Today is the first anniversary, if one wants to call it that, of the assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. The iconic photo of Trump, fist raised in the air, letting supporters know he was okay and imploring them to fight on, is seen by some as a turning point in the campaign. Mark Zuckerberg called it “badass.” Jeff Bezos was impressed. The Trump base was galvanized, and it changed the political landscape.

There were those who believed Trump was being politically persecuted, yet with each new attack, he bounced back stronger. Now, his opponents were seen as trying to kill him. And the gun was sighted for what very well could have been a fatal headshot. However, a “miracle” then occurred; some call it divine intervention.

As the assassin squeezed the trigger, Trump turned his head, referencing a chart on immigration statistics displayed on a jumbotron. Slow-motion footage and photos from the rally show the bullet flying past his head, missing a fatal impact by mere millimeters, six to be exact, 1/5 of an inch. Look at it this way: a classic #2 pencil used in schools measures about 6 to 7 millimeters across its narrowest point. Not much room for error.

Some say the bullet hitting his ear and being non-fatal averted a civil war. I can’t speculate on it. It’s possible. There are those who say it was a publicity stunt. Logically, it makes no sense. No one tries to pull off a stunt like that, turning their head in a split second to take a bullet to the head area from an assassin who killed firefighter Corey Comperatore and wounded three others. No one takes a shot to the head as a campaign assist, and liberal and conservative media acknowledge that it was a real bullet and Trump was hit.

However, there are legitimate questions that need answers. Six U.S. Secret Service agents were suspended without pay for their roles in security failures during the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The suspensions, ranging from 10 to 42 days, affected agents from supervisory to line-level positions. The agents were reassigned to roles with reduced operational responsibility upon their return.

The investigation showed significant operational lapses, including poor communication and coordination with local law enforcement. The suspensions follow a bipartisan House report stating the incident was “preventable” due to leadership and training failures.

As far as divine intervention, perhaps so. Did God shift Trump’s head at just the right moment to allow a .223 bullet from an AR-15 to speed past his head at 2,700 FPS? If so, it’s a miracle from God as worthy as those in the New Testament. Not all people are going to consider it a possibility.

But that photo of Trump with his fist raised, blood on his face, and the American flag in the background, with Trump calling on the faithful to, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” told me he was saved to serve. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg praised Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s response to nearly being assassinated, calling his raised fist after the incident “one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life.” 

Matthew 28:20: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” To me, it means we see God everywhere because he is everywhere. It’s not about literal sight; it’s about spiritual awareness.

You may be thinking the representation is only an optical illusion, and you’d be right. But on the theme, we see a street scene full of everyday life, yet subtly revealing Christ when you look closer. His presence can be hidden in plain sight, waiting to be recognized with spiritual eyes.

Luke 23:40-43 serves as a reminder that we are saved by grace alone through faith, and our soul goes to a comforting place with God, where our spiritual body will be resurrected and reunited with our physical body. The latter becomes clear in later scripture. We can look at these verses as a building block: God’s grace reaches us even when we are broken, fulfilling His promise of eternal life.

So, I didn’t get all of this from Luke 23:40–43 alone. It was necessary to look back one verse earlier to understand why the other thief lost the gift of eternal life. To grasp what Jesus meant by ‘Paradise,‘ I had to consider writings in John, Corinthians, and Revelation.

Through this, assuming I got it right, I learned that Paradise, while a place of comfort in God’s presence, is not the final Heaven but a temporary state until the resurrection and final judgment.

Today is the day we celebrate the enduring spirit of independence and the bravery of those who secured it. From the red, white, and blue waving high to the fireworks lighting up the night sky, Americans will honor the past, cherish the present, and look to a future established in liberty and individual freedom.

Barack Obama once said, “People who love this country can change it. “He was wrong. America doesn’t need to be changed; her principles need to be strengthened. The fundamental transformation he spoke of signified a hatred for the core principles and his desire to change those. Today, the enemies of liberty and freedom still exist as forces of evil to do battle daily.

Often wrongly attributed to the author of the Declaration of Independence, we are reminded, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” Ronald Reagan reminded us, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

Reagan understood the fragility of liberty and how each generation must fight to preserve it. Some people, me included, believe last November was a watershed moment as we dodged the bullet of tyranny fired by Obama. But it is a battle that will have to be fought and won again. The enemies do not sleep; patriots cannot do so either.

As proud Americans, we must remember that patriotism is more than for today; it’s a lifelong commitment to the values that define us: freedom, unity, and courage. On this day, each year, I read the Declaration of Independence. Most people know the opening words, but tucked away and seldom taught in schools are these words, the heart and soul of the document, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

My wife and I hope your day is one of joy, pride, and reflection on what it truly means to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Remember, we are one nation under God, and if we are indivisible, there will be liberty and justice for all. It may sound corny, but it’s true.

Enjoy the BBQs, parades, and gatherings with friends and family, but remember what it took to get here and what we must do to maintain it.

The Declaration of Independence is a fascinating document and worth reading from time to time. I read it every July 4. Please do it now, especially toward the end. If not, read toward the bottom of this. Or get it off the meme I made in part. Still, though, the real question is raised at the end of what I’ve written here.

It speaks to our ideals and aspirations as a nation of united people. We’ve fallen short at times, but we always get back up. It’s an indictment against the British king, accompanied by an explanation of why we must be a free nation, and then further details why. And it acknowledges the shared sacrifice necessary to achieve independence.

The known sacrifice, a mutual pledge to be shared, is little known and buried toward the bottom, but so real, even today. See, most everyone is aware of specific phrases like, “When in the Course of human events…“ or “We hold these truths to be self-evident…”

But tucked away and seldom taught in schools are found the heart in these words-“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

The founders pledged their lives and property(fortunes) to the principles contained in the Declaration of Independence. We have a continuing duty to do the same.

However, I now have a question, and the answer will depend on your political perspective. If the founders had the foresight to know where we would be now as we begin our 250th year, would they have pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor for it?