Tag Archives: Independence Day

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OUR COUNTRY NEEDS GOD’S HELP!

Independence Day 2020


Our country desperately needs a lot of prayer. In these deeply troubling days, we need help from God Almighty; we sorely need His wisdom. I join many other Christians who continue to ask Him for His help.  Meanwhile, today more than ever before, there are those in our country who are hell bent on completely overthrowing this country and what it truly stands for.

At the end of this short article you will find some quotes from our Founding Fathers. While haters of America seek to find any of their shortcomings, and thus denounce them all as bad, evil people, read their own words concerning their faith.

None of us is without faults. And who among us, at the end of our lives, or in future days, would like for people to note our faults or shortcomings, having only those to define us?

This weekend our country celebrates our freedom. Independence was formally declared on July 2, 1776, On July 4, 1776, Congress approved the final text of the Declaration.

It is a time for celebration! John Adams wrote, “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty; it ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

What followed was a brutal 8 ½ year war with England. After the Revolutionary War ended, in 1783, before the official Constitution was finally ratified in 1791, The Bill of Rights, was added – the first ten amendments. This was adopted to place specific limits on government power. It was seen as necessary to safeguard individual liberty.

In later years, John Adams would write, “Posterity! you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it.”

The United States is not and has not been a “perfect country.” We can, and we are still improving, in order to “form a perfect union.” But it is still the greatest nation on earth.

In an article by Norman Podhoretz, called, Is America Exceptional? he writes, “…more freedom and more prosperity to be enjoyed by more of its citizens than in any other society in human history. It follows that what liberals—who concentrate their attention on the relatively little that is wrong with America instead of the enormous good embodied within it—seek to change or discard is precisely what conservatives are dedicated to preserving, reinvigorating, and defending.”

He went on to talk about who could ever estimate the value to the world from this country over the last 100 years. Truly, where would the world be without the help and aid from the USA? The United States has spilled blood and treasure to liberate and protect many millions of people: World War I, World War II, Korea, then the cold war against communism, and since 9/11 we have spilled yet more blood and treasure fighting against radical Islamic terrorism. And economic aid continues to this day in the billions of dollars.

And who could ever measure the impact of the Gospel reaching out to other countries all over the world as a result of our freedoms in the USA?

I take great comfort knowing and believing the exceptional freedoms God gives to every born again believer, because of the completed work of Jesus Christ, far outweighs any freedoms granted by governments or institutions.  No government can ever undo or take away those freedoms. If this country as we know it fails, we must never lose sight that the freedom resulting from Christ’s completed work, is so much bigger than the freedom we have as US citizens. I will preach that message this Sunday.

Meanwhile, I am proud to be an American, and will celebrate it this weekend. And, again, I join many, many others praying for God’s help in these deeply troubled days. With God’s help, we can get through all the problems facing our nation.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land.
II Chronicles 7:14

Mike Verdicchio  July 2, 1010

Take a few moments to read some quotes you may not have heard…

While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.  George Washington

God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever..  Thomas Jefferson

Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God … What a Eutopia, what a Paradise would this region be.  John Adams

Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual. … Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us.  John Hancock

Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That He ought to be worshiped.  Benjamin Franklin

And as it is our duty to extend our wishes to the happiness of the great family of man, I conceive that we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world that the rod of tyrants may be broken to pieces, and the oppressed made free again; that wars may cease in all the earth, and that the confusions that are and have been among nations may be overruled by promoting and speedily bringing on that holy and happy period when the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and all people everywhere willingly bow to the sceptre of Him who is Prince of Peace.  Samuel Adams

The hope of a Christian is inseparable from his faith. Whoever believes in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth. Never since the foundation of the world have the prospects of mankind been more encouraging to that hope than they appear to be at the present time. And may the associated distribution of the Bible proceed and prosper till the Lord shall have made ‘bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God’ (Isaiah 52:10).  John Quincy Adams

I do declare to the whole world that we believe the Scriptures to contain a declaration of the mind and will of God in and to those ages in which they were written; being given forth by the Holy Ghost moving in the hearts of holy men of God; that they ought also to be read, believed, and fulfilled in our day; being used for reproof and instruction, that the man of God may be perfect. They are a declaration and testimony of heavenly things themselves, and, as such, we carry a high respect for them. We accept them as the words of God Himself.  William Penn

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 this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.
The Bible … is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed.  Patrick Henry

By conveying the Bible to people thus circumstanced, we certainly do them a most interesting kindness. We thereby enable them to learn that man was originally created and placed in a state of happiness, but, becoming disobedient, was subjected to the degradation and evils which he and his posterity have since experienced.
The Bible will also inform them that our gracious Creator has provided for us a Redeemer, in whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; that this Redeemer has made atonement ‘for the sins of the whole world,’ and thereby reconciling the Divine justice with the Divine mercy has opened a way for our redemption and salvation; and that these inestimable benefits are of the free gift and grace of God, not of our deserving, nor in our power to deserve. John Jay

Previous Independence Day Posts:

Independence Day 1019

Independence Day 2018

Remembering Our Independence 

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INDEPENDENCE DAY 2019

Some History


Here in the United States, we once again remember and celebrate our Independence Day. Below is some interesting history of how our country’s Constitution came about. Sadly, many of these important details are no longer taught in schools. Since every elected official swears to support and defend the Constitution, I thought a little history might be refreshing.

