Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

“I HOPE YOU DREAM” What God Hopes For You January 17, 2016 She was born in Alabama in 1880. At the age of just 19 months she developed a serious infection, and because of it lost both her sight and her hearing. The first seven years of her life were an incredible struggle for her and her family. Then, in March of 1887, a young lady named Anne Sullivan was hired by the family to try to teach young Helen Keller how to communicate. The breakthrough came on April 5, 1887, when Anne was able to teach Helen that the word “water” referred to the liquid she bathed in and drank. From that day on there was no stopping Helen Keller. She graduated with honors from Radcliffe in 1904. She authored five books. She was instrumental in the fight to give women the right to vote, which was finally accomplished in 1920. She spent much of her time during World War 2 visiting soldiers who had lost their sight and/or hearing. She helped establish Braille as the standard for printed communication for the blind. When she died in 1968 at the age of 88, Helen Keller was world famous, an inspiration to everyone who knew about her.

“I HOPE YOU DREAM” What God Hopes For You January 17, 2016 She was born in Alabama in 1880. At the age of just 19 months she developed a serious infection, and because of it lost both her sight and her hearing. The first seven years of her life were an incredible struggle for her and her family. Then, in March of 1887, a young lady named Anne Sullivan was hired by the family to try to teach young Helen Keller how to communicate. The breakthrough came on April 5, 1887, when Anne was able to teach Helen that the word “water” referred to the liquid she bathed in and drank. From that day on there was no stopping Helen Keller. She graduated with honors from Radcliffe in 1904. She authored five books. She was instrumental in the fight to give women the right to vote, which was finally accomplished in 1920. She spent much of her time during World War 2 visiting soldiers who had lost their sight and/or hearing. She helped establish Braille as the standard for printed communication for the blind. When she died in 1968 at the age of 88, Helen Keller was world famous, an inspiration to everyone who knew about her.

Listen to these words of C.S. Lewis and see what you think. There’s a lot packed into this one paragraph, so take a deep breath and see if you can soak it all in. Here’s what he says: To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell. Love, says C.S. Lewis, is dangerous.

Listen to these words of C.S. Lewis and see what you think. There’s a lot packed into this one paragraph, so take a deep breath and see if you can soak it all in. Here’s what he says: To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell. Love, says C.S. Lewis, is dangerous.

When “Star Wars” first came out in 1977, that was the full title – “Star Wars.” But when “Star Wars” ended up becoming a series of films and not just a stand-alone movie it was decided that the first movie needed a new title to distinguish it from the series. And if you are familiar with the series you know what they renamed it – “A New Hope.” We’re just a few days away from the beginning of a new year, and with a new year comes new hope. In some ways our hopes stay very much the same from year to year, don’t they? We hope to get in shape this year. We hope to get out of the hole financially. We hope to start a family. We hope to find a new job or to get a new car or to start a new project in our home. We had many of the same hopes last year – some of those hopes were fulfilled, and some got put off.

When “Star Wars” first came out in 1977, that was the full title – “Star Wars.” But when “Star Wars” ended up becoming a series of films and not just a stand-alone movie it was decided that the first movie needed a new title to distinguish it from the series. And if you are familiar with the series you know what they renamed it – “A New Hope.” We’re just a few days away from the beginning of a new year, and with a new year comes new hope. In some ways our hopes stay very much the same from year to year, don’t they? We hope to get in shape this year. We hope to get out of the hole financially. We hope to start a family. We hope to find a new job or to get a new car or to start a new project in our home. We had many of the same hopes last year – some of those hopes were fulfilled, and some got put off.

