It was just after my ordination into the ministry that it came to my attention that George (not his real name) was secretly smoking.

A church member for several years, George knew that Christians should not do anything which will ultimately cripple or kill us, since we—our bodies—are the temple of God's Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). He had already lost a lung to cancer many years before, and of all people he should have known better than to continue smoking.

Two more chilling stories of thwarted teenage school massacre plots have stunned Americans once again. Police, in April, uncovered a plan by five Riverton, Kansas teenage boys just hours before the attack. Several days later, police arrested six North Pole, Alaska seventh-graders planning to kill students and teachers.

France has been experiencing civil unrest that threatens the future of its political leaders. Germany recently faced labor strikes involving over 30,000 workers. Italy has just concluded a very rocky and divisive national election.

Avian flu, in the form of the A(H5N1) virus, is winging its way across the globe with alarming speed. Experts still disagree about its ultimate ability to inflict a worldwide epidemic on the human family

Natural resources often play powerful roles in global conflicts. In modern times, the most highly populated nations have often had the weakest economies, and thus have never been able to consume vast amounts of natural resources.