"Our house has been broken into and ransacked," I heard my roommate cry on my voice mail. "The police are here. Come home as soon as you get this message."

I dashed to my car. During that 15-minute drive, I thought, What do I own that I'd be devastated to have stolen? Nothing really came to mind. I thought of the Quit Claim Deed in which I signed all of my material belongings over to God earlier in the year. Now, it counted. Would I be OK if everything I owned was stolen? I thought I could honestly say yes. Granted, I hoped the thieves missed my sentimental items, like the silverware my grandma promised to me before she died.

I walked into the house and immediately noticed shattered glass and a gaping hole where our sliding door used to be. Our television was missing too.

Then I bounded upstairs to my room. My dresser drawers hung open and the contents of my files littered the floor. My stereo and compact discs were gone.

I turned toward my closet. I figured I had a 50-50 chance of seeing Grandma's silverware ever again. I held my breath and looked up. There, just under a box that the robbers had rifled through, sat my case of silverware. Check. I let out a sigh, then tripped on a fishing-tackle box–my jewelry case. I hesitated, wondering if the pair of diamond earrings that my parents had given me for college graduation would be inside. I popped open the lid. Diamond earrings? Check. I guess the crooks hadn't expected to find any valuables in that cheap box.

All in all, I lost about $2,000 worth of belongings. Yet I'm reminded of 2 Peter 3:10, 11: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief . . . the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you be? You ought to live holy and godly lives" (New International Version).

Since everything that is not eternal will be turned to ash, I want to invest in eternity. I want to relate intimately with my God by soaking in His Word. I want to pour my life into other people, where the treasures I store up cannot be stolen. I'm alive for only a sliver of time, and I want my life to count.

Wrong number? Next time someone calls you instead of who they meant, why not take it as an opportunity from God to introduce the person to Him?

After a caller says, "I'm sorry I have the wrong number," try one of these ideas:

"No, you don't. You have the right number, and I have a special message for you. Would you like to hear it?"

"I'm not sorry. God has a message for you. Would you like to hear it?"

"I realize that you meant to call someone else, but it's not a mistake that we're talking today. May I take a few moments to introduce you to someone you can call on at any time?"

"Getting the wrong number can be frustrating. Yet I don't think you called me by accident. I've been asking God for opportunities to tell others how amazing He is. Would you like to hear how you can know Him personally?"

Next time someone mistakenly dials your number, invite him to meet our Sovereign Lord who makes no mistakes.

My wife, Darla, will never understand my fondness for spiders. I like them. I think they are pretty. They don't hurt anything and they eat the bugs she hates so much. In fact, I rescue spiders from her.

Recently, we found that a rather large, black-and-yellow garden spider–Argiope aurantia–had taken up residence on our patio. Since his web stretched from one wall, across the patio light to the screen door, he was hard to miss. I had to lobby hard for his life, but eventually Darla agreed he could stay as long as I stand guard whenever she goes outside.

His name is Vito. I named him after the Godfather. At night I turn the patio light on and watch Vito do his thing. As soon as some unsuspecting bug flies into his web, Vito pounces, and before they can react, he trusses them up like a rodeo cowboy tying up a thrown steer. Then he leisurely sucks all their fluids out. He is deadly and efficient; he doesn't have to hunt. He just waits for the next bug. But all the stupid bugs have to do is STAY AWAY FROM THE WEB. If they just fly somewhere else, they could live a full, long life. But they like the light.

We humans have the same problem. Our enemy is also deadly and efficient. He stretches his web in front of the bright lights of the world and just waits. He doesn't have to hunt because we are stupid enough to hang around the web–we like the world's bright lights. Eventually, if we stick around long enough, we end up in the web and Satan sucks the life out of us.

And just like the bugs, all we have to do is STAY AWAY FROM THE WEB.

On July 4, 776, delegates to the Continental Congress voted to accept the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia's Independence Hall. On August 2 of that year, 56 men signed their names to this historic document, giving birth to a new nation.

