What an incredible weekend we had in Gettysburg. For the better part of three days Joanie and I got to spend anywhere from 4-10 hours each day on the Gettysburg battlefield. It was incredible. I took some pictures and will use them to discuss our trip and the meaning of the things we saw.
Here I am at the one spot I most wanted to go. It is the marker for the 20th Maine and locates the spot where my hero of the Battle of Gettysburg, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, held the ground on the far left flank of the Union position on top of Little Round Top. Without his courage and the courage of his men, the fate of the Battle and, indeed, of the Civil War would have been vastly different. I was weeping as Joanie took the shot. It was quite moving.
All I could think of was the fact that I have a debt of gratitude to all those, living and dead, who have paved the way for me and my family to live the kind of life we live. How fortunate I am to live in nation where people didn't just talk about what they believed or compromised what they believed but who fought and died for what they believed. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his courage and actions. I stand on his shoulders today whenever I preach, speak freely, live in liberty, teach equality, and drive across state lines without incident or problems or fear. How great it is to live and die free.
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