Greetings from Tyler,

Watching so much of the world writhe in the agony of wars and destitution can only make those of us in the western world thank God for a good meal, a secure night’s sleep and an environment of relative peace. We certainly shouldn’t take our blessings for granted, because threats against our way of life are mounting from numerous directions.

It is becoming painfully obvious that those sworn to uphold our values and secure our sovereign borders have other priorities, and they don’t include the welfare of patriotic Americans. Sometimes we despair of hearing about some of the same troubles, wars, attacks on innocent civilians, economic crises and corruption in high places. But there seems to be no progress on any of these fronts. Our legislators here in the U.S. have just gone off for their long summer vacation, leaving fires to rage at home and abroad. On second thought, maybe it’s just as well.

But the point is nevertheless valid. Help is not on the way, at least not here and not now. We will continue to witness heart-rending images of the helpless, in a never-ending attempt to muddle any clear thoughts we may have had. Isn’t it amazing how quickly right gets turned to wrong, wrong to right. It is undeniable that evil forces are at work all over this world, and many if not most are happily deceived about just about everything. Trying to ferret out the truth of any situation from all the conflicting points of view available has just about become a full time job. But we must not despair of our predicament, or the task we have at hand.

Thankfully, we have the anchor of God’s basic Laws, His intent for us, and the promise of eventual salvation if we can remain true and keep our wits about us as we watch this world and our beloved country sink ever deeper into a state of utter insanity. Now it is time for us to delight in God’s Sabbath, give thanks for more than most will ever have, and brace for another week of frustrating developments.

Thank you all for your friendship and fortitude as we, together, try to fulfill the commission we’ve been given.

Mark Armstrong