Posts

Showing posts from November, 2020

First Steps

 December 23, 1776, Thomas Paine wrote “These are the times that try men’s souls” in reference to “summer soldiers” who fought well in Spring and Summer but gave up and went home in the cold. It was a statement read to the Colonial army at Valley Forge before they crossed the Delaware River and attacked the British. Let me paraphrase this for the Body of Christ. These are still the times that try the human soul . The ‘ fair-weather believer’ will, in 2020 , shrink from the service of their Lord. Unsettled, uncertain, and unprecedented describe the last year. This was the second Thanksgiving Phyllis and I had alone. The first being 1980 when we moved to Abilene Texas. I couldn’t sneak pieces of turkey to John as I carved it. There were no kids begging to watch their shows . In some ways it was empty. There have been other eras in which times seemed empty and without hope. I came across a meme the last week or so. “It’s important to remind people of the true meaning of Christm