A Sousa march for the 4th of July to grandmother’s aphorisms.

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
 
— Psalm 20:7

America’s greatest, most inventive composer is Charles Ives.

His tone poem, The Fourth of July, envisions a small town where marching bands playing patriotic tunes collide into the town square and have a “battle of the bands” all at once!

Great fun!

A fully fleshed out version this year as I had time since this is a day off (Wednesdays) for me right now as the place I did karaoke was closed 3 weeks ago.

Didn’t know 3 Presidents died on this day in one case just a few hours apart on same day.

04 July

John Adams
(1735-1826)

Second US President (1797-1801), Vice President (1789-97) and Founding Father, dies at 90

Biography: Adams was a leading advocate of American independence from Great Britain and one of the country’s Founding Fathers. During the Revolution he played a leading role in persuading Congress to declare independence. He served as the first Vice President of the United States (1789-1797) under George Washington, and then succeeded him by becoming the second President of the United States (1797–1801).

The most vocal proponent of the Declaration of Independence, Adams assisted Thomas Jefferson in drafting the seminal document. His writings, particularly his treatise Thoughts on Government (1776) helped influence the Constitution.

During his presidency, Adams built up the navy and army in the face of the Quasi-War with France, and encountered strong opposition from Alexander Hamilton and other Jeffersonian Republicans. He was succeeded as President by Thomas Jefferson in 1800, with whom he re-established a long friendship, and died on the same day as him – July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

2 Corinthians 3 (text and audio)

04 July 2021 Sanford Clark, American country-rockabilly singer and guitarist (“The Fool”; “Son Of A Gun”), dies of Covid-19 while undergoing cancer treatment at 85.

It’s Nothing To Me

For Dreamboat Annie :

Such Sad News about the other Annie (Wilson) .
She is Tough , though , and
will Overcome This , I have
No Doubt ! She and Nancy are Beloved Here in the Pacific NorthWest !

I hope Your Own Healing is Better by the Day , Annie 😊 Thinking of You 🌺

UFO-looking vehicle pulled over again, this time in Oklahoma

The spaceship-like ‘car’ was first pulled over Friday in Missouri

A spaceship-like vehicle reportedly heading to a festival in New Mexico was pulled over for at least a second time.

Highway patrol officials in Oklahoma shared Facebook photos of the rare car, writing, “It’s not every day you pull over a UFO.”

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Ryan Vanvleck pulled over the “UFO” on Monday for having an “obstructed tag,” the post said.

The “UFO Festival,” where the driver of the space vehicle was apparently heading, is held from July 5th through the 7th to celebrate “fascination with extraterrestrial phenomena and embrace the wonders that await beyond the stars,” the event’s website states.

https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/ufo-looking-vehicle-pulled-over-again-time-oklahoma

Dozing off


Dogs don’t like Fireworks – It’s dive under the couch time.


Puppy brothers


The Power of an Ordinary Person
The only prerequisite for serving the Lord is a willing heart.
He asks His followers to love Him above all else and fully commit to obeying Him.
When we do, He will accomplish more through us than we could ever imagine.

it’s cursday !

christmas in july

western cape, south africa

A video by Kirsten and Joerg (pronounced ‘Yerg’) who are a Anglophile German couple living in Cheshire, England. Cheshire is a county which borders onto Wales.

This video of their walk in North Wales will be enjoyable to most people and is posted especially for Betsy, to whom this lovely landscape is completely familiar.

They have chosen the Dark Side.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/07/omg-unspoken-thing-disney-marketing-director-reveals-plans/

ONE OF GOD’S GREAT DON’TS
 
“Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil doing.” Psalm xxxvii. 8 R.V.
 
Fretting means getting out at elbows mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say “Fret not,” but a very different thing to have such a disposition that you find yourself able not to fret. It sounds so easy to talk about “resting in the Lord” and “waiting patiently for Him” until the nest is upset – until we live, as so many are doing, in tumult and anguish, is it possible then to rest in the Lord? If this “don’t” does not work there, it will work nowhere. This “don’t” must work in days of perplexity as well as in days of peace, or it never will work. And if it will not work in your particular case, it will not work in anyone else’s case. Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances at all, but on your relationship to God Himself.
 
