DAY 3 - STATE HISTORY - NEW JERSEY

May 27

One of the original 13 colonies, New Jersey was an important battleground during the American Revolution. Located in the heart of the bustling Atlantic corridor and nestled between New York and Pennsylvania, New Jersey has the highest population density of any U.S. state. New Jersey was named for the island of Jersey in the English Channel. Its long and beautiful coastline has long made New Jersey a popular vacation destination, with over 50 seaside resort towns including Asbury Park, Atlantic City and Cape May. The state also boasts an impressive musical legacy–Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and Frank Sinatra all hail from New Jersey. It is known as industrial center, but earns its “Garden State” nickname–New Jersey is a leading producer of cranberries, blueberries and tomatoes.

Date of Statehood: December 18, 1787

Capital: Trenton

Population: 8,791,894 (2010)

Size: 8,723 square miles

Nickname(s): Garden State

Motto: Liberty and Prosperity

Tree: Red Oak

Flower: Violet

Bird: Eastern Goldfinch

INTERESTING FACTS

One of the first Indian reservations in the United States was established in Burlington County in 1758 for the Lenni-Lenape tribe. The first and only reservation in New Jersey, the Brotherton Reserve was sold back to the state in 1801 by the remaining members of the tribe, who moved up north to join relatives in New Stockbridge, New York.

The first virtually complete dinosaur skeleton discovered in North America was unearthed in 1858 by William Parker Foulke in Haddonfield, New Jersey. The Hadrosaurus foulkii, as it was later named, proved that the existence of dinosaurs was real, and provided the shocking evidence that dinosaurs could be bipedal. In 1868, it became the first dinosaur skeleton in the world to be mounted on display.

The world’s first boardwalk was constructed in Atlantic City in 1870 merely to reduce the amount of sand tracked into nearby hotels and railroad cars. As hotels, shops, restaurants and casinos sprouted up along the seaside, Atlantic City became one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States. As of 2012, the boardwalk remains the longest in the world—stretching for six miles.

During the last quarter of the 19th century, Thomas Edison generated hundreds of inventions in his Menlo Park laboratory, including the phonograph, which recorded and played back sound, and an electric-powered railway. While most recognized for perfecting the incandescent light bulb using a bamboo filament and providing a system of distributing electricity on a mass scale, Edison was awarded more than a thousand patents during his lifetime on inventions large and small.

Salt water taffy, the popular bite-sized soft candy, originated on the Atlantic City Boardwalk in the 1880s.

Opening to traffic between New Jersey and New York on November 13, 1927, the Holland Tunnel became the first mechanically ventilated underwater tunnel. At its maximum depth, the tunnel lies roughly 93 feet beneath the Hudson River.


The “Crossroads of the Revolution,” New Jersey was the site of more than 100 battles during the fight for American independence.

DAY 2 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR) - MAY 26, 2014

May 26

Galatians 5:13-14 (New International Version)


You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.  The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

DAY 2- DAILY PRAYER (THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA) - MAY 26, 2014

May 26

Almighty God, Provider of freedom through Your Son Jesus

Today we come to the throne with praise and thanksgiving for Pennsylvania, the second state to join the union.  Father, Pennsylvania has blessed American's with Freedom and Brotherly Love, words and actions that come from Your word.  Bless the people of Pennsylvania, and bring them to a true understanding of Your love.  Let the very embodiment of Your Son, Jesus Christ be the source of all love and freedom throughout the state and across the nation from Pennsylvania's borders.

Father, we thank you for the founding fathers who established our country, and their leadership in calling upon You for Your blessings upon a united nation.  Bless the works of those before us, and continue to honor their dreams of a free and Godly nation.  May the desires and prayers of our forefathers be honored today in Pennsylvania, and may Your covenant with those early Christians be upheld throughout the centuries.  Bless their offspring, and allow their great inheritance to know You as their God.

We ask for the forgiveness of any sinful nature across the state of Pennsylvania, and especially those that are abominations in Your eyes.  Forgive the people of Pennsylvania for enacting acceptance of Gay marriage in their state, and for fostering ideals that do directly against Your word.  Father, do not send Your wrath upon them, but bring them to repentant hearts through Your love.

Stretch out Your mighty hand over Pennsylvania, affording the people protection from calamity and chaos.  Protect the land and people of Pennsylvania from natural and man made disaster.  Father God, lead Governor Tom Corbett in all wisdom and understanding, allowing him to lead the state into righteousness.  Guide the decisions and laws of the state and local government, and guide the laws to reflect Your laws.

