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July 7, 2026

Continuing the 250 Year Celebration

I just can’t resist taking one more day to share a report regarding America’s great 250th birthday celebration.

Like hundreds of thousands of patriotic Americans, Ceci and I braved the triple-digit temperatures for a few hours Saturday to visit the Washington, D.C., National Mall. Patriot Ceci is still on the mend from some physical issues, including a hip replacement and an injured foot, but still walked over 3 miles in the intense heat to do so.

Patriots will be patriots.

At one point, I stood next to a perspiring, obviously exhausted, elderly lady who sat down in one of the state booths’ rocking chairs for a few minutes of shade and rest. Ceci was doing the same on my other side. Then I noticed the cane in the other lady’s lap. I’m standing between a couple of warriors! I thought. “It’s pretty impressive to be out here today in this heat when walking with a cane,” I said to my fellow unknown patriot.

She downplayed it, of course.

Some proud Americans were being pushed in wheelchairs, and still others were PUSHING wheelchairs!!! (And strollers, by the way.) Watching thousands of them carrying their small flags, wearing their patriotic outfits, taking pictures, and celebrating the founding of our great nation was, indeed, inspiring.

Several hundred thousand people stood in long, unshaded lines just to get onto the Mall. After having to leave around 7 PM because of the storms, 150,000-plus came back, many in their soaked outfits, to hear the President’s speech - at 11 PM! - and watch the fireworks live.

And for those who may have missed it, in his speech, President Trump honored 100-plus-year-old veterans and displayed several U.S. flags that were present at significant events in America’s history. These included one that covered President Abraham Lincoln’s casket, and one from the USS Arizona that sank in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, at the start of World War II. What an inspiring night. The President concluded his speech by saying:

“That show tonight, you heard it was over. [referencing the rumor that his speech and the remainder of the festivities had been canceled due to the weather] And what happened? You came back. And this American flag still waves. Proud and free and beautiful. We have thrived and flourished because our Founders were great. Our cause was just. Our people are brave. Our culture is exceptional. And our destiny is written by God. And as we can see here tonight, after 250 years, the spirit of 1776 still lives within us all. It still roars in the hearts of our nation’s capital. It still burns in the heart of every patriot and thunders through every city and town. It still lights the entire world with the glow of American liberty. And there is nothing like that at 250 years old. We may be the oldest constitutional republic on earth, but our country is just getting started, because the best is yet to come. This is only the dawn of the Golden Age of America.

“On this 250th 4th of July, we declare, just as they did two and a half centuries ago, that for our country and for our children and for the cause of liberty, we are going to take our country to new levels, to levels not reached. We’re going to make it bigger, better, stronger, and we’re going to love it even more… And I want to thank everybody, and we love you all. And it’s an honor to be your President. Thank you. God bless you all. God bless you all.”(1)

And the fireworks display that began just before midnight, well, it was a fitting end to our 250th birthday, and an ushering in of the next 250 years. Thank you to Intercessors For America for inviting Ceci and me to join you and many of your conference attendees on the riverboat, where we dined, hung out, and watched the fireworks from the Potomac! (The IFA conference was amazing, by the way, and a true honor to be part of.) We enjoyed meeting so many IFA “faithfuls,” along with many faithful Give Him 15 followers–thanks for your kind remarks and encouragement. What a great night!

Now, the work of restoring America to her God-given destiny continues. We will finish the mission we have begun: doing our part to produce a Third Great Awakening here in America, and watching it blaze elsewhere in the world where, for many, it will be their first awakening. Can you imagine–hundreds of millions of people born again, receiving new life through Christ, and finding their eternal purpose in the heart of their Creator. Jesus said heaven throws a party when just one of them comes to Him (Luke 15:7)!

We will continue to pray for our government’s turnaround and recovery, asking heaven for honest, humble, noble, and God-honoring leaders. We believe that since Jesus told us to disciple nations (Matthew 28:18-20), nations can be discipled! We will not stop, we will not waver, and by His anointing and empowerment, we will not fail.

