Tag Archives: janehamptoncook

Marching from the Marsh to the Valley – Jane Hampton Cook
avatar

Posted on by
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: . . . a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak”
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7

Dr. Albigence Waldo was a surgeon in George Washington’s army. He was one of the medics who complied with the general’s order to gather the sick, march out of the marsh, and advance into the valley.

“We are order’d to march over the River—It snows—I’m Sick—eat nothing—No Whiskey—No Baggage—Lord Lord—Lord. The Army were ’till Sun Rise crossing the River—some at the Waggon Bridge, & some at the Raft Bridge below. Cold & Uncomfortable,” he wrote in his journal on December 12th.

“Dec. 13th.— The Army march’d three miles from the West side the River and encamp’d near a place call’d the Gulph and not an improper name neither—For this Gulph seems well adapted by its situation to keep us from the pleasure & enjoyments of this World, or being conversant with any body in it,” he recalled of his first impressions.

Valley Forge was a remote place. Waldo thought it was better suited to a retreat for philosophers than a camp for soldiers. He knew Washington had not brought them there to turn them into Epicureans. After a little thinking, Doctor Waldo decided to evaluate the place’s merits.

“No—it is, upon consideration, for many good purposes since we are to Winter here—1st There is plenty of Wood & Water. 2dly There are but few families for the soldiery to Steal from—tho’ far be it from a Soldier to Steal,” he wrote.

Valley Forge’s velvety forests provided forage. The area’s topography was more solid than the marsh, making it a better place to build shelters. “4ly There are warm sides of Hills to erect huts on,” Doctor Waldo wrote.

He also thought the place’s isolation would turn some soldiers into saints. “5ly They will be heavenly Minded like Jonah when in the belly of a great Fish,” he wrote.

But Doctor Waldo also recognized the benefits of the valley’s quietness. Twenty-three miles from Philadelphia, Valley Forge was an ideal place to watch the British movements. Its creeks and rivers provided the army with natural fortifications. He concluded that life in the valley might provide some inspiration.

“6ly They will not become home Sick as is sometimes the Case when Men live in the Open World—since the reflections which must naturally arise from their present habitation, will lead them to the more noble thoughts of employing their leizure hours in filling their knapsacks with such materials as may be necessary on the Journey to another Home,” Albigence Waldo continued.

More importantly Valley Forge’s remoteness might just turn the army into a fighting force. And that was what George Washington had in mind when he selected Valley Forge.

PRAYER God, I take a moment to quietly reflect before you and to count my blessings no matter where my life may be today.

Best selling author and columnist Jane Hampton Cook, http://www.janecook.com/, is known for making history both memorable and relevant to today’s news, political events, and issues of faith. A former webmaster for President George W. Bush (1999-03), Jane is the author of Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War, a 365-day devotional chronicling the story of the nation’s founding from the viewpoints of 20 key players.


Publisher: Living Ink Books
ISBN-10: 0-89957-042-9
©Jane Hampton Cook, used with permission.

One Minute Meditations for the culturally challenged and spiritually stuck. Daily devotions from the perspective of one man and one woman, delivered online and by email that inspire you to move beyond the “busy-ness” of life into an intimate relationship with God through an interactive friendship with the Father. Christian Devotions takes Christ from the heavens and places him in your heart.

The Enterprise — Jane Hampton Cook
avatar

Posted on by

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells” Psalm 46:4

[We] entered the town with them pell-mell,” Henry Knox wrote to Lucy, about the army’s headlong rush to take down the Hessians’ pickets, or advanced guards, at Trenton. The surprise attack began about 8:00 a.m. on December 26, 1776. The enterprise was more incredible than anything Knox had ever before seen. After a series of disasters in New York, Knox was hungry to see success. To this man of artillery, this revolutionary battle seemed stripped from the pages of Revelation.

“Here succeeded a scene of war of which I had often conceived, but never saw before. The hurry, fright and confusion of the enemy was [not] unlike that which will be when the last trump shall sound,” Knox described the chaos. The Germans fighting for the British could not have been more surprised at the Continentals’ attack had the heavens cracked and burst forth with the army of God.

“They endeavored to form in the streets,” Knox described of the Hessians’ hasty attempt to form their lines along the town’s cobblestones. He noted the Continentals had placed cannons at the heads of the streets to prevent the Hessians from such boulevard maneuvers.