Lover of should, we ask that you would protect, heal, empower and protect the underprivileged, sick, weak, orphaned, widowed, and destitute throughout the state, and give them hope in Your son.  Protect the minds of the innocent, and shelter the children from harm.  Break the bonds of addiction throughout the land, and set the people free from the bondage that Satan has imposed.  Remove his power of influence across the state, and give victory to those who seek You.

We humbly seek You in these requests, through the mighty name of Your son Jesus Christ.  Amen!

Wally Ziolo
Founder - 40DAYPRAYER4USA
Lancaster, Ohio 43130

DAY 2 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD - IS FREEDOM OF RELIGION A BIBLICAL CONCEPT?

May 26

Question: "Is freedom of religion a biblical concept?"

Answer: The first amendment of the U. S. Constitution says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Ever since the Bill of Rights was ratified, Americans have enjoyed religious freedom. Our Constitution guarantees the free observance of religion and prevents the government from ever establishing a state church. Thomas Jefferson called religious freedom “the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights.” Was Jefferson right? Is freedom of religion a divine right? Is it biblical?

Under the Mosaic Law, Israel operated under a theocracy. The nation’s success or failure depended on their degree of obedience to God. “Religious freedom” was not part of the Old Testament system, because God ruled over Israel directly. Of course, Israel’s theocracy was not intended to be a government model for the rest of the world. Nations which have imposed a self-styled theocracy, such as medieval Spain, have produced totalitarian nightmares. The religious intolerance of the Inquisition was not a product of true theocracy; it was the result of power-hungry, sinful men.

In the New Testament, we have a clearer picture of the God-ordained role of government. Romans 13:3-4 delineates the government’s responsibilities, which are, quite simply, to punish evil deeds, reward good deeds, and render justice. So, God has given the government certain duties, but enforcing a particular system of worship is not among them.

There is no conflict between biblical principles and the civic principle of religious freedom. In fact, it is precisely because the United States was founded on biblical principles that religious freedom exists. Only governments rooted in Judeo-Christian values allow such freedom. Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist governments do not allow religious freedom; therefore, countries such as Pakistan, India, and Tibet are, as a whole, intolerant of other religions. Atheistic governments, such as the former Soviet Union, have also proved to be antagonistic toward free religious expression.

The concept of the freedom of religion is biblical for several reasons. First, God Himself extends a “freedom of religion” to people, and the Bible has several examples. In Matthew 19:16-23, the rich young ruler comes to Jesus. After a brief conversation, the young man “went away sorrowful,” choosing not to follow Christ. The salient point here is that Jesus let him go. God does not “force” belief in Him. Faith is commanded but never coerced. In Matthew 23:37, Jesus expresses His desire to gather the children of Jerusalem to Himself, but they “were not willing.” If God gives men the freedom to choose or to reject Him, then so should we.

Second, the freedom of religion respects the image of God in man (Genesis 1:26). Part of God’s likeness is man’s volition, i.e., man has the ability to choose. God respects our choices in that He gives us freedom to make decisions regarding our future (Genesis 13:8-12; Joshua 24:15), even if we make the wrong decisions. Again, if God allows us to choose, we should allow others to choose.

Third, the freedom of religion acknowledges that it is the Holy Spirit who changes hearts, not the government (John 6:63). Only Jesus saves. To take away the freedom of religion is to empower human government, with its fallible rulers, to determine the eternal destiny of every soul. But Christ’s kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), and no one becomes a Christian by government fiat. We are made Christians by the grace of God through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). What the government does or does not do has no relation to the new birth (John 1:12-13; 3:5-8).

Fourth, the freedom of religion concedes that, in the final analysis, it’s not about religion; it’s about relationship. God does not desire an external form of worship but a personal relationship with His children (Matthew 15:7-8). No amount of government control can produce such a relationship.

The framers of the Constitution were God-fearing men making a sincere attempt to establish a new nation on biblical principles, including equity, justice, and liberty. One of the liberties they recognized as “inalienable and sacred” was the freedom of religion. Praise the Lord for such wisdom.

Recommended Resources: Bible Answers for Almost All Your Questions by Elmer Towns and Logos Bible Software.

While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.




Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/freedom-of-religion.html#ixzz32nIIlMGA

DAY 2 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR MAY 26, 2014

May 26

American Minute for May 26th:

Oscar winning actor Marion Michael Morrison, better known as John Wayne, was born MAY 26, 1907.

