Ecclesiastes 12:10

  There is an old Russian proverb, “Dwell on the past and you'll lose an eye, forget the past and you'll lose both eyes”.   This time of year is one where we do a lot of looking back as we also look forward. Where we have been, where we want to go and why we are where we are. The past is an excellent teacher but can be a burdensome travel companion. We need to learn from it but we can’t stay in it.   Sometimes however, we try. ‘Back in the day’ or ‘we used to’ are only good thoughts if they are trying to help us learn what to do now. Getting stuck in the past doesn’t work. That was then not now.   Yet in our desire for progress, we would be fools if we don’t consider the failures and successes of what came before.   I don’t want to walk backwards but doesn’t mean I’m not shaped as I go forwards by the road that I once trod. The past isn’t a map but more of a compass. It doesn’t show you where to go but more of the directions you need to head. ...

  People love the holidays. Some people a little too much. I mean really do we need to put our trees up before Thanksgiving? This year I heard Christmas music before Halloween! Yet those early birds don’t seem to put much of a damper on things. Why do people love this time of year?   Well, some of it is obvious. Family, faith, and fun. People seem more joyous. Even in the coldest dreariest weather, there is something special in the air.   There are parties. Kids are excited about Santa. People singing. Things are decorated. Yet maybe there is another reason. We give gifts.   Wait, that the worse part right? The chaotic shopping, the commercialization, the cost. However, let’s consider a statement Paul quotes from Jesus in Acts 20:35 'It is more blessed to give than to receive” . We might get caught up on how many presents we have under the tree but true joy, real happiness is found in what we give. For some, this is the only time of year they show charity...

  When Abraham hears about God’s plans for the destruction of Sodom, he is rightly concerned. His favorite nephew, one he practical raised, is among those that are to be swept away. Not only that, Abraham worries about the other righteous men there. Surely God won’t destroy them too? Abraham came near and said, "Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Genesis 18:23    So he haggles with God. How many does it take before you call it off? 50? 45? 40? 30? 10? God, who owes nothing to Abraham, seemly patiently waits for him to come down to his final number the minimum righteous men you would need to save a city.   It’s not enough.   Not that God wouldn’t do it, there were not enough people to be found even among Lot’s own family to save wicked Sodom. Even after Abraham tries to make it is as few as he thought possible, It wasn’t enough   I notice a similar trend in church work. Gospel meeting, VBS’s, other events on...

    Wars often lead to lawlessness and the American Revolution was no different.   So as the conflict spread south in Virginia, Charles was dismayed at the effect it had on his home in Bedford County. The courts had ceased to function. Guerrilla bands and militias on both sides roamed the countryside, and hooligans often ruled the streets. So Charles decided to take matters into his own hands.    So he set up his own unofficial court. He appointed officers and issued arrests of lawbreakers. Since they had no money to jail prisoners, he doled out punishments in fines or whippings.   Charles tried to judge with compassion and reason, but still, his actions created a great deal of animosity towards him.   Charles only had to enlist the death penalty once in his court. A plot by some Tories to destroy a lead mine vital to the war effort was discovered. The conspirators were found guilty and hanged. The friends and family of the men were upset...