“These, in the twinkling of an eye cleared the streets,” he wrote of his artillery’s success in stopping the street activity. Although the Hessians tried to take shelter behind houses, the Continentals’ “musketry soon dislodged them,” Knox wrote. He had observed that Trenton was an open town, accessible from all sides.

The Hessians tried to take advantage of the terrain by moving the battle away from the settlement. “Finally they were driven through the town into an open plain beyond. Here they formed [their lines] in an instant,” Knox wrote of their professionalism and ability to quickly get into place. “Measures were taken for putting an entire stop to their retreat by posting troops and cannon in such passes and roads as it was possible for them to get away by. The poor fellows after they were formed on the plain saw themselves completely surrounded, the only resource left was to force their way through numbers unknown to them,” reported Knox.

And as was typical of Knox, he not only counted the Americans’ cannons, but also the enemy’s. His account of the enterprise would not have been complete without his assessment of the Hessians’ artillery power. “The Hessians lost part of their cannon in the town: they did not relish the project of forcing, and were obliged to surrender upon the spot, with all their artillery, six brass pieces, army colors &c.;,” he wrote of the surrender.

The crossing of the Delaware River led to victory in the city. As a result, Henry Knox, a man of faith, would soon see Providence shine on him in a whole new light.

PRAYER God, you are the Great Creator, the One whose rivers lead to your dwelling place in a city on high.

Best selling author and columnist Jane Hampton Cook, janecook.com, is known for making history both memorable and relevant to today’s news, political events, and issues of faith. A former webmaster for President George W. Bush (1998-03), Jane is the author of Stories of Faith and Courage from th Revolutionary War, a 365-day devotional chronicling the story of the nation’s founding from the viewpoints of 20 key players.


Publisher: Living Ink Books
ISBN-10: 0-89957-042-9
©Jane Hampton Cook, used with permission.

One Minute Meditations for the culturally challenged and spiritually stuck. Daily devotions from the perspective of one man and one woman, delivered online and by email that inspire you to move beyond the “busy-ness” of life into an intimate relationship with God through an interactive friendship with the Father. Christian Devotions takes Christ from the heavens and places him in your heart.

The Decision – Jane Hampton Cook
avatar

Posted on by

“The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses.” NAHUM 2:6

But as I was certain there was no making a retreat without being discovered and harassed on repassing the river, I determined to push on at all events,” George Washington wrote of his decision to press ahead on the morning of December 26, 1776. The risk of detection was just as great in the sunlight, whether his army re-crossed the Delaware River or attacked Trenton. Following pragmatism and courage, Washington nimbly chose offense.

With his decision made, the commander-in-chief turned his attention to the battle plan. He divided his nearly three thousand men into two divisions. One approached the Hessian position from the north. The other approached from the south. “They marched in two divisions, one led by Washington (with whom were Generals Greene, Stirling, Mercer and Stephen), by a circuitous route to the north of the town, while the other, under Sullivan . . . was to advance by a direct road along the river to the west and south side. Sullivan was to halt at a certain point to allow time for the main division to make the circuit,” described historian William Jackman.

Jackman noted Washington’s division did not arrive in the “immediate neighborhood of Trenton” until eight in the morning, well past daylight. The hailstorm may have slowed their march, but it also had an unexpected benefit. “It [the storm] had also aided to conceal their movements from the enemy,” Jackman wrote.

However, a man by the roadside saw Washington’s division as they arrived. The advance party had no idea if this farmer-type was someone they could trust or if he was a loyalist like many of those who had tried to block their flight from New York through New Jersey the previous month.

“Washington, who had pushed on with the advance, asked of a man who was chopping wood by the roadside the way to the Hessian picket,” Jackman told the story.

“He answered gruffly, ‘I don’t know,’ and went on with his work. ‘You may tell,’ said Captain Forrest of the artillery, ‘for that is General Washington.’ ‘God bless and prosper you,’ exclaimed the man, raising his hands to heaven, ‘the picket is in that house, and the sentry stands near that tree,’ ” Jackman chronicled.

Within minutes, Washington’s advance party overtook the Hessian’s picket-guards.

“Late as it was, the Hessians were completely surprised. According to their custom, they had indulged freely in the festivities of Christmas, and were resting thoughtless of danger, when the drums suddenly beat to arms. All was confusion,” Jackman wrote.