Of Presbyterian Scots-Irish descent, his grandfather, Marion Mitchell Morrison, fought in the Civil War.

John Wayne played football for U.S.C. and worked behind-the-scenes at Fox Studios, before being discovered by director John Ford, who cast him in epic western and war films.

A January 2011 Harris Poll ranked John Wayne third among America's favorite film stars.

On MAY 26, 1979, Jimmy Carter said:

"I have today approved...a specially struck gold medal to John Wayne.

For nearly half a century, the Duke has symbolized the American ideals of integrity, courage, patriotism, and strength and has represented to the world many of the deepest values that this Nation respects."

Ronald Reagan said November 5, 1984:

"I noted the news coverage about the death of my friend, John Wayne. One headline read 'The Last American Hero.'...

No one would be angrier than Duke Wayne at the suggestion that he was America's last hero.

Just before he died, he said in his unforgettable way, 'Just give the American people a good cause, and there's nothing they can't lick.'"

Starring in films about World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, such as Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), Flying Tigers (1942), They Were Expendable (1945), and the Ford cavalry trilogy: Fort Apache (1948); She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949); Rio Grande (1950), John Wayne had become an icon to all the branches of the United States Armed Forces.

In 1975, when Japanese Emperor Hirohito visited the United States, he asked to meet John Wayne, the symbolic representation of his country's former enemy. In 1979, John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, was named for him.

In his album, America-Why I Love Her, 1977, John Wayne stated:

"Face the Flag, son, and face reality.

Our strengths and our freedoms are based in unity.

The flag is but a symbol, son, of the world's greatest nation,
And as long as it keeps flying, there's cause for celebration.

So do what you've got to do, but always keep in mind,

A lot of people believe in peace...but there are the other kind.

If we want to keep these freedoms, we may have to fight again.

God forbid, but if we do, let's always fight to win,

For the fate of a loser is futile and it's bare:
No love, no peace...just misery and despair.

Face the Flag, son...and thank God it's still there."

Hide Endnotes

Wayne, John. Rachel Gallagher, B.A., Author, Games in the Street. Rachel Gallagher, "Wayne, John," World Book Online Americas Edition, http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com/wbol/wbPage/na/ar/co/595925, October 9, 2001. "Face the Flag," narrated by John Wayne, Copyright 81973, Devere Music Corporation (ASCAP), Batjac Music Co. (ASCAP), Music: Billy Liebert Words: Bill Ezellpeace, http://www.fromtheheartpostcards.com/ICQ/FacetheFlag.html, http://www.dukelestweforget.com/john_wayne_face%20e%20flag.htm

(Brought to you by AmericanMinute.com)

DAY 2 - STATE HISTORY - PENNSYLVANIA

May 26

One of the original 13 colonies, Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn as a haven for his fellow Quakers. Pennsylvania’s capital, Philadelphia, was the site of the first and second Continental Congresses in 1774 and 1775, the latter of which produced the Declaration of Independence, sparking the American Revolution. After the war, Pennsylvania became the second state, after Delaware, to ratify the U.S. Constitution. In the American Civil War (1861-1865), Pennsylvania was the site of the Battle of Gettysburg,in whichUnion General George Meade defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee, bringing an end to the Confederacy’s Northern invasion, as well as Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address. Tourists are drawn to Pennsylvania by its monuments to America’s revolutionary history, includingIndependence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Famous Pennsylvanians include patriot and inventor Benjamin Franklin, frontiersman Daniel Boone, painter Mary Cassatt,inventor Robert Fulton and comedian Bill Cosby.

Date of Statehood: December 12, 1787

Capital: Harrisburg

Population: 12,702,379 (2010)

Size: 46,055 square miles

Nickname(s): Keystone State

Motto: Virtue, Liberty and Independence

Tree: Hemlock

Flower: Mountain Laurel

Bird: Ruffed Grouse

INTERESTING FACTS

Named by Governor William Penn after his arrival in the New World in 1682, Philadelphia combined the Greek words for love (phileo) and brother (adelphos), engendering its nickname of “the city of brotherly love.”

Although born in Boston, Philadelphia claims Ben Franklin as one of its sons as the renowned statesman, scientist, writer and inventor moved to the city at the age of 17. Responsible for many civic improvements, Franklin founded the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1731 and organized the Union Fire Company in 1736.

On September 18, 1777, fearing that the approaching British army would seize and melt the Liberty Bell for ammunition, 200 cavalrymen transported the iconic symbol of freedom by caravan from the Philadelphia State House to the basement of the Zion Reformed Church in Allentown, where it remained until the British finally left in June of 1778.

