The Simple Life

How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave. She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies. Lamentations 1:1-2 (ESV)   "Against the protests of her faithful prophets Jerusalem had courted alliance with her heathen neighbours only to be cruelly deserted in her hour of need. It is the old story of friendship with the world, keenly accentuated in the life of Israel because this favoured people had already seen glimpses of a rich, rare privilege, the friendship of heaven. This is the irony of the situation; it is the tragic irony of all Hebrew history." ( W. F. Adeney, M. A. )   There is a price we pay for disobedience. All people will be accountable, and sometimes they run out of time. The time for repe...

How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave. She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies. Lamentations 1:1-2 (ESV)   Going from a full city to an empty one can be scary. Silver Birch Ranch often has several hundred people on our grounds. In the summer, the kitchen cooks three meals a day, often for 400 plus people. The sights and sounds of people are everywhere, and the campers' excitement is electrifying.   Then, one day late summer, most everyone goes home. The Nicolet Bible Institute students have finished their summer practicum, the campers need to start school, and the summer volunteers and Summer Staff are either returning to school or their careers.   As one then walks the grounds of Sil...