Fussing always ends in sin. We imagine that a little anxiety and worry are an indication of how really wise we are; it is much more an indication of how really wicked we are. Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way. Our Lord never worried and He was never anxious, because He was not “out” to realize His own ideas; He was “out” to realize God’s ideas. Fretting is wicked if you are a child of God.
 
Have you been bolstering up that stupid soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God? Put all “supposing” on one side and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about that thing. All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.
 
Oswald Chambers
July 4th Devotional

Johnny Cash – Ragged Old Flag (Official Audio)

Johnny Cash was a legendary country music singer, songwriter and musician. Born on February 26, 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas, Johnny made his way up to be one of the most influential artists of all time. His genre-spanning music embraced country, rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel sounds with top hits such as “Ring of Fire,” “Walk the Line,” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” Honored with multiple Grammy awards throughout his lifetime, Johnny was also inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. He often collaborated with other popular music icons, such as Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, to name a few. Throughout his storied career, Johnny received numerous accolades and left an indelible impact on the genre of country music. He is revered and remembered to this day as an incomparable legend of the music industry.

Good morning all.

What a miserably humid 4th here at my central Indiana home. 93% humidity with a temp of 68.7 deg at 06:30 and no there is not a drop of rain yet. Not much different from the weather the Union soldiers at Gettysburg and retreating Confederates experienced on this day in 1863.

Glad we got the new HVAC. Can’t hear the new system unless I’m standing right by the furnace room door. Outside unit is also quit quiet.

I didn’t know that bear cubs purr!

Ever since Nov.’20, special holidays have not held the same gravity for me. They have felt hollow, it seems most people go through the motions searching for the spark, like me.

Heavenly Father, please ease this Biden induced anhedonia, Amen.

Greetings Treepers!

🙏✝️🙏

July 4

Morning

Leaning on Jesus’ bosom. John 13:23

As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you. Isa. 66:13

They brought young children to him, that he should touch them. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them. Mark 10:13, 16

Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat; and I will not send them away fasting, test they faint in the way. Matt. 15:32

A high Priest … touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Heb. 4:15

In his love and in his pity he redeemed them. Isa. 63:9

I will not leave you comfortless (marg. orphans): I will come to you. John 14:18

Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Isa. 49:15

The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Rev. 7:17

Evening

Jesus Christ the righteous: the propitiation for our sins. I John 2:1, 2

Toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat. Exo. 5:20-22

Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psa. 85:9, 10

If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Psa. 130:4, 7, 8

All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins. Rom. 3:23-25

 Bagster
https://dailylightdevotional.org/07/0704.html

Happy Cursday, y’all !

Dispatcher issuing end-of-service commendation to K9 Officer

https://youtube.com/shorts/ge0Ua8ENdV8?si=5qYQd6ZO8eSfXP6V

Goat farmer has somethin’ to say

https://youtube.com/shorts/h4KUn-aRSdM?si=8Ij1-TKFv4UIWhsH

And rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.     –  Joel 2:13

A Gallup poll published in June 2022 revealed that the percentage of Americans who believe in God is declining. The same poll has been taken frequently since 1944, and 98 percent of survey respondents consistently said they believed in God through the early 1980s. By 2022, that number had fallen to 81 percent.

In December 2021, Arizona Christian University published an article that said Americans, particularly millennials, have an indifferent attitude toward God, Jesus, and the Bible. At the same time, that survey found that a majority of American young people admit to feelings of anxiety, depression, or fear. Recently, Pew Research said that if the current climatic pattern of indifference continues, “Christians could make up less than half of the U.S. population within a few decades.” 

Christian values have historically conflicted with culture but, at present, those values are at odds with the trend of the world’s systems at a level that has not been seen before in America. This nation is in need of a spiritual climate change! As the Lord did with the people of Israel in the time of Joel, the invitation goes forward: “’‘Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart’” (Joel 2:12).

He calls you to an authentic relationship, a change of heart, a transformational spiritual change. God says to repent—turn away from sin—and return—turn toward Him. 

C. H. Spurgeon says, “The text commands us to rend our hearts, but they are naturally hard as marble; how then, can this be done? We must take them to Calvary.”

The warmth of the Savior’s love, compassion, and forgiveness is able to thaw the cold, hardened heart. Pray earnestly for repentance in the United States, that the people recognize their need for salvation in Christ, repent, and turn to embrace the true Source of peace, contentment, and joy found only in Him! 

https://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/daily-prayer-briefing?utm_source=daily_briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_briefing&utm_content=daily_briefing#devotional

Picked up a Glock 21 in excellent condition with 3 mags and a speed loader yesterday for under $500. That size handgun fits me perfectly though it is not suitable for conceal carry. It’s only flaw in my view is a relatively hard trigger pull. But I can work it over to take care of that.

