THE GROWTH OF ATHEISM

 "The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”  Psalm 14:1

You may not have noticed it, but the number of fools in America has been growing significantly over the past three decades.  

"Ryan Burge, a political scientist at Eastern Illinois University and a Baptist pastor, found that 23.1% of Americans now claim no religion...Catholics came in at 22%.  Evangelicals were at 22.5%...Mainline protestant denominations registered 11%...The same questions have been asked for forty-four years...The meteoric rise of religious nones began in the early 1990s and has grown 266% since 1991, he said."  [Excerpts from "There are now as many Americans who claim no religion as there are evangelicals and Catholics, a survey finds."  By Neil Monahan and Saeed Ahmed -Survey: As many Americans claim no religion as there are evangelicals, Catholics - CNN ]

You just read a credible report that the number of those reporting 'no religion' has grown 266% since 1991.  Does this bother you?  Does it cause you any concern?  What do you think this says about our culture?  About the Church?

I've attended two healthy churches since I retired in 2016.  Neither has seemed very passionate about connecting with, helping, or influencing spiritually lost people.  

It's so easy for churches to slip into a maintenance mode.  Enough money is coming in to keep things going.  Attendance is fairly stable.  Programs that seem essential are kept running.  Homeostasis feels good.  New people trickle in from time-to-time.  

Don't worry - be happy!

But outside the walls of our church, in the homes throughout our community, and in our nation in general people are craving answers to questions they can't yet formalize.  They're pursuing something, but they're not quite sure what it is yet.  Something is missing, but they don't know where to turn for answers.  And to be honest, the church is about the last place they would look for answers.

Have you ever gone to a church for the first time?  It's terrifying!  

• You don't know which door to go in.
• You don't know where to go once you're inside.
• You don't know what to expect.
• The readings and songs are foreign and meaningless to you.
• The pastor goes on for close to forty minutes - s/he seems really passionate, but you don't know what s/he's talking about.
• You notice there are very few youth or young families in the church.
• After church, everyone seems to enjoy talking, but they leave you alone.
• You breathe a sigh of relief when you get to your car and vow that you'll never do that again!

Dictionary.com defines ritual as "an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite."

Why do churches rely so heavily on these prefabricated forms?  Why would we so consistently use forms that are only meaningful to those who possess the secret decoder ring?  What about those poor seekers who wander in hoping to hear the words of life?  Hoping to find something real and meaningful.  Hoping to find the resolve and strength to cope with the realities of their lives.  Who cares about them?

Are they likely to try another church?  No.

We serve a Christ who:

• came to seek and to save the lost.
• is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
• is pictured as a shepherd who leaves 99 safe in the fold while He goes out to seek the one that was lost.
• intentionally visited the pool of Bethesda in order to heal a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
• gave time and attention to Zacchaeus, the hated tax collector and changed his heart.
• said to His disciples, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."\

You get the picture.  This is a man who was observed to be a friend of sinners.  

Some research I did years ago indicated that when a person becomes closely connected to a church, they will - within seven years - come to a place where they no longer have any non-Christian friends.  Yikes!  Could that be true?  Do we really flip a person's life so radically that we remove them from association with people who desperately need Christ and salvation?

HERE'S AN ASIDE:

Would you like to know the most difficult challenge I had during over forty years of leading churches?

Do I preach for the benefit of those who are established in their faith or those who need to be established in their faith?

I vacillated between these two roles constantly - by intention!  I would preach a series that was designed to minister to those who knew Jesus and were growing in their faith.  Then, I would do a series designed to be outreaching to those who were lost or struggling in their faith and needed to be grounded.  Here's the reality I had to deal with:  if I erred too much in either direction, attendance suffered!  That's the way it was...

I know that a variety of churches exist and some even seem to thrive.

• churches where the worship leaders shout and jump around and where musicians shine...
• churches where things are executed poorly with little planning and coherence...
• churches where liturgy reigns and people yawn...
• churches where the show is great, the videos excellent, the music semi-professional and the pastor uses Andy Stanley's sermons...
• churches where the platform is crowded with instruments and the sermon is spontaneous...

Where is sincerity?  genuineness?  spiritual sensitivity?  the leading of the Spirit?  the creativity that was at the core of Jesus' teaching?  the involvement of 'the body'?  the pooling of gifts and the sharing of the saints?  prayer for the lost?  the opportunity to respond to the message?  [Did altar prayer end with Billy Graham's death?]

Do we have the answer to people's questions?  Is Jesus' love big enough to see them through life's struggles?  Do we care enough to make our worship relevant to these lost souls?  

Right now the indicators are that we're not being very effective at reaching them.  Are we able to change, to adapt, to pursue, to care enough to meet them where they are?  Are we willing to admit that we've failed to get them to come to our buildings to 'get saved'?  If we're biblically astute, we'll know that Jesus told us to 'Go' to them;  He didn't tell us to have a great program so they will come to us.  

It is a PRIMARY role of the church to equip the saints for the work of ministry!  The Apostle Paul speaks specifically of the ministry of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18-20):

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them [PTL!].  And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.   We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ's behalf:  Be reconciled to God.

Can we turn this atheism trend around?  Do we want to?  Christ is still out seeking the lost.  Do we care enough to join Him?  

GOOD SATURDAY

 I know, you've never heard of 'Good Saturday'.  I just made it up.  :-)

But, I would like to defend my postulation:  that we have something significant to reflect on during this day.  A day of massive conversions.  A day unlike any that had ever occurred before!  A day when the gates of Heaven were rushed by throngs that surely numbered in the tens of thousands - if not more!  

But, I'm already ahead of myself.  Let me try to bring you along on this journey of discovery...

We know the truth of Good Friday.  Jesus died on the cross of Calvary to pay the penalty for all our sins before and after.  It was one sacrifice for all time!  He was the spotless Lamb of God!  He did what no one else could ever do.  The Son of God laid down His life for everyone who chooses to believe in Him.

I think you probably agree with me so far, right?  

But let's look at the word "everyone".  

First, it meant everyone who was alive at the time of Christ.

Second, it meant everyone who would ever live from the time of the crucifixion and for the rest of the existence of humanity.

Third, it meant everyone who had lived and died before Christ's crucifixion.

Wait a minute...what did you say, Hal?

"It meant everyone who had lived and died before Christ's crucifixion."

That's what I thought you said.  But how could they all be saved?

How does anyone get saved?  They hear (or become aware of) the 'good news' and place their faith in Christ as their Savior.

Well then, how could all the people who had lived and died hear the 'good news' and respond [or not respond] to it?

That's easy.  The answer is right there in scripture.  Upon His death, Christ went and preached to these dead souls and they were given an opportunity to place their faith in Him.  Those who did, He led in a joyful procession into the gates of Heaven!  

No!  Where is that in the Bible?

Let's look at the evidence:

I Peter 3:18-19

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.  He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago...

I Peter 4:6

For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

 Ephesians 4:8-10

This is why it says:

[taken from Psalm 68:8]  "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."

(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower earthly regions?  He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

Now, although we may not understand every implication of these passages, it seems to make it remarkably clear that upon His death, Jesus went to the place where all the dead had accumulated and preached to them.  Those who chose to believe in Him were then led from the place of the dead into the celestial city!   

 Even our Apostle's Creed gives a nod at this truth when it says, "He descended into hell" which is immediately followed by "the third day He rose again from the dead:  He ascended into heaven, and sittith on the right hand of God the Father Almighty."  [Apparently it was a three-day revival!]

We should note again here that this was a one time caveat!  Those who have died since the crucifixion will NOT be extended this privilege.  They, like us, have had the opportunity to hear and know the truth of the gospel.  Those who have responded in faith and obedience will be eternally saved.  Those who reject or ignore the gospel message (or fail to take it seriously) will be eternally lost.

So, today, we remember 'Good Saturday' when Adam and Eve, those who perished in Noah's flood, the wicked and oppressive Egyptians, the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Romans, - literally EVERYONE who had lived and died before the crucifixion - heard the GREATEST SERMON EVER PREACHED from the very One who had paid the price for their redemption!  And many were saved!

This - perhaps more than anything else in scripture - shows us Christ's love and concern for lost people!  Do we mirror that love?  Do our churches?

If you needed a reason to say "HALLELUJAH" tomorrow morning, now you have it!

A TRIP TO THE CITY

 I'd like to tell you a little Good Friday story.  Part of it comes from my imagination, but part of it is factual - based on the Gospel of Mark, chapter 15.

Alexander (lets call him Alex) and his brother, Rufus, loved their father very much.  He was a very strong man who was capable of much hard work.  Once in a while, he hoisted them onto his shoulders and carried them around.  He never seemed to grow tired.  They were proud of their father.  He stood out in a crowd because he was a big man and also taller than most.  His very size seemed to command respect.  But inside, he was a gentle man and would never knowingly hurt anyone.  

He had to occasionally go to Jerusalem for supplies and would usually take his boys with him.  They loved these trips.  When they would come to the crowded marketplaces, he would hold each of them by their hands to keep them from getting separated and lost.  Their smaller hands got lost in his big, rough hands.  He worked in the fields and with the animals, so his hands had become calloused and brown from the sun.  He was not a famous man, but he was respected because he was honest, fair and a hard worker.  But most important, he loved their mother!  This fact gave the boys a wonderful sense of security.  They had good parents, and they knew it.  

Alex was a year older than his brother, Rufus, but age didn't really matter to them.  They played together every day and also had a few other friends on the farm where their father worked.  They played with a home-made ball that they kicked and threw around.  They climbed olive trees and hid from their father.  When he would walk below them, they would jump out and try to scare him.  He would catch them and rub their heads with his knuckles and then tickle them until they couldn't stand it any longer.    He occasionally would tickle their Mom too, but she didn't think it was funny and would pretend to get angry with him.  They would all end up laughing together...

Theirs was a poor but happy home.  Their father often told them, "All you need to be happy is the love of a family, enough food for the day and a safe, soft place to sleep."  They knew he was right and they never longed for things or for wealth.  Most of the time, their mother put them to bed at night, but once in a while their father would settle them down.  They would beg him for a story, and he would sometimes tell them about his own growing up years.  But then, he would wrap each of them up tightly in their blanket so that they could hardly move.  Then, he would kiss them on the forehead and pray over them.  When leaving their sides, he would stop in the dim light and say, "You boys must love God first, always bless your family and be kind even to strangers.  This will please God and you will live a long life!"  

One morning the boys had finished their breakfast and were wondering what to do when their father asked if they wanted to go to Jerusalem with him.  They burst to his side and off they went.  It was a long walk and their father always carried a sack with bread and grape juice.  Going to Jerusalem was all up hill, so it was a little hard-going.  The trip back was always more enjoyable.  

When they approached the marketplace, the crowd began to grow thicker, so their father took each boy by the hand to keep them together and safe.  Soon the crowd became so thick that they could hardly get through.  Their father was curious and pressed to the front to see what was going on.  This public road with merchants and vendors was always busy, but today the crowd was exceptional.  Soon, Roman soldiers stopped them from going any further.  As they looked up-and-down 'the way of suffering' they saw something that immediately shocked them all.

A man - nearly naked - was dragging a heavy cross-bar through the streets.  The soldiers were mocking Him and beating Him and spitting on Him.  He was clearly exhausted and had been beaten with a whip until His back was totally scarred and bloody.  He wore a crown of thorns that had been pressed cruelly on His head.  Many of the crowd were weeping at the sight of this man.  Others were jeering and seemed to be thrilled at this horrible sight.  Then they heard that His name was Jesus!  

They said to their father, "Dad, it's Jesus!"  They began to cry as they remembered the day He had pulled them up onto his lap and laid His hands on their heads.  "Why are they being so mean to Jesus?" the boys asked their father.  "I don't know, boys, but we must pray for Him."  They peeked between Roman soldiers as Jesus grew closer until He finally collapsed right in front of them.  The soldiers whipped Him in an attempt to get Him back on His feet, but He just laid in  the street.  

