Tommy Mann

Photo from our last Sunday on staff at Philippi   I walked home from church today, as I’ve done countless times over the years, but this time was different. I knew this was my final walk home. Each week I walk down the hill from Philippi to my house, two places that I view as a gift from God. I received both gifts on the same day—my 23 rd birthday—January 22 nd , 2008. Many think the house is a parsonage, but it was just a house that happened to be in foreclosure when we were hired at the church. We were voted in on a Sunday night, and agreed to buy the house the next morning before heading to the airport. The next time we would be in Union it would be to call it home. 2007 was a tough year for us. Alicia left her family in Texas, the place I called home for the previous four years. We suffered through a pair of miscarriages, and I had to come to grips with not being given the chance at what I considered to be my dream job. 2008 brought not only a new year, but a ne...

Forgive me if this is a bit dramatic, but visiting Ground Zero and the Statue of Liberty got me thinking… Last week Alicia and I had the privilege of spending a few days in New York. On our trip we stopped in Brooklyn, and being the history nerd that I am, I was awestruck by this quote from George Washington. The British army had amassed 10,000 Red Coats to storm New York. Understanding that losing New York was tantamount to losing the country, General Washington knew his men needed to make a stand in the Battle of Brooklyn. His words now live on, forever etched in the sidewalk and in the hearts of modern patriots. He said: “The fate of unborn millions will now depend on the courage and conduct of this army. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.” Reading those words and trying to picture Washington’s army looking at the enemy soldiers coming in the Hudson River, I felt an appreciation for the “courage and conduct” of those men—men whom I will never know....