The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Captain John Kirschman Salvation Army It's January, the first month of yet another year. What will the year bring our way? We will see more babies born; we will see more people die. Young couples will get married this year; other marriages will end in divorce. A young person will land their first job; an older person will enter into retirement. A lucky person will win millions in the lottery; another will lose everything they own. Some people will kick their addictions to tobacco, alcohol and drugs while still others will be introduced to and snared by these. There will be many great and wonderful things happen in 2004 and there will also be tragedies and disasters. Both joy and sorrow will be ours. In a sense this year won't be much different than any other year. This allows us a glimpse of life as we have always seen it and as is pretty much reflected in the pages of Holy Scripture. Times and seasons change. People are born, live, marry, raise a family, work, retire and die. Nations and kingdoms rise and fall. Technology is always advancing, leaving many things obsolete. The only unchanging element of history is God. God is always on the scene. He is always available to the sincere seeker. He is constantly working to bring His creation back to its created purpose. He is the one who is called upon during the tough times and often forgotten when things are running smooth. There will always be a place in this world for the church of Jesus Christ. It is God's instrument to bring healing and reconciliation to this sin-sick world that we live in. In the very midst of our daily lives God is at work building His everlasting kingdom. As Julia Ward Howe penned, "He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat." Through all of life's events (be they good or bad) God is calling, calling, calling, "O sinner come home." Will this be the year that He finally gets your attention?1/23/2004