I sold one I had years ago and have always regretted it. Though I have put many 1,000s of rounds down range shooting 1911A1s and my Colt Combat Commander over the years, I am still more accurate with the Glock.

Just a small historical note: Several weeks prior to July 4, 176, George Mason wrote the Virgina Declaration of Rights to proclaim the inherent rights of men, including the right to reform or abolish “inadequate” government.
I propose, in the spirit of the Juneteenth Federal holiday to also celebrate Mason’s document

Sundance, any thoughts on the kenyan civil unrest and whether barack is involved?

I’ve got my 6′ x 10′ colors flying today with my new 3′ x 5′ Appeal to Heaven under. That looks to me to be the largest flag I can fly on my 30′ pole and still have it look right. Will fly the 6×10 only on certain holidays. Normally fly a 5×8 with a Gadsden flag under except when really stormy weather is forecast. Then it’s a 3×5 storm flag with nothing under it. The Gadsden and Appeal to Heaven flags are made relatively cheaply so I try not to fly them in really bad weather. All my colors are high quality embroidered.

Matthew Henry :: Commentary on Ezekiel 12

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Eze/Eze_012.cfm?a=814001

Thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, whom it is next to impossible to work any good upon. They have eyes and ears, they have intellectual powers and faculties, but they see not, they hear not. They were idolaters, whose character it was that they were like the idols they worshipped, which have eyes and see not, ears and hear not,

Note, Those are to be reckoned rebellious that shut their eyes against the divine light and stop their ears to the divine law. The ignorance of those that are wilfully ignorant, that have faculties and means and will not use them, is so far from being their excuse that it adds rebellion to their sin. None so blind, so deaf, as those that will not see, that will not hear. They see not, they hear not; for they are a rebellious house. The cause is all from themselves: the darkness of the understanding is owing to the stubbornness of the will. Now this is the reason why he must speak to them by signs, as deaf people are taught, that they might be either instructed or ashamed.

Psalm 115:5-8 KJV

They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:

They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:

They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.

They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

“WE CAN ALL SEE JOE BIDEN’S WEAKNESS…”

THE OAK RIDGE BOYS “Where He Leads Me”

I will celebrate Independence Day today knowing that it will be determined once again on November 5, 2024.

President Trump debating Mumbles Biden

Verse of the Day for Thursday, July 4, 2024

✟

“And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” 

Genesis 28:15 (KJV)

Thank You, Jesus, for blessings received and prayers answered !!!

PRAYING ON THE ARMOR OF GOD

Father God, I now follow your command to put on the full armor of God, because my battle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities, the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the unseen world.

I first pray on the Belt of Truth that it may be buckled around my waist, may I be centered and encircled by your truth dear Lord. Hem me inside all that is true and right, and may I be protected and held up by the truth of your living word, in my Lord Jesus name.

I pray on the Breastplate of righteousness, please protect my vital organs and my inner man, cover my integrity, my spirit, and my soul. Guard my heart for it is the wellspring of life, please strengthen and guard the most vulnerable places in my life with that which is right, good, and noble that I might not receive a fatal blow from the enemy, in my Lord Jesus name.

I pray on the Gospel Shoes of Peace. I choose to stand in the shoes of your good news, and on the firm foundation of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the solid eternal rock. All other ground is sinking sand, I pray that I will not slip or fall, but that my feet would be firmly fitted on your lordship, my Lord Jesus. I choose to stand on you, so that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus, the eternal Rock of Ages. I receive your holy peace now my Lord, from the sole of my feet to the crown of my head, in my Lord Jesus name.

I pray the Shield of Faith into my hand now. As I take up the shield of faith, I ask that you might extinguish every dart and arrow that is launched from the enemy to take me down spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and every attempt of the enemy to destroy my joy. I ask that my faith in you would make it flame out. Extinguish every flaming arrow that would come against me, my life, my family, my home, or my ministry. May my faith always be out in front of me like a shield. Give me the courage to “faith my fears” by choosing to walk by faith and not by sight, in my Lord Jesus name.

