How to Bind a Perfect-bound Book

The Book - Introduction

      

     I have wanted to write an historical fiction taken from original documents housed in the British Museum; and letters of the era and some by the main character, as well as other original papers.

     The story would accompany a kid's history club of the founding of the United States, beginning when the Founding Father's ancestors held the first Bible, of their very own, in their own language, and did not fear death; the first Bibles translated into English for the common man.

     Many details, of course, will be educated guessing, but the main details come from the sources listed above.

     I would like to share the story with the Readers here, as it has to do with some lesser known details as to how we became a Free nation,

     The story begins in 1500s England because if we start at the American Revolution far too little is known of who these men were; what was their background; were they educated; was their belief in God some flash-in-the-pan fad and were they sincere; what authority did they have to put together a government and how good was that government; how much of that government survived until today?

     I promise no time frame as my hours are demanded elsewhere.

     My hope is that you will enjoy the reading as much as I have marveled in the research of these remarkably courageous men and women who gave more than their all to give us this nation. Their work and prayers were for us, their children's, children's, children, to live under a freedom the world had never before experienced, and their hope was that we would stay close to Almighty God who would lead us to retain and maintain this nation in Righteousness and Goodwill toward our neighbors, and give all honor to Him.

Scientific Revolution of the Reformation...Isaac Newton

ISAAC NEWTON

   The story of Isaac Newton learning the law of gravity when an apple fell on his head has been told for generations; however, behind this little tidbit of information is the story of one of the great geniuses, it is said, of all time. His life’s work has been the forerunner of our scientific leaps and bounds today, and would not have been possible with the 1450 invention of Gutenberg’s movable printing press, and the 1530’s translation of the Bible into the English language.

   Isaac Newton was born to a prosperous farmer in 1642 or 1643, in Lincolnshire, England, into the middle of Europe’s ‘’Scientific Revolution’’, whose masters of science had already included Galileo, Copernicus, and Kepler; as if Galileo’s mantel had fallen on Newton, Newton was born the year Galileo died. The work done by these men, mainly Newton, made possible the bursting inventions of our time!

    Newton first attended the King’s School, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, founded in 1329; his uncle, a graduate of Cambridge, Trinity College, saw genius in him and suggested this college for his nephew.

   Newton interests and abilities were remarkably varied and mastered and he was often considered the most brilliant scientist who ever lived. He invented calculous, used his discoveries in physics to calculate the motions of the planets and earth-bound objects; found wonders in color and light in optics, invented a reflecting telescope; discovered interpreted laws of motion and gravity; and much more in the areas of math, physics, astronomy, biology, and chemistry. He often studied and wrote 18 hours a day for weeks at a time, eating and sleeping little, greatly affecting his health. It is said that he wrote upwards of 700,000 words on all his inventions and findings.

   As remarkable as all his works were, and the influence on so much until today, there is something nearly always ignored, yet extremely vital to knowing the man, the times, the influence on science, and the great destruction its absence creates, and that is the approximately 1.3 million words he wrote concerning the Bible and faith in Jesus Christ; nearly twice as much as his scientific works!  He read the Bible daily throughout his lifetime, and likely made notes every day.

   Directly because of the Reformation and the first readings of the Bible in English, our lives today have been impacted to the point of living in a nation of freedom and nearly unlimited opportunity; everyday conveniences, health care, manufacturing, and every other thing that touches our lives today.



Sources:   Kingdom Treasure Ministries:  http://reformation.org/newton.html

Christianity Today:  http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1501-1600/translator-william-tyndale-strangled-and-burned-11629961.html

Holistic Numerical Methods:   http://nm.mathforcollege.com/anecdotes/newton.html

Christianity.com:  http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1501-1600/translator-william-tyndale-strangled-and-burned-11629961.html

