Pastor's Penpoint - "It's About Time" - September 2013

The Bible has a lot to say about time. The most important thing it says is something we know already - that our time is limited. Time can be used or wasted, it can be inbested or squandered, but either way, once used, it can never be regained. Time matters because we have such a limited supply. The most famous passage in the Bible about time reminds us that there is a time for everything in life. Here are the first four verses from Ecclesiastes 3:

There is a time for everything,

And a season for every activity under heaven:

A time to be born and a time to die,

A time to plant and a time to uproot,

A time to kill and a time to heal,

A time to tear down and a time to build,

A time to weep and a time to laugh,

A time to mourn and a time to dance. 

We always have plenty of time to do everything we need to do. This means that all of my time belongs to God, and therefore how I spend my days is a sacred issue. Someday I will answer for what I did on October 8, 1982, a date that means nothing except that I pulled it out of the air. I could have said January 17, 1999 or May 8, 2008, or I could have said September 1, 2013 which would definitely bring the matter much closer to home.

Time matters because time is the stuff of life, and when time is gone so is life. That means what I do with the moments of my life, the opportunities I take, the people I talk to, the path I follow, all of it matters because sooner or later, for me and for you, time will be no more.

Time has become the new currency of life. For most of us time matters more than money. We will spend money to save time whereas our parents would spend time to save money. In a world where most of us feel stressed out, we value our free time more than a few extra dollars in our pocket.

What will you do with the time you have ... until you have no more time? Just a thought.

~ Pastor Todd

Rest in Peace, Robert Rawley, Sr.

MOUNT SOLON – Robert Bryan Rawley Sr., 87, of 652 George Walton Road, died Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013, in his home.

Born Oct. 27, 1925, in Augusta County, he was a son of the late Robert Dyke Rawley and Myree Bryan (Michael) Rawley.

He was a self-employed beef and hog farmer who loved his farm, and also enjoyed gardening and hunting. He was an active member of Mt. Olivet United Brethren in Christ Church and the North Augusta camp of Gideons International.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Eugene Rawley, and a sister, Ruby Cherry. Surviving are his wife, Martha (Frey) Rawley, whom he married July 7, 1951; four children, Karen A. Stroup and husband, Greg, of Warren, Ind., Robert B. Rawley Jr. and wife, Ellen, of Mount Solon, David G. Rawley and wife, Cindy, of Greencastle, Pa., and Fonda R. Cassidy and husband, Robert Jr., of Mount Solon; a sister, Mildred Nelson of Fort Wayne, Ind.; two brothers, Harry Rawley of Bridgewater and Guy Rawley of Mount Solon; six grandchildren, LaShawn Lewis and husband, Brian, Bryan Rawley and wife, Krista, Josh Rawley and wife, Rebecca, Karch Cassidy and wife, Mary Beth, Kira Griffin and husband, Travis, and Amos Rawley and wife, Annalee; six great-grandchildren, Luke, Grayson, Eli and Jacob Rawley, Sierra and Canyon Cassidy; one great-grandchild on the way; and two stepgreat-grandchildren, McKenzie and Alston North.

A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday in Mt. Olivet United Brethren in Christ Church, 862 Freemason Run Road, Mount Solon with the Rev. Todd Lilley officiating. Active pallbearers will be Bryan, Josh and Amos Rawley, Brian Lewis, Karch Cassidy and Travis Griffin. Honorary pallbearers will be members of MMI and Gideons International.

The family will receive friends from 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday at Bear Funeral Home
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Memorials may be directed to Mt. Olivet United Brethren Church, c/o Ellen Rawley, 827 George Waltons Road, Mount Solon, VA 22843.

We will miss you.