You may say that is not so easy, given the tremendous evidence we have that life today is uncivil, not grounded in morality, engaged in a slippery slide away from religion and meaner than a cat caught in a steel trap.

Yes, it is an interesting time to be alive. One wonders if parents alone can raise the next generation to be decent and productive human beings. One may also wonder what will happen to the present generation of workers and leaders when they realize all the material things in the world cannot bring happiness.

Yet there are hopeful trends. And since this is the time of year when we pause to calculate our position in the scheme of things, allow me to pass along some observations about life as we enter the last days of this millennium.

First, voices across the globe will be calling for people to consider the feelings and circumstances of others in their daily endeavors. Why, we might even see men removing their hats in movie theaters if the global voices speak loudly enough.

I believe selfishness will once again be denounced. As parents begin to feel the press of financial need, they will be forced to look at life as something more than a race to accumulate things. There will be children, but fewer per family. There will be clothing, but not designer socks for the baby. There will be college, but work will be the operative word, not privilege.

The rich may become richer, but we will see the emptiness of their lives more than we ever have before. We will begin to understand once again that the ordinary citizenry brightens the planet, drives the economy and feeds the world. The struggling middle class will be honored by the moral leaders of the world. And, miracle of miracles, we might even get a break from government, business or the media.

The excitement on Sunday won't be the afternoon football game. Professional sports is on a serious decline. We will see nearly empty stadiums. Pampered athletes will be ignored. Only noble athletes will win our acclaim.

But the big weekend news will be what's happening in the world of religion. Mega-churches will branch out into newly established congregations. Church growth specialists will move into new areas and plant congregations that explode with families hungry for depth in their lives.

We also will see urban specialists bringing hope to historic but dying congregations in the cities' cores. Congregations will rediscover mission and learn to do it better than they ever have before. As a result, steady and healthy growth will happen but not without effort. In some cases, congregations will band together to provide programs to protect and nurture children, rescue the elderly from neglect and turn troubled neighborhoods into safe places again.

These things are already happening, and they will continue with a new wave of leadership that understands both the problems and the solutions. But let me stick my neck out and make a prediction that may sound a bit zany.

I believe that computers, after decades of isolating techno-geeks from their families and co-workers, will begin to draw people together. Yes, all of the people who complain about absent adult children who never call or write will have one more way to communicate. The beauty of e-mail is that it is difficult to ignore.

Further, in the decades ahead, we will be writing to people around the world -- not with the old-fashioned snail mail that takes a month to arrive, but with instant communication that will shrink the world, enlarge our knowledge and reveal adventures we never imagined.

This is the new frontier. The world is being reinvented through your prayers and efforts. Thank you. Have an exciting and hopeful 1998.

Clark D. MorphewJanuary 3, 1998