THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume VI, Issue I

"Arise and Build"

“The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.” -- Nehemiah 2:20

The 'other' weekly news magazine this week features the story: How Service Can Save Us [click to read]. Indeed, service can be therapeutic, but it can be a component of something much bigger.

This week youth from the area's churches joined together for the Nehemiah Project [click to read]. Hundreds of Middle and High School students went out to build wheelchair ramps, replace leaking roofs and generally improve conditions for their neighbors. Four years ago I participated in a crew building a very long ramp for Comfort Care Women's Health Center. Local agency: Rebuilding Together coordinates projects, volunteers and materials. Local churches provide meals. Local contractors participate as team leaders. [1.]

The project takes its name from Nehemiah, the rebuilder of Jerusalem's ruined walls. His story gives important context to the work done by our young people this week. Nehemiah was one of the people living in captivity, the cupbearer to the Persian king, who when he heard of the condition of his people in Jerusalem took action. First he prayed. The situation looked bleak. The city's defensive walls were in ruins. The people were discouraged and lacked resources.

Nehemiah wept. The king then noticed Nehemiah's sadness and a conversation took place in which the king was moved to allow Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem with the resources to rebuild. Arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah surveyed the extent of the problem in the solitude of an evening. It was a huge task, to be sure. The rubble of the wall hindered his tour around the city. Nehemiah prayed.

A plan came to the great man. Each family would need to participate in the rebuilding of the wall near their house. Progress drew the attention of enemies, who tried to discourage Nehemiah. He prayed again. When his enemies tried to call him away from the work, he sent them this message: "I am involved in a great endeavor, so I can't leave. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?" -- Nehemiah 6:3 The wall was rebuilt.

Indeed, Nehemiah has much to say to us in our present day. We live in dangerous times as well. The walls of our city have been broken down in the areas of moral protection. Human trafficking, drugs, gangs and other dangers threaten our young people. We must pray. Then we must look for Ways to Rebuild Our Defenses. Indeed, we must look beyond ourselves, to G-d, for the resources to do it. Then we must involve ourselves in the great endeavor of our day!


Hollyhocks bloom along Churchville Avenue at Springhill Road. Every Summer they appear!, remnants of a garden planted long ago that continue to brighten the drive into Staunton. What a great living legacy for a gardener! 

A Morning in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Early Morning Visit to Shenandoah National Park


Sugar Hollow as seen from Skyline Drive. You can see Charlottesville's reservoir in the distance.

A trip to the mountains was way overdue. It doesn't help that fellow blogger Lynn Mitchell [click to read] was describing her latest journey to Shenandoah in delicious detail. I had a full day of work Saturday so I arose early and decided to get up to the mountains in the wee hours of the morning.

Deer were everywhere as I drove to one of my favorite secret places. I saw a wild turkey up on a dark hillside. Bunnies were out everywhere. Rounding a corner of Skyline Drive, I saw the face of a bear peering out from the thick brush. I quietly eased the car onto the grass and set out to get a better look, but the bear saw me and I heard him clattering down a steep riprap embankment.

Later another bear dashed across the drive. I watched with wonder how such a large animal can run like a fine steed through thick brush and uneven terrain. The morning was refreshing and I headed back to work with a refreshed sense of wonder!


I saw two black bears. One was peeking out through thick brush, the other running fast. This photo is from another trip when the bear actually stood still for me!


The only animal I actually photographed this time was this bunny on an overlook wall.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume V, Issue XXVII

In the Steps of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

“I responded in what I thought was the most truthful, or least untruthful manner, by saying no,” -- James Clapper, NSA Director

"All men having power ought to be distrusted..." --James Madison (1787)

The 'other' weekly news magazine this week features The Informers [click to read]. They observe that about half of the people approve of the informers and half disapprove: "Fifty-four percent of respondents said the leaker, Edward Snowden, 29, did a “good thing” in releasing information about the government programs, which collect phone, email, and Internet search records in an effort, officials say, to prevent terrorist attacks. Just 30 percent disagreed. But an almost identical number of Americans — 53 percent — still said he should be prosecuted for the leak, compared to 28% who said he should not." -- Zeke J. Miller in TIME [1.]

Scrutiny of the government, however, is not something we vote on. It is a principle that was established by our Founders and codified in our Constitution. Thus it becomes the duty of the citizen to oversee the operations of the government, rather than the duty of government to oversee the activities of the citizen. In fact, it would trouble the Founders no end to see the revenue agency recast as an agent of 'change,' overseeing the activities of citizens and supressing First Amendment speech. The founders would probably frown on ANY activity of the IRS outside of that of funding government's obligations. Certainly allowing the revenue agency to discriminate between 'good' speech and 'bad' is a serious overstepping of authority.

Even those citizens who feel they have 'nothing to hide' should take heed of This Warning [click to read] from  Scott Shackford. The Founders saw their rights and mandate as given by G-d and believed in a higher truth and its oversight. Now, in a relativistic culture, what is to prevent some bureaucrat from deciding that your church or synagogue is a 'subversive group?' The IRS's targeting of organizations philosophically in opposition to the President's agenda begs us to consider that scenario. Beyond handicapping the election, such actions have a much larger chilling effect.