And that is how the Battle of Trenton began. George Washington made his choice, and the river gates to the palace were thrown open.

PRAYER Thank you, God, for showing your hand in the unlikeliest places, from a storm in the sky to a woodsman by the roadside.

Best selling author and columnist Jane Hampton Cook, janecook.com, is known for making history both memorable and relevant to today’s news, political events, and issues of faith. A former webmaster for President George W. Bush (1998-03), Jane is the author of Stories of Faith and Courage from th Revolutionary War, a 365-day devotional chronicling the story of the nation’s founding from the viewpoints of 20 key players.


Publisher: Living Ink Books
ISBN-10: 0-89957-042-9
©Jane Hampton Cook, used with permission.

Raging River – Jane Hampton Cook
avatar

Posted on by

“When the river rages, he is not alarmed; he is secure, though the Jordan should surge against his mouth” Job 40:23

The storm continued to rage while George Washington contemplated whether to re-cross the Delaware River or attack Trenton on the morning of December 26, 1776. Perhaps no one felt the chill of the icy river and the scourge of the night crossing more than the man in charge of the artillery. The responsibility of ferrying the men and ammunitions across the river fell to the meticulous mind and attentive arms of Henry Knox.

“A hardy design was formed of attacking the town by storm,” Knox wrote, describing the plan in a letter to his wife, Lucy. Knox explained his perspective behind Washington’s decision to cross in the first place. The enemy “had obliged us to retire on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware, by which means we were obliged to evacuate or give up nearly all the Jerseys.”

Not long after the Continentals formed their camp, they discovered “the preservation of Philadelphia was a matter exceedingly precarious,- the force of the enemy three or four times as large as ours.”

Knox was often the first to analyze the strength of the enemy, based on their arms. He noted the British army had scattered their troops at “distant places in New Jersey,” but Trenton’s “cantonments” were the largest. “Trenton is an open town, situated nearly on the banks of the Delaware, accessible on all sides. Our army was scattered along the river for nearly 25 miles.

Our intelligence agreed that the force of the enemy in Trenton was from two to three thousand, with about six field cannon, and that they were pretty secure in their situation,” he wrote of the Hessian regiment based there.

Knox then used matter-of-fact terms to tell Lucy about the coldest and most challenging night of 1776. “Accordingly a part of the army, consisting of about 2,500 or 3,000 passed the River on Christmas night, with almost infinite difficulty, with 18 field-pieces. The floating ice in the River made the labor almost incredible,” he wrote, not even mentioning the challenge of finding enough boats to carry the men and ammunitions across and conducting the affair in silence. Two men died of frostbite after crossing the river. The army also left bloody footprints behind in the ice and snow. “The night was cold and stormy; it hailed with great violence; the troops marched with the most profound silence and good order,” he reported.

But the sleet did not subside after they arrived on the New Jersey side. The approach of daylight did not dissipate the hail or the storm.

“The storm continued with great violence, but was in our backs, and consequently in the faces of our enemy,” he wrote. Knox then made an important conclusion after the crossing. Diligence had overcome the raging river.

“However, perseverance accomplished what at first seemed impossible,” Henry Knox concluded of the Delaware crossing.

PRAYER Father, thank you for the gift of faith that secures raging rivers and allows me to cross onto unknown shores.

Best selling author and columnist Jane Hampton Cook, janecook.com, is known for making history both memorable and relevant to today’s news, political events, and issues of faith. A former webmaster for President George W. Bush (1998-03), Jane is the author of Stories of Faith and Courage from th Revolutionary War, a 365-day devotional chronicling the story of the nation’s founding from the viewpoints of 20 key players.


Living Ink Books
ISBN-10: 0-89957-042-9
©Jane Hampton Cook, used with permission.

Publisher:

One Minute Meditations for the culturally challenged and spiritually stuck. Daily devotions from the perspective of one man and one woman, delivered online and by email that inspire you to move beyond the “busy-ness” of life into an intimate relationship with God through an interactive friendship with the Father. Christian Devotions takes Christ from the heavens and places him in your heart.

Easter in the Desert – Jane Hampton Cook
avatar

Posted on by

By Jane Hampton Cook
with Lieutenant, Paul Brian Kim, U.S. Navy

“Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’” John 11:40

I’ll never forget that Easter weekend in 2006—what I heard, the miracle I witnessed, and its effect on the Marines in my care.

“Paul, make a u-turn,” I heard in my mind.

