Believe it or not, there are still some Americans who love their country.
Tag Archives: freedom
The Pulpit and Freedom: A History of the Black Robe Regiment
Some question the uniqueness of the American “experiment,” but they do so out of ignorance. Should the average American ever learn the real story of the founding of his nation, his sparkling celebrations might lay aside the fireworks and pay tribute to the thunder that once rang from our pulpits.
Christianity is not an American religion. More than that, there should never be anything like an “American Christianity,” for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the freedom He brings to those who trust in Him are not limited by borders or bound by human law: the Gospel is the same good news to every man, woman, and child, regardless their nationality.
But is was in the days leading up to the American Revolution that the tenets of Christianity and its practical implications for the average citizen were preached by men with iron spines. These were the men of the “black robe regiment,” the clergy who not only talked the talk, but walked the walk on the road to liberty.
Unfortunately, there are those today who are completely oblivious to the effect the pulpit had on our founding, and many want nothing of our founding ever spoken from our pulpits again. However, to be silent in the face of rampant decay and attacks on the very fundamental doctrines of the Faith, especially by those who would like nothing better than to extinguish the flame of liberty, would not only be a dishonor to those men who faithfully preached truth and willingly offered their lives on literal battlefields in the cause of freedom, but it would be an utter failure in the charge to be good stewards of what was bought for us with blood.
“If Christian ministers had not preached and prayed, there might have been no revolution as yet – or had it broken out, it might have been crushed.” – Bibliotheca Sacra [BRITISH PERIODICAL], 1856
Click HERE ,or on the above picture, to read a little history of what the British called the “black robe regiment.”
They Decry What Preserves
“Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime & pure, [and] which denounces against the wicked eternal misery, and [which] insured to the good eternal happiness, are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments.”
– Charles Carroll of Carrollton (Signer of the Declaration of Independence)
(Source: Bernard C. Steiner, The Life and
Correspondence of James McHenry (Cleveland: The Burrows Brothers, 1907),
p. 475. In a letter from Charles Carroll to James McHenry of November 4, 1800.)
Filed under America
June 6th… Would We Do It Again?
Seventy-three years have passed since the pride of the Allies, 156,000 strong, stepped out of landing craft and jumped out of airplanes into the mouth of a monster ready to eat them alive.
Seventy-three years have passed since young men from America, England, and Canada (and we must not forget Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland) landed on beaches called Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.
Seventy-three years ago, long before the fancy rock-climbing walls which are so popular in today’s health clubs and gyms, the 2nd Ranger battalion “led the way” up the 100 ft. cliffs of Pointe du Hoc.
Seventy-three years ago, on the 6th of June, 2,499 American and 1,914 from the other Allied nations, a total of 4,413, gave their lives for the sake of freedom.
Seventy-three years ago men were stepping on the backs of their comrades as they sloshed through red water, breathed in the mist of war, and wondered if they would live to see the ground only yards (meters) in front of them.
On June 6, 1944, seventy-three years ago, it was said of those who landed:
“They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate.” — President Franklin D. Roosevelt, radio broadcast, June 6, 1944
It is the 6th of June, 2017, but are we still a people with the stomach to liberate? If we were the ones living seventy-three years ago, where would we be today?
Ask those in pajamas talking on free smart phones. Ask the protesters who don’t even know why they protest. Ask those who are burning the American flag because “America was never great.”
It cost a lot to buy seventy-three years of freedom. Would we do it again?
If not, God help us.
Oppressed?
Please forgive me, Mr. Kaepernick, but I find it hard to understand how a group of people who are allowed to openly protest, disrupt with near impunity, obtain special status in nearly every institution, have the freedom to speak whenever and wherever, and are allowed to openly dinigrate other groups as a whole can rightfully claim to be oppressed by their government and/or police forces who protect their said rights.
I guess spending some time in Africa gave me a different perspective.
Filed under America, Countries, current events, General Observations
“I Just Wanna Be a Sheep”
The following post was written by a fellow blogger from New Zealand, Johanna. Unfortunately, Johanna was not in a place where she could access my blog to add her post, so she emailed me the text. Johanna blogs at Isaiah 41v10. Be sure to pay her a visit…she may have some more shepherding advice on hand 😉
‘I just wanna be a sheep’
I come from a country that is famous for its sheep. New Zealand used to have more than 70 million sheep. Now the number is about 29 million, according to teara.govt.nz. August is the best time of year to see the sheep, as it is late winter, when the ewes are lambing. It is delightful to watch the lambs gambolling in the fields playfully, so different from their sedate mothers.
Thinking about sheep gets me pondering all the Biblical references to sheep. The way we farm sheep here in NZ is quite different from 1st Century Palestine or how David cared for his father’s sheep before he became king of Ancient Israel. These differences can teach us something about our relationship with God.
Shepherds in the Bible
It’s clear from reading the Bible texts that the good shepherds in those days (like David) had a small number of valued sheep, each one of which was known by the shepherd, and who knew the shepherd and followed him.
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. “ (Luke 15:4-6 ESV)
Jesus also talks about the shepherd’s relationship to his sheep in John 10:3-4, where he says, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. “
Contrast this with modern farming, where a farmer will often have hundreds, if not thousands of sheep. They live in fields fenced by barbed wire. They are seen as stupid animals, that the shepherd herds by using dogs to make them obey his will. You do not see a shepherd leading his sheep, instead driving them in front of him. They have an eartag with a number to identify them to the sheep farmer.
To me this speaks of two different ways of relating to God.
What kind of sheep are you?
One kind is motivated by fear, and kept safe by barbed wire. These fences are like the extra rules that we make for ourselves or that others make for us, to keep us safe and away from sin. But they also keep us from following the Shepherd to green pastures. Instead we are boxed in where the grass has been overgrazed, living on stale hay.
