The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,–That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

–He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
–He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
–He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
–He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
–He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
–He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
–He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
–He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
–He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
–He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
–He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies, without the Consent of our legislatures.
–He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
–He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
–For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
–For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
–For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
–For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
–For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
–For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
–For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
–For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
–For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
–He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
–He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
–He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
–He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
–He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally disolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.–And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

My children love to give gifts to their mom and I, drawings, nick-knacks, silly bands, and doing somethings we don’t ask them to do. But, many times they neglect to do the tasks that we have asked them to complete. You know stuff like feed the dog, clean your room, wipe the table, don’t leave your junks all over the house, wash the dishes, etc. Those are the items they have been tasked to complete on a regular basis, they don’t change from day to day. In other words they are not a surprise to them.

Over time I have become frustrated that it seems like a battle to get these minor tasks completed on a daily basis. Oh, but the little extras come in on a regular basis. Most of the time I adore getting those gifts that have cost my children something, time, effort or money. These things are an aroma of their love for us and I cherish them.

The problem is that they have begun to believe these “extras” should replace those things which I expect from them each day. Let me repeat, I love the little extras, even when they cost me. The problem is I love their freely given obedience to those things I have asked of them even more.

I have had to tell each of them in different ways how much I appreciate their gifts but that is not what I asked of them. Each one of them have been upset when I have expressed this to them. Telling me that I am unfair or that I do not love them or they run off and pout.

Sometimes I feel I am in an impossible position. It is in these times I have begun to understand that I put God into that very same position with my fickle and oscillating obedience to Him. I do things that He has not asked me to do and I expect it to make up for the things I have not done that He has asked me to do.

The story of Saul begins to fill my mind, God regretted making Saul King for his disobedience.

¹⁰The word of the LORD came to Samuel: ¹¹“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night. (1 Sam 15:10-11).

Samuel confronts Saul. Saul makes good excuses for his disobedience. “Look, Sam, we did not destroy it all because we want to bring the best of it back and sacrifice it to The Lord.”

²²And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. ²³ For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.”

Where do I disobey His simple instructions? In what ways do I justify my disobedience?

Oh, Father, open my eyes and ears…

Imagine it…

Free from the affects and effects of sin.

The enemy, death, with no more power.

Some glad morning when this life is o’er,
I’ll fly away;
To a home on God’s celestial shore,
I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).

Chorus
I’ll fly away, Oh Glory
I’ll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).

When the shadows of this life have gone,
I’ll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away)

Chorus

Just a few more weary days and then,
I’ll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end,
I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away)

Today, we wait as Jerry Lou’s Mother-in-law, Iris, Wanda’s grandmother, is longing to fly away, also.

Visit this link for more information on the song, “I’ll Fly Away”

Stephanie, Jerry and Wanda in 2004

In November 2004 I wrote the following letter to my family, friends and Co-workers:

What do I know? I know what we, My family, are to do: move near Wanda’s parents. That also answers where.

Why? Wanda needs to honor her parents, particularly her mother. I believe this is how God is calling me to love my wife at this point in time. This also answers the who question. Who? God the Father has told us to honor and love. So, to serve God and bring glory to Him, we will leave all the comfort and ease we have known for the last fourteen years. We will move to a place where we have no guarantees, only God our Lord.

When? Well, we will do this now! Here is what the future holds, the Promise that Alzhiemer’s has for us: We will loose Jerry a little bit each day. This is the promise of God: In that loss God will hold us in the palm of His hand, cover us with His wings. Knowing that He holds on to every part of Jerry that we no longer see.

We will no doubt cry out to Him”WHY??!!!”. We will wish for a quick and comforting answer. It will be this, “I Am with you”. Just as Jesus was moved in the Spirit at Mary’s sorrow over Lazarus, He also weeps with us, no words only His tears. “See how He Loved” her? Just as he was not weeping for His friend Lazarus, He is not weeping for her. He weeps with us at our temporary loss. She is not gone from Him. She is complete more complete than she ever could be here, lacking nothing. Praise Jesus!

I am writing this down now not for you, but for us, my family. We will not have the strength to hear Him speak in the mist of tears. Too full of sorrow, seeing only what is before us, loss, loss. This loss that will seem permanent, at the time. We will see only glimpses of sunshine through the clouds of sorrow. Hope will come as He weeps with us and for us.

-Randy

August 6th 2010 around 10pm, Jerry Lou was made complete and whole. She dances and worships before the throne of the Father.

Services will be held at Owen Funeral Home
12 Collins Drive
Cartersville GA 30120

770-382-3030

www.owenfunerals.com

Visitation  8-9-2010  5pm-7pm
Funeral    8-10-2010 12pm
Moves to the GA National Cemetery  at 1:30pm

In lieu of flowers please make donations to:
The Alzheimer’s Association Dalton Chapter In Memory of Jerry Lou Hames.
922 East Morris Street
Dalton, GA 30721

On this Easter Morning I thought a little Larry Norman would be appropriate.

Check these guys out: tangiblekingdom.com

What if…?

I will be reading the book as soon as it arrives. I will let you know about it.

I am glad I came across this guy, witty sarcasm and truth.

I as I am swimming around with my eyes closed yelling “Marco” or “where are you”, I don’t even realize that God’s response is not “Polo” but “I know where you are, do you?” So I go on swimming and yelling, “MARCO!” Or in the “Hide-n-Seek” analogy never realizing that I not really the one seeking but I am hiding. Not hiding out of bounds or anything, but running each time I feel I have been caught but never really having escaped. He is always within reach but I never realize it.

So, I am hiding in my school work, hiding in my family, “Marco!”, hiding in my job, “Marco!”, hiding in my ministries, “Marco!”, in school, “Marco!”, even hiding in my Bible. “Marco!” Yet some how He doesn’t get mad at me and stomp away.

He does not stop calling back to me, “I know where you are, do you?”

Sometimes I think I hear Him say “Randy, you are in the deep water, I Am here.”

“MARCO!” is my reply.

“The current is fast and strong, I have you.”

“MARCO!”

Then it hits me I cannot touch, deep. Something does not feel right, fast. Why am I so tired, strong water. The water is working against me. I cannot do this. I open my eyes and cannot see Him. I cry out “Where are you?”

“I know where you are, I am here” He says quietly. But all I hear is”POLO!”

“I am scared, why are you still playing? This is not fun anymore! I am hurt! Look there is blood.”

“POLO!”

“I have you, I have not been playing. Hold on, this is going to be rough. I will never let go, but because you feel like you have to do something, hold on.” I come to some sort of comprehension at those words.

So, I am clinging to Him, I am safe, whatever that means, bruised, banged up, and bloody. I am here where I said I was in “Where are You”, I am in the torrents of life some times oblivious as a child playing a game to the things that are happening around me. Other times feeling battered by the torrents not able to see how safe I am in His hands. Hearing His voice but not recognizing His words of warning and of comfort. Tomorrow we will be in a still calm pool again. Will you hear me? “MARCO!”

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
2 Corinthians 4:7