Experience the American dream with today’s Patriot of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s December 22, 1776. I’m in Braintree, Maine, at John Adams’ house. We’re having dinner and the family is going around the table giving Christmas thanks.
JG: “Nabi?”
NA: “Thank you, God for baby Jesus.”
JG: “John Q?”
JQA: “Thank you, Lord, for my mother and my father and their faithfulness to you.”
JG: “Abigail?”
AA: “Oh, Lord! May you continue to bless America and protect our boys on the battlefield.”
JG: “John?”
JA: “God, give us wisdom and be our sword and shield in the battlefield.”
The John Adams family had a reputation for praying together. Their courage and integrity helped establish the spirit of Christmas and freedom throughout America.
Read more about Christmas in America during the Revolutionary War.
John and Jan Gillespie are the founders of the Rawhide Boys’ Ranch; they have fostered 351 teenagers and wrote the book Our 351 Sons; they have also assisted numerous churches in developing youth programs and expanding their total church ministries. After running for U.S. Senate, John founded 1776 American Dream, which exists to demonstrate the vision of our founding fathers and help our generation of youth passionately embrace those values.
