
a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and
they twain shall be one flesh? What therefore God hath joined
together, let not man put asunder (Matthew 19:3-6KJ)
There may be dozens of other reasons you fall in love, but
even if you arent conscious of why it is happening, you allow
yourself to love someone else. Its a decision. If love happened
spontaneously without your will being involved, people who
are greatly overweight would have as many proposals for
marriage as others. So would the handicapped or someone with
facial deformities or pure physical ugliness.
I once knew a young woman whose father was quite
wealthy, but one of her eyes was noticeably higher than the
other. She was an old maid, at least the last I heard. But she
was a sweet, talented young woman, and really not so bad-
looking.
WHAT IS LOVE?
It seems Americans dont know the meaning of love, although
its before us all the time.
Well, we do know how we want others to love us, but
many arent willing to give that kind of love back. We want
others to love us unconditionallythe way God loves us, no
matter how we look, how we act, or what we do.
God talks to us about love in 1 Corinthians 13. The Bible
chapter is read during many weddingsbut most couples
dont absorb what it says or promptly forget it. That scripture
passage tells us if we dont love others, were like clanging
cymbalsall noise and little music. The fellow who tries to
persuade his girlfriend to have sex before marriage is like that
clanging symbol. If he really loved her, he wouldnt think of
stealing her chastity. If he really loved himself, he wouldnt
want the sin, the guilt, the possibility of disease, the guilt of an
abortion, or perhaps bringing a child into the world whom he
would be required by law to support until it turns eighteen.
There is no such thing as a love child born out of
wedlock. It is a lust child if it was conceived before the
wedding. Of course, this isnt the childs fault, and it should be
loved no matter how it was conceived.
The scripture tells us, Love is patient and kind. Love is
not jealous, boastful, proud or rude. Love does not demand its
own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it
has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices
whenever the truth wins. Love never gives up, never loses
faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every
circumstance. Love will last forever (1 Corinthians 13:48).
Spiritually, marriage is a union between a man and a woman
so they can enjoy, love, and protect one another, and also to
protect the family. Children need a father to help guide,
discipline, love, and financially support them. Children need a
mother to nurture them, guide them, discipline them, and love
them.
Even biologically, the object of marriage is to ensure the
survival of the species and of the race, according to Drs.
Abraham and Hannah Stones A Marriage Manual.24
God invented marriage and the family when he made Eve
for Adam and they began to have children.
Marriage is a wonderful thing, and there is nothing more
romantic than a guy and a girl vowing before God and the
public, I will love you and you only until death parts us.
Americans probably talk and sing more about romance
than any other society. We are allowed to choose our own
mates, instead of our parents choosing them for us. Yet, half of
all marriages end in divorce.
Just like falling in love in the first place, staying in love
involves the will. We decide we will love our mates even when
they get bald, fat, ugly, wrinkled, or sick, or were broke. We
decide we will love them even when theyre grumpy or angry.
Some people say, Our love just died, or It was a mistake
in the first place.
Perhaps. But in most cases, if both ride out difficult times,
the passion will rekindle, romantic sparks will fly, fireworks will
go off again, and the romance will be deeper and more
satisfying than it was in the beginning.
 I know. Ive been married several decades, and even
though its all about commitment, there still is romance and
deep love.
As a reporter, I collected marriage license records from
couples who remarried each other after divorce. There were
about a half dozen when I contacted a few and interviewed
them for a story. Most said the same thing: Although we
know were not perfect, we couldnt find anyone better after we
divorced. We were still in love and knew what we were doing
the first time. Being apart was worse than dealing with our
problems and learning how to make a marriage work.
Storge is the Greek word for natural affection between a
parent and a child. Marriages need the three other types of
love: phileo, the type of affection we have for friends; eros,
romantic love; and agape, God-like unconditional love. Except
parent-child affection, all the others are a matter of the will.
When you begin to court, look for real love.
 What will you bring into your marriage?

B
e sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour 1
Peter 5:8.
A high school human sexuality teacher who is a Christian
did this experiment for me in a class I taught at our churchs
Dunamis Academy.
She gave paper and pencils to everyone. Before class, she
marked an X on the back of one of the papers, but none of the
kids knew it. She instructed students to shake hands with other
teens and have them sign each others papers. They shook
hands and gathered signatures for five minutes, and then
returned to their seats.
Turn your papers over and see if there is an X on the
back, she told them. A girl found the X and raised her hand.
The teacher told her to stand up. She has Virus X. Who
signed her paper?
Five hands went up, and those kids stood.
Now these five have the virus. Who signed their papers?
Four more got out of their seats, also contaminated by the
fictional virus.
Six more admitted their fate.
Eventually all remaining students were infected.
This is how sexually transmitted diseases spread, the
teacher said. When you have sex with someone, you are
essentially going to bed with every person that individual had
sex with, because once a sexually transmitted disease is shared,
it is contagious until the disease is curedif the disease has a
cure. You might be intimate with only one person but be
exposed to multiple diseases.
Some STDs, such as herpes, cause severe misery and are
incurable, but they dont kill. But the HIV-AIDS virus isnt the
only one that kills. Both hepatitis B and C affect the liver and
can take your life. Human papilloma virus (genital warts)
sometimes causes cervical cancer. Chlamydia and gonorrhea,
left untreated, can affect joints and heart valves and cause
pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and even blindness.
A story by Lawrence K. Altman published in the New York
Times on March 12, 2008, said the first national study of four
common sexually transmitted diseases among girls and young
women found that one in four is infected with at least one of
the diseases.

IMAGINE YOUCLEAN!
But the federal study could have pointed out three out of four
do not have the disease. I imagine a large number of them were
virgins.
When my husband and I were married, couples took blood
tests to check for STDs. When a virgin discovered she was set
to marry someone affected with a disease, there was time to call
off the wedding. Of course, my husband and I had nothing to
worry about, and the test came out negative.
I would guess in my day most of us were virgins, and I
knew my beautiful white satin gown testified to that fact.
According to Kelsey McIntyre in From Times Past , white
has been accepted as the preferred wedding dress color since
Queen Victoria married her cousin Albert of Saxe-Coburg in
1840. Godeys Ladys Book in 1849 reported, Custom has
decided, from the earliest ages, that white is the most fitting
hue, whatever may be the material. It is an emblem of the purity
and innocence of girlhood and the unsullied heart she now
submits to the chosen one.
A wedding gown probably is the most beautiful dress most
women wear in their lives. Even the least expensive are
exquisite.
Young men, too, probably will never be more handsome
than the day they stand at the altar waiting in a tuxedo for the
beautiful bride.
Children often like to play bride and bridegroom, and
during their growing years, many girls dream of the day when
they walk down the church aisle, dressed in white, as the
wedding march fills the sanctuary.
In 1953, about half of all women were married by age
twenty, and half of all men by age twenty-two. In 2002, the
average age for the bride was twenty-five and bridegroom age
twenty-seven.
Today, thousands of couples are living together without
being married, and multitudes of young women give birth to
babies without being married. In addition, approximately fifty
million babies have been killed by abortion in the United States
since abortion became legal in 1973.
Something happened. A large number of young men dont
bend a knee and extend a tiny box containing a diamond and
ask their beloved to marry them. Instead, many just want to
rush the girls off to bed somewhere and perhaps live together.
Some folks blame the lack of finances and needing to wait
to earn a college education as the reason to delay marriage, but
it doesnt make sense. You can get a marriage license for a few
bucks. A pastor will marry you for free, but its customary to
pay him one hundred dollars or so. A couple can live cheaper
than two single people, and you can get your education after
marriage. I did. Thousands of people earn their degrees later,
and most of the people did from generations before us.
But there is something elseand its huge. Young women
and men are giving away their virginity as if they are dropping
a penny on the sidewalk and leaving it there. Guys who already
have a sexual relationship with a woman wont hurry to get
married. A woman who gives away her virginity before
marriage risks never being marriedespecially to him!

IMAGINE: UNBLEMISHED
With throwing away virginity goes the dream of walking down
the church aisle in a white wedding gown or a tuxedo as a
virgin, pure and unblemished. Maybe the bride will wear white,
but it wont mean anythingespecially to the couple.
In addition, sex before marriage causes emotional
consequences. Physicians Joe S. McIlhaney and Freda
McKissic Bush, authors of the book Hooked,25 say
neuroscience has discovered sexual activity releases a
chemical that impacts the brains of developing adolescents and
young adults. These chemicals cause an emotional bond
between partners, and when this bond is broken, the youth
suffers depression and difficulty with bonding in future
relationships.
In contrast, when the bride is a virgin and her man loved
her enough to control his own urges for his wedding day, there
is suspense, excitement, electricity, and sparks that go way
beyond the fireworks of the wedding. When they bow their
knees together and pray with the ministers hands on their
heads, they are serious about this commitment. They recite
their vows to God, concluding with tears in their eyes, Until
death do us part, and they intend to keep their vow. If they
continue to follow Him, God will help them through the better
or worse, thick or thin, hair or baldness, sickness or health,
poorer or richer.
Staying pure until the wedding night is the way God
dreams of life for young couples.
Sure, God knows about sex. He invented it. Heres what
Gods Word says: Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed
undefiled (Hebrews 13:4).
One time during the hippie generation, evangelist Billy
Graham visited a college campus and asked students what they
would like to talk about.
Lets talk about sex! yelled one uncouth student.
Sure, said the evangelist with a smile. Thats how we all
got here, isnt it? Then he explained sex is a wonderful thing
between two married people, and marriage is endorsed by God.
But he added sex outside of marriage will bring only sin and
sorrow.
Young people who accept anything less than Gods best
for them learn early about the sorrow.
For a newspaper story, I visited and interviewed a high
school class for unmarried students who were pregnant or had
babies. These girls were angry! They were furious at their
former boyfriends. Only one out of about twenty was still
dating the guy. The girls were upset at their parents. They
didnt want their parents interfering with their lives, although
they needed financial support and help with the child. I think
some of them were capable of anger at their babies, too, and
that was one reason for the parenting classto teach them
how to love and care for the children and to prevent physical
abuse. Just shaking a baby can cause mental retardation and
dire consequences.
A large percentage of girls who give birth out of wedlock
have another child in two or three years, even though they
arent married. A few complete high school and college and go
on to a successful career, but the life they always dreamed of
often eludes them. Many of the girls will spend the rest of their
lives in poverty, feeling unloved.
Dont believe it when someone tells you STDs can be
prevented even if you are sexually promiscuous or have sex
with someone who has been exposed to a disease. Some of the
devices do help, but all have a failure rate, as do birth control
methods.
 Dont believe it, either, if Satan tries to make you believe
the sexual experience will be worth anything you pay for it. In a
moment of passion, people do believe that. In reality, it often is
over within a few seconds. Some counselors say single men
seldom find it as satisfactory as married sex, and women almost
never are satisfied with early sexual encounters.

IMAGINE REACHING YOUR GOALS

Many young people are ruining their health, future, and their
lives by having sex before marriage. All over America,
however, are youth who respect themselves enough to wait
until they get married. These young womenand there are
larger numbers of them than you would thinkarent
concerned about being sexy or whether they have a date for
the weekend. The girls have lots of girlfriends and friends who
are boys. The boys enjoy friends of both sexes, too. Many go
places in groups but usually dont pair off with the opposite
sex. Others date, but sex is off-limits.
These gals have goals in life they plan to reach.
Wise young people keep their eyes on goals they want to
pursue and stand firm in not allowing Satan to snatch their
future. Even some who arent dedicated to God know theyll
never reach their goals if they take that beer, smoke that pot,
use that drug, or engage in premarital sex. They dont want to
be stuck with an addiction or a disease, a baby to support, or a
hysterical person in love with him or her at this point in life.
Young people who are committed to God have those and
much deeper reasons for resisting temptation. Its not because
parents and pastors get up and yell and warn them about the
dangers of premarital sex, although the warnings should be
heeded.
Its because they made a commitment to the Lord, who
loves them more than anyone, and they want to please God
and obey His Word.
God started in Old Testament times warning about the
dangers of sexual sins by giving the seventh commandment,
You shall not commit adultery.
Many counselors and some Bible translations say adultery
covers all forms of sexual sin. Furthermore, adultery is the only
reason Jesus gave for divorce.26
Jesus put sexual sin on the same level with murder
(Matthew 15:19). In Hebrews, were told God will judge the
sexually immoral (Hebrews 13:4), and were told by Peter that
Sodom and Gomorrah were examples of what happens to
people who commit such sins, and if they do not repent, they
will be cast into hell (2 Peter 2: 410).
John says if someone says, I know Him (Jesus) but
doesnt keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is
not in him (1 John 1:4).
We arent even supposed to be friends with people who
commit sexual sin (1 Corinthians 5:9). We can try to win such
people to Christ, but if they claim to be Christians and continue
to sin, they should be excommunicated from the church (1
Corinthians 5:5). Paul says we should do that (1) for the sake of
the offenders so perhaps they will repent and turn from their
wicked ways and be restored to fellowship; (2) for the sake of
the churchs purity (verses 68); and (3) for the good of the
world. If the church is just like the world, how can we expect to
win people to Christ?
Paul explains the reason we should not have fellowship
with or have such people in our church membership is because
a little leaven (or yeast) leavens the whole lump.
Of course, if people truly repent of sexual sins and turn
from their wicked ways, God will have mercy on them and
forgive them, and the church should welcome them with open
arms. New Christians should not, however, be put into
positions of leadership until they have proved themselves as
dedicated Christians who follow the Lord (1 Timothy 3:6). Yet,
in this world they will still reap much of the harvest of their
sins, for what a man sows, he will reap.27
God knew what He was doing when He created marriage
and put within us a desire to love a person of the opposite sex
so much well want to spend our whole lives with him or her,
even when were upset with the person, he or she turns old
and ugly, were out of money, or our spouse becomes disabled
or ill.
That is true love.
It is the commitment to their relationship that makes
another person know he or she is lovednot a willingness to
have sex.
Waiting is not easy if you begin dating when youre age
twelve. Its also difficult with long engagements if you see
each other every day.
Your future is in your hands. If you want to walk down the
aisle a virgin, and if you want to marry a virgin, you need to
decide how youre going to accomplish your goal. You will
accomplish this shimmering walk with your will, your decisions,
and assistance of the power available through our Almighty
God. The Bible says, Resist the devil and hell flee from you.

