Greetings from the road!  With Independence day approaching, there is much talk of freedom - but there is truly nothing that compares to the Freedom that we find in Christ. What a privilege and honor it is to live in America and enjoy liberty because of the sacrifice of many. Even so, to us, there is nothing like the privilege to partner with God to bring His freedom and the truth of His sacrifice to others. While our bodies may tire from the miles, our hearts and spirits are continually renewed from seeing people's eyes opened, lives changed and destinies set free!...

May you enjoy your holiday weekend with family and friends - celebrating the freedom that is found in our nation, as well as in our God!

Lest we forget...Let us be reminded

One of my favorite things about America is its rich history…the bravery, the courage, the trust in God, the wisdom, the risk, the values. When you read or hear about the birthing of our great nation, you cannot deny the Christian principles upon which it was founded. The evidence is all around us. America was intended to be a Nation that, while offering freedom to worship how one pleases, glorifies God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. Here are just a few of the inscriptions that are etched into the history of our nation:

The Capitol Building:

In the House chamber resides the following inscription: "In God We Trust."

In the Senate chamber are the words Annuit Coeptis, Latin for, "He has favored our undertakings." In the entrance to this chamber is the declaration, "In God We Trust." In the Rotunda, there are various paintings. One of the paintings shows the open Bible with the words, "the New Testament according to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ," and "God with us" is inscribed in the painting as well.

In the Capitol Chapel is a stain glassed window with these powerful words etched, "This Nation Under God" and "Preserve me, God, for in Thee do I put my trust." (Psalm 16:1)

The Washington Monument:

Engraved on the aluminum capstone is Laus Deo, "Praise be to God."

Lining the walls of the stairwell are blocks carved with phrases like "Holiness to the Lord,"

"Search the Scriptures," and "Train up a child in the way he should go."

The Jefferson Memorial:

A quote around the interior dome says, "I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the minds of man."

One panel reads, "God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever."

The Lincoln Memorial:

To the right of the magnificent statue of Abraham Lincoln is his second inaugural address, which mentions God 14 times and quotes the Bible twice.

On President Lincoln's left is the Gettysburg Address which states, "We here highly resolved that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom."

These inscriptions to me are like the altars of our time.

The Israelites were very familiar with altars. Altars were built as a monument to remember or commemorate a divine experience as well to symbolize communion with the Lord. They were places to call upon the name of Lord and to remember His glorious promises. As generations would grow up, the altars would still stand, as reminders of what God had done so the goodness of God could be passed down from generation to generation that not one generation would forget what He has done.

As we revisit these monuments, memorials, buildings, documents, may they stir within us a passion to remember what God has done…to remember not only the sacrifice of His Son so we may live but to remember the sacrifices of those who have given (and continue to give) so much so we could experience liberty…to remember the principals the Nation was founded on and the values upon which each stone was laid…to remember to pray for those in authority and positions of influence that they would make decisions that are congruent with the Godly heritage of our Nation…to remember because of our God, there is always hope no matter how dark it appears.

And lastly, God please help us to remember You in all things and let us not lose our declaration of You!

God bless America!