“Sacrifices! Have I not made them? What is my life here but a daily sacrifice?” - General Stonewall Jackson

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1)

What is the legacy of General Stonewall Jackson?
How is that still impacting Virginia and America today?

In the past few months I have become fascinated with the spiritual legacy of General Stonewall Jackson and the impact he has had and continues to still have on Virginia. When Dutch Sheets and Chuck Pierce spoke at the 50 State Tour gathering in March 2004, they declared that Virginia is the “covenant root state.” Based upon it’s rich Christian heritage, Virginia was acknowledged to have governmental authority, not just for the United States, but for the world.

According to David C. McCullough, “History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” One of the many blessings of being a close friend of Virginia Morton is that she has taught me much about Civil War history as well as the history of Culpeper and Virginia. A few months ago, I watched a DVD that Virginia loaned to me about the faith of Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Without a doubt, they were spiritual giants of the Civil War.

In her email on March 28, Virginia Morton shared, “God is truly bringing truth to light pertaining to Confederate history. Thanks to Burt (Swardstrom) and the MasterMedia newsletter, I learned of the 48-minute documentary “Still Standing: The Stonewall Jackson Story.” I then contacted Rick Williams, author of “Stonewall Jackson: The Black Man’s Friend.” The friends of Cedar Mountain Battlefield will be showing the film April 4 and Rick will be here to introduce it. We were blessed with two excellent articles in today’s newspaper which I think you will find fascinating.” [See today’s Link of the Day to read those.]

If you live nearby, you are invited to come to St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Culpeper Virginia at 7 PM on Friday April 4 to meet Rick Williams and watch the 40 minute documentary film “Still Standing: The Stonewall Jackson Story.”

On March 27, Robert Hartzell, founder of Fountains of Life, told me about Arthur Burk, founder of Plumbline Ministries. Robert shared that Arthur has had community transformation on his heart since 1978 and works with a lot of businessmen. Arthur believes that the spiritual gifts discussed in Romans 12 apply not only to people, but to businesses, cities, and even nations. When Arthur visits a community, he emphasizes celebrating the gifting and calling of that community rather than pointing out what’s wrong.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, I praise You as the God of history, the God who makes history, writes history, and uses history in Your perfect plan. Thank You for the rich spiritual heritage left by General Stonewall Jackson. Thank You for using Rick Williams to uncover part of that. Thank You that Rick is coming to Culpeper on April 4. Bless his visit and all those who meet him. Prepare the heart and minds of those who attend the April 4 gathering to understand the significance of Jackson’s life and legacy for this day and time. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
Links to newspaper articles about Rick Williams and Stonewall Jackson

Blessings to understand and apply the significance of history in healing wounds of the past!