Avalon Chronicles #140" "Liberty or Death" Patrick Henry Speech March 23, 1775 Richmond, Virginia

 by The Honorable Allen B. Clark      allenbclark@aol.com

     When Linda and I travel abroad or in our own nation, we tend to visit sites off the typical tourist paths. Such was so years ago when we visited St. John's Episcopal Church in Richmond, VA. It was not an accident we went there. That is the church on March 23, 1775 where American Patriot Patrick Henry, member of our First Continental Congress and first governor of the state of Virginia, spoke those immortal fiery words that were a guidepost in the following years leading to the liberty of and formation of our dear United States of America. Some of the words he spoke that day are captured as follows:

        "The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part I consider it nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery,...Should I keep back my opinions at such time , through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason toward my country and of an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings....Are we disposed to be of the number of those who having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?...If we wish to be free----if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending---if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us! 

     Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of the means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave....What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!...

     I know not what course others may take, but as for me: Give me liberty or give me death!"

Source:Great American Speeches Edited by Gregory R. Suriano Gramercy Books New York 1993. William Wirt re-created the address in his Life of Patrick Henry (1817).

     This speech is one never to be relegated to the dust bins of history. It was one of the first bugle calls spurring our nation to break the chains of slavery of the British Empire. There are those throughout history, who could relate to these words of Patrick Henry's, as being the motivation and emotional appeal to break the temporal chains of slavery from servitude to governments that abuse their power. Temporal government slavery exists internationally today.  Stay tuned to harken back to this speech and adapt it to the liberty or death we face in the lives of each and every human being on earth today. 

Avalon Chronicles: #139 "Total Eclipse-What is Being Covered Up?"

 By allenbclark@aol.com

Probably ten Bibles are in my possession, but my favored one I received just three years ago as a gift. It is The Evidence Bible New King James Version Bridge-Logos, Florida, 2011.

Commentary by Ray Comfort

Here we are one day before the newest total eclipse of the sun. I just "happened" upon turning again to Genesis 1 in the Bible to discover this footnote (pg. 4) below for Genesis 1:16:

"Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.

He made the stars also." Both lights will be evident April 8, 2024!

"Make sure you don't miss the magnitude of what God accomplished in creating the sun. Its surface temperature is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, with the temperature at the core around 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. That's hot. The sun's diameter is about 870,000 miles (109 times greater than earth), and it is 330,000 times heavier-and that is only one of over 100 billion stars that God made. The sun generates the heat and light the Earth needs. Without it, Earth could not support life. The sun is composed of 92 percent hydrogen, 7 percent helium, and small amounts of inert gases. It burns an incredible seven million tons of natural gas every second. And Almighty God spoke it into existence."

An entertainment icon of my earlier years was Johnny Carson. He would hear his guest make some comment and I still recall in the recesses of my memory, he would say, "I did not know that!"

For the footnote above, I can surely say, "I did not know that." 

Avalon Chronicles #138: "Are You Ready to Surrender?"

Prayer of Surrender

If you have ever said, "I am ready to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, but, I do not know what to say?," then read on!

Below is the "Prayer of Surrender" distributed by the pastor of my place of worship on Easter 2024.

Jesus, Your sacrifice for me on the cross not only covers the debt of my sin, it reveals the depth of Your love for me. Your resurrection not only testifies to the truth of your promises, it validates your authority as King over all things. You are the King of Kings.

I want and need you as my Savior, but today, I truly understand the gospel. I realize you came to be my Savior and King. I've wanted Your forgiveness for sin, but I haven't truly allowed Your rule to govern my whole life. I'm sorry.

Today, I truly give you my life. Not just as my Savior, but also as my King. I take the crown off my own head and place it at your feet. I bow my knee and surrender my heart to your Lordship.

Take my life. Govern me. Rule me. Change me. Lead me. Let my life reflect all that it means to be a true follower of Jesus the King.

                                     In Jesus Name. Amen

If you prayed this prayer and mean it, you must proclaim it and live it. Speak to others and share it with those you love and desire truly to join you in the family of God. Study your Bible, find a place of worship, where you are comfortable. Believe in the gift of answers to your prayers. Demonstrate and reflect Love for others. Get serious about your faith. There is too much chaos in the world today not to achieve the spiritual peace we need in this turbulent secular world. Vaya Con Dios Go With God! Honor Him and He will honor you. I pray with gratitude for the grace, mercy and love He provides me. 

Allen Clark

Avalon Chronicles #137: "God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Angels and Our Ultimate Enemy" #3

BORN TO DIE!

     Typically, the furthest most arrive in learning about the ultimate historical being on earth, Jesus the Christ, is in our youth Sunday School classes. We learn all those touchy feely stories about the beautiful baby Jesus, who was born divinely to Mother Mary, grew up in Nazareth north of the Sea of Galilee, learned carpentry from His earth father Joseph, somewhere around thirty gathered His twelve disciples and then began His ministry filled with teachings, miracles and lessons of how to treat others with the ultimate emotion we can express, which is LOVE, the least-expressed emotion in humanity.  

