The Face of Christ?

Wow.

Could it be that the face of the crucified Christ has finally been revealed to the world? If you were watching the History Channel tonight, you might think so. I certainly wonder if it has. And I'm stunned.

Tonight's 2-hour special focused on the Shroud of Turin, an ancient linen cloth that many faithful believe is the burial cloth of Jesus. The Catholic Church guards it like we guard Fort Knox, though the church has cautiously allowed scientists to study it in recent years. The linen bears the faint image of a man, though how that image got on the cloth has baffled scientists to this day. Still, after the two hour program, scientists don't know. There is no paint or other artistic element on the linen. Nothing to explain how the image got there. It's just there!

The man in the image appears to have gone through a traumatic ordeal before he died. Blood stains are splattered upon the image. The biggest stains are on the head, the hands, the side and the feet. These were the biggest wounds suffered by this poor man. The face is somber, as you would expect a dead man to be! But it is also haunting, mysterious, and intriguing. Who was this man? How did he die? Isaiah 52 and 53 says that Jesus would be marred by His ordeal, almost unrecognizable. His wounds would cause ordinary folks to turn their faces away in disgust. This shroud man met that description.

Whether or not you believe the shroud to be authentic or something otherworldly, the scientists could not explain it. They were speechless. The linen has collected pollen, some of which come from Israel. One type of pollen comes from a plant that grows within 30 miles of Jerusalem. But the shroud first appears in Church history in Italy somewhere in the 1200s. It's next appearance was in France 150 year later. Yet it was in the Jerusalem area at one point in its history. A piece of the cloth was carbon dated to the mid 1200s but a lot of evidence seems to show the shroud is much older. For example, the blood stains on the face match a 7th-Century piece of linen exactly, as if the two linens covered the same face. The coincidence is not coincidence.

Intrigued you yet?

How's this: The TV documentary producers hired a 3D model maker to take the image on the shroud and using its 3D characteristics, create a model that included all the characteristics recorded in the shroud image, including the blood, hair, nose shape and figure. Apparently the shroud image is like a recording of 3D data, they said and can be scanned like a topographical map using the shadows, or something like that. The result of the scan is a 180-degree profile of the face of the man in the shroud. The model maker added a middle eastern skin tone and brown hair, then revealed the image at the end of the program.

It was amazing. Spooky. Totally cool. History.com didn't post an image of the final reconstruction. I guess they want you to watch the special to see for yourself!

Was it the face of Christ? I don't know. If the shroud is authentic, then, yes, in a way, it is. If the shroud is not the burial cloth of Jesus, then, of course not. But it was a reminder of the passion of our Savior that trumps all other 3D models.

What strikes me about every Shroud of Turin special I've watched is how even scientists have left open the possibility of the resurrection of this battered man. They cannot explain the source of the image and how it is so clear. Some think it was caused by a massive release of light or radiation. No human body has done this. Yet this man's body seems to have done it. Or something else remarkable.

By the way, the 3D image of of the shroud looked just like: Jim Caveziel's depiction of Jesus in The Passion of the Christ. It was an amazing likeness. I had already thought his Jesus was the most realistic and now I am even more convinced.

Check out the History Channel special, if you dare. I'm sure it will be repeated sometime this week (maybe Saturday). But be prepared to be blown away.

.

Interpretation & Ignorance: A Very Bad Mix

Dominating the headlines today was this story:

'Christian warrior' militia accused in plot to kill police

(CNN) -- Nine people federal prosecutors say belong to a "Christian warrior" militia were accused Monday of plotting to kill a Michigan law enforcement officer and then attack other police at the funeral.

Six Michigan residents, two residents of Ohio and an Indiana resident were indicted by a federal grand jury in Detroit, Michigan, on charges of seditious conspiracy, attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, teaching the use of explosive materials and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade and FBI Special Agent in Charge Andrew Arena announced.

The group says on its Web site that Hutaree means "Christian warrior" and proclaims on its home page, "Preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ alive."
In the "About Us" section of the Hutaree Web site, the group says, "We believe that one day, as prophecy says, there will be an Anti-Christ. All Christians must know this and prepare, just as Christ commanded."

