After reading about all of Solomon's building, bounty and blessings; peace, prosperity and plenty; works, wonders and wisdom, one would expect a very different opening statement in chapter 11 of 1 Kings. One might not have been surprised to read, "And king Solomon loved the LORD with all of his heart, soul and mind." Or we wouldn't have been astonished at all to read, "And king Solomon praised the LORD his God, the God of his father David." But alas, we do not read such lofty descriptions. Instead we read some of the most surprising and sorrowful words: "But king Solomon loved many strange women…"

We are in the midst of graduation season. There will be many "commencement exercises" with proud parents in the stands waving their hands, wearing their smiles, and wiping their tears. There will a multitude of speeches encouraging the new graduates in the pursuit of their dreams and advising them on which dreams to have. And there will be a mass of graduates who cannot wait for the speech to be over so that they can throw their caps in the air in celebration.

Well, I'm back. I wish I could say that I've been in hibernation during the winter, but I can't. I have been extremely busy, but I do thoroughly enjoy our time here together. I feel terribly guilty when I don't visit and drop a note or two. I do trust that the weekly broadcast is a blessing to you - don't forget to listen!

The post today is directed primarily to men, but not only for men. Ladies, there are some applicable points for you, too! Solomon asked a question that, after almost three thousand years, still echoes today: "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find (Proverbs 20:6)?" That is a very pertinent question indeed. In twenty first century America, where it seems we have everything, faithful men are sorely lacking. It seems in many churches across America today, the burden of praying for the church and serving in the church has fallen far too heavily upon Christian women. That is not God's grand design. I must acknowledge that there are some faithful men - and I am very grateful for them - but we need more.

Dark days are coming, and not just because of the time change. To paraphrase Solomon of old, there is nothing new under the sun. Dark days are not new, and neither are they rare - especially now. Every generation sees its share of dark days. There seems to be a cycle. We first notice it way back in the book of Judges. Today is no different.

This morning I took my five-year-old son, Braden, to get his annual flu vaccination. The closer we got to the doctor's office, the more worried and fretful he became. I asked if he remembered getting the vaccination last year and how we got through it, but he didn't remember.

As I scanned the headlines this morning, I noticed this one by the AP: "Consumer confidence slides in October as more Americans worry about jobs and salaries." It looks like consumers are losing confidence in the economy. That may not be news.

There are many things I love about the Christian life, but one thing in particular is that it is a challenging life. By "challenging" I don't mean merely tests and difficulties - yes, we have those, but I'm attempting to convey that the Christian life is also stimulating, exciting, demanding, and always stretching the Christian in his faith and tempering the Christian in his strength.

Today was our son Braden's first day of preschool. If we thought we were on an adventure before, look out! This is the beginning of the real adventure. I know that millions of moms and dads have experienced the bittersweet emotions of their first-born starting school. It's nothing new - except to us.

It looks like the Obama Administration wants to compile an enemies list of those who do not support and speak out against government healthcare "reform." You have to use a political-speak dictionary to discover that reform doesn't really mean reform. Instead it means "government takeover." They obviously can run anything so much more efficient than the private sector.