When I was a kid I was forever losing my belongings. I’d lose my mittens, my boots, my textbooks, and my homework (honest!). I lost a few baseball mitts, plenty of baseball cards, comic books, and my brand-new bike (on its maiden voyage).

Go easy on yourself and others today as we honor All Souls'. God expects a lot from each of us, but not without God’s help. Today is a day to remember that God is our salvation; that we are greater than our faults; that we are more loved and lovable than our sins would admit.

Over the years, Reader’s Digest and other such publications have made a business out of editing and condensing everything from magazine articles to entire books. People who are busy can get the information they want quickly.

Because “aliens” had limited rights in ancient Israel, they were vulnerable to exploitation. God’s law for Israel—once an alien people itself—commanded the respect of these resident foreigners.

"You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves,” God warns the Israelites, but sadly it is not a message that has been passed down to all peoples.

These days “render unto Caesar” has got to be one of the most oft-quoted passages of the Bible, along with “an eye for an eye.”

The fact that God can work even through someone like a Cyrus reveals how the divine often shows up in unexpected ways.