I Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb

Intro: Independence Day - Video montage

Last year,(2013) almost 1 million citizens of other countries became American citizens.

This brings the total amount of naturalized American citizens to almost 50 million.

Comparing the latest figures of immigrants in different countries, the closest country to the USA boasts of less than 20 % of the number of naturalized citizens in AMERICA!

We are constantly made aware of the tremendous challenges this nation is presently facing on our southern border as each year, tens of thousands of unaccompanied children precariously cross into the LAND OF OPPORTUNITY and FREEDOM.

The USA was formed by IMMIGRANTS. That is the message that is broadcast 24/7/365 by our national ICON of FREEDOM sitting in NY harbor.

Personal illustration: 1966, after spending 5 years in Brazil, mom, dad and myself boarded a passenger ship in the port of SANTOS in south BRAZIL.

DESTINATION:

NEW YORK.

DURATION:

2 weeks

I remember as if yesterday the excitement that morning as the ship sailed into the NY HARBOR..

I remember that my first impression was disappointment…

I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS SO MUCH LARGER …

But with background clutter that includes the 100+story EMPIRE STATE …. in comparison, the Statue of Liberty looked so small.

Even though the statue was dwarfed by other structures in the busy harbor, the MESSAGE OF THAT ICON blares out the MESSAGE of FREEDOM that the entire world pays attention to.

Written on the base is part of this poem….

The Statue of Liberty

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips.

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

In New York harbor stands a lady,with a torch raised to the sky.

And all who see her,

know she stands for liberty for you and I

I'm so proud to be called an American

To be named with the brave and the free

I will honor our flag and our trust in God,

and the Statue of Liberty.

IF you are like me, You love AMERICA!

For MOST who have lived for any period of time in another country (as a missionary kid and then as a missionary, a total of 30 years of my life were lived in Brazil)

A person who has lived extensively in another country knows HOW VERY SPECIAL AND UNIQUE AMERICA IS.

You may love AMERICA.

You may hate AMERICA.

HOWEVER, one thing is non-negotiable based on 238 years of AMERICAN HISTORY:

No other country in the world comes even into the ballpark of having offered more freedom and opportunities to the less fortunate than the good ‘ole USA.

No other country in the world has even come close to the RELIGIOUS FREEDOM guaranteed by the American constitution.

GOD BLESS THE AMERICA!

THE YEARNING for freedom is what has brought 10’s of millions to this amazing nation during its 200 plus year history.

It wasn’t by chance that AMERICA has been the beacon of civil freedom for over 200 years.

IT WAS BY DESIGN…

The framers of THIS NATION purposefully wrote the founding documents to reflect JUDEO/CHRISTIAN CORE VALUES.

God has blessed AMERICA because AMERICA CHOSE GOD!

America is a BEACON OF FREEDOM, but as ALWAYS is the case, It was founded at a tremendous cost.

Today, we honor YOU who have given so much to help guarantee our FREEDOM

• Today, we honor the memory of SO MANY who gave up so much to guarantee our FREEDOM

• Today, we honor the memory of SO MANY who paid the ULTIMATE PRICE to guarantee our FREEDOM

You see FREEDOM IS NEVER FREE

SOMEONE ALWAYS HAS TO PAY THE PRICE FOR FREEDOM

When the framers of our CONSTITUTION met to hammer out our civil liberties and freedoms, they sought for divine inspiration.

These quotes from some of the signer’s of the Constitution reveal their focus as the met o hammer out the TIMELESS document that has guided our nation throughout the past 238 years.

As a man thinketh, so is he.

Matt. 12:34 For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.

QUOTES taken from the lives of some of the 56 SIGNERS of the CONSTITUTION.

(ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

Richard Bassett - "Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust... shall... make and subscribe the following declaration, to wit: 'I, ____, do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, an din the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed for evermore; and I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration.'"