Knowing it was God’s voice, something I’ve learned to listen to over the years, I immediately turned my car around.

I had been driving inside Al Taqaddum Airbase, which is between Ramadi and Fallujah. I served as a chaplain to 1,500 Marines. Their jobs were dangerous. Many of them searched for improvised explosive devices. The enemy hid them in potholes, dead dogs, and any place they could.

Shortly after turning my car around, I saw a makeshift hospital. A corpsman ordered me to stop and explained the situation.

Fifteen marines had been hurt in a rocket attack in Fallujah, but only one was in critical condition.

I quickly parked and went into the tent where the doctors and nurses were doing all they could to save his life. Soon his heart monitor flat-lined. A doctor declared him dead.

When someone dies, a chaplain’s duty is to be available. A medic read his dog tag and announced he was Catholic. A Catholic chaplain came and began issuing the last rites.

I heard the voice of God speak to me once again.

“Pray for resuscitation.”

I began to pray, explaining to those around me that God had called me to pray for resuscitation.
“Revive him, Lord. Resuscitate him,” I prayed over and over again.

Others began to pray with me.

Ten minutes later, the heart monitor suddenly started beeping. The Marine was alive. The medical personnel began their feverish work on him again. Soon everyone was crying tears of joy. Several began shouting, “This is a miracle.”

The medical team stabilized the Marine, who was flown to a hospital in Germany.

As I drove back, I was awestruck. I praised God for what he had done. Then the significance of the date hit me. It was Good Friday, the day of our Lord’s death.

The story of that Marine’s resuscitation on Good Friday spread quickly. The corpsman and the medics in the tent shared what happened. I talked about it the next day, Saturday, as I led patrol prayer, a time of devotions before Marines went out on patrol.

After patrol prayer, my attention quickly turned to planning for the next day, the Easter Sunday service that included baptism. Something I discovered is that the spirituality of the Marines is truly deep. I wanted to give those who were interested an opportunity to celebrate Easter, and for some Marines and a few Iraqis, an opportunity to express their new-found faith.

There was one problem. I had to figure out a way to create a baptismal in the desert. The task was not easy. I dug a deep hole, covered it with a plastic liner and poured eight hundred gallons of water into it. It took me all day but I was now ready for Sunday.

That Easter service was amazing. The hundreds who attended worshipped God for the resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ and praised him for bringing the Marine back to life two days earlier. When it came time for the baptism, I lifted the cover off the hole.

I was shocked, all the water was gone. Apparently a hole in the plastic liner had drained the water.

I explained what had happened to those attending the service.

“Let’s pray and see what God does,” I suggested.

Thirty minutes later, a water truck came out of nowhere. Here we were in the middle of war zone, and an Iraqi water truck was just passing by. We stopped it. The truck had a special pump on it that filled the hole in less than a minute. What took me eight hours on Saturday took this truck seconds!

“Man, God is alive, God is working overtime,” I heard some of the Marines say. “First a man came back to life and then God provided water for baptism in a desert.”

It was a very special moment. There were no dry eyes in the audience that day as thirty were baptized. God filled our hearts with his presence in a momentous way on Easter Sunday.
God continued to use the miracle of the Marine’s resuscitation. Over one hundred accepted Christ as their savior, including some Iraqi Muslims and even some Buddhists, something I, as a Korean American, could relate to!

Prayer: Thank you God meeting my each and every need. Thank you for the strength of your presence. Thank you for your death and resurrection

Bestselling author and columnist Jane Hampton Cook, http://janecook.com/, is known for making history both memorable and relevant to today’s news, political events, and issues of faith. A former webmaster for President George W. Bush (1998-03), Jane has authored the Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War. Now, through multiple, never-before-told stories, readers will uncover the personal challenges of the battlefield. In Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan you’ll find the experiences and perspectives of deployed soldiers, chaplains, military wives and parents, organizers of humanitarian efforts, veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, loved ones of fallen soldiers, and more. By co-authors Jane Hampton Cook, John Croushorn, and Jocelyn Green, the book features 365 devotional stories.

Publisher: Living Ink
Release date: Fall 2009

One Minute Meditations for the culturally challenged and spiritually stuck. Daily devotions from the perspective of one man and one woman, delivered online and by email that inspire you to move beyond the “busy-ness” of life into an intimate relationship with God through an interactive friendship with the Father. Christian Devotions takes Christ from the heavens and places him in your heart.

