#891 (5/26) "Special Radio Broadcast"; "Worth Dying For"; Photos of Memorials

The Bulletin Board:(Please SCROLL DOWN this page to find the article titled on this post in LARGE CAPITAL LETTERS. Thank you.)

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

LATEST NEWS /PRAYER ALERT"100,000 Russian Troops at Ukraine Border, Could Invade ’At a Moment’s Notice’" - 3/28/2014;http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=3716
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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SPECIAL MEMORIAL DAY RADIO BROADCAST: [AS I SEE IT: Were you able to watch the inspiring National Memorial Day Concert on PBS last night? Did YOUR church do anything to recognize the sacrifices of those who've served in our military  over the years and their families? Mind DID NOT and I confess it frustrates me that only once in my 40 years of attending church have I had a church do that. I just can't understand why pulpits can be silent on this occasion each year. Is it somehow controversial? Does it somehow detract from the gospel? Really?!  I invite you to listen to the following broadcast I just heard today by the Family Life Ministry. It speaks to the great sacrifices of those who've given their lives in protecting OUR freedoms. It presents the Christian perspective on such sacrifices and the final story is a POWERFUL reminder of how we need to be truly thankful for those who've served and their families who've supported them.  http://www.familylife.com/audio?utm_campaign=flt&utm_medium=website-flt.com&utm_source=redirect&utm_content=broadcast-response  -  Stan]

"Worth Dying For" - James Carafano, May 26, 2014; http://blog.heritage.org/2014/05/26/worth-dying-for-memorial-day-2014/?utm_source=heritagefoundation&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=morningbell

 Arlington National Cemetery (Photo: Getty Images)

For myself and many other veterans, Memorial Day is encapsulated in one unforgettable experience. That moment for me was while I was still in uniform and teaching at West Point. I took a group of cadets on a study tour of the battlefields at Normandy.

We walked the grounds of the U.S. cemetery overlooking the bluffs at Omaha Beach. The crosses and Stars of David trace perfect lines across the rolling grassy knolls — row after row labeled Private, Infantry; Private, Infantry; Private, Infantry; Sergeant; Private; Private; Private; Sergeant; Private… No monument, no poem, no documentary, no tome of history, no soaring rhetoric can ever match the power of the simple crosses to remind us who bears the burden of fighting America’s wars.

The world drew a breath when [former President Ronald] Reagan, speaking at an anniversary event marking the start of the great crusade to liberate Europe, spoke to a sea of weathered veteran faces and called them “our boys.” For that is what they were — millions in uniform on the land, fighting on the seas, and soaring across the skies. They were our sons (and daughters), our husbands (and wives), fathers, mothers. They were white, Asian, black, Hispanic, Jewish. They were an army of all of us. And they were young.

They are the ones who bore the burden. On Memorial Day we remember that. We remember every member of every generation who gave their lives in service of their country. Some were drafted. Some were volunteers. Some were brave beyond human understanding. Many were mere mortals who just wanted to serve and go home.

We mourn their loss, but we also celebrate their service — for they shared in common the sacred belief that this was, and remains, a nation worth fighting for. The very best we can do to honor what they did is to commit ourselves to keep America a country worth fighting — and dying – for.

[italics emphasis mine]
"PHOTOS: 10 U.S. Memorials to Honor Those Who Served" - Kelsey Harris, May 26, 2014;  http://blog.heritage.org/2014/05/26/memorials/at 8:30 am(0)

Today, Americans remember the men and women who lost their lives in service for the United States. Some people will gather with their loved ones in reverent celebration, while others will visit cemeteries and memorials to mourn. Across the nation, there are memorials and museums constructed to honor our fallen countrymen and women. Here’s a closer look at 10 of those special memorials where you can pay your respects.

1. Arlington National Cemetery is located in Arlington, Va., right outside of Washington, D.C.. The 150-year-old cemetery holds more than 400,000 graves of men and women who’ve lost their lives from Civil War battles to our present conflicts.



2. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., has 58,300 names of fallen soldiers engraved into black marble. (Boynton Beach Residents Visit The Vietnam Wall Experience)



3. The U.S.S. Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned naval ship still afloat. It was used in the War of 1812 and is now anchored in Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston.

(Newscom TagID: scphotos158829.jpg) [Photo via Newscom]


(US Flag for Bicentennial of War of 1812 which also feaures Canadian and British flag, USS Constitution Ship and Museum, Freedom Trail, Charlestown, Boston)

4. The Korean War Veterans National Memorial, also in Washington, D.C., is comprised of 19 statues and honors more than 36,000 service men and women who died during the three-year war in the Korean Peninsula.


5. The World War II Memorial has two arches representing the Atlantic and Pacific, and 56 granite columns representing the 48 states and eight U.S. territories that existed pre-1945. In the center, an enormous pool with fountains symbolizes triumph and freedom. The memorial sits on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.


6. The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, is the resting place of 1,102 sailors killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese.


7. National Memorial Arch, in Pennsylvania, was constructed to memorialize the arrival of Gen. George Washington and his Continental Army into Valley Forge.

8. The Marine Corps War Memorial is a replica of four Marines and one sailor lifting a flag in Iwo Jima, Japan, after a victorious battle in 1945. The bronze statue sits in Arlington, