The Summer Soldier

Thomas Paine

On December 23, 1776, Thomas Paine wrote: “These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”  It was a plea to that 30% of the population who had not committed to the loyalists, nor joined their patriot brothers in the cause of the Revolution.  1/3 of our countrymen, at that time, were straddling the fence in a waiting game to see which side would come out on top.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at Doreen’s “Treehouse” yesterday and she pointed out that, once again, we are in “times that try men’s souls.”  Our country, which was founded on Christian principles is under attack and this is not the time to be a “summer soldier…[or] sunshine patriot.”  Those Christian principles are built into our Constitution and are what made the United States the greatest country on earth for over 230 years.  It is, largely, because we have strayed away from those principles that we are now in danger of becoming a “third world” nation controlled by a despotic regime.

All Americans need to stand up and be counted.  We all need to loudly profess our belief in the Christian values of our fathers and forefathers and be proud of our heritage.  It is not a crime to be American or Christian!  As Doreen put it, all it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to stand idly by and do nothing.

Check out the "Treehouse":  (http://www.wellsbiblestudy.com/Treehouse)