A ROCKY FOUNDATION

  In 1979, John Bass interviewed Ronald Reagan as he was preparing to run for presidency. John asked “Do you have a favorite Bible verse?” “Yes I do, John 3:16”, Reagan replied. “What does this Bible verse mean to you personally?” John asked. “It means that, having accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, I have God’s promise of eternal life in Heaven, as well as the abundant life here on earth that He promises in John 10:10” Reagan replied. “Do you think the Bible is of divine origin?” John asked.”I never had any doubt about it?” Reagan replied. Reagan grew up in Dixon, Illinois, and he never forgot his humble beginnings. At the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in 1991, he reflected on those early days. Speaking of his mother, he recalled, “I remember a small woman with auburn hair and unquenchable optimism. Her name was Nelly Reagan and she believed with all her heart that there was no such thing as accidents in this life. Everything was part of God’s plan.” ...

                        When the bishop’s ship stopped at a remote island for a day, he determined to use the time as profitably as possible.   He strolled along the sea shore and came across three fishermen mending their nets. In Pidgin English they explained to him that, centuries before they had been Christianized by missionaries. “We are Christians” they said proudly pointing to one another. The bishop was impressed. But, did they know the Lord’s Prayer? They had never heard of it. The bishop was shocked, “What do you say then when you pray?” We lift our eyes to heaven, we pray “We are three, you are three, have mercy on us”. The bishop was appalled at the primitive, heretical nature of their prayer. So he spent the whole day teaching them the Lord’s Prayer. He had the satisfaction of hearing them go through the whole Prayer without a fault. Months later, the bishop’s ship happened to pass by those islands again ...

    On March 30, 1981 President Reagan was shot and wounded by John Hinckley in Washington DC. Hinckley believed the attack would impress actress Jodie Foster with whom he had become obsessed with. Reagan was seriously wounded by the bullet that punctured the lung causing serious internal bleeding. He was close to death upon arrival at the hospital but was stabilized in an emergence room. Reagan knew that doctors and nurses were working on him feverishly to save his life but he was still having trouble breathing. Later he recalled looking up from the gurney trying to focus on the square ceiling and praying. While he was lying there half-conscious, he realized someone was holding his hand. He wrote in his autobiography “It was a soft feminine hand, I felt it come up and touch mine and then hold on tight to it. It gave me a wonderful feeling. Even now I still find it difficult to explain how reassuring and how wonderful it felt. It must have been the hand of a nurse kneeling...