Wow, talk about so near and yet so far. Poor Desmond Bishop. He missed what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - to go to the White House and meet the President of the United States!

My children love roller coasters. They didn't get it from me. When my dad took me on the big "thrills and chills" coaster at our city amusement park, I needed counseling for years to come!

Of course, you don't have to buy a ticket these days to get a wild ride. Just invest in the stock market. Talk about ups and downs! And Wall Street's wild rides are only a mirror of a world that seems to be off-the-charts financially. Questions about America's credit rating aren't helping - especially when our future rating may depend on how well Washington budget negotiations go in the next few months. Hang on tight.

I thought I might have to live to 100 to see the widening of a major highway in our area ever finished. It took years to finally get it done, but now the trip north is a breeze.

I know why it took so long. Mountains. Yup, they were trying to put a road where there were hills and mountains. Those don't move easily - after all, they've been there for a long time. But they did move. Because even a mountain was no match for explosives like dynamite.

Friends, the 2012 Summer of Hope is underway at Warrior Leadership Summit. From the hundreds of Native American young people here, a few dozen will head out in a week to begin this year's On Eagles' Wings trip, traveling across the United States, sharing God's Word and the hope of Jesus to other young Native people.

Here are Ron's thoughts from the end of last year's OEW trip - be praying that we will see another amazing harvest this year. Thank you for your prayer and support.

This summer is looking more and more exciting all the time. Just think, you'll be able to drink your Coke out of a can with surfboards and flip-flops all over it. When your allergies attack your nose, you can get your Kleenex out of a box that looks like a waffle cone. (They're hoping you won't miss last summer's watermelon wedge box.) And when the Cookie Monster in you needs to be fed, your Chips Ahoy will have - fasten your seat belt - red, white and blue chips in them...and come from a package covered with picnic-ready checkered tablecloths.

I just can't get this little four-year-old girl out of my mind. Even as I'm writing this, her story hits my heart again.

She and her family only had moments to prepare before that F5 tornado hit Joplin, Missouri last month. Mom and Dad battled fierce winds as they shepherded everyone into the safest corner of the house. Well, not quite everyone. Somehow their little four-year-old got separated from them - and the rushing winds made looking for her impossible. They huddled together as the tornado made a direct hit on their house, leveling it almost instantly.

Because we have so many Native American friends in the Southwest, I've been watching that ravenous wildfire in eastern Arizona very carefully. When you evacuate, you never know if you'll have a home to come back to.

Nobody ever said college guys are going to win the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Entering many of their dorm rooms is only for the very brave. And those with a strong stomach. Where is Mom when you really need her?

A 911 call alerted first responders that a man was slowly wading out into San Francisco Bay, inching his way to ending his life there. Soon a group of firefighters - along with a crowd of 75 people - were watching as this desperate man went deeper and deeper, occasionally looking back at the shore. They stood there for an hour.

The land is flat around Joplin, Missouri. Now much of the town has been leveled by an F-5 tornado. So it's just heartbreaking devastation as far as the eye can see.

But there's one thing still standing. A reporter commented on it this morning as the camera scanned across the sea of wreckage. It's a cross. His words went right to my heart –