Someone once wrote that freedom has an expiration date, and this may prove true. A little more than 200 years passed between the time Moses delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt to the time the Israelites had to choose between trusting God or returning to slavery by giving up their unique form of government. Their leader, Samuel, was an old man, and both of his choices for successors were corrupt. His sons had “turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice,” and the people were rightfully concerned about leadership once Samuel was gone. They knew they didn’t want his sons, but what was their option? With little thought they demanded a king. It’s not wrong to desire…

After my father died we were sorting through his papers and found a stock certificate for 100 worthless shares. They were all that was left of what had once been his retirement plan. He had worked for the company for years when he was young and had such confidence in the leadership that he put virtually everything he had in the stock. All his plans for retirement were based on his belief in that single corporation. For a time it was well-placed trust and the value soared. Then the leadership changed, the value evaporated, and Dad was left with a future that was nothing like what he had planned. I vaguely remember that…