In winter, I have often stood in the icicle air and gazed up at the starlit sky. The pinpricks of light shimmer and flicker in the velvet blackness, while their reflections, like millions of candles, dance across the frozen snow. The whole world sleeps under the warmth of an icy blanket. My soul is filled with indescribable peace as I marvel at the grandeur of it all.

This year has flown by. It was just Christmas last week and now it’s Thanksgiving. 

On Nov. 19,1863, Abraham Lincoln stood looking over the rows and rows of crosses commemorating the graves of over 50,000 soldiers; he must have been overwhelmed at the sight. More than 50,000 lives of American soldiers from the North and the South: fathers, sons, husbands, brothers, uncles and cousins who loved freedom.

Halloween is almost here again. New Years, Valentines, St. Patrick’s Day, Fourth of July and here it is, just that fast.

In a sense, America is suffering from amnesia. We have forgotten our roots and what has made us great. We do not remember the origins of our holidays. We only remember the date and the weekend of entertainment they provide.

There are millions of people who are good-hearted and tender-minded who still love their neighbors and care for those around them. They make it a point to reach out to the widow and fatherless and give abundantly to disaster funds to help those who have been devastated by natural disasters, but it seems that the world is dividing into teams to fight the great and final battle between good and evil.

Look around, our country is in much need of fasting. There are demons of every kind plaguing our society. Economic turmoil, sickness, drug addiction, poverty, homelessness and the like. These are the kind that need fasting and prayer. Chapter 58 of Isaiah gives us the answer.

The other day I was driving and saw a dead-end sign. I didn’t think about driving down that road because I knew I didn’t want to have to turn around, but I started to think about the dead-end signs the Lord has put in our paths by way of commandments.

In this light, the only true gift we can give to God is our wills, our choice to follow Him and do His will. He has given us everything, and we have no power over anything in our lives except our agency to choose.

Here we are again in an election cycle. In November, we go to the polls.