When the soldiers realized that Jesus couldn't carry His cross any farther, they began to look around.  One of them spied Simon - the boy's father.  He stood out from the crowd because of his size and height.  That soldier roughly called to their Dad, "Pick up His cross and carry it!"  Without a second thought, Simon turned to the boys and told them to keep him in sight.  Then, he stepped into the street and picked up the heavy cross-bar.  While lifting it to his shoulders, he reached down again and helped Jesus to His feet.  Together, Simon and Jesus followed the cruel soldiers out of the city and up to 'the place of the skull'.  

Once there, Simon was relieved of his responsibility and was able to rejoin his boys.  He took them by their hands and led them away.  From a distance, they sat and watched the grisly scene develop.  Finally, Simon took the boys away and they headed toward home.  The walk was quiet as they felt the sadness of what was happening to Jesus.  They had made a trip to see Him a year ago and heard Him teach.  That was the day that Jesus had called the children to come to Him so He could bless them.  Alex and Rufus had slipped from their mother's hand and had run to Jesus.  His tenderness was a moment they would never forget.  Their parents had been moved by His teaching.  

"Why were they being so mean to Jesus?" the boys asked their father.   "I don't know, boys," their father answered.  Then he said, "Jesus is a good man and a great teacher.  He has healed many who were sick and some say that He even raised some people from the dead.  He has performed miracles that are talked about all throughout Judea."  Just as he said this, the sun was quickly hidden from them and a night-like darkness fell over all the land - even though it was mid-day.  The boys were frightened.  Then the earth began to shake and they scrambled for high ground as they made their way home.  If the boys hadn't been with their father, they would have been terrified, but they knew that he would keep them safe.  

After three hours the darkness lifted and it was daylight again.  About then, they reached home and told their mother about everything they had seen that day in Jerusalem.  It was a day they'd never forget.  It was the day their Dad carried Jesus' cross!

A STORY OF TWO DONKEYS

One day, many years ago, in Jerusalem there was a donkey and she had recently birthed a colt. 

This donkey was nothing special.  She had worked hard for her master at carrying loads and turning the style.  She had worked in the heat and had always been faithful to her owner. 

But while she was pregnant, she didn’t have to work quite so hard.  Then, her colt was born.  He looked just like his mommy.  He was now four months old and followed her everywhere she went. 

One day, when dawn broke, she thought that it was an unusually clear day.  When she got up, her colt immediately got up too. 

Soon, her owner came and took her toward the city;  of course, her colt followed right along with her.  When they came to a house, they stopped for a while. 

Eventually, two men came and talked with her owner.  After a brief conversation, these two men led her away from her owner.  She was surprised – this had never happened before.  But she relaxed when they allowed her colt to come along too.

As they came to the brow of the hill overlooking Jerusalem, there were more men and others gathered.  They all seemed very happy.  Then the two men led her to another man who had the kindest eyes she had ever known.  As she drew near to him, she felt a strange sense of being genuinely cared for. 

The two men who had brought her here threw their coats over her back and this new man climbed onto her back.  First, he had petted her colt and spoke kind words to it.  He was not heavy. 

This began the strangest journey she had ever made.  As she carried the man down the hill and toward Jerusalem, crowds of people gathered.  They laid their clothing on the road before her.  Then, they cut down branches from nearby trees and laid them before her too. 

It was noisy!  There were lots of children!  Children love parades!  Each time she checked, her colt followed closely behind her.  She felt so proud!  The people shouted things like:

Hosanna to the Son of David! 

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 

Hosanna in the highest!

Before they entered the city, they came to a prominent spot where you could view the entire city.  The man slipped off of her and walked to the edge of the cliff.  The crowd grew quiet.  She heard him speak softly.  He said,

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me!                                                              [Mt. 23:37 Good News Translation]

There were tears in his eyes!