Wikipedia

What is it...really?

~~~ We don't understand the judgement of God. We think He is angry at us, and we think so because we read only superficially in the Bible. God hates sin, but He loves His humanity, His Precious Creation.
~~~ Judgement is a Great Grace and Mercy!
~~~ Sin in a person must be judged, and if a person rejects God's offer of salvation, that sin stays with the person who then must die because of his own choice. Do we agree with this, that if a person rejects Jesus that he will die in his sin, as Scripture says?
~~~ Judgement comes as a warning to Repent and turn toward His gracious and extreme Love! Look at the natural disasters in America lately...much disruption and loss of property...but extremely low loss of life!!
~~~ How full of Grace He is!! We have let Roe v Wade stand for more than 40 years, yet, He still sends us warning!!
~~~ We must now heed that warning, and pray for our nation, and for the Church to be awakened by His Gentle kiss for His Bride to walk with Him to bring Joy and Life to those who will listen!!!
~~~ Worship, and turn toward Him in certain Hope of Kindness and tenderness!!!

Tender and Healing Gifts of Friendship

    Life throws so much at us that it can, sometimes, become over-whelming. We can shut down our emotions and just go through the motions of doing what is necessary; we can perform our duties and if not careful, we can lose our sense of what our limits are mentally and physically, which can lead to a shutting down of some of our thought processes, or a physical exhaustion beyond what simple rest can provide, both of which can escape our understanding in the midst of it all.
   It was at this point in my life in which God sent me a Friend who walked with me for some years, never giving up, always caring, always praying, never walking away when I was so broken by decades of giving with too little given in return. No, I did not understand how broken I had become, and perhaps my Friend didn't either, yet there was a realization of a need of a loyalty that went beyond the comforts of mere acquaintance, and sometimes much more stable and solid to stand beside. Prayer, deep prayer, was, and is, the Greatest Gift, through the Eyes of Jesus.
   God sent someone through whom He could express His care, and His healing of my soul.
   I simply want to say that Friends are gifts of Kindness, Mercy, and Grace from our God; for God to express to us His infinite caring for us in ways we would not expect.
   I want to be that Friend in return. And want to encourage readers to understand the vital roles they can play in the lives of others. This Friendship has been God's means of turning my life from brokenness to knowing the Tender Grace of our God as a Living Reality, as a Life-Fountain of Grace that is Beautiful beyond what our imaginations can conceive in our world. Truly, God's Grace is of another world, it is of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, and His desire is that we love one another so deeply that we can see the Love God has for us. Self-sacrifice, as Jesus gave of Himself for us. This is His two Great Commandments played out in our lives, as His Holy Spirit is in us to will and to do of His Good Pleasure: ''Love God with all that is in us; and Love Others as we Love ourselves''. To let our hearts be opened to Jesus, to trust Him to Love us as we deeply desire to be loved. Jesus can and will and desires that emotional connection we all crave, yet find so elusive! We were meant to be Loved by Him in ways that fulfill our Greatest Longings! We were meant to be filled with Divine Love, then pour that Love into one another! Love, True Love, not lust. To give, not take.
   He just says, ''Trust Me, I deeply want to saturate you in my Love; Trust Me, I Am Gentle and Tender of Heart; I Long to Give Tender, Pure Love to you; I paid the Price for your sin with My Blood on the Cross; I long to pour out My Gentle Love on you like a refreshing, warm, life-giving  summer rain; Trust Me, I Love you!'' 
   Thank you, my Friend, for taking me closer to Jesus!

9/11: Without the Reformation there would be no America

Why does it even matter?
  Because if we don't know this history it will be much too easy to lose the treasure we have been given by Almighty God, Creator of the Universe!
  Jesus Christ is the True Founder of America, and the evidence is seen all through the original documents of our early history.
  Our 1600's Founding Fathers came to our New World shores from the abusive thrones of England, where kings did as they pleased with their subjects and demanded the people worship God as the state dictated, or suffer all levels of persecution.
  Once here, they wanted to start fresh with the Church as a place of worship in which the world would see people worshiping Jesus Christ apart from the demands of the state. The Puritan's formation came in the Awakening that took place after the Bible was translated into the language of the people, and its free distribution among all the people. This is the first time in history in which the people could have a Bible of their own.
  Our Puritan Fore Father's, before leaving England, formed a full central government then founded a city in the New World which they named Boston, after the town they left in England. This governing body was the first of its kind in America, and was so successful that it is still in use today, with few modifications, in our local, state, and federal governments. Every part of this government was taken from the Bible, even that which we call Greek in origin.
  Their sons and grandsons wrote our Constitution and formed our government. As their Father's had done, all of our Constitution and form of government came from the Bible, and some, it seems, from the Greeks, which were also from Scripture.
  Knowing this, and related history, will give us understanding of the importance of preserving our nation at any and all costs. Our country was formed for the blessing of God's people, for spreading this history of Jesus Christ all over the world, and for bringing freedom to all nations..
  We must, with all the power of God in us, bring this history back into our public schools, where it was originally meant to be, for the purpose of keeping this history alive in the hearts and souls of every American!

500th Anniversary of the Reformation...Why the Celebration?

   This year marks 500 years since the official beginning of the Reformation.
   But what does that even mean? What were our past generations re-form-ing from, anyway?
 The church at Rome, in the 1330's, and centuries after, was a place of some of the world's greatest opulence while the common people starved and continued putting their pennies into the coffers of the clergy; and in the Middle Ages, some of the greatest atrocities against humanity, known as the Inquisition, was carried out by the church in Rome.
   The church in Rome claimed to represent Jesus Christ, but their abuses against all people, including Christians who wanted to honor Jesus Christ and His written Word, the Bible, clearly showed that many in the church at Rome knew nothing of Almighty God.
   The church at Rome had made laws that demanded the Bible be in the Latin language only, giving the excuse that if the common people could read Scripture they would make it ordinary and misused, instead of revered. In reality, If the common people knew God's Holy Words for themselves, they would know how abusive the church had been and the church would lose their income and place of honor.
   The church at Rome, in time, made it a hanging, or burning, offense, to possess even a singe page of the Bible; as one example, a man who was teaching his children the Lord's prayer in English was burned alive.
   Needless to say, the deterrent to disobeying the church at Rome was extreme; there were, however, some who had the courage and will to do the right thing by standing up to the mega monster clergy inside of this church.  We have their names and their stories because they were highly educated, with the Bible as their main source of learning. Their education was far more extensive and deeper than most any we know of today, which included, and was perhaps the majority of their studies, history and the ancient historians of their time, with the Bible in Latin, as supreme.
   The first of these men was John Wycliffe, theologian, seminary professor, and Bible translator. Wycliffe wrote extensively against the clergy of the church at Rome, and against the powerful influence the church had over the kings and queens of Europe and Britain.
