Greetings!

As we near the 232nd birthday of our nation, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the founding of our great nation and what it will take to keep it sovereign.

Two-hundred thirty-two years ago, some very brave men gathered together to defy the foremost power in the world because they felt that "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" were "unalienable Rights."

Has anything changed?  Not in principle, but think about this: when you think of strong men of faith, character, and leadership from the founding era, I'll bet you could name 10-20 names in a manner of seconds--George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, John Hancock, Benjamin Rush, Charles Carroll, etc.
Back then it is estimated that we had only 3 million people living in the colonies.
Fast forward to today, with over 300 million (and counting), how many strong men of faith, character, and leadership could you name on the national scene? Um...Um...Um...you'd be hard-pressed to name just a few.
Think about why that is.  I will only propose a couple of reasons, though there are many more. 

1) In the 232 years since the founding of our nation, we have become less and less dependent on God and more dependent on Uncle Sam.

It was one of the wisest of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, who said,

"I've lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing Proofs I see of this Truth — That God governs in the Affairs of Men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his Aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that except the Lord build the House they labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe this, — and I also believe that without his concurring Aid, we shall succeed in this political Building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our Projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a Reproach and Bye word down to future Ages."

It is amazing that this man could so accurately predict the affairs of man more than 200 years in the future.  Or is it?  How did he know? Well he turned to the Book that men have turned to for centuries for wisdom; the Book which, if you read the writings of the authors and signers of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, they all used as inspiration for founding our nation.

2) In the 232 years since the founding of our nation, we have not maintained enough intestinal fortitude to stand up to the "small" evils that collectively have ushered in some semblance of tyranny in our own beloved nation.  These "evils" come upon us slowly, yet before you know it (like a boiled lobster--one degree at a time), we are almost cooked.
It is high time we began to realize that our founding fathers had it right--with the Declaration of Independence, with the Constitution, and with their willingness to sacrifice of self to fight evil where they saw it, no matter how small it seemed at the time.  Remember, at every attempt by the crown to place the colonies more firmly under his thumb, they rose in defiance--either in writing or in deed.

So this Independence Day, make a committment to yourself and to your family and countrymen: YOU be that leader of character and faith.  Even if no one around you is doing the right thing, stand up and say "no" to every evil you encounter.  You may surprise yourself. Don't be surprised, though, if others are drawn to you.  Lend each other mutual support and then lead together.

I wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday and please keep up the fight!

Jason Mrochek
Co-founder & Executive Director
FIRE Coalition