The last notes of the “Big Band” music hung in the air, and—as hundreds of us gazed upward expectantly—a slender column of flame arched high into the evening sky. Our small English town’s shining beacon was just one of 4,200 similar beacons that were lit around the world at 10:00 p.m. on June 4, in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently voted overwhelmingly to urge the U.S. Navy to name a vessel the “USS Harvey Milk.”  Harvey Milk was one of the first openly homosexual politicians in the U.S. and served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.  In order to determine if the idea was a good one, the Board consulted the spirits.

In a world where barely one in four people can name all four of the New Testament books known as the “Gospels,” is it any surprise that most people do not understand the true Gospel that Jesus Christ and the Apostles proclaimed? Many accept shallow and false promises contrary to Christ’s message, while some even uphold distorted teachings that in fact deny Christ Himself! So, what is the true Gospel?

This week the United States Congress is debating a bill that would prohibit abortions on the basis of the sex of the unborn child.

Pull two cents out of your pocket or purse. What is a cent or penny worth? It is only 1/100th of a dollar. But what are your “two cents” really worth?

We might hear someone say “That’s not worth two cents!” in describing some item they regard as almost worthless. This idiomatic expression is also illustrated when one offers an opinion when it wasn’t requested. We say, “Here’s my two cents’ worth.”