Independence is not an easy thing to grasp, for it involves removing the hand of a tyrant and replacing it with the hand of the just. It is a fair statement that history shows the latter is harder than the former, for even though removing a tyrant always requires force, installing the just requires a people righteous enough to not become tyrants themselves when given power over others.

Today we remember the difficulties of the fight

• We drink neither tea nor coffee, to remember the privation brought on by war.
• We drink no alcohol, to remember the privation brought on by war.
• We fast from dinner, to remember the privation brought on by war.
• Devotion: We read the story of Gideon to remember the value of a small force of guerillas fighting for God’s principles.
• We read Common Sense, to remember the struggles in the Revolution.
• We watch John Adams, to remember what can be done by a single man with devotion to the cause.
• We shoot dry-fire practice, to remember their critical lack of ammunition in wartime.
• We fly the Culpeper flag, to remember the struggle in the South.