Happy Fourth!

On this 150th anniversary of Gettysburg, this incredible hymn that was written during the Civil War seems even more appropriate for this 4th of July, especially this verse:

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.

He IS marching on, even when we may not see Him. May our souls be swift to answer Him!



For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Blessings to you on this Fourth of July!


Fr

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O Say Can You See the Hodgepodge?

1. What's one simple small pleasure on your summer 'to-do' list?

My birthday.

2. Do you have strong feelings or opinions regarding the immigration debate in your home country? Feel free to share your thoughts, but please play nice.

I live in Texas. I have strong feelings about almost everything!

3. What's something in your home or wardrobe that could be described as 'star spangled'?

That would be our flag. Other than that, there's nada. I'm not big on patriotic clothes. I have one pair of star earrings and that's it.

4. Is your house set up for a party?

Do you mean, are we ready to have one now? No. Do you mean is the layout conducive for a party? Yes, we've got lots of public space and it flows well.

5. What one never-before-visited city in America, would you most like to see?

Well, I was there once for less than 24 hours for a conference, but it was airport-hotel-airport so it doesn't count, so I'm going to say New York City. I'd love to go to a show on Broadway and do the whole shopping thing. With an unlimited budget, of course!

6. Your favorite red food? White food? Blue food?

Red - strawberries
White - whipped cream
Blue - I pretty much throw out any food that turns blue.

(I don't know what it is, but when I sit down to answer these questions, I feel like Jill Boyd's looking over my shoulder and I get snarky!)

7. What freedom do you value the most, and why?

The freedom we have in Christ! If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed! (John 8:36)



I'll sing it out with every breath, I'll let the whole world hear it
This hallelujah anthem of the free
That iron bars and heavy chains can never hold us captive
The Son has made us free and free indeed!

Let freedom ring down through the ages from a hill called Calvary
Let freedom ring wherever hearts know pain
Let freedom echo through the lonely streets where prisons have no key
You can be free and you can sing, let freedom ring!
8. Insert your own random thought here.

June always seems like such a leisurely month but once July hits, it seems like summer picks up speed and zips by.

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True Freedom

It is for freedom that
Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and
do not let yourselves be
burdened again by
a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1

This song chokes me up every time I hear it, and this is absolutely my favorite version. It has such an incredible truth, and I just love seeing it sung in The White House. I love how the man (I can't tell who he is) seated two seats to (former) President Bush's left leans forward in enjoyment and then as it ends and the camera pans from the back, you can see him look at his wife and/or the President and nod in approval and agreement. Of course, what's not to love about President Bush's response and the fact that this event even occurred?!

While it's easy to get discouraged with some of the things we see happening in our nation today, and as decisions and statements are made by politicians and elected leaders that are not in line with God's Word, how refreshing it is to be reminded that our hope and true freedom do not lie in the USA, but in Christ. Let Freedom Ring!

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Freedom!

I love the 4th of July. I inherited my love of all things patriotic from my dad, who always hung the flag and played our record full of wonderful old patriotic songs every year on Independence Day. And also from my maternal grandfather, who was an attorney in a small town and had a flagpole in his yard. What a privilege as a grandchild to be old enough to be entrusted with hanging the flag in the morning or bringing it in and folding it in the evening, always in the traditional triangular fold.

But as much as my heart quickens when I hear The Stars and Stripes Forever or the Armed Forces Medley, and as thankful as I am to live in the USA, and as much as I appreciate and honor the sacrifices made by those who have given their lives in service to our country as well as those who still serve today, my hope is not in the freedoms delineated in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

For there is a freedom that far exceeds that which any government can bestow. In fact, there are folks who live in countries ruled by brutal dictators who know this freedom and are actually freer than those here in the USA who refuse to accept this freedom. I speak, of course, of the freedom found in Christ.

As we celebrate today, may we not forget the Source of true freedom.

If the Son shall make you free,
you shall be free indeed.
John 8:36

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves
be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1

This has absolutely become one of my favorite songs for any patriotic holiday.

Let freedom ring down through the ages
from a hill called Calvary
Let freedom ring wherever hearts know pain
Let freedom echo through the lonely streets
where prisons have no key
You can be free and you can sing
Let freedom ring

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

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In Remembrance

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE
by Kelly Strong

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

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TSMSS - Reminders From Our Founding Fathers

A tribute to our Founding Fathers and the personal price they paid to birth this nation:

All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth-that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the Ground without his Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his Aid?
Benjamin Franklin
To Colleagues at the Constitutional Convention
* * * * *
“Guard with jealous attention the public liberty.
Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel.
Patrick Henry - June, 1788

This Arrangement Gives Me Chills!

It is when people forget God
that tyrants forge their chains.
Patrick Henry, March, 1775
* * * * *
How many observe Christ's birth-day!
How few, his precepts!
O! 'tis easier to keep Holidays than Commandments.
Benjamin Franklin
Poor Richard's Almanack, 1743

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD
Psalm 33:12

Have a great 4th of July! Stop by Amy's for more songs to bless your weekend!

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Remembering. . . .

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae, 1915

. , , It is rather for us, the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that, from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here, gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that the nation, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people by the people for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

From Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Remembering on Memorial Day all those who have paid the ultimate price while protecting and defending our nation. May God bless and comfort their families. And may we all be faithful to guard the freedoms wrought and sustained by their sacrifice.

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Happy 4th of July!

Two of my favorite songs for this Fourth of July. We celebrate the many freedoms we have in this country, but even more than that, we cherish the freedom found in Christ.

LET FREEDOM RING THROUGH THE AGES FROM A HILL CALLED CALVARY!

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL. . . GOD SHED HIS GRACE ON THEE!

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Memorial Day

A brief but moving tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. May we never forget them, nor take for granted the freedoms they fought so dauntlessly for.

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