Director Clapper's 'least untruthful' statement [2.] begs a discussion of the importance of oversight, especially in a world of relativistic thought. As THYME has pointed out before, history bears out the truth that relativism and lack of oversight can lead to Dire Consequences [click to read].

Blue Ridge Parkway Adventures

Sights to See Along Virginia's Ridgetop Highway


The Tree of Life at Twenty Minutes Cliff, mp 19.


White Rock Falls is a short hike from the Parkway...

Just off of the Blue Ridge Parkway near milepost 20 you will find The Slacks Overlook. Park here and cross the parkway for a wonderful short hike (about 2.5 miles round trip) to White Rock Falls. This is one of the prettiest waterfalls in our part of the world, and a great hike.

After crossing the parkway, you will need to wander North along the road for a bit to find the trailhead. The path will enter a world of laurel thickets and rhododendron. In early June this can be beautiful!

Soon you will find yourself following the stream that feeds the falls as it cascades down. There are cliffs to explore as well. After a good rain the falls can be pretty impressive.


...and rhododendron and laurel abound on the trail to the falls.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume V, Issue XXVI

China Through G-d's Eyes

 Anyone who watched the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics would have to have been impressed by the sheer scale of the production. A cast of thousands participated in an eerily choreographed precision drill who's scale seemed to come out of the Star Wars movies. China stood huge, like the fictional city of Coruscant, which occupies an entire planet. Coruscant, in fact, may be good metaphor for how China sees herself in the modern world.

The 'other' weekly news magazine this week looks at The World According to China [click to read]. There do not seem to be any major surprises here. China looks to be a major player on the world stage, having created Gigantic Metropolises [click to read] to announce this to the world. These megacities, who's creation was largely driven by political considerations, stand largely empty. Real Chinese investment, however, fuels the runaway costs of American government.

But 1989 is not all that long ago. Tiananmen Square in Beijing was the site of a student-led protest of the strict control of the people by the hardline government. On June 4th, tanks rolled into the square and literally crushed the peaceful demonstration. Today Tiananmen Square is devoid of any remembrance of the protesters. A man who lost his leg in the incident tells his grandchildren simply that he lost it: "in an accident."

If China's aspirations have been huge, so have her problems. The Cultural Revolution of the late 'Sixties saw Mao Zedong's Red Guard push the society into chaos. Zhou Enlai was the leader who urged a return to normalcy and set the stage for China's future stability [1.] China's controversial One Child Policy, enacted to control population growth, often results in forced abortions. Girls are usually the losers. Ironically, it was Mao's own Great Leap Forward, a program to transform China from an agricultural economy to an industrial one, that actually caused a decrease in the population. In the early sixties, Mao banned private ownership and collectivized the farms. It is estimated that 18 to 33 million people died in the famines that ensued [2.]

In 2001 Randy Alcorn wrote a novel called Safely Home [click to read]. Though it is a work of fiction, it accurately portrays the struggle of Chinese people of faith today. The novel paints a vivid contrast by bringing an American executive together with his old college classmate, now a member of the Underground Church. Accurately portraying the cost of discipleship, the book also gives insight into G-d's heart for this great nation.


Women in traditional costume marching in Seattle.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume V, Issue XXV

Chicago Truth, Real Reform and Light

The 'other' weekly news magazine this week features the cover entitled Chicago Bull [click to read] with Mayor Rahm Emmanuel on the cover. Stating that the mayor is fighting crime and failing schools, the magazine asks: "So why are people mad at him." For one thing, it must be noted that the mayor had a hand in governing before he worked for the White House. Could it be that he's tilting at windmills of his own making? THYME often feels compelled to offer contrasting perspective. Chicago has known some great reformers and men of courage. Here is what that looks like:

It seems that two great myths impede human progress. First there is the myth that generations before us did not struggle with the things we struggle with today. Human nature hasn't changed in the thousands of years of history and the lessons of history show that great progress has often been made as noble persons have faced the challenge head on. The second myth, one so much promoted today, is that mankind is ever evolving to some higher level and if we just get the institutions [such as government] right, we're all living in utopia.

Both myths are dangerous because they ignore the ever present struggle of our nobler aspirations over our tendency toward depravity. It is a battle in which 'Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.' Honest history shows us this struggle. Dennis Prager writes that Every Generation is Tested by a Great Evil [click to read] and the story is in how we respond to that evil. The history of the great city of Chicago bears this out.

"It would appear that every generation confronts a major moral test. A great evil presents itself as a good, and the world that is not victimized by that evil is tested: Can it recognize the evil and confront it?The pattern is eerily and depressingly repetitive.

1. The evil takes hold.

2. The evil has myriad defenders even among otherwise decent people.

3. The evil is vanquished after destroying an uncountable number of lives.

4. After the evil is vanquished, there is virtually unanimous agreement that it was indeed evil."

Chicago's corruption is the stuff of legends, yet there has been great progress in the face of great tragedy. Chicago has known both Al Capone [click to read] and Frank Loesch [click to read], the man who brought him to justice.

