The landslide victory of the Islamist group Hamas in the January 25th Palestinian elections marks the collapse of the Palestinian national movement. Before talking about what Hamas will do now, it is important to assess what went wrong for the long-dominant Fatah group, which has led for almost 40 years.

The original birth of civilization began in the Middle East and migrated westward - to Greece, to Rome, and then to the nations of northern Europe. And, as Henry Luce so aptly quipped in 1941, ''The twentieth century was the American Century.''

It is difficult - but essential - to gain a perspective on the predicament facing the United States. We need to understand the precariousness of the dollar, the impossible debt burden we collectively face, and the emergent storm clouds on our financial horizon. First, the mountain of debt we are facing.

Continuing our exploration of the ''fruit of longsuffering,'' we have emphasized that God's ways are often far beyond our human understanding. And, if we are to walk with Him, love Him and experience His Life through us, we must unreservedly cling to the assurance that whatever He allows in our lives is always for a purpose.

Our subject over the last few months has been longsuffering and the ability to never give up - no matter what is occurring. Again, the mail I have received on account of these articles has been overwhelming. Truly, this is where many of us are living in these end times.

In Hebrew, rBdmB Bmidbar means ''in the wilderness,'' which is the real name of this book. The Greek translators called itavriqmo Arithmoi, and in Latin it was Numeri, because the translators focused on the two census takings at the beginning and the end of the wanderings. But its basically ''the wilderness wanderings.''

a major miracle, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will most likely not return to politics. Sharon is currently emerging from a drug-induced coma after suffering a massive stroke. He has shown signs of improvement, but it will be several days or even weeks before doctors know the full extent of the damage.

In February 2004, Woo-Suk Hwang made world headlines when he claimed to have cloned human embryos using a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer, and then to have derived a line of stem cells from the embryos that could be used for medical research.

Over the last few months we've started a new series of articles called the ''fruit of longsuffering'' - the choice to hang on tighter, trust the Lord further and never give up. I am absolutely amazed because I have received more heartfelt responses from this series than any other I have written.

Consider the heinous, gruesome crimes and atrocities of the past century: How can this human depravity and vile sin be explained?

The Book of Proverbs could be titled, ''Wise Up'' and Live. Beyond simply obeying laws, this book focuses on leading an aggressively dynamic life, giving examples of proper and improper attitudes, conduct, and characteristics in succinct, penetrating ways.

In 1896 the author H.G. Wells published a science-fiction novel titled The Island of Dr. Moreau. It tells the story of a mysterious island inhabited by unnatural creatures.

With the holiday pressures now behind us, we at K-House pause to reflect on our achievements of this past year, as well as to lay out our vision for 2006. Many projects were successfully completed in 2005 - our accounting, order entry, and fulfillment systems were upgraded without major glitches (thank you for your patience).

Each year, around the time we prepare to celebrate Christmas, our Jewish friends celebrate Hanukkah. This year it falls on December 25th and continues for eight days through January 2nd.

The December release of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by Walden Media and Walt Disney will hopefully open the wardrobe door to a refreshing rebuttal to the occultic franchise of Harry Potter.

May the Lord bless you with His presence this Holiday Season. As the psalmist says: "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: Come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord He is God: It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Thanksgiving is intended to be the most spiritual of our national holidays. It is a time to reassess our situation, ask forgiveness for failures, reestablish our priorities, and to give thanks to God for our heritage - the vision and the commitment of our founders for the liberty and freedoms that have resulted from their commitment and devotion to us, their posterity.

We tend to presume linearity in our environment: we assume that tomorrow will be like yesterday; next month like last month, etc. It's understandable and it makes a workable hypothesis for most of the practical priorities we face in life.

Last month, we jump-started a new series of articles by asking the question: "Have you ever experienced a time where you became so confused, so discouraged and so disheartened in your Christian walk that you just wanted to let go, give in and give up?"

The Hebrew approach to hermeneutics (the theories of interpretation) views four levels of interpretation: 1) Peshat, the literal, direct meaning; 2) Remez, an allegorical significance; a hint of something deeper; 3) Derash, the homiletical, or practical application; and 4) Sod, the mystical or hidden meaning.