TIPS TO HELP YOU KEEP YOUR VIRGINITY UNTIL

MARRIAGE

Dont watch immorality on TV or in a movie. If its

placed before you, walk out.
Consciously reject lustful thoughts when Satan tries
to put them into your head.
Dont dress seductively; dress modestly (see 1
Timothy 2:9).
Dont start dating until youre sixteen or older. If
youre not ready to get married, why court? It just
complicates your life. When you break up with
someone, he or she is no longer your friend. When
the person dates your friend, youre mad at your
friend. If you dont date, you can be friends with
everyone!
When you do date, do most of your activities with
groups and in public places. Dont spend a lot of
time kissing and holding one another close.
Never have a person you are dating in your home
when you are alone or in your bedroom, or lie down
together anywhere.
Be aware that you dont need to date someone to
lose your virginity. Molesters steal the innocence of
young peoplemale and femaleevery day. Dont
sit on an uncles lap or drape yourself over your
favorite cousinor even your dad. Dont be alone
with any member of the opposite sex anywhere that
could make opportunity for lust to capture the sinful
mind. It usually starts with an inappropriate touch.
The prophet Jeremiah wrote: The heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked: who can
know it? (Jeremiah 17:9).
Dont dance. There is a reason why dancing is a
fertility rite among primitive cultures: It arouses
sexual desires.
Dont think you are above temptation because you
are a Christian. Satan walks about as a roaring lion
seeking whom he may devour. And Satan wants to
destroy youespecially if you are a Christian.
When you know youre in love, value that person.
Treat her or him with respect, and also treat yourself
with respect. You are made in the image of God.
Dont have a long engagement. Married people do
get through college, and do find jobs to support
themselves. If, however, you are not willing to work
(and this includes cleaning house, washing dishes,
and cooking), you arent grown up enough or self-
disciplined enough to be married.
Begin praying now for the person you will marry
because he or she is alive somewhere right now,
even though you most likely dont know the
individual. Pray he or she will dedicate himself or
herself totally to God, keep pure, and be committed
to Gods will.
 If both of you want Gods will for your lives and are willing
to use your own will to achieve going into your marriage as
virgins, youll be successful!
It is true that even if youve sinned, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ, and if we ask forgiveness and
turn from sin, He will abundantly pardon. Counselors now talk
about secondary virginity. The woman caught in the act of
adultery, in danger of being stoned to death, Jesus rescued.
But he told her, Go. And sin no more. Never plan to sin and
then ask forgiveness. Open rebellion against God is a
dangerous thing. Real virginity is precious, and once lost it is
forever gone.
 Will He really be in your tomorrows?

G
odthe One who is, who always has been, and who always
will be, is the most important person you can meet. He is your
Creator, and what your future is like depends on your
relationship with Him.
I know more and more young people are atheists today.
This is by design by the secularists who write curriculum,
teach in our schools, the universities, and have taken over our
government and media. As Ive said before, there is active
brain washing to assure you wont believe in God.
Ive said many times in the past atheism is the opiate of
the sinner. If wicked people at least think they dont believe in
God, it helps quiet their conscience. But their conscience wont
quit, so they blame it on other people. Apparently they know
what Christians believe is real, so they target Christians. They
think stopping the influence of Christianity will help them feel
better in their sinful state. That is why religious freedom is in
danger in the United States.
So, your future is wrapped in whether you believe in the
God of the universe. For that reason I will present the truths to
you in this chapter you might not have heard.
Besides creating you, In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth.28 Thats the opening verse of the
BibleGenesis 1:1.
That sentence is where the debate begins, but its nothing
new. Atheists and agnostics argue extensively on this subject.
Yet, they cant prove God is not there. Neither, however, have
Christians proved without a shadow of doubt God is the
Creator and interested in humankind.
Because we cant prove how we got here, atheism takes
faith, as much or more faith than it takes to believe in a loving
God. To be an atheist, man must believe the eyes he sees with
and everything he sees and even things he cant see just
happened, including the origin of matter, life and the exact
mixture in the air we breathe: nitrogen, oxygen, water, argon,
carbon dioxide and trace gases.

IMAGINE HOW YOU GOT HERE

Now, some Christians do believe in evolutionbut with God
starting the process. But those who believe in God dont
believe the universe or the magnificent human body happened
by itself.
Most secular professors and teachers will not hesitate to
tell you what to believe and not believe about your origins, but
even scientists disagree.
One of the most interesting debates on evolution occurred
in October 1980, when 150 scientists met in Chicago and began
openly bickering among themselves, thundering forth
conflicting theories.
Some scientists at this conference promulgated the big
bang theory. 29 This theory, obviously not the TV show,
contends that instead of millions of leisurely evolutionary
years, the world began all at once, Bang!, in a great galactic
explosion of atoms and enzymes.
Darwins theory also came under attack from scientists
because missing links are still missing after more than a century
since Darwin.
Fossil hunters have not found the fossils needed to
explain the glaring differences between major species,
Associated Press newspaper columnist Hugh A. Mulligan
reported. In the whole cycle of environmental selection, with
all the genes and embryos playing splitsville according to the
evolutionary plan, no six-legged vertebrate has yet walked
forth upon the earth.
Science has pro vided few or none of the examples of one
major species shading gradually into another.
Fossil experts, not clergymen, are Darwins most formidable
opponents, according to Phillip E. Johnson, author of Darwin
on Trial .30 Although Darwins theory revolved around
survival of the fittest, paleontologists often disagree with
Darwin because appearance of an improved form implies a
disadvantage of its parent form. Many supposed parent forms
still survive, and the missing links just arent there, even
though theyve been searched for since 1859, when Darwin
wrote Origin of the Species.
There always will be missing links if we think in terms of
link between all change, a university anthropologist argued
when I interviewed him. He said changes in Darwins theory
have occurred, the most recent the theory of punctuated
equilibrium, which he explained relates to the time taken for
one species to shade into another.
A form which had been a small variant, might have great
rapid growth, he said.
He used the doubling of chromosomes in some species as
an example of radical change in a short period.
On the other hand, he admitted such doubling could be
caused by the environment and also that most mutations are
undesirable rather than desirable.
He used a fruit fly as an example of a species with a short
life span where such changes in chromosomes could be
observed. But he admitted the insect still was a fruit fly.
It is very difficult for an average scientist to test
evolution, he said. Our lives are too short and the research
too specialized. The theory is the result of collective effort.

IMAGINE OUTDATED TEXTBOOKS

One psychology professor openly ridiculed Christians in one
of my university classes with more than seventy students. As
the instructor made sarcastic remarks about Christians in the
news and preached his atheistic ideas, I wondered why no one
challenged him. One day I raised my hand.
You said this textbook will be outdated in ten years, I
began. So what you are saying today might not be true in ten
years?
The questions flowed.
 Can you prove evolution? Isnt it true you accept it by
faith? Are you aware that many scientists have thrown out
missing links because they couldnt find them? Did you know
scientists are even putting forth the idea that man might have
fallen from outer space?
How did creation turn out so perfectly without a
Designer? Why arent monkeys turning into humans now?
He admitted that, yes, the textbooks and the theories and
knowledge in them would soon be outdated; that he didnt
have all the answers; and, Yes, we do accept some things by
faith. But when something is universally accepted, we treat it
as fact.
I should have asked, Then because the God of creation
and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ are universally accepted,
that should be treated as fact?
A few weeks later, I asked a science teacher if the first and
second laws of thermodynamics violated evolution. The
teacher had opened the class on the environment by stating
everything would be based on evolution.
No more than thirty-five pages into the text, Living in the
Environment, by G. Tyler Miller Jr., the class was studying the
law of energy degradation, also known as the second law of
thermodynamics. The law states that matter, if left to itself and
undergoing physical or chemical changes, will always change
in the direction of decreased order and decreased energy
content. The entire universe obeys this law, and this includes
every chemical reaction.
In words plain and simple, the law means anything left to
itself will slowly fall apart. Every time you see an old barn with
the roof sagging and the walls falling in, you see
demonstration of this law. Despite galaxies thought to be
expanding (are they expanding, or are we increasing our
knowledge?), scientists will tell you the entire universe is
slowing down, growing old, and, as the saying goes, is running
out of steam.
The second energy law also tells us energy tends to flow
or change spontaneously from a compact and ordered form to a
dispersed and random, or disordered, form.
No one has ever found a violation of this law, Miller
states.31
When the teacher read that, I put up my hand. Isnt
evolution a violation of this law?
In order for evolution to occur, many complex chemical
changes must take place, and they must all be in the direction
of in creased order and energy to move from the simple to the
com plex.
The teacher paused a moment, cleared his throat, and said,
Well, evolution is the only violation.
The theory of evolution also violates the first law of
thermodynamics, which simply says energy (or matter) neither
can be created nor destroyed.
A story goes that God and Satan were having a discussion.
I can do anything you can, Satan said, stretching his
puny body so he looked taller.
God smiled. OK. Make a man.
Satan bent over and began scraping up dirt.
God grabbed his shoulder. Use your own dirt.
IMAGINE DECEPTION
In the camp of atheism, we even have deception. Among
attempts to prove evolution, we have the Piltdown Man,
which for forty years was acclaimed as the missing
evolutionary link. In 1952 it was proved to be a hoax designed
by Charles Dawson. The skull actually was the cranium of a
man and the jaw of an ape. The specimen was believed to be a
million years old before it was discovered to be a fraud. The
teeth had been filed and stained to suggest age.
Among other attempted deceptions was the Solid
Muldoon, which appeared to be a petrified giant with a tail
about three inches long at the base of the spine. The figure
was dug up in 1877 near Pueblo, Colorado.
The Solid Muldoon was exhibited by W. A. Conant, the
discoverer, and George Hull, who planned to show the figure
with P. T. Barnum, the showman. But scientists were skeptical
because Hull exhibited another petrified man known as the
Cardiff Giant. Hull later confessed he and a stonecutter carved
the giant out of stone and buried it for discovery.
Hull finally admitted that, in an attempt to make the Solid
Muldoon appear authentic, he made it from pulverized stone
and bones, clay, blood, plaster, and dried eggs. He pounded
the skin with a needle-studded mallet to give it pores.
Then it was fired in a kiln for two weeks.
Now, even a person who rejects evolution must admit there
are few blatant deceptions such as these in the scientific realm
today. But that is not to say you can rest your future and
eternal destiny on science.
IMAGINE NEW EVIDENCE
New evidence makes it necessary to continually revise the
theory of evolution. In fact, according to US News and World
Report, the theory is radically being revised.32
An article several years ago by William F. Allman says,
The branches of the human family tree are being given a
thorough shaking.
One of the recent shakings, Allman said, concerns Lucy, a
primate thought by evolutionists to walk upright and represent
the oldest known human ancestor. But he said a number of
distinct creatures, and possibly ten different species of upright,
large-brained ape-like creatures, have been discovered,
changing thought about Lucys species being the evolutionary
link. Some creationists discount Lucy entirely because pygmy
chimps wander about upright much of the time in rain forests
today.
One of the most hotly debated issues among experts on
human origins concerns Neanderthalsstocky, primitive
hominids thought to be a direct ancestor of modern humans.
Researchers recently recovered DNA from a Neanderthal
fossil and decoded it to see how closely it resembles human
DNA. The Neanderthal DNA differed from human DNA in
twenty-seven places, while human DNA differs from person to
person by an average of just eight variations in genetic
sequence.33
The author of the article in US News and World Report
concluded the DNA tests showed Neanderthal men died out
and were not the ancestors of modern humans.
 The prehistoric models used by evolutionists also are
sometimes built on a very few bones and often rely on artists
for fossil reconstruction. For instance, Science Magazine
showed a half whale and a half land animal on its cover on
April 22, 1983, and according to Dave Nutting of the Alpha
Omega Institute in Grand Junction, Colorado, the picture was
reconstructed from teeth, a small fragment of the jaw, and one
bone at the back of the skull.34

