Off Track
By Jim Huskins
McDowell County
An old gospel song makes the claim that life is like a mountain railroad. Helene reminded us that mountain life has long depended on railroads. One special train will be remembered.
In 1882, the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad connected Johnson City to the iron mines near Cranberry. By 1919, the line was extended through Banner Elk to Boone. This service was a lifeline for Carter, Avery, and Watauga Counties. Mountain people loved the train and the shrill whistle which announced its arrival. They called this mountain railroad “Tweetsie.”
A wet summer in the year 1940 set the stage for Tweetsie’s demise. On August 11, an Atlantic hurricane headed west from Beaufort. Two days later, this massive storm slammed the Highlands. Waterlogged ground assaulted by torrential rain resulted in loss of life and property and infrastructure that we know too well. Most of Tweetsie’s tracks and trestles washed away. The Forty Flood silenced Tweetsie’s whistle. ET & WNC scrapped twelve of its thirteen locomotives. One survived to become the centerpiece of a beloved theme park.
A faithful life is like a mountain railroad. Rail tracks create a safe and sure route, but under even the best conditions, an engineer must properly govern the train. That old song admonishes alertness and finesse. “Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels, never falter never fail. Keep your hand upon the throttle and your eye upon the rail.” Lack of caution can result in catastrophic derailment. So can major storms. Without tracks, trains are useless.
Other rail companies—particularly Clinchfield and Southern—played crucial roles in WNC. Helene ruined those lines. The tracks are gone. The trains cannot run. The damage defies description. CSX and Norfolk Southern work frantically to establish new rail beds and install new tracks in the face of monumental destruction.
The Bible warns that followers of Christ should stay on track. Jeremiah 6:16 proclaims, “Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” Jesus said the same in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
A train track is a narrow path. Massive, stone ballast provides a sure foundation. Robust, wooden sleepers hold steel rails in perfect alignment. The proper route is never in question, but the operator must stay on track and remain alert.
The Way for believers is firmly laid on a Solid Rock foundation. Our guiding rails are love for God and love for neighbors. The abiding standard for Godly love is explained in the first five books of the Bible. Jesus said we should not even consider the possibility that He came to abolish that part of Scripture. The direction of our walk of faith will never be in doubt as long as we live like Messiah and carry out His assigned task.
The problems come when Christians choose insecure foundations, manmade doctrines rather than Godly instruction, and egocentric destinations. Those problems compound when believers claim their values and build their choices anywhere other than God’s Son and the totality of His Holy Word. Willful ignorance of three-fourths of the Bible is a guarantee of spiritual derailment.
Observances associated with this time of year underscore the degree to which many believers are willing to stray from the Biblical path. Most Christians are convinced that Jesus somehow “redeemed” the worship rituals affiliated with the ancient pagan celebrations surrounding winter solstice. The Bible says otherwise.
God hates pagan worship. This is clearly stated in Deuteronomy 12:29-31. The first part of verse 31 says, “You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the LORD hates they have done for their gods.” Some Christians tell me that the pagan worship practices they follow are okay since they do not sacrifice children. This is absurd.
God freed Israel from Egypt in part to disassociate them from that nation’s paganism. He gave Canaan to Israel because the Canaanite tribes defiled the land with their pagan worship. See Leviticus 18:1-5. Verse 4 proclaims that we are to follow His rules and keep His statutes and walk in them. That path has no room for pagan worship.
Believers who take time to research the rituals associated with yule and saturnalia are often horrified by their discovery. Winter solstice celebrations have from old been associated with drunkenness, debauchery, and human sacrifice. Everything we were taught under the guise of “harmless holiday fun” is an act of pagan worship—something that God hates.
Ancient Babylon venerated winter solstice as the birth of their sun god. The early Church did not celebrate the birth of Jesus. Had they done so, it would have been at a time when both weather and grass production made it appropriate for shepherds to tend their flocks on overnight pastures. Not in deep winter. Many sections of the American colonies banned yule celebrations because they are an affront to Holy God. The modern obsession with mid-winter pagan worship and material lust is proof that entire cultures can be off track. We as believers are not responsible for changing society, but we will give account to God for how we embody His standards.
Tweetsie Railroad provided valuable service for more than sixty years. She became worthless after her narrow gauge path was destroyed. Our narrow path has long been obscured and discredited by perverse, cultural forces, but we still have the instruction manual. We can choose as individuals and small groups of believers to follow the good way that leads to life eternal. That route is both steep and circuitous, but it culminates with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
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Jim & Beverly Huskins are members of Obedient Heart Fellowship in McDowell County. Beginning July 2, 2022 Obedient Heart Fellowship will meet at 10:00 Each Sabbath (Seventh Day) at 3023 US 221 N. Marion, NC. 10:00 A.M. Call 828-460-7913 for info.
You can read more good Christian news from Jim HERE.
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