Living ready

What really threatens you today? Is it a terrorist attack, or is it becoming a victim of a local thief? Do you fret over the world environment, or do you worry more about catching a head cold from your fellow bus passengers? Maybe it’s the culture that threatens you—today’s values of tolerance, fairness and pluralism, or rather is it a failing hard drive on your PC that wipes out all your valuable data?

Threats abound both big and small. It could be a possible nuclear attack from an out-of-control Russian missile down, or a false accusation made against you that causes you to lose your job. We voice concern over the threats we see and understand, but what about the threats we do not understand?

One of the more interesting books I’ve encountered on this is Hurtling Toward Oblivion: A logical Argument for the End of the Age, by Richard Swenson. As one reviewer says, “If you are a Christian, I think you will find this a fascinating and uplifting book with some very practical applications on how to live in the here and now.” That’s the point of this lesson from Ezekiel 38 and 39, “How to Live in a Threatening World.” The book's encouraging message is to "live ready" and you might want to get a copy and read it before teaching Sunday’s lesson. Otherwise, Swenson summarizes the book in two pages, but it omits the charts, which are very informative.