The Revolution Today: September 11th’s Sanctuary — Jane Hampton Cook
avatar

Posted on by

“A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.” Jeremiah 17:12

The Revolution Today: September 11th’s Sanctuary How does Providence work today? He still moves in mysterious, even revolutionary, ways.

“My first return to St. Paul’s Chapel was the day after [September 11, 2001],” Rector Lyndon Harris explained. He put on his boots and hiked down Broadway, “hoping that I could get in, hoping that the building is still standing.”

Harris had no idea what he would find. The oldest church in continuous operation on Manhattan, St. Paul’s had been located on Church Street for more than two centuries. But because it faced the World Trade Center, Harris knew its survival was unlikely. When terrorists flew jetliners into the World Trade Center on September 11th, the towers collapsed, raining debris and dust everywhere, especially on adjacent properties. Other nearby buildings were destroyed.

“Every step of the way my heartbeat was just pounding because I fully expected everything to be demolished. When I got here, it was a very emotional moment to see this church standing, very powerful,” Harris said. The rector wasn’t the only one who found the church’s survival a miracle. “I was looking around, I had to go to the bathroom,” related Tim O’Neill of the New York Police Department. He had been working on the recovery at the World Trade Center site. “And I saw footprints going into St. Paul’s front door,” he said of his decision to enter the chapel. O’Neill felt an eerie silence as he looked around. “Look at that, not even a window is broken in here, I can’t believe that. It’s right behind a grave yard, but it’s intact,’” he said in awe.

The rubble was less than thirty feet away, yet the church looked as pristine inside as it had the previous Sunday. No broken windows, no debris. O’Neill described the scene as unbelievable. “It added a little spirituality, and a little reminder, to me at least anyway, that it [St. Paul’s] was protected. It was immediately designated a sanctuary by a higher power,” O’Neill said.

St. Paul’s miracle has its critics. A physicist, who had developed theories about how the tower’s fall created air pockets of protection in random places, shrugged off a miraculous intervention for the church. September 11, 2001, however, was not the first time the Creator of physics had turned St. Paul’s into a sanctuary of miracles.

When fire broke out after the American army evacuated New York in 1776, local residents created a bucket brigade to transport river water and put out the fire in an effort to save St. Paul’s. Every other building in the Wall Street district was left in ruins except for this brownstone chapel. The church was only ten years old at the time. God has used St. Paul’s to stand the test of time as a testimony to his miraculous power. He still moves and provides sanctuaries.

PRAYER Lord, as you have from the beginning of the earth, be thou my sanctuary today.

Bestselling author and columnist Jane Hampton Cook, http://janecook.com/, is known for making history both memorable and relevant to today’s news, political events, and issues of faith. A former webmaster for President George W. Bush (1998-03), Jane is the author of Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War, a 365-day devotional chronicling the story of the nation’s founding from the viewpoints of 20 key players.

Publisher: Living Ink Books
Release Date: October 2007
ISBN-10: 0-89957-042-9
©Jane Hampton Cook, used with permission.

One Minute Meditations for the culturally challenged and spiritually stuck. Daily devotions from the perspective of one man and one woman, delivered online and by email that inspire you to move beyond the “busy-ness” of life into an intimate relationship with God through an interactive friendship with the Father. Christian Devotions takes Christ from the heavens and places him in your heart.

Sabbath Rest: Getting Real – Jane Hampton Cook
avatar

Posted on by

“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” Lamentations 3:22

In his Thanksgiving sermon on December 15, 1775, William Gordon encouraged his congregation in Roxbury, Massachusetts, to get real. Gordon’s message was a response to the proclamation issued by John Hancock and the Massachusetts provincial congress to pray and give thanks as the year concluded. His sermon was so well received he presented it again for the prestigious Boston Lecture.

Gordon, who was also a chaplain to the Massachusetts provincial congress, was concerned about the odor of his flock. He feared some of them smelled of pretension. He wanted to make sure they wielded authenticity as conscientiously as they employed their pens and muskets. “What is religion, with the generality, more than being baptized, attending public worship statedly on the Lord’s day, owning the covenant, coming to the Lord’s table, and then being orderly in the outward deportment?” he asked.

