Happy Independence Day!
Lord God, by your providence our founders won their liberties of old: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to exercise these liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“…grace to exercise these liberties in righteousness and peace…”
There’s the key.
CK,
Yes…
It’s BBQ ribs, potato salad, ice cream and sparklers for us! And Monterey’s 4th of July parade with BAGPIPERS!!!!
Xenia,
That sounds like a lot of fun!
Here…it’s triple digit temps and lots of anxiety about fires…fireworks are not our friends here…
My advice for the day: Ease up on your fellow Americans. Just enjoy them for their good qualities and overlook their sins and foibles and rejoice that we are Americans together. Tomorrow… as you were.
It’s going to get all the way up to 72 degrees here on the Pacific coast. Elsewhere in the state there’s fires.
Living in a diverse town as we do, you can’t believe how many illegal fireworks our neighbors manage to get their hands on, some that actually light up the inside of our house. Since Seaside is basically one big sand dune the danger of forest fire is nil but shrubs and bushes have been known to ignite. The police have drones up searching for the perps and that adds to the general chaos. Our dog and cat jump and go under the bed but the dog gets hysterical if a curtain blows in an open window so she’s cried wolf too many times for us to take her seriously.
And tomorrow is Eddie’s and my 50th wedding anniversary!
Happy anniversary…what a milestone!
And may we have a fire free summer 💕🙏🇺🇸
For you Michael a peaceful one!
And Xenia: congratulations on your anniversary, praying it is God blessed and tranquil 💕🙏
That’s huge Xenia! Congrats!
Big wishes for a safe, enjoyable, relaxing Independence Day.
Mortars are not in the forecast but securely in mind…
Have a happy anniversary Xenia!!!
Catherine
Elena…amen.!
Congratulations Xenia, Gail and I just celebrated the same in May. It is the very best of gifts.
How about a little N T Wright for the holiday,
“The societies formed by the Western Enlightenment are quite happy for the churches to say their prayers and to debate the conditions for “going to heaven,” intending to escape the present world after death and thus largely ignoring it in the present. That is the implicit deal that has been struck. The church’s pact with the secular state (not least the media) forms the equivalent of Rome’s pact with the Jews. But what if people start taking seriously the Christian claim that Jesus is kyrios and Caesar is not?”
N. T. Wright, Galatians, ed. Stephen E. Fowl, Jennie Grillo, and Robert W. Wall, Commentaries for Christian Formation (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2021), 30–31.
As Michael encourages, make your own application
Xenia,
Congratulations on your’s and Eddie’s 50th anniversary tomorrow! WOW!
Xenia 50 years is great! I met my wife on the 4th of July 1982.
Thanks everybody!
Catherine! It’s so good to see you!
Xenia,
Enjoy your anniversary tomorrow!!
Prayer: Amen
Xenia: 50 years!!! Yayyyy!
Alan: Jesus is kyrios and there is no other, amen. Costly, alienating, and true. Only Jesus.