-----------------------------

I shake my head every time I'm made aware of an extremist group like the Hutaree. The people attracted to such a group share the same characteristics, it seems: gun-toting, anti-government, pseudo-military, rural fanatics. They cling to guns like they are bibles. They wear fatigues as if they are vestry garments. They don't like Democrats, they don't like Republicans. They don't follow the laws of the land because they believe those laws are opposed to Christ. All of them. And if the law enforcers ever come calling... bang, bang, bang.

And in their struggle against the government (which they consider the Satanic agent of the Antichrist), they are willing to take human life — any life — and in any way justify it. The ninth member of this Hutaree group was arrested Monday night, charged in a plot to kill a Michigan police officer and then gun down his funeral procession. All in the name of their "general" Jesus Christ.

How do groups like this form? How in the midst of the Gospel writings, the words of the apostles, and the examples of the saints can they develop such extreme theology? Are they even true Christians?

I'm still shaking my head at all this. Almost all Christian "cults" have two foundational elements at their base: a radically different interpretation of the scriptures and an ignorant view of the end times. When interpretation and ignorance meet, disaster follows.

Know your Bibles, folks! Study the Scriptures! Surround yourselves with more than one viewpoint so you may know, through the Holy Spirit's guidance, which theology is wise and just.

It doesn't take much for a person, a couple, or an entire family to go from sound to extreme theology. Sometimes they listen too much to a popular radio preacher, read every book by a best-selling author, or subscribe to a nationwide ministry. What starts out as new and exciting can soon consume the mind and spiritual life of an individual. Please don't let strange and new theologies consume you! There is no wave of theology new under the sun.  Everything has crept up before in church history. If something has been rejected repeatedly, it probably isn't worth following today.

The Hutaree are wrong. Jesus did not preach war. He did not command His followers to fight. As a sheep before its shearers is silent, He laid down His life willingly, enduring great scorn and great shame. In the Upper Room He said that His followers would be known by their love (and not their semi-automatic assault rifles and military fatigues). As for using brute force, didn't Jesus tell Peter in Gethsemane, "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword"? And didn't the apostle Paul tell the early church, "But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need"?

Blessed is the meek one. Blessed are the persecuted. Blessed are the righteous who are wronged, whether by government or by neighbor. Our God will see from heaven and act on our behalf in His timing.
Pray for peace.

-- Brother John

Palm Sunday: Proclamation of the King

Easter Week Blog #1

"They brought [the colt] to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  (Luke 19:35-38)

-------------------

Here in America it is tough to imagine our nation under the rule of a monarch. After all, in 1776, an army of patriots fought to free America from kingly rule and those same patriots established a government free of monarchy. I deeply long to know what it's like to live under a king. I was born here and raised here so I know only of presidents and governors. Not kings or queens. So even I have trouble with the whole "king thing."

So when we approach the subject of Jesus being king of Israel we mustn't let our lack of monarchical knowledge and experience dampen the incredible significance of Palm Sunday. The Jewish people cried out to Jesus of Nazareth, "Hosanna!" which means "Save us!" They cried out, "Blessed is the KING who comes in the name of the Lord! When Jesus rode through the eastern gates of Jerusalem, He entered the city not as a teacher or rabbi, not as a miracle worker or prophet. Not as a rebel and a beggar. But as a king. And not just any king: the king of that there city in that there land.

The first so-called king of Jewish birth since 586 BC. Herod the Great was given the title "king" by the Roman ruler Augustus and set himself and his family up as monarchs of Israel, but their Jewish credentials were iffy at best. Herod was an Idumean, not a Jew, and he had no place in the royal blood line of David. Jesus? He had the blood AND the legal authority of David's line. Jesus grew up as the crown prince of Israel. I'm baffled to deduce that lost in all this is the fact that his legal father, Joseph, may have been, in fact, the rightful king! Yet the king was a carpenter and the prince the carpenter's son. Amazing.