   Wycliffe was a strong advocate of translating the Latin Bible into the language of the people. While Wycliffe died of natural causes at age 64, Bohemian Jan Hus, who distributed Wycliffe's writings, was burned alive.
   Wycliffe, the first of the known advocates of having the Bible in the language of the people, and oversaw a translation into the English language, was called the Morning Star of the Protestant Reformation, eventually leading to our great privilege of owning our own copies of the Bible today, and the future cleaning up a great deal of abuse of the Church at Rome.
   This is the beginning of the story of why we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation!

JUST WOKE FROM A DREAM

''If we don't turn around, we will soon be at Graves Ridge!''

Historically, an eclipse has come at a time of great repentance. As an example, Nineveh, modern day Mosul, experienced an eclipse in the days of Jonah, the man who was swallowed by a large fish. We would do well to heed this warning from Almighty God.

Do we have 'sins' that we, in America, need to repent of? Yes, we do. Almighty God does exist, but we have been living, in many ways, as if He didn't. He gave us America as a nation of freedom and to do what is right, but we have turned away from Him and embraced the abortions of His children without ending Roe v Wade, among many other offenses toward our Creator, Jesus Christ.

He has made a promise to us stated in II Chronicles 7:14:

''if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.''

He is asking so little of us; before we experience any more losses due to fires, historic hurricanes, and other catastrophes, let us turn toward Jesus Christ and confess that we have turned from Him, and done what is wrong in many ways, and ask Him to have mercy on America, and heal our land; and then, let us work to do away with what displeases Him.

Personal History Creates National History

   Some years ago this blog (Linkedin) was born to express the journey of care-giving,  then it turned toward the stories of history, thinking to entirely change from one subject to another; however, the two cannot be separated, they are one in the same at different levels on the chart of life.
   Personal and family history are the skeleton and flesh of a nation's history, and to separate the two is incomplete and inaccurate; a lie, a false narrative that takes readers on paths not even on the map.
   I am now living a future history that will make an impact on friends and family for generations to come.  Our ancestors realized this and the passengers of the Mayflower in 1620 were all required to keep a diary of their journey on the ship, and their life in the New World.  Knowing their history makes an impact on how I view life now.
   The history of a faithful, lifelong, Friend has invaded my own, and I'm learning some of my strengths and weaknesses through this journey of seeing Grace, Patience, Self-control ( Oh, my own Tongue, you are such a mischief! ); and I have seen here the Love Jesus has for me.  The whole of this journey seems to be a parable of God's utter abandonment of his own dreams to express His care for me, personally. One on one, Jesus' Love for me is the embodiment, the fullfillment, of my deepest hopes, dreams, and desires; more known to Jesus than to myself. As this Love has come as a Blazing Firebrand on my heart, Jesus has molded my heart to His and I have fallen in love with ordinary people, as we would call them; but we are His Precious Creation He has come to rescue from our own foolishness, and He purposely lives His Love toward others using our own story of His Love in us.  Can there be any higher privilege than to be used to reveal His Awesome care for those He places in our lives?  Will He not, by His own Hand, pick up another and place them within our hearts. Yes, and this is where the enemy of our souls will strike, trying to destroy, using my weaknesses to tear down others! I deeply mourn the wounding I have done to Precious Friends!  But, God's purposes of His Righteousness will stand and endure!
   This personal history is a tiny version of community, national, and world history; everyone's together to form the whole story of humanity. So, history starts with us and our private journey with God, and as we follow Him a step at a time, sometimes into the wild and unseen unknown, He says, ''don't be afraid''; choosing to believe the reality of Proverbs 3:5-6 is choosing to step into what we call unknown, and we follow His candlelight, depending on Him.
   That is the essence of history; it is not meant to be kept in secret, to merely be treasured or used, but to bring what is true in Life, to bring the Sweetness and Majesty of Jesus to others, in Joy!

How do I explain the unexplainable?

 
   I'm in a spiritual battle. I find myself reacting when I truly want to stop and think it through, and it is difficult to explain. Perhaps part of it is being under so much stress that I react before I can think.
   I know for a certainty that God works all things out for our highest good, even when we don't understand.  Judges 2:20-23, God says He was angry with His people and would no longer drive out the strong, immoral, and strong nations where His people were settling; however, chapter 3:4, says that God Himself left those nations to teach the next generation to fight.  The battles are stronger than we realize; often people have given me a formula for fighting the enemy, saying if I will do such and so I will have no more trouble, but that's just not the way it works.
   This sounds strange, but the enemy of our souls has been trying to get me to leave my church, but I can't; recently I asked God to send me wherever He pleased and I was prepared to move on, thinking it even best for all. So I asked Him if I should go, and He gave me I Chron 28:20, telling me to not be afraid or discouraged for He is with me, and will not fail to be with me until His work here is finished.  And Nehemiah 4:14; don't be afraid, but fight for my brothers.
   We have read Scripture through the filter of church tradition and so miss the ways God wants to interact with us, just like Moses, Abraham, and Elisha, with His courage, and trusting Him to lead us. We do have a mortal enemy that has taken down many ministries and pastors, but God is blocking him and his minions at a place where the leadership wants to follow Him faithfully, and not their own agendas.
   Believe God, trust Him, even when others are not trustworthy; there is a war for the eternal lives of many, and we are all in the thick of it.

 My role as care-giver is kicking into high gear again as my husband has been hospitalized 9 days now with no set time for discharge. Mike is not feeling well yet, and he will likely go to a rehabilitation facility to see how he does, if he can improve, if he can gain mobility back, then make appropriate decisions from there, with a nursing home as a possibility. We don't want to make such a decision; he's head of our home, he needs to be here; yet, I'm not fully capable of caring for someone who may well need 24/7 care.
This is very difficult, and not what we had envisioned for the future.....yet, to see the light of Jesus shine through him, even in his condition, is a Beautiful thing to see! Perhaps because of his condition...instead of complaining or becoming bitter or shriveling up into self-pity, he is choosing to press in to Jesus!
Although I have not understood what God was doing in many ways, this past six years has been about learning the voice of God, learning to obey Him no matter what it looks like, and trusting Him no matter what others think they see...it is about trusting God and choosing Him above all, and Mike has been learning along with me.  No, it's much more, it is all about God's Grace and highlighting our own weaknesses, and showcasing God's Abundant Love  To be so utterly helpless as Mike is, yet choosing to believe God has His very best for us is Beautiful!!  It is seeing what Grace looks like, it is seeing God's heart pouring out toward others.  It is seeing what makes life Rich and Authentic.
Some may say God is cruel in all this, but His kindness is seen in the heart of Mike.  God is not cruel, but we choose to step away from His protection when we don't trust Him. His Kindness is seen in a Dear Friend whom God used to reveal Himself to me.  It is seen in God letting me be a part of the transforming of lives through His Spirit.  It is seen in the transformation of my own life as God said to not be afraid.
The only appropriate response to seeing what God has done is Worship in Joy, even in the uncertainties and sorrows,  Praise God, from Whom all Blessing Flow!

The Mystery of Being the Only one; and Being One with All He has Chosen

