Daron D. Fraley's Blog, page 3
March 27, 2013
When George Washington Prayed That Day, Did He Pray For Us?
Undoubtedly humbled by the heavy weight placed upon his shoulders, George Washington left Federal Hall where he had just taken the oath of office as the first President of the United States. He made his way to St. Paul’s Chapel. Upon entering the chapel, filled to capacity, he took a seat in a modestly sized pew box–a kindness afforded to him on account of his station. There he worshiped and prayed.
As he sat there that day, what did he pray for?
Did he offer a prayer of gratitude for the providential blessings which had been bestowed upon him and his family in recent years, especially the blessing that he was still healthy enough to serve? Did he thank God for the many miracles that had preserved him and his troops during the war, even the miracles of fog and snow and ice which seemed at first to hamper his progress but in reality hampered the movements of the enemy? Did he bless the heavens above for preparing the hearts of so many talented men, notwithstanding their differing backgrounds and opinions, to come to a consensus on what constituted good government?
Was he worried if he would be up to the task of leading an infant nation? Was he feeling even the slightest twinge of doubt in his own abilities to stand at the head of thirteen previously independent states? Was he apprehensive about the possibility that he could fail, knowing full well that power tends to corrupt, and that even he was vulnerable to temptation? Did he ask that God strengthen him in this, his greatest hour of need?
Perhaps he offered these prayers of thanks. Perhaps he pleaded once more for God’s mercy.
But was this all? Prayers of thanks? Prayers to be strengthened? I wonder . . . is it possible that he was blessed with vision that day?
Could he envision the good he would do as he served as the first constitutionally elected President of the United States? Could he see the struggles that the fledgling country would soon experience–struggles to survive additional wars, both outside our borders and also between the very states that had committed to create a more perfect union? Could he imagine years of peace and plenty, and years of trial, and years when the banner of America would be waved to the nations as the hope of the earth?
Did he see our day?
Did he see the ghost-like people, covered from head to toe in dust, that filtered into the Chapel when the Twin Towers fell? Did he see these dusty ghosts sit, in the very pew box where he now prayed? Did he see the flowers and pictures and hand-written notes and gifts and symbols of love . . . and the throngs and throngs of people that would quietly pass through the chapel to pay their respects to those who lost their lives that day?
Did he see the nation pull together in the months that followed–returning to a worship of God–only to seemingly abandon that religious feeling and the patriotism that went with it just a few short years later?
Did he experience anguish as he witnessed the attempts of wicked men to devalue, dismantle, and ultimately try to destroy the sacred document that had been the result of the sacrifices and the blood of so many of his dear countrymen?
Did he ask God that the evil designs of wicked men be frustrated? Did he petition God that patriots not falter? Did he beg God for the strength to set the example for us, so that we might know how to properly act and valiantly serve when our greatest trial would be thrust upon us–a trial which would come about mostly because of our own doing?
When George Washington Prayed That Day, Did He Pray For Us?
February 25, 2013
As A Son Of Liberty, Freedom Is In My Blood
I didn’t participate in the Boston Tea Party. I didn’t meet at the Liberty Pole or the Liberty Tree to garner the news of the day. I wasn’t a member of the Loyal Nine, I didn’t participate in running secret messages for the Culper Spy Ring, and I wasn’t part of the original Sons of Liberty. These are heroes that I can only hope to emulate.
Although I have no known familial relationship to the great men and women who founded this great country, I still claim to be a Son of Liberty. Let me tell you why.
It all has to do with freedom of choice. Agency. The Gospel. Rights given by God.
In the beginning, there was a plan presented by our Heavenly Father where He offered the opportunity for His children to come to earth, gain a body, live in families, and learn to obey His commandments so that we might become more like Him. He knew that we would make mistakes, and so He provided a Savior for us, even Jesus Christ. It was a good plan. A fair plan. One to which we agreed.
But in order for that plan to work, we would have to be given the car keys, so to speak. We can’t learn to drive without being able to actually start the engine and then pull the car out onto the street.
Choices would have to be made. Would we learn to obey the laws of the road? Would we be courteous to other drivers? Would we stop to help a stranded motorist? Would we keep our eyes on the goal–to return home to our Heavenly Father–or would we be distracted by too many side trips and therefore become lost?
Central to the great plan of happiness that the Father had presented to us was individual agency. We would need God-given rights in order to be able to choose.
But there was opposition. Satan didn’t like the idea of us having our freedom. He preferred that we be forced to do things his way. Not only that, but he wanted the glory and recognition for bringing us all home. He wanted to take the place of our Father.
For that rebellion, Satan was cast out of heaven.
The older I have gotten, the more I have realized how precious that right of agency is. Freedom to choose is an eternal law. The right to act for ourselves is God-given. So are the rights to speak. Rights to worship. Rights to petition. These are enumerated in our Constitution, and based on religious assertions in the Declaration of Independence: “…they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Liberty! Liberty is that right to choose. The Constitution protects that right and many others.
And yet in our own day, Satan still inspires his followers–children who once belonged to God, but who have forgotten who they are–to attempt to take away those liberties in any way they can.