IMAGINE CREATION
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to belief among educated
people is the idea that the Earth was created in six days.
Recently a young man asked, But how can Christians be
right? I heard someone counted genealogies of the Bible and
figured the Earth is about six thousand years old. We know its
older than that!
Do we? How do we know scientific dating is correct?
During the early 1960s in Leadville, Colorado, I worked at the
Leadville Herald Democrat and did a story on the towns old
opera house. On display in a small museum at the opera house
was what appeared to be a petrified foot in a high-topped shoe.
The toe of the shoe was torn and a very real-looking big toe
and toenail protruded from the end. Every detail, including the
eyelets and strings, appeared real, but the shoe and foot,
broken off above the ankle, were stone. The specimen was
found in a mine.
Years later I tried to find this artifact again to get more
information, but it was gone from the opera house, and I
couldnt discover where it was taken.
Dr. Carl Baugh of Creation Evidences Museum in Glen
Rose, Texas, believes man and dinosaurs walked together. In
his museum is a fossilized human finger and fossilized human
footprints in dinosaur paw prints. He says there are other
human and dinosaur footprints together in the Paluxy River
Basin in Texas.35
Baugh 36 believes Earths atmospheric pressure before the
flood in Noahs day was 2.18 times what it is today, and the air
was super oxygenatedenabling dinosaurs to live and
pterosaurs to fly. Ultraviolet light was filtered out, and this
atmosphere also gave man a longer life span.37
Dating methods are being challenged by some of todays
Christian scientists. The potassium-argon dating method,
which dates the Earths age in billions of years, is said by
scientists to be valid because of the amount of time needed to
make evolution seem reasonable, say textbook authors Emmett
L. Williams, a former metallurgical engineering professor at
Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and George Mulfinger Jr., a
physics specialist (Physical Science for Christian Schools). 38
The dating method, however, assumes no argon was present
when the rocks were formed. Yet, when volcanic rocks known
to have been formed in 1800 to 1801 were tested, their age was
said to range between 160 million and three billion years!
The radiocarbon dating method also is challenged by
Williams and Mulfingers, who say it is unreliable because the
calibration curve cuts off at about five thousand years ago and
because the amount of carbon-14 in the atmosphere does not
remain constant and appears to be continually increasing.
But suppose scientific dating is correct. It does nothing to
undermine faith in God. Many Bible-believing Christians accept
a very old Earth.
Often people try to make the Bible say something it
doesnt. The Bible doesnt say the Earth was created in six
twenty-four-hour days, although some people believe it was.
Neither does the Bible say when the beginning was.
Here are some Christian ideas about the days of creation:
Twenty-four Days of Re-creation: The belief there was a
creation before Adam that was somehow destroyed. (This idea
leaves a gap of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.)
Age-Long Days of Creation: The belief that creation
occurred over six different ages that could have been
thousands of years in length.
Revelatory Days of Creation: The idea that the days had
nothing to do with creation but with the amount of time God
took giving Moses, the writer of the Book of Genesis,
information about creation.
Twenty-four-hour days of creation: The belief that God
literally created the Earth and all that is in it in six twenty-four-
hour days, as we know days.
So when Genesis says, So the evening and the morning
were the first day, The evening and the morning were the
second day, and so forth until God rested on the seventh day,
the length of time can be interpreted several ways.
One thing that makes me believe in a young Earth is
population. Scientists use the population J curve to show
exponential growth of the number of humans. The J curve is
any system that grows by doublingone, two, four, eight,
sixteen, thirty-two, etc., or geometric growth.
Experts estimate the worlds population was two hundred
million in 1 AD and population continued to double and double
until 1850the curve of the Jwhen eight hundred million
people lived on the Earth. Estimates and censuses showed two
billion by 1930, three billion in 1960, four billion in 1976, five
billion in 1990, six billion in 2002, and an estimated seven billion
in 2011.
It took nearly two thousand years to quadruple the number
of people from the time Jesus walked the earth but only eighty
years for the population to grow from one to two billion
between 1850 and 1930 and twelve years to grow a billion
between 1990 and 2002. The US Census Bureau estimated the
world population to be 7.073 billion in 2012.
This increase is despite diebacks because of disease and
epidemics, natural catastrophes, and wars. In my mind, there is
no way man could have been here millions of years. Again,
science uses millions of years to make evolution seem plausible
because we cant see any evidence for it in a lifetime of one
hundred years.
But the length of time that it took to create the Earth is not
exceedingly important. What is important is that we know and
believe Genesis 1:1, that in the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth.
The whole worlds scientific thought constantly changes
and often contradicts what scientists thought was solid
evidence. On the other hand, the Creator and his witness never
change and will never be outdated.
IMAGINE EVIDENCE FOR FAITH
It is not difficult to believe `in God. Archaeology has found
evidence for many decades to support much of the Bibles
historical information. Cities mentioned in the Bible have been
discovered. According to the Biblical Archaeology Society, on
July 18, 2013, the Israel Antiquities Authority reported in a
news release: King Davids Palace was uncovered in the
Judean Shephelah.
The Pool of Siloam where Jesus healed a blind man was
recently discovered after excavations in Jerusalem. Another
pool was thought to be the Pool of Siloam, but when this one
about the size of two football fields was discovered along with
a series of steps leading down to the water, most experts
agreed this is the pool mentioned in John 9. The pool was
uncovered by a Jerusalem utility crew. Work was halted and
archaeologists took over.
The pool is at the end of an amazing aqueduct discovered
in 1838 by American biblical scholar Edward Robinson. The
tunnel was far more spectacular than anyone imagined, hewn
out of solid rock and 1,750 feet long. Skeptics claim the tunnel
must have been created more recently than 1,700 years ago, but
analysis of the ancient writing found in the tunnel, carbon 14
dating of the plant life disrupted by the tunnel, and uranium-
thorium dating of stalactites and stalagmites that grew after
completing of the tunnel, support a date of around 700 BC, the
date given in the Bible.
Why did Hezekiah build the canal?
At about that time, the Assyrian Army led by King
Sennacherib conquered nearly every prominent town in the
southern kingdom of Judah. Israel lay in ruins. Sennacheribs
strategy was to cut off all food and water outside the fortified
city walls, then when the people inside were near death from
thirst and starvation, begin the siege.
When King Hezekiah heard what was happening a round
Jerusalem, he sought the Lord, and built a tunnel, a canal, from
the springs outside the city through solid rock to bring water
under the wall and to the people. You can read about it in 2
Kings 18-20 and 2 Chronicles 32.
There is much more archaeological evidence to support the
Bible. Ancient writings also have been found that verify people
mentioned in scripture lived at the time described.
Archaeologists have found so much evidence for the
Bibles accuracy it takes books to tell it.
Fulfilled prophecies also show the Bible is something on
which we can depend. The Jews returning from being scattered
over the earth after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and
Israel becoming a nation in 1948 fulfill Ezekiels prophecy
concerning the valley of dry bones. You may remember the
song about the dry bones connecting.
Fervent study of scripture reveals many fulfilled
prophecies.

IMAGINE EARTH THE WAY GOD MADE IT

Anyone who looks with an open mind will see that creation is
programmed the way God designed it. Species reproduce
only after their kind. The body returns to dustfrom which the
Bible says it came.
 If we look at creation, there is too much perfection to be
attributed to chance.
It is with awe toward the Creator that we see not one but
two kinds of humans, animals, insects, reptiles, birds, and fish
which keep reproducing to populate Earth. Doesnt it take
too much faith to believe two kinds evolved so perfectly so as
to join together and have the capacity to create others just like
them?
Any part of the human body or any other part of creation
defies explanation outside of the design of Almighty God.
More evidence for faith surrounds us. The power of God at
work in the lives of men and women today is a great testimony.
First, a personal relationship with God is the only thing that
really satisfies the soul of man. Even if we have access to
everything the world has to offer, if we dont know God, we
have emptiness.

IMAGINE WHY FAITH IS IMPORTANT TO YOUR FUTURE

Dr. Andrew Newberg, neuroscientist and author of Why We
Believe What We Believe, says our brains seem to have a
special place for faith. He has tracked how the human brain
processes religion and spirituality. Its all part of a new field
called neurotheology.39
Newberg says the frontal lobe, the area right behind our
foreheads, helps us focus our attention in prayer and
meditation. The parietal lobe, located near the back of our
skulls, is the seat of our sensory information. He says this
place in the brain is involved in that feeling of becoming part of
something greater than ones self. The limbic system, nestled
deep in the center, regulates our emotions and is responsible
for feelings of awe and joy.
Newberg says similar areas of the brain are affected during
prayer and meditation. He suggests brain scans may provide
proof that our brains are built to believe in God. He says there
may be universal features of the human mind that actually make
it easier for us to believe in a higher power.
I believe people search for God because of the God-
shaped void within. If they havent heard the Gospel or reject
it, they worship the earth, an idol they know is nothing but a
figure humans created, or devise their own religioneven
making unbelief into doctrine.

IMAGINE GOD GIVING YOU JOY AND PEACE

Besides satisfying the longings deep within us, we can see
other results of the Lord in the lives of men and women today.
When people accept Jesus Christ as Savior, their lives are
changed for the better. They wont be perfect, but they will be
much better individuals than they were before they came to
know God.
Parents who neglected their families begin to care for them.
They clean up their lives and become solid, dependable
individuals. The Bible says they are new creatures in Christ
Jesus. Old things are passed away. Behold all things become
new.40
If someone claims to be a Christian but doesnt turn from
sin, however, he probably didnt submit himself to God. By the
same token if a person says he knows God, and no longer
walks in obedience to Him, this individual is not a Christian.
In addition to changed lives, Christians also experience
answers to prayer. In most Bible-believing churches, if you
would like to know about some of these ask, What is the
greatest answer to prayer youve experienced? Ive done that
and discovered many wonderful testimonies: God turning a
forest fire from a home; a man with a head injury from a
motorcycle accident back to work in six weeksafter doctors
said he probably would never work again; a slowly dying child
healed; God keeping a rainstorm behind a highway paving
machine for three days so a man with a large family could work.
Weve experienced miracles in our familya daughter
thought to have multiple sclerosis totally healthy years later; a
son where tests showed he had only 40 percent kidney
function, but later tests determined his kidneys worked
perfectly. Our six youngest grandchildren are miracles, four
because of pregnancy issues of their mothers, and the last two
loving gifts of adoption.
God doesnt always work the way we wish. We lost a
daughter to cancer, but the Lord was our Comforter and gave
peace. He does great things in answer to prayer.
In the church, especially, one can see the work of the Holy
Spirit, which Jesus promised He would send when He went
away, drawing men and women to salvation, filling them with
power, and teaching them.
When all information for belief in God or all information for
belief in atheism is given, however, there is still room for doubt.
Why would God leave room for doubt?
IMAGINE YOUR FAITH
Because faith is necessary for salvation. The Bible states, By
faith we understand the universe was formed at Gods
command, so what is seen was not made out of what is
visible. Without faith it is impossible to please God, because
anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that
he rewards those who earnestly seek him.41
In another scripture the Bible says, All who believe in
Gods Son have everlasting life.42
If Gods existence could be proved, there would be no
reason for faith!
When the whole matter of mans existence on Earth is
questioned, there is nothing to settle itbut faith. So why not
believe in God? Its the only thing that makes sense.
Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ
International, said he has never seen a single individual who
has honestly considered the evidence who was unable to
believe in God. But he has seen some who are unwilling to
believe.43
Belief is a matter of the will. God created man with freedom
of choice. We arent forced to serve or obey him. Adam and
Eve had that choice from the beginning, and so do we. We can
serve false gods, Satan, or ourselves if we choose.
It is only when we choose to believe in the Creator that we
begin to build our life on the Rock where the hurricanes of life
cant destroy us.
Gods love was demonstrated when He sent His only Son
to die, arise from the tomb, and be the Savior of sinful men.
Belief in God the Father is not enough, however. Devils believe
and tremble (James 2:19). We also must believe and confess
Jesus Christ as Lord (Romans 10:9) and obediently follow Him
and His Word.
 Why we need Jesus

C
hrist is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed
before God made anything at all and is supreme over all
creation. Christ is the one through whom God created
everything in heaven and earth. He made the things you can
see and the things we cant seekings, kingdoms, rulers and
authorities. Everything has been created through him and for
him. He existed before everything else began, and he holds all
creation together (Colossians 15:17NLT).
We only need to listen to or watch the news to know we
need Jesus.
So many worrisome things are occurring, even beyond
economic problems, unemployment, staggering national debt,
terrorists bombings and nations who hate America
accumulating nuclear bombs.
I worry about the spiritual state of our nation, where it
seems everyoneeven those who claim to be Christiansuse
the Lords name in vain for every emotion under the sun.
Furthermore, secularism (yes, it used to be listed among
religions in encyclopedias) has become the religion of the
United States, and freedom of religion is in danger.
Where will you fit in these perilous times?
The Bible describes the future this way:
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall
come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers,
false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are
good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more
than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

IMAGINE BEAMED UP WITH THE CHURCH

Do you love God? Do you believe Jesus will be involved in
your future as prophesies about His catching away of the
church and the second coming indicate?
From 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: For this we say to you by
the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain to the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
His first coming certainly impacted the world.
When I think of Jesus and his sacrifice to come to earth, I
think of the big, husky evangelist who was a dinner guest at a
home the same time we were eating there. The man piled his
plate high with delicious food and then started devouring it.
When you look at me now, he said between chomps,
knowing we all watched, its hard to realize I was once
helpless and flat on my back.
You were? someone asked in amazement.
He grinned. Yes. I was a baby once.
It is even more amazing to realize the Lord Jesus Christ
who was there when the universe was created (the verse above
and John 1)gave up all his supernatural strength and wisdom
to become a baby.
Last Christmas when I pondered with amazement the
thought that He would become completely helplesswith his
whole existence dependent upon humansI realized it wasnt
so amazing after all. Jesus, as God the Son,44 downloaded the
instincts and programmed parents brains so a babys cry
would be so irritating they would do almost anything to stop
the sound. They would offer food. They would change the
diaper. They would hold the infant.
He also knew parents love is so deep they want to see
their offspring tenderly and adequately cared for.

IMAGINE EVENTS THAT AFFECT YOUR LIFE FORETOLD

But how do we know Jesus was no ordinary baby?
If you have studied religion at all, you know many religions
recognize Jesus as a prophet, but deny He is God. Only
Christians recognize Him as Gods son and our Lord. Almost
anyone will tell you He was a good man.
In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis proclaimed, A
man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus
said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a
lunatic--on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg--
or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice.
Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or
something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall
at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with
any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human
teacher. He has not left that open to us.
Some religions try to give you another Christ, which the
Bible calls an antichrist, a false prophet, and false god. But the
Bible says, There is no other name given among men,
whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
One way we know Jesus was no ordinary baby is God the
Son fulfilled prophecy written hundreds of years before He
came.

IMAGINE EVIDENCE THAT IMPACTS YOU

Josh McDowell, in his book Evidence That Demands a
Verdict,45 states that the Old Testament contains over three
hundred references to the Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus,
and all of these prophecies were written at least 250 years
before Christ was born.
Among these prophecies are his virgin birth, his ancestry,
his birth place, his presentation of gifts from the East, the
massacre of infants by Herod, his name, the flight into Egypt, a
messenger would precede his ministry, his ministry would
begin in Galilee, he would teach in the temple, he would teach
in parables, he would enter Jerusalem on a donkey, he would
be a stone of stumbling to the Jews and light to the Gentiles, he
would have a Resurrection, and he would ascend into heaven.
The events of his trial and events preceding his death were
foretold. He would be sold for thirty pieces of silver and
betrayed by a friend. The money would be thrown in the house
of the Lord. The silver would purchase a potters field for
burial. False witnesses would accuse him, and he would not
answer them. He would be mocked, wounded, bruised, smitten,
and spit upon. The weight of the cross would be too much for
his beaten body.
His manner of death was foretold, as well as the piercing of
his hands, feet, and side, but no bones would be broken.
Here is the scripture from the Old Testament about the
piercing: And I will pour out on the house of David and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication.
They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will
mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve
bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son (Zechariah
12:10).
When John related the story of the Crucifixion and
Resurrection, he wrote, But when they came to Jesus and saw
that he was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one
of the Roman soldiers pierced his side with a spear and
immediately blood and water came out.For these things were
done that the scripture should be fulfilled, Not one of his
bones shall be broken. And again another scripture says,
They shall look on him whom they pierced (John 33:37NKJ).
When the soldier decided not to bother to break his legs,
he had no idea he fulfilled prophecy.
The darkness that fell over the land at noon when Jesus
died also was foretold by prophets hundreds of years earlier.
The burial in the rich mans tomb was predicted.
But was Jesus actually the Son of God and God the Son?

IMAGINE JESUS BLESSING PEOPLE TODAY

Emilie Griffin, in her book Turning,46 tells how she came from
atheism to accepting Jesus Christ as Lord of her life. After
realizing there had to be a Designer, she wondered whether a
genuine relationship was possible between God and man.
I wanted to know who Jesus was, what he actually said,
and how that made people willing to die for his sake, she
explains. Her own starting point was whether one might believe
God acted in history and Jesus was in any real sense His Son.
She read the New Testament and saw the Gospels had a
firmer historical validity than she had been led to believe. The
Book of Acts and the Epistles opened her eyes.
Paul lived at the same time as others who knew Jesus,
she writes. Paul was acquainted with men and women who
witnessed the events of the Crucifixion and who insisted upon
the fact of the Resurrection. I began to feel these letters were
either a true accountor the most extraordinary fabrication
ever concocted.
By this time I was reading straight through the New
Testament, and it was affecting me deeply. I could not get over
the conviction that Jesus was real.
Those who study the New Testament soon see Jesus
claimed to be God, his claims were confirmed by others, and
other indirect claims say He is God the Son.

