A land of Freedom & Plenty

 

250 years
A land of Freedom & Plenty 

From an 84-year-old that travel to many places and Countries, and has never wanted to stay long in any of them.  If you're young and have been in the school system, it seems that you have not been taught about the greatness of our nation, just where we have fallen short.

 

The American Revolution (1775–1783) secured the United States' freedom from Great Britain. The conflict officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783, which granted the 13 colonies full independence.   This is what I learned. In school, the people of this new country were subject to the rule of England, and they were taxed at a very high rate with no voice or vote. They were subjects of the king, and whatever he desired, his soldiers enforced.  The men who signed the Declaration of  Independence paid a high price.  

 

The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence paid a devastating personal and financial price for treason against the British Crown. Many were wealthy and educated, yet they pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor—and the consequences were severe. 

 

The ultimate cost paid by the group included the following staggering losses:

• Imprisonment and Torture: Five signers were captured by the British and tortured as traitors before they died. 
• Property Destruction: Twelve had their homes and properties looted or destroyed by enemy forces. 
• Financial Ruin: Five lost their entire fortunes funding the Continental Army, while others, like Carter Braxton and Thomas Nelson Jr., died in poverty and bankruptcy. 
• Family Tragic Tolls: Nine died directly from wounds or hardships during the Revolutionary War. Others had their wives imprisoned, and several lost their sons in battle. 

 

"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.”  In no way does it give one a guarantee of Happiness, just the ability to pursuit it.

 

Questions that need explaining: How did slavery come to this new land? By people of there on Country rounding them up and selling them to what became known as slave ships to not only the thirteen colonies but also to many other nations, such as Britain and other places.  Most were viewed as property.  But the Black people were not the only ones that were treated as sub-human, so were the Irish, and many of them sold themselves as indentured servant.  Women were not given the right to vote on June 4, 1919, and most did not get to till the 19th Amendment was approved by 36 states on August 18, 1920.  And women of color were not allowed to vote for many years.  Evil men, who were mostly Democrats in the South, came up with ways like the poll tax to keep them from voting.  Note: A young nation made many mistakes,.

 

I was raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. We did not know how poor we were, that is, until about the seventh grade, and you were the only one in school who had patches on your blue jeans.  Today, having a hole in them is cool, but in the early 50^th it meant one thing: you were poor.  I have been blessed by God with the ability to work, and my dad was big on doing a job right the first time.  I worked for HEB Grocers as a sack boy at the age of 12, and I made 60 cents an hour.  I got two years of college by working nights at a place called Corn Products.  I worked from 11 p.m. to seven a.m., and my first class was at 8:30 a.m.  I regret that I saw little need for school, and I would encourage all to study and learn, as it will be of great value later in life.

 

In 1942, I was born on Planet Earth, and it was a time of war. I’ve read that we fought Germany to save Europe, and it was the War to End All Wars.  But not many years later, both Japan and Germany were trying to control the world by killing, and once more we fought a war to give freedom to Europe, and many others.  You may have thought that Hitler was just killing the Jewish people, but you would be so wrong.  Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime systematically murdered an estimated 17 million people in total. This includes 6 million Jews during the Holocaust, alongside an additional 11 million non-Jewish victims through targeted mass killings, slave labor, and deliberate starvation.  History of both Marxism and Communism show them to be very evil forms of Governing.

 

And today, some of you think that Marxism & Communism would be a good form of government.  I wish you could spend time in Russia or China, or try Cuba, that freedom, you enjoy in the USA will not be found there.  In both business and pleasure, I’ve been able to visit many countries, and I have yet to find one that gives me the freedoms and rights of our great Country.

 

Now as a Gentile, and a follower of  Christ, let me share a truth that many college student or ignorant of:  Genesis 12: 3, God make this promise to Abram, before God change is name to Abraham  “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  

Since 1948, Israel has heavily blessed the world through groundbreaking contributions to global healthcare, water conservation, agriculture, and technology. Despite its small size and arid climate, it has become a global hub for life-saving innovations and humanitarian relief, fundamentally improving daily life and survival for billions worldwide. 

 

Born out of a desperate need to survive in a mostly arid region, Israel's AgTech sector has revolutionized global farming and water management. 

• Modern Drip Irrigation: Invented in Israel, this technology delivers water and nutrients directly to plant roots, vastly increasing crop yields while saving billions of gallons of water globally.
• Desalination and Recycling: Israel recycles roughly 90% of its wastewater—more than any other country—and leads the world in turning seawater into fresh, drinkable water.
•  

 Medical and Biotech Breakthroughs

Israel’s biomedical sector has introduced world-changing treatments and diagnostic tools. 

• PillCam: The first swallowable, pill-sized camera that allows doctors to visualize the human gastrointestinal tract without invasive surgery. 
• Multiple Sclerosis Treatment: The blockbuster drug Copaxone was developed in Israel, transforming the lives of countless MS patients worldwide. 
• Exoskeleton Technology: The ReWalk robotic exoskeleton system enables individuals with spinal cord injuries and paraplegia to stand upright, walk, and climb stairs. 

