Declaration of Independency - John Adams

I am reading John Adams by David McCullough and it is a delightful read. McCullough doesn't just write a book with dates and events. He gives the reader a human story. He does a great job telling the story of the founding of the United States of America from the 13 British-governed colonies. He tells it through the lens of the second U.S. president and man responsible for getting the 13 colonies to agree to declare "independency" (as they called it) from King George III in England. On the eve of the Fourth of July (which happens to be on July 4th) I thought I would share this quote from John Adams' letter to his wife Abigail [emphasis mine - he thought the 2nd would be the celebrated date because that was the day the continental congress agreed to sign]:

The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.

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 Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. -- I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. -- Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not. (p. 130)

His visionary ability and foresight was amazing. Here is the Declaration of Independence which was written by his friend, Thomas Jefferson.

To see more thoughts and quotes from this book you can follow them through my Twitter Account (or Facebook updates).

D-Day, June 6th, 1944 - 65 Years

Today marks the 65th anniversary of a battle that I am so glad was fought and won (for the Allies and the world) as well as one that makes me so thankful that I have not had to fight in a war. I am thankful for those who have fought in wars such as WWII (and the war in Iraq) and I praise God for His grace by giving the Allies victory over dictators like Adolf Hitler. On June 6th, 1944 the Allied Expeditionary force under the command of Dwight D. Eisenhower lead the largest amphibious assault in the history of warfare on Nazi Germany's army that had set up strong defenses along the beaches of Normandy France. D-Day (Operation Overlord) was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. It was the beginning of hope for millions enslaved in Nazi occupied Europe.

Proverbs 21:31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.

Here is a video with some old footage of D-Day.



WARNING - THE FOLLOW VIDEO IS EXTREMELY VIOLENT.
Here is a clip from "Saving Private Ryan" where the men land on Omaha beach. I don't think I have ever seen anything that has made me more glad not to be in a war than this clip.

Independence Day Reading (the Day After)

Here are some articles or blurbs to read as you reflect on Independence Day. The day after is when to read them because there is no time with all the parades, hot dogs, swimming, and fireworks.

Al Mohler -- AN ARGUMENT WORTH DEFENDING

Thomas Sowell -- DOES PATRIOTISM MATTER?

William Kristol -- THE CHOICE THEY MADE (HT: John McCormick)

Andrew Ferguson -- LINCOLN AND THE WILL OF GOD (HT: John McCormick)

Wet Blanket on Blankets Before 5:30 AM Tommorrow

This is from the local paper from the city of Forest Lake:

Note to parade spectators: No blankets, tarps, chairs before sunrise on July 4

A new city ordinance in Forest Lake prohibits parade spectators from claiming parade viewing spots prior to sunrise on Friday, July 4, Chief of Police Clark Quiring said this week.

That means no tarps, blankets or chairs can be placed along the parade route before 5:30 a.m. on Friday, the official sunrise time. The rule also applies to Forest Lake residents who live along the parade route.

Quiring said the new ordinance will be enforced and that any tarps, chairs or blankets placed along the parade route (boulevards, sidewalks) prior to sunrise on Friday will be removed by city police or the public works department.

That's a bummer. I will have to sleep in until 5:30 AM tomorrow on July 4th. No use getting there early....

John Piper and Guns and a Rebuttal

On Sunday Piper wrote on his blog about guns:

What do the supreme court ruling on guns and the martyrdom of missionaries have to do with each other?

Noël and I watched Beyond Gates of Splendor, the documentary version of End of the Spear, the story of the martyrdom of Jim Elliot, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Nate Saint in Ecuador in 1956. That same day we heard that the Supreme Court decided in favor of the right of Americans to keep firearms at home for self-defense.

Here’s the connection. The missionaries had guns when they were speared to death. One of them shot the gun into the air, it appears, as he was killed, rather than shooting the natives. They had agreed to do this. The reason was simple and staggeringly Christlike:

The natives are not ready for heaven. We are.

I suspect the same could be said for almost anyone who breaks into my house. There are other reasons why I have never owned a firearm and do not have one in my house. But that reason moves me deeply. I hope you don’t use your economic stimulus check to buy a gun. Better to find some missionaries like this and support them.

Here is a Rebuttal to Piper's argument by the "Thirsty Theologian."

Here is what he has to say:

Before I begin, I want to say that I appreciate John Piper’s ministry immensely. I have listened to him preach, and, deo volente, will again. I have read some of his books, and there are a couple still on my shelf that I am eager to read. Nothing I am about to say should be taken as a slight to his character or ministry.

However . . .

Today I must strenuously disagree with John Piper. I’ve disagreed with him before, but never like this. In most other disagreements, I’ve at least had some empathy with his position. In this case, I have none; his logic is badly flawed.