Pray with me:

Father, as Americans, we are eternally grateful and very humbled by the privilege, along with the fellow believers in other nations, of partnering with You to save the world. We are also humbled by the incredible prosperity You have bestowed on us in order to do so. Like Abraham of old, You have blessed us greatly, in order to bless nations of the Earth through us. We are in the process of adding Your dream back into “the American Dream.”

As we move forward in this process, we ask for another season of great grace. Grace us with wise and righteous leaders, who lead with honor and humility. Grace us with fire in our pulpits and burning ones in our pews. Grace us with revival on our campuses, peace on our streets, and unity in our nation. Remove from our land the influence of race-baiting dividers and hate-filled antagonists.

And throughout the nations, lift the veil of deception that blinds the spiritual eyes of unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Cause the glory of Christ to be seen, Your amazing love to be recognized, and the power of the gospel to be experienced. Release wave after wave of glory and power, producing wave after wave of spiritual harvest. We pray all of this in Christ’s glorious name, amen.

Our decree:

“We declare, just as they did two and a half centuries ago, that for our country and for our children and for the cause of liberty, we are going to take our country to new levels, to levels not reached.” (President Donald J. Trump)

Click on the link below to watch the video.

 
 

July 6, 2026

Bucket List Item Fulfilled: July 4th Fireworks in DC

I fulfilled one of the goals on my bucket list this past weekend: Ceci and I watched the Fourth of July celebration live in Washington, D.C. The goal hadn’t been to do so on America’s 250th birthday, but Providence determined that we would. And what a year to choose.

More than 850,000 fireworks were used in Washington, D.C., during the Independence Day celebrations!(1) Organizers launched the explosives from 10 different locations, including barges in the Potomac River. The 40-minute display was ten times larger than typical D.C. Independence Day shows and was designed to break the Guinness World Record for the largest single fireworks display.

I’m thinking even the cloud of witnesses in heaven enjoyed this one!

We were in DC to speak at Intercessors For America’s gathering at the Museum of the Bible. How fitting that this amazing organization, which for 50 years has led the way in intercession for America, would host this conference. What an honor to join them. After the gathering ended, we joined about 160 attendees on a riverboat cruise and watched the fireworks while perched on the Potomac.

Bucket list: check.

While there in DC for the weekend, I couldn’t help but have a time of reflection. I went back in my mind to some of the encounters I’ve had with the Lord, during which He gave me His heart for America and mantled me for what I now do. Regarding this great but prodigal nation, I have dreamed with Him, wept with Him, and rejoiced with Him. I have traveled millions of miles with Him, praying in every state–most of them multiple times. There are plenty of memories.

I also reflected much further back: my journey has been but one of millions and reflects only a short span of the timeline. I thought about Robert Hunt and company planting the cross at Cape Henry after leaving family and friends behind to face difficult weeks at sea and a new world. Then, about half of the original group died within the first few months, due to a combination of disease and malnutrition. Hunt himself died in the spring of 1608 at roughly 39 years of age. But their legacy lives. I thanked them.

I thought of Jefferson pondering, carefully weighing his words while asking for Divine Providence, as he penned the Declaration. I pictured Hancock signing his name in extra-large letters so old King George could read it without his glasses, and I signed my name next to his. I listened in my heart as Patriot Sam Adams said, “We have this day restored the Sovereign, to Whom alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and… from the rising to the setting sun, may His kingdom come.”(2) And I worshipped with him.

I thought of George Washington and his troops at Valley Forge, freezing and starving, yet somehow persevering. I pictured this great American Founder kneeling in the snow, appealing to heaven for help and miraculous intervention. I thanked him, and the soldiers as well, then appealed to heaven for America’s full recovery.

I pictured Whitefield, the Wesleys, and Edwards preaching. I envisioned Circuit Riders spending lonely hours riding through rain, snow, freezing cold, and scorching sun to take the gospel to new frontiers. I thought of thousands gathered on the hills of Cane Ridge, KY, listening to powerful messages and being visited by the glory of God. And I imagined William Seymour as he led a history-shaping revival at Azusa Street.