Did you know….
“The Constitution of the United States might never have been ratified if the framers hadn’t promised to add a Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution gave citizens more confidence in the new government and contain many of today’s Americans most valued freedoms.” (article)

“The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first constitution. It was approved, after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777), by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and sent to the states for ratification. The Articles of Confederation came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all 13 states. A guiding principle of the Articles was to preserve the independence and sovereignty of the states.”

12 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a Grand Convention of state delegates gathered to work on revising the Articles of Confederation.

From another article from archives.gov:
“The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May of 1787. The delegates shuttered the windows of the State House and swore secrecy so they could speak freely. Although they had gathered to revise the Articles of Confederation, by mid-June they had decided to completely redesign the government. There was little agreement about what form it would take.

One of the fiercest arguments was over congressional representation—should it be based on population or divided equally among the states? The framers compromised by giving each state one representative for every 40,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate. They agreed to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person. Slavery itself was a thorny question that threatened to derail the Union. It was temporarily resolved when the delegates agreed that the slave trade could continue until 1808.

Writing the Constitution

After three hot summer months of equally heated debate, the delegates appointed a Committee of Detail to put its decisions in writing. Near the end of the convention, a Committee of Style and Arrangement kneaded it into its final form, condensing 23 articles into seven in less than four days.
On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution. George Reed signed for John Dickinson of Delaware, who was absent, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. It was an extraordinary achievement. Tasked with revising the existing government, the delegates came up with a completely new one. Wary about centralized power and loyal to their states, they created a powerful central government. Representing wildly different interests and views, they crafted compromises. It stands today as one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world.”

If you haven’t read The Bill of Rights lately, check out last year’s Independence Day post.
If you haven’t read The Declaration of Independence lately, see it here.

The elected representatives of The United States of America, those who swore to support and defend the Constitution, need our prayers!

________________________

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INDEPENDENCE DAY 2018

Celebrating 242 Years of Freedom

I believe my country, the United States of America, needs prayer, wisdom, and love; all three in great abundance.

This Wednesday, July 4th, is Independence Day here in the USA. Actually, the Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence from Great Britain two days earlier in 1776.

On July 2, 1776, the Pennsylvania Evening Post published: “This day the Continental Congress declared

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Independence Day 2011

Today, here in the United States of America, we celebrate our 235th year.

For this occasion in 2009, I posted a very moving video called, “God Bless The USA” And under the video, some great quotes from Jefferson and Adams.

Last year, I posted a video that captured something no one was expecting.  I also put up some really great history about Adams and Jefferson, who both died on July 4th, 1826, the 50th anniversary of United of America.

This year I have a video from a girl from the same city I live in, Glendale, Arizona.  She was the winner in season 6 of American Idol.  She did a fabulous job of singing the national anthem at Super Bowl XLII.

Happy Independence Day and may our God continue to shed His grace on this country.

Michael Verdicchio
2011

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God Bless The USA
Independence Day – 2010

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Independence Day – 2010

If you live here in the United States of America, then you know that today we celebrate our Independence Day.

In honor of this day here in my country, I have a video, and some history.  The video captured something no one was expecting.  The history is about Adams and Jefferson, who both died on July 4th, 1826.

On The 50th Anniversary

There were many who played a role  in our independence.  Two of those men were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Both died on the 50th anniversary.

Both of these architects of the document that gave birth to this new Nation died, 50 years to the day from the birth of the country they founded.

On July 4, 1826, the celebration of our Nation’s 50th birthday was saddened by the death of our second president, John Adams. It was the eloquent Adams who had so persuasively defended Thomas Jefferson’s DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE before the Continental Congress in 1776, ultimately leading to the birth of this new Nation. It may have been the last time Adams and Jefferson agreed on anything.

Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson’s Declaration was born on June 7, 1776 when Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee laid before the Congress a resolution calling for the 13 colonies to be “free and independent states, absolved of all allegiance to the British crown.” Moderates argued against the historic resolution, pointing out that the middle colonies of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware were undecided about complete separation of the colonies from crown rule.