~~~  Today I want to walk with Jesus.
~~~  Of course, don't we all, that is, all who have known Him as Savior and Lord?
~~~  Yes, but I want to really be with Him, as a child in delight and safety with an adoring parent.
~~~  But more.
~~~  To see in His eyes the love my heart has always dreamed of; to be swept away to a place only He and I inhabit; a place where my being can just be one with Him, where my heart is fulfilled with the most Beautiful of Loves! Where we dance in perfect step, in perfect harmony, each knowing the shared rhythm as we glide in the glory of His Creation, and joy in the rush of His river, in the story of His stars, in the beauty of His flowers, in the majesty of His mountains, and breathe in the fresh air of His heavens.
~~~  He is my Bridegroom, the Joy of my heart, my Sweetest Dreams come true. He is my Reality, the one who paid the Bridal price for me, who paid the price for my sin and gave me His Purity to cover my shame and make me His own!
~~~  I am the Bride, washed White in His Blood! He comes extending His Hand, and I weep with gratitude as I place my finger in the scar of the nail that should have been mine! And, again, I looked into those eyes full of the most Tender Love I have ever experienced, and I fall in worship...then He lifts me up to sit with Him in the Clarity and Richness of heavenly places!! Beauty beyond dreams.
~~~  This is My Beloved; I am His, and He is mine, alone! Then He takes my hand, lifts me to my feet, and we walk together, just Him and I, and we walk the earth the show others this Beauty and bring life to their own Dreams!
~~~  Just Him and me. The two of us, in Love, in Majesty.
~~~  This Love grows and can't be shut up to be consumed by us alone, it must be shared to remain Love. It will always be just Him and I. And it will always be you and them and Him and I.
~~~  The Mystery of being the only one, and being as one with all He has chosen!
~~~  Come, you have accepted His Salvation, now accept His Invitation to Dance, to be Loved as His Adored, to be His one and only! Come, awaken to His Beautiful Gaze. Come, walk with Him and share His Love. Come, let Love wash another in His Blood, and walk with the Newly Redeemed, and let all be Loved with this Most Sweet of all Dreams!
~~~  And I weep in gratitude and worship!