She felt his pain.  She too loved her colt and loved having him close to her.  She nudged the colt with her nose.  He nudged her back and suckled during this brief break. 

Now the crowd was growing very large.  The noise magnified.  It was a joyful time!  She felt proud to be carrying this man.  The people obviously loved him and wanted to be close to him.  She was honored to be the one chosen to carry him.  

As they arrived at the temple, he dismounted and rubbed her head before moving away.  She watched as he was swallowed by the crowd.  Soon, her owner appeared and began leading her back to his home. 

As much as she respected her owner, there was something in her that made her just want to stay forever with this man who had ridden her into the city. 

Jesus our brother kind and good
Was humbly born in a stable of wood
And the friendly beasts around him stood
Jesus our brother kind and good

 

"I" said the donkey shaggy and brown
I carried his mother up hill and down
I carried him safely to Bethlehem town
"I" said the donkey shaggy and brown

[from "The Friendly Beasts" by Robert Davis]

REPEATING HISTORY

 [Based on Forged In Faith, by Rod Cragg]

In reviewing American history, I'm surprised to see that questions relevant in our country in 2021, were also relevant in the early 1600's.  Both Jamestown and Plymouth initially practiced a system known as 'Common-Store'.  This simply meant that all the supplies were brought into one place and were disseminated to all equally without regard for the level of investment made by individuals.  

Although this worked fairly well in the beginning, and may even have been necessary while carving out a community in a wilderness environment, both settlements found that it inculcated laziness and a sense of entitlement among the early settlements.  

Cragg reports regarding the first settlement, Jamestown:

Most were former city dwellers untrained in farming, hunting, and other survival skills.  They had managed to survive an early Indian attack, but most were soon struck down by fatal diseases.  They had built their settlement on low, swampy land...and dysentery, scurvy, and malaria killed scores of them.  So did starvation, which was encouraged by indolence and attitude.  The Old World artisans and gentry among them refused to do the hard work that was necessary for survival - clearing trees, uprooting stumps, planting, weeding, construction.  Even so, a socialistic form of government - the common store system - entitled everyone to equal rations from a common storehouse regardless of how much they worked.  Amid constant squabbling and demoralizing dissension, the colonists began starving to death.   When they had consumed all their livestock, they turned to dogs, cats, rats, and mice.  Eventually, some reportedly turned to cannibalism.  Almost two-thirds of them died.  [p.18]

 Finally, Captain Smith, a professional soldier and explorer, saved the colony by obtaining food from neighboring Indians - and by enforcing a compulsory work program based on a New Testament admonition:  "if any would not work, neither should he eat."  Discarding the common-store system, Smith insisted that settlers had to work in order to draw rations.  [p.19]

William Bradford (first governor of Plymouth) reported that some colonists liked the common-store system and believed "that taking away of property, and bringing community into a common wealth, would make them happy and flourishing."  Instead, it bred "confusion & discontent, and retarded much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort," according to Bradford.  "God in his wisdom," he concluded, "saw another course fitter for them."  

The "fitter" course was the same biblical principle that Captain John Smith had adopted at Jamestown - "if any does not work, neither should he eat."  Bradford replaced the common-store with the free enterprise system, which allowed the private ownership of land.  "This had very good success," he would later report, "for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corne (sic) was planted then other waise (sic) would have bene (sic) by any means the Government or any other could use..."  This was more than a mere shift in economic policy:  it was a faith-based decision to trust God and embrace individual initiative rather than looking to the government as provider.  [p.16]

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” as stated in former Harvard philosophy teacher, George Santayana's work, The Life of Reason: Reason in Common Sense.

PALM SUNDAY

Matthew 21 opens with the report of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem (vs.1-11).  

Many will celebrate this occasion in our churches tomorrow morning.  It is a joyous day that begins a week of tragedy and sorrow.  

In this episode we see Jesus receiving the acclaim that He deserves.  

