“Back behind me on the trail of time, there is a place that is sacred to me. Sometimes I go there in my mind and I look upon it thankfully,” Steve Chapman wrote in one of his lyrics.
There were times, when looking back, we would like to slam the door on 2024 and not revisit it again. But, wait: There were sacred places for some of us in all the nonsense. Buried in the ashes, we sift through the debris and find those sacred moments and relationships worthy of remembering. And there we find the heart of the truth in 2024.
Last year, truth was on the altar. It was being sacrificed, cunningly spun into whatever fit a person’s narrative. People’s words tried to convince us what we saw wasn’t really what we saw.
But God guarded the truth. Truth rose from the ashes and took flight like the phoenix.
There is a new spirit breathing through our hearts. An element of truth has kept us alive and the One we believed in remains strong in our hearts. I have learned that truth put to the test will soar in the face of adversity. Today we have a stronger wind under our wings for the new year.
Stepping into 2025, who would’ve thought it would be my 17th year of writing “The Artist’s Lane” column for The Pagosa SUN? This column has been one of my sacred places. My life has been filled with beautiful people who have responded positively to my faith in Jesus and laughed at stories about my Sweet Al and my crazy family.
2008 seems like yesterday when Karl Isberg, then the editor of The SUN, called me, “We are revamping The PREVIEW and thought of you for a weekly column. We are concerned you might not be sustainable.”
At the time, my response to Karl was, “The Lord is my sustainer, if Jesus gives me something to write, I’ll write it.” He must have thought I was a religious nutcase. Somehow, he opened the door and believed in me and gave me carte blanche to write what was in my heart.
Each week I started with a blank canvas. Even when nothing exciting happened on the Lower Blanco, God was faithful to give me words to write. Seven hundred and nineteen articles later, I have sustained and not missed a deadline.
I would like to think my words will have longevity. Only God can protect our words of truth and give life to them over time, like a favorite classic and devotional, “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers. I have read this daily Christian devotional many times over the years. His words are still as fresh to me as the first time I read them in 1981. They still carry a heart of truth that came from Chambers’ preaching to students and soldiers.
The author passed away, but God wouldn’t let his words die. His widow’s heart saw the truth in her husband’s words. She first self-published his writings in 1924. Other editions followed. God will protect the truth in bad years and good years. He has used a widow to feed millions of people for a hundred years, and I’m sure many more to come. God’s truth will stay the test of time.
Final brushstroke: The heart of truth will always be current. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God will protect His Word. I believe that is the main reason this column is still read today. I have not shrunk from the faith I have in Jesus when I said yes to the editor. And today’s editor has let me write the truth that is in my heart and the column has remained relevant for those readers hungry for truth. Lord, thank you for another year.
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Views expressed do not necessarily represent those of The SUN.
