Independence Day, Friday, July 4, 2014

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, and Happy Independence Day.  Today we are truly ONE NATION UNDER GOD, and I love it, don't you?

America, One Nation Under God, from its fields of rich earth, filled with lots of good thins to eat, from its mountains filled with beautiful trees and lots and lots of wildlife, with fresh springs feeding into streams, then into creeks and into mighty rivers and then on into our oceans.  And all those streams, creeks, rivers and our oceans filled with lots of fish and other great seafood to eat.

America, One Nation Under God, where large cities have been built with buildings that seem to melt into the sky, and where small towns still strive, and Andy can still be sheriff, and Barney his deputy after all these years.  From factories that build cars and trucks, and to plants that make great Hershey Chocolate candy bars.  From offices that house doctors, nurses, lawyers and computer technicians.  You will see fields of grain, farms, some with big tractors and combines in those fields, others with a young Amish lad plowing with a team of work horses or mules.  You get the picture, or you should.

America, One Nation Under God, where folks of all sizes, shapes, and colors have come together to live.  Sort of reminds me of that song I learned in Bible School ... Red and Yellow, Black and White, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.  And you can find God's children from all over the world calling America home.  I am one of those kids.

America, One Nation Under God, who has blessed us well.  We could survive on what God has given this country and would not need to bring in anything from other countries if we cared to do that.  We would also have enough left over to help other countries who either don't have food or would sooner fight each other than learn to grow food.

America, truly built by God, who sent Jesus to free us from sin.  America, then needed so many men and women to keep us free.

America, on this Independence Day, 2014, I would like to say thank you to all those who have served in our military from the beginning.  Brave men and women who fought in battle or supported those who did.  Like my daddy, who did not go into the military, but gave up his teaching job during World War Two to make tires for airplanes.  Some people say today that our veterans are getting few and far between, and that is not so, in fact, we have many veterans, some of whom have lost body parts fighting in the wars we are in right now.  Some of them are just 18 years old, some are in their 90s or older.

America, One Nation Under God, and I wish to thank God this day for my personal freedom, for God, through His Son Jesus gave me that, and NO ONE, I SAID NO ONE, CAN TAKE IT AWAY.

America, One Nation Under God, and today I want to thank all of the fine men and women of today's Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy.  I wish to thank the fine men and women of our National Guard Units in this area the 28th Army division and the 193rd Air Force Unit.  And others I might have missed.

America, One Nation Under God, and today I would like to thank all of those people who work to support those warriors of America.  Let me start with the families of our military, and then move on to those who work hard on the military bases.  Like those in our area.  Those who work and study at the Army War College in Carlisle, PA.  And those who work at the Army and Navy Supply depots in our area and also those who work and train at Fort Indiantown Gap.  I want to thank all of those who work in military and veterans hospitals, and who help people like my dear Army veteran friend, Grant Crockett, who served in Vietnam.  I want to thank ladies who have served like Sharon Saylor and Dolores Lehman, who refer to each other as "Navy" and "Air Force," as Sharon is a Navy veteran, and my dear wife Dolores is an Air Force veteran and also served in the 193rd.  I want to thank my son Glenn, his wife Dian, and my grandson Daniel, who all have served in the Navy.

And on this day I also want to say thank you to "Roger" who lives at The Bridges and who we call our "Sea Bee" who served in WW2.  Thank you, Roger.

America, One Nation Under God, where a few, just a few, of the people who are free because of God and our military want to have the name "God" removed from our Pledge to Our Flag.  Just a few folks, mind you.   If it were not for God, there would be no America, and if it were not for the men and women of our military over the years, we might be speaking another language.  MIGHT?  Might nothing, we would be.

America, One Nation Under God, only in America where a young Army Major named David would stop by our home on his way from Carlisle to Fort Indiantown Gap to say thank you to us for helping the needy and to say thank you to me for things he learned in Vacation Bible School where I met this Major as a lad.  And while he was here for those few short minutes he grabbed heavy bags of salt and filled our water softener.

AMERICA, ONE NATION UNDER GOD!  Do you appreciate what we have today?  Look around you today, look past the burger or hot dog on the grill or your soda or beer in your hand, look past those sports teams and those NASCAR drivers, look past that golf course and just look around, and the next time you see a man or lady in uniform, make an effort to shake their hand and say "THANK YOU" and maybe if you are in a restaurant you might buy them a meal.

AMERICA, ONE NATION UNDER GOD.  Look around you today, and maybe just right now take time to say, THANK YOU, GOD, FOR AMERICA, AND THANK YOU, GOD, FOR THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE PROTECTED IT.  And please remember the police and firefighters who keep us safe on the homefront and those Merchant Marines who transport the goods to our warriors.

AMERICA, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, where you can STILL PRAY OUT LOUD, even when some people want to change it to a silent prayer.  Say it with me, please ...

THANK YOU, FATHER!

AMERICA, ONE NATION UNDER GOD.  Stand up for her or if you don't like it, I invite you to leave, for no one is holding you back.  Get out if you don't like it and I dare you to find a better place to live.  And after you have been to any other country in the world, please write and tell me if it is better or not, then I will invite you back to AMERICA, ONE NATION UNDER GOD.

AMERICA, ONE NATION UNDER GOD.  YESTERDAY AND TODAY AND FOREVER AS LONG AS WE STAY WITH GOD AND REMAIN ONE NATION UNDER GOD.  For when the time comes we trash God too much, no military, not even the best of the best, our United States Military will be able to protect us from the "WRATH OF GOD" and I think we get close to that on a lot of days.

AMERICA, ONE NATION UNDER GOD.  I LOVE YOU, FATHER, AND I LOVE YOU, JESUS, AND I LOVE AMERICA, and yes, I LOVE LL OF YOU.

Pastor Daniel W. Lehman
Ordained:  "World Christianship Ministries"
Pastor:  Carry The Light Ministries

Written Independence Day 2014

And yes, you may use this writing if you would like to, it is up to you.