PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14)
[Memorial Day Concert - 8 PM TONIGHT, PBS: I encourage you and your family to tune in to the program tonight as I hope it will be a great one as the one last year. Please tune in!
SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november
WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
LATEST SAHEED NEWS! May 22 - "Pastor Saeed Forcibly Returned to Prison after Beating" - By Caitlin Burke,CBN News, May 22, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/May/Pastor-Saeed-Beaten-Sent-Back-to-Iran-Prison/ "Saeed Abedini, a U.S. pastor imprisoned for his faith, was severely beaten at an Iranian hospital before being returned to the brutal Rajai Shahr prison. His Iranian family claims the transfer was unexpected and the reason is unclear. But one of the guards involved in the transfer suggested recent Iranian nuclear talks could be a motive, the family said..."
We need to continue to pray for Pastor Saeed - that his health will improve and that he will be re-united with his wife and two young children who live in the United States. We also remain hopeful that in addition to getting the medical care he so desperately needs, that Iranian officials display the kind of humanitarian treatment that often accompanies the start of the Iranian New Year which began on March 21st. This is the time of year when the Iranian government frequently offers clemency to prisoners of conscience. [If you have not yet, please sign the petition for his clemency- http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign]
PRAY ALSO : - For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.\
- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- For leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- GO TO SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release
The U.S. State Department believes the Russian army is now prepared to launch an invasion of eastern Ukraine if President Vladimir Putin decides to pull the trigger, according to a senior Administration official."At this point, they are amassed and they could go at a moment’s notice if Putin gave the go ahead," the official said...Top Ukrainian security officials said Thursday that Russia now has 100,000 troops on its side of the Russia-Ukraine border.(Sources: CBS News, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Daily Beast)
As the Lord leads, please pray:
*For God to suppress President Putin’s ambitions to "restore" the Soviet empire.
*For the people of Ukrainen [esp. for the church 'to be THE church'] as they wait to see if the Russian troops will advance.
*About President Obama and to use wisdom in crafting our foreign policy, and wisdom for his advisers.
NEWS/PRAYER ALERT!"Kim Jong-un Calls for Execution of 33 Christians" - 3/7/2014; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=3651 "North Korea tyrant Kim Jong-un has reportedly ordered that 33 Christians believed to be working alongside South Korean Baptist missionary Kim Jung-wook be put to death. The South Korean missionary - who was arrested last year - and his accomplices have reportedly started 500 or so underground churches..."[PRAY that the plans for execution would be rescinded, and these believers released.] [Che\ck out: They'll Be Dead By Morning (What Difference Will It Make) http://loristanleyroeleveld.blogspot.com/2014/03/theyll-be-dead-by-morning-what.html
NEWS ALERT/PRAISE! "Iran Allows Surgery on Ailing, Imprisoned Pastor" - CBNNews.com,March 07, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/March/Iran-Allows-Dire-Surgery-on-Ailing-Imprisoned-Pastor-/ The Iranian government has finally allowed doctors to perform surgery on imprisoned Pastor Benham Irani.Irani suffered from a herniated disc and bleeding intestines and urgently needed medical care. PRAY for the final release of Pastor Irani and others imprisoned for their faith.
Oct. 23: "Christians Fleeing IRAQ Area Once Considered Safe," - CBNNews.com, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/October/Christians-Fleeing-Iraq-Area-Once-Considered-Safe/ PRAY that believers in Iraq will know God's protection and provision; that believers will know[ whether they are called to flee or remain and persevere; and that their persecutors may come to hear the gospel and come to faith in Christ. - Stan]
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"- CBNNews.com, Aug 14, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/ - PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
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Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"- CBNNews.com, Aug 14, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/ - PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
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"MEMORIAL DAY – A TIME TO REMEMBER" - May 1, 2014, Truth In Action Ministries, Commentary by Dr. D. James Kennedy; http://www.truthimpact.me/index.php/2014/05/time-remember-memorial-day/?utm_source=TruthInAction&utm_campaign=7a6917b1ef-5_21_14_Impact_Newsletter_May_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_67fb03e2fb-7a6917b1ef-294381373#.U34eXtJdVA0It all started in Columbus, Mississippi, in 1863. In a cemetery behind a church, a small group of ladies had gathered fresh flowers to place on the graves of sons and husbands who had died in the Civil War. One older woman, after she had carefully placed flowers on the graves of her two sons, started walking toward the outer corner of the cemetery. Another lady asked, “Where are you going?”
She said, “I’m going over there.” She said, “But don’t you know? Those are the graves of Union soldiers.”
She replied, “Yes, I know. I also know that somewhere in the North there are mothers and wives and children who mourn them just as we do.” So she placed fresh flowers on all of those graves, as well.
The story was published in their little local paper and then was picked up by other papers. It traveled and finally got all the way to New York, where the New York Tribune published an article about it. Then it was reported in papers all over the country. A year later, an act of Congress declared one day “Decoration Day,” to help heal the wounds between North and South. The name has been changed and today we call it “Memorial Day.”
Gary Turbak describes it this way:
"Memorial Day is not an exercise in sadness. It is a reaffirmation that these men and women did not lose their lives in vain. This special day is both a remembrance and a celebration, a tribute to the soldiers who fell and to a country that did not. … This is why we can combine reverence with revelry, why Memorial Day is a time for remembering and praying—but also for parades and the “oompahpah” bands."
In the Bible, there are more than a dozen Hebrew and Greek words translated “remember.” Over and over again, the Bible says, “Remember; remember.” Even Jesus said, “Remember Me”—which seems to indicate that we are very good at forgetting.
How do we best remember these brave men and women, and how do we honor them? Dorel Eaton put it very nicely in an article she wrote:
"We do not honor our nation’s past because we have defiled her present. God has been forgotten.
We speak by our actions, our love for the corrupt, easy money, the mean streets, warehouses for the elderly, recreational sex, the promotion of sexual immorality by the mass media. America is infected with … sexually transmitted diseases, a glorification of violence, and a myriad of drugs."
That does not honor our veterans who gave so much.
This is a day to remember. A day to do more than remember and also a day to pray—to pray for a country that so many tens of thousands have died and hundreds of thousands have suffered to preserve that we would maintain the godly heritage that has been given to us and not forget our God. Lest we forget. Lest we forget.
This Memorial Day, let us remember not only those whose lives have been lost, but let us also strive by the actions we take to restore decency and godliness to this land. It can be done. Let’s do it!
- This is from a sermon delivered by Dr. D. James Kennedy on May 29, 2005,
at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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