By day’s end there was little consensus, but members of the delegation appointed a five-man committee to draft a declaration of independence for consideration at the July 1st meeting.

Why Not Franklin Or Adams?

The task of drafting the declaration should have fallen to elder statesman Benjamin Franklin, but his illness precluded a timely completion of the task. The task then should have fallen to Adams, who argued instead that Jefferson should write it. Jefferson at first attempted to defer to Adams until, in frustration, the Massachusetts delegate grudgingly stated, “You are 10 times the writer I am.” Thus Jefferson prepared the draft with suggestions for revisions coming from both Franklin and Adams.

The finished document was presented to the Second Continental Congress on June 28th. A poor speaker, Jefferson’s written work impressed the Assembly, despite some reservations. The more eloquent Adams vigorously defended the work, which was adopted on July 2nd. That evening Adams wrote his thoughts on the new declaration to his wife, stating in part: “The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.”

John Adams

Actually Adams was two days off. Editing of the document continued until it was formally approvedby 12 of the 13 colonies on July 4th. (The New York delegation abstained from the vote, but approved the Declaration five days later.) On August 2nd the 53 delegates present signed the document, and the 3 absent members subsequently added their names. Among the 56 signers were both of the men most responsible for the Declaration’s existence, Adams and Jefferson.

Two Friends Drift Apart

From that point forward the clashes between Adams and Jefferson were widely known. During Adam’s two terms as vice president under George Washington, more than one conflict arose between him and Secretary of State Jefferson. As a Federalist, Adams found his political views quite at odds with the man who would become the leader of the rival Democratic-Republicans.

When Washington left the Presidency the battle for a successor was bitterly fought between Vice President Adams and Secretary Jefferson. Adams defeated Jefferson by a 3 vote margin (71-68 electoral votes), becoming our second president. That bitter campaign was renewed in 1800 when Jefferson defeated Adams to become our third President.

So intense was their rivalry that, on the day of Jefferson’s inauguration Adams was carriage-bound out of the new Capitol City when the new president assumed office. (The recent death of his son in New York provided a convenient excuse not to attend the inauguration of the incoming president.)

The Friendship Rekindled

Jefferson served two terms as President after defeating the incumbent Adams, then retired to his home in Monticello. Meanwhile from his retirement farm in Quincy, Massachusetts Adams began to write long and elaborate letters to his old adversary. A grudging admiration for each other may have developed in their later years. Nonetheless, Adams always proclaimed that, though Jefferson was 7 years younger than himself…

“I will out live Jefferson.”

On his death bed on Independence Day, 1826 John Adams uttered his last words.  They were “Thomas Jefferson survives.”

It is rumored that upon Adam’s death the messenger dispatched to carry the news to Jefferson’s Virginia home actually passed a messenger dispatched from THAT site to Adam’s home, also bearing sad tidings.

Just a few hours earlier Thomas Jefferson had passed away….both architects of the document that gave birth to this new Nation dead, 50 years to the day from the birth of the country they founded.

MAY GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

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God Bless The USA

[If you cannot see the player or it’s not clickable on this page, just click the title above]

This weekend, here in the United States, we are celebrating our Independence Day.

John Adam and Thomas Jefferson were extremely influential in founding the United States.  Did you know that they both died on the same day; July 4, 1826, the 50th birthday of the United States.  Last year, on July 4th, on my membership site, I posted some information about of those men. If you’d like to see the article, Click Here.

Video

Bellow is a very special video in honor of Independence Day 2009, called, “In God We Trust.”  Below the video are some quotes by both Adams and Jefferson.

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
John Adams

All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise, not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from the downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.
John Adams

Abuse of words has been the great instrument of sophistry and chicanery, of party, faction, and division of society.
John Adams

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned – this is the sum of good government.
Thomas Jefferson

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
Thomas Jefferson

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson

God Bless The USA

anim-waving-usa-flag

americ-we-have-not-forgottenA Christian Nation?

By the way, there is a wonderful CD that came out in 2003 by the Goad family called,   America – We Have Not Forgotten
This is more than a patriotic CD.  It is full of the truth of the forming and foundation of the United States as a Christian nation.

You will hear the truth about “separation of Church and State.”  You will hear about a time when the United States Supreme Court ruled against someone who wanted to take Bibles out of schools.

You will hear some great quotes from our founding fathers as well as some quotes from some of our past presidents who were very clear in their belief in God and the Bible.

There are several songs, including a song dedicated to Veterans, called, “Veterans of the USA.” If you are a Veteran, you need to hear that song!

I own the CD.  I have listened to it a number of times.  I have even played it at Christian fellowships.  It is very inspiring.  If you’d like to get a copy, Click this link – it will take you to Amazon so you can get the best price.
America – We Have Not Forgotten

God Bless The USA