Matthew chapter 1 traces the lineage of Joseph back to the last king of Judah, Jehoiachin, a young man who was carried off into exile after only three months on the throne (2 Kings 24). Jehoiachin was taken to Babylon and, after some time in prison there, was released to live our his remaining years as a "permanent guest" of the king. Eleven years later, Jehoiachin's brother Zedekiah was kicked off the throne and Judah was devastated by Babylon. No more king. The line of Jehoiachin kept going through the rest of the Old Testament, with Zerubbabel reasserting Davidic authority after the exile but he could not be crowned king. Israel was not free.

In the time of Christ, Israel was not free, either. Any attempt to crown a man king would be seen as rebellion against Rome and most certainly be met with swift Roman military action. So what the people did with Jesus that Sunday was dangerous. And He let them parade Him as king. After all, He was!

Knowing that Joseph was a descendant of Jehoiachin (also called Jeconiah), I can't help but wonder if it could be true that good ole righteous Joe was the legal king of Israel! Could it be that the true king was building tables and benches for a measly living in Podunkville? One thing is certain. According to the prophecy of Jeremiah (Jer. 22:30), even if Joe was of kingly right, he could not claim the throne for himself. God had cursed Jehoiachin's descendants and sworn that not a one would prosper sitting on David's throne. Since Jesus was not technically one of Joseph's children, He was free from this curse.

What about Mary? Mary could have claimed queenship of Israel. According to Luke 4, which many think traces Mary's bloodline, she was the descendant of Nathan, one of David's sons. It was her blood that Jesus received and in Joseph's household that Jesus was raised -- a double shot of kingship! How a simple man of trade in Nazareth and a lowly handmaiden could be so qualified yet so forgotten is one of those marvelous mysteries of God's providence.

Jesus was the rightful king of Israel who came to Jerusalem on that Sunday somewhere around AD 33. The people had longed for someone of Jewish blood to crown king and the teaching miracle-worker from Galilee seemed a likely candidate. He may not have possessed the beauty or majesty of a celebrity, but the buzz of the nation surrounded Jesus. He worked miracles like Elijah and Elisha, Moses and Joshua. And He had built a following of men and women who hung on His every word.

For being a simple teacher and miracle worker, it amazes me that the people had Jesus nailed for who He was — at least in regards to His royal right. Here's what they shouted according to Mark 11: "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest!” The people shouting these things knew several things about Jesus:

1. That He came in the name of the Lord.
2. That He carried with him the kingdom of David.
3. That He had the power or ability to save them.

There was great hope in their hearts when they laid their cloaks and palm branches down on the rocky ground. What they did not know is that His mission was to save them from a greater foe than Rome — their own sin. They did not know that their king would be dead five days later. And that their own people would bear some of the blame.

On Palm Sunday the people of Israel welcomed Jesus as king of the Jews, crying out for the restoration of the Davidic kingdom after over 600 years of exile. Early on Good Friday Jesus would stand before the nation's leaders as king. The crown belonged to Him. But what He received was rejection and scorn.

And by His scorn we would be healed.


.

Scattershooting on a Monday

Scattershooting while engaging in the spiritual discipline of dish washing...

I'm thinking.

• That I find it rather disturbing that on the first day of spring it snowed here in North Texas. 1.3 inches at the airport 10 miles away. Just recently I had done some spring planting and bought seedlings, assuming that the last freeze of the winter had come and gone. Wrong! Oh well. I covered the plants with plastic sheeting (more like a tent than a sweater) and even kept a candle-lit lantern under one of the coverings to keep the temperature up. I thought it was kinda brilliant. And the plant survived.
• That it's been a taxing time on my brain recently on many fronts. I've heard it said that 90-percent of the struggles we face in life come from that 6-inch space between our ears. Maybe that number is a bit too high but the principle is definitely true. We can think ourselves into a frenzy quickly and with quite a fervor. I've had several emotional burdens in the past week that have weighed my mind and heart down. They aren't caused by me nor can they be solved by me. I just carry little pieces of burden around for others, it seems. I asked a counselor and pastor friend of mine once about how he handles the burden of listening to people's problems or comforting them in their grief. He hears burdens every day as part of his calling. He told me he has to compartmentalize his life otherwise the troubles would weigh him down more than he could bear. But when he goes home after work, he leaves what he's heard behind and switches "modes." I imagine such a skill didn't come easily to my friend. I've always struggled with compartmentalizing burdens. On one hand I feel most alive when I'm helping people with their spiritual or personal burdens. As if it is part of my role in the kingdom. On the other hand, my heart hurts for people so much that what they say impacts me to the point it weighs me down. It's as if their problem has, in some way, become my problem because they are my friend, my brother, my sister. I have the utmost respect for counselors. How they stay sane is a mystery to me. I'm just glad they do!