If it was almost anyone else, I’d probably ignore it; but John Piper has a following of bloggers who run to their keyboards every time he moves, gasping breathlessly at the profundity of his latest twitch. So I expect to see his latest statement spread virally all over the blogosphere in this and following weeks. In fact, I’m seeing it start already, and it was only posted this morning (it’s Sunday as I write this). And, though his sentiments are noble, I think they are completely wrong-headed, and deserve a rebuttal.

I’m referring to his statement on the Desiring God blog concerning the Supreme Court’s decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the 2nd Amendment was properly (though narrowly) upheld.

Dr. Piper made no statement on the court’s decision per se. His statement addressed why he would not use a gun to defend his home, and expressed his hope that no one else would, either. He used, as his example, Jim Elliot and his fellow missionaries, who chose not to defend themselves against the spears of their attackers because “The natives are not ready for heaven. We are.”

I tend to believe that those young missionaries made the right choice. However, I don’t believe their reasoning applies in the vast majority of home-defense situations. My reasons are as follows (none of them would have applied in the jungles of Ecuador):

• In the majority of instances of defensive firearms use, no shots are fired. The threat is enough to subdue or put to flight the perpetrators. Yet being confronted with a violent response increases their fear of other potential victims, most of whom “are not ready for heaven.”
• The knowledge that potential victims, most of whom “are not ready for heaven,” might be armed is a known deterrent to criminals. Violent crime is highest in unarmed cities, and is known to decrease when citizens of those cities arm themselves.
• When an assailant is shot, more is accomplished than stopping the immediate crime: his future crimes — primarily against people who “are not ready for heaven” — are prevented; and a societal atmosphere is created in which criminals are more likely to think twice before attacking.
• While you can be sure that an intruder in your home is “not ready for heaven,” neither are most of his past and future victims — and you can be sure that there are, or will be, others. Sacrificing yourself only leaves him free to move on to his next victim, who is most likely — say it with me, now — “not ready for heaven.”

Piper’s goal of saving the lives of those who “are not ready for heaven,” though noble, is misdirected. It would be better served by doing whatever is necessary to stop the violent criminals who kill them.

Postscript: That was to be the end of this post, but a couple of additional points have crossed my mind.

• I realize that John Piper’s children are all grown and it’s just he and his wife at home. But many of us have children at home, and I am not one who assumes my children are “ready for heaven” just because they say they believe in Jesus. Shall I not protect them? Shall I value the soul of a murderer above theirs?
• Can a Calvinist really believe that evil must be allowed to go unchecked because God hasn’t had a chance to save the evildoers yet? In other words, is this really a dilemma at all?

Jesus in China

On Tuesday night there was a PBS Frontline program called "Jesus in China."

Here is a sneak preview of the program





I think you can watch the entire program at the PBS website here.

From the Worries of a Dad of a Five Year Old Girl

When I read yesterday that Stephen Curtis Chapman's five year old daughter, Maria Sue, died earlier that day after being accidentally hit by a vehicle driven by her teenager brother--I cringed and avoided reading the rest of the story or watching any videos covering the tragedy. It was too painful to think about. I have a five year old daughter, Grace (in the picture), and it brings me much worry and fear to think about her being in the same shoes (or me in the father's).

I have to admit that this is something I worry about on a regular basis--"what if something happen to my kids?" What if they got a form of leukemia? skin cancer? what if they got hit by a car on the corner by our house? what if...?

Quite often I fight this worry with an argument that goes something like -- "OK, Daniel, be rational. What are the odds of that happening? Not very high."

Or, I will do what I did this morning as I was leaving the house (and the kids were already playing in the year) -- I will use the Chapman accident as a reminder to be extra careful-- so I said to my wife: "Molly, we need to be extra careful to always watch for kids when we are backing out of the driveway!"

Now, of course it's wise to learn from experiences. We would be foolish if we failed to glean from the the experiences of others. But this is hardly a sturdy foundation to build my faith on--I WILL BE MORE CAREFUL AND THEREFORE AVOID ALL ACCIDENTS.

As I reflect on the death of Maria Sue and especially as I imagine the grief and pain of the parents, I was reminded of a chapter I read a few months ago from Ed Welch's Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest. In it, Welch gave me very helpful advice in fighting the sinful practice of worry about the "what ifs" of life by pondering the promise of tomorrow's grace with a fresh perspective. Here are some excerpts (from pages 139-146):
If you read only one section, read the 3rd section.

GRACE FOR TOMORROW

Worry and fear are always looking ahead. When the thing we dread is upon us, we usually do well. Anticipation is the killer. In light of God's generosity and patience and his offer of comfort and wisdom we should expect him to speak to us about the near future, and he does.

He tells us that there is nothing in the future that can interfere with our kingdom mission. If the difficulty you anticipate comes upon you, you will receive grace to know God's love and grace to love someone else (1 Cor. 10:13). If you get in the car accident you dread, you will have grace to know that God is with you, and you will have grace to bear fruit ever in that difficult situation. If your loved one dies before you, you will have grace to know God's comfort and to shine brightly as you reflect your Father's glory. If poverty knocks on your door, you will have grace to trust your King and know that poverty cannot detract from your privilege of being an ambassador who blesses others in his name. As children and stew­ards who aren't in control but trust the One who is, the assurance of such grace is a blessing.