WHAT A FUTURE! IMAGINE NEVER DYING

Who do you say I am? Jesus asked Peter at Philippi.
You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God, Peter
answered.
You are blessed, Simon, son of John, Jesus told him,
Because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You
did not learn this from any human being.47
Jesus claimed to be God at other times in his ministry.
When Jesus told the Jews that if they kept His sayings, they
would not see death, they were outraged.48 (He spoke of our
souls and spirits living forever.)
Now we know you are possessed by a demon, they said.
Even Abraham and the prophets died, but you say that those
who obey your teaching will never die? Are you greater than
our father Abraham, who died? Are you greater than the
prophets, who died? Who do you think you are?
Jesus answered, If I am merely boasting about myself, it
doesnt count. But it is my Father who says these glorious
things about me. You say, He is our God, but you do not
even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as
great a liar as you! But it is trueI know him and obey him.
Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my
coming. He saw it, and was glad.
 You arent even fifty years old. How can you say youve
seen Abraham? the Jews asked.
Jesus answered, The truth is, I existed before Abraham
was even born!
Then they took up stones to throw at him.
Later, at his trial, Jesus acknowledged his divinity.
Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
I am, Jesus said.49
Jesus showed his claim to being the Messiah and His
divinity in other ways also. In the entire Bible, Jesus is the only
person who accepted worship from others.
Jesus made other indirect claims to his divinity. He forgave
sins. He said He was the Giver of Life. Judgment has been
assigned to him by the Father, according to the teachings of
Jesus.
The claims made by Jesus were substantiated by others.
John the Baptist proclaimed Him to be the Messiah. Peter
confirmed that he believed Jesus to be the Son of God. Stephen
preached that Jesus was the Messiah and testified he saw
Jesus sitting at the right hand of God. Stephen prayed, Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit! as he lay dying after he was stoned.
The apostle Paul (previously called Saul) was one of the
Jews who stirred up the people who killed Stephen. But soon
Paul also became a believer and pro claimed Jesus as the Son
of God. Paul was imprisoned and given the death penalty
because of his faith in Jesus Christ.

IMAGINE DEMONS TREMBLING

Demons even acknowledge knowing Jesus, and they tremble.50
To the Jews He proclaimed that He would rise from the
dead if they destroyed Him.51 He also taught His disciples in
private that He would be killed and after three days rise
again.52 The disciples would not listen to such teachings,
though.
After Jesus died and was buried in the tomb of Joseph of
Arimathea, the chief priests and Pharisees asked Pilate to guard
and seal the tomb. They said, We remember that deceiver
said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise
again.53
Despite the guards and the seal, the Lord Jesus Christ did
walk out of that tomb, alive forevermore.
Yet, Easter still is a mystery. From a purely physical point
of view, if there was no Resurrection, what happened to
Christs body? And if he didnt come out of the grave
triumphant, why would the disciples, who were so wishy-
washy before his death, suddenly become strong enough to
give their lives for their faith in Jesus?
Josh McDowell, author of Evidence that Demands a
Verdict,54 wrote great in-depth studies on the Resurrection and
other historical evidences for the Christian faith. He said
people will die for a religious leader they think is equal to God,
but if Jesus had not risen from the dead his disciples would
have known it, and people will not give their lives for belief in a
person they know is a fraud.
According to the Bible, history, and tradition, all of the
twelve disciples of Jesus except Saint John and Judas were
martyrs. John died a natural death while imprisoned on Patmos,
where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Judas, who sold Jesus
for 30 pieces of silver, committed suicide.
Jesuss resurrection is an amazing fact. But so is the
wonder of lifes origins.

IMAGINE HOW YOU BURST FROM YOUR MOTHERS

WOMB
When you last looked at a baby, were you amazed at how he
was formed in his mothers womb? Are you awed at how you
were created the same way?
Were used to seeing newborn babies, and we accept them
without question. But someone who was dead coming to life
again? God sending his Son to earth to promise everlasting life
to those who believe in him? Thats beyond some peoples
comprehension.
Or is it beyond some folks to allow themselves to believe
such a love story?
If God created life in the beginning and made it possible for
life to continue through the generations, its not that difficult
to believe the rest of the Bible record.
When the choir sings anthems Easter morning (or any
other Sunday during the year), it isnt difficult to believe that
when the disciples looked into the tomb and saw the grave
clothes lying there, He had risen.
And it isnt that difficult to believe Hes still at the right
hand of the Father, answering prayer, giving new spiritual life
and hope to people everywherebecause its true. People
experience the power of God every moment around the world,
and testify about it.
When the choirs break into Handels Messiah Hallelujah
Chorus, our spirits can sing along, King of Kings, and Lord of
Lords. The Lord God omnipotent reigneth!

JESUS DIED TO GIVE YOU ABUNDANT LIFEYOUR

FUTURE
The Gospel of Jesus Christ didnt stop when the Lord went
into heaven, or when his disciples died. He that believeth in
me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than
these shall he do because I go to the Father, Jesus said in
what John recorded in Chapter 14, verse 12.
The works of the Lord Jesus Christ are magnified today by
literally millions of believers who proclaim the Gospel in every
place and every language. Will you be one of those who tells
the good news of redemption so people can live forever?

IMAGINE PEACE AND JOY

Has your heart been broken by your parents divorce? Has
someone you loved died? Do you feel lonely and unloved?
Misunderstood? Are you afraid of the future?
Jesus loves you and will never leave or forsake you.
Jesus still is sending the Holy Spiritthe Comforter and
Power-GiverHe promised when He went away. Every time a
person receives the Holy Spirit, it demonstrates Jesus still is in
heaven making good on his promises.
You can hear testimonies of people whose lives were
changed for the better when they accepted Jesus Christ as
Savior and turned from their sins. Thats what being born
again is all about. Jesus gives a person a chance to start new
with sins forgiven and forgotten.
One man I think of, Jim, had this kind of experience. Jim and
his wife, Ruth, used to drink and quarrel constantly. They even
allowed their children to smoke and drink anytime they wanted
to. The parents never took them to church.
Then Ruth accepted Christ as Savior. While Jim was in the
army, she wrote Jim about her experience.
Dont get religion on me now, he wrote back bitterly.
Finally she gave up trying to serve the Lord.
Several years later, Jim decided to kill a man. It would be a
brutal murder. That was the kind of treatment he felt his enemy
deserved.
One day while at work he was meditating on his plan, when
he remembered the Bible says it is not necessary to commit the
deed: the desire to kill makes a man guilty in Gods eyes.55
Jim visualized the scene of the crime he planned. He looked
into the lifeless face of the man. The bloody scene in his
imagination might have nauseated some people, but the
sickness bubbled from Jims soul, not his stomach. His breath
came in short gasps. In agony he clenched and unclenched his
fists, again and again.
A groan burst from his lips, though no one else heard it
above the clatter of machinery.
Oh, God, he cried aloud. Forgive me!
Instantly peace and quietness came. A load had been
lifted. He had never known the full meaning of salvation before,
but now he knew forgiveness. When Jim went home, he read
his Bible and prayed again. He read a scripture and prayed
every day.
It was about this time that Jims oldest son went to church
with a woman from Lakewood, Colorado. His Sunday school
teacher asked him what he wanted most in the world.
I would like my parents to be saved, he answered.
A few weeks later, Jim and Ruth were in church. Jim
publicly acknowledged Jesus Christ as his Savior and Ruth
rededicated her life to God.
After church, they cleaned house. They dumped the liquor.
They made all sorts of changes in their home.
God made Jim a new man. He found the old hatred for the
man he planned to murder gone. He made peace with his enemy
and invited him to church. The man attended church, amazed at
the change God had made in his enemy.
Both Jim and Ruth became students of the Bible. They
were active leaders in the church I attended. Jim served on the
deacon board. They worked with children. They took the
Gospel to people in nursing homes, singing and teaching.
They found there is hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, and
they wanted to share it.

IMAGINE YOUR FUTURE DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU

CHOOSE TO BELIEVE
Just as there is no proof that God exists, there also is no proof
that can be put in a test tube for those who doubt that Jesus is
the Son of God and God the Son. Again, there is a reason for
this, and that is because salvation can be gained only by faith.
If proof existed, there would be no need for faith.
 The evidence and testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ are
there. Are you willing to believe it?
For if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus
and believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the
dead, thou shall be saved.56 Let Jesus Christ become the
foundation for your life. He came that God might be with us,
work through us, and eternal life would be in us.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his
name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now
all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of
the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold a virgin shall be with
child, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being
interpreted is, God with us.57
 What is your best like?

I
n my teens, I worked in a peach-packing shed. All day long I
stood beside a conveyor belt sorting beautiful peaches from
those with split seeds, bad spots, wormholes, and other
undesirable markings.
At the end of the conveyor belt all the good peaches
went through a defuzzer, then were packed in wooden boxes.
By the time I was off work, hundreds of boxes of beautiful
peaches stood ready for market, and I was covered in sweat,
dirt, and itchy peach fuzz. Peach fuzz makes you miserable.
How wonderful it was to go home and wash all the misery
away!
Wed all be filthy if we didnt take baths frequentlyand
wed smell, too.
A bath is one of the first things done after a babys birth.
And thats the first thing God does for us when we are born
again. All our sins are washed away and we become so clean
were said to be new creatures.58
When youre clean you get pretty close to being your best
on the outside and God can make you beautiful inside as well.
The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from every
sin.59
Do you doubt that God can change people?
A university psychology professor decided to stage a
religious meeting supposedly to expose the deceitful
psychological techniques used by ministers to persuade
people to become Christians. Each student was to contribute
something to the meeting.
One Christian student accepted his assignment with horror
and rushed to his pastors home.
What am I going to do? he asked the pastors wife after
he explained the situation.
She chuckled as the Holy Spirit dropped something into
her heart.
Tell your teacher youll bring a derelict from skid row, and
the pro fessor can change him!
She reminded the student of the people in their church
whose lives had been changed instantly by the power of God.
The staged revival meeting was canceled when the student
made his offer. The professor knew he couldnt change
anyone. But Jesus can. In churches Ive attended were people
who had been drunkards. There were former wife beaters,
thieves, child abusers, adulterers, and one who had seriously
contemplated murder.
I admit churches still have people who claim to be
Christians who commit horrendous sin. John wrote, He who
says, I know him, but does not keep his commandments, is a
liar, and the truth is not in him.60
The church used to sing songs of testimony where the
composers told how their lives were changed such as, Since
Jesus Came into my Heart, Joy Unspeakable and He Set me
Free. Thats the reason there was so much loud singing,
clapping, dancing and shouting of praises to God that some
dubbed the people Holy Rollers.
In my youth I was called a Holy Roller. Our church, right in
the middle of our small town, almost quaked with the music.
People would peek in windows and often come inside and go
to the altar to accept Jesus.
Truth is, I only saw one person roll in church in my life, and
that was in another denomination. He was a teenager who
became so joyful when he received the Holy Spirit he rolled all
over the place, even under the pews!
Usually such an experience changes the persons life. If I
remember correctly, this youth was called into the ministry that
night.

WHAT DO YOU NEED GOD TO DO FOR YOU?

First, you need to think some about who you are.
Below is a little profile I did of myself, and you can create a
similar one for you, pointing out why you are the person you at
least think you are.
1. Ive been known to be a little scatterbrained. For
instance, I once turned off the water that my husband kept
running in the bathtub to keep the water pipes from freezing. I
forgot to turn the water back on after I took a bath. I threw a
big coat over my nightgown and went out to thaw out the
pipes (my husband was working out of town). The door froze
shut and I was locked outside in 30-below freezing
temperatures at 2 oclock in the morning.
2. Im fun loving. Ive always loved games. I play board
and card games like Rook, but my favorites are action games
such as tennis, volleyball, badminton, swimming, baseball. I
even enjoy walking, jogging, swinging.
3. I have a sense of humor. In high school, I won a trophy
for being best actress in a one-act play contest. A judge took
me aside and told me I could go to Hollywood as another
Lucille Ball. Was she thinking talent or red hair?
4. I enjoy working and seeing things done, everything
polished and organized. I used to say turning a kitchen from
messy to clean is like creating a piece of art. After marriage, a
clean nicely decorated house is connected to my self image.
5. Im a germophobe. In my mind theres no need for people
to be ill with colds and flu, especially if there is a disease like
asthma in the house. Wash those hands. Sanitize. After writing
on the medical beat for seven years also I believe in using
bleach on everything after preparing meat in the kitchen, or
after a person with a cold visits our house. Guess that brings
up bacteria-o-phobe. No rare meat, especially hamburger--and
chicken juices should run clear when cooked. No red or pink
anywhere. I always have grilled chicken heated twice when
eating out. I came down with salmonella from grilled chicken
about a half dozen times from restaurants. No more. Heat it
twice, or I order deep fried. Grease is better than germs.
 6. Im a seeker of knowledge. Ive been a student of the
Bible since I was about 14, and prayed for wisdom all my adult
life. I enjoy picking peoples brains, in-depth research, and
anything that keeps me filled with truth.
7. I love romance. To me the most romantic words ever
spoken are I love you. I want to marry you and I will love only
you until death parts us. My husband and I made that vow
and kept to it now for many decades. I read squeaky clean
inspirational historical romance books with a lead character I
like and sympathize with, who has a big problem that needs
solved.
I could go on and on. This will give you some idea of how
to probe who you are. Think about it and write down what
pops into your head, then review and rewrite to get to your
core.
Ask yourself: What or who do I fear? What do I value?
What is most important to me? What do I cry about? What
makes me laugh? What have I done that I enjoyed? What have
I done that Im proud of? What is the one thing I would like to
do before Jesus comes or I die? When I am sad, who do I talk
to? Who would I like to help? Who have you helped that you
didnt have to?
What do I know that I would like to share? What would I
like to learn? Do I want God in my life? How has not knowing
or knowing Jesus affected me?

