Illustration: New Life

Robert Shannon noticed that, oddly enough, the oldest river in America is called the New River. People who study such things say it is the second oldest river in the world. Only the Nile is older! Running through North Carolina and Virginia, it is called the New River because it was not discovered by Europeans until quite late. It was newly discovered! One reason may be that unlike all other rivers in America, it runs north instead of south. So the old is new and the new is old.

When a person newly discovers Christianity, we see this paradox. What is old to history and perhaps old to most church members is new to him or her. We see the excitement and are blessed by it. We realize we must never take our faith lightly, that it must be for us new every day.