If General George Washington's ragged, outnumbered army could not drive back the British troops, every signer, upon capture, would be tried for treason against the British Crown under penalty of death. Their signatures could, win or lose, mean that their homes would be looted and burned. If Washington surrendered in defeat, their farms, businesses and properties would be confiscated or destroyed. Fifty-six men knew that when they signed, they were risking everything, including their lives.

Yet the desire for freedom drove them to sign and make this pledge: "For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."

Who were these "superpatriots"? Most were well-educated, prosperous businessmen and professionals. These were lawyers, judges, farmers, plantation owners, merchants, physicians, politicians, educators and a minister; several we re pastors' sons.

Have you ever wondered what happened to these gallant 56?

Carter Braxton of Virginia, wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British navy. To pay his debts, he lost his home and properties, and died in poverty.

Thomas McKean of Delaware was so harassed by the enemy that he and his family were forced into hiding, moving five times during the war. He served in Congress without pay.

Francis Lewis had his home and everything in it destroyed, and his wife imprisoned. She later died from the brutal treatment she had received.

After signing the Declaration, Richard Stockton, a state Supreme Court justice, found refuge for his family with friends. But a Tory betrayed them. Judge Stockton was pulled from bed and beaten by British soldiers, jailed, and deliberately starved. After his release, with his home and all of his possessions destroyed, he and his family lived off charity.

John Hart was driven from his dying wife's bedside. Their 13 children scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives. His fields and gristmills were laid waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, and returned home after the war to find his wife dead, his children gone, his properties destroyed.

John Hancock lost most of his fortune during the war, having given more than $100,000 to the cause of freedom.

Caesar Rodney was gravely ill with facial cancer. Unless he returned to England for treatment, his life would end. Yet Rodney sealed his fate by signing the Declaration.

As a captain in the Continental Army, Nathan Hale volunteered to penetrate enemy lines to spy for the American cause. Captured by the British, on the day of his hanging in September 1776, he spoke these last words: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

These examples show the sacrifices made by those courageous men who boldly pledged their all to support the Declaration of Independence. Of those who took the pledge to defend the sovereignty of their nation and the liberty of its people, many were forced to pay a heavy price before that bold vision could be realized.

It is important to remember that despite the hardships they encountered, not a single one of them defected or failed to honor his pledge! These men, who enjoyed much ease and luxury in their personal living, considered liberty so much more important than security that they pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor. And they fulfilled that pledge.

I have often wondered, Why would a loving God allow those deeply dedicated Founding Fathers of our beloved country to suffer such tremendous personal hardship? Then, the answer occurred to me.

God sent His only Son to die on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins, to liberate us from the darkness of Satan's kingdom. In much the same way, He provided godly, dedicated men to pay a great price to bring liberty to this nation. Great blessing does not come without great sacrifice.

Today, Americans enjoy freedoms unknown to the rest of the world. Our Founding Fathers undertook an "experiment" unprecedented in history to build a great nation based on biblical principles for the glory of God. Their willingness to sacrifice inspires us to put aside the anxieties keeping us from advancing the kingdom of God. We, too, should be prepared to give up our comforts, material wealth and perhaps our lives, if necessary, to help spark a spiritual rebirth of this nation.

Sarah walked by the list of names on her refrigerator at least 10 times a day. It had been there for a month. Four 17- year-old girls needed a Bible-study leader, and the Lord tugged at her heart each time she passed by. But she paid little attention to Him. High-school girls, she thought. I don't have anything in common with high-school girls.

Despite her reservations, the 30-something mother of three boys eventually followed God's prompting and agreed to lead the young women. That began the Bible Breakfast Club. Every Friday morning at 6 a.m. for a year, those four high-school seniors studied the Gospel of John, as well as the life of a godly wife and mother. Over tea served in her best china teacups, along with eggs and fresh fruit, the trials and triumphs of adolescence found their way to a listening ear and a prayerful heart.

I was one of those girls. Sarah was the first person to open God's Word for me on a day other than Sunday. We continued to meet periodically throughout my college years, and today she is still my mentor and remains one of my closest friends. She laid a foundation for a friendship and prayer partnership that will last a lifetime. Had Sarah ignored the opportunity God brought to her, I would have missed out on true discipleship.