     God, the Creator of all, had a plan from the beginning. God knew eventually that there would have to be a flesh and blood human on earth to be a living and breathing example of how God desired humanity to treat each other. The genealogical line was established through the Hebrew nation by calling forth Abraham from ancient Iraq to travel to current day Israel to begin the family line. The Old Testament documents the history of the nation that evolved. That Ultimate Enemy, Satan, who gained power and control over planet earth after the disobedience of Adam and Eve, tried every trick in his malignant and devious line of work to keep Jesus from appearing on the stage of history to play His part for us. Satan tried to keep Jesus from being born. But, our all-powerful God brought Jesus forth to lay the groundwork for a world of peace and tranquility. It has become nothing but chaos!

     Today is Resurrection Day 2024. I know most call it Easter, embellished with cute rabbits and colorful eggs and squealing children filling their baskets. But, the true and unfailing significance of this day is that the Son of God, who appeared in that insignificant village in Israel, and not in some palatial mansion or castle to some historical and famous king, lauded and applauded with feasts and holidays and trumpets announcing the birth, was born most innocently and unnoticed. But, His impact on us until the end of time will be the most significant of the ages. Three days before his miraculous emergence and coming to life from His burial tomb, after the well-witnessed beating, scourging, piercing and bleeding on that horrendous hill in Jerusalem, the stage was set for the ending of the life of "The King of the Jews." But, it was just the beginning.

     Jesus, divinely and according to God's original plan, emerged alive and is still ALIVE. He went back to the Father and left us the Holy Spirit. What He did on the cross was to bleed and die for all of us. We have the opportunity to ensure our eternal existence after bodily death by believing He was, Who He said He was, sent to earth to show us the way to be forgiven of our sins, but there is a catch! We must believe that Jesus lived and we must be repentant and ask forgiveness of our sins to receive that forgiveness. Oh, yes, and we must forgive all others so that we may be forgiven. All the above seems insurmountable, but it changes lives and lays a path of life that has no better alternative. We are accustomed to follow the earthly Captains and the Kings, but following the real King Jesus heals our broken hearts, breaks the curses of our family lines and our own, and brings forth a greater joy than we ever had without Him! One must let Him take charge of the wheel of your life and keep you on the right road.

     

Avalon Chronicles #136: "God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Prayer, Angels and Our Ultimate Enemy" #2

The Coming of the Christ

Note: The following about Jesus is derived from my writings in my third book:

          Soldiers Blood and Bloodied Money: Wars and the Ruling Elites (link: https://a.co/d/78o95s3)

     There is a whole other story about why God caused the flood in which Noah and his family began recorded history anew and I will address it in a future message. After that catastrophe the true bottom line of Old Testament history was that our mighty God was preparing humanity on this planet, created by Him, to enter history as an actual Person to demonstrate visibly and concretely how much he loves us. God introduced humans to the practice of worshipping Him. He called Abraham, residing in modern day Iraq, to migrate to what became today's Holy Land to begin with his group of fellow travelers a new land in which their descendants became true worshippers of God. However, as time passed many chose to worship the elements God created such as the stars, the sun, fire or wind rather than the Creator of all. 

     Even in primitive societies worldwide the stories of the one True God and His Son were repeated over and over. The Genesis and yes even the salvation story, were planted in the hearts and minds of the previous generations of their cultures. Eventually the descendants of Abraham developed the Hebrew nation, which became divided into north and south. Prophets began to call out the people for their apostasy in falling away from the worship of God for the worship of idols. There was the abominable sacrifice of infants, a release of blood upon the land. The people became complacent and they believed God would protect them indefinitely. Due to the sinning of the Hebrew nation, God allowed conquests by Assyrians and Babylonians and the exile of the Hebrews. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah 66:2 (NIV) proclaimed, "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." This behavioral condition of our hearts is very challenging in a world built upon materialism, status, impressing others with our toys and extreme competitiveness. 

     The Old Testament began to relate how there would be a God in human form as the Son of God to appear on earth. There are over ONE HUNDRED prophecies in the Old Testament that relate the specifics of the entry into history for Jesus to walk the paths of modern day Israel and experience life, ministry, and death, all of which were fulfilled in the New Testament. A good life for each of us exists in contrast to some lives in Old Testament times and today's world, if we believe that God sent, as He did, His very own Son to be supernaturally birthed, live and minister for about thirty three years and then be crucified on a cross in Jerusalem. Contrast then and today many, who deny Him and choose to live their lives in the pursuit and fulfillment of power, self-aggrandizement and satisfaction of the baser instincts of behavior. Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth to establish a standard of behavior that would be pleasing to God and, if followed, would lead us to a life filled with peace. Stay tuned for a review of what Jesus meant to us all.