And then I dreamed a little. I imagined a future where the fruit of all these labors experienced another wave of multiplication. Cape Henry’s dedication of this land to the gospel received new life, and the First and Second Great Awakenings multiplied into a Third. The fire of earth-changing evangelists was relit, and a fresh wave of torch-bearers was unleashed throughout America and the world.

I dreamed of a new generation of righteous, God-honoring patriots in our government, seeking His wisdom and direction, just as our Founders did when writing our Constitution. I rang the bell of liberty in my mind and dreamed of another generation of Americans proclaiming Liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof.

Then I rededicated myself to the cause, and returned home to continue my journey.

Pray with me:

Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to redeem us wayward humans. What an incredible plan. Thank You for involving us in this plan; You save us, then use us to save others! We go from being the problem to becoming part of the solution. You’re amazing.

And thank You for America, a nation raised up to partner with You in this plan. What an honor! And of course, why wouldn’t that nation become the greatest nation in the world?! You blessed us overwhelmingly, and in every way. NO nation has ever been so blessed. All because we honored and partnered with You.

And yet, shockingly, like the prodigal in Scripture, we abandoned You and squandered our inheritance. It’s hard to fathom this rebellion and fall. Yet, in Your great love and mercy, You have said You would restore us, and are doing so! Thank You!

Now, take it all to the next level. Next-level revival, next-level restoration, next-level partnership with You. We ask this in Yeshua’s wonderful name, amen.

Our decree:

America’s rededication has occurred; the fruit now begins.

Click on the link below to watch the video.

 
 

July 3, 2026

“The Highest Glory of the American Revolution”

One can only imagine the range of emotions present in Independence Hall when the Declaration of Independence was signed. In the classic book, The Light and the Glory, Peter Marshall and David Manuel offer the following account:

“The magnitude of what they had done began to weigh upon them, and they realized that they and their countrymen were no longer Englishmen, but citizens of a fledgling nation barely a few minutes old. Many stared out the window. Some wept openly. Some, like Witherspoon, bowed their heads and closed their eyes in prayer. John Hancock broke the silence: ‘Gentlemen, the price on my head has just been doubled!’

“A wry chuckle followed, and then Samuel Adams rose: ‘We have this day restored the Sovereign, to Whom alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and … from the rising to the setting sun, may His Kingdom come.’”(1) 

It is ridiculous to suggest that these Founders did not believe God was involved in this endeavor. John Quincy Adams, son of John and Abigail Adams and sixth president of the United States, made the profound statement on the 45th anniversary of the signing, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity” (July 4, 1821).(2)

Adams’ belief in this indissoluble bond never waned. On America’s 61st birthday, July 4, 1837, he made the following staggering declaration, connecting the birth of our nation to the birth of Jesus Christ:

“Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day? [July 4th]. Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon earth?” (7/4/1837).(3)

Adams wasn’t equating America’s birth with Christ’s birth; he was saying that America’s birth was linked to His Birth. Our destiny involved announcing Christ’s birth as the Redeemer of humankind. This patriot knew why God raised up America!

The Price of Freedom

The signers of the Declaration of Independence understood the potential cost of their actions. This is why they ended the document with the words: “For the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”(4)

John Quincy’s dad, John Adams, one of the signers and our second President, spoke of the probable cost to his wife, Abigail: “I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration and support and defend these states. Yet through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is more than worth all the means.”(5)

Signer Lewis Morris’ half-brother tried to dissuade him from signing the Declaration, warning him of the potential cost. Morris’s eloquent response? “Damn the consequences. Give me the pen!”(6) I’ve often wondered if General George Patton was one of his descendants!

Signer Sam Adams, mentioned above, was a second cousin of John Adams, a distant uncle of John Quincy, and a key voice for liberty. Thomas Jefferson referred to him as “the patriarch of liberty.” Boston newspapers eulogized him as “the Father of the American Revolution.” (The Adams clan was certainly a bunch of freedom-loving warriors!) Speaking of the possible cost of freedom and declaring where he had placed his trust, Sam Adams said: “We have proclaimed to the world our determination ‘to die freemen, rather than to live slaves.’ We have appealed to heaven for the justice of our cause, and in Heaven, we have placed our trust.”(7)