IMAGINE YOU TOMORROW

When youve answered all the questions or others you
choose, write a description of who you are now. In another
column or on another page write what sort of person you
would like to become and how you plan to accomplish this
change.
If you dont know Jesus, think about how He showed His
love for you by dying on the cross so you could live forever.
Have you experienced the floods of joy that the writer of Since
Jesus Came into My Heart61 wrote about when he said floods
of joy oer my soul like sea billows roll?
Like Lazarus, whose body had been lying cold, still, and
stinking in the tomb, then at Jesuss command came alive, the
sinner awakens to new life.
Baptism is a testimony to the whole world that you have
experienced that spiritual resurrection. The newness of life
comes through our Redeemer, who is the only One who can
rescue humans from sin and death. Peter said it right after
Pentecost, Neither is there Salvation in any other; for there is
no other name given among men, whereby we must be
saved.62

A GIFT FOR YOU THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR FUTURE

In addition to being available only through the Lord Jesus
Christ, salvation is a gift. It is not something that can be
earned.
Good works have a part in the Christian life, but after we
become a Christian.63 If works had been sufficient, a new
covenant would not have re placed the Old Testament law.
Immediately after Adam sinned, God the Father promised a
Redeemer who would forgive sins and give back the
immortality they lost.64 You know what happened: For God so
loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.65
Salvation as we experience it today took many generations
to become reality. But the moment Christ died after shedding
his precious blood, the veil in the temple was ripped from top
to bottom. The veil separated ordinary men from the Holy of
Holies, where the priests entered the presence of God and
sprinkled the blood of bulls and goats to absolve the people of
their sins for a year.
The torn veil signifies we can go directly to God for
forgiveness, because Jesus is our high priest. Seeing then
that we have a great high priest that is passed into the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find
grace to help in time of need.66
All the necessary arrangements for our salvation already
have been made, and that gives us the opportunity to build our
lives on the proper foundation.
We can go directly to our high priest.
Talk to Jesus. Hes listening. Even though he already
knows about them, tell him about your sins. Ask for
forgiveness. Believe His Word and know your sins are
forgiven and wiped from the record.
Then tell someone you have accepted Christ as your
Savior.
If youll do those things, something will happen. Youll be
clean, born again, and will experience salvation. A new
redeemed person.
But God doesnt want us to remain spiritual babies. Get
involved in a good church that preaches the Gospel. Build your
life on the Rock Christ Jesus. Study the Bible. Pray. Share your
testimony and take your friends and family to heaven with you.
If you do these things, youll be prepared for storms of life
that may come because Jesus will be with you. God has said,
Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews
13:5).
You can be your best.
 Why the Bibles message is written to you.

I
picked up some Avon products at my neighbors, and then she
burst into tears.
My friend from South Dakota is here visiting, and I dont
know what to do to help her, Roberta said.
The friends son was in a Denver hospital after tests on his
heart. A blood clot developed in the small boys arm after the
test, and doctors told the mother if the clot moved the short
distance up the artery to the heart, the child would die. If they
operated to remove the clot, he might lose the use of his arm.
I told Roberta we believed in prayer and told her Id pray
for the child. After I went home, however, I realized that wasnt
enough. The mother needed some faith of her own.
So I took one of my Bibles and underlined the ninety-first
Psalm: He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the
Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God, in Him will I
trust.A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at
thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine
eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the
most High, thy habitation. There shall no evil befall thee,
neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling; for He shall
give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways.
He shall call upon me and I will answer him. With long life will I
satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
I put a marker in the Bible and took the Bible to Roberta.
Later, Roberta related to me what happened. When her
friend came home from the hospital, she sat down and read the
Psalm. Tears soon dripped on the marked page, but the mother
found hope.
At the hospital, doctors circled the little boys bed in
consultation about what they should do. One of them gently
began to examine the thin, inflamed arm .
Its gone! the doctor said in amazement. The clot has
dissolved.
Like the boys mother, many people have found comfort
and hope in Gods Word.
The Bible is a unique book. There is none like italthough
many books have been written trying to take its place. It begins
with the story of creation: In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form and
void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the
Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said,
Let there be light, and there was light (Genesis 1:13).
 The creation story continues, with life springing forth on
the land, in the sea, each plant and animal capable of
reproducing their kind, male and female. Then God scraped up
some dirt and He made a manAdam.
God didnt just give this person life. The Lord leaned down
and breathed into him the breath of life, and man became a
living soul.
God put Adam into the Garden of Eden to dress it, keep it,
and name the animals. In the cool of the evening, God enjoyed
fellowship with Adam and, later, Eve, whom God created for
Adam so he would have a human to love and start a family.
Can you imagine God wanting to spend time with you?
Many theologians believe God created the earth and humans
so he could fellowship with them. The Bible says where two or
three are gathered in His name, He is in the midst of them
(Matthew 18:20).
God instructed Adam and Eve that they could eat any fruit
in the garden, except onethe knowledge of good and evil. If
they ate of that tree, they would die.
Satan told them they wouldnt die, but the couple ate and
discovered what God said was true. When Cain killed his
brother, Able, and they stood beside their first grave. Every
human who has lived since that time until now died, except the
few God took directly to heaven such as Elijah and Enoch.
But God had compassion and promised a Redeemer
(Genesis 3:15) who would forgive sin and give eternal life. God
also breathed into men scriptures, so His love story could be
shared with every person who lives. Although there are still
consequences for sin, the Bible is the story of Gods loving
redemption of humankind.
No other writing in the history of the human race has been
preserved with the care that has been given the Bible.
Throughout history men have spent their lives preserving,
copying, and translating scripture. They had to verbalize each
word as they wrote and examine every consonant and vowel,
counting the characters in each column of writing. The words
were reviewed every thirty days, and if as many as three pages
required corrections, the entire manuscript had to be redone.67
Most Bible scholars verify this is true.
Manuscripts usually were preserved on fine animal skins
and kept in dry places where they would be safe for
generations to come. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were
discovered, some dating from 100 BC to 100 AD, there were few
discrepancies from those copied in the tenth century.
Furthermore, the New Testament has the greatest amount of
manuscript evidence among ancient Greek and Latin literature.
The Iliad by Homer has 643 ancient manuscript copies,
compared to more than 24,000 for the New Testament.68
The writing of the Bible also is unique. Unlike
Mohammeds Koran, or Joseph Smiths Book of Mormon,
written almost completely by one man (Mohammed wrote the
Koran, but his followers also wrote some of his sayings for the
book), the Bible was written by forty authors over a 1,500-year
span, over thirty generations. The authors included peasants,
philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars, a doctor,
and a tax collector. It was written on three continents, Asia,
Africa, and Europe, and in three languages, Hebrew, Aramaic,
and Greek.
 Hundreds of controversial subjects are included in the
subject matter, but although the authors were so different, they
wrote with harmony and continuity from Genesis to Revelation.
There is one unfolding story: Gods redemption of man.
You might wonder whether Jesus wrote any of the Bible.
No, yet the whole book is filled with prophecies about the
coming Messiah and the fulfillment. The New Testament is
written by witnesses who saw how God completed His plan of
salvation for humankind through Jesus. Much of the New
Testament contains quotes of the teachings of Jesus, recorded
by the disciples and apostles. Some writers, such as John and
Peter talked about being eyewitnesses of His life and
Resurrection from the dead (See 2 Peter 1:16 and 1 John 1: 1).
Prophecy written hundreds of years before it was fulfilled
also is a testimony of the divine authorship of the Bible.
As I mentioned before, one of the most outstanding
examples of prophecy coming to pass just as the biblical writer
under the Holy Spirits revelation said it would be, is taken
from the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, fulfilled in my
generation.
In Ezekiel 37 there is the vision of the Valley of Dry Bones.
Human bones were scattered all over the valley. Talk about
Halloween!
As Ezekiel looked at the bones, the Lord said, Prophesy
upon these bones, and say unto them, Oh ye dry bones, hear
the word of the Lord. When Ezekiel prophesied, the bones
started moving. I dont know if it occurred like the black gospel
spiritual:
DRY BONES
Toe bone connected foot bone
Foot bone connected leg bone
 Leg bone connected knee bone
Dont you hear the Word of the Lord?
Leg bone connected knee bone
Knee bone connected thighbone
 Thighbone connected hipbone
Dont you hear the Word of the Lord?
Hipbone connected backbone
Backbone connected shoulder bone
 Shoulder bone connected neck bone
Dont you hear the Word of the Lord?69
Ligaments and flesh began to cover the bones, and when
Ezekiel prophesied again, breath came into them. They lived
and became an exceedingly great army.70
The Lord then explained to Ezekiel that the Israelites (the
Jews) would be scattered over the face of the earth just as the
bones were scattered over the valley floor. But Israel would
live again. It would be a nation again.
Ezekiels career extended from 592 to 570 BC. While his
prophecy was fulfilled in part at the close of the Exile, the main
prophecy of this text refers to the Jews being scattered after
the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Since then, they have
lived all over the globe, but in the twentieth century, an urgent
desire to return to their homeland stirred in Jews hearts. They
packed their bags, and Israel became a nation in 1948.
The whole world today acknowledges that Israel is alive
and breathing again, resurrected from its valley of dry bones.
The Bible is full of fulfilled prophecy. Educated people from
the secular world may take one example of fulfilled prophecy
lightly, but if they would become students of the Bible,
studying it as they study Freud and Darwin, they would
discover the Bible cant be rejected so simply. Many persons
have been converted when they studied the Bible to discredit
it.
Two of these converts who come to mind are C. S. Lewis,
the great writer of a generation past, the author of Chronicles
of Narnia and other great books, and the modern-day Josh
McDowell, author of Evidence That Demands a Verdict , who
gave tremendous evidence on the authenticity of the Bible in
recent years.
The purpose of the Bible, though, is not to be a history
textbook, or a phenomenon of foretelling the future. The
purpose of the Bible is to unfold Gods love to man and His
plan to give him eternal life.
The Bible has a supernatural origin and purpose, which is
evident from Genesis to Revelation.
In all the nearly 1,500 years it took to write the Bible, never
once did the paganism of the societies in which the authors
lived penetrate its pages, despite some of their leaders
worshiping idols. Even though polytheism was dominant
through Egyptian history, the writers of the Bible continually
wrote about one God.
During much of their history, the Hebrews (the Jews, or
Israelites) did not live according to Gods laws. This wasnt
hidden, but even the gravest sins are revealed in the Word.
Man would have made up a religion he could easily live
up to, or that made humankind comfortable without changing
its ways. But the inspired Word of God never compromised, no
matter what person God used to write his message to man. His
message never changed despite the different personalities and
writing styles that became part of His book.
The Bible zeros in on human problems and needsas no
other book has ever done. The late advice columnist Ann
Landers wrote before she died about the value of the Ten
Commandments. What else can you name that still works after
3,000 years? she asked.
Do you know The Ten Commandments? Here they are from
Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, from the King James Bible. If
you want to memorize them, you might like another translation.

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in
vain
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
5. Honor thy father and thy mother.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet.

Keeping these commandments is important to your future

because breaking any of them hurts you or someone else.
A man could study anything the world has to offer, but he
will find nothing that will minister to his spiritual needs as the
Word of God does, because the message is God breathed.
The Apostle Paul wrote, Every Scripture is God-breathed
(given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for
reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and
discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in
holy living, in conformity to Gods will in thought, purpose,
and action) (2 Timothy 3:16 Amplifed).

THE BIBLE IS POWERFUL

Gods Word reaches beyond any book ever written.
For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is
a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews
4:12KJ).
Philosophy or science or false religion will not change a
mans nature and give him new life, as the Holy Spirit and
Gods Word working in the heart of man can. On the same
token, anywhere the Bible has been accepted there are higher
ideals: higher morality, better living conditions, more caring for
others, and a better society.
Not everyone believes everything that is in the Bible. Some
try to explain away the miracles or argue other points.
We decide whether we will believe our Heavenly Father
wanted us to know the way to heaven, so He inspired men to
write the message and made sure it was preserved through the
agesor we can refuse to believe and go to hell for eternity.
I talked to a psychiatrist who became a Christian. He had
read the Bible before but without faith. After his children
accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, the psychiatrist began to
read the Bible again and believe.
It was as if the scales had fallen off my eyes, he said. It
read like a different book.
He said sometimes hes still amazed at the changes that
knowing Jesus and reading the Word can make in a life.
Before I became a Christian, Freud could have resurrected
from the dead and spent another lifetime working on me, but he
wouldnt be successful in changing me into a better person.
Ive seen miraculous changes for the better in my life and the
lives of others brought through the power of Jesus Christ.
Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments with Love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind, and with all thy strengthand love thy neighbor
as thyself.71 If people will fulfill these, they will break none of
the commandments and all of society will improve.
You, as an individual, will have a better life, too.

THE BIBLE IS FOR EVERYONE

The message of the Bible gives joy and satisfies humanity on
all levels of life, educated or illiterate, poor or wealthy,
regardless of age, race, or ethnic origin. Through Gods Word
and the Gospel it proclaims, the whole world becomes one:
brothers and sisters in the Lord.
I have been in services where natives of China, Africa,
Pakistan, Spain, and other countries separately came and told
the American church how they appreciated the Gospel sent to
their countries through American finances and missionaries.
The woman from China was a medical doctor before the
communist revolution. She now is a missionary. The man from
Africa was an African minister educated in missionary schools.
The woman from Pakistan was a wealthy Muslim who had to
flee from her country after her conversion. The man from Spain
was very poor. Yet, all united in love with Christians here
whose titles and financial status vary as much as theirs.
Were told in Revelation 5:9, speaking about Jesuss death:
For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed
people for God from every tribe and language and people and
nation.
Numerous times in the Bible were told it was not only for
the Jews, but also for the Gentiles, which includes everyone.
There is nothing that humankind has produced that even
comes close to what happens to men and women through the
Word. If humankind will meet the conditions set forthand the
Bibles terms must be metthe effect can even change the
profile of nations and affect generations to come.
Christians are told by scripture to study the Bible. Be
diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who
does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth.72
Through the Bible people can learn that they need to
correct their own faults before criticizing others. We learn that
if we dont love God and others, we have broken all the rest of
the commandments and our religion is in vain.
The Bible teaches how the home should be established and
governed, the duties of individual members, and the spirit that
should prevail in the home.
Again, the Bible tells how to obtain joy, peace, and
everlasting life.
The New Testament is a good place to start reading the
Bible. The Gospel of John and the epistles of John are
particularly enlightening for those who are unfamiliar with the
Word. Yet, the Old Testament is full of glorious reports of God
working in humans lives.
After people become Christians, the Word is a light to their
path. It becomes the sword of the Spirit when Satan, the
enemy, attacks us.
Anyone who is literate (let alone well educated!) owes it to
himself to know what is contained in the Bible.
When my husband and I were first married, we signed a
blank contract, thus paying a lot more money for a small mobile
home than it was worth because the salesman said it was a year
newer than it was. Today, we are wiser. We wont take
anyones word for what is contained in a contract. We read it.
God has written a contract with humankind. If we accept
His offer of eternal life, which Jesus signed with His blood, and
live our life according to His will, we have all kinds of fringe
benefits.
I urge you to study to see what the Bible claims for itself,
how these claims have been substantiated through
archaeology, prophecy fulfilled, and the promises of God
contained in the Bible. Then look around you and see what
God is doing for people today through His Word.
Seek wisdom. Ask God for understanding. Then use what
God reveals to you and erect your life on the proper
foundation.
Seek out the book of the Lord, and read.73 Its a love
letter from God to you.
 God wants you to talk to Him

A
nd this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask
anything according to His will, He hears us; and if we know
that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have
the petitions that we desired of Him.74
A strong wind propelled a raging forest fire up the side of
Grand Mesa in Colorado, leaving blackness and ashes in its
wake. Grand Mesa is the largest flat-topped mountain in the
world.
The billowing smoke and hungry flames came into view of
a mother and three children, alone in a white two-story house.
The roaring mass of flames raced directly toward their home.
The father had gone to help fight the fire, which erupted
near Cedaredge. He had no idea the wind would take the fire to
his familynow stranded without a car or any other means of
escape.
 Inside the house the mother and children ran to the
bedroom, took the Bible, and read the Ninety-first Psalm, which
talks about Gods protection for His children. Then they knelt
and prayed fervently. Still praying, they went back to the living
room and watched the fire, now almost upon them.
While they stared, the flames turned away as the direction
of the wind changed. Their prayers had reached God, and He
answered!

