Daily Archives: July 4, 2006

A freedom we take for granted

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Despite the best efforts of modern-day “liberals” (or “progressives” or whatever other branding they apply to themselves), we will always be a country that was formed on Christian principles. The quote above is from our second President, written after he signed the Declaration of Independence. It’s amazing to go through old writings of our founding fathers and find that that yes, without a doubt, this is a nation with a Christian heritage. It doesn’t matter how hard people try to deny it.

That’s why our country is so blessed. That’s why we have such hope, such energy, and such prosperity. It was made evident to me in the presentations given by a bunch of the young ladies in our church who joined a missionary organization on a trip to Poland a couple of weeks ago.

This man (above) became a Christian while in a concentration camp at Auschwitz. He survived and prayed for sixty years that someone would come to his home city in Poland, bearing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This year, they came. During their week or so stay, over a hundred thousand copies of John & Romans were handed out, and people were invited to a meeting at the end of the week.

The missionaries, and participants from around the US who had joined them, didn’t know what kind of a response they’d get. Decades of communism kills the spirit of the people; they aren’t like we are here. Tough soil to plow, I guess. But when the night came for the meeting, the auditorium they’d rented was filled to capacity! When the attendees had the opportunity to get a free Bible at the end of the meeting, it was nearly chaos. They were so excited, and so accustomed to having to press the lines to get anything, that they rushed the tables. Everyone got their Bible.

The picture above brings tears to my eyes every time. Despite his age, this man is holding his first Bible. He had never had a Bible before, and he’s kissing the one he just got. Shouldn’t God’s word be that precious to all of us? We’ve got it so good here in America that we lose sight of what we have.

I’ve got my study Bible, one in my truck, one in the trunk of my motorcycle…and I don’t read them nearly enough. Jesus said, “to whom much is given, much is required.” I haven’t lived up to that lately. What it takes is to see what it’s like to have lived one’s entire life without that gift. To see this man’s joy in finally getting a Bible, in his language at that, is very convicting.

We live in a country where we don’t get arrested for having a Bible. If we don’t have the five measly bucks to get one at Wal-Mart, someone will give you one. They’re in the dresser drawers at hotels. Maybe that’s why we don’t spend much time with our nose in that book. Take a few seconds to put yourself in the shoes of these people, who were desperate at the thought that they might not get a Bible that night. Then thank God that you live in a country that was founded on the faith in God, who provides all the many freedoms and blessings our country enjoys today.

Mandan’s annual July 4th / Rodeo Days parade

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Today was the annual parade in Mandan, and our cameras (both of them) were there. This is a huge event for Mandan — its biggest — and I bet they wish that they could have people streaming over from Bismarck in these numbers all the time!

The crowd was huge. I did the usual “show up 20 mins early and sit on the east end” routine. It’s the fastest way in and out of town. Simply park over by Bonanza, walk a little ways, and catch the parade participants as they make the turn onto Main Street.

Of course, we started with the honor guard. It was great to see that a lot of the crowd actually had an idea about flag ettiquette; removing hats, that sort of thing. I always think of a picture I saw from a parade one time…the color guard was going past with the flags, and the ONLY one standing at attention was an old man in a wheelchair, who still managed to stand for his country’s flag. That’s deplorable…we should all display a sense of honor, duty, and patriotism when those colors fly.

Naturally, all the kids were lined up for the candy. All the spectators were so enthusiastic that the police had to keep reminding them to stand back. This was especially imporant around the corner; a lot of the equipment has difficulty turning in a confined space like that.

Of course, there were lots of people handing out candy as well. Many just threw the candy down and let the kids dive for it. This girl preferred the one-on-one approach.

Here are the heroes of the parade. Whenever a group of soldiers would go by, the crowd clapped, cheered, yelled “Thank you!” and waved their appreciation. There was a group in the parade marching to honor our fallen soldiers as well.

These are the unsung heroes of any parade; the people who follow the horses. It’s not a pretty job, but someone has to do it. Things could get pretty ugly (and fragrant) if these guys weren’t volunteering to swing a shovel!

There was a martial arts display as well. I used to take part in this one, it’s a blast. Throwing someone around on a trailer like that is a blast…one can really piledrive an adversary into the mat and the springs on the trailer take up all the impact!

Some of the BNSF guys were able to stop for a little bit and take in the parade as well. This train had a lot of loaded coal cars on it and there were apparently some cars being removed on the other end, so these guys got to see part of the parade.

Redefining the meaning of the term “Service Charge” — and its limits — for over 150 years!

This was a great time and the weather was beautiful. Although it was in the low 90s today, it didn’t feel that way. There were some neat floats, but for the most part it seemed it was vehicles with advertising stuck on them. I’d hoped for more homemade floats. There were a bunch, though; for instance, Leingang Siding & Windows had one in the shape of a big cake celebrating Morton County’s 125th. Savvy skate & snow shop had a neat display too, and an army of skaters performing along the way. Earl Pomeroy was there, hoping nobody remembered that he voted NO on a bill in the US House declaring “that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.” Governor Hoeven, on the other hand, was walking with North Dakota soldiers. You’re not fooling anyone, Earl.

Time went pretty quickly…it’s not that hard to spend a couple hours out in the sun when there’s such a sense of community in the air. One thing you can count on with Mandan’s annual parade, thousands of people will show up in unity and celebrate our nation. It sure was a great day to be an American!