He cited Matthew 15:8 to make his case for getting real before God. “‘This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.’ . . . Though the appearances of religion among this people are great and many, yet it is to be feared that real religion is scarce, that the power of godliness is rare, and that while there is much outward show of respect to the Deity, there is but little inward heart of conformity to him,” Gordon declared.

The preacher feared that religious activities could easily become nothing more than healthy habits and rituals of appearances. Getting real meant believing in the divinity of God, who abhors sin. Getting real included appreciating the “beauty” of holiness. Getting real resulted in a desire to love God and the Lord Jesus through words and action.

And although Gordon called upon his parishioners to repent of their sins and open their hearts before God, he just as often reminded them of God’s goodness. “We adore the goodness of God, which has kept us from being consumed by the ravages of war. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not,” he said, reflecting on Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill, and the siege of Boston.

Gordon also sought to encourage his audiences to find the flowers among the thorns of the Revolution, to smell sweetness when they could.

“And much more so that, in the distressing and alarming situation of our public affairs, there have been so many favorable circumstances to preserve us from fainting, to hearten us up, and to encourage our hopes in expecting that we shall at length, in the exercise of prudence, fortitude, and piety, get well through our difficulties.”

Although 1775 had brought more hardship than any other year seen by Massachusetts since its founding, William Gordon knew there were a thousand reasons to thank God, get real before him, and reflect on his goodness. After all, a new year was coming, and 1776 would prove to be a banner year.

PRAYER Thank you for the blessings you have given me. I choose to count them and turn my inward heart to you in thanksgiving and praise.

Bestselling author and columnist Jane Hampton Cook, http://janecook.com/, is known for making history both memorable and relevant to today’s news, political events, and issues of faith. A former webmaster for President George W. Bush (1998-03), Jane is the author of Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War, a 365-day devotional chronicling the story of the nation’s founding from the viewpoints of 20 key players.

Publisher: Living Ink Books
Release Date: October 2007
ISBN-10: 0-89957-042-9
©Jane Hampton Cook, used with permission.

One Minute Meditations for the culturally challenged and spiritually stuck. Daily devotions from the perspective of one man and one woman, delivered online and by email that inspire you to move beyond the “busy-ness” of life into an intimate relationship with God through an interactive friendship with the Father. Christian Devotions takes Christ from the heavens and places him in your heart.

The Revolution Today: Soldier’s Inbox – Jane Hampton Cook
avatar

Posted on by

“Then all the people left, each for his own home, and David returned home to bless his family.” 1 CHRONICLES 16:43

Mail in the mailbox. The need is as real today for military families as it was during the Revolution.

“Since the earliest days of combat, one of the greatest morale boosters for a soldier is when the mail comes in. With access to the Internet, written mail has taken a back seat, but it’s not so much the letter that is important, it’s the communication with the family,” U.S. Army Captain Dan Sukman explained on August 10, 2006. Sukman wrote a series called Soldier’s Diary for the FOX News Web site (www.foxnews.com) during his one-year deployment to Iraq.

Although today’s mail arrives with the regularity of a sunrise and email is instant, mail delivery during the Revolutionary War was unreliable. The system of horseback riders carrying letters from post to post often failed. Hence, if a soldier met a stranger who would be traveling near his home, he would ask him to deliver a letter to his family. If a wife learned neighbors were traveling in the direction of the army, she would send her letter with them. Such was the situation facing Joseph and Sarah Hodgkins as 1776 began.

“My dear I take this opportunity to write a line or two to inform you that we are all in a Comfortable State of Health through the goodness of God, and I hope these lines will find you posest of the Same Blessing,” Sarah wrote to her husband, Joseph, who joined the Continental Army in Cambridge in January 1776, from their home in Ipswich, Massachusetts. “I received yours by Mr Smith and I rejoice to hear that you are well,” she continued, noting she had received one of Joseph’s letters.

The modes of communication are different today, but the emotions haven’t changed. Words from home can soothe souls on the front lines. A line from a soldier can also bring reassurance to a father, mother, wife, or child.

Captain Sukman noted that his inspiration for writing about military families came from his fellow soldiers. “The first [inspiration] is having seen my roommate wear Superman pajama pants to bed. I made fun of him until he explained how they were a gift sent over from his son. I still make fun of him for it, but it shows how his family at home can keep his morale high while deployed in Iraq,” Sukman wrote.