IMAGINE PRAYER POWER

This true experience is one of several miraculous answers to
prayer shared by members of a church I attended in Lakewood,
Colorado, several years ago. I was asked to speak in the youth
service about prayer. While meditating and praying for the
service, I felt I should let people in our church tell from their
own experience what prayer can do. I told you briefly about
some of these miracles earlier in this book.
So I began asking individuals to help me. My only problem
was choosing which miraculous answers to prayer to use! I
found so many examples of the power of prayer I couldnt use
all of them.

IMAGINE CONNECTING WITH GOD

One woman said she uttered a simple prayer as their familys
truck, loaded with apples, rolled over the side of a mountain.
Her children were riding on top of the apple boxes. After she
scrambled out of the truck, crushed by huge boulders, she
called her childrens names.
 Tim? Are you all right?
Yes, a voice answered from beneath the boxes.
Steve?
Here!
Connie?
Here, Mom!
The entire family escaped uninjured.
Sometime let me tell how the Lord made an empty fuel
barrel keep the house warm for a week, she added.
A deacon told how God stopped the rain so he could work
on a road construction project. The deacon had five children to
feed and needed all the work he could get. If it rained, he
couldnt work and didnt get paid.
One day he noticed big black clouds rolling toward the
road construction area. He prayed the Lord would allow him to
keep working.
It was the deacons job to send supplies to the men on the
paving machine. For three days the rain followed close behind
the road crew, and although they could see storm clouds
dumping rain behind them, it never reached where the men
worked. Occasionally the showers came right up to where they
were, and then would go back again.
Some told of being delivered from alcohol or cigarettes.
Outstanding physical healings were numerous.
A man was critically injured when the Jeep in which he was
riding went out of control and rolled over. He told how doctors
gave no hope for his recovery, but through his familys prayers
and his own conversion, he recovered so quickly that when he
went deer hunting, he scared one of his friends when they met
in the woods.
I thought you were dead! the friend gasped. He hadnt
heard he recovered.

IMAGINE MIRACLES
Another couple told how their baby was healed of water on the
brain (hydrocephalus). The babys head began to grow faster
than its body. After X-rays, the doctors told the parents the
baby would never be normal and should be admitted to an
institution.
The distraught parents asked their pastor to go to the
institution and pray for the baby.
Within two weeks the doctors informed the parents that
the baby had become perfectly normal. When comparing X-
rays of the childs brain before and after prayer, the doctor said
it was hard to believe they were taken of the same baby. He
wrote Absolute Miracle! across her records.
The baby, Becky, now is married and never showed any
evidence of mental retardation. Her head went back to normal
size as an infant, and it remains normal. Becky was one of our
childrens close childhood friends when we attended the
church in Lakewood.
A mother told how her nine-year-old girl suffered a head
injury in a swinging door, and soon afterward, paralysis
affected one side. The diagnosis was a blood clot on the brain.
The doctors said she would not live a year.
Her mother went through agony, watching her beautiful
little girl deteriorate until she could no longer feed herself.
When the mother would try to feed her, often the food would
just fall out of the childs mouth.
Oh, God! she cried many times, I just cant bear it!
The childs grandma, however, kept reassuring the young
mother to believe God for a miracle.
When vacation time came, they asked the doctor whether
the little girl would be able to make a trip.
Youd better take her, the doctor said. It will be the last
vacation she can take with you. So the parents bundled her
up in a blanket and put her in the back of their station wagon.
Instead of getting worse, the girl began to improve. She
completely recovered and became an outstanding Christian
woman, and shes one of my close Facebook friends today.
I know all of these people personally. Almost without
exception, theyor at least a family memberserved God
faithfully before they had a crisis in their lives. They already
were on speaking terms with Godand they didnt hesitate
to ask God for help when they needed it. Theyre still serving
the Lord and seeing answers to prayer.
But God hears the fervent prayer of anyone.
God wants us to ask him to supply our needs. Ask and it
shall be given you, Jesus taught in his Sermon on the
Mount.75

IMAGINE THE CREATOR LISTENING

Isnt it almost too much to think God will listen to humans? To
me? A nobody? A cry for help in our own feeble words, and
the Creator answers?
It happens all the time.
 God wants us to bring our needs to Him and believe he
will answer. The Bible says, It is impossible to please God
without faith. Anyone who comes to him must believe that
there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek
him.76
Also, we should pray fervently. The earnest prayer of a
righteous person has great power and wonderful results.77
According to biographers, prayer in Martin Luthers early
years as a monk probably was confined to what he later called
babble and empty chatter, which was reading prayer books,
saying memorized prayers, and counting beads.
As he became a mature Christianwho, like David, wasnt
afraid to challenge the worlds giants because the Lord was
with himLuther learned to pray so fervently and effectively
that he moved the hand of God. When he talked to the Lord,
Luther deeply affected those within hearing range and was
strengthened and lifted up himself.
Luther used his native German and prayed frequently and
fervently, and he fell asleep at night communicating with
God.78
Luther got his emotions involved.
Wake up your heart and teach it what kind of thoughts to
think while praying, he told his followers.
He warned against mechanical prayers, without thinking
about what is being said. He also cautioned people to avoid
praying because it was their duty to do so, saying such prayer
would accomplish nothing.
The reformer often prayed facing a window, turning his
back on those in the room with him.
Viet Dietrich once overheard Luther praying alone. My
heart was inflamed when I heard him speaking so intimately, so
earnestly, so respectfully, confident his petitions would be
granted.
In one of his teachings on prayer, Luther advised
Christians that when Christ said to askseekknock it was
to encourage Christians to be persistent when they pray. He
advised them to ask, keep seeking after the Lord, and knock
excessively. Ask and receive means nothing else than, ask,
call out, yell, seek, knock, thunder!

IMAGINE GODS INTERVENTION

This is exactly how Luther prayed himself at times. When his
friend Philip was in a coma and appeared at deaths door,
Luther walked in and began to lay the problem before the Lord.
He quoted promises from the Bible that prayers will be heard.
He yelled and thundered the promises until he had rubbed his
ears with the truths as well as the ears of other believers in the
room. He continued praying in a loud voice until every listener
in the room was hot with faith, too. Finally, Philip began to stir.
They fed him and soon he was on the mend.
The powerful prayers of Luther were coveted, and even
feared, by those who knew him.
Luthers advice to keep knocking and asking and never
give up goes along with what Jesus said: Men ought always
to pray and not faint!79 Jesus then told the story of a widow
who wearied an unjust judge by continually coming to him and
asking him to avenge her of her adversary, until the judge
granted her request.
Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and
night unto him, though he bears long with them? Jesus asked.
Years after I collected answers to prayer in the Lakewood
church I asked a Sunday school class in Pueblo, Colorado, to
the miracles God had done in their lives.
Everybody wanted a chance to share their answers to
prayer. A young couple told how their premature babys life
was spared because of prayer. A young lady told how God
touched her heart condition.
There were many others, but one I especially remember was
a young married couple who had recently become Christians.
My parents became Christians not very long ago, one of
them said, and began requesting prayer for our salvation in
the church they attend in another state. At the same time, for
some reason, we decided to buy a Bible so we could read it.
We started at the back and when we read Revelation, we got
scared. We didnt understand all of it, so we thought wed
better find a church. The Lord led us here, where we accepted
Christ. Then we discovered our parents had been praying!
The parents didnt know how to approach their children
and tell them they committed their lives to Christ. When the
children were born again, they hesitated to phone the parents
and share what happened. But God already worked a miracle.
Sometimes our prayer lives become like the miner who
stuck it out several years picking and digging for gold in the
Colorado mountains about the turn of the twentieth century.
The miner found only enough nuggets to keep from starving.
 Finally he got disgusted. If I dont find gold in a few more
days, Im quitting.
He didnt find gold, and he quit. He sold his claim for
almost nothing.
The next owners dug only ten feet from where the miner
quit when they hit a big vein of gold ore and struck it rich!
We cant stop believing in the power of prayer.
If youd like to know for yourself what prayer can do, read
the Bible. See what God did for Elijah, Gideon, and Daniel in the
Old Testament. Find out what He did for the apostles in the
New Testament. Then ask believers you know what God has
done for them.
The churches I have been in are not uniqueexcept that
they still believe and teach that God answers prayer. You can
find testimonies of miracles everywhere.
Pray. Prayer is just talking to God. You will find the Lord
hears and answerseven a whisper.
 Why your goals are attainable

W
hen people know where to go with their lives, their suitcase is
packed with important things for the journey. Where do you
hope to go, and what do you think you need?
Would you like to be rich and famous? Is that your goal in
life?
Fame and riches bring risks. Paul told young Timothy,
People who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped
by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin
and destruction. For the love of money is at the root of all
kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered
from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.80
The King James Version of the Bible uses the word
snares for the type of trap Satan sets. Snares trap animals
around the neck or body, and tighten.
Elvis Presley started his career singing in church, but he
had great talentand Satan wanted it. Elvis never lost his love
for gospel music and his desire to serve God, but Satans snare
snapped, closed, and tightened until Elvis died young,
divorced, and addicted to prescription drugs.
Nearly every day on the news we hear about a celebrity
whose marriage is breaking up (if he or she is married at all),
committed a crime, died too young, or is at risk because of drug
addiction or alcohol abuse.

IMAGINE A LION AT THE DOOR

We can plop all of the above at the feet of the thief, Satan, who
walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
Given half a chance, he will steal your future and destroy your
life. When Peter wrote this warning, he prefaced it with, Be
sober (clearheaded), be vigilant (on your guard).81
One young girl told how her dad warned her not to open
the door one inch to the devil because he is like a lion who will
charge through before you can shut it.
There are famous people who guard their testimonies,
serve God with boldness, and walk in purity, but they realize
Satan could take them down in a flash if they dont stand
against him, clothed with the whole armor of God described in
Ephesians 6: The belt of truth; the breastplate of
righteousness; your feet fit and ready; the shield of faith; the
helmet of salvation; and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
Word of God.
Despite our access to spiritual armor, fame and riches
arent valid goals in themselves. Many talented young people
dedicated to the Lord seek first to serve Him and to develop
their talents to the best of their ability. They usually are willing
to go through the doors the Lord opens, and if that includes
fame and riches, theyll deal with it when it comes.

SUCCESS IS ALWAYS WRAPPED IN WORK

When you listen to a famous person, think about how the
celebrity achieved fame. Never forget success is always
wrapped in what people do every day.
For instance, consider the Jonas Brothers. Nicholas Jonas
started memorizing lines and acting at age seven. He wrote
Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer) with his father. His
brothers joined him in music and performance. Before they
toured and sold millions of albums as teenagers and young
adults, they spent hours and hours developing their talents.
Then they studied, practiced, and rehearsed some more.
They had goals in mind, believed God was with them, and
developed their talents through trial and error, lessons,
practice, study, work, practice, and more practice. They are
examples of Christians who achieved fame and fortune.
In contrast to the Jonas Brothers, we have famous singers
who have filthy mouths and live unholy lives. Ive never been
into the music of these people, but one day channel surfing I
ran across Madonna and decided to listen a moment to see
what on earth made her famous.
Shes a great singer.
Likewise theres a huge reason Michael Jackson became a
superstar. He came into this world talented, but he literally
lived to sing and danceand he practiced even the night
before he died.

TALENT IS LIKE A DIAMOND; IT ISNT BEAUTIFUL UNTIL

ITS POLISHED
Since God deserves our best, it is a great catastrophe when
talented youth committed to the Lord dont bother to develop
their gifts and use them to win souls and bless people! We
have terrific singers on worship teams, groups that travel and
present concerts in churches and auditoriums, soloists, and
also recording artists who bless, challenge, and encourage.
Could that be you?

IMAGINE YOUR SPECIAL TALENT

Music isnt the only gift God can use greatly. The Lord uses
special people to preach the Gospel. But those who work
behind the scenes, such as sound engineers, are just as
important. People gifted at math and numbers are needed to
work in churches as they grow, build, and work to win souls.
God can use math experts in missions to help organizations,
charities, and other ministries to balance their budgets.
Even the president of the United States needs people who
can project ideas on how to eliminate the debt, cover important
expenditures, and slash unnecessary spending. States,
counties, and cities need people like that, and if they find
someone with good ideas and God-given ability to help
politicians live within their means, it definitely will be a ministry
to the taxpayer.
Businesses, individuals, and families need auditors, office
workers, financial planners, and those with expertise in risk
management. People need hairstylists, and help caring for their
skin and nails.
Health care organizations use people with compassion
willing to learn the latest successful treatments, cures, and
surgeries. We need someone to develop more effective
medications and devices. But we also have a place for people
willing to minister to everyday needs of people.
We look for righteous workers in politics, defense, energy
development, building, auto repair, law enforcement, television
and newspapers, and film production. Our nation needs
firemen, godly fashion designers, sales personnel, steel and
other industrial workers, secretaries, web and software
designers, bankers, attorneys, real estate brokers, inspectors
and appraisers, counselors, teachers and principals, painters,
poets, photographers, large equipment operators, welders,
farmers, and insurance agents.
We need regular people to invent things that meet needs
and enhance life, comfort, and health. The list is unending of
the things God can do with your talents.