"When I was a small boy, I attended church every Sunday at a big Gothic Presbyterian bastion in Chicago. The preaching was powerful and the music was great. But for me, the most awesome moment in the morning service was the offertory, when twelve solemn, frock-coated ushers marched in lock-step down the main aisle to receive the brass plates for collecting the offering. These men, so serious about their business of serving the Lord in this magnificent house of worship, were the business and professional leaders of Chicago.

One of the twelve ushers was a man named Frank Loesch. He was not a very imposing-looking man, but in Chicago he was a living legend, for he was the man who had stood up to Al Capone. In the prohibition years, Capone's rule was absolute. The local and state police and even the Federal Bureau of Investigation were afraid to oppose him. But single-handedly, Frank Loesch, as a Christian layman and without any government support, organized the Chicago Crime Commission, a group of citizens that was determined to take Mr. Capone to court and put him away. During the months that the Crime Commission met, Frank Loesch's life was in constant danger. There were threats on the lives of his family and friends. But he never wavered. Ultimately, he won the case against Capone and was the instrument for removing this blight from the city of Chicago. Frank Loesch had risked his life to live out God's call on his life.

Each Sunday at this point in the service, my father, a Chicago businessman himself, never failed to poke me and silently point to Frank Loesch with pride. Sometimes I'd catch a tear in my father's eye. For my dad, and for all of us, this was and is what authentic Christian living is all about." -- Bruce Larson


The Chicago River.

The story of Chicago includes the tragic Chicago Fire and the great revivals brought by a simple shoe salesman, D.L. Moody [click to read] who butchered the king's English but led many to the high calling of Faith. Chicago saw more than its share of corruption but it also saw great innovation as in the great World's Fair [click to read] and the architecture of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. She has survived Fire, sewage issues, corruption and financial collapse.


Chicago Skyline.


Preston Tucker's Unique Automobile was made in Chicago.

Not all of Chicago's stories have happy endings. Consider car maker Preston Tucker [click to read], who saw his innovative company squashed by a government attorney. Yet Detroit would do well to look to the innovation that was surpressed in the past as it looks to position itself for the future.


Inscription on the wall of Moody Bible Institute's Chicago Campus. The Institute, which trains Christian workers for service around the world, is part of the legacy of the great evangelist.

Pipe Organ Illustrates Explaination of Trinity

One Rich Sound with Three Distinct Notes


The organist provided illustration for the sermon.

"Think of a C-chord. The C, E, and G notes are all distinct notes, but joined together as one chord the sound is richer and more dynamic than had the notes been played individually. The chords are all equally important in producing the rich sound, and the sound is lacking and thin if one of the notes is left out." -- All About Trinity Sunday [click to read].

The pipe organ adds richness to worship, but this Trinity Sunday, attending the Christening of my little granddaughter, we were treated to the use of its music as a sermon illustration. The doctrine of the Trinity has long troubled many Christians, and the priest explained that it is really the answer to the question: "How does G-d love us?" He explained that G-d's greatness is felt in contact with the distinct parts of that nature. G-d embraces mankind through Jesus, the Redeemer and the Spirit who indwells us.

The organist played a C-chord, then the individual notes, helping the listeners to wrap their minds around a mystery through illustration.

"Essentially the Trinity is the belief that G-d is one in essence (Greek ousia), but distinct in person (Greek hypostasis). Don't let the word "person" fool you. The Greek word for person means "that which stands on its own," or "individual reality," and does not mean the persons of the Trinity are three human persons. Therefore we believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are somehow distinct from one another (not divided though), yet completely united in will and essence. How can this be? Well, think of the sight of two eyes. The eyes are distinct, yet one and undivided in their sight." -- All About Trinity Sunday [click to read].

Thoughts for Memorial Day, 2013

Remembering Those Who Won Our Freedom...


Stained glass design of the Betsy Ross Flag in the sunrise by Xaver Wilhelmy. Rendering by Kristina Elaine Riley.

Memorial Day Photo Gallery

The Debt We Owe to the Defenders of Liberty


The World War II Memorial.


Vietnam Memorial...


...and a hero remembered.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume V, Issue XXIV

"Hear my cry, O G-d, attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I." -- Psalm 61:1,2

In the aftermath of terrible tornadoes ripping through Texas and Oklahoma there come forth stories of great heroism and faith. Teachers in an elementary school devastated in Moore Oklahoma admitted to praying in school as they moved students to the safest place they could find. People who's worldly possessions lie splintered across the landscape give gratitude to G-d for spared loved ones. A tornado is a powerful force, not only to destroy, but to bring out what a person is made of. Person after person told reporters what their faith meant to them in the storm.

A tornado may strike in sixteen minutes, but it changes things forever for those who experience it. Houses can be rebuilt and refurnished, but the memories framed in family photos may never be recovered. One Oklahoma resident, cleaning debris from her own yard, realized that someone's soggy memories from miles away were part of the litter in her own yard. She started a Website on Facebook [click to read] for people to scan and post any photos they found and that act of kindness has already resulted in some happy recoveries.

