President Reagan

Honoring the Sacrifice & Service of our Veterans

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burdenToday is the day for  the fine  people of El Dorado, Kansas to kick off their week-long activities that begin with the annual Celebration of Freedom Parade.  This is the week where we pay homage to those who have served this country.memorial

The names of many of these are etched in stone at the Celebration of Freedom Memorial.  The brick-paved sidewalk reflects the names of those who made the ultimate sacrifice and paid the price of freedom with their lives.  Many veterans will pause here today, and they will see their names beside their feet, and they will remember what they can never forget–the faces of those who fought beside them and the battlefield scars that still mark their bodies and minds.  brick

Regardless of whether they served in a time of peace or a time of war, this memorial has a special place in the hearts of those who pledged their sacred honor to defend this great nation.

As a tribute to all veterans and as a reminder to everyone, I am including this brief video clip of one of President Reagan’s stirring speeches:  A Soldier’s Pledge

Independence Day

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july-4th-independence-day-usa-flag-map-abstract-holidaySince tomorrow is the 4th of July and the day that we celebrate our independence, I thought I would share a few statistics with you:

  • 87%of American households own an outdoor grill, and moat of those will be used over this weekend.
  • 150 million hotdog will be eaten which is enough to stretch from Washington D.C. to Los Angles more than 5 times
  • 700 million pounds of chickens has been purchased to be cooked and eaten,
  • 190 million pounds of red meat or pork will be cooked.
  • 63% of Americans will attend a fireworks display and 66% will have an American flag on display.
  • 80% of Americans will go to a picnic or attend a barbeque.
  • According the Nathan’s Famous Hotdogs, the record for eating the most hotdogs in 10 minutes is 64….including the buns.
  • Macy’s will light up the skyline in New York City when more than 40,000 shells are exploded when 12,000 pounds of black powder is ignited. Every second approximately 1,000 of the shells are launched with some of them travelling a thousand feet into the sky.

As you celebrate on July 4th, remember the sacrifices of our forefathers who, through personal sacrifice, purchased the freedoms we enjoy.  As I write this, I think of a statement made by President Ronald Reagan:

George Washington believed that religion, morality, and brotherhood were the pillars of society. He said you couldn’t have morality without religion. And yet today we’re told that to protect the first amendment, we must expel God, the source of all knowledge, from our children’s classrooms. Well, pardon me, but the first amendment was not written to protect the American people from religion; the first amendment was written to protect the American people from government tyranny.

When you see the fireworks displays in the night sky, remember that Jesus is the Light of the world, and pray that God will bless the USA.