“Nothing is worthy of respect. Nothing is sacred. There are no absolutes. Humankind must make its own way.”

This widely held belief or viewpoint is an atheistic, materialistic approach to life. If one holds this view, then there are no real restraints on behavior. After all, who cares? What difference does it make? According to this view, there is no accountability.

As we parted ways from a meaningful conversation, a friend once bid me a cheerful farewell by saying, "Don't work too hard!" As I began to think about his statement, I wondered, what is wrong with hard work? And how did hard work become vilified in our modern society? Isn't hard work the means of achievement?

It is going to take awhile, but I may be able to eventually forget the North Carolina newspaper picture of a man, his smiling wife and their four young sons grouped together for a swearing-in photo. The shock of seeing this seemingly happy scene in relation to the story it highlighted resulted in a sigh and sudden blur of tears.

Why should that be a problem?

When I was in my twenties, I would take the opportunity to visit my paternal grandmother on a Friday night. During these special visits, my grandmother would feed me a delicious meal as we talked sitting at her dining room table. Through some gentle prodding from me, she would recount her life, her upbringing, her family, and her life with my grandfather.

I had never had the chance to get to know my grandfather very well before he died. Yet, she was always eager to open the pages of time and reveal the man behind the yellowing photos of her worn photo album.

A few weeks ago, a county official in California stopped at the home of a San Diego pastor and his wife, peppering them with questions about the Bible study that they conduct weekly in their home. Fifteen people generally attend this peaceful meeting.