• a donkey (and her colt) are secured.  (vs.1-3)
• Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled:  Zechariah 9:9 and Isaiah 62:11.  (vs.4-5)
• a very large crowd spread their clothing before Jesus (and his donkey and her colt).  (v.8)
• others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  (v.8)
• all the while the people shouted:  Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!  (v.9)
• When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"  (v.10)

But the tone changes quickly!  Directly on the heels of this jubilation, Jesus enters the temple area and drives out all who were buying and selling there.  We're shocked at His righteous indignation as He overturns tables and benches and screams, It is written:  'My house will be called a house of prayer', but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'  (v.13)

On the heels of this, the blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them. (v.14)  They had apparently been gathered at the temple as an expression of their hope.  Seeing Jesus there, they were not afraid, but gathered around Him and He healed them all!  Imagine, for a moment, the inexpressible joy that was generated in these moments.  The children spontaneously began singing His praises:  Hosanna to the Son of David!  (v.15)

These immediate acts of entering Jerusalem in fulfillment of prophecy, cleansing the temple, and healing the sick remarkably draws the ire of the chief priests and teachers of the law.  They scold Jesus and tell Him to shush the children.  In response, He simply quotes Psalm 8:2 for them, which surely must have aggravated them even more:  From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.  (v.16)

And with this accomplished, Holy Week has begun.  Jesus withdraws with His disciples to Bethany to rest.  

___________________________________________

It seems obvious to me that Christians (Christ-followers) should consider beginning this Holy Week in a similar fashion.

1.   Celebrate Christ as the Lord of heaven and earth;  more than that, as OUR PERSONAL LORD!  Sing His praises!  Acknowledge His Lordship.  Surrender again to Him!

2.   Cleanse our personal temple!  

The most important aspect of this would be to do a personal inventory of our spiritual lives.  Are we as fervent as we have been previously?  Have we lost our first love?  Are we effective in witnessing for Christ by singing aloud His praises?  Have we allowed Him to be crowded out by other, less critical, concerns?  Do we need to recommit?  This process will likely take some time.  Will you set time aside today or tomorrow to cleanse your temple? 

Secondarily, it may also mean that we should literally clean house of things that might entrap us or lead us astray.  This might involve us in changing habits that have come to control us.  It might mean bagging up distracting materials and placing them on the curb.  Or, it is more likely to involve us in deleting computer (or phone) files that are doing us spiritual harm.  

Some of this will be simple but indicting.  

• How many times a day do I check Facebook?  - can be compared to - How much scripture have I read today?
• How much screen-time have I had today? - can be compared to - How much time have I been before the Lord in prayer today?
• How many hours of television have I consumed today? - can be compared to - In what ways have I served the Lord today?

It is likely that all of us will emerge from this kind of testing with new resolutions.  Perhaps we can be a catalyst for renewed vision and practice in our family, church and community?  

Lord, possess me now, I pray,

Make me wholly Thine today;

Gladly do I own Thy sway,

with Thy Spirit fill me.

Lord, I yield myself to Thee, 

All I am or hope to be

Now and through eternity,

with Thy Spirit fill me.

Lord, commission me, I pray!

Souls are dying every day;

Help me lead them in Your way, 

with Thy Spirit fill me.

With Thy Spirit fill me,

'With Thy Spirit fill me;

Make me wholly Thine, I pray,

With Thy Spirit fill me.

[Oswald J. Smith, 1940]

If you're my age or older, you were probably singing this - right?

FIRST DAY ON THE TRAIL!

 Three years ago, today, I started hiking the Appalachian Trail in Georgia.  

Actually, I began the 'approach trail' that starts in Amacolola Falls and takes you up the falls and then eight miles  toward the summit of Springer Mountain.  That's where the AT actually begins.  Many people skip the approach trail, since it really doesn't count.

But, being a purist, I decided to start at the beginning.  BIG MISTAKE!

First, you sign in at the Amicalola Falls center with the rangers - so they know that you're going to be on the trail.  They give you tips and suggestions and test you a bit to make sure you know what's ahead.  That takes over half-an-hour.  I arrived from Atlanta after noon, so I was already under pressure to make it to the top before nightfall.  

