Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…

“When America was created the stars must have danced in the sky.”
Bernard DeNoto, Historian   

From where we stood, he seemed to be an ordinary fellow.

He must have done this a thousand times for other visitors to the National Archives, yet the passion in his voice was fresh and new as he read from the original document before us—

“When in the course of human events…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…”

I found myself standing a bit taller as his voice soared reading those inspiring words—

“We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world…do…solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States;…”

And as the curator concluded that memorable moment for us, his tone and facial expression claimed the words he finished with, as if they were his own—

“And for support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

I will never forget the moment, from that pilgrimage to our Nation’s capital, introducing our son, Nathan, a teenager then, to some of the history of our Nation.

Chills and tears flooded over me as we listened to the curator proudly pointing out some things of note about the Declaration of Independence—encased in a secure vault within our National Archives, right alongside the original of our Constitution of the United States of America.

Before us were not just any documents, but a legacy of ideals and commitment lived by those who embraced the divinely inspired vision upon which this great Country was established.

Documents representing the lifeblood of valiant and determined patriots who stood at a critical crossroads at the beginning of America.

And on this day as citizens of the United States of America, I wonder if we are up to the same sacrifice of those fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence. They knew full well that when they signed that noble document, if they were captured by the British it would mean the death penalty. But they still signed it, because they had a dream for the future of this Nation, and because—they had a deep faith in God.

These were not wild ruffians. These were men and women who loved liberty more than they valued their own lives. They paid the price for us.

They paid the price beginning at Bunker Hill, and Lexington, and Concord, and down through Valley Forge.

They paid the price for us. And that’s what today is all about; to remember them and the vision of America which God guided them to set before us. They made the first payment, and that payment has been kept up-to-date by the sacrifice and service of so many others throughout our history.

Yet we are at crossroads, another moment as a Nation, called to return to God, and to remember who we are and who we are called to be under God.

And the duty for this moment, standing at this crossroads, has been laid at our doorstep.

Will the sacrifice of those who have gone before be worth it? Those founders, and all those since then who have stood in the gap for us, have all answered that question with their lives.

And their answer was—yes, by God it was worth it!

And we must do the same, knowing that the future of our Nation and the civilized world depends upon that payment being kept-up-to-date.

So, together, as we remember and celebrate the 4th of July today and this week—we also remember we are at a crossroads in this Nation.

And it is upon us to assure that the stars will continue to dance in the sky, as we turn back to God, and call upon Him to continue to bless America.

In His Name–Scott