This great war which occurred in heaven, and is described in the Revelation of St. John, still rages today. Governments, infiltrated by haters of freedom, exert all their influence in an effort to bring people into subjection. They wage war against principle, against families, and against the individual. These governments destroy the liberties of the people under programs and philosophies called Socialism, Marxism, Communism, and others. In fact, the purveyors of these Satanic, freedom-destroying programs are the Progressives of our day.
Living in Utah, I have previously registered as a Republican so that I can vote in the State primary. But I don’t consider myself a Republican. I have far more in common with Constitutionalists, Libertarians, and Tea Party folks. Truth be told, I side with George Washington. He despised the idea of political parties. So do I. Let a man or woman run on the merits of their own character. Party platform is deceptive. Party influence is corruptible. For that reason, I consider myself an Independent. And if I were to ever run for office, that is probably how I would run.
But let me tell you this: First, and foremost, I am for liberty. Of all of the things that I believe in, I have the strongest desires to protect the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. And that means I claim the God-given right to protect myself and my family from ANYONE and ANYTHING that would take those rights away.
That is why the 2nd Amendment is so important to me. It protects me from tyranny. I protects me from my Government. It allows me to guarantee, for myself, that my freedom to speak, to worship, and to petition–rights that pertain to LIBERTY–will never be taken from me.
May God preserve the sacred document which He inspired to protect our liberties. May we always fight to protect it. May we all be Sons and Daughters of Liberty.
February 9, 2013
January 28, 2013
Certain Unalienable Rights As Long As I Breathe
The Declaration of Independence says this:
“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.”
Life. Liberty. The pursuit of happiness. They are not the only unalienable rights endowed by our Creator (notice the phrase “among these”), but according to the founding fathers of the United States of America, they are among rights that are given by God. As long as I never destroy another person’s rights to the same, my unalienable rights cannot be justly taken away from me by other men. And although these rights are endowed by my creator, there are no guarantees of a positive outcome in my pursuit of happiness.
I have the right to life. That gift to me from God allowed me to be born. And by God’s mercy, I survived heart surgery as a young boy. And by God’s grace and patience and love, I still live and breathe today.
But I don’t have a guarantee that my life and breath shall continue even as long as it takes to write this blog post. How many breaths do I have left? One? Five? Ten thousand? Three years worth? There is no guarantee. God gave me my very first breath, and He will choose when I take my last.
I have the right to liberty. That is, I have the right of agency and choice. I have the right to think what I wish. I have the right to choose my course of action. I have the right to then act on those decisions. In other words, I can choose what I do during every breath that I am afforded. I can do good; I can do evil. The liberty, or freedom to choose, is mine and mine alone.
Life is given. Liberty is promised. But I don’t have a guarantee that I won’t feel opposition in the decisions that I make in life. That is why I have the right to pursue happiness, and yet no right to expect that any particular outcome will be guaranteed.
Again, it’s my right to take a breath. My right to think and act according to the dictates of my own conscience. And my right to pursue happiness.
But . . .
I’m not guaranteed that I will have a house to live in.
I have no right to a job, or an education, or of a career of my choice.
I have no assurance that I’ll be wealthy or successful.
I have no promise of a meal, or clothing, or a roof over my head.
I have no right to expect that I will never experience sickness.
I have no claim on friends or family. In fact, I have no guarantee that any person will ever like me.
In short, all that I have and all that I am comes from God, and each of those things–a body, a life, a Savior, a family, friends–are all gifts.
Today, I am very grateful for those gifts. My thanks and appreciation go to the brave men, and to the brave women who surely supported those men, who pledged their Lives, their Fortunes and their sacred Honor that this country might be a land of liberty. May the angels of heaven bless their names forever.
January 21, 2013
Cover For Upcoming Novelette “Son Of Liberty”
Son of Liberty is a story that simply would not leave me alone until I finished putting it on virtual-paper. It’s a little bit Post-Apocalyptic, a little bit Prepper, and a whole lot of a celebration of true liberty, eternal freedom, and brotherly love—through the eyes of a young man caught in the aftermath of the collapse of America.
This story is a direct result of my recent quest to learn more about the Founding Fathers and the events that led up to the American Revolution—incredibly inspiring stories that I had never heard of before: The Loyal Nine, the Culper Spy Ring, and the Sons of Liberty, for example. Although not directly connected to any of those events, in Son of Liberty I do give a nod of appreciation for some of the heroes and symbols of that day.
Son of Liberty will be off to the editor soon, but here is the cover, designed by
December 31, 2012
November 23, 2012
October 30, 2012
Anti-American, Anti-Freedom
The United Nations has been emboldened by our inability (or rather unwillingness) as a nation to stand up for our sovereignty and rights. This year the U.N. has pushed for treaties in the following areas:
1. A global tax (redistribution of wealth on a global scale)
2. A small arms ban (gun control for everybody, and in direct violation of our Second Amendment)
3. An anti-blasphemy law (to protect Islam from insults, and in direct violation of our First Amendment)
There is now talk of a U.N. agency seizing control of the Internet:
