I'd like to start off today with a story from the Old West. A trapper was being chased by a grizzly bear. He dropped his gun, his pack, and everything else that he could possibly unload so that he could run faster, but the bear was still gaining ground. Finally he was forced to make a stand. He ran into a small clearing and put his back to a stump, taking out his knife as he did so. The bear also stopped, about a foot away, with its teeth bared and claws extended.

The trapper, though not generally a religious man, offered up a quick prayer:

"God, if you're on my side, let my knife git 'im quick in 'is vitals, an' if you're on 'is side let 'im finish me first off. But, O God, if you're neutral, you just sit there on that stump, an' you'll see the darndest bear fight you ever saw!" (1)

I …