Were you hoping for more? Well, as you might guess by now, there is more. All you have to do is keep the manna story in mind [see Exodus 16]. Remember that God gave the Israelites grace to trust and obey him when they left Egypt, just as we are given even more grace for faith and obedience when the wil­derness is ahead. But they were also given more unexpected grace than they could have predicted or imagined.

GRACE DOES NOT MEAN WE ARE SHIELDED FROM HARSHIP

You never hear God reasoning this way with anxious people: "What are the odds of that happening? You don't need to worry." "Don't worry; I won't let bad things happen to you." God does not promise grace that remove hardships.

If our child is very sick, we want to believe that grace means that God will heal the child. If we have just been laid off from a job and have no financial cushion, we want to believe that grace means we will be hired tomorrow by an even more stable company, and that the old company will apologize for its egregious mistake with a huge severance package. But that is not the promise. God does not promise that earthly life in his kingdom will be easier than life in our own kingdom. Instead, he indicates that in the kingdom of heaven we will be familiar with the sufferings of Christ. We will experience hardships. We will not be spared the difficulties of life. Compared with life outside the kingdom, suffering will be more intense, if only because we love others more deeply.

This seems to take us back where we began. What we fear really might overtake us. The bridge really could fall. The plane really could be infiltrated by terrorists. My spouse really could be unfaithful. At first, this would seem to drive us right back to our attempts at controlling our world. Though such attempts might not help, at least we feel like we are doing something.

GRACE: WE WON'T HAVE TO TAKE THE EXAM UNTIL WE HAVE HAD THE CLASS

Among my assorted fears and anxieties is the fear of suffocation, espe­cially through drowning. It doesn't exert itself too often; it usually makes an appearance after news reports of tsunamis, movies such as Titanic, and celebratory pile-ups after a World Cup goal or NFL touchdown on TV. I begin wondering just how many teammates it will take to finally crush the hero on the bottom. What does tomorrow's manna, future grace, have to do with such fears?

It doesn't say that I will be spared suffocation. What it says is that, if I am called to death by asphyxiation, I will have grace when that time comes. What does that mean? I don't know. I can't imagine such grace. I can't imag­ine anything that would make drowning tolerable. And that is exactly what we should expect: at this moment, I don't have grace to drown because I am not drowning! Of course I will worry if I try to envision a drowning scenario. I will project the grace I have received for today onto tomorrow, not compre­hending that I will receive grace as needed tomorrow.

We have to go slowly on this one because it is so essential in our battle with worry and fear. Let's say that you are taking a class, and the first thing the instructor does is hand out a test. As you scan it, you know nothing. Little signs and symbols, words you have never seen—your anxi­ety level rises with each question. You have failed the class before it has even begun!

Then the teacher interrupts, "Did I tell you that this will be your final exam? You don't have to take this now, and you don't know any of this now, but trust me. By the time the class is over you will actually know this. You'll be amazed at how well prepared you will be."

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Nothing has really changed. There will be a final exam at the end of the course, and you would fail it if you took it now, but you have no worries. When the time comes to take the test, you will have received the "grace" that you need to do well.

Are you worried about the future? You are looking at tomorrow as if it was a final exam and you haven't yet taken the class. Of course you panic at the thought. But you haven't considered that you will go through the class before you have to take the final. You will be given all the grace you need when you need it.

What form might that grace take? Be careful here. When we try to imagine grace in some future situations, we might still be resting in our­selves. We want specific confirmation that there will be grace, and we want to calm ourselves not by trusting in the Gracious One but in seeing the future. If I am called to drown, I don't know what grace I will receive. Hav­ing never had it, I can't imagine it, and since God gives much more than we ask my prediction no doubt would fall far short. It is enough to know that I will receive grace. I will know the presence of the Spirit and I will die, or be rescued, in a way that pleases the Lord.

My heart goes out to the Chapman family. I pray and trust that God will lavish them with grace at this time. Here is a video I watched this morning at Fox News.com

Happy Birthday Israel

I hear it is the 60th anniversary of the birth of the current state of modern Israel. Here are some articles that I read today or recently:

• John Piper's blog discusses the "unlikeliness of Israel" and the enduring reality of the Jewish people.

• Several years ago, Piper wrote a piece than many Christians wonder about -- "Do Jews Have the Divine Right to the Promise Land?" He answers -- NO. I encourage you to read.

• A few years back I read an article in World Magazine on the various Christian response to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. It's called "Engaging Israel's Disengagement." (sorry the formating isn't so good)

Regardless of "divine right" or not -- I am thankful for our American allies in the middle east.