Now the largest city in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia served as the nation’s capital from 1790 until a permanent capital was established in Washington, D.C., in 1800. Both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed in Philadelphia.

In July of 1952, Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine from the killed virus at the University of Pittsburgh. First tested on himself and his family, the vaccine was made available nation-wide a few years later, which reduced the number of polio cases from nearly 29,000 in 1955 to less than 6,000 in 1957.

In 1903, the Boston Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates competed against each other in the first official World Series of Major League Baseball at Exposition Park in Pittsburgh. In the best-of-nine series, Boston won five games to three.

The worst nuclear accident in United States history occurred on March 28, 1979, on Three Mile Island near Harrisburg. Caused by a series of system malfunctions and human errors, the plant’s nuclear reactor core partially melted, and thousands of residents were evacuated or fled the area, fearing exposure to radiation.

William Penn initially requested his land grant be named “Sylvania,” from the Latin for “woods.” Charles II instead named it “Pennsylvania,” after Penn’s father, causing Penn to worry that settlers would believe he named it after himself.

Credits: http://www.history.com/topics/us-states/pennsylvania

DAY 1 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (AND GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD) - MAY 25, 2014

May 25

Genesis 1:7-10 (New International Version)

7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day. 9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

DAY 1- DAILY PRAYER (THE STATE OF DELAWARE) - MAY 25, 2014

May 25

Prayer for the State of Delaware 

Heavenly Father,

We come to You today with thanksgiving and praise for the first of our 50 US States.  Thank You for the State of Delaware; where the first embodiment of Christianity and freedom was established, and where men called upon Your Holy name to overcome the hardships of creating a new nation.  Although the first efforts of human hands in this state was to survive in this new land, the brutality of purging an Indian population for conquest has stained the soil across Delaware.  We ask for Your forgiveness and grace for the wrongs of the past, and ask that you completely cleanse the land of it's sins against life itself.  

Father, we pray for the current inhabitants of this state, from the office of Governor Jack Markell and the State Legislature, to the white and blue collar workers that support it's economic growth.  Bless it's inhabitants from sea to hills and valley.  Call upon Your chosen people, and minister to those serving other Gods.  Forgive the sin of the state in allowing gay marriage to become accepted, and restore Your Holy vision of 'one man and one woman' across the land.  Heal those who suffer from disease, and strengthen those who are weak.  Protect the first forms of life, and those living in their last years.  Stand guard over the children in schools across the state, and protect the innocent from the many acts of wickedness that the enemy wishes to unleash on the pure at heart.

Almighty God, as we experience the growing pains of this world, we ask Your generous mercy upon the people of Delaware.  Save them from the crashing waves of the sea, and the twirling winds of the sky.  Place a hand of protection over homes and businesses, and over the very soil of their land.  Protect the environment from man made poisoning, and impact from their human footprint on the land.  May the population of Delaware forever praise You for the beauty that You have created in their state, and strive to be good stewards of Your creation that is called 'Delaware'.

Father, we lift up our praises and concerns to You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.  Amen

Wally Ziolo
Founder - 40DAYPRAYER4USA
Lancaster, Ohio 43130

DAY 1 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD - "WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT GOVERNMENT?"

May 25

Question: "What does the Bible say about government?"

Answer: The Bible speaks very clearly about the relationship between the believer and the government. We are to obey governmental authorities, and the government is to treat us justly and fairly. Even when the government does not live up to its role, we are still to live up to ours. Finally, when the government asks us to do something that is in direct disobedience to God’s Word, we are to disobey the government in faithful confidence of the Lord’s power to protect us.

Whether the Bible uses the terms “master,” “ruler,” “government,” or any other name for an established authority, the instruction is always the same – obey. We must remember that God created the authorities ruling over us just as He created us. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:1-2). Peter wrote, “Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right” (1 Peter 2:13-14). Both Peter and Paul also remind slaves repeatedly to be obedient to their masters for the same reasons (Ephesians 6:5-8; Colossians 3:22-25; 1 Timothy 6:1-2; 1 Peter 2:18-20; Titus 2:9-11).

The instructions to government “masters” are just as clear and just as numerous. Jesus modeled the behavior and attitude every leader or authority should take. “Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’” (Matthew 20:25-28). A government or authority exists to serve those governed.

