Ghosts on the Prairie

Abbott, Colorado

            Abbott, CO, is a small ranching and farming community is southern Washington County. The history map shows the first Post Office being established 1887 near where the church is located.   There is also a ranch house nearby, where the PO was located.  It is along the Deertrail wagon road and there are 3 other locations show for Abbott.  Another location for Abbott is a few miles north and showing the mail contract in 1924, 

            Today the land is pretty empty, a few homes dot the area but there are more abandoned homes lying in ruin.  Sometimes it is but a few trees marking where the homestead had been.  Small creeks run across the land and the occasional spring forms small ponds for wildlife and being attractive to the settler of the 1800’s. 

            Homesteading on the Colorado prairie during the late 1800’s was not very successful.  A quarter section of land would not provide much of a living for the farmer back then and most homesteaders failed.  The few that made it were cattlemen and the area around Abbott is mostly ranch land.  It is rolling hills of pasture and some hay fields.  So it is understandable why the 1887 post office would have survived. 

            Being along a wagon road helped the community also.  Supplies would of moved along this route, for the stores that served the community.  The land has not changed much in the past 100 plus years.  One can sit on a ridge overlooking the small valley and hear the creak of wagon wheels as they made their way along the route.  Cattle would have dotted the land, very few fences back then, the antelope would have stood on the horizon watching the traveler make its way over the short grass prairie. 

            The Abbott Church sits on a knoll overlooking a small creek.  A few trees have survived along the banks and the greener grass shows where the water runs along.  The view the other way is to rolling land falling away to the horizon.  The church is on one of those half section roads and one has to zig then zag a bit to get down the country road to get to it. 

            Riding along the dusty road, one climbs up a small hill and in the distance can be seen the church.  Very diminutive building that dominates the land with its distinctive steeple.  Here the local people gathered for celebrations, Weddings, funerals, baptisms, Sunday church and the potluck. 

            Today the little country church sits silent, a reminder of other days.  The pews are dusty, the pulpit awaits the preacher, the bell in the steeple sits at the ready. 

            Nearby is the cemetery and it is still used by a few.  It is unusual in that it is on a sloping hill going away from the church.  Down among the grasses are a variety of markers, some unmarked, with wild flowers and overgrown grasses. 

            The occasional breezes caress the land, ruffling the grasses, rearranging the dust, it is a land that has not changed much.  Yet it has, no longer are there the shuffling of feet in to the church, the laughter rolling out across the land, nor the conversations the day’s news. 

Shot in the Foot …… Christians

 

Shooting one self in the foot is pretty easy.  Best way is to be a hypocrite.  For Christians, these are pretty easy, if they don’t read the bible or understand what they are reading.  Have met so many that spew off sound bites but have no idea of the context.  Nastiest is what I heard from the librarian.  There are religious groups that go into libraries and check out books that are offensive to them, then never bring them back.  An indirect type of censorship.

 

Yet this extended borrowing of books they deem offensive, should not surprising.  Look at history.  Back in the late 1800’s the Christian Temperance league began.  And eventually they got their way with the 20th Amendment to the Constitution.  The temperance people were notorious for going into saloons and bars and demolishing the place and breaking all the bottles of booze.  All this was done in the name of God, they used him to justify their actions.

They had set themselves up as judge, jury and executioner.  No longer did they trust God to deal with sin.  The temperance people wanted to be gods and mete out punishment.  The height of arrogant Christian hypocrisy.  Using religion, the temperance people forced the rest of the country to follow their beliefs, with an assist from government intervention. 

So when I look at that, I can understand why Christianity is under attack. 

Look at todays issues in the church,look at what some preachers say.  Some of the nastiest hate I’ve heard comes out of the mouths of some of these mega church televangelists.  The very thing they preach against, they do. 

Hardest for some is……. Love the sinner ……. The very thing Christ said ……. “The greatest commandment is, Love Your neighbor.”  Preaching hate in not loving your neighbor, that includes the gay people.  No matter what the secular law of the world says.  Homosexuality is still a sin in the laws of God, in the world of the Holy Spirit.   No matter how hard man tries, the laws of God will not change. 

So when hear about persecution of the church, I did some soul searching.  So many of today’s Christians are not citizens of the Body of Christ.  It is a tough pill to swallow, but God uses things like this to discipline His Children. 

A prayer, that God’s light be sought out for guidance in life’s tribulations. 

Glenn, Colorado

This little farming community is along the county lines of Lincoln and Washington Counties.  There is not much left of it today.  There are a few vacant homesteads in the area and short distance away is the church and cemetery.  The barn that had housed the store and Post Office is an empty lot. 

It is mostly farm country mixed with some ranching.  It is pretty empty country.  The homes are some distance apart and very few of the old homesteads remain.  If it was nice flat farm land, the buildings became a liability and down they came.  Where there had been homes on most road corners are now occupied by road markers.  Long gone are the days of community socials, card parties, quilting bees and the weekend dance. 

There are occasional reminders of what used to be.

In silent testimony a few buildings stand, harking back to other times on the prairie.  Today, many of the country folks are like the city folks, in a hurry to go someplace.  The dust whirlwind marks where the pick up is rushing across the land going somewhere.  Otherwise is is silence, occasionally the wind whispers and the grasses wave at the stroke of the breezes. 

The church sits a distance away.  Here the early settlers met and gave thanks for being on their land.  Once a year, services are still held here.  A pastor from a nearby town journeys out into the country to help many remember their roots and their families that are in the cemetery.  It is not left to neglect, somebody gives it some good TLC at times. 

Here one can visit with the people that traveled miles across the wilderness to their own little corner of heaven  Many had gotten off the boat and made the trip cross country seeking out a new life.  So many did not make it through the dirty 30’s and walked away from their dream.  A few lasted and kept their land.  Their children went to the big city and no one to take over the operation and more farms were consolidated into one farm.  The population continues to decline today. 

The building is nicely maintained, the pews await the next meeting.  Into the future in silence goes the little community now with more ghosts then critters. 

Here one can walk and listen to the voices of the past.  Look out over the land that held so many hope.  Look at a dream that was shattered by nature. 

Easter and the Lawyers

 

As one reads a Gospel in the Bible, one is reading a history of Jesus Christ.  From his birth to his  death.  Some parts are very detailed, others are sketchy.  Throughout there is one thorn that follows the Messiah on his brief journey and that is the Lawyers.  The Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes among others challenged Christ during his ministry.

During the journey to the cross, more and more people followed Jesus.  With the growing crowds the Jewish leaders, lawyers became fearful.  Fearful of losing their control as leaders of the Jewish people.  Numerous times throughout the Gospel there are mention of plots to Kill the Messiah.  None came to fruitation for it was not time yet. 

Jewish Law is based on the books of Moses, Mosaic law.  Like the laws of today, there were numerous laws the Jewish Lawyers wrote down to control the people.  It is these laws that were used to try and trick Jesus so they would have justification to kill him.

If it had not been for the Jewish Lawyers Legalism, the ministry of Christ would have been fairly uneventful.  Yet the follies of this legalism is what the Grace of Christ is about.  Yet the lawyers did not understand that their laws were not working and that life did not need volumes of laws to live by. 

Look at how Christ confronts the lawyers as He goes into the temple at Jerusalem.  It is not the Jews that Killed Christ, but by trickery the Jews got the Romans to execute Christ.  The laws of the Jews failed them.

Look at the legalism of the churches today and our country, are they failing us?

 

He is risen, Indeed He is risen.  Happy Easter.