Seeking dependence on Independence Day

At the 1st Continental Congress in 1774, our founding fathers opened with this prayer ...

O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give. Take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their Cause and if they persist in their sanguinary purposes, of own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle!

Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst the people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior.
Amen.

Reverend Jacob Duché
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
September 7, 1774

This is a fitting beginning for a group of rebels, a group putting forth effort to break from an oppressive government to start a free nation ... to pursue truth, peace and justice. We, as the beneficiaries of this effort, can speak freely, worship freely, and openly depend on our Heavenly Father. Praise God for this nation, our founding fathers, and that they thought differently and acted on it.

Submitted by Blake Steward

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Names

"Beloved What?"

"Virus", I said in a flat tone. "You know, like the flu?"

With that clarification, my father tossed a confused grin my way. I wasn't sure how to take it. If he had been a fourteen year old, I think his look would be saying, "Whatever..."

Our name is Beloved Virus and almost everyone who hears it has a reaction. Most of the reactions are unspoken, but when telling someone in person their face betrays their true feelings. It's actually quite comical. At least that's what I tell myself.

To pick the perfect name seems like such an easy task. However, if that were true why would there be volumes of books just to pick a baby's name? Does one really need 10,000 names in which to choose just one?

Fortunately, for our sanity sake, we did not need quite as many. We knew that our name needed to reflect our primary mission with our brand. To sum it all up, we want to cause a person to stop and think. We think our name does that, but we hope it does not stop there.

"Beloved" is defined as someone who is greatly loved. We understand that God called His son, Jesus, “Beloved” on several occasions. Christ’s edict was to share his idea of hope, forgiveness and love in all parts of the world. To make it spread like a Virus. When his message penetrates our hearts, it affects us from the inside out. That virus spreads into our view of ourselves, our words, and our actions.

I love our name, but more importantly, I love what it represents. True love can infect our souls and when we embrace it, it changes lives. Even our own.

Submitted by Paul Williams