Many times, however, a government will stray from its purpose and become oppressive. When that happens, we are still to live in obedience. “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God” (1 Peter 2:18-19). Both Jesus and Paul used taxes as a way to illustrate this. The Roman government taxed the Jews unjustly and many of the tax collectors were thieves. When asked about this dilemma, Jesus took a coin and said, “‘Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?’ ‘Caesar's,’ they replied. Then he said to them, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's’” (Matthew 22:20-21). Evidently, the believers in Rome were still asking the same question because Paul instructed them on the matter. “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing” (Romans 13:6).

In the Old Testament, Daniel is a model we should use when it comes to our relationship with government. The Babylonians were given authority over the Jews because of the Jews’ disobedience. Daniel worked himself into the highest levels of this pagan and unbelieving government. Although the rulers respected Daniel’s God, their lives and actions show they did not believe. Daniel served the king as a true servant when he requested the wise men not be executed for failing to interpret the king’s dream. Instead, he asked for the key to interpret the dream from God and saved those, including himself, who would have been executed. While Daniel was in the royal court, his three friends refused to bow to the idol erected by King Nebuchadnezzar and were sentenced to death in the furnace (Daniel 3:12-15). Their response was confident faith. They did not defend themselves, but instead told the king their God would save them, adding that even if He didn’t, they still would not worship or serve Nebuchadnezzar’s gods (Daniel 3:16-18).

After the Medes conquered Babylon, Daniel continued to serve faithfully and to rise in power within the government. Here, Daniel faced the same dilemma when the governors and satraps tricked the king into signing a decree “…that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions” (Daniel 6:7). Daniel responded by directly, and in full view of everyone, disobeying the order. “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days” (Daniel 6:10). Daniel was completely loyal to any ruler placed over him until that ruler ordered him to disobey God. At that moment, when a choice had to be made between the world and God, Daniel chose God. As should we all.

Recommended Resources: Hard Sayings of the Bible by Kaiser, Davids, & Brauch and Logos Bible Software.

While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.




Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-government.html#ixzz32lI5fPAO

DAY 1 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR MAY 25, 2014

May 25

Poet Henry David Thoreau wrote in Civil Disobedience, 1849:

"That government is best which governs least."

A contemporary poet was Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote similarly:

"The less government we have, the better."

Ralph Waldo Emerson continued:

"The fewer laws...the less confided power.

The antidote to this abuse of formal Government, is, the influence of private character, the growth of the Individual."

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born MAY 25, 1803.

He was friends with the famous writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Louisa May Alcott.

Ralph Waldo Emerson composed some of the best loved poems in American literature, including The Concord Hymn, of which a stanza is inscribed on the base of Daniel Chester French's Minute Man Statue:

"By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled;
Here once the embattled farmers stood;
And fired the shot heard round the world."

Ralph Waldo Emerson commented on John Quincy Adams:

"No man could read the Bible with such powerful effect, even with the cracked and winded voice of old age."

In 1848, Ralph Waldo Emerson visited Paris between the February Revolution and the bloody June Days.

When he saw that mobs had cut down trees near the Champ de Mars to form barricades across downtown city streets, he wrote in his journal:

"At the end of the year we shall...see if the Revolution was worth the trees."

When abolitionist publisher Elijah Lovejoy was murdered in 1838 and his printing press destroyed, Emerson said:

"It is but the other day that the brave Lovejoy gave his breast to the bullets of a mob, for the rights of free speech and opinion."

Emerson stated:

"I think we must get rid of slavery, or we must get rid of freedom."

Abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner took Emerson to the White House to meet Abraham Lincoln.

Having voted for the Republican President Lincoln, Emerson stated of the Democrat South in a lecture at the Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.:

"The South calls slavery an institution... I call it destitution... Emancipation is the demand of civilization."

In 1865, Ralph Waldo Emerson remarked at a memorial service for Abraham Lincoln:

"I doubt if any death has caused so much pain as this has caused."

On September 12, 2001, the day after fundamentalist Muslims committed terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Congressman J.C. Watts, Jr., quoted Emerson:

"Politics has taken the day off.

Today Congress remembers and recognizes the afflicted and the sorrowing and those who come to the aid of their fellow man.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, in 1842, captured what we are thinking as a nation today:

'Sorrow makes us all children again,
destroys all differences of intellect.
The wisest knows nothing.'"

In May-Day and Other Pieces (1867), Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:

Boston Hymn, st. 2-
"God said, I am tired of kings,
I suffer them no more;
Up to my ear the morning brings
The outrage of the poor."

Voluntaries III-
"So nigh is grandeur to our dust,
So near is God to man,
When Duty whispers low, Thou must,
The youth replies, I can."

