“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

  We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive to these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such Principles and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

      Thomas Jefferson

        Declaration of Independence of the United States of America

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?  Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, and another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the revolutionary war.  They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.  What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants; nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. However, they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing that the penalty would be death if they were captured.  Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.  Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.  Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.  At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.  Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.  John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.  Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." (Author Unknown)

When you read that, what emotions, as Americans, well up?  In me, I am forever grateful for those men, women and children that sacrificed so that I could have what I have today.  Still today, men, women and children sacrifice in our military forces to protect and serve our great country.  At the same time, I remember June 16^th, 1980, at Camp Galilee on Grey Cloud Island in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, when I had a personal day of Independence.  The sacrifice that was paid came in the form of a betrayal by a friend, smiting upon the cheek, plucking of the beard, lashes upon the back, a crown of thorns upon the brow, nails in the hands and feet and forgiveness for all.  Surely, whom “the Son sets free is free indeed.”

Genesis 11:1-9

“The level of our success is limited only by our imagination and no act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.”

Aesop

Imagination. It is a powerful thing. It makes hot-wheels fly down the corridors of our homes. It makes little plastic elephants fill the largest of living rooms. When my boys were young we would spend several hours playing on the floor, and everything that we played with came to life with our imagination.  

Have you ever imagined things for God? You know, when the clouds are thick, and the tempest is strong, do you ever imagine what it would be like to have Jesus physically step into your situation? I have to believe that everyone at one time or another must have imagined accomplishing some great feat in life, whether it is a personal business or a ministry. Have you ever imagined where you and your family would be in the future? What kind of house, job or car would you own?  

There is something unique in the passage of Genesis that gives you the secret to have your imagination come to life. Notice that God had to step on the scene because the people could do whatever they imagined to do. What is it that gave them the power to accomplish a task that was actually contrary to the things of God? They wanted to make a name for themselves, and they wanted to do it on their own. God saw that they would accomplish the task without any aid from Him, and so, He confounded the tongue and the people failed to finish because of the confusion of the tongues. It is interesting to note in this passage that it is because they all spoke the same language, desired the same thing, or in our modern day vernacular, they were all on the same page. 

  Is that where your family is? How about your church? Are you adding to the unity of your surroundings or are you just on a different page? Everything is available to you and your family as long as you dwell in unity. Unity is so powerful that even if it is used for evil, God cannot stop it. He must step in and cause confusion if it is evil. I wonder what would happen if we united together for good - what would God do then!!

  So, let me ask you, “Have you played with any elephants lately?”

Genesis 3:1-6

“Decide not rashly. The decision made

  Can never be recalled. The gods implore not,

    Plead not, solicit not; they only offer

      Choice and occasion, which once being passed

        Return no more. Dost thou accept the gift?”

       Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Forgive me friend, for the decision I made that fateful day. I was not thinking of you—my thoughts were only of myself.  I am Eve, mother of all the living. If I close my eyes, I can still remember the sweetness of walking with God in the cool of the day.  That was before my heart flirted with temptation; before I made my fatal error.  Adam and I knew that the serpent was crafty. I underestimated, however, the seductive power of his voice. I thought I could handle a conversation with him. How wrong I was. Conversations require cooperation. To cooperate you must grant authority to influence.  The serpent’s influence was deadly. The more I spoke with him, the more reasonable his words became. Then I started to doubt what I formerly knew as true. I began to wonder if God’s ways were in my best interest. I questioned if God really meant what He said about the tree. Suddenly the serpent’s words became an option: perhaps I could eat and not die.  I imagined how good the fruit would taste—though the garden was filled with delicacies. I considered how pretty the fruit was—though the garden was flooded with beauty. I thought of how wise I could become—though I walked with the Author of all wisdom.  Yes, the serpent was deceptive but I held the power of choice. I chose to hold a conversation with him. I chose to make his words an option. I chose to elevate my desires above God’s will. Ultimately, my choice altered human history.  All choices do.”  It is with this thought that we must be careful, not only to what we say, but also, to what we hear.  Everyone has probably been in a situation where it would have been more prudent to walk away than to stick around.  This is dangerous because it offers an opportunity for negative, draining and oftentimes, sinful thinking to enter your mind.  It is the reason that Paul admonished us in Romans 12:1-2 that our minds should be transformed.  He understood that the conversations that cause decisions not only affect the people within the conversation, but it affects anyone that comes in contact with the people within the conversation.  Where do you want your family to be 5 years from today?  Could it be that the conversations and decisions that are made this week will affect the destination?  Take some time today, and pray that God will give you the wisdom to walk away from conversations and decisions that could prove fatal.