Samaritan's Purse [click to read], founded by Billy Graham's son Franklin, has sent trained volunteers who help with physical needs such as cleanup and repair. Their training also allows them focus on emotional and spiritual healing. In the overwhelming destruction of these storms, Samaritan's Purse chaplains are bringing hope and caring to the victims.

A host of church response teams are on their way as well. Spirit FM Radio sponsor's G-d's Pit Crew [click to read], a team that collects essential supplies and trucks them in to devastated areas. The day they announced a trailer collection point for relief supplies it was practically filled with donations. They mentioned a collection point in Staunton; Victory Worship Center on Hammond Road (just off of Christian's Creek Road past the Coca-Cola Plant) [1.]. The site has two small trailers and already they have received a great deal of bottled water.

The volunteers manning the collection stations have listed essential supplies that people should bring. Bottled water is on everyone's list, as are basic toiletries and items such as hand sanitizer. Food that can be eaten directly from the package without heating or other preparation is requested as well. These initial deliveries will go into areas where utilities are disrupted and residents will most likely lack electricity and water.

Collection points will be receiving donations for the next few days. A more complete list of items needed may be found at Spirit FM's website or Here [click to read].

As we pray for those affected by the storms, let us pick up an extra item or two at the grocer's to travel with our prayers to Texas and Oklahoma.


Sky over Staunton as a storm rolls through.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume V, Issue XXIII

When Beauty Obscures  Truth

The 'other' weekly news magazine this week features The Angelina Effect [click to read]. Lovely Angelina Jolie's surgery puts genetic testing in the spotlight, begging a discussion of  'The Halo Effect.'

How is it possible for a relatively obscure Senator from Illinois, who reporters themselves said of: "We know very little about him;" to rise to the greatest office in the land? Consider the confident appearance, the tailored suits and the general attractiveness the candidate projected. The election was a perfect demonstration of 'The Halo Effect.' Other than those voting for ideological reasons, it was quite clear that youth and virility were being packaged in the 'marketing of a candidate' to the uninformed and undecided.

Psychologist Edward Thorndike first studied the Halo Effect, or halo error, which is a cognitive bias in which one's judgments of a person’s character is influenced by one's overall impression of him or her. This has great implications in settings such as the courtroom and the classroom, where impartiality is essential. Nonetheless, research shows that people perceived as more attractive obtain better judgements in court and often are favored in the educational system. 

In his 1920 article “The Constant Error in Psychological Ratings,” [1.] Thorndike presented empirical evidence for his theory. Other psychologists created more elaborate studies in the Nineteen-seventies.

In a pre-media age, it is possible that the Halo Effect was not so ubiquitous. Without a 'national standard' imposed by media images, true beauty was a richer and more diverse pallate. Just as some men prefer blondes or brunettes (this writer is squarely in the brunette camp), beauty can be found in rich diversity if one follows his or her own inclinations without being 'taught' what society at large calls 'beautiful.'

To some extent, the ethnicization of fashion has been a positive influence in reversing a narrow standard of 'beauty,' yet recent reports of  the treatment received by a wounded veteran [2.] show that it is hard for people to overcome 'beauty bias.' The man, disfigured by an explosion, was often shunned by people in public, people who never had a chance to learn of the man's heroic service to his country.

My memory wanders back to an autumn in my youth. Some friends and I were hitchhiking to the Outer Banks of North Carolina when an older gentleman picked us up. He was the last lightkeeper of the Hatteras lighthouse and as we rode toward the coast he told us many fascinating stories. He had a severe facial wound of some sort, possibly a wartime injury, but we were too polite to pry. His bright eyes twinkled as he spun his tales! Finally he invited us to join him and travel on to the lighthouse. How I wish we had not felt the constraint of schedule or pre-planned itinerary. I've often remembered that day with lament, wondering what a holiday with this lovely gentleman would have held for us... but we were young, and the sight of Jockey Ridge had us eager to be on our own way.

My point in all this is that beauty has been dumbed-down, much to the detriment of society. I am often amazed to find that the people I find the most attractive do not think of themselves as so. I lament the demise of publications like 'The Sunday Sun Magazine' which featured the photography of A. Aubrey Bodine [3.] They have been replaced with thin tabloids, usually featuring some celebrity on the cover. How fascinating it was to look recently at Readers' Digest's listing of the 100 'Most Trusted' people in America. The top four were ACTORS! [4.], people who PRETEND to be other people! Buried in the middle were men and women of the stature of Billy Graham. The article spoke VOLUMES about America's preoccupation with appearance. Celebrity spokespersons have championed products, causes and campaigns. Congress once held hearings on the plight of farmers... addressed by actors who had PLAYED farm wives! [5.]

Loveliness is a wonderful thing. Beauty and truth are to be celebrated, but outward appearance cannot always be trusted as an indication of inward virtue.