The Stryker Brigade was Sukman’s second inspiration. Their stay in Iraq had been extended four months when he wrote his article in August 2006. “When we sign up for this job, we know and understand the hardships that come with it. Frequent combat tours are a possibility, spending time overseas is expected—it’s what we volunteered for. Family members don’t volunteer, they don’t sign a contract, but their sacrifice is just as great,” Dan Sukman wrote.

Whether the year is 1776 or 2006, hope from home is the blessing of the battlefield.

PRAYER Father, may I be a blessing to my family in what I say and how I say it.

Bestselling author and columnist Jane Hampton Cook, http://janecook.com/, is known for making history both memorable and relevant to today’s news, political events, and issues of faith. A former webmaster for President George W. Bush (1998-03), Jane is the author of Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War, a 365-day devotional chronicling the story of the nation’s founding from the viewpoints of 20 key players.

Publisher: Living Ink Books
Release Date: October 2007
ISBN-10: 0-89957-042-9
©Jane Hampton Cook, used with permission.

Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War is a 365-day devotional of America’s quest for independence. One book reviewer noted: “Amazingly I was caught up in the sights, sounds, conversation and convictions of the colonists in such a manner that I thought I was there.” With the pace of a novel, the book reveals the miraculous story of the American Revolution, its political struggles, military strategy, and pulpit perspective from the viewpoints of George Washington, John Adams, Abigail Adams, John Witherspoon and others who lived loudly for liberty.

One Minute Meditations for the culturally challenged and spiritually stuck. Daily devotions from the perspective of one man and one woman, delivered online and by email that inspire you to move beyond the “busy-ness” of life into an intimate relationship with God through an interactive friendship with the Father. Christian Devotions takes Christ from the heavens and places him in your heart.

John Hancock, the Preacher?– Jane Hampton Cook
avatar

Posted on by

“For my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” Isaiah 56:7

Samuel Adams may have written letters to newspaper editors, but it was his friend John Hancock who paid the bills.

Ship owner. Merchant trader. Financier. Militia colonel. Captain of Liberty. Just as he owned many ships, John Hancock wore many titles. He was as prominent as any businessman in Boston. As a wealthy man he had the leisure to organize the Sons of Liberty and finance their committees of correspondence. In addition to being elected president of the Continental Congress, he also served as president of the provincial congress of Massachusetts, which assembled in the fall of 1775.

In this role, Hancock became a preacher of sorts. He did not deliver a sermon in a house of worship, but one of his messages was so powerful for its spiritual message that it could have been written by a “man of God.” If Rev. Jonathan Mayhew could mix a little politics into his sermons, then Hancock could put a little preaching in his proclamations. He used the pulpit of politics to encourage his depressed Bostonians to look to God as their solution to the siege of Boston by the redcoats.

“From a consideration of the continuance of the gospel among us, and the smiles of Divine Providence upon us with regard to the seasons of the year, and the general health which has been enjoyed . . .” Hancock began, explaining his reasons for issuing this proclamation.

Although 1775 had begun with shouts of a boycott, it had led to the beating of war drums at Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill. With Boston surrounded by militia, Hancock realized one voice had emerged from the clamoring: the voice of unity. “From a consideration of the union which so remarkable prevails, not only in this province but throughout the continent, at this alarming crisis, it is resolved . . . that it is highly proper that a day of public thanksgiving should be observed throughout this province,” his pronouncement read.

John Hancock asked the people of Massachusetts to assemble on December 15, 1775, to thank God for the “blessings we enjoy.” He also called on the “people to humble themselves before God, on account of their sins for which he hath been pleased, in his righteous judgment, to suffer so great a calamity to befall us as the present controversy between Great Britain and the colonies.”

Thus, this political preacher looked to houses of worship and prayer as a solution to the perils of his colony. Government leaders continue to issue such proclamations. Often they call for reflection, thanksgiving, and prayer. Sometimes these calls come on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, or national days of prayer. Sometimes they are responses to national tragedies, such as September 11, 2001. Regardless of when they occur, God’s house is a dwelling place of prayer for all the nations who will call on his name.

PRAYER God, thank you for reminding me to seek you and to pray for my community, nation, and world.

Bestselling author and columnist Jane Hampton Cook, http://janecook.com/, is known for making history both memorable and relevant to today’s news, political events, and issues of faith. A former webmaster for President George W. Bush (1998-03), Jane is the author of Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War, a 365-day devotional chronicling the story of the nation’s founding from the viewpoints of 20 key players.