The Greatest is love...

    When children don't know Jesus they grow up thinking that the relationship between a man and a woman is the ultimate experience of love, and when those relationships prove less than had been hoped, their lives can becomes battlefields of great frustration. Media, and other insecure individuals, pile massive amounts of insecurity into hearts which are longing for acceptance and genuine love, and some kids are so destroyed they end their lives. Some kids act out in many destructive ways in a downward spiral; some take a higher road to personal achievements; others plod through life in the best way they know how, compensating for perceived lack of character, abilities, etc.
  What if Jesus was known as a Savior, Lord, and Friend in these early years? What if He could be known as the deepest desire experienced? What if He could be known by children in schools, by children who have no other sources of knowing Him? What if there was a club, unrestricted by government policies, in which kids would be exposed to history that is true, including the knowledge of the foundation of our country, and that the Same Person who led our Fore Fathers to form our nation, could be known by the kids personally, and find the ultimate relationship?
  I'm not speaking of pie-in-the-sky smooth sailing for life, but Someone who loves them with a deep passion and longs to guide them through life in what is the very best for them, and an easing of the struggles of growing up just because He is there.
  Friendships given as gifts by Jesus are closer than those without Him, because He wants His Church to be united by the Holy Spirit, and wants us to have great Joy in Him and each other. In New Testament times brothers were greeted with holy kiss, but we are too afraid of such closeness in our society, and that was accepted then because the Church was to be one Body. Still, Jesus makes friendships with strong bonds, and these precious friendships, through Jesus, are what many kids are looking for today, second only to knowing Him.
  Jesus said, 'don't be afraid'; He wants to bring us these friendships to reveal Himself through each other and to each other; I want to lift up and encourage my Friends, even though I fail too often for whatever reason. Because Jesus wants this even more than we do, I will pursue Him first, and be grateful for His Gift. Marriage, while not the ultimate relationship, is a pattern of Jesus and His Church and to be greatly treasured; while we are afraid to acknowledge that He loves each of us with such a passion and closeness, it is Blessedly true, except His Love for us is all giving, and not self-serving in the least. I pray such a blessing for the kids, now, and as they mature and grow toward Him.
  This is why a kid's history club is in the works, and if only one is helped, then that one is our hearts' reward, and the Great, Great Joy of Jesus!!

Does it really matter?

   Some say we need to learn history, ''because it is fascinating'';  this true, very true.
However, for some reason they have not said this, but a people without their history is an enslaved people. Even if they have no master over them, a people without history is enslaved to an ever increasing Godless society that makes gods out of money, prestige, youth, convenience, and whatever else will serve as a pretty bauble in the moment.
   A people without history cannot know the difference between a Hitler and a Churchill; they cannot know the signs of someone who wants to rule for their good as a servant, or someone who wants to use them for personal power, and to use people in any manner for personal gain.
   As for the most accurate history book, the Bible is discarded in an ignorant society, and that society will turn increasingly barbaric and have no clue they are doing so. We have become so ignorant as a people that we have let Roe v Wade stand for more than 40 years, and girls and women are still believing that the child in their womb is merely tissue.
   We have equated daily showers and pressed clothing with civilization, and we have so bought into that idea we are no longer able to know truth from lie.
   We must, with all possible speed and will, bring full world history back to our nation...and that history MUST match original documents, or it is mere opinion.
   We must rescue our children from those in many public schools who teach treason and Godlessness, and so doom our next generation to self-destruction as a people. We have somehow accepted the idea that we can survive as a people without knowing Jesus Christ, but an honest and full study of history will show clearly that this simply has no basis in fact.
   A free people knows its history, and the men who founded our nation, both in the 1600's, and their descendants of the 1700's, were education far beyond our currant  concepts of learning.
   God, help us!  Draw our hearts to Yourself, and rescue us from our immense ignorance!