Breaking Through the Clouds at Raven's Roost

Sunlight Illuminating the Mountains of Big Levels


"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." -- Isaiah 9:2

Mothers' Day Pink Lady Slipper

Seen Along the Lake Trail at Miller School


The afternoon light illuminated a beautiful pink lady slipper.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume V, Issue XXII

G-d's Word to Praying People

“Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
For day after day they seek me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near them.
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
    and exploit all your workers.
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard on high.
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
    and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
then you will find your joy in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." -- Isaiah 58

A special thank-you to Carl Tate for pointing out this scripture as we as a community prepare to participate in Spark 2013 [click to read]. As the 'other' weekly news magazine celebrates the 'Me' Generation's potential to become the next 'Greatest Generation' a number of great messages have been preached about dying to self and seeking to "decrease that G-d might increase." Indeed, men and women such as Jeremiah Lanphier, George Müller and Florence Nightengale began their journeys in prayer with a recognition of the heart of G-d.

This led them to minister to the pain of people around them. Then, realizing their own inadequacy, they redoubled their laboring in prayer.G-d met them and did amazing works through them.

Such is the hope that we should have as we begin a season of earnest prayer... that G-d will shine forth in the world, and that we will be open to His Spirit doing so.

Jeremiah Lanphier's Journey of Prayer

How A Nation Was Turned to G-d and Restored


Jeremiah Lanphier discovered the power of prayer in his own life.

A Milestone Monday Feature

America found herself at a crossroads. Wild speculation and greed had built a house of cards. While a few became incredibly wealthy, the gap between haves and have-nots grew ever wider.   The economic crash had put 30,000 men out of work on the streets of New York City.  Churches languished as people explored Spiritism and other "new" ideas. We, of the Twenty-first Century, would find the condition of the culture strangely familiar.

Political corruption, shady dealings in business and a general moral decline were the norm.  "Atheism, agnosticism, apathy and indifference to God, to the church, and its message abounded on every hand. The decline was fourfold: social, moral, political and spiritual." -- Tom Shanklin

Then came the crash! Factories were shuttered. Banks failed and merchants were ruined. Thousands were destitute. Winkie Pratney, who chronicled the great revival, says: "A near socio-economic collapse jolted America away from her apathy into a national cry for spiritual reality." Chuck Balsamo presents a wonderful concise history of this revival in his book Make Me a Legend [click to read]. The story does not begin with a mighty move and thousands of conversions, rather it begins in a rather small way.

Jeremiah Lanphier was a middle-aged businessman caught in the crossroads. Having no children and no family, he was drawn to minister to the needs of those living in the dark slums of Hell's Kitchen. Leaving his business, he became a lay missionary with the North Dutch Church in Manhattan. Pouring his life into the lives of those he saw caught in hopelessness, he soon came to the end of his own strength. Physically and mentally exhausted, Lanphier discovered that just as the body needs food, the soul and spirit of a man need to be nourished in prayer.[1.]

Each day at midday, Lanphier would seek solace in the Church Consistory Building, where he would cry out to G-d for spiritual strength. He experienced G-d in a mighty way in these times and felt that others would benefit from prayer as well, especially the city's businessmen. He printed up and distributed 20,000 flyers advertising his first noontime prayer meeting, on September 23, 1857.

That day he prayed alone for thirty minutes before six others joined him. The next week there were twenty. The week after that forty people showed up. In time over 100 churches had noonday prayer meetings going throughout the city. G-d's powerful move was felt far beyond New York City. Newspaperman Horace Greeley wanted to get a count of the number of men  praying in New York so he sent a reporter out to the meetings. Racing around the city in a horse-drawn buggy, the reporter was only able to get to twelve meetings in the noon hour, but he counted 6,100 in attendance.

Spiritual awakening followed and Americans found strength in G-d for the turbulent days that followed. This Third Great Awakening not only revitalized the spirit of America's people, but led to missionary outreach around the world.  [2.]

Spark 2013 in Stuarts Draft, Virginia

A Concert of Prayer for Our Place and Time...



"In the mid 1700s, pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards coined the term “concerts of prayer” to describe corporate gatherings of Christians for intercession and spiritual renewal. Regular prayer meetings at the time became a spark for the First Great Awakening in the United States.

Similarly, the Third Great Awakening was largely initiated and sustained through a movement of prayer. In 1857, Jeremiah Lanphier started a noon prayer meeting on Manhattan’s Fulton Street. The meeting quickly grew to several thousand business leaders and revival spread across the country, spawning some 2 million conversions and great works of social reform. Slavery was cut short in the United States through the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865 largely because of this awakening. The Salvation Army, The Christian and Missionary Alliance, and other Christian movements found their birth during this period, and the mighty Student Volunteer Movement was launched which sent approximately 25,000 students to the mission field in the coming decades.

Such corporate gatherings for prayer and around-the-clock Prayer Watches have worked together through history to strengthen prayer ministry. The New York City “Concerts of Prayer” initiative, for example, combined their Concerts of Prayer with a Prayer Watch that united 35 churches in 1995. The combined effort continued and over the next five years, the murder rate in New York City dropped 70%, making it one of the safest cities in the country with over a million people" -- Concerts of Prayer [click to read].  
Henderson County Ministerial Association.

Spark 2013 [click to read] begins May 12, 2013 and continues through May 19, 2013.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume V, Issue XXI
  
"The true great works are rooted in love and born in prayer" -- Unknown

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." -- Galations 5:22,23

A Great Work... Ushering in the World to Come

Who among us has not at some point imagined themselves involved in some great work? We love the stories of triumph and bravery and wonder if it might be our lot to ever be part of such a tale? So-called 'Realism' raises a hand at this point and argues that most men live in obscurity and live lives that are insignificant. Yet the belief that significance is something to be desired presses the possibility of it being attained. Travelling to Bolivia last year, I sensed there were a thousand stories in search of a Hemingway.

I saw an amazing medical mission that grew out of one woman's loving heart. She herself survived breast cancer and when most people would have started savoring retirement, this soft-spoken RN was G-d's instrument to bring decent medical care to the poorest people in Santa Cruz and now Sucre. (Her SECOND clinic just opened in February)! Cindy Thacker is doing a great work, as are the comitted staff of Mission of Hope Bolivia. It was a priviledge to hear their stories and by our work there to contribute to them.[1.]

In a South American slum there is a man who creates orchestra instruments from trash! 'Landfill Harmonic' brings beautiful music to young people who would otherwise know only the sound of despair. [2.] Redemption! all the great stories tell of it. Is it a false hope?, or something that the great stories hold out to us because its realization could be nearer than we dare imagine?If we can imagine something, is it possible that that ability to imagine is rooted in sound reasons?

These are the stories the media rarely report to us. One hears so much about the dysfunction in our world... and it is real. Yet, quiet your heart. You will find amazing stories around you. You might even find yourself a part of one! Great works abound in our own back yard. How shall we find them... be still, watch and listen!

Watching Kristina Elaine Riley paint her latest mural depicting "Acts of Kindness Rooted in Love," it was clear that she was engaged in a great work. [3.] The painting she is completing with elementary and middle school children in the Farrier Court Community center carries a redemptive message. Indeed, it could be seen as an extension of her "Journey to Jesus," [4.] where she took ordinary children's photographs, often in places of great hardship, and painted them as princes and princesses of the New Heaven and the New Earth spoken of in Isaiah 60, Isaiah 61 [5.] and Revelation 21 [6.]

Audio Aredrenalin's "Kings and Queens" echos that message [7.] To love "the least of these" is to make kings and queens in G-d's Kingdom. Empowering children to be noble by rooting themselves in love... an unseen foundation upon which to build a noble edifice!

Hebrews 11 talks of Faith: "The evidence of things hoped for, the substance of things not seen," and tells of Abraham, who wandered and lived all of his life in tents, longing for "that city who's architect and builder is G-d!" Those who share in the hope that Abraham had have a stake in the greatest of works... joining G-d in building His Kingdom!

Nehemiah engaged himself in a great work... rebuilding the walled city of Jerusalem. Just as he became a man of singular purpose, we too should consider the ruined state of our own culture and "arise and build!" A study of Nehemiah's life reveals that he didn't begin by sorting stones or drawing plans, he PRAYED. Scripture is clear that he began by seeking G-d and the mighty work sprang from that prayer [8.]

 In the Nineteenth Century, Evangelist George Müller was moved by the plight of unwanted children. He prayed. Without asking for a penny, he saw G-d provide the means to care for thousands of children and build fine homes for them to live in [9.]

In a world of chaos, we seek order, beauty and truth. These things will elude us if we do not seek the AUTHOR of order, beauty and truth. Great works do not just happen, they spring from the hand and mind of purposeful authorship. If purposeful authorship is evident in Creation, then it behooves us to seek to learn from the Author of purpose.

Pastor Chuck Balsamo of Destiny Fellowship in Stuarts Draft invites all who would to join in a time of Prayer, Fasting and Worship [click to read]. The purpose, not unlike Nehemiah's, is to seek G-d in a world where order, beauty and truth are all too rare.

My point in writing this is that G-d has a great work and the promise is clear. The murky uncertainty of our post-modern world is all too evident and threatens to obscure OUR view of that purpose. If we as a people will come away to seek His face, we will find ourselves in the very presence of G-d. Perhaps it is time to stop saturating ourselves in the news and MAKE news... led by the same fire that "turned the world upside down" in the First Century [10.]

That is key. This is not about growing bigger churches or merely creating a moral superiority, or economic prosperity, it is about unleashing the power of G-d's Holy Spirit to build G-d's Holy Kingdom! How does one describe the Kingdom of G-d and His promised presence there? It is like describing a mountain vista to a blind man. Where do you begin? Yet this is a picture that I as an artist feel compelled to paint! Mankind needs this vision. How does one begin to paint it?

Does one start by descriptions rooted in the scents of seasons... the smell of leaves and lavendar, the deep smell of Earth beneath the firs? One CAN deduce from what one CAN percieve that there is more unseen. That is the artist's mission. Just as a visual artist creates depth with line and shadow and aerial perspective, we can point to that which is beyond our ability to literally render.

Can we "see" the promise, pushing onward. and offer relationship with G-d Himself to a world of lonely and injured pilgrims? Can we join together as G-d seeks to rebuild lives and bring His Kingdom to Earth? Can we see that G-d is at work, purposefully authoring the promised Kingdom? In the combined sense of PEACE and PURPOSE found in communion with the Divine, might we have a part in ushering in the World to Come?

Farrier Court Community Building Mural

Young People Picturing Acts of Kindness Rooted in Love


Muralist Kristina Elaine Riley designed the mural for Bridgewater College students to paint with elementary and middle school youth in the apartment complex. The project was done through the Office on Youth.


The leaves will feature acts of kindness written by the children...


...rooted in love.

Teriffic Tuesdays! A chance for kids to interact with positive role models and even make something beautiful! Muralist Kristina Elaine Riley has designed this project where kids paint along with students from Bridgewater College. Now a project of the Office on Youth, the Teriffic Tuesdays program will soon be taken over by the Blue Ridge Church of Christ as an ongoing ministry to the community.

Here are photos of the Completed Mural [click to view].


Kristina paints colorful creatures into the mural.

Dance of the Dogwoods

Spring Comes to the Hilltops as Trees Blossom








In the days of black and white film, photographers such as A. Aubrey Bodine would rely on line, composition and contrast to capture the subtleties of the season. This exercise is my attempt to emulate their methodology.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume V, Issue XX

The Giving of the Law and the Spirit

Seven weeks after Passover comes Shavuot. is directly linked to that of Passover. Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah, the Law, on Sinai. On Passover, the people of Israel were freed from Egyptian servitude; on Shavuot they were given the Torah and became a nation committed to serving G-d. Shavout is one of the three 'pilgrimage feasts,' where the people were required to come to Jerusalem. The three feasts are: Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Weeks), and Sukkot (Tents or Booths).

Shavuot also is a the first time for the giving of the Bikkurim, or first fruits. The first fruits of wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates (Deut. 8:8) would be brought in a procession to the temple.

As thousands of pilgrims filled Jerusalem for this feast, after Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, the second chapter of the Book of Acts records a unique event:

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of G-d. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith G-d, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of G-d among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which G-d did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know."

These were the firstfruits of the promise made to Abram in Genesis 22:18: "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."

Shavuot, or Pentecost, as it is called in Greek, first marked the giving of the Law. It was also the time for giving of the firstfruits of the Promised Land. Now the Spirit was given, empowering the Church to bring in human firstruits of the Promised Kingdom! The disciples, who had cowered in the upper room, now spoke boldly to men from other nations who had assembled in Jerusalem. The Church was now reaching out in Judea, Samaria and eventually to the very ends of the Earth. Isaiah 60 and Revelation 21 speak of the Nations coming to this Jerusalem and the restoration of fellowship between man and the Almighty!

In Isaiah 60 [4.] and in Revelation 21 Believers look to a New Heaven and a New Earth where a Heavenly Jerusalem descends to join the Earth. Here is a Kingdom that needs no temple, needs no sun to light it, for G-d Himself is the force that illuminates it! [5.]

"And I saw a new Heaven and a new earth: for the first Heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from G-d out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of G-d is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and G-d himself shall be with them, and be their G-d." -- Revelation 21:1-3


Journey to Jesus, a mural depicting the nations coming to Jesus in the New Heaven and New Earth described in Revelation 21. Mural by Kristina Elaine Riley and Bob Kirchman

Journey to Jesus [click to view larger images].

"Our Christian hope is that we're going to live with Christ in a new Earth, where there is not only no more death, but where life is what it was always meant to be." -- Timothy Keller.


The sun breaks through after a passing storm.

Remembering a Great Mentor

There was a Man who Convinced Me I Could Do This


Reconstructing my model of Ellicott's Mills for the B&O Railroad Museum.

A Milestone Monday Feature

In Chapter 14 of Chuck Balsamo's new book Make Me a Legend Pastor Balsamo talks about the importance of finding a good mentor. He brought back some important memories as I recalled the influence of a man named Reggie. Reggie served in the Navy during World War II and achieved the rank of Aviation Machinist's Mate, Second Class. He was a first class mentor.

I met this amazing man because I went to school with his daughter. He was a Chevrolet mechanic and an avid outdoorsman. He introduced me to the wonders of Coastal New Jersey as I happily paddled for hours through marshes and creeks. At about 50 years old, Reggie became an instructor at the vocational technology school. There he discovered his true gifts and passions.

At an age where most men are thinking about taking it easy, Reggie enrolled in Rutgers University and pursued a degree in administration. Education and young people had become his true calling and he graduated from college the same time one of his daughters did.

Days at Reggie's place where full ones. He lived in a little postwar bungalo and when his children and their assembled friends were descending on the place around ten in the evening, he'd put on a pot of coffee. It came as no surprise that Reggie enjoyed lively conversation and sometimes these talk sessions would end in the wee hours of the morning. Good coffee, however, always made up for sleep deprivation.

Reggie went on to become a high school principal, but I have to believe that the best classes he ever taught were at his own kitchen table. He noticed that I was a hands-on guy struggling with an academic world. He found information on architectural model making and shared it with me. "You'd be good at this, Bob." Years later I was literally living off of this compliment. My little studio built models for architects, including one famous one. I worked on several models for resort projects in Japan, though I'm not sure how a man who served in the Pacific Theatre would feel about that.

No doubt, this man has influenced many young lives in a similar manner. I am priviledged to have known him.