Some sheep break out, thinking that the grass looks greener elsewhere, and end up on a busy road or in a ditch. This is like those who break away from legalism to do their own thing, or those who fear the Shepherd and his voice, and shipwreck their lives as a result. Both are far from the Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd’s sheep are motivated by love for their Shepherd. They trust him to keep them safe and fed, and they follow him wherever he leads. He leads them to green pastures and restores their souls. He protects them in the darkest valleys and lays down his life for them. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth.”
Jesus is not a factory farmer. He wants us to know his voice and follow him out of love. He doesn’t want us to be penned in by traditions or extra rules, but instead to walk with him to green pastures and fresh water.
Will you follow him?
That’s Anthony on the far left. He always has to get his nose in the picture.
Filed under animals, Bible Study, Christian Living
The REST of the Story
Happy Independence Day, Everyone!
Today I want to share a video recorded a long time ago, long before iPhones and iMovie. It is a video of the radio personality most of America came to love and trust, Paul Harvey.
In this video Mr. Harvey eloquently – seriously, you just have to love how he speaks – describes “the rest of the story” behind the phrase, “Our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”
THIS is the kind of stuff that made America what it was, what it is ceasing to be, but what it could be again.
A Few Quotes
“For my own part, I sincerely esteem it [the Constitution] a system which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests.” – Alexander Hamilton (1787 after the Constitutional Convention)
“The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” – George Washington, 1789
“We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come.” – Samuel Adams, 1776 (at the signing of the Declaration of Independence)
“We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!” – John Adams and John Hancock (April 18, 1775)
“I do not believe that the Constitution was the offspring of inspiration, but I am as satisfied that it is as much the work of a Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament.” – Benjamin Rush
And this last one is key…
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here.” – Patrick Henry
God Bless America!
June 6th… Would We Do It Again?
Seventy-two years have passed since the pride of the Allies, 156,000 strong, stepped out of landing craft and jumped out of airplanes into the mouth of a monster ready to eat them alive.
Seventy-two years have passed since young men from America, England, and Canada (and we must not forget Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland) landed on beaches called Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.
Seventy-two years ago, long before the fancy rock-climbing walls which are so popular in today’s health clubs and gyms, the 2nd Ranger battalion “led the way” up the 100 ft. cliffs of Pointe du Hoc.
Seventy-two years ago, on the 6th of June, 2,499 American and 1,914 from the other Allied nations, a total of 4,413, gave their lives for the sake of freedom.
Seventy-two years ago men were stepping on the backs of their comrades as they sloshed through red water, breathed in the mist of war, and wondered if they would live to see the ground only yards (meters) in front of them.
On June 6, 1944, seventy-two years ago, it was said of those who landed:
“They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate.” — President Franklin D. Roosevelt, radio broadcast, June 6, 1944
It is June 6, but are we a people with the stomach to liberate? If we were the ones living seventy-two years ago, where would we be today?
Ask those in pajamas talking on free smart phones. Ask the protesters who don’t even know why they protest. Ask those who are burning the American flag because “America was never great.”
It cost a lot to buy seventy-two years of freedom. Would we do it again?
Freedom Isn’t Free
“It Wasn’t Free”
Whatever I want to say, I can say it.
Wherever I want to go, I can go.
However I want to worship, I can worship.
Whatever I want to write, I can write it.
These are my freedoms, my rights;
The most basic of human liberty.
But the freedom I have wasn’t free.
Depressing Speech
Another Computer
Last night my wife broke one of her big toes (ouch!). Aside from turning me into the sandwich-making, cool-aide making, laundry-carrying, dog-walking, and anything-that’s-downstairs-that-needs-to-be gotten-and-brought-back-upstairs getter, I am now the official chauffeur for my daughter, Haley.
It’s been a while since I’ve had to spend all day driving my little girl to different classes and co-ops (we homeschool, but we don’t lock our children in closets). At this moment I happen to be sitting in the waiting/free-coffee area of one of the stops. So, after doing some reading, after attempting to do some additional writing for my next book, I decided to write a post for this blog based on pictures in the hard drive of this old computer.
You see, I have used this computer many times in the past, but more recently my writing has been done at home on my desktop. From that computer I pull photos for posts after I download them from my phone. This computer, however, has nothing recent, only photos I’ve used in posts over 2 years ago, if not longer. Yet, after glancing over the files, I found a good one – one that could make a good post.
Tongue Depressors
The picture to your right was taken by me a several years ago while sitting in a doctor’s office. I edited the photo with an app on my iPhone and then published to i4Daily (an old photo blog of mine). For some reason, maybe because being sick was depressing, I found the idea of depressing tongues a little humorous.
But sitting here, thinking about all that is going on in the world, especially with all of the attempts to silence free speech, especially the Christian type, I refuse to have my tongue “depressed.”
I hate it when a nurse or doctor inserts one of those nasty-tasting wooden sticks in mouth! They do it to hold my tongue out of the way, just enough to glance at my throat before I gag. But there are a lot of non-medical professionals out there who want to immobilize the tongues of any who would speak their mind, and the tools they use aren’t always wooden sticks. As a matter of fact, all they have to do is convince us that things are hopeless, that there’s no use in speaking out or speaking up, and the result is “depressed” tongues.
Don’t let anything depress your voice. If you feel you have something to say, say it. I don’t expect every one to agree with what I have to say, nor do I expect them to listen. However, I have to open my mouth and let my tongue fly to find out. In this case, my fingers are my tongue and I am talking as fast as I can type.
I am not mad…but speak forth the words of truth and soberness (Acts 26:25).
The Recovering Legalist 