When you leave the ranger's station, you pass through a stone gate where a selfie is standard operation.  Then you walk a couple of hundred yards up a slow grade to the stairs that crisscross the falls repeatedly leading to the top.  Six hundred steps!  With a backpack that you're not used to that weighs about forty-five pounds!  I must have stopped to breathe at least fifteen times!  By the time I reached the top of the falls, I was exhausted and well over an hour had passed.  😂

Then the trail begins a gradual ascent with few flat spaces, weaving you gradually to Springer Mountain.  I was overwhelmed at the constant incline!  Again, even though I'd put myself through a fairly aggressive training program, I had to stop frequently to rest and breathe!  

My pace was slow.  Several weeks later I reported to my brother that I thought about quitting probably three hundred times - THE FIRST DAY!  

As I was climbing this mountain I could sense that I was losing my daylight and was not going to reach the first shelter (near the top).  I began looking for a place to set up my tent and camp for the night.  Eventually, I spied a spot about fifty yards off the trail that looked reasonably level.  I climbed over downed trees until I reached it and cleared a small space.  I set my pack down and began to unpack.  

I unrolled my tent and began to set it up.  I decided not to use the tent pegs - figuring that I'd be fine.  I used my stove to prepare some hot water and made my supper.  During this time two groups passed me on the trail  They were younger men travelling in pairs.  We hollered greetings as they passed.

As dark descended, I sat up for a while wondering what I had gotten myself into.  I had never dreamed that it would be so hard!  It never occurred to me that I wouldn't reach the camping area that first day.  I was already behind!

When it was fully dark, I crawled into the tent and into my sleeping bag and went to sleep.  As I was going to sleep, I realized that the ground wasn't as flat as I had thought.  All night long, I had to scoot myself back up the grade before dropping back into sleep!  It was a horrible night!  

Finally, daylight came.  Although I was not well rested, I was anxious to get up and have breakfast and get started.  I heated water and made a bowl of  oatmeal with some dried fruit - nasty stuff, hard to swallow.  I was already low on water...

Then I broke down my tent which had nearly turned upside down overnight.  When I finally had everything packed, I was shocked at how late in the morning it already was!  I crawled over the downed trees again, found the trail and restarted the climb.  After going about two hundred yards, I came to a kind of summit where the trail leveled out for a bit.  There, on both sides of the trail were beautiful, flat, much-used camping spots!  Two of the young men were frying eggs on one side and two on the other side were eating pancakes and bacon.  They hollered greetings to me and I dragged past them.

Quickly, the trail continued its upward climb.  Later in the morning both sets of guys passed me on the trail.  They made it look so easy!  Several others passed me as they made their way down the trail toward the falls.  Each stopped to talk briefly.  I've learned since that lots of people just hike the approach trail, spend one night and then return to their vehicles.  That thought crossed my mind many times that second day.  By mid afternoon, I had to make my first major decision.

Should I stay at the shelter near the top of Springer, or sign-in at Springer and keep going six more miles to the trail's first shelter/camping area?  

I pressed on...

Fortunately, after peaking at Springer, the trail descended for a while.  It felt wonderful to be stepping down instead of up!  When I did hit grades, they were usually fairly short and not as steep as the approach trail.  As dusk arrived, I saw the shelter off to the right of the trail.  Heaven couldn't have looked better!

It was packed!  The temperature had dropped to forty.  There were about thirty people ahead of me!  The shelter only slept fifteen - on two levels, so it was obviously full!  A freezing rain had begun to fall.  Tents were set up everywhere.  People were cooking their meals.  Almost everyone had more modern equipment than I had brought.  Their meals looked and smelled delicious.  There were two small tables for cooking and a few places to sit.  After setting my tent up and unpacking, a small area had cleared and I began cooking my meal.  I think I made spaghetti and meat sauce - all of which I had dried in my garage in the months preceding my hike.

I used the tent pegs every night after my first terrible night.  I also was far more careful to try to find a truly flat space.  

I was finally ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL!  Let the fun begin!