This week the 'other' weekly news magazine presents its list of 100 'most influential' people. THYME maintains that the most influential people are unsung and unknown.How many people know the name of Edward Kimball? [1.] Kimball led a shoe salesman to Faith in Christ. The shoe salesman happened to be Dwight L. Moody. Here in Volume V, Issue XIX, THYME celebrates the lives of those who truly influence others!

Thoughts on True Greatness [click to read] by Rabbi Yonason Goldson in Jewish World Review.

Spring Comes to the Ridgetops

Blossoms Announce the End of Winter


Spring blossoms and new green paint their colors on the landscape.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume V, Issue XVIII

Unmaking America

In 1969 America landed men on the Moon. In the year following the close of the Apollo Program, Roe vs Wade was decided in the Supreme Court, stripping away state laws protecting the unborn. In the years following, We've Forgotten What Belongs On Page One [click to read]. Kirsten Powers in USA Today slaps us in the face with the reality of what has happened to us as a nation: 

"Infant beheadings. Severed baby feet in jars. A child screaming after it was delivered alive during an abortion procedure. Haven't heard about these sickening accusations?

It's not your fault. Since the murder trial of Pennsylvania abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell began March 18, there has been precious little coverage of the case that should be on every news show and front page. The revolting revelations of Gosnell's former staff, who have been testifying to what they witnessed and did during late-term abortions, should shock anyone with a heart." [1.]

Thankfully there are journalists like Powers, who still tell us the news that belongs in the headlines. Unfortunately many media sources today don't bother to print it. When THYME Interactive [click to read] linked to Ms. Powers' article, Facebook spinelessly labeled it as 'spam,' (later rescinding the label); That shows you that our media only wants you to be outraged at what they determine is outrageous. The screams of aborted babies don't count when your agenda is to promote abortion at all stages of pregnancy.

Pro-life speaker Hannah Rose Allen [click to read] knows firsthand the pain and heartache abortion can inflict. She's spoken on the same platform as Dr. Alveeta King (Dr. Martin Luther King's niece), making the case for the unborn and the women who carry them. [2.]

Abortion and the Devaluing of Human Life

Before Christmas an appalling crime occurred in a small town in Connecticut. The murder of six-year old children shocked most Americans. Killing innocent children is wrong. Most of us would agree. When a nine-year old child asks his Mother: “What is an abortion?” and she tries to explain, the child responds: “But, that means killing the baby.” The existence of abortion in the fabric of our culture has long range implications, and they do not bode well for a culture of respect for life [3.].

For forty years abortion has been given privileged protection (your child cannot have an aspirin at school without your consent, but the same school health system may schedule a 'confidential' abortion consultation for your child at Planned Parenthood) [4.]. Attempts to regulate abortion clinics in a manner similar to other medical facilities are regularly challenged. You will never see an abortion performed on educational television. In fact, pro-choice advocates regularly stonewall discussion of the very real issue of protecting preborn life.

I participated in a prayer vigil to silently protest the first abortion clinic built in the city where I lived in 1974. Now, forty years later, one must ask what the long-term consequences are. Occasionally a child survives the attempt to abort her. Gianna Jessen is one such person and though the failed abortion left her with a number of physical challenges, she regularly speaks on the issue of sanctity of life.

Margaret Sanger [click to read] ought to be well reported for her Eugenics. She isn't. That driving force in her mission is quiely 'forgotten' by the media, although it does surface in this Interview with Mike Wallace [click to read]. Planned Parenthood gets a free pass to mainstream respectability in spite of its founder's views, which Adolph Hitler found applicable in his own diabolical doings.

Although Judeo-Christian ideals were built upon to found this country they are now banished from the Academy [click to read]. Dennis Prager [click to read] is one journalist who understands that a society needs to have foundations. He says: "I offer the single most politically incorrect statement a modern American — indeed a modern Westerner, period — can make: I first look to the Bible for moral guidance and for wisdom."

Prager is not alone.

'Made in America'

This week the 'other' weekly news magazine talks about the 'Resurgence' of Manufacturing [click to read] in America. Let's be honest here. The great manufacturing era of the past is nowhere near returning. The 'resurgence' they talk about is largely fueled by the availability of an Undervalued Workforce [click to read] and (compared to Europe) cheap energy. Companies that treated their workers like family members, such as Bill's Barbeque in Richmond, are closing. While I understand sound business decisions, people are more than "human resources" when seen through eyes informed by society's foundations.

When I worked for my Grandfather's company (now closed), a man informed me as he was teaching me how to lace drive belts for large machinery: "Your Grandfather loaned me the money for my first house." Grandpa never did his good deeds in public view, but there were many eager to tell a good story about him.

People no longer see companies loyal to them as employees. Rosetta Stone in Harrisonburg recently downsized, announcing in a press release: "Rosetta Stone announced today that it is re-shaping its Product organization and expanding its operational footprint in order to drive technological innovation and accelerate product development. The company will eliminate 48 positions in its Harrisonburg office."

Translated: "We're hiring new people elsewhere and laying off the office that got us started. Labor costs; you see. Have a nice day!"