 

Computing and Consumer Technology

Israel’s "Start-Up Nation" culture has been a major driver of modern tech infrastructure and software. 

• Waze: The widely used, crowdsourced GPS and navigation app that helps millions of commuters avoid traffic and hazards globally daily. 
• USB Flash Drives: Pioneered in Israel, this technology replaced floppy disks and changed how the world stores and transfers portable data. 

 

 Global Humanitarian Relief

When natural disasters or crises strike globally, Israel’s emergency response teams are frequently among the first on the scene. The IsraAID NGO provides emergency relief, clean water, and psychological support in dozens of countries following earthquakes, hurricanes, and conflicts. Additionally, the nation's medical centers regularly treat patients from all over the globe, including those from neighboring conflict regions. 

 

 

• Israel at 75: A Nation Blessing the Whole World - ICEJ

May 14, 2023 — As Israel marks 75 years since its modern rebirth in 1948, the whole world should be joining the celebrations. For centuries, the ...

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem

 

• The top 12 most amazing Israeli medical advances - Unpacked

Dec 16, 2024 — Israeli ingenuity stands behind some of the world's most amazing medical advances of the past few decades. By Abigail Klein Leichm...

 

• Israel: #12 in the 2024 World Index of Healthcare Innovation

Dec 21, 2024 — In the 2024 World Index of Healthcare Innovation, Israel ranks 12th and leads Asia with an overall score of 50.62. 

 

The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity

• Healing the World: Israel’s Groundbreaking Medical Innovations - Hope for Israel

Apr 3, 2025 — Israel's commitment to medical advancements is driven by a deep-seated belief in the sanctity of life. Some of their other medical...

 

Hope for Israel

• Israeli Inventions That Changed the World - Cutting Edge - Haaretz.com

Apr 13, 2021 — Israel has made many inventions that have impacted humanity. Here are some of them: Military self-defense systems ...

The bottom line is  God is a Promise Keeper, and He loves you to much to allow you to chase after the Wind.

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

A Final Plague Threatened

 

Exodus 11:1-10

 

August 24, 2024

 

A Final Plague Threatened

The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward, he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely.   Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.”  And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.

So, Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt,  and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.  There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.  But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’  And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that, I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.

 

A final plague threatened, and after all the other plagues that Moses had told Pharaoh, God was going to do if he did not let the people of Israel leave.  One must wonder if Pharaoh cared about the people, not even his firstborn.  Scripture is quiet on if the word leaked out to the people of Egypt, but if it did, they as a whole are saying let the people go, we experience blood, frogs, gnats, flies, Livestock die, boils, hail, Locusts, darkness, and why should our firstborn of everything die.  Pharaoh was put there by God, and it is God who has hardened Pharaoh's heart.  It brings us back to this Scripture to what God spoke to the prophet Isaiah, found in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

 

Neither you nor I would have done it this way, and that is why you are not God. Moses and Aaron knew that God was in charge, and that is what God wants you and me to understand.  Your worst fear of how this Presidential election will turn out is VP Harris or President Trump leading our nation.  One back to some semblance of our Constitution, the other to Marxism.  And just like Pharaoh, God will do His will, and it will have much to do with this Scripture that many quote, 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

A nation that hopes hangs on the word “IF” God is not referring to non-believers in Jesus, but those who have entered into a personal relationship with Him.  It was true with the people of Israel then and now, and it is true with His Church, and we are not referring to those who go by the title Christian, but those who are His children by grace and faith in the finished work of the Cross.

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Ninth Plague: Darkness

 

 

Exodus 10:21-29

 

August 23, 2024

 

The Ninth Plague: Darkness

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” So, Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.  They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.  Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.”  But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.  Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.”  But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go.  Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.”  Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”

 

When I was in my teens, our family went to Carlsbad Caverns. As we went farther into the cave, they stopped in a large room, turned off the lights, and sang Rock of Ages.  I could not see my hand in front of my face, nor anyone else in that large group of people.

 

Neither you nor I could navigate in such darkness, and yet God is still keeping Pharaoh's heart hardened, for a reason we will see on the final day of the plague.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Eighth Plague: Locusts

 

Exodus 10:1-20

 

August 22, 2024

 

The Eighth Plague: Locusts

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go into Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them,  and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”

 

Have you shared this with your family, your wife, sons, and daughters?

 

So, Moses and Aaron went into Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.  For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the face of the land so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

 

Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?”  So, Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. But which ones are to go?”  Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.”  But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind. No! Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

 

Pharaoh is not stupid; he knows if they take everything, they have no reason to come back.

 

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.”  So, Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt.  Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you.  Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.”  So, he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord.  And the Lord turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.

