I have three volumes called Charting the
Old Paths by Dillard Thurman before me. I like these little
books and have used them through the years to help me with sermons,
articles, Bible classes, etc. I like these books for they help
me to remember. I have three volumes called Charting the
Old Paths by Dillard Thurman before me. I like these little
books and have used them through the years to help me with sermons,
articles, Bible classes, etc. I like these books for they help
me to remember.
Brother Thurman was a faithful preacher, teacher,
editor, and writer. Of course, most of us remember him as the
editor of The Gospel Minutes for years before his death.
I can remember this little paper in our home back in the early
1960s, and I remember reading it, even as a young boy. Brother
Thurman did his best to help us to remember the Words of the Lord.
(Acts 20:35) His lessons were always Bible based, easy to follow,
and were always suitable for using in teaching others. These little
books help me to remember God's Word, and they help me to remember
Dillard Thurman as a preacher of the Word.
As I open each volume of these little books, I
read something written in black ink just inside the front cover.
It reads, "To Eddie, From Mommy, 8-5-83." I have written
there, "Given to me by Mom Clista Spaulding Farley while
I was in a meeting at Crum, WV."
This causes me to remember, too. I remember that
meeting - twenty-one years ago. I was then living at Moorefield,
WV, and working with the church there. I came "home"
to Crum to preach in a meeting. It was a blessing to be with my
parents that week and to have both Mom and Dad in the service
each evening. I remember how Dad always encouraged me in my preaching
before his death in April, 1991, and I remember how Mom always
joined in that encouragement. She still does encourage us with
her good words, and by her faithful life. She will be 88 years
old in September, 2004. Mom has always served as a wonderful example
for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
It is amazing how "little things" cause
us to remember important things. Just by opening a volume of Charting
the Old Paths, a flood of memories come to my mind.
You know, God used some "little things"
- some simple things - to cause us to remember something extremely
important. He used a little unleavened bread and fruit of the
vine and has instructed us to remember the death of Jesus each
Lord's Day as we eat and drink. (Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians
11:24-26; Acts 20:7). Let us be faithful in doing so. -P.O. Box
285, Crum, WV 25669. preechkrum@charter.net