On Sunday, Pastor Russell Johnson began our 14-week journey through the book of Daniel with "Daniel and The Rest of the Bible," using Briton Riviere's 1872 masterpiece of Daniel in the lions' den to introduce this remarkable book. Pastor Russell emphasized that Daniel models for us what it looks like to maintain faithfulness to God when the world and culture around us are hostile to our biblical worldview, displaying "quiet confidence" in God even as a teenager while being "far from home in a strange land, with strange customs and strange gods." The sermon revealed both the historical reality of Judah's exile beginning in 605 BC and the theological truth that "the Lord gave Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar's hand," demonstrating God's faithful humility as He was willing to suffer shame to awaken His people to their sin. Pastor Russell concluded by answering the question of what hasn't changed even though we find ourselves far from home: "God has not changed; he is still there, He is still present."