When one gets serious about faith in Jesus we may pray as do I, "I pray that I may have imparted to me from the mind of Christ, Wisdom, Insight, Discernment, Knowledge and Maturity." It works!

Avalon Chronicles #135: "God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Prayer, Angels and Our Ultimate Enemy" #1

Biblical Quotes from Life Application Bible King James Version Tyndale House Publishers 

    Let us begin at the beginning to learn how we got here and started down the trail of each of our lives and back way past our own individual creation to Creation. 

THE CREATOR: Who was the Creator?

     He was the all-powerful entity that was there at whenever was the beginning and before. To understand how wide it is to comprehend God and where He resides, we must look in the New Testament at John 8:23 "Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world." John 18:36 "My kingdom is not of this world." To us mere earthlings our world is planet earth as we know it, admittedly a very small planet in our small solar system amongst many other solar systems and uncountable galaxies. The God we know has a pretty big responsibility over ALL the galaxies. Despite this massive responsibility, we learn in Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." God created us.

     The first book of the Old Testament tells the story of Creation of our planet and Heaven itself. God just spoke it into existence and our earth was formed. It was not "built," but, just "became" through the power of God. God resides in the third Heaven above earth.

     Our God chose to begin recorded history on our planet earth and that first male and female created were Adam and Eve, who began their lives in a location known as the Garden of Eden, a geographic location in the Middle East, most probably in modern day Iraq. Most importantly all must recognize that God allowed humans to exert free will in making choices. He did not desire we become "puppets." Lucifer/Satan, who will be covered in future writings, caused them both, by their expression of free will, to disobey God, thereby establishing his legal authority over the earth and its inhabitants. God established a code of justice that must be followed.

     I have heard the theory that, "If God is so powerful, why does He allow evil to prevail?" That is explained by a recognition that we have free will and if it is exerted in negative ways, we play into the hands of Satan, who is the god of this world. Our free will choice is to follow God's Commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight, so we will be armed against the forces of evil spiritually each day. That is the only hope we have to prevail against all the personal and corporate challenges besieging our personal peace and well-being. 

Avalon Chronicles #134: The End of the Dusty Trail!

      For the purposes of discussion let us assume our mortal lives are lived along a "trail." As a minimum the trail of our lives not only is "dusty," but, actually has side paths to explore to sidetrack us from our destination, holes, slopes and inclines, boulders, muddy areas, pools of deep water, rain, torrential downpours, snakes, tarantulas, bandits, dangerous wildlife and hopefully, a few covered rest places along the way. We keep wondering, when the dusty trail will end, so we may find a paved road and then perhaps we may even progress to where we encounter an interstate highway and it is a smooth ride to achieve the final destination of our travels, which is our afterlife. 

     The alternative to not ever coming upon the interstate to smooth our way and expedite our journey is also an option. It depends on our life's choices. For those that deny there is a God at all to those, who do not desire to be tied down to God's standards of behavior or just never get their act together, they can just keep on down that dusty trail. They probably never think about a way to avoid many of those conditions and situations in the beginning paragraph. But, there is a way! They may continue to experience the negatives of life because they received a poor financial upbringing, were wounded by sinful behavior of others, suffered Post Traumatic Stressors, were raised in unloving homes, were wounded emotionally, were let down by others, succumbed to the lures of greed, promiscuity, criminal or ethical failures, or were not fed spiritually in a worship environment. Those can all legitimately be reasons why some may never get off that lonely and tainted trail in life. 

     However, for all, the Creator of all, our Lord God Almighty, has established an alternative trail and path upon which to walk each day. It takes a commitment of a certain style of life, which may initially be challenging, but gets smoother each day. God created all of our home planet in seven days by the simple, but, powerful method of "speaking" all into existence, ending with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Their original fall from grace was due to disobedience and that is a key word, disobedience. The easy way in life is to be a "free spirit," not tied down to a faith walk, standards, integrity or belief in the Divinity of God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. The advantages of grasping and appropriating the power of faith in that Trinity are overwhelmingly positive, situationally, emotionally and physically. Once that decision is made to follow a new path, the trail straightens out, the dampness of the dew smooths the ground and the diversions and obstacles of our trails followed, lead sooner to the interstate. 

     Those, who choose to keep on keeping on, may do so, but with a different end. It brings to mind the two Christians beside the road, who held up placards proclaiming, "The End is Near, Turn Around." One approaching traveler, mocked them by saying, "You Christians, leave me alone!" He raced on past them and as he approached the precipice and fell into the raging waters of the river below, still in his automobile, one Christian said to the other, I guess we should have had another sign that said, "Bridge Out!" 

     If the trail you are on is a "Dusty One," try another trail! You make like it.