Our Daily Bread

Isidore Zimmerman served 25 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Because of false testimony at his trial, he was convicted of killing a New York policeman. In time, however, his innocence was proven, and in 1962 he was released. But did he “live happily ever after”? No.

I ate breakfast the other day with a man who 60 years ago sold newspapers and shined shoes on the streets of downtown Boise, Idaho. He told me about his life in those days and how much things have changed.

Lucky Lawrence thought he had it all. Like so many who seek fulfillment in fame, money, and success, he struggled to find real joy despite having all those things. His real name was Larry Wright, and he was the number one rock-and-roll radio personality in Phoenix in the 1960s. But his family life was a mess, and he was fast becoming an alcoholic.

The unsolicited e-mail was full of truth and wisdom. As the father of three daughters, I recognized that the note titled “Daddy’s Rules For Dating” offered advice dads can understand. With humor and sarcasm, it listed 10 rules for any boy who hopes to date our daughters.

There are some things that God cannot do. For example, God cannot tell a lie. He can’t do anything that conflicts with His holy character. What God is determines what God does. Since He is holy, all His attributes share in that perfection.

During a visit to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, I was intrigued by an exhibit called “Your Place In Time.” It was a nostalgic and revealing walk through displays of national and world events. This included popular entertainment and living conditions in the United States for people in the War Generation, the Eisenhower Generation, the Baby Boomers, and beyond. I left with the inescapable conclusion that though you and I cannot choose the period of history in which we live, we must decide how we will live during our place in time.

I’m sure that I am a Christian today because of the formative influence of my parents in my childhood. They taught me by example and from the Bible. Just as Timothy was reminded by Paul of the faith of his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5), so too I recall the faith of my mother and father. At an early age, I committed my life to Christ. I realized I was a sinner and needed His forgiveness.

In 1892, John Hyde boarded a ship in New York harbor and set out for India. His goal was to proclaim the gospel to people who had not heard about Jesus. During the next 20 years he earned the nickname “Praying Hyde” because he often spent hours and even many days in prayer for the salvation of nonbelievers and the revival of Christ’s followers.

Tourists throughout the centuries have visited the famous Acropolis, the ancient hilltop religious citadel in Athens. Thousands of sightseers from all over the world have picked up marble chunks as souvenirs.

Two young women lost their lives in a fire that swept through their apartment as they slept. Their home was equipped with a smoke detector that was in good working order, but it hadn’t gone off. Why? Fire inspectors concluded that the device had been deactivated for a party the night before. The unit had been disconnected to keep it from sounding off because of the smoke from cooking and candles.