Advent Calendar Dec. 5

Snapshots Across America

Advent Calendar-Dec. 5

Today we draw upon inspiration from a Facebook post and photo from the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, that Honors Former President George H.W. Bush during this time of National mourning his passing.

NPS Photo

The Gift of Great Leaders

We the People have benefited from all of the great leaders who have helped build this Nation, as well as those who have served us during the past 242 years.

Advent Calendar-Dec. 4

Snapshots Across America

Advent Calendar-Dec. 4

On day 4 of our Snapshots-Advent Calendar, we get our inspiration from the song written by Samuel Francis Smith, "My Country, 'Tis of Thee":

My country, 'tis of thee,

   Sweet land of liberty,

      Of thee I sing;

Land where my fathers died,

    Land of the pilgrims' pride,

      From ev'ry mountainside
  Let freedom ring!

The Gift of Freedom

The Oxford Dictionary defines Freedom as "The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants." And to celebrate that, we recognize the Liberty Bell to "Let freedom ring".

Advent Calendar-Dec. 3

Snapshots Across America

Advent Calendar-Dec. 3

We continue our Christmas Advent with Day 3 with another of the gifts that we receive from living in America. Today we recognize that the  Declaration of Independence is one of the greatest gifts.

The Gift of Independence

In the Summer of 1776, delegates from all 13 Colonies had gathered at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia. They unaminously agreed that it was time to declare their independence from Britain. On July 4, 1776 they formally issued the Declaration of Independence, and the birth of a new nation occured.

Snapshots-Christmas Advent Calendar-Dec. 2

Snapshots Across America

Christmas Advent Calendar-Dec. 2

As we follow up on Day 2 of our Snapshots-Advent Calendar where we are recognizing the gifts that we receive from living in America, we again turn to the Declaration of Independence for our inspiration, we are blessed by our "Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The Gift of Liberty

The Oxford Dictionary defines Liberty as "The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views." Many people came to America to escape the oppression they lived under in other countries and live in America and enjoy Liberty. The Statue of Liberty has become the recognized symbol of that liberty.

Christmas Advent Calendar-December 1

Snapshots Across America

Christmas Advent Calendar-Dec. 1

As devoted Christians, we believe that this Nation, The United States of America, has been blessed by God from it earliest history, to become a Free Nation and that we are, as the Declaration of Independence states, "endowed by [our] creator with certain unalienable Rights".

In that context, we want to recognize many of those wonderful gifts by things and places that are part of the that we believe have came from God or those who believe in God. Each day from Dec. 1 through 24, we will highlight a place from somewhere in America that we believe represents those gifts.

Freedom of Religion

Many people pursuing Freedom of Religion came to America for the promise of having exercise their religion without persecution. One of the earliest incidents of this goes back to the Pilgrims who came across the Atlantic Ocean in the Mayflower arriving in Plymouth in 1620. They faced persecution in Europe for their religious beliefs and wanted to live in a place where they would be Free to worship God.