''Need You'' Bracelet

   The Need You Bracelet is a conversation starter; a reminder that we all need each other, need Jesus Christ, every day.
   In the late 1700's and into the mid 1800's, Muslims had very active slave markets just as they do now, and in this time period much human cargo was shipped to the America's. Since there was little communication among people, the horrors of slavery were not widely known until twenty-some newspapers, many smaller publications, and books, were distributed; and the Underground Railroad was active, but had to remain secretive for the safety of all involved. These anti-slavery men and women came from all walks of life and communities, Black and White.
   When books like Harriet Beecher Stowe's ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' was distributed, the people of the United States became incensed at the brutality of many slave owners. There were some slave owners who were kind, and some broke the Democratic law that slaves must not be taught to read or attend any kind of Church service. Some of the publishers of the abolitionists are detailed in other articles of this blog.
   The Democratic party stood firm for slavery and made many extreme and harsh laws to keep their 'businesses' in human trafficking alive and prosperous. The Republican party was formed in 1854 by anti-slave activists who worked hard against the self-serving slave owners who forced their way in government.
   The Bracelet is also an encouragement to learn much of our history that has been cruelly denied the past few generations, and a people without their history will soon implode through ignorance. History must come from a full and honest research from original documents, or it is mere opinion.
   People who were enslaved were forbidden to speak their native language, to speak of their homeland or any memories of family, they were forbidden to read or have any means of communicating in large crowds. They were isolated, demeaned, treated worse than animals. they were forbidden their history...how vital it is for us to have our history...and that history includes Scripture...we must fight for our history, for each other, and purposefully put Jesus Christ in the center of our lives.

Freedom through Jesus Christ and Brotherly cooperation.

Memories of Aunt Lydia are sweet and lovely. An occasional whiff of an odor or fragrance can send me right back to her kitchen with the mismatched cupboards, pie safe, stand-alone sink, and coats hung behind the back door. Through either doorway sat the small dining table, jams, jellies, butters, and condiments were gathered to the center of the table, and an oil-cloth neatly covered it all. To the side was a smaller roll-top desk, always open because there were just too many papers to close it. Not just bills, but writings and plans for the next garden club she began some 30 years before and often hosted; then there were several articles waiting to add to the local paper column she had been writing for several years; and, of course, 4-H papers for the many lives she impacted, along with many cards of thanks for her selfless work.
How sweet these memories were as I think back on the summers I spent with her as a teen, and my mind treasured and carefully put away as the sweetest of memories. These memories are sweet beyond saying, and they have had a significant impact on who I am today. Grandma Buttolph, although I barely knew her, also made an impact on my life that has influenced me to this day. And the stories through the diary of my Great, great Grandfather, Rev John Buttolph, makes my heart swell with gratitude for my heritage.

But, what if the family stories passed down had been of slavery, of cruel and humiliating treatment on a daily basis, with every day filled with hard, back-breaking work, and no thanks given, as the work benefited a 'massa' and his family, while Great, great Grandparents  returned to accommodations unfit for animals. What if those memories were of a child's Momma being 'sold' like cast-off merchandise and the child ripped away from his Momma's side and given to others who were so beaten down they had nothing of kindness to give. What if my stories had been of my Great, great Grandmother being whipped until blood flowed to the ground because she refused to give her body to whomever it may have been demanded.
These are stories that throb in the terrible memories of many people who are our neighbors, and we do not understand what drives them because we have chosen, over the decades, to remove history from our schoolrooms.

Yet, what if we could bring out the true history of this mass injustice, and see a people who often put all their life on the line to escape enslavement, and with great courage, set their hearts to escape their captors and find a new life!  Many did not survive such a venture, either by death, or a return to the living nightmare of forced hard labor and certain torture for even considering escape. Death, was indeed, preferable to forced labor, and solely for the benefit of another. Then their was great courage as those who did escape returned to help others find a way out of their living hell.
Where did this courage come from? Courage, justice, kindness, and civility come solely from God Almighty, through Jesus Christ, who is the one and only original source of civilization, because He is the Creator of all, and saved humanity through His sacrifice for our sins. Freedom and the Judeo-Christian faiths are inseparable, historically so, and can be seen throughout the past thousands of years.

As we learn, and pass along, this three-fold history of Black and White cooperation, and love of Jesus Christ, we can build bridges where division seems nailed in place.

"It is evident that the white and black “must fall or flourish together.”

"It is evident that the white and black “must fall or flourish together.” In the light of this great truth, laws ought to be enacted, and institutions established — all distinctions, founded on complexion, ought to be repealed, repudiated, and forever abolished — and every right, privilege, and immunity, now enjoyed by the white man, ought to be as freely granted to the man of color."   John Fairfield, died c. 1861.