Ode, st. 5 -
"United States! the ages plead, -
Present and Past in under-song, -
Go put your creed into your deed,
Nor speak with double tongue."

Fragment-
"Wilt thou seal up the avenues of ill?
Pay every debt as if God wrote the bill."

In The Conduct of Life (1860), Emerson wrote:

Fate-"Men are what their mothers made them."

Regarding civilization, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:

"The true test of civilization is, not the census, nor the size of the cities, nor the crops - no, but the kind of man the country turns out."

In Social Aims, Emerson wrote:

"Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy."

In The American Scholar (1837), Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:

"In how many churches, by how many prophets, tell me, is man made sensible that he is an infinite Soul; that the earth and heavens are passing into his mind; that he is drinking forever the soul of God?"

Ralph Waldo Emerson stated:

"All I have seen has taught me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen."

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:

"America is another name for opportunity.

Our whole history appears like a last effort of divine Providence in behalf of the human race."

Hide Endnotes

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Charles Wallis, ed., Our American Heritage (NY: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1970), p. 57.

(Brought to you by AmericanMinute.com)

DAY 1 - STATE HISTORY - DELAWARE

May 25, 2014

The first of the original 13 states to ratify the federal Constitution, Delaware occupies a small niche in the Boston–Washington, D.C., urban corridor along the Middle Atlantic seaboard. It is the second smallest state in the country and one of the most densely populated. The state is organized into three counties—from north to south, New Castle, Kent and Sussex—all established by 1682. Its population, like its industry, is concentrated in the north, around Wilmington, where the major coastal highways and railways pass through from Pennsylvania and New Jersey on the north and east into Maryland on the south and west. The rest of the state comprises the northeastern corner of the Delmarva Peninsula, which Delaware shares with Maryland and Virginia (hence its name). Most state government operations are located in Dover, the capital.

Date of Statehood: December 7, 1787

Capital: Dover

Population: 897,934 (2010)

Size: 2,489 square miles

Nickname(s): The First State; The Diamond State; Blue Hen State; Small Wonder

Motto: Liberty and Independence

Tree: American Holly

Flower: Peach Blossom

Bird: Blue Hen

INTERESTING FACTS

The first European colony in the Delaware Valley was established by Swedish settlers in 1638. Between 1698 and 1699, the descendants of these early colonists constructed Old Swedes Church (also known as Holy Trinity Church), which is one of the oldest houses of worship in America still in use.

According to legend, Delaware was nicknamed “The Diamond State” because Thomas Jefferson referred to it as a “jewel among the states” due to its prime location on the Eastern Seaboard.

The first bathing beauty pageant in which contestants competed for the title of “Miss United States” took place in Rehoboth Beach in 1880 as a way to attract business during its summer festival. Inventor Thomas Edison was one of the contest’s judges.

After the onset of World War II, several concrete observation towers ranging between 39 and 75 feet tall were constructed along Delaware’s coast to protect the bay and coastal towns from German warships. Eleven towers remain in Delaware and two remain in Cape May, NJ.

Delaware Bay is home to more horseshoe crabs than anywhere else in the world. Mostly unchanged for the past 300 million years, these “living fossils” were collected by Native American Indians for food and used as fertilizer—a practice that was passed along to early colonial settlers and continued until the 1960s. Currently used in biomedical research, horseshoe crabs have played an invaluable role in studying the human eye and detecting bacteria in drugs.

Over the years Delaware has been called the; chemical capital, the corporate capital; and the credit card capital of the United States.


Credits:
http://www.history.com/topics/us-states/delaware

DAY 40 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (HELMET AND SWORD) - JULY 3, 2013

July 3

Ephesians 6:17 (The Voice Bible)

17 Take also the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

DAY 40 - DAILY DEVOTION - JULY 3, 2013

July 3

“No More Bow or Sword Trusting”
Posted on February 28, 2013 by katherine


David said in Psalm 44:6, “I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me.”

What are you trusting in to save you? Job, money, spouse, church, talent, 401-K, stocks or bonds, savings account, or government.

David fought a lion, a bear, & a giant named Goliath. He realized, “God is the one who gives the victory.”

Whatever you are fighting today, guess what? You Win with God!!

We won’t trust in anything or anyone, but the One who gives us the Victory because He already won the victory! You can put your complete trust in God! He has been tried & true!

