On this Veteran’s Day I want to say thank you to all those who have given their lives in the cause of freedom in this great nation. From the beginning of our birth in 1776 to the current wars raging in the world today, men and women are to be respected and appreciated for their devotion and service.
Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, in Louisville, Kentucky is a national cemetery where former President of the United States Zachary Taylor and his first lady Margaret Taylor are buried. Zachary Taylor National Cemetery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 3, 1983. Presently, the cemetery has 13,486 interments. It is one of seven national cemeteries in the commonwealth of Kentucky, and one of 112 in the entire United States of America. Those buried at the national cemetery served in six wars: Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. Please click Read More to see photographs.
Election Day night, I had settled in for the long-haul with dear friends over pizza, hot wings, and cookies. However, it was evident the night would not last long and victory for the Democratic party was inevitable. In less than a second after the polls closed in California Sen. Barack Obama became President-Elect Obama.
Despite politics it was a nostalgic night as the first African-American President of the United States of America was elected by a country engaged in Civil War less than 150 years ago. It was a historic night not only for the African-American community but for the whole United States as we viewed history in the making. Through a long line of black Americans who fought for freedom, gave their lives for democracy and equality President-Elect Obama stands tall as the result of that fight.
These results present a unique challenge for the church within the United States. Even though I have vehemently disagreed and continue to disagree with Obama’s stand on issues of life and death, traditional Read the rest of this entry »
It is always somewhat fascinating to me to watch two individuals argue and debate in their desire to obtain the highest office in our land. Last night was the third and final time Americans were able to see senators John McCain and Barack Obama battle with words for the office of president. Positions were presented, arguments made, debate and response given, and democracy stands tall. Did the debate last night change your mind as to who you will vote for November 4th? Probably not. Most Americans have a pretty good idea as to who they will support and vote for in this election year – and most are not afraid to share their views. I am a proud supporter of the utmost of conservative politics and desire to demonstrate that support with each vote I cast. However, no matter who seems to be ahead, or who will win, I am still proud to be an American.
America is more than one man, more than a president or senate or government. America was nothing more and nothing less than an experiment that was blessed. Will my patriotism be diminished if the first African- Read the rest of this entry »
As a result of a most skillfully conducted retreat and German errors, the bulk of the British Forces reached the Dunkirk bridgehead. The peril facing the British nation was now suddenly and universally perceived. On May 26, “Operation Dynamo “–the evacuation from Dunkirk began. The seas remained absolutely calm. The Royal Air Force–bitterly maligned at the time by the Army–fought vehemently to deny the enemy the total air supremacy which would have wrecked the operation. At the outset, it was hoped that 45,000 men might be evacuated; in the event, over 338,000 Allied troops reached England, including 26,000 French soldiers. On June 4 1940, Churchill reported to the House of Commons, seeking to check the mood of national euphoria and relief at the unexpected deliverance, and to make a clear appeal to the United States. What Churchill said was simply amazing:
Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous states have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.
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Click here to read the entirity of the speech, “We Shall Fight on the Beaches”
“Objects of the most stupendous magnitude, measures in which the lives and liberties of millions, born and unborn are most essentially interested, are now before us. We are in the very midst of revolution, the most complete, unexpected, and remarkable of any in the history of the world.”
To Richard Stockton, one of the new delegates from New Jersey, Adams was “the Atlas” of the hour, “the man to whom the country is most indebted for the great measure of independency….He it was who sustained the debate, and by the force of his reasoning demonstrated not only the justice, but the expediency of the measure.”
Even though contributions were made by others, such as Adams and Franklin, the words of the Declaration of Independence were Thomas Jefferson’s. It was Jefferson who had written them for all time:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
The following video is from the HBO series, ‘John Adams’. Watch this video with great appreciation for what God, in his providence, accomplished for this country in 1776. Happy 4th! I join together with you as we all celebrate our freedom and independence.
"It is a mercy that our lives are not left for us to plain, but that our Father chooses for us; else might we sometimes turn away from our blest blessings, and put from us the choicest and loveliest gifts of his providence." - Susannah Spurgeon
My name is Dustin Benge. I am the pastor-teacher of First Baptist Church of Jackson, Kentucky, a reader, writer, blogger, Master's student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and above all, lover of the Lord Jesus Christ. To find out more please visit the About page.