Cousin John was such a passionate pioneer of liberty that Jefferson referred to him as a “colossus of independence.” On July 1, 1776, just before the signing of the Declaration, he spoke to the delegates at the Continental Congress:

“Before God, I believe the hour has come. My judgment approves this measure, and my whole heart is in it. All that I have, and all that I am, and all that I hope in this life, I am now ready here to stake upon it. And I leave off as I began, that live or die, survive or perish, I am for the Declaration. It is my living sentiment, and by the blessing of God, it shall be my dying sentiment. Independence now, and Independence forever!”(8)

Though John Adams and Jefferson didn’t always see eye-to-eye, their passion for America enabled them to set aside their differences, and they died as close friends—on the same day!(9) Most people are unaware that Adams and Jefferson, in an incredible phenomenon that could have only been caused by Providence, both died on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1826. Incredibly, God honored their love for America by allowing them to live until that landmark day. Their passion to see the survival of this “holy experiment,” as many described America at that time, and God’s divine favor kept them alive until this milestone was reached. Adams, too weak to attend the national Fourth of July celebration, asked to be seated in a chair by his window in order to watch the festivities. While watching the celebration, he drifted into unconsciousness and died later that night. Two of his last words before he graduated to Heaven were “Independence forever,”(10) restating his words from 50 years earlier. This was, indeed, his dying sentiment.

Passionate in life; passionate in death.

When the Declaration of Independence was signed, Adams said it “will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.”(11)

And so it is. As we celebrate this monumental day, the 250th birthday of America, I leave you with the words of Founding Father Joseph Warren, quoted by Ronald Reagan in his First Inaugural Address. Reagan shared:

“On the eve of our struggle for independence, a man who might have been one of the greatest among the Founding Fathers, Dr. Joseph Warren, President of the Massachusetts Congress, said to his fellow Americans, ‘Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of.... On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important questions upon which rest the happiness and the liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves.’”(12)

Reagan continued, “Well, I believe we, the Americans of today, are ready to act worthy of ourselves, ready to do what must be done to ensure happiness and liberty for ourselves, our children, and our children’s children.”(13)

Happy Independence Day!

Pray with me:

Father, we give thanks for our freedom. Americans are an immeasurably blessed people. We make our heavenward appeals today, asking for the courage to “act worthy of” this blessing and of our holy calling (Ephesians 4:1).

Give us hearts of iron, nerves of steel, holy zeal, and supernatural endurance. Fill us with fresh resolve to answer destiny’s call. Give us hearts that bow low, but dream high. Make us the Joshuas and Calebs, the Adams, Warrens, and Reagans of our time, fearless in the face of spiritual giants and of those who war against Your planned harvest.

May this be Your Ekklesia’s finest hour, Your Kingdom’s greatest advance on planet earth. We will represent our great Redeemer until we can say with our brother, Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7 NASB). And in our great Redeemer’s name, Jesus, we pray, amen.

Our decree:

We WILL “act worthy” of our calling, and the purposes of God for America WILL be accomplished!

Click on the link below to watch the video.

  1. Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Light and the Glory (Tarrytown, NY: Fleming H. Revell Company), p. 309.

  2. William Federer, America’s God and Country, FAME Publishing Inc., 1994, p. 18.

  3. Ibid.

  4. https://docs.house.gov/meetings/GO/GO00/20220929/115171/HHRG-117-GO00-20220929-SD010.pdf

  5. Bennett, William J. Our sacred honor: Words of advice from the Founders in stories, letters, poems, and speeches. (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1997), p. 40. 

  6. https://yalealumnimagazine.org/blog_posts/1831-damn-the-consequences-give-me-the-pen 

  7. http://www.samuel-adams-heritage.com/documents/speech-about-declaration-of-independence.html 

  8. July 1, 1776. Dan Amoot. America's Promise (Dallas, TX: The Dan Smoot Report, 1960), p. 6. Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Light and the Glory (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1997), pp. 307-308.

  9. William Federer, America’s God and Country, p. 14.

  10. Ibid., pp. 8-9.

  11. Ibid., p. 9.

  12. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/reagan1.asp

  13. Ibid.

 
 
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