Say with me now, “We will trust in the name of the Lord, Our God!”

http://dailyliveworship.com/blog/no-more-bow-or-sword-trusting/

DAY 40- DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER FOR THE HELMET AND SWORD) - JULY 3, 2013

July 3

Helmet of Salvation

Lord, I am so grateful for my salvation! It is the most wonderful gift You have ever given me. It changed my life and set me free; it brought healing to my body and deliverance to my mind. I want to wrap the knowledge of all that my salvation includes around my mind so tightly that the devil can never steal these benefits from my life. Holy Spirit, I ask You to help me study and to understand everything Jesus purchased for me at the Cross. Reveal it to me; convince me of its truth; and help me to wear that revelation knowledge on my head like a mighty, fortified, spiritual helmet!

I pray this in Jesus' name!

http://mystispirtualjourney.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-prayer-for-today.html

Sword of the Spirit

My dear Holy Spirit, I submit myself to You again today. Continue to cultivate a spirit of sensitivity in my heart that I respond actively to Your voice and miracles (works from You) You perform around me. I thank for Your continual transforming of my inner soul - my mind for perceiving You, my will for submitting to You, and my desire for experiencing You, and also thank for Your people whom You led close to me and spoke Your words to me. An experienced pastor prayed for me, "May God renew you first before you are sent to bless the others." I pray that these words will be fulfilled in my life according to Your Grace and Work in me.

http://matthewsin01.blogspot.com/2013/03/hold-sword-of-spirit-and-pray-in-spirit.html

DAY 40 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD (WHAT IS THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD - HELMET OF SALVATION, ANS SWORD OF THE SPIRIT?)

July 3

The helmet of salvation in verse 17 is protection for the head, keeping viable a critical part of the body. We could say that our way of thinking needs preservation. The head is the seat of the mind, which, when it has laid hold of the sure gospel hope of eternal life, will not receive false doctrine or give way to Satan’s temptations. The unsaved person has no hope of warding off the blows of false doctrine because he is without the helmet of salvation and his mind is incapable of discerning between spiritual truth and spiritual deception.

Verse 17 interprets itself as to the meaning of the sword of the Spirit—it is the Word of God. While all the other pieces of spiritual armor are defensive in nature, the sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon in the armor of God. It speaks of the holiness and power of the Word of God. A greater spiritual weapon is not conceivable. In Jesus' temptations in the desert, the Word of God was always His overpowering response to Satan. What a blessing that the same Word is available to us!

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/full-armor-of-God.html#ixzz2XvUtITAQ

DAY 40 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JULY 3, 2013

July 3

American Minute for July 3rd:

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Washington, D.C., was in a panic as 72,000 Confederate troops were just sixty miles away near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

After the Confederate victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee was under a time deadline.

Mounting casualties of the war were causing Lincoln's popularity to fall, so if Lee could get a quick victory at Gettysburg, he could pressure Lincoln to a truce.

But this window of opportunity was fast closing, as Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was about to capture Vicksburg on the Mississippi, which would divide the Confederacy and free up thousands of Union troops to fight Lee in the east.

Unfortunately for Lee, his great General, "Stonewall" Jackson had died two months earlier, having been mistakenly shot by his own men.

On the Union side, Lincoln replaced Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker with Maj. Gen. George Meade to command the 94,000 men of the Union Army of the Potomac.

The Battle of Gettysburg began July 1, 1863.

After two days of intense combat, with ammunition running low, General Robert E. Lee ordered "Pickett's Charge," where 12,500 Confederate soldiers made a direct attack on the Union position at Cemetery Ridge.

After an hour of murderous fire and bloody hand-to-hand combat, the Confederates were pushed back and the Battle of Gettysburg ended JULY 3, 1863, with over 50,000 casualties.

The next day, Vicksburg surrendered to General Grant, giving the Union Army control of the Mississippi River.

When news reached London, all hopes of Europe recognizing the Confederacy were ended.

On July 5, 1863, President Lincoln and his son were visiting General Daniel E. Sickles, who had his leg blown off at Gettysburg. As recorded by General James F. Rusling, when Lincoln was asked if he had been anxious before the Battle, he gravely answered:

"No, I was not; some of my Cabinet and many others in Washington were, but I had no fears...

In the pinch of your campaign up there, when everybody seemed panic-stricken, and nobody could tell what was going to happen, oppressed by the gravity of our affairs, I went to my room one day, and I locked the door, and got down on my knees before Almighty God, and prayed to Him mightily for victory at Gettysburg.

I told Him that this was His war, and our cause His cause, but we couldn't stand another Fredericksburg or Chancellorsville. And I then and there made a solemn vow to Almighty God, that if He would stand by our boys at Gettysburg, I would stand by Him.