   John Fairfield grew up on a Plantation in Virginia; a favorite childhood friend was Bill, a slave, 'owned' by his uncle. As a young man, John, traveled to Ohio, a slave-free state, taking Bill with him. Through the years John and Bill had secretly spoken of helping Bill escape to Canada where Bill would be free from any threat of being enslaved, and could build a life, a home, and a family.
   John devised a plan for Bill to take one of John's uncle's horses at night and meet at a pre-determined place, then head north under cover of night. While details of their travels were not given, it can be assumed they moved freely about, posing as slave and owner until they reached Canada, where Bill did indeed build a new life.
   For twelve years John helped thousands of enslaved people escape the inhumane life of enforced hard labor, continuing to gather information of the whereabouts of traded and lost family members who were united, sometimes after many years. Most of these people John was not able to take openly as He had with Bill, and at one time taking as many as 28 on one trek!
   John kept his journeys secret and was able to go to various Plantations posing as a slave trader, all the while passing the word among the slaves to prepare to leave on a particular night, meeting and taking off for the north country.
   His tactics would have to change as Plantation owners would become suspicious, but still he did this for twelve years! He was, indeed, arrested several times, but his affiliation with Free Masonry set him free. Although not mentioned in the articles about him, he must have made good use of the Underground Railroad many times; both free Blacks, and white, were, without question, necessary for the escape of these courageous men and women! Every few miles, through several states, a home would be prepared to hide these people during the day, sometimes for several days, even weeks, as they were hidden from bounty hunters. The travel was difficult, especially for the old and very young; but the thought of living as free men and women kept their hope burning!
   Most of these brave souls were Christian, as Jesus gave them His hope, and His guidance and wisdom, through the many very real, life-threatening dangers! To return to slavery was unthinkable, and some took their own lives rather than return to forced labor and cruel taskmasters.

 Many articles on slavery and abolition, it is said outright, or heavily suggested, that it was a small minority of whites that helped end slavery.  This is simply not true and is a great divider! The record must be set straight, and from original records! History based on anything other than original documents is mere opinion, and is false, misleading, and damaging to society and individuals.

Lives used up in the fight for freedom for others

Today we are a nation divided, and a country united!  We are divided by ignorance of history, and by men who are set on making a name for themselves at the expense of everyone around them.  We are united by the civility of Jesus Christ, who transforms hate into love in the lives of individuals, and so into a nation that sends out the love of God.
   History does indeed matter, and knowledge, or lack thereof, will make or break a nation. That thought is not extreme, and this very issue of national destruction is found in a familiar Bible passage, which deals with a nation falling because history was forgotten.  Hosea 4:6,  ''My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.'' That passage goes on to say that the people failed to remember their history, and failed to remember their God; He, the first Historian, repeatedly, repeatedly, told His people to set up memorials and tell the meaning of God's involvement among all peoples, to tell of His Wonders as He cared for His people, of the travels of His people wherever they went because He was always with them, even into captivity. God repeatedly told His people to tell their children, and tell the aliens among them of the history of God among His people. But the people forgot.
   Today we have asked Jesus Christ to leave our schools, to not let many of our public school children, across the nation, hear the name of Jesus Christ, nor to hear most of world and national history. Thank God for the exceptions, for those who still fear and honor Jesus Christ!
   One huge portion of history we have lost, and which now divides our nation, is the vast number of Americans who opposed slavery in the 1800's, and the large number of books, newspapers, and other publications. which entreated Americans, with great pleading and emotion, to end the immoral and hideous practice of slavery!  Far too many of the descendants of those enslaved in our nation during that disgraceful period of our history do not realize the huge numbers of Americans that were responsible for ending of slavery.
   One of the heroes of the enslaved American was Elijah Parish Lovejoy.

Elijah P. Lovejoy,
Editor Alton Observer,
 1802 - 1837.
A Martyr to Liberty.



"I have sworn eternal opposition to slavery, and by the blessing of God, I will never go back."

Elijah Parish Lovejoy was a Presbyterian minister,  and champion of freedom from slavery, and free speech, Elijah Lovejoy, lived but 35 years, and in that time he published a newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri, called the St. Louis Observer, where his print press was destroyed the first of four times, and in Alton, Illinois, where in his 35th year, drunken pro-slavery mobs destroyed Lovejoy's print press three more times, and he was killed at the destruction of his fourth press.

     ''I am threatened with violence and death because I dare to advocate, in any way, the cause of the oppressed. Under a deep sense of my obligations to my country, the Church and my God, I declare it to be my fixed purpose to submit to no such dictation. And I am prepared to abide the consequences.''

   These were no idle words, he was prepared, as many were, to use up his life for the gaining of freedom for others, and others who would seldom, if ever, have a chance to repay him for his dedicated work on the behalf of those he did not know, but from the kindness of Almighty God in his heart, to give all.
   He was called , ‘Champion of Freedom'.  His murder made clear that slavery could not be ended peaceably because slavery brought in too much money and too much free labor; unruly and lazy men worshiped at the altar of easy money. Indeed, the vast majority of slaveholders were men determined to have free labor and easy money on the broken backs of their fellow countrymen, who were the descendants of the African and the Irish, shipped like disposable merchandise to the American colonies.
   Many newspapers, books, and smaller publications, reached the heart of the American people  who then supported the civil war and the Emancipation Proclamation; and Elijah Parish Lovejoy's martyrdom was one of the events that gripped the heart of the people into action.
   After Elijah Lovejoy died, his brother, Owen Lovejoy, took his place along side the many other abolitionists who daily risked their lives to free the Americans enslaved.

Sources:
National Abolition hall of Fame and Museum
Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship by Russell Freedman
Distilled History, 2013 award of the year's best personal blog by RFT
Wikipedia

Overcome evil together

   The Underground Railroad could not have succeeded without the close association, and gut-level courage and conviction, of both White and Black to assist those wanting the freedom to breathe free air!
   We must be reminded of our true history, we must look back at heroes of the past and reflect on their words, such as these of Frederick Douglass. Mr. Douglass was born into slavery, taught himself to read after his 'master's' wife had begun to teach him, and escaped as a young man to freedom.

     "I base my sense of the certain overthrow of slavery, in part, upon the nature of the American Government, the Constitution, the tendencies of the age, and the character of the American people; and this, notwithstanding the important decision of Judge Taney. I know of no soil better adapted to the growth of reform than American soil. I know of no country where the conditions for affecting great changes in the settled order of things, for the development of right ideas of liberty and humanity, are more favorable than here in these United States.

The very groundwork of this government is a good repository of Christian civilization. The Constitution, as well as the Declaration of Independence, and the sentiments of the founders of the Republic, give us a platform broad enough, and strong enough, to support the most comprehensive plans for the freedom and elevation of all the people of this country, without regard to color, class, or clime."

Speech on the Dred Scott Decision
Frederick Douglass
May 1857

   Please note what Mr. Douglass says here...he gives credit for his hope of a unified America to the foundation of a Christian civilization. Jesus Christ is the one and only original source of civilization.

   He also gives credit to the American government, the Constitution.....and to the American people; the majority of the American people recoiled at the thought of slavery, and Harriet Beecher Stowe's ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'', and  Mr. Douglass' ''My Bondage and My Freedom'', and many other abolitionist's publications, informed the people of the United States of America of the true plight of the enslaved, and the American people rose up, and enabled President Abraham Lincoln to free the enslaved through a very bloody war and the Emancipation Proclamation, Truly, it was a minority of people who sucked the life out of others for the purpose of free labor on their large farms.

   We must tell these stories, and we must truthfully teach our children the history of these Blessed United States, and shut down the 'politically correct' and the divisive self-serving, self-promoters who have their agendas in mind only for the purpose of their own gain at the expense of any and all who are unfortunately in their way.

   God Bless America, and thank God for this nation of freedom!

 

Stronger Together

   America, you have lost your history, and have become so undereducated you do not realize the great danger you now face.
   One danger of our ignorance is found in Ferguson, Missouri, and spreading across our nation.
   The divisions between Black and White are widening because we have forgotten the impassioned cooperation of the Black and White to free fellow countrymen, women, and children from the cruel and self-serving trade and ownership of human beings in the 1700-1800's.
   The stories not only tell of people sacrificing enormous portions of their lives, but also have one common denominator that we in America are letting slide away from our schools, society, and government, and that is Jesus Christ.  While some slave owners claimed to be Christian, their lives tell an entirely different reality, and distort the image of our Great and Wonderful God that prompted the abolitionists to work so tirelessly to give these Americans the fresh air of freedom!

   A man named Vestal Coffin was one of thousands of heroes who worked many years to help those who were enslaved to reach free states or Canada. Mr. Coffin organized an Underground Railroad station in North Carolina in 1819; his young teenage son, Addison, and a cousin, Levi, risked their lives repeatedly to help those who were willing to try and reach freedom.

   William Lloyd Garrison was editor of ''The Liberator'', an anti-slavery newspaper which ran from 1831 to 1865, here is an excerpt from his first issue...

     ''I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be as harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject, I do not wish to think, or speak, or write, with moderation. No! No! Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm; tell him to moderately rescue his wife from the hands of the ravisher; tell the mother to gradually extricate her babe from the fire into which it has fallen;—but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present. I am in earnest—I will not equivocate—I will not excuse—I will not retreat a single inch—AND I WILL BE HEARD. The apathy of the people is enough to make every statue leap from its pedestal, and to hasten the resurrection of the dead.''
.
   At least once he escaped being hung by a pro-slavery mob, and he continued to risk his life daily to help free people from the satanic business of slavery.

   There are hundreds, if not thousands, of stories to be set before the eyes of the America public and bring healing to our land; through Jesus Christ, and through the stories of His liberating Hand!