I have only traveled through these 18 states. MICHIGAN,TENNESSEE,KENTUCKY,INDIANA,
OHIO,WEST VIRGINIA ,PENNSYLVANIA,NEW JERSEY,VIRGINIA MARYLAND,NORTH CAROLINA,SOUTH CAROLINA,FLORIDA,MISSISSIPPI,ALABAMA,GEORGIA, DELAWARE, and Washington, D.C. I have seen all 50 of the beautiful united states.
How was I able to do this? By the development of the travel post card.
The History of Postcards
Pre-Postcard Era, 1840 - 1869
Due to government postal regulations, postcards were a long time in developing. Prior to postcards came the lithograph print, woodcuts and broadsides. The first postal type card in this country was a privately printed card copyrighted in 1861 by J.P. Carlton.
In this country, the earliest known exposition card appeared in 1873, showing the main building of the Inter-State Industrial Exposition in Chicago. This card as well as other early advertising cards, usually bearing vignette designs were not originally intended for souvenirs. Thus the first card printed with the intention for use as a souvenir were the cards placed on sale in 1893 at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. During this period all privately printed cards required the regular two cent letter rate postage, the new government printed Postal's required only one cent.
Private Mailing Card Era, 1898-1901
Starting in 1898, American publishers were allowed to print and sell cards bearing the inscription, "Private Mailing Card, Authorized by Act of Congress on May 19, 1898". These private mailing cards were to be posted with one cent stamps ( the same rate a government postal's). This was perhaps the most significant event to enhance the use of private postal's. As with government postal's and previous pioneer cards, writing was still reserved for the front (picture side) of the cards only.
So it is due to this invention of picture post card that I have been allowed to see and so to speak travel to places I have never been.
Thinking on this, It came to mind as I went to read my bible that if no one had been inspired by God to write the sacred scriptures I may have never had the opportunity to read them for myself. I would of possibly never heard about God and the gift of salvation.
The Bible itself come's from the most High, from God Himself (2 Timothy 3:16). KJV
While there were approximately forty men who physically put the text onto the pages, Scripture claims the true author of the Bible is God. In almost every book of the Bible, the human authors assert that their words are the words of God.
The biblical authors all believed themselves to be instruments for His teachings and the spreading of His gospel. These men were inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit to spread the message of God and Jesus Christ.
God specifically chose each one of them to tell a unique part of His tale. We have the Bible today because God uses people who desire His will above their own to deliver His message. The Bible came to us from believers who were called to tell of His great love, as well as those things that are pleasing and displeasing to Him.
The message of the Bible offers hope for deliverance, beginning with the Old Testament. It tells of His undying love, and reveals the fact that He sent His only Son to die on the cross in order that we all might join Him, simply by believing.
We can trust that the Bible is authentic because of the fact that it was written down, and we know that written text does not suffer from the same peril as the spoken word. What we say is frequently changed as it is passed on from one person to another; what we write down may occasionally undergo minor changes as language evolves, but actual content meaning rarely changes. In the case of the Bible, what we have available to us today is based on documents that are no more than four or five generations from the originals. The finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls offers further proof that the Bible we have today is faithful to the meaning and intent of the original authors - who, as we have established, believed they were speaking for God Himself.
Evidence for authenticity of the Bible is stronger than evidence for authenticity of many great works of literature that we take for granted are actual.
The Bible comes from a God who desires to know each and everyone of us and wants us to know of His great love for us. The fact that there is so much evidence to support the truth, the accuracy and authenticity of the Bible, verifies God's love for each person on earth.
Like the postcard the bible lets us see the place where we have been and the place we are going. It lets us pass on this beautiful story of salvation.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! TRUST JESUS NOW
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