Heirs of the Promise

As heirs of the promise of abundant life, we are Promise Makers, Promise Keepers and Promise Trusters.

Some promises are considerably more lasting than others. New Jersey elementary school teacher Donna Jordan relates how her sister and brother--in--law realized when they celebrated their 10th anniversary in 1994, that their marriage had lasted longer than almost everything involved with the actual wedding. The bridal store had gone out of business. The bakery went bankrupt. The florist and the church janitor had both died. Even the pastor who performed the ceremony had left the ministry.

For most of us, purchasing a house is the biggest investment we will ever make. We cross our fingers and sign our names on the mortgage -- and suddenly we have entered into a 30-year commitment with our bank. The bank has our signature, our financial pledge, on what is called a "promissory note." Despite all the red tape, the relationship between bank and borrower still basically comes down to this: We promise to pay you back. It is a promise that extends even beyond our lifetime and can easily...