• That it is very important for a church to cease its striving to be everything for all people, for in its striving to please all it can easily lose its identity as a church and its God-given mission. If your goal is to please man, you will not please the Lord. Be authentic. People can smell a fake.
• That it is very important for a church to cease striving to be like another church in its community, for in its striving to be like the other it can destroy its own identity and set itself up as a rival instead of a sister. Again, be authentic. 
• That I thought the younger generations were unique in their attraction to social justice and social action. Then my dad reminded me yesterday that his generation did it when they were our age. And the world called them hippies. Like us, they also didn't think their parents were awake to the social needs in their communities and their world. That the men who returned from the War set up homes and built industries but then tried for to shut out the world and its problems. But I think that as the Boomers have aged, they have grown comfortable with their world and their kids are now the ones awake to poverty, slavery, racism, and the other forms of injustice that plague the world. I now wonder if my grandparents did the same with their parents, and so on back? Maybe this interest in world injustice corresponds with the rise of mass media? I don't know. It has me thinking, though.

• That the music of John Michael Talbot continues to offer great spiritual encouragement, refreshment and worship to my soul, just as it first did when I stumbled across it back in 2005. I knew then that John Michael was a friend of Michael Card, who is one of my favorite artists, and their styles share many similarities. So I bought a discounted collections album at a Lifeway store and was hooked from first listen. I later found out that John Michael is the biggest-selling Christian musician in history, with 50 albums to his name over 30-plus years. He is the most famous Catholic songwriter and performer in church history. What I also did not know was that he's the Franciscan father of a unique community of Catholics in northern Arkansas called The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage. It's unlike any other religious community in the world. Like all monastic communities, it is open to those who choose to be under vow to the Franciscan order (monks, nuns, and the sort). But it is also open to singles who have not taken vows but choose to live in chastity and service, married couples who choose to serve and worship there, and to those seeking retreat and spiritual refreshment. I know of evangelicals who have sought and found refreshment in the Ozark hills. It is a "charismatic catholic" community, which means they dance, love to sing, and are not always solemn and stoic, which is the religious stereotype. They are very ecumenical and, I think, very spiritually alive. Which is how JMT's music makes me feel. He sings the psalms, words of Christ and the apostles, and words of the saints and church liturgy. His songs uplift my soul and my heart must respond in the emotions praise. Very cool. I highly recommend his music, whether you are Catholic, an Orthodox sympathizer like myself, or an evangelical "fundamentalist" (whatever that means!).
• That writing blogs takes time. I started this when the dishwater was warm. That was two hours ago! It's after midnight now. Good night!

.

Quips and Proverbs

Been storing up a few observations about life and human nature lately. Since proverbs have always been popular (you know, "a stitch in time saves nine," etc.), I thought I'd give it my best shot.

• Insurance that does not insure is not insurance. It's a scam.
• When you want to go fast, traffic moves slow; but when you are in no hurry, traffic runs you over.
• Switching to Geico could save you hundreds of dollars.... err... that just slipped out. Sorry.
• Plowing a garden is only fun if there are no rocks, twigs, roots, leaves, snakes or little plastic golf balls with round holes in them waiting under the surface.
• The older a man gets, the less he knows yet the wiser he becomes. 

That's all for now. There will, undoubtedly, be more in the future.

Be God's!

.

The Struggles of Singlehood

For many single adults, the older they get the more despondent they become about their single state. Why won't God bring the right person into my life? Am I doomed to a life of singleness, of being all alone? Why can't I be married and happy like my friends? I stumbled across this Bluefish video today when searching for Easter illustrations. It chronicles one single woman's mental and emotional battle with her singleness. She doesn't see the blessings of singleness (just like most younger singles). Her battle is with her hopes and dreams and, maybe, even a bit of jealousy. It's a battle I have fought over and over and I have yet to meet a younger single who hasn't, to some degree, fought it, too. 