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

“THE STAR SOARS: THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM SHOWS US THE WAY” Christmas: The Force Awakens December 20, 2015 One of my favorite memories of growing up at our family home in Minnesota is taking my dog Toby for a walk late at night at a hilly, wildlife park behind our house and gazing up at the stars while Toby went off exploring. I particularly enjoyed viewing the winter sky, even though it meant walking in the snow and cold, but for some reason it just seemed to me that the stars were brighter in the darkness and cold of winter. Sometimes I would even lie down in the snow, make a snow angel, and then just lie there for 30 or 40 minutes taking in the vastness of the universe. Every once in a while Toby would come over to sniff me and make sure his master was still alive, and then he’d head back out to chase a squirrel or dig in the snow.

It’s been 35 years since Yoda made his first appearance on the big screen, and he’s been a part of our culture ever since. Officially, the literature tells us, Yoda is a Grand Jedi Master. So what’s a Jedi? A Jedi, we learn in “Star Wars,” is one who has mastered “the Force,” the living energy that exists in all things, to serve and to protect those in need. We meet other Jedi’s in the series – Obi-Wan Kenobi, and, of course, Luke Skywalker. But let’s be honest – Yoda is our favorite. Part of it is that’s he’s small and cute, in an alien sort of way. But it’s mostly the way he talks and the things he says. If you Google the phrase “Yoda quotes” you’ll get scores and scores of websites with various lists of people’s favorite Yoda sayings. They’re typically short – like Yoda himself – but they always sound so wise. For example, in “The Phantom Menace” Yoda offers this warning: “Fear is the path to the dark side ... fear leads to anger … anger leads to hate … hate leads to suffering.” In his first meeting with Luke Skywalker Yoda offers this counsel: “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.” But here’s the number one saying, the one that’s at the top of most everyone’s list. You might remember the scene. Young Skywalker’s fighter is stuck in one of the swamps of Dagobah. Yoda is trying to teach Luke how to use the power of the Force to levitate the vehicle out of the muck. Luke is skeptical that he’ll be able to do such a seemingly impossible thing, but he gamely says, “I’ll give it a try.” And do you remember what Yoda says? “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

It’s been 35 years since Yoda made his first appearance on the big screen, and he’s been a part of our culture ever since. Officially, the literature tells us, Yoda is a Grand Jedi Master. So what’s a Jedi? A Jedi, we learn in “Star Wars,” is one who has mastered “the Force,” the living energy that exists in all things, to serve and to protect those in need. We meet other Jedi’s in the series – Obi-Wan Kenobi, and, of course, Luke Skywalker. But let’s be honest – Yoda is our favorite. Part of it is that’s he’s small and cute, in an alien sort of way. But it’s mostly the way he talks and the things he says. If you Google the phrase “Yoda quotes” you’ll get scores and scores of websites with various lists of people’s favorite Yoda sayings. They’re typically short – like Yoda himself – but they always sound so wise. For example, in “The Phantom Menace” Yoda offers this warning: “Fear is the path to the dark side ... fear leads to anger … anger leads to hate … hate leads to suffering.” In his first meeting with Luke Skywalker Yoda offers this counsel: “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.” But here’s the number one saying, the one that’s at the top of most everyone’s list. You might remember the scene. Young Skywalker’s fighter is stuck in one of the swamps of Dagobah. Yoda is trying to teach Luke how to use the power of the Force to levitate the vehicle out of the muck. Luke is skeptical that he’ll be able to do such a seemingly impossible thing, but he gamely says, “I’ll give it a try.” And do you remember what Yoda says? “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

As a kid I remember hearing an adult in our church describe a friend of his as being “so heavenly minded he was no earthly good.” Have you ever heard that phrase? The assumption behind that description seems to be that it’s a waste of time to think and dream about heaven, that there are better things we can do with our time than to imagine what heaven will be like.

As a kid I remember hearing an adult in our church describe a friend of his as being “so heavenly minded he was no earthly good.” Have you ever heard that phrase? The assumption behind that description seems to be that it’s a waste of time to think and dream about heaven, that there are better things we can do with our time than to imagine what heaven will be like.