IMAGINE YOUR CAREER

Thousands of careers from which to choose revolve around
your life. Watch people. Look at everything around you. Your
spoon. Your cereal bowl. The cereal. The milk.
Will Kellogg, the younger brother of Dr. John Kellogg, in
the nineteenth century left a pot of boiled wheat to stand, and
the wheat softened. The brothers didnt want to waste food, so
they rolled the wheat and let it dry, hoping they could make it
edible.
Kellogg belonged to a Seventh-day Adventist group that
operated a sanitarium and helped people through good
nutrition to recover from diseases.
When the rolled wheat dried, each grain became a large,
tasty flake. The brothers kept experimenting with other grains
and discovered corn flakes.
Someone figured out how to make Os from grain and to
pop corn and puff wheat. Other people forged spoons from a
mineral in a rock. The bowl you ate out of this morning came
from products someone worked to make. Someone with willing
hands milked the cow, probably with a machine somebody
invented, so you could have milk on your cereal.
A person made the bicycle you ride and the car you drive
or hope to drive, and another person advertised it and sold it.
When you stand at a window, look at the pane. Someone
made it and cut the glass that size. Another person probably
put it in the frame, and a different one installed it in the house.

IMAGINE WHO DID THIS

Look at everything, including your dinner and the clean
clothes in your closet and drawers.
As we mature, we need to know so much! Its a matter of
survival to know how to cook, help with housework, and do
laundry, no matter what your career. If you want a successful
marriage, you need to be a willing worker, and now is the time
to practice picking up after yourself and helping around the
house.
You might even need to know how to grow your own food.
 As you imagine yourself in the future, ask God to help and
direct your life. Then you decide what talents to develop and
get to work. God often calls people to careers and ministries
that are totally unexpected but still require commitment and
training.
I had no idea I would become a newspaper reporter and
writer. Because I was a youth leader, I started by submitting
ideas to a leadership magazine for youth services, and wrote
articles and stories. I became a newspaper correspondent and
studied news writing, plus took a course in writing for Christian
publications. When we relocated, I worked as a newspaper
reporter. I later went to college and received my bachelors
degree in mass communications. I would never have believed
when I was growing up that I would have that type of career.
Your career is important, but not most important. Making a
decision to serve God is the greatest choice we can make.
People who give their lives to God and obey Him grow greater
character, have a better chance of making a marriage work,
have more joy in their careers, and become better parents.
The Lord gives joy and peace no matter the circumstances,
plus eternal life in a home already paid for.
Here are some ideas to help you plan for your future.

IMAGINE FULFILLING YOUR DREAMS

Make a plan. Sometimes God drops opportunity into our laps,
but usually we need to consciously work toward goals. (James
tells us faith without works is dead.) Write a list of things you
hope will be in your future, as well as character traits and
abilities you would like or need to have.
 Research what it will take to accomplish your dreams. Find
how others achieved similar goals.
Learn how to use a computer well. The first thing to do is
read the instruction books and booklets that come with your
computer.
When my husband bought our first computer, he bought a
stack of instruction books that almost made me faint. Our son
read every one of those books. In college, he headed the
computer lab. Although he was a marketing and music double
major, when he graduated he was offered a job teaching
computer if hed stay and teach computer while working on his
masters degree. Our son had never taken a computer class.
Subscribe to blogs and magazines from your chosen field.
Our oldest son is a professional sound engineer and he has
been reading sound magazines since high school. He was a
music major and ran the sound lab at the university he
attended.
Learn how to use social media effectively. Dont just hop
in and go. Research marketing on social media and start
creating your pages and your sites.
Keep your goals in mind.
Budget your time. Im an idea person and I cant begin to
keep up with all the things I want to do. Seems the things I
need to do squeeze out my time. If I didnt budget my time, Id
wouldnt be a writer at all.
Assume responsibility for your future. Here are a few
ways to do it.

Work on your character and attitudes. Discipline

yourself to learning something new at least once a
week, loving someone who irritates you, and doing
jobs you hate. Avoid Satans traps and pray for the
fruits of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience,
faith and faithfulness, gentleness, goodness,
meekness, and self-control, as mentioned in
Galatians 5.
Enlarge your territory by reaching out to people,
volunteering to do things you enjoy, and trying
activities you dont know how to do now but like to
pursue.
Spend time every day reading the Bible, especially
the New Testament and Proverbs, talking to God,
and seeking His will for your life.
Study or take lessons and practice whatever talents
you wish to grow.
Set goals you can reach in a short time, just little
pieces of your big dream. Then realistic deadlines to
accomplish some of the work toward your goals.
Monitor your success and be willing to look at other
goals when something you try seems to be a dead
end.
Dont wait for perfect circumstances to stretch your
abilities and knowledge.
Have faith. Believe in yourself and the One who
loved you before you were born and has a plan for
your life.82
Respect yourself. This means treat your body right
by being wise about what you put into your brain
and what goes into and out of your mouth. Be
careful what you touch and where you go. Give your
body the exercise it needs. Work on your posture.
Dont belittle who you are, what you know, and what
you can do. Smile.
Make a decision to respect your parents and
appreciate their care and love.
Respect other people. When you have a boss, youll
need to know how to show respect to him or her.
Respect God, His house, His Word, His power, His
love, His will for you now as well as later, and His
sovereignty.
Plan your changes. If you are a teen and go to a
large church and have never worshipped with the
adults, you need to plan that move. Although you
might love the youth pastor, plan your transition into
attending adult church. Find out what activities are
available for young adults. Once in a while, attend
regular services instead of youth. Find out where
you can volunteer your talents and where you can
love and minister to others.
If you are going out of town to a secular college, find
out about campus ministries and organizations there
for Christians. Ask your church for a
recommendation for a good church to attend. Attend
church regularly, including small group events and
Christian education for your age group. You might
meet your future marriage mate there.
Guard your heart and mind. Satan, ungodly college
 professors, and unsaved friends will want to steal
your faith. Learn to use the weapons and wear the
Armor of God described in Ephesians 6. Keep up
your study of the Word and spend time on your
knees before God. Paul told the Corinthians, Satan
will not outsmart us. For we are very familiar with his
evil schemes.83
Keep tight with your family, phoning often and
writing or texting news.
Be thankful. Praise the Lord for your health,
finances, roof over your head, freedom, and most of
all for salvation, Gods love and leading, and the
hope and joy He gives.
Be joyful, rejoicing that your name is written in
heaven.

NEVER QUIT DREAMING

Take your imagination and your dreams with you all through
life, because every phase of life can be more exciting than the
last when you have Jesus. Never quit learning new things and
expanding your horizons. Never quit talking to the Lord, taking
all your needs and dreams to Him in prayer. Dont be afraid to
try something new and fill a need with your talents and
abilities.
God made only one person like youand Hes imagining
the future with you!
A parting thought: Be an example to all believers in
what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith,
and your purity. Stay true to what is right and God will save
you and those who hear you (I Timothy 4:12, 16).
U
se a separate paper or notebook to take the tests. Answers
follow the questions so you can grade yourself. If youre using
this book as a group study, you can use these questions for
discussion. May God be with you on your exciting journey
with Him!

1. Do I think only of today, or do I consider the

future? Why?
2. Did I dream more about my future as a child, or
now? Why do you think that is?
3. List dreams for your future, starting with the
most important, even if you dont know for sure
what you want to do with your life.
4. How will you go about achieving your desires?
5. Which is more important: desire or talent?
6. Are people who achieve their dreams just lucky?
7. How do my decisions affect my future?
8. Are my bad habits anything to worry about?
Why?
9. How do my good habits help?
10. Can I reach my dreams even though I am poor,
my parents arent perfect, and Ill have to work at
receiving the education I need?

1. Did Joseph deserve his brothers hatred? Why or

why not?
2. If you have good character, will it show even
when you are mistreated? How will it be shown?
3. Why do you suppose God allowed Joseph to
stay in prison for something he didnt do?
Should he have hated the butler for forgetting
him?
4. What was Josephs biggest dream after he was
taken away from his family?
5. What makes us remember Joseph?
6. Where is the most important place your name can
appear? How do you go about getting your name
there?
7. Do you know the meaning of your name? (You
might be able to find out the meaning on the
Internet or in a book of baby names.)
8. Do you have a nickname? Does it have anything
to do with who you are?
9. How about your family name? Do you have a
name to live up to, or to which youd like to
restore respect?
10. If you have a bad reputation associated with
your name because of your actions, what can
you do?

1. Are you different from your friends? Why or why

not?
2. What is most important about how you look?
3. What does how you present yourself have to do
with respect?
4. Which would you like to beclassy or sexy?
Why?
5. Are you happy with the way you dress and look?
6. What do you feel is your best feature? Eyes?
Smile? Figure? Hair? Skin? Or knowing how to do
the best with what you have?
7. Do you pay attention to compliments on the way
you look? Do you remember what color you
wore, the clothes and how they fit, how your hair
was done, or how often you smiled?
8. Why do the people you admire look good? Will
your answers change your goals?
9. Why is Who you are more important than
how you look?
10. What makes opinion leaders different? How does
taking responsibility for yourself make you
different from the crowd?
 1. If you live until youre ninety and Jesus doesnt
return in your lifetime, how many years will you
be an adult?
2. How you _________ to what happens to you
and around you determines what kind of person
you become.
3. Its advisable to cool it when faced with
________ _______ so youll emerge a _______
___________ person.
4. Its not easy to rise above a sinful environment
or abuse, but it can be done. Its a matter of the
_______.
5. What if I feel drawn to a vocation but feel I cant
do it?
6. When should a young person begin preparing
for the future?
7. Sometimes in life we all need ______
desperately.
8. List three things that a person can do to prepare
for the future.
9. Who is a good biblical model of doing great
things despite distressing circumstances?
10. Would Josephs story have ended well if he
hadnt been devoted to God?
 1. All through childhood, children __________
what they see and hear.
2. How do we learn?
3. How does what we experience and learn affect
us?
4. How can we guard our minds?
5. What part of us is connected to the Covenant
Guard on our minds?
6. Is the covenant/conscience enough by itself?
Why?
7. How do we avoid temptation?
8. What sort of good things should we download
into our minds?
9. What can you do when you are forced to read or
study ungodly material?
10. Does propaganda contain some truth? Why?

1. Would Solomon have been better off if his dad,

David, would have chosen a wife for him? Why?
2. Have you prayed for your future wife or
husband?
3. What part did God play in choosing a beautiful
wife for Isaac? What do you think of this
 arranged marriage being love at first sight?
4. Falling in love is an act of _______ ________.
5. We know how we want others to _______ us
but often arent willing to love others _____
_______ ____.
6. We want others to love us as ____ loves us.
7. Give five of the ten reasons the author says we
fall in love.
8. Do you believe you will choose your
husband/wife to build your ego? What character
qualities would you like your mate to have?
9. Where in the Bible is the love chapter located?
10. Staying in love involves _____ ______.

1. Name the seven good reasons why its best to

wait to have sex until marriage.
2. True or false: God invented sex.
3. Many teen moms live in __________.
4. What are the biggest reasons many young
women keep their virginity?
5. What do you guess is their number one goal?
6. __________ is the only reason Jesus gave for
divorce.
7. We arent supposed even to be _______ with
those who commit sexual sin.
8. John said if we say we know Him (Jesus), but
 dont keep His commandments, we are a
_______ and the _______ is not in us.
9. How do you define true love?
10. If we want Gods will for our lives, we need to
use ______ _______ to achieve it.

1. Are we able to prove God exists? Why?

2. List the four ideas on the scriptural days of
creation.
3. What is the name of the famous fraudulent
missing link?
4. How many years has it been since Darwin wrote
his book Origin of the Species?
5. Does variation in a species support evolution?
6. What is atheism based on? Why?
7. Why do men calculate Earths age in millions
of years?
8. What scientific fact makes mans life on Earth
appear to be much less than some calculations?
9. What natural laws does evolution violate?
10. Name some of the parts of the human body you
believe would not be possible without a Designer
like God.
 1. Who is Jesus?
2. Why do we know he existed before he was born
in Bethlehem?
3. Is it necessary to believe in Jesus to have
salvation?
4. Name a prophecy fulfilled in Jesus from the Book
of Isaiah.
5. Did Jesus claim to be God?
6. What indirect claims did Jesus make to being a
Supreme Being?
7. What is wrong with the belief that Jesus was just
a good person like Mahatma Gandhi or Mother
Teresa?
8. What is the significance of His death on the
cross?
9. What is the significance of the Resurrection?
10. When will He return to earth?

1. From Old Testament times, what has been

necessary to forgive sin?
2. What do you have to do to be saved from sin
and death?
3. What does accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
 automatically cause you to be?
4. What happens to our sin?
5. Will we forget we sinned?
6. How do I know what sin is?
7. Can a Buddhist or Muslim be saved?
8. What is meant by committing your life to Christ?
9. Can anyone else make your commitment for you?
10. Will you have a second chance after death?

1. Who wrote the Bible?

2. Who wrote the Book of Mormon? The Koran?
3. Why is having more than one author significant?
4. Did Jesus write any of the Bible?
5. What is the Bibles unfolding story?
6. Who were two of those who said they were
eyewitnesses of Jesuss life and ministry?
7. Does archaeology or other writings confirm the
Bible? Give one example.
8. How were the writings of the Old Testament
preserved?
9. Can you prove the Bible is true?
10. Is everything in the Bible to be believed?
 1. Why pray?
2. Can you be a good Christian without praying?
3. What assurance do we have that prayer will be
answered?
4. How do you start a prayer life?
5. Are all prayers answered?
6. Why do some people cry when they pray?
7. Are memorized prayers OK?
8. Why do some people pray scripture? Doesnt
God know what it says?
9. Why do we need to pray when God knows our
needs and our thoughts?
10. What part does faith have in prayer?

1. Satan stalks you because he wants to ______,

________, and _______ you.
2. Fame and riches can become a __________.
3. What animal is Satan like?
4. How can we avoid him?
5. Success is always wrapped in ______________
______________________________.
6. What does Satan do to many famous, rich stars?
7. Talent is like a _________. It needs
____________.
8. Name three careers that might interest you.
9. To fulfill our dreams, its wise to ________.
10. What my future is like depends on ____ and
______ __________.
 1. Answer the question truthfully and meditate on
why you do or dont think of the future.
2. Allow yourself to dream great dreams while you
ponder this question.
3. Keep this list of dreams in your diary or your
Bible where you can look at it occasionally.
4. Write down your ideas.
5. Both are important, but people with great talent
who dont dream or desire to polish and use what
they have often have less success than those
without much talent.
6. Fulfilling dreams usually has little to do with luck,
but it doesnt hurt to know people who can help
you succeed.
7. Our decisions affect our future because we cant
achieve anything without working toward a goal.
8. Yes. Because once they become a part of us
theyll probably be with us all our lives.
9. Because they assist us in reaching goals. Even
though being on time at school doesnt seem like
a big deal, an on-time habit will help in
everything we do.
10. Poor people from dysfunctional homes achieved
 great things all through history.