There is great blessing in being a single believer, just as there is great blessing in finding a partner and raising a family. Our times before marriage (for some, that is a lifetime) are perfect times to sink our roots into God's eternal truth and grow deep. Times to become disciples and servants in the Church and to minister to the needs of those like us. It's my prayer that this gal chooses to sit at the feet of Jesus during this tough time of her life.

.

Oscar Watch... Out

Every year I usually get excited to watch the annual Academy Awards, usually with hopes of seeing one of the movies I watched win an award or two. Not this year, though. I think that I've just finally had enough of the rich and famous tooting their own horns during ceremonies like the Oscars. Just sick of it. Aren't you? They gather as aristocracy to act nice, look pretty, and applaud hypocrisy. It's hard for a plain, broke guy like me to enjoy.

When I watch award shows like the Oscars, Golden Globes or SAG Awards, I'm reminded of a brief scene in Titanic (which won a bushel of awards back in 1998). In this scene, Rose, the young fiancee of a wealthy New Englander has invited Jack, her third class friend of interest, to a formal first class dinner. After dinner, the wealthy first class men retreat into the parlor for cigars, brandy and upper class "chit chat." She says to Jack, "Next it'll be brandies in the Smoking Room." After the men get up to leave, Rose continues opining, "Now they retreat into a cloud of smoke and congratulate each other on being masters of the universe."

I love movies like everyone else. And I think I know how to identify great acting in the midst of a lot of good acting. But the celebrities I am most drawn to are not those who appear on Entertainment Tonight, TMZ or Inside Edition. I usually like those who stay out of the starlight as much as possible. They always seem to be more genuine. More real.

I was looking for a Bible verse that captured what I was thinking tonight and stumbled across Proverbs 15:25. It seems to sum up God's opinion of the wealthy and the weak: "The LORD tears down the proud man’s house but he keeps the widow’s boundaries intact." Those who are proud of heart, of mind, and of emotion are destined for a fall. Sounds cliche but it's true. The Lord doesn't defend those who believe they can provide or protect themselves. They need to learn their place. Usually the fall is hard. Just ask Tiger Woods.

God doesn't value great acting or a dynamic screenplay. He doesn't stand and applaud the proud and famous. He looks after the widow and the orphan. The poor and afflicted when no one is near to help. Those who have been broken to now know that their lives are dependent on the Lord's provision. Those who fly below the radar and those who guard their steps.

The danger of celebrity is that we are setting people up to fall. We fill their minds and hearts with more pride than they naturally have from being sinful humans and once they rise on the pedestal it immediately starts shaking. For pride does not accompany stability. The only solid rock is humility. It is the way of the cross. It is the joy of the empty tomb.

It is the path of growing young.

Be God's!


UPDATE:  Okay, I caved. If only for two minutes. And just in time to see the one category I care about: original musical score. Michael Giacchino won for "Up" and I couldn't be more thrilled. His score was amazing! Brought me to tears when I first listened to it. I definitely recommend Giacchino's music. He is the John Williams of the next generation of composers. He also gave new life to Star Trek last year, as well as several other Pixar films. Okay... Watching the news now...

.

Prepping the Soil

Eccl. 3:1 — There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven...


Is. 28:24 — When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil? 


Is. 61:11 — For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.

Today was soil preparation day for yours truly. Every one of the past five years I have planted some form of a garden, usually one in the spring and another for the fall. I usually plant a variety of vegetables, from cucumbers to bell peppers to broccoli. I've grown jalapenos, watermelon, strawberries, okra, zucchini, herbs of many varieties, green onions, lettuce and tried to grow a few others. Tried. And failed. This year I've added a lemon tree to my farmer's resume. Since I've just started planning my 2010 garden, I may add some berries, onions and cabbage. One day I'd love to grow grapes, though I understand they can be tricky to nurture.

