The median US home price has fallen over 21% from its peak in 2007 – that is, on average, more than $56,000 per home. Simultaneously, the value of the US dollar has fallen against many world currencies, prompting more than one nation to voice the observation, "America is for sale!"

Deeply loved by his fans, Michael Jackson was nevertheless a polarizing figure. Will he be remembered for the wide-eyed exuberance he showed as a pre-teen sensation in The Jackson 5? Will he be lauded for "We Are the World" and its charitable outreach to starving Africa? Or will he simply be "Wacko Jacko"—a confused narcissist and alleged pedophile who literally seemed uncomfortable in his own skin, who by the end of his life had become a walking advertisement for the dangers of too much plastic surgery?

From absurd lawsuits to irrational verdicts, the abuse of the legal system in America continues a downward spiral; lawsuits for burns from spilled coffee – unknowingly hot – to even more ridiculous claims like the man who recently filed suit against the Guinness Book of World Records for naming him the World's Most Litigious Man. What can you do to avoid litigation and seek protection from frivolous lawsuits?

Once, while watching my 13-year-old grandson play a Little League baseball game in an All Star game on a summer’s afternoon, I watched the nation’s favorite pastime unfold in a good example of playing hard by the rules and accepting the outcome graciously. I observed the parents, coaches and umpires enjoying the game, and the lessons of life that the players were learning.

Last week, I spent an afternoon with a gentleman in our local congregation who had just returned home after three days in the hospital.  He's home now, and doing better. At 106 years of age, he has maintained a tenacious hold on life.