Organizing For Freedom

This past Wednesday we began our study with Earl Taylor teaching from the book “The Making of America” by W. Cleon Skousen. We jumped ahead in the book to the chapter where it began with the Declaration of Independence. It taught us 8 “ancient principles” that Thomas Jefferson had found in the ancient writings he had spent his life studying. By age 9 he had begun his study of Latin, Greek and French. At 16 he entered the College of William and Mary, graduated at 19, started studying law with George Wythe, the first professor of law in America. By the time he had reached his 20’s he was proficient in 5 languages, had studied the Greek and Roman classics, European history and the Old and New Testament.

We can see that our country was not founded by simple farmers.

While studying the Old Testament and other old documents he found that there were many similarities in the Ancient Israelites and the Anglo-Saxons. He referred to these as “ancient principles”. He used these “ancient principles” to write the Declaration of Independence. Here is the list of the 8 “ancient principles” he often referred to.

This coming Saturday night July 31st, you are cordially invited to Port Columbus to witness the return of some high level VIPs from Washington DC.  Some will be in wheelchairs, some on oxygen support, and some will be walking with the aid of a cane; but everyone of these VIPs will be smiling - you can bet your bottom dollar on that!!

Why?  Because they've been given the chance to hear "Thank you".  A thank you that's been a long time coming.  A thank you that can never be big enough or loud enough.  A thank you that can never come from enough Americans to fully affirm the gratitude we harbor in our hearts.

Who are these VIPs?  Dear friends, they're SOLDIERS; from all sectors of our Armed Forces.  These true patriots are the men and women who've laid their lives on the line to protect our freedom from enemies abroad.  They left home and families, dreams and aspirations. Bravely they walked tall and straight directly into harm's way.  All of them have individual stories; they all came home to find a different world than the one they left.  Each one came home a different person than when they left.  And each one of them has a story to tell about someone they stood and fought with side by side who didn't come home.  Some of them, however, can't verbalize what happened to them; it's still too painful.   Some can speak, but never without tears, about the price paid for our freedom.