April brings blossoms in the woods

When April arrives, woodland areas begin to join in on presenting spring blooms.  You may notice trees with white blooms appearing on mountainsides. This would be the serviceberry tree, a member of the rose family. You may hear some locals – especially older ones – call it a “sarvice tree.

Worship

Wonderful Lord God almighty which was, which is and is to come I worship and praise your name forever, for the great things you have done. You sent your son Jesus to save us, from death, Hell and the grave I worship you and you only, for only you can save.

He's alive!

As we approach Easter, hymns and songs about the resurrection of Christ from the grave fill my heart. I love the Easter hymns “In the Garden” and “Up from the Grave He Arose.”  The most popular Easter song is Charles Wesley’s hymn, “Christ, the Lord is Risen Today.

The comfort of Good Friday

* Part 2 of a 3-part series There’s a consolation that comes from philosophy, but there’s deeper comfort in God entering our fallen world and participating in our brokenness – not for empathy’s sake, but to defeat the one who holds the power of death over us.

'Great is Thy Faithfulness’

The beautiful Springtime brings to memory one of my favorite hymns: “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” written as a poem by Thomas Chisholm in 1923.

Farming time

In earlier times, farming got underway in earnest with the arrival of April.  Acres of land would be plowed for the planting of such crops as corn, burley tobacco and of course, the family garden and potato patch.

It's a pity to be so petty

The job was simple: pick up the sales box and move it to another location. Little did I know the mystery I would stumble upon once I arrived at my destination.  Sadly, Scooby and the gang could not help me solve the whodunit before the 30-minute television block concluded.

The consolation of philosophy

* 1st in a 3-part series Imagine being an empire’s second most powerful person – in your 30s – enjoying your prosperity with a good wife and two successful sons.

Midweek services popular in area

I recently returned from out of town on a Wednesday when I started to notice the number of churches having mid-week services.  As I passed by, I was surprised at the number with their parking lots full.

Green’s Creek

The graves of William and Nancy Green. Photos by Marshall McClung/The Graham Star Many of our mountain communities were named after early families that lived there.  Such is the case of Green’s Creek, located in the upper reaches of Mountain Creek.