Dear Friend,
Two weeks ago my wife and I had a fascinating, and sobering,
experience. As guests of the United Church of God's
pastor in New York City, we toured the World Trade Center
site, which now consists of a huge hole in the ground, surrounded
by a chain-link fence posted with various memorials of the
9/11 tragedy. New York's reputation as a bustling,
vibrant city is well-deserved, but we noticed that as people
walk by the WTC pictorials and lists of victims, their pace
slows and conversations become subdued. A palpable, and appropriate,
swirl of emotions—a mix of disbelief, anger, sadness,
honor, pride, patriotism, etc.—seems to hang over nearly
everyone in the area.
A few days later the city announced that the last obstacles
to rebuilding on the site had been resolved, and a strikingly
beautiful new tower will soon be rising, a symbol, some say,
of the indomitable will of the American people.
Staring into the hole that remains of what was once one
of the greatest monuments to modern society, I could only
think of another great hole: that which exists in the human
condition!
This is yet another example, I thought, of the greatest
paradox of our age: we can build and rebuild marvelous structures,
we can explore the mysteries of outer space, we can multiply
knowledge at an incomprehensible rate, but we cannot rebuild,
understand or conquer the most basic problems of human nature!
Why do we struggle continually with the same fundamental
dilemmas of evil that have existed since the beginning? Why
can't we figure out how to live together in peace?
We all seem to want it, but can never attain it. And why
is it that one of the most interesting prophecies in the
Bible tells us that this human nature problem will get worse
before it eventually gets better?
"But know this, that in the last days perilous times
will come," warned the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
And what are these perils? Wars? Famine? Disease? Economic
collapse? While these, too, are prophesied events, Paul identifies
19 root causes that generate the core problems among people,
and these are all empty holes in the heart and spirit.
"For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control,
brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form
of godliness but denying its power. And from such people
turn away!"
What an amazing synopsis of our day and age! How uncannily
accurate was Paul, more than 1,900 years ago!
The United Church of God is dedicated to helping you fill
the spiritual holes of understanding. Humanity's problems
are indeed spiritual in nature, and they require spiritual
solutions. God's Word remains the ultimate source for
understanding the human mind and the mind of God—and
how the two can be reconciled. His Word also offers the ultimate
hope of the coming age when the great towers of human nature
will be rebuilt, as a work of God's design.
  In the meantime, God's Word also provides us with
a road map for finding our way out of this world's
way of thinking that will, He tells us, have us teetering
on the brink of destruction before Jesus Christ returns.
If you have not already read our free brochures titled: "Making
Life Work," and "Transforming
Your Life," please
feel free to order your own personal copies or read them
online.
Not only did misguided thinking cause the 9/11 devastation—it's
what causes nearly all of the hurts and pains in the human
existence. That hole can be filled, and our thinking can
be rebuilt, if we can learn to think God's way!
That's our goal with The Good News. Thanks
for being a part of our work, and keep digging with us into
the Word of God—that's where we will find the
hidden treasures of life!
Until next month,
Clyde
Kilough
President
United Church of God
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