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DEAR REV. GRAHAM: A friend keeps telling me that God loves me, but how do I know it's true? My parents divorced when I was 9 and I was raised (reluctantly) by my grandparents, so all my life I've felt that no one loves me. Why is God any different? —L.R.
DEAR REV. GRAHAM: Does God ever give up on a nation, because it keeps shutting Him out of its life? I can't help but wonder if that's happening to us, with all our evil ways. —E.M.
GENEVA — Four years after cartoons of the prophet Muhammad set off violent protests across the Muslim world, Islamic nations are mounting a campaign for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery — essentially a ban on blasphemy that would put them on a collision course with free speech laws in the West.
DEAR REV. GRAHAM: The hard economic times haven't hit me like they have most people, but I'm getting tired of churches and organizations begging me for money because they say their income is way down. After all, I've got to think of my own future in case things get worse. Am I just being selfish? —Z.A.
DEAR REV. GRAHAM: I suppose it's wrong to be angry at God but I can't help it. I had a stroke a few months back, and now the doctor says I'll never walk as well as I once did. I've always been very active, and I don't understand why God did this to me. Do you have any answer? —G.K.
DEAR REV. GRAHAM: I believe in God, but where does Jesus fit into the picture? Why do I have to believe in Him, in addition to believing in God? —C.L.
DEAR REV. GRAHAM: My brother and sisters don't have much to do with me because they're all real religious and I'm not. You'll probably tell me I need God, and maybe I do, but aren't Christians supposed to be kind and loving? They sure aren't that way with me, so why should I be like them? —R.M.
Julius Scruggs, president of the National Baptist Convention USA, will be the speaker for a special service Sunday to mark the 131st anniversary of Calvary Baptist Church in Wichita.
LEXINGTON, Ky. —It's a cool, damp fall afternoon, and a group of 6- and 7-year-olds are practicing soccer in a grassy field in Lexington, Ky.
DEAR REV. GRAHAM: Does God ever give up on some people? I have a cousin who just laughs whenever anyone starts talking about God, and he says he'll just take his chances when it comes time to die. Several of us in our family pray for him regularly but he looks like a hopeless case to me. —S.Y.
DEAR REV. GRAHAM: I know Christmas is still some weeks away, but I'm already getting uptight about it. It's always such a hectic time and we always end up spending far more than we planned to. To be honest, I don't really enjoy Christmas any more, although I know I ought to. Any suggestions? —C.M.
DEAR REV. GRAHAM: What did Jesus mean when He said somewhere that He came to bring a sword to the earth? This seems to be the opposite of what He said elsewhere, about bringing us peace if we'll follow Him. —K.T.
DEAR REV. GRAHAM: What do angels look like? Do they really have wings, and can they fly through the air? My 8-year-old son has been asking me lots of questions about angels and I haven't known how to reply. —A.K.
DEAR REV. GRAHAM: I used to think that some day we'd live in peace and harmony with each other, once we learned to be friends and accept each other. But now I'm beginning to have my doubts. Does the Bible say anything about this? Will we ever see a better world? —E.P.
STEELE, Mo. —At the beginning of an evening worship service at the First Assembly of God church, the Rev. Ryan Harris pitted teens against adults in a trivia game called Battle of the Generations.
DEAR REV. GRAHAM: I wish I could be friendly and outgoing like other people are, but I've always been a very shy person, and whenever I get in a group I just clam up and don't say anything. Can God change my personality? Or is this the way I'll always be, because it's the way He made me? —D.E.
