In Hamburg, Arkansas there was a “Fallout Shelter” sign on the Post Office building. It was a small Post Office that would only hold 50 or so people. I don’t recall any other buildings with this sign. I can only imagine the chaos that would have happened had it become necessary to be used.

 Growing up in the 1960’s & 70’s there was the ever-looming real possibility of a nuclear war. At school we practiced fire, tornado drills and what to do in case of a nuclear attack. I remember we would close the windows (we had no AC), pull the window shades down, turn off the lights and crawl under our desk. Mary, my wife, who grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, has told me they did the same thing. The sirens that alert people today to tornadoes were originally purchased and installed to warn people of a nuclear attack. Federal, state & local governments had Civil Defense plans and personnel. Even with the movies & pictures of the “mushroom” clouds and the unspoken awareness, with all the planning & preparedness we were helpless without God.

In the recent Covid experience, I recognized a very different response. When I think about it, it was not only the possibility of a nuclear war, but JFK, RFK & Martin Luther King were assassinated. Racial discrimination and the growing anti-war movements resulted in riots & demonstrations across the country. There was much to be anxious about. Yet today “Research suggests that anxiety levels were significantly higher in 2024 than in 1960, driven by numerous social, economic, and technological factors.” (Google)

The 1984 movie, “Ghost Busters” asks the piercing question, “Who you gonna call?” I find from my Google research, “In the 1960s, U.S. church attendance was at its peak, with almost half of American adults (around 49%) attending religious services weekly, a trend that began in the 1950s and marked the most religious period in the past 74 years, according to Gallup.” And last year, “In 2024, average U.S. church attendance continued a slight decline from pre-pandemic levels, with about 30% of Americans attending religious services weekly”.

I have discovered it’s not the church building where I find my security & hope but what happens in a Bible-based church. It is teaching the unchanging Word of God, His Promises, His Way, His Truth that is the only true source of Peace.

When King Jehoshaphat was facing total annihilation he prayed before his people, “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12)

It was Jesus, (The Word) who told us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

It was Jesus who told us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Jesus, the Resurrected, Living King of Kings made us this promise, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)

But this Promise is only good, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

Scripture says it all. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7)