But all planning must start with the soil because the soil is the most important element to the whole growing process. Where you plant your seed (or seedlings) determines how well they will grow. Example: my family used to live in a very rocky part of North Texas called the Cedar Mountains. Large hills were more like it. Down in Southwestern Dallas the rock is predominately limestone, with a lot of evergreen trees, thorns, thistles, and other less-desirable flora. Gardening was tough. My mom, who passed down her love of gardening, planted a garden out back of our house and had to do a LOT of soil prepping to get rid of the rocks underneath the topsoil. The bits of limestone were everywhere! She added good soil to the topsoil and did her best to grow a garden and, to the delight of her children, succeeded. Our delight was tempered a bit one year because she, in her wisdom, grew brussel sprouts and fed them to her children....

The soil is not much better where I live now. There's a lot of sand, clay and leaf compost around my house, a great mix for trees but not so much for gardens. You'll find that most farms are located where there is rich black soil and lots of sunshine. That ain't here. So I've struggled to find the right mix of soil for growing vegetables. I hope that this year I've finally got it with a new brew of three compositions layered and mixed for success. Or so I hope! I planted a rosemary bush and some broccoli seedlings this afternoon, so we'll see.

Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes that there is a time and season for everything. I'll bet he could plant a mighty fine garden! Throughout the centuries, farmers have deciphered those seasons and planned their crops according to their calculations. Isaiah asks rhetorically if a farmer keeps plowing the soil even after he has planted his seed. The obvious answer is, "No way!" Why? Because there is a time for plowing and a time for planting, a time for watering, a time for weeding, and a time for harvesting. The farmer plows the soil to get it ready for planting.

God does the same thing in the soil of our hearts. He initially prepares our hearts for the seed of the Gospel message and then, when that seed is planted, watered and grows, He harvests salvation. Then He sets to work all over again, though this time with a different crop in mind. He prepares the soil of our hearts through the Holy Spirit to plant and eventually reap righteousness and holiness. We have a part in the process from planting to reaping. I love how James puts it: "Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save (lit. "rescue or deliver") you." We can choose to take the seed of holiness God has planted through His Spirit and nurture it, make sure it has plenty of water, and enjoy the blessing of its growth. After all, God is still the gardener but we are the garden.

And so we have a responsibility as God's garden to do all that we can, under His all-sufficient grace, to nurture and water the seed of faith He has planted within us. Watering involves many things: digging deeper into His word, practicing various spiritual disciplines, and obeying the commands of Christ, just to name a few. Doing these things will cause righteousness to sprout forth from the soil of our hearts and bring God, the Great Gardener, a beautiful crop of glory.

Happy growing!


.

A Glorious Day Long Forgotten

Watch this message and we'll discuss...............



...........................................................


I'll bet this was the first time today you heard about today's holiday. For any native Texan, today should be a special day, but it is one that the media and even the state seems to have forgotten existed. After all, we have party primaries today! Woo hoo!

Today is Texas Independence Day. As Senator John Cornyn (inappropriately with an American flag in the background) described, on March 2nd, 1836, a group of Texian leaders gathered in a small wood frame building at Washington-on-the-Brazos in south Texas to sign a declaration of independence from Mexico. The flag that flew over the Alamo, at San Jacinto, and for nine years afterward over Austin, was not the U.S. flag. It was the Lone Star flag that still represents the people of Texas today.

I was born in Texas, by the grace of God, to immigrants from Louisiana (ask them. they'll admit to being immigrants who got here as fast as they could.). And as far as I'm concerned, I consider myself to be a Texan first and everything else second. This is not ego as much as it is civic pride. Or patriotism. We are a unique people here in Texas and I'm glad to be counted among them.

I enjoy living in this wild and beautiful land called Texas and days like today remind me that the history people have have forgotten forged the foundation of the place they now reside. If you want a spiritual analogy, think of the Hebrews coming out of Egypt. They forgot about what God had done for them in the past and ended up wandering for 40 years in the wilderness. When Joshua led them across the Jordan, the next generation gathered as a people in the Promised Land to celebrate their own independence day and recall the blessings of God in the past.

So there. Happy Independence Day, y'all! I hope you celebrate with some Blue Bell and a cold Dr. Pepper.

.