I pray on the Helmet of Salvation, that you might protect my mind from the thoughts that can lead me astray. I choose to take every thought captive, and arrest all intentioned ideas and motives that would harm others, or distract me from your holy will for me. I submit every captured thought to the Lordship of my Lord Jesus Christ, and ask that you would imprison those thoughts that are not of you my Lord. Transform my mind and renew my thinking that I may think God thoughts, and have a sober mind that is focused on your glory. Please protect me from being double minded that I may allow my mind, I reject to live an earthly life, because I choose to live a holy one, governed by you My Lord Jesus, the prince of peace, please have my mind to be saturated with the holy mind of Christ, in my Lord Jesus name.

Finally, I take up the Sword of the Spirit which is the holy word of God, I pray this powerful offensive weapon into my hand, and ask that your holy word would be fitting for every encounter I face. As the enemy gets close to me, please give me the insight, wisdom, and skill to wield the word of God to drive away the enemy, in my Lord Jesus name.

May the enemy and his team flee from me, upon hearing the word of God spoken by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. Give me the sword of the spirit to cut through the wiles of the devil, so that I may discern the schemes of the enemy when he is near.

With all kinds of prayers, supplication, and intercession I pray to you my Lord God as the one who fights my battles. Now that I’m in your holy powerful armor, I walk away covered and ready to face my day as you go before me, and please protect me in the midst of the spiritual warfare in this unseen world, in my Lord Jesus name.

Thank you my Lord, for the spiritual weapons of armor and prayer that you have given me. It is written no weapon formed against me shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses me. 

Thank you Father God, my Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, that I am more than a conqueror in my Lord Jesus. I pray all of this in the mighty name of my Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.



BE MY VOICE

JESUS LOVES THE LITTLE CHILDREN

CHILD NOT CHOICE



PLEASE PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER

Psalm 91.The most powerful prayer from the Bible. God’s protection, healing

#psalm91 #psalms #prayer

Pray Everyday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-8GLitn-KQ&t=0s

____________________________

Sleep Well with Psalms. Psalm 91, Psalm 121, Psalm 3, Psalm 4, Psalm 139.

#faith #god #psalms

Pray Everyday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKUPiqPMs8M&t=2s

______________________________

HAVE A VERY BLESSED DAY !!!  ❤️❤️❤️



Good Morning treepers and a most memorable day July 4th 2024
the good the bad and the ugly. July 4 2025 the joy the peace and we the people.

On the iconic painting of the Declaration of Independence and the artist who created it.
https://remodernreview.wordpress.com/2024/07/04/daily-art-fix-on-john-trumbull-painting-the-declaration-of-independence/

Happy 4th of July.
Something to laugh about.

Isaiah 58 True Fasting

You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
7 
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.
11 
The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13 
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
    and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 
then you will find your joy in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Blessed morning, Treepers,

Breakfast is simple today. Long night working and I’m grateful for hardboiled eggs made ahead for no fuss protein.

The real “meat” is in The Word next to it. Nourishment for body and soul.

Rainier cherries and red table grapes from Aldis.

Outside my back patio this morning, I have about 80 Canadian geese, a duck Momma and her babies (too far away for a good shot), and a majestic gray Crane.

My Nasturium took a beating in the recent storm, but they’ll return in time.

I can’t stop thinking about Congressman Thomas Massie and the loss of his high school sweetheart wife of 35 years, Rhonda. She was only 51 years old. I took the time to write him a note of condolence and gratitude, and I am going to include it with a box of peanut butter pretzels and send it to his office in Northern Kentucky.

I told him that he is the father and husband of a nation and that we need his voice in Washington. Keep fighting. I also reminded him that his wife is everywhere and now living in the Great Promise of Eternity. God Is Faithful.

It takes just a moment to send a kindness. A small investment of time and money to bless, especially for someone who sacrifices so much for our country. My gifts to Mar-A-Lago are so small – $20 cash bills sent to their A/R department with notes of gratitude for service. We don’t have a lot of money. Wouldn’t be working two jobs if we did, however I remember the story of the poor widow’s offering. I pray over my gifts however great or small, that God Would see to multiply them.

A trickle can flow into a great river.

The Honorable Thomas Massie
The Great State of Kentucky
541 Buttermilk Pike, Suite 208
Crescent Springs, KY 41017

Mark 12 – The Widow’s Offering
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

-price for freedom 🤔