On our recent vacation, we took a history tour through Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. I’m sure this would have absolutely bored some people, but my wife has learned to endure these things with a smile.
We stopped at five—yes, count ‘em, five!—presidential homes. (I was a history and political science major in college, and my favorite part of history has always been presidential history.) Four of the historic homes we visited on our trip were right here in Virginia, “The Mother of Presidents”. Those homes were Washington’s Mount Vernon, Jefferson’s Monticello, Madison’s Montpelier, and Monroe’s Ash Lawn Highland. (Sandy has decided now that we need to give our Virginia home a name, just as these founding fathers did.) The fifth presidential residence we visited was Eisenhower’s farm home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
We had been to Mount Vernon before, several years ago, but never to any of the others. Our son—who lives in the D.C. area—took the day off from work to join us on our visit to Mount Vernon, which was kind of neat, in that the three of us had visited the historic site together back in the early 1990s when he was a boy.
Mount Vernon has an incredible new visitor’s and educational center, making it more along the line of the presidential libraries of some of our more recent presidents. If you haven’t been to George Washington’s home in the last year or so, you really need to see it again. You’ll be amazed. (That is, unless this kind of thing just bores you silly.)
Our visit to Madison’s Montpelier also was quite notable. Presently, the house is undergoing a
major renovation and restoration, both inside and out. For years it was privately owned by the DuPont family, who acquired it in 1901 and made extensive modifications to it. It was willed to the National Trust in 1984. Right now, historic preservationists are working to remove the additions and facades added by the DuPonts, returning the structure to how it appeared during the days of James and Dolley Madison. (By the way, my only disappointment with that whole stop was that they didn’t offer us any free samples of Dolley Madison’s famous snack cakes!)
In the past, Sandy and I have visited other presidential residences like FDR’s “Little White House” in Warm Springs, Georgia, Lincoln’s home in Springfield, Illinois, and Truman’s
presidential retreat in Key West, Florida. It’s quite interesting to see where and how our various presidents have lived. I feel it gives a deeper insight into the men and their times.
But in the final analysis, people are just people, aren’t they? Whether you’re a president or a pauper, whether you live in the White House, the jailhouse or the poor house, we all have to put our pants on the same way—one leg at a time. And, eventually all of us are going to have to meet our Maker and give an account of our lives. And neither fame nor fortune nor power nor position can exempt us from that. Thus, when it’s all said and done, all that’s really going to matter for any of us is what we did with Jesus. Did we receive Him or reject Him? Did we live for Him or for ourselves?
Right now, several presidential aspirants are jockeying for position, striving to win their party’s nomination, with the hope that eventually they’ll be the next inhabitant of the White House. It would be nice to live in the White House, I suppose. (Imagine being able to call down to the kitchen any time of day or night and get a fresh omelet or a BLT or a filet mignon, no questions asked!) But, think about this: Four years later—eight years, at best—and it’s all over. A president, truthfully, is nothing more than a temporary resident. At the end of his term, he’s back out on the street.
Jesus, however, has an eternal home waiting for us. He declared that “in My Father’s house are many mansions.” And He told us that He was going on to Heaven ahead of us in order to prepare that place for us. And it’s a place unlike 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in that it won’t be a temporary abode. Rather, it’s one in which we will dwell with Him forever and ever and ever.
It’s quite intriguing to visit historic homes where notable figures once lived, gleaning insights into their personal and family life. As I have opportunity to do so, I hope to visit more presidential homes in the years to come. But someday it’s going to be a whole lot more exciting to see and experience the home that God has in store for those of us that are His children. For, truly, that home is going to be out of this world! And, best of all, it’s for keeps!
Pastor Danny
We stopped at five—yes, count ‘em, five!—presidential homes. (I was a history and political science major in college, and my favorite part of history has always been presidential history.) Four of the historic homes we visited on our trip were right here in Virginia, “The Mother of Presidents”. Those homes were Washington’s Mount Vernon, Jefferson’s Monticello, Madison’s Montpelier, and Monroe’s Ash Lawn Highland. (Sandy has decided now that we need to give our Virginia home a name, just as these founding fathers did.) The fifth presidential residence we visited was Eisenhower’s farm home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
We had been to Mount Vernon before, several years ago, but never to any of the others. Our son—who lives in the D.C. area—took the day off from work to join us on our visit to Mount Vernon, which was kind of neat, in that the three of us had visited the historic site together back in the early 1990s when he was a boy.
Mount Vernon has an incredible new visitor’s and educational center, making it more along the line of the presidential libraries of some of our more recent presidents. If you haven’t been to George Washington’s home in the last year or so, you really need to see it again. You’ll be amazed. (That is, unless this kind of thing just bores you silly.)Our visit to Madison’s Montpelier also was quite notable. Presently, the house is undergoing a
major renovation and restoration, both inside and out. For years it was privately owned by the DuPont family, who acquired it in 1901 and made extensive modifications to it. It was willed to the National Trust in 1984. Right now, historic preservationists are working to remove the additions and facades added by the DuPonts, returning the structure to how it appeared during the days of James and Dolley Madison. (By the way, my only disappointment with that whole stop was that they didn’t offer us any free samples of Dolley Madison’s famous snack cakes!)In the past, Sandy and I have visited other presidential residences like FDR’s “Little White House” in Warm Springs, Georgia, Lincoln’s home in Springfield, Illinois, and Truman’s
presidential retreat in Key West, Florida. It’s quite interesting to see where and how our various presidents have lived. I feel it gives a deeper insight into the men and their times.But in the final analysis, people are just people, aren’t they? Whether you’re a president or a pauper, whether you live in the White House, the jailhouse or the poor house, we all have to put our pants on the same way—one leg at a time. And, eventually all of us are going to have to meet our Maker and give an account of our lives. And neither fame nor fortune nor power nor position can exempt us from that. Thus, when it’s all said and done, all that’s really going to matter for any of us is what we did with Jesus. Did we receive Him or reject Him? Did we live for Him or for ourselves?
Right now, several presidential aspirants are jockeying for position, striving to win their party’s nomination, with the hope that eventually they’ll be the next inhabitant of the White House. It would be nice to live in the White House, I suppose. (Imagine being able to call down to the kitchen any time of day or night and get a fresh omelet or a BLT or a filet mignon, no questions asked!) But, think about this: Four years later—eight years, at best—and it’s all over. A president, truthfully, is nothing more than a temporary resident. At the end of his term, he’s back out on the street.
Jesus, however, has an eternal home waiting for us. He declared that “in My Father’s house are many mansions.” And He told us that He was going on to Heaven ahead of us in order to prepare that place for us. And it’s a place unlike 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in that it won’t be a temporary abode. Rather, it’s one in which we will dwell with Him forever and ever and ever.It’s quite intriguing to visit historic homes where notable figures once lived, gleaning insights into their personal and family life. As I have opportunity to do so, I hope to visit more presidential homes in the years to come. But someday it’s going to be a whole lot more exciting to see and experience the home that God has in store for those of us that are His children. For, truly, that home is going to be out of this world! And, best of all, it’s for keeps!
Pastor Danny
