In 2014 one of my friends recommended that I should read “Killing Jesus” by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. This particular friend said: “I think they must have used your book ‘The Illegal Trial of Christ” as a reference, because much of what they write sound like what you explained in your book!”
I had already read O’Reilly and Dugard’s books “Killing Lincoln” and “Killing Kennedy” and even “Killing Patton”. I particularly enjoyed “Killing Lincoln” and so had intended to read “Killing Jesus.”
A few years ago I sent a Christmas card to my children and spouse. It was a homemade card. Yes, I drew it myself. I drew a Christmas wreath and laying inside the circle of the wreath was Snoopy—with apologies to Charles Schultz.
The words on the card said: “Merry Christmas—it’s as simple as that!”
Then I explained some of the symbolism of the card. Snoopy represents “everyman”. He’s a cool dude. He is snuggled in the wreath meaning he has accepted Christ as his Savior and is “resting” in the arms of the Lord. I told the readers to notice how rested Snoopy looked.
You, of course, know of the speech Patrick Henry gave which ended with the words: “Give me liberty or give me death!” And then he pretended to plunge a dagger into his breast.
But have you heard these words which Patrick Henry spoke?
“Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined.”
Happy Thanksgiving. As I was writing my report yesterday about how thankful I am for learning about the Illegal Trial of Christ, it occurred to me that I wouldn’t have ever written that book if the distributor for my book “Founding Fathers—Uncommon Heroes” hadn’t known that I had given several presentations about that trial. The distributor knew me well.
When Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion” came out and was so successful, my distributor called me and said they wanted me to put my material about the trial of Christ into a book. And because of current interest, they wanted it NOW!
When I was first asked, as a young lawyer, to give a presentation to a church group about the Trial of Christ from a lawyer’s standpoint, I was somewhat flabbergasted. My response was that they didn’t teach a course about that in law school.
But I told the group that I would try to educate myself enough to make a passable presentation! They gave me 3 months to prepare.
I began to read books and articles to increase my understanding of the history of the times, the geography of the areas involved, and the laws and rules connected with that trial. I learned a lot. My library on the subject has increased substantially. It all became much more interesting to me, and I hope, to others as I made my talks or lectures. With maps and pictures, nevertheless.
Shortly after the Declaration of Independence was adopted by Congress, Adams was sent to France to join Benjamin Franklin as a minister to France. Congress didn’t invite him to return home, even after the Revolutionary War had ended, and he and Franklin had constructed a Peace Treat, very much in favor of the United States.
Instead they sent him to Great Britain to attempt to produce a treaty of commerce with England. Can you imagine that? To try to put together a new treaty with your most recent war enemy? Impossible. Well, at least terribly difficult.
Oh wow! The Mormon Tabernacle Choir played a rousing rendition of “Prayer of Thanksgiving” today on Music and the Spoken Word, their weekly Sunday program. I hadn’t known before that this folk Hymn was written in the late 1800’s because of the end of a long and dreary war between The Netherlands and Spain in pursuit of religious freedom.
This hymn always reminded me of our own Pilgrim heritage and our Thanksgiving Holiday. Oh well, it still fits, and we should sing it proudly. Here are the words:
George Washington learned much wisdom in his youth. While learning penmanship, he was instructed to write several (110) maxims from dictation, which maxims taught him not only good penmanship, but also good manners and behavior. Here’s one of those maxims:
“Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation for ‘tis better to be alone than in bad company.”
He kept that advice his whole life through.
As you know Benjamin Franklin was a great diplomat. He proved that over and over again. In the Continental Congress with the Declaration of Independence with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, and others. In his victories with France in obtaining the funds and cooperation of the French in the Revolutionary War. In the Constitutional Convention when the arguments were starting to take over the discussions. And just generally in his life time habits and discourses.
Here’s an example of how he achieved so much:
It seems that we, as a nation, are just now learning some things that our Founding Fathers knew and tried to tell us. To warn us about.
Here’s just one small example from our first President, George Washington:
“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like a fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”
–George Washington as quoted in “Give Me Liberty,”
by Steven W. Allen, JD.