In the last several newsletters, we've been studying obedience and what it really means. We confirmed that there are three essential parts to obeying God. 1) Learning to love (agapao) God; 2) learning to renew our minds; and 3) learning to have unshakable faith in all circumstances.

The books of James and Jude are part of a section of the Bible known as the Hebrew Epistles (the other books are Hebrews, I & II Peter, and I, II, & III John). They were, in large measure, written to the Jews, and yet they have important lessons for us all.

Continuing our series on the fruit of longsuffering, we turned our attention last month to what it really means to obey the Lord. Since the word ''obedience'' is such a very broad term, we narrowed it down to meaning three essential things: 1) Obedience means learning to ''love'' (agapao) God; 2) Obedience means learning to moment-by-moment renew our minds; and 3) Obedience means learning to have unshakable faith in our difficult times.

Even while Americans focus on things like war, Iran, and high gas prices, its good to know that there are some positive things happening in America. For decades, conservatives have battled things like abortion, teen pregnancy, and a faulty education system.

This year marks 230 years since our Founding Fathers gave us our National Birth Certificate. We continue to be the longest ongoing Constitutional Republic in the history of the world. Blessings such as these are not by chance or accidental. They are blessings of God.

Last month we began our inquiry of ''What Is Truth?'' by examining the boundaries of our reality. We touched on some of the bizarre discoveries of quantum physics, including the nature of hyperspaces and the discovery that our physical universe appears to consist of more than the three dimensions we commonly experience.

Quick! Name all the Islamist regimes in the Middle East. Most likely you said Iran and the Palestinian Authority. But there's a third country that should also be on this list: Sudan.

This is the classic question that Pilate posed rhetorically ...and rather cynically. And the very existence of truth is continuing to be trampled by pompous professors, prostituted politicians, and arrogant attorneys.

Last months issue of National Geographic magazine featured an article about a 1,700-year-old manuscript discovered in Egypt. The manuscript claims to tell the story of Christs last days from the point-of-view of history's most notorious traitor.

Continuing our series on ''the fruit of longsuffering,'' in the next few articles we want to turn our attention to what it means to obey and love the Lord. When we encounter various trials and tribulations, we have two choices we can make.

Over the last several months we have been talking about what Gods will is for all believers. Romans 8:29 tells us that we are to be ''conformed into Christs image'' by the process of sanctification. In other words, God wants to reproduce His Life in us so that others might come to salvation.

On April 1st, 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran was born under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini. The Ayatollah returned to Iran at the end of the Islamic Revolution, after having spent 14 years in exile.

The Sermon on the Mount is the manifesto of our King and the platform of the Prince of Peace. And its the Law! It goes vastly beyond the Law of Moses. It is the Ten Commandments amplified and expanded.

This month we celebrate Easter. Whoops! Why do we label our most holy holiday with its pagan obfuscation? It is at this time that we celebrate the very Gospel itself: ''...how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; that He was buried; and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.''

Last month we learned that Gods will for all believers is that we be conformed into His image by the process of sanctification (Romans 8:29). God wants to reproduce His Life in us so that others might come to salvation. But, we found that to allow God to conform us into His likeness, we must first be able to unconditionally trust Him.

President Bush's trip to India last month showcased that country's sizzling rise to become a top producer in the global marketplace: India has the second fastest-growing major economy in the world over the past 15 years and in recent years trails only China and the United States in its contribution to global gross domestic product (GPD) growth.

Who does not remember the old castle, Mickey clad in the sorcerers robe and hat, the psychedelic armies of brooms, and the relentless march of the Dukas symphony? Only when the castle was flooded did the sorcerer wake up and dry it with a spell. Mickey got off lightly with a swat of the broom. We may not be so fortunate.

Continuing our exploration of the ''fruit of longsuffering,'' we have emphasized that God's ways are often far beyond our human understanding. And, if we are to walk with Him, love Him and experience His Life through us, we must unreservedly cling to the assurance that whatever He allows in our lives is always for a purpose.

The landslide victory of the Islamist group Hamas in the January 25th Palestinian elections marks the collapse of the Palestinian national movement. Before talking about what Hamas will do now, it is important to assess what went wrong for the long-dominant Fatah group, which has led for almost 40 years.

The original birth of civilization began in the Middle East and migrated westward - to Greece, to Rome, and then to the nations of northern Europe. And, as Henry Luce so aptly quipped in 1941, ''The twentieth century was the American Century.''