And He did stand by you boys, and I will stand by Him. And after that (I don't know how it was, and I can't explain it), soon a sweet comfort crept into my soul that God Almighty had taken the whole business into his own hands and that things would go all right at Gettysburg. And that is why I had no fears about you."

Twelve days after the Battle of Gettysburg, July 15, 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Prayer:

"It is meet and right to recognize and confess the presence of the Almighty Father and the power of His hand equally in these triumphs and in these sorrows...

I invite the people of the United States to...render the homage due to the Divine Majesty for the wonderful things He has done in the nation's behalf and invoke the influence of His Holy Spirit to subdue the anger which has produced and so long sustained a needless and cruel rebellion."

In his Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln ended:

"We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

At the Gettysburg Battlefield, May 30, 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt said:

"On these hills of Gettysburg two brave armies of Americans once met in contest...Since those days, two subsequent wars, both with foreign Nations, have measurably...softened the ancient passions. It has been left to us of this generation to see the healing made permanent."

In his 3rd Inaugural Address, President Franklin Roosevelt said, January 20, 1941:

"The spirit of America...is the product of centuries....born in the multitudes of those who came from many lands...

The democratic aspiration is no mere recent phase in human history. It is human history...

Its vitality was written into our own Mayflower Compact, into the Declaration of Independence, into the Constitution of the United States, into the Gettysburg Address...

If the spirit of America were killed, even though the Nation's body...lived on, the America we know would have perished."

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DAY 39 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (SHIELD OF FAITH) - JULY 2, 2013

July 2

Ephesians 6:16 (The Voice Bible)

16 Don’t forget to raise the shield of faith above all else, so you will be able to extinguish flaming spears hurled at you from the wicked one.

http://www.hearthevoice.com/search-bible

DAY 39 - DAILY DEVOTION - JULY 2, 2013

July 2


Making History With Our Story
Posted on June 21, 2013 by katherine


Lyle Mason- let’s go make history in a few hours & start our story together.. Many people have been touched by our God & His incredible love for us & that He would be so gracious in bringing us together so quickly.

Some have questioned, but no one really understands until you have walked in our shoes & had the depth of love that we both shared with our spouses, and knowing how faithful we were to our spouses until death did they part.

God was the one to whom we called upon in those darks hours when no one else was around, as we raised high our arms towards Heaven to worship Him & believe that He had a plan for us even though we couldn’t see it. God was The One we begged, to take away the pain & as He wiped our tears & said, “Trust me, my child, for I know the plans I have for you.”

And, He is the one who saved us, healed us & turned us around for His Glory. He is The One who healed our broken hearts & turned our hearts towards one another.

I pray that many people will find love like we have between us, and that marriages will be restored & re-united to the Father’s heart & to one another. I told you early on in our relationship that I wished every woman could experience the love like you have shown me.

You are one in a zillion, is that a number or word?!! You know me & my math aren’t that great.. LOL

If God be for us, who can be against us? GOD IS SO FOR US & WE HAVE SUCH A GREAT FUTURE AHEAD!! I love you & will see you very soon!!

http://dailyliveworship.com/blog/making-history-with-our-story/

DAY 39- DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER FOR THE SHIELD OF FAITH) - JULY 2, 2013

July 2

Strong Tower, Fortress, Cornerstone, and Shelter,

We call upon Your Mighty strength today Father, as we lift up our voices to Your throne. We thank You for always being with us, and for Your promise to never leave us nor forsake us. Through faith, You have proven these promises to be true...over and over again. With this evidence of Your unfailing power and protection, let us lift up a great shield of faith in the battle. By hearing Your word, enable us to be strengthened against the attack of the enemy. Equip us with a mighty shield of faith, capable of withstanding all the flaming arrows that satan shoots in our direction. At the end of the day Father, help us to be victorious through Your word. Deliver us Lord from every evil, and set Your word strongly before us this day.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen!

Wally Ziolo
Founder - 40DAYPRAYER4USA
Lancaster, Ohio USA

DAY 39 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD (WHAT IS THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD - SHIELD OF FAITH?)

July 2

The shield of faith spoken of in verse 16 makes Satan's sowing of doubt about the faithfulness of God and His Word ineffective. Our faith—of which Christ is “the author and perfecter” (Hebrews 12:2)— is like a golden shield, precious, solid, and substantial.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/full-armor-of-God.html#ixzz2Xr1vQ9D1