INDEPENDENCE DAY!---a time to celebrate our freedom as a nation—a time to remember how courageous men and women sacrificed their possessions and lives for the cause of liberty. We shook off the British shackles once and for all! Or so we thought.

Thirty six years later, the British were back! 2,260 American soldiers gave their lives in the War of 1812 to once again drive them out of our country. The Americans declared war on Britain for a combination of reasons, including outrage at the conscription of American sailors into the British navy, frustration at British restraints on neutral trade, and anger at alleged British military support for American Indians defending their tribal lands from encroaching American settlers.

President Madison’s declaration of war against Great Britain was not popular with many Americans, especially when the first year of conflict brought a series of shattering defeats. New England was in a virtual state of secession; the governor of Vermont ordered the state militia to resign from national service; and in Massachusetts there was talk of negotiating a separate peace with the enemy.

The British attacked the capital in August, 1814. While President Madison rode out to the battlefield in an attempt to instill confidence in the untrained troops, the citizens of Washington streamed out of the city into Virginia. Even the militia assigned to protect the White House deserted their posts. But First Lady Dolly Madison refused to budge.

Before the White House was burned, Dolly saved her husband’s papers, a framed copy of the Declaration of Independence, and a valuable portrait of George Washington. She would leave only at the last minute---and returned as soon as Madison sent word that the British had left Washington.

Dolly’s dramatic rescue of Washington’s portrait silenced her husband’s critics and infused the once-divided nation with a new spirit. When news of the British burning of the White House spread, people who had been denouncing the war and talking surrender abruptly changed their minds. Confronted by a united, determined people, the British were more than willing to sign a peace treaty six months later.
Hooray for Dolly! She is an inspiration for us all. Let’s celebrate her courage and patriotism and pledge anew our loyalty to our great country.

THE ILLINOIS BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY reported that the volume of long-distance calls made on Father’s Day is growing faster than the number on Mother’s Day. The company apologized for the delay in compiling the statistics, but explained that extra billing of calls to fathers slowed things down. Most of them were “collect” calls.

Fathers seem to take a bum rap when June rolls around. It is even said that the official flower for Father’s Day is the dandelion, because the more it is trampled upon, the better it grows.

Dad may not get the billing and attention that mom gets, and perhaps that is understandable, given the amount of time that a child spends with his/her mother, but father is irreplaceable. His influence is beyond measure. Our prisons are filled with men who did not have a father (or at least a loving one) as a part of their lives while growing up. But for those who did, the benefits are incalculable. Here is a case in point.

A young successful attorney said, “The greatest gift I ever received was one I got one Christmas when my dad gave me a small box. Inside was a note that read, “Son, this year I will give you 365 hours, an hour every day after dinner. It’s yours. We’ll talk about what you want to talk about. We’ll go where you want to go, play what you want to play. It will be your hour!”

“My dad not only kept his promise,” he said, “but every year he renewed it---and it’s the greatest gift I ever had in my entire life. I am the result of his time.”

I wonder how many others would say “Amen” to this man’s estimation of his father’s commitment. After all is said and done, perhaps the greatest gift to our children is TIME. It’s an investment that will pay great dividends in the future.

So, come on dads, get up off the couch, put the paper down, come on in from your projects, give your children your undivided attention. If you do, someday they will rise up and call you “blessed.”

FLAG DAY IS JUNE 14. It’s a day for all Americans to celebrate and show respect for our flag, its designers and makers. It was first observed in 1877 on the 100th anniversary of the Continental Congress’ adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Flag Day as a national celebration, but it wasn’t officially recognized until 1949 when President Harry Truman signed the National Flag Day Bill.

I think we all know that flags are symbols. They are meant to represent something. Ours represents our independence and our unity as a nation. It has a proud and glorious history. It was at the lead of every battle fought by Americans. Many people have died protecting what it symbolizes. We even have one standing proudly on the moon!

In 1996, President William J. Clinton issued a proclamation in which he urged every American to observe “with pride and all ceremony those days from Flag Day through Independence Day…as a time to honor our Nation…”

Several times during my ministry I have shared in military funerals. One day a very significant lesson dawned on me. Not once have I seen the American flag go down with the deceased. At every instance the flag was removed at the end of the service, and neatly folded and handed to the survivors. It’s true. A nation cannot die for someone; it is powerless to do so; indeed it must not die. A nation survives, and the removal of the flag from the casket symbolizes that, though all its citizens die, the nation continues.

The flag folding ceremony represents the same religious principles on which our country was originally founded.
1. The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.
2. The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.
3. The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.
4. The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.
5. The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong."
6. The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
7. The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.
8. The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on Mother's Day.
9. The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.
10. The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.
11. The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
12. The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.
When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, "In God we Trust."
After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington and the sailors and marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States, preserving for us the rights, privileges, and freedoms we enjoy today.
As Americans, we have every right to be proud of our culture, our nation, and our flag. So raise the flag today and every day with pride!