This week, we celebrated our independence as a nation. I hope that we also took a moment to reflect on what that freedom cost, and the continue cost of keeping it. Each of us is charged with defending that freedom. It was bought with blood and bullets. It is maintained with brains and ballots. Please be educated and prepared when the time comes, and don’t forget your Bible.

We consider freedom a core value in the United States, but what does freedom mean? Is it absolute? That would be chaos. With freedom comes responsibility. It is as true in our public life as it is in our personal lives. As Christians, we often speak of our freedom in Christ. We are not in bondage to sin. We are not in bondage to a set of rules that could never save us. But does that mean we can do as we please? Paul would disagree. In Chapter 14 of his letter to the Romans, he addresses this issue as it relates to some of the controversies of his day. We may not struggle with the same specifics, but the principles that he teaches will certainly apply to us.

I hope you can join us as we continue to celebrate this great country in which we are blessed to live, thank God, who made it possible, and pray that we will return to Him before it is too late.

love to you all