Publisher: Living Ink Books
Release Date: October 2007
ISBN-10: 0-89957-042-9
©Jane Hampton Cook, used with permission.

Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War is a 365-day devotional of America’s quest for independence. One book reviewer noted: “Amazingly I was caught up in the sights, sounds, conversation and convictions of the colonists in such a manner that I thought I was there.” With the pace of a novel, the book reveals the miraculous story of the American Revolution, its political struggles, military strategy, and pulpit perspective from the viewpoints of George Washington, John Adams, Abigail Adams, John Witherspoon and others who lived loudly for liberty.

One Minute Meditations for the culturally challenged and spiritually stuck. Daily devotions from the perspective of one man and one woman, delivered online and by email that inspire you to move beyond the “busy-ness” of life into an intimate relationship with God through an interactive friendship with the Father. Christian Devotions takes Christ from the heavens and places him in your heart.

Sanctuary in the Shadow of Ashes — Jane Hampton Cook
avatar

Posted on by

“You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!” Psalm 68:35

Abigail Adams continued her letter to her husband on the afternoon of June 18, 1775. After sharing with him the loss of their friend Joseph Warren, she revealed the fiery outcome of the battle of Bunker Hill. “Charlestown is laid ill ashes,” she wrote.

The British had burned the peninsula city. Three hundred buildings were destroyed. Abigail could still see smoke billowing into the air from Charlestown. This colossal site gave rise to something else in Abigail: terror. The horror that struck her was stronger than her fear of sea travel. She realized the battle might come her way.

“It is expected they will come out over the Neck to-night, and a dreadful battle must ensue. Almighty God, cover the heads of our countrymen, and be a shield to our dear friends,” she wrote.

“How many have fallen, we know not. The constant roar of the cannon is so distressing, that we cannot eat, drink, or sleep. May we be supported and sustained in the dreadful conflict.”

Abigail knew it was important to share with John her plans in case the battle came to their home called Quincy, which was south of Boston.

“I shall tarry here till it is thought unsafe by my friends, and then I have secured myself a retreat at your brother’s, who has kindly offered me part of his house. I cannot compose myself to write any further at present. I will add more as I hear further.”

Within a few days Abigail learned the militia retreated north, not south. As British munitions ran out, so did Abigail’s fear. To her and her fellow Bostonians, Bunker Hill appeared to be a formidable victory for the British. But as time went by, their perspective changed.

The British may have taken the hill, but their victory came at a cost far larger than their prize. Their bright red coats had made them easy targets, and the patriots conserved their musket balls by firing at the British only when they could see the “whites of their eyes.” More than two hundred redcoats perished. Nearly nine hundred were wounded. These casualties totaled 40 percent of General Gage’s forces. The colonists, however, lost only one hundred forty men to death’s volley. Another three hundred were wounded. Bunker Hill bolstered the colonists’ confidence. It gave them hope of beating the British. Once the smoke cleared, Abigail Adams and her fellow Bostonians were able to see how God had given them a sanctuary in the shadow of ashes. His power was as clear to them as the whites of the redcoats’ eyes.

PRAYER Thank you for giving me a sanctuary of strength and power. I praise you, God, for your might and glory.

Bestselling author and columnist Jane Hampton Cook, http://janecook.com/, is known for making history both memorable and relevant to today’s news, political events, and issues of faith. A former webmaster for President George W. Bush (1998-03), Jane is the author of Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War, a 365-day devotional chronicling the story of the nation’s founding from the viewpoints of 20 key players.

Publisher: Living Ink Books
Release Date: October 2007
ISBN-10: 0-89957-042-9
©Jane Hampton Cook, used with permission.

Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War is a 365-day devotional of America’s quest for independence. One book reviewer noted: “Amazingly I was caught up in the sights, sounds, conversation and convictions of the colonists in such a manner that I thought I was there.” With the pace of a novel, the book reveals the miraculous story of the American Revolution, its political struggles, military strategy, and pulpit perspective from the viewpoints of George Washington, John Adams, Abigail Adams, John Witherspoon and others who lived loudly for liberty.

One Minute Meditations for the culturally challenged and spiritually stuck. Daily devotions from the perspective of one man and one woman, delivered online and by email that inspire you to move beyond the “busy-ness” of life into an intimate relationship with God through an interactive friendship with the Father. Christian Devotions takes Christ from the heavens and places him in your heart.