As a youngster, I never dreamed about my wedding – most boys don’t. I didn’t even entertain the thought of marriage until after high school, and even then I thought about being married and not getting married. Girls, I think, spend a bit more time fantasizing about their wedding than boys do. If I understand correctly, there are even magazines devoted to the subject, although none of them seem to target men. There’s “Bride’s Magazine,” “Modern Bride” and “Elegant Bride,” but nothing for grooms. Apparently there is no hope of turning a man into an “elegant groom,” so why waste a magazine on the topic?

As a youngster, I never dreamed about my wedding – most boys don’t. I didn’t even entertain the thought of marriage until after high school, and even then I thought about being married and not getting married. Girls, I think, spend a bit more time fantasizing about their wedding than boys do. If I understand correctly, there are even magazines devoted to the subject, although none of them seem to target men. There’s “Bride’s Magazine,” “Modern Bride” and “Elegant Bride,” but nothing for grooms. Apparently there is no hope of turning a man into an “elegant groom,” so why waste a magazine on the topic?

“DOUBLE TROUBLE: WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND” Revelation Unraveled November 8, 2015 Cornerstone Community Church What’s your favorite type of movie? The stereotype, of course, is that women prefer romantic comedies and men prefer action movies with an abundance of special effects. But there’s one type of movie I think we all like, no matter what our sex or age. We all like movies where justice is done, where the bad guy gets what’s coming to him and the good guy is vindicated. For example, a few years ago Lindsey Lohan starred in a movie called “Mean Girls.” It wasn’t a movie I particularly wanted to see, but I’m just the dad so I often don’t have much say about the movies we watch at home on Friday nights. It wasn’t a particularly deep movie; I pretty much knew from the title and the previews exactly what was going to happen. But ultimately I enjoyed the movie because, in the end, the mean girls get what’s coming to them. Oh, there were no explosions, no great car chases, but the movie was still satisfying because it fulfilled my need for justice.

“DOUBLE TROUBLE: WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND” Revelation Unraveled November 8, 2015 Cornerstone Community Church What’s your favorite type of movie? The stereotype, of course, is that women prefer romantic comedies and men prefer action movies with an abundance of special effects. But there’s one type of movie I think we all like, no matter what our sex or age. We all like movies where justice is done, where the bad guy gets what’s coming to him and the good guy is vindicated. For example, a few years ago Lindsey Lohan starred in a movie called “Mean Girls.” It wasn’t a movie I particularly wanted to see, but I’m just the dad so I often don’t have much say about the movies we watch at home on Friday nights. It wasn’t a particularly deep movie; I pretty much knew from the title and the previews exactly what was going to happen. But ultimately I enjoyed the movie because, in the end, the mean girls get what’s coming to them. Oh, there were no explosions, no great car chases, but the movie was still satisfying because it fulfilled my need for justice.

Dr. C. Everett Koop was formerly the Surgeon General of the United States, and has for many years been a devout Christian. David, Dr. Koop’s 20 year old son, was – like his dad – a fully devoted follower of Jesus and a disciplined student of the Bible. David also enjoyed mountain climbing, which is just what he was doing one New Hampshire spring day now almost 40 years ago. When David left his room that morning to go climbing he left his Bible open to the New Testament book of Jude, where he had underlined verse 24; this is what the verse says: “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” But halfway into his climb that day, a large boulder came skidding down the mountain and directly into David, knocking David off the mountain and sending him to his death. And we wonder, “Why? Why would God allow such a thing to happen to anyone, but most of all to someone so young who loved and trusted God so much?”

Dr. C. Everett Koop was formerly the Surgeon General of the United States, and has for many years been a devout Christian. David, Dr. Koop’s 20 year old son, was – like his dad – a fully devoted follower of Jesus and a disciplined student of the Bible. David also enjoyed mountain climbing, which is just what he was doing one New Hampshire spring day now almost 40 years ago. When David left his room that morning to go climbing he left his Bible open to the New Testament book of Jude, where he had underlined verse 24; this is what the verse says: “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” But halfway into his climb that day, a large boulder came skidding down the mountain and directly into David, knocking David off the mountain and sending him to his death. And we wonder, “Why? Why would God allow such a thing to happen to anyone, but most of all to someone so young who loved and trusted God so much?”

