Marilyn Meberg

When God called me to Pakistan, I never envisioned the harvest we would reap there or the miracles He would pour out that Nation's hungry souls.

In late February and early March 2003, the country of Pakistan was repeatedly in world news headlines. On Friday, February 28, two guards at the U.S. Consulate were shot and killed in Karachi. On that same day in Lahore, radical protesters demonstrated against the United States.

On Sunday, March 2, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, was taken into custody in Islamabad.

LIFE WOULD BE HORRIBLY BORING IF WE WERE ALL THE SAME. DON'T STRESS YOURSELF--JUST BE WHO YOU ARE.

Aware of the public's increased demand for authenticity, advertisers today are placing a fresh emphasis on the "real thing." They sell drinks that have "no artificial sweeteners," bread that contains "no preservatives" and fabrics that are "100 percent cotton." (I have yet to figure out why 100 percent cotton is such a big deal. My iron and I have huge fights with it at least once a week!)

We all have a basic craving for the real rather than the phony. Yet more often than not we maintain a veneer of acceptability in our daily lives that belies who we really are.