 

One must wonder what God wants, not only for His people to see, but also for the Egyptians, that He keeps hardening the heart of Pharaoh.  Yes, it is so that they will acknowledge that He is God over all people and things, but there is more He wants you and me to fully understand.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Seventh Plague: Hail

 

Exodus 9: ​13-35

 

August 29, 2025

 

The Seventh Plague: Hail

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.  For this time, I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.  For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.  But for this purpose, I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.  You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go.  Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.  Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.” Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses,  but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.”  Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.  There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field.  Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.  Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”  Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord's.  But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.”  (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.  But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.)  So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth.  But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.  So, the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

 

Have you ever wondered what grace and mercy look like and gone to the New Testament to understand?  Then you missed much of what God has shown us in the Old Testament about grace and mercy.  Maybe rereading the very top of the paper highlighted in yellow, once more, will help.  First, God allowed a hardhearted Pharaoh to rule, to show God’s authority over all things.  Why, so not only the Egyptians but also the chosen people, the Jewish people, would believe in Him.  In August 2025, not one thing has changed. God is still sending the same message to the nations; it is not about you, it is all about God.  And He will use leaders of nations to show His power; some will be like Pharaoh, and do evil, and some will be like King David and repent when they have done evil.

 

It reminds me of a family that lived down the street from us and were not seekers of Truth; Jesus is the Truth.  They had an older daughter, a son my age with whom we were best friends, and a younger son, who became very sick, and things did not look like he would live long.  Our pastor visited them, and they vowed that if God would heal their son, they would come to church.  God healed their son, but like Pharaoh, they hardened their hearts, and the young son lived a life that only disgraced his family and died at a young age.  A vow to God is not something one should do as a bargaining chip; He always holds us to our promises.

 

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Sixth Plague: Boils

 

 

Exodus 9: 8-12

 

August 28, 2025

 

The Sixth Plague: Boils

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh.  It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”  So, they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast.  And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.  But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

Could you be wondering why God keeps hardening the heart of Pharaoh?  Shall we visit Romans 9:17-18, “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”  So, then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.”  His ways or not our Ways and His thoughts are higher than others.

Pharaoh is not a nice person; he is a brutal dictator overseeing the terrible abuse and oppression of the Israelites, and before Moses came, he already had a hard heart.  But God often uses evil men to do His will and to bring glory to His name.  I often look at “Got Question” after I ask the Lord to give me understanding of the subject. Today, I took a quote from A.I.

“God hardened Pharaoh's heart to reveal His power, demonstrate His sovereignty, and receive glory for the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, as well as to fulfill His plan of salvation for both His people and the Egyptians. Pharaoh's heart was already set against God's will, and the hardening was not taking away his free will but rather giving him over to his own defiant path, ultimately leading to a display of God's immense power.” 

I am very grateful that God placed me in Texas from birth; it has been my home for 83 years, and today, Jan and I are celebrating 60 years of marriage.  August 27, 1965, she blessed me by not only agreeing to be my wife but to become, as we grew to become one, my best friend.  And often I go back to that date and thank the Lord for blessing me with a wonderful lady.

On July 4,  in the Texas Hill Country, we experienced floods, resulting in at least 138 deaths, and both people who go by the title Christian and those who are not, ask this question: Why did God allow this to happen?  Why are we so quick to blame God, and why would a person who says they do not need nor will they put faith in God, then blame Him?  Others could have been blamed, like the river authority for not putting a sensor on the river, or the Texas government for not requiring it, so why blame God?  ​

The bottom Line is that God allows mankind to make choices. The river had flooded before in 1976, and we may not have had the ability to warn people downstream that a flood was coming, but we have had it for many years, and it just was not a priority.  God is easy to blame for our problems. 

The question we need to address is whether we are blaming God or taking ownership for our on short coming?

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Fifth Plague: Egyptian Livestock Die

 

Exodus 9:1-7

 

August 27, 2025

 

The Fifth Plague: Egyptian Livestock Die

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.  For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them,  behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks.  But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.”  And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.”  And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died.  And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

 

What are some thoughts that come into your mind as you read the above Scripture?  My first thought is Pharaoh's elevator sure stops before it reaches his brain. After seeing the hand of God, why would he not believe God could and would do all that he promised?  Then I think about you and me, why do we not do what God has told us to do?  Can you imagine the impact that had on his nation, his army with no horses, and the massive clean-up of removing herds of horses, cattle, and sheep?  What about the livelihood of the people?  Obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings a lot of pain, as in this case, the people of Egypt. 

 

The first thing we need to understand is that God is in control. Pharaoh's heart was hardened by God; often, a judgment like this on a leader is to show the people of God how big their God is.  King Nebuchadnezzar was a pagan king whom God used and blessed, till he became so full of self that he took full credit for all that God had done.  What did God do with that great king for seven years? He ate grass like livestock.  And after the seven years, we see this account in Daniel 4:34, “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.

His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.

 

Have you come to that place where you not only acknowledge God, but you put your life in His hands, to do with as He desires?

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice