All you have to do is turn on the television or watch the news on your computer and it's enough to cause despair. In this fast pace society, accelerating at break neck speed,we seem to have been caught up in a cycle of life that sometimes leaves me feeling empty. And yet sometimes Serendipity happens. I accidentally stumble upon Rays of Hope where I didn't expect them.

These Rays of Hope aren't found in the church but in the secular world. People trying to live there lives the best they can and following all the rules that they learned in Kindergarten.

As a minister of the Gospel I try to follow my mother's teaching about Jesus Christ. "Follow him, do what he said and tell others about him." Simple words that form the foundation of faith for millions of people. Just before my mother died in May 1995 she gave me a gold watch and had it engraved. On the back it says my name and admonishes me to "Keep in time with God." Simple words from a beautiful lady who exemplified with her life what she said and did. Her words resonate each time I have the occasion to wear the watch and check it for the time.

Growing up during the fifties and sixty's it seemed like the world could end today. People of my generation still remember the slogan "flash, duck and cover." I wondered how much protection my school desk would really be if I saw the flash of a nuclear explosion and ducked under my desk. Sixty years later it seems that we may have come full circle. We live in a very dangerous world. As I said earlier, all you have to do is watch, read or hear the news.

When family and friends get together to celebrate at a picnic, a dinner, church communion or communion of any kind they exemplify our sometimes unspoken hope for the future. I witnessed a communion of friends together the other night that gave me one of the Rays of Hope. People laughing and caring for each other, glad to be together, celebrating life and a birthday. I hate to say it but growing up in the church I have often hoped to see more of this type of joy and celebration there too.

Needles to say I left that gathering with a good feeling in my heart and renewed hope for our future as a people. If all of us could live that experience in our lives everyday, to love and care for each other without hope for favor or reward this would indeed be a better world. For it's when we do this, live this, we are acting with God's authority that this is what God meant our lives to be.

Speaking with that authority, or maybe just the Pope's or Bishop's authority, or just John's Q's I say thank you Caren and Pokey - This one is for you.

I'm John Q.