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A very good Independence Day to You, Friends of the Fellowship of the Blog,

My hearty thanks to those who have written to say you are forwarding our blog address on to your friends.  You are helping me keep my promise to my dear husband who encouraged me, as he stepped into Heaven, to “Keep on writing, my love; the whole world needs Jesus.”  Thank you for reading and sharing today’s Christian Mother Goose blog:

Anyone who has raised a young boy knows that if you put a trumpet in his hands he’ll soon wake everyone within earshot (if not the whole town!).  Having raised not one, but four young boys, I can see what a  “nuclear” asset they would have been, as willing trumpet-blasters, rallying help for Nehemiah’s great cause of re-building the walls of Jerusalem.

In the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, we find a great story of a Godly leader with a Godly mission.  In the 5th century B.C., at the same time that Plato was founding his institution of higher learning (the Academy in Athens), Nehemiah – a Jew – occupied a high and trusted position in the Persian King Artaxerxes I’s court.  He was the highly favored king’s cup-bearer.

Although far from his homeland, Nehemiah’s prayers continued for Jerusalem and his fellow Israelites.  One hundred years earlier, Babylon’s armies had destroyed Jerusalem and its walls – the walls which were a symbol of its strength and prosperity.  Over that century, Jerusalem’s affairs grew increasingly desolate, capped with deadly spiritual apathy.  And not a capable leader in sight – until Nehemiah.

When news of the appalling conditions of Jerusalem’s citizens reached Nehemiah, he rose up mightily in prayer, asking God to grant him favor with the king to go and re-build the Walls of Jerusalem.  Not only was Nehemiah given permission, the king appointed him governor over Jerusalem with authority to carry out his mission.  Such is the power of prayer to our faithful God!

In just 52 days, in spite of intense opposition, threats and mockery (sounds like today’s media), Nehemiah led the people to a victory for Jerusalem’s walls that had waited over 100 years to be re-built.  Built by an awakened people with a Godly leader who encouraged them: “In whatever place ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye there unto us.  Our God will fight for us!”  (Nehemiah 4:20)  And God has never lost a fight!

And so they built with a stone in one hand and swords and shields in the other.  Even a young boy could “build” by blowing the trumpet.  (Perhaps there’s a “Jeremiah Obadiah” in your family today.)

As Governor for 12 years, Nehemiah refused a governor’s salary.  He did away with high interest.  At his own expense, he kept a table for 150 Jews at a time, who returned to Jerusalem from captivity.  What a statesman!  What a day of Independence for God’s people!

This week, flags and fireworks across America’s azure skies will celebrate our country’s own Independence Day of July 4th, 1776.  I remember after one particular July 4th, my mother came from England to visit us.

There was much for her to see in our vastly different lifestyle from what she knew in Liverpool.

To begin with, everything here seemed vastly bigger to her: the cars, roads, homes, refrigerators, even the tomatoes!  And look at the size of America itself!  Considering that England is just about the size of Western Colorado where we lived, you can understand her amazement.

Right off, our boys were thrilled that their Grandma Ainsborough loved sports, so Bradley’s High School cross-country meet made a scenic trip through the BIG mountains to Leadville.

It was the highest 2-mile cross-country run in the world at that time – over a BIG 10,000 feet of elevation.

So off we went, with mother faithfully adding to her American “BIG ” list.  Along the way, huge TV antennas and jumbo ice cream cones were added.

Continuing up the highway, we soon became part of a small “international incident” that occurred at a country fruit stand we had stopped at to buy tree-ripened pears – also beautiful and BIG.  Looking at the pears, my Mother just shook her head and proceeded to recite some of her “bigger” list to the friendly farmer.  He grinned at her Liverpool accent, and teased, “Well, Ma’am, what do you have in England that we don’t have here?”

Mother plucked off his cowboy hat, plopped it on her head, put one hand on her port-side hip, the other on her starboard side, and saucily quipped, “Personality!”

The “cross-country run” road trip brought even more laughter at the museum home of Leadville’s silver mine heiress, the “Unsinkable Molly Brown.”

Then we drove our car on a grueling ascent to the top of Independence Pass.  It was there that Mother’s laughter gave way to tears as we stood on the 12,095 foot summit.

Before us, we saw graves marked  “July 4th – Independence Day.”  We assumed they were pioneers, trying to cross this formidable mountain divide. “What kind of people were they?” Mother asked through her tears.  Then she whispered, “BIG and brave.”

The big and brave Founding Fathers of America knew another “Independence Pass” in Jerusalem, called Calvary.  They knew the kind of Person Who died there:  Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the risen Savior of the world.

They knew the only lasting liberty for their new country was to build its foundations on the truth of God’s Word: “If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

Yes, our nation has a “Birth Certificate” called The Declaration of Independence, with its Father – Almighty God, gratefully mentioned several times.  “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free….” Galatians 5:1.

Jeremiah Obadiah is blowing the trumpet for us today.  It’s time to meet on the walls of America to rebuild, and to declare, our Christian foundation.  I’ll bring the crumpets; you bring the trumpets!

Many Freedom blessings,

Cheerio, for now….and keep singing “God Bless America”!

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Christian Mother Goose®

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