1. He was a little cocky, but no one deserves to be

sold into slavery. His brothers jealousy
consumed them.
2. Good character almost always shines through,
although torture and being a prisoner sometimes
causes a person to resort to bitterness and
maybe even violence. Good character will show
in our attitudes and actions.
3. Joseph said later God had a purpose. God used
Joseph to save many people from starvation. God
probably left him there because it humbled him.
The cocky kid disappeared and emerged a strong
man whose witness eventually went all over the
prison and all over Egypt.
4. Joseph desired to find Gods grace and serve
Him, which Joseph did (Genesis 39:4).
5. We probably should remember he forgave his
brothers.
6. The Book of Life, and our name is written there
when we repent of our sins and accept Jesus as
our Savior.
7. Who we are doesnt depend on the meaning of
our name. Who we are depends on our own will.
8. Not necessarily.
 9. We dont need to accept criticism or privileges
because of our family name.
10. Do my best to show people I no longer practice
sinful habits or unacceptable activities, and be
patient while they discover who I really am.

1. Be thoughtful and truthful with your answer.

2. A respectful, loving attitude that shows on our
face and in the way we dress.
3. How you look shows whether you respect
yourself, and it could go beyond that to showing
how you respect your school, others, your
family, and even God. If you look your best
without dressing seductively, it shows you
respect yourself, and modesty shows you
respect others.
4. Search your heart. Do you want to be respected
or eyed by slime?
5. If your answer is no, start paying attention.
Glance in a full-length mirror and assess how you
look. Look at yourself in the mirror. Inspect
recent photos of you.
6. When youve decided on your best features,
write down your choices and use those in the
way you apply makeup and how you dress.
7. If you havent been paying attention, you should
 be.
8. Make a list of people you admire and then state
why you think theyre special. If they are super
skinny and you suspect they might be anorexic
or bulimic, look up anorexia and bulimia on the
Internet. These conditions not only harm your
health and can kill; they sometimes blossom into
a serious mental illness. By the same token, does
the reason you admire them make sense for
wanting to be like them?
9. Because good looks last only until we age,
become ill, cant afford good clothes or makeup,
get flabby, or gain weight. Godly character lasts
through life, through hard times, and for eternity.
Its who we are that counts, not how we look.
10. Opinion leaders dont follow the crowd. Youre
not afraid of being different, or following your
own dreams, standing out from the crowd, and
becoming a strong person others can trust and
should admire.

1. Just calculate that.

2. React.
3. Distressing circumstances; more powerful.
4. Will.
5. Go in faith through doors God opens, but be sure
 to stay close enough to God to know if He
opened the way.
6. Now.
7. God.
8. Accept Jesus as Savior and make Him Lord of
your life; observe what people do in different
careers, and talk with people who do the work
you would like to do.
9. Joseph.
10. 10. He probably would have died young or at
least never found favor as a slave.

1. Imitate.
2. From experience or other people.
3. It changes us and our character.
4. By consciously controlling our thoughts,
filtering out ungodliness, avoiding filthy movies
and television, being content, listening to good
music, reading good clean stories, studying
Gods Word, and picking up wisdom from wise
people around us.
5. Our conscience.
6. No. Because we can ignore our conscience.
7. By not going into Satans territory, giving him
our minds, and resisting and rebuking him.
8. Gods Word, good books, good music, a will to
 work, a will to do our best, and a decision to live
for God no matter what the circumstances or
what other people do.
9. Ask God for protection of our minds or to
intervene. We can ask teachers for substitute
books. Above all, resist brainwashing.
10. Because truth pays off. All propagandists have
to do to change peoples attitudes is twist the
truth or spin it into a lie, or give people what
they want to hear instead of the whole truth.

1. Yes. Perhaps because David probably would

have sought the Lord first, but well never know.
David made a huge mistake himself when he
committed adultery with Bathsheba.
Nevertheless, God can see into the future and
would have helped Solomon if hed asked.
2. Only you can answer that.
3. God provided miracles, by first giving the servant
wisdom, by moving on Rebeccas heart, and by
helping Isaac respond to her. Be truthful in your
opinion of what happened.
4. The will.
5. Love; the same way.
6. We want others to love us as God loves us.
7. Because of nearness in time and space
 (propinquity); We desire someone; Our instincts
tell us to create a family; To build our ego;
Because we decide to fall in love; No one better
is available; We have similar interests; Because
of loneliness; Because someone else encouraged
us to date this person; Because its Gods plan.
8. You have the answers.
9. 1 Corinthians 13
10. The will.

1. To prevent STDs; to prevent pregnancy; to

present yourself as a virgin to your spouse at the
marriage altar; to enhance your marriage,
especially with trust and respect; to keep healthy
emotionally; to stay free from sexual sin.
2. True.
3. Poverty.
4. They have goals in life.
5. To please God.
6. Adultery.
7. Friends.
8. Liar. Truth.
9. Just give your opinion.
10. Our will.
 1. No. Because faith is necessary for salvation
(Romans 10:9, John 3:16).
2. Revelatory days of creation; Age-long days of
creation; Twenty-four-hour days of creation:
twenty-four-hour days of re-creation.
3. The Piltdown Man.
4. He wrote the book in 1859.
5. No. Because its still a dog, a fish, a fruit fly, a
bird, or whatever it was before there were
mutations or genetic changes.
6. Faith. Because no one can prove how or why we
got here, and the perfection of creation cries out
for a Designer.
7. To make evolution appear plausible, because in a
normal mans life span no significant changes
can be seen in any species that say they are
changing into another.
8. The exponential J curve.
9. The first and second laws of thermodynamics.
The first is that matter cannot be created; the
second is that matter continuously degrades and
becomes less organized. The universe is slowing
down and dying, and everything on Earth
eventually falls apart or decays.
10. The seeing eye; hearing ear; the brain and
neurological system; the digestive system;
 reproduction and cardiovascular systems; and
on and on and on.

1. The only begotten Son of God (John 3:16).

2. John chapter 1 says Jesus (the light of the world)
was there at creation. Jesus said He existed
before Abraham (John 8:58.).
3. Yes. The Bible says no other god or person can
provide Salvation (Acts 4:12).
4. He was wounded for our sins (Isaiah 53:5) is one,
but there are more, even in that chapter.
5. Jesus claimed to be God when he told the Jews
that if they kept His sayings, they would not see
death (John 3:51-58), and other times referenced
in the Bible.
6. He accepted worship and forgave sins.
7. Because if Jesus were just a good man, he lied,
because He claimed to be God. Either Jesus is
who He said He was or He is a wicked imposter.
8. Forgiveness of sin; a sacrifice for all
humankinds sin.
9. Because He lives, we shall live also.
10. Like a thief in the night, unexpectedly (See
Matthew 24, 25). He told us to watch (be ready)
because we wont know the day or hour
(Matthew 25:13).
 1. Blood.
2. Believe, repent of sin and accept Jesus Christ as
Savior.
3. Born again.
4. God forgets it (Micah 7:1819).
5. No, but God take away guilt and give us peace
about it.
6. By studying the Bible and keeping our
conscience soft and receptive to the Holy Spirit.
7. Yes, but only by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior
and turning from false doctrine, scripture outside
of the Bible, and worshipping men or other gods
as their savior.
8. Giving every part of you to the Lord, seeking His
will, and following God and His Word.
9. No.
10. No. It is appointed unto man once to die and
after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

1. Holy men of God inspired by the Holy Ghost.

2. Joseph Smith; Mohammad wrote most of the
Koran.
3. Because it shows testimonials that what was said
 was true, especially since forty authors agree on
hundreds of controversial subjects.
4. No, yet the whole book is filled with prophecies
and fulfillment of the Messiah, and the New
Testament is written by witnesses who saw how
God completed His plan of salvation for man.
Much of the New Testament contains quotes of
the teachings of Jesus, however. (See 2 Peter 1:16
and 1 John 1: 1).
5. The Bible.
6. Peter and John. (See 2 Peter 1:16 and 1 John 1: 1).
7. Yes. The Pool of Siloam, King Davids Palace,
and many more,
8. By scribes, who spent their lives copying
scripture and being sure it was accurate, and
making sure the scrolls would not disintegrate.
9. You probably cant prove it to someone else, but
use the Word in faith, and you can prove it to
yourself.
10. Yes. But most denominations believe this is true
of the original manuscripts, not necessarily every
translation, although most translations can be
trusted.

1. Because a Christian needs to talk to God, and

God loves to communicate with us.
 2. Probably not. It would be like being married and
never talking to your spouse.
3. The Bible says it will be. Hundreds of promises
are contained in the Bible.
4. Just by talking to God as you would someone
else, but being sure you are reverent, and begin
by thanking Him for your blessings and what He
has done.
5. Yes, but sometimes God says no.
6. Because its OK to get your emotions involved.
Sometimes a person has great need, is sorry for
sin, or weeps because joy has come in.
7. Yes, if you are conscious of what you are saying,
mean what you say, and have faith God will
answer.
8. To increase faith but also to assure God we
believe what He has said.
9. Because he told us to ask.
10. Everything. Thats what helps our prayers reach
heaven.

1. To steal, kill, and destroy.

2. Snare.
3. A roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
4. Be sober and on our guard.
5. What people do every day.
 6. Steals talent, destroys character, and eventually
kills.
7. Diamond; polishing.
8. Only you know.
9. Make a plan.
10. If I assume responsibility for preparing for the
future, and trust God to open doors and lead.
1 Released by American Progressive Band. Written by Kerry Livgren.
2 Frank Lutz, Words That Work (New York: Hyperion, 2007).
3 http://tutmarc.tripod.com/Paultutmarc.html
4 John 10:10
5 Frank Lutz, Words That Work (New York: Hyperion, 2007).
6 You can read about Joseph and his family in Genesis 3050. Even the
creation account didnt use this much space!
7 Genesis 5:1921 NKJ
8 David M. Rohl and Dr. Thomas S. McCall, Th.D., Pharaohs and
Kings: A Biblical Quest, Levitt Letter, June 1999.
9 Luke 10:20
10 Rev. 3:5; Rev. 20:12; Rev. 21:27
11 Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at the Good Shepherd and His
Sheep (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan), 65.
12 Roger J. Green, Catherine Booth (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books,
1996), 191.
13 Ibid. 291.
14 See John 14.
15 James 1:1415
16 See Mark 12:3031; Psalm 133:1.
17 Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1977, 1.
18 John 16:79
19 Philippians 4:8
20 New York: Random House, Vintage Books, 1973. 53.
21 Propaganda, 279.
22 Ibid. 280.
23 Scarred (Fort Worth, Texas: Roever Communications, 1995), 26.
24 A Marriage Manual (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1953), 3.
25 Moody Publishers, 2008.
26 Matthew 5:32
27 Galatians 6:7
28 Genesis 1:1
29 Charles Percival, Pueblo Chieftain, Aug. 9, 1992, page 6B.
30 Darwin on Trial (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 45.
31 G. Tyler Miller Jr., Living in the Environment (Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Publishing Co.), 3443.
32 William F. Allman, A Family Legacy for Lucy, US News & World
Report, April 11, 1994, 55.
33 Laura Tangley, Not So Close After All, US News and World Report,
July 21, 1997, 9.
34 Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, CO, Jan. 12, 1991, page 1B; and The
Alpha Omega Institute, bulletin, Grand Junction, CO.
35 Ada Brownell, Pueblo Chieftain, Nov. 4, 1989, 1B; and Carl Baugh
and Dr. Clifford Wilson, Dinosaur (Orange CA: Promise Publishing Co.,
1987).
36 Baughs credentials for making these claims are challenged by some
experts, however, and even some creationists are skeptical about the
Paluxy footprints, although they are in a protected national or state
park.
37 Carl Baugh, Panorama of Creation (Oklahoma City, OK: Southwest
Radio Church), 55-62.
38 Bob Jones University Press, Greenville, SC, 1974, 271.
39 CNN report by A. Chris Gajilan on April 4, 2007.
40 2 Corinthians 517
41 Hebrews 11:3,6NIV
42 John 3:36
43 Josh McDowell, Foreword, Evidence That Demands a Verdict (San
Bernardino, CA: Heres Life Publishers Inc., San Bernardino, CA,
1979).
44 There is only one God, but in three persons known as the Trinity
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, and they are
eternal with no beginning and no end. Jesus said He and Father are one
and if you know Him, we also know the Father. See John 14:5-12.
45 San Bernardino, CA: Heres Life Publishers Inc.
46 Emilie Griffin, Doubleday, 1980.
47 Matthew 16:1617
48 John 8:5158
49 Mark 14:6162
50 Matthew 8:29; James 2:1820
51 John 2:1822
52 Matthew 16:21
53 Matthew 27:63
54 Josh McDowell, Campus Crusade for Christ, Heres Life Publishers,
Inc., 1979
55 Matthew 5:2729
56 Romans 10:9
57 Matthew 1:2123
58 2 Corinthians 5:1618
59 1 John 1:7
60 1 John 2:4
61 The Rodeheaver Co. Copyright 1905; Renewal 1933. Words: Rufus
H. McDaniel, 1914. Music: Charles H. Gabriel, 1914.
62 Acts 4:1012KJ
63 See Ephesians 2:8,9KJ
64 See Genesis 3:15
65 John 3:16KJ
66 Hebrews 4:14,16KJ
67 Scott Manning, Process of copying the Old Testament by Jewish
Scribes, March 17, 2007,
http://www.scottmanning.com/archives/scribeswritingoldtestament.php.
68 Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Josh McDowell, 43.
69 Dry Bones; Melody composed by African-American author and
songwriter James Weldon Johnson (18711938). Long and a shortened
version of the song are widely known.
70 Ezekiel 37:10
71 Mark 12:3031KJ
72 2 Timothy 2:1416NKJ
73 Isaiah 34:16
74 1 John 5:1415
75 Matthew 7:7KJ
76 Hebrews 11:6
77 James 5:16
78 H.G. Haile, Luther (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980), 278279.
79 Luke 18:1KJ
80 1 Timothy 6:910
81 1 Peter 5:79
82 Psalm 139:1416
83 2 Corinthians 2:11