As we all know, Freedom isn't really free.

All too often, it comes only with the price of blood--or even at the expense of life itself. While I am not a Christian who believes that America has been singled out by God for special blessings, or that our country possesses a kind of divine Manifest Destiny, I do believe that the American experiment was a noble one--the creation of a country where the rights of man were derived not from the magnanimity of earthly kings, but from the Creator Himself. Here, citizens were able to live out their religious beliefs free from government interference, and while they paid taxes to keep the government running, each man (and eventually each woman) had direct input into how the government was run.

Throughout the 233 year history of our Nation, we have faced both Civil and international War. The enemies of Freedom have tried their best to destroy us, but the sons and daughters of the United States of America put their lives on the line time and time again to insure freedom and democracy for all citizens. Their sacrifices can never be repaid. We owe them a debt that can never erased. And so we remember them this day and celebrate the birth of a nation--a country that even now struggles to live out the ideals by which it was created.

I believe that it used to be a tradition to read aloud from the Declaration of Independence each July 4th, and after having listened to it proclaimed recently myself, I think that it is a tradition we should return to. perhaps you feel like you have heard it before, but I urge you to take the time to click on the video below and listen to the stirring words of our Founding Fathers.

To all, a very blessed and happy Independence Day.