If you were with us last week, you might remember that chapters 8 and 9 introduced us to the seven trumpet judgments. When chapter 9 ends, though, we’ve only seen six of the seven trumpet judgments. So when does the last of the seven trumpets sound? That’s not until verse 15 of chapter 11. That means that from Revelation 10:1 to 11:14 is an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments, something like an intermission to give the audience of a musical or a play a chance to catch its breath. But these verses are more than just a chance to take a break. This is an opportunity for God to instruct his people about our role in the final period of human history.

If you were with us last week, you might remember that chapters 8 and 9 introduced us to the seven trumpet judgments. When chapter 9 ends, though, we’ve only seen six of the seven trumpet judgments. So when does the last of the seven trumpets sound? That’s not until verse 15 of chapter 11. That means that from Revelation 10:1 to 11:14 is an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments, something like an intermission to give the audience of a musical or a play a chance to catch its breath. But these verses are more than just a chance to take a break. This is an opportunity for God to instruct his people about our role in the final period of human history.

After having a fight with his little sister, a young boy went to his room, picked up his Bible, and found himself reading Revelation 8. The boy suddenly had a thought, so he jumped up from his bed and ran into the family room. “Dad, I’ve got a question about Revelation.” “Sure, son,” the father replied, expecting a question about the Antichrist or Armageddon. “Will there be girls in heaven?” “Of course there will be girls in heaven. Why would you even ask that?” “Well, I was reading Revelation 8 and it made it sound like there wouldn’t be any girls in heaven.” The dad inquired further: “Why don’t you read me what you’re talking about, because I don’t know any verses in the Bible that say there won’t be girls in heaven.” “Sure, Dad,” the son replied. “It’s right here in Revelation 8:1. It says, ‘When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.’ How could it be silent for half an hour if there are girls in heaven?”

After having a fight with his little sister, a young boy went to his room, picked up his Bible, and found himself reading Revelation 8. The boy suddenly had a thought, so he jumped up from his bed and ran into the family room. “Dad, I’ve got a question about Revelation.” “Sure, son,” the father replied, expecting a question about the Antichrist or Armageddon. “Will there be girls in heaven?” “Of course there will be girls in heaven. Why would you even ask that?” “Well, I was reading Revelation 8 and it made it sound like there wouldn’t be any girls in heaven.” The dad inquired further: “Why don’t you read me what you’re talking about, because I don’t know any verses in the Bible that say there won’t be girls in heaven.” “Sure, Dad,” the son replied. “It’s right here in Revelation 8:1. It says, ‘When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.’ How could it be silent for half an hour if there are girls in heaven?”

One of the most popular songs from a few years ago was Daniel Powter’s song “Bad Day.” The chorus goes like this: “Cause you had a bad day, you’re taking one down, you sing a sad song just to turn it around, you say you don’t know, you tell me don’t lie, you work at a smile and you go for a ride, you had a bad day, the camera don’t lie, you’re coming back down and you really don’t mind, you had a bad day, you had a bad day.”

One of the most popular songs from a few years ago was Daniel Powter’s song “Bad Day.” The chorus goes like this: “Cause you had a bad day, you’re taking one down, you sing a sad song just to turn it around, you say you don’t know, you tell me don’t lie, you work at a smile and you go for a ride, you had a bad day, the camera don’t lie, you’re coming back down and you really don’t mind, you had a bad day, you had a bad day.”

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

The first time I read anything written by William Shakespeare, I was puzzled. Why, I wondered, does anybody read this stuff? After all, these plays are 400 years old, written in a time and culture wholly different from our own. I read one play my teacher told me was a comedy, and I found nothing about it a bit funny. Another play was supposedly a tragedy, but I could barely figure out the basic plot. Truth be told, most of the time I had virtually no idea what was going on and no interest in figuring it out.

The first time I read anything written by William Shakespeare, I was puzzled. Why, I wondered, does anybody read this stuff? After all, these plays are 400 years old, written in a time and culture wholly different from our own. I read one play my teacher told me was a comedy, and I found nothing about it a bit funny. Another play was supposedly a tragedy, but I could barely figure out the basic plot. Truth be told, most of the time I had virtually no idea what was going on and no interest in figuring it out.

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

“IN HONOR OF DADS WHO GIVE THEIR BEST” Because Your Family Matters June 21, 2015 / Father’s Day Cornerstone Community Church A little boy was asked to explain what Father’s Day is all about; he had a pretty simple explanation: “It’s just like Mother’s Day, only you don’t have to spend as much on the present.” Here’s hoping that’s not your son. Here is how the famous radio commentator Paul Harvey once described a father: A father is a thing that is forced to endure childbirth without an anesthetic. A father is a thing that growls when it feels good and always laughs very loud when it’s scared to death … A father never feels entirely worthy of the worship in a child’s eyes. He’s never quite the hero his daughter thinks … never quite the man his son believes him to be. This worries him sometimes. So he works too hard to try and smooth the rough places in the road for those of his own who will follow him. A father is a thing that gets very angry when the first school grades aren’t as good as he thinks they should be. So he scolds his child … though he’s sure it’s the teacher’s fault … Fathers grow old faster than other people … And while mothers can cry where it shows, fathers have to stand there and beam outside … and die inside. Fathers have very stout hearts, so they have to be broken sometimes or no one would know what’s

“GIVING YOUR BEST TO PICKING YOUR PARTNER” Because Your Family Matters May 17, 2015 Cornerstone Community Church My kids have heard me give the speech hundreds of times. Fortunately it’s not a long speech, so they never had to miss much of the TV show they were watching when I gave it. And it’s not a controversial speech. It’s not one of those parental talks that engenders resistance or debate. It goes like this: “The most important decision you will make in your life is not where you go to college, what career you choose, or where you’re going to live. Now that you’ve decided to follow Jesus, the most important decision left for you to make is who you choose to marry.”

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Derek Jeter retired from baseball at the end of this last season after playing shortstop for the New York Yankees for 20 seasons. Jeter left the game with quite a legacy. He was a five-time World Series champion; he’s the Yankees’ all-time career leader in base hits, doubles, games played, stolen bases, times on base and at bats. He was a 14-time All-Star selection, won five Gold Glove awards, five Silver Slugger awards and the Roberto Clemente award. He finished his career sixth all-time in hits and is the all-time MLB leader in hits by a shortstop.

Derek Jeter retired from baseball at the end of this last season after playing shortstop for the New York Yankees for 20 seasons. Jeter left the game with quite a legacy. He was a five-time World Series champion; he’s the Yankees’ all-time career leader in base hits, doubles, games played, stolen bases, times on base and at bats. He was a 14-time All-Star selection, won five Gold Glove awards, five Silver Slugger awards and the Roberto Clemente award. He finished his career sixth all-time in hits and is the all-time MLB leader in hits by a shortstop.

Have you ever met someone, talked to them for a little while and been left with the impression, “Wow, that’s really a shallow person!” Maybe you met them at a party of some kind, or maybe it’s someone you know only through work. And it’s not that they struck you as a particularly bad person; they just seemed to be shallow. They didn’t seem to care about anything or anyone outside of their little world. Have you ever heard this saying, attributed to the late Eleanor Roosevelt: “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” And maybe that was part of what gave you the impression that this acquaintance was shallow – it was what they did talk about and what they didn’t talk about. For whatever the reason, the impression you had of this individual was that there really isn’t much to them.

Have you ever met someone, talked to them for a little while and been left with the impression, “Wow, that’s really a shallow person!” Maybe you met them at a party of some kind, or maybe it’s someone you know only through work. And it’s not that they struck you as a particularly bad person; they just seemed to be shallow. They didn’t seem to care about anything or anyone outside of their little world. Have you ever heard this saying, attributed to the late Eleanor Roosevelt: “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” And maybe that was part of what gave you the impression that this acquaintance was shallow – it was what they did talk about and what they didn’t talk about. For whatever the reason, the impression you had of this individual was that there really isn’t much to them.

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

It’s been five years since we had to put our two Golden Retrievers down. There are a lot of things about them that I don’t miss. I don’t miss picking up after them. I don’t miss how they smell when they came in from the rain. I don’t miss them howling at sirens. But I would be lying if I told you I didn’t miss them. Almost every day for ten years I took Barney and Abby for a walk. I got so used to it that I still take that walk, though it’s no longer a daily thing. And there are times when I’m on that walk when I really miss having them with me. To be honest, I especially miss walking Abby, even though in the long run she caused me far more grief than Barney did. While Abby was a handful, she was also fearless. There were a number of times on our walks when we would run into stray dogs or menacing-looking strangers or even on one occasion a coyote, and Abby never gave an inch. Barney didn’t either, but that’s because – like most Goldens – Barney assumed everyone and everything was his friend. On one occasion our neighbor’s German Shepherd got loose and came running for us growling and with fangs at the ready. Barney just wagged his tail. But just before the dog got to me, Abby bit off a small part of his ear. After that, as long as Abby was with me, I never worried about going out for a walk, because I knew she’d be there for me. And there have been a few walks I’ve been on in recent years when I’ve come across a loose dog or someone who looked a bit out of place and I’ve thought, “I really wish I had Abby by my side right now.”

It’s been five years since we had to put our two Golden Retrievers down. There are a lot of things about them that I don’t miss. I don’t miss picking up after them. I don’t miss how they smell when they came in from the rain. I don’t miss them howling at sirens. But I would be lying if I told you I didn’t miss them. Almost every day for ten years I took Barney and Abby for a walk. I got so used to it that I still take that walk, though it’s no longer a daily thing. And there are times when I’m on that walk when I really miss having them with me. To be honest, I especially miss walking Abby, even though in the long run she caused me far more grief than Barney did. While Abby was a handful, she was also fearless. There were a number of times on our walks when we would run into stray dogs or menacing-looking strangers or even on one occasion a coyote, and Abby never gave an inch. Barney didn’t either, but that’s because – like most Goldens – Barney assumed everyone and everything was his friend. On one occasion our neighbor’s German Shepherd got loose and came running for us growling and with fangs at the ready. Barney just wagged his tail. But just before the dog got to me, Abby bit off a small part of his ear. After that, as long as Abby was with me, I never worried about going out for a walk, because I knew she’d be there for me. And there have been a few walks I’ve been on in recent years when I’ve come across a loose dog or someone who looked a bit out of place and I’ve thought, “I really wish I had Abby by my side right now.”

He is one of the biggest stars in the biblical galaxy. Moses is his name. He is the author of the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. He led the people of Israel to freedom after 400 years of slavery to the Egyptians. He performed great miracles, turning water into blood and parting the Red Sea among them. He is the great lawgiver, giving us the Ten Commandments and hundreds of other laws that have shaped the morals of cultures all over the world, including our own.

He is one of the biggest stars in the biblical galaxy. Moses is his name. He is the author of the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. He led the people of Israel to freedom after 400 years of slavery to the Egyptians. He performed great miracles, turning water into blood and parting the Red Sea among them. He is the great lawgiver, giving us the Ten Commandments and hundreds of other laws that have shaped the morals of cultures all over the world, including our own.