Brothers should act like brothers no matter where they are,I have made many mistakes through the years some because I had a zeal, but not the knowledge, iron sharpeneth iron, you have caused me to state things in a more understandable way, and to define them , using Biblical terms and yes our young people are looking up with questioning eyes, we have already lost a generation, if we lose another ,then there is death in the pot .You most likely understand the otherside's positions better than most of your brothers in the Sardis, there are leaders in the Union, that also have taken much time to look at the divisions and these men are very gracious,and will surrender a point here and there, they are not the obstacles, in reuniting Old Regulars, there are obstacles, but most are really not doctrine as much as practice although neither side will tolerate extremes in doctrine and we [ old regulars] do have brothers who have went to the extreme on both sides, Arminians vs Supralapsarian's, in practice my home association would be much like the New Salem a little harder on excessive jewelry, more open as far as preaching with Uniteds and Primitives, we would not tolerate two people that are divorced from each other and married to others to belong in the same church like I have seen in NNS, I think that this failed, and that condition is no more in that church, but not by church censure, they themselves left.But there is short hair, in some of the correspondence and Sisters wearing pants in public, some on this side have ministers that we consider doublemarried, but Thorton Union has put a stop on that practice, and others have past orders like the Mountain Association against the practice, we as an association have no right on this side to interfere with the sister associations practices as they all hold their own key, they do not cause us any problems likewise, for our practices, there are a lot of good oldtime brothers and sisters, who keep the oldtime way if not in their own church at least in their own homes,I have heard alot more scriptures preached, and texts taken than when I was with your side, but they also see that the condition that most of our churches in, are not favorable, few churches have many young people attending, I have attended associations where I was the youngest preacher present in age and I am 43, I sometimes donot know what to do except pray and fast, and cry to the Lord,the doctrine preached is not usually fatalistic, some can not seem to forget the divisons, and keep it stired to the point, that it drives many away, we do not better ourselves by getting in the stand and calling the Union all freewills and on the otherhand there is no edification in the otherside calling us all hardshells, neither statement is true, but it is easy to get caught up in the debate, and then the only winner is the devil because he has caused precious time, that could have been used feeding the lambs, to be used for ill purposes,I think some doctrines need to be rebuked, but what profit is it , if the ones guilty are not there to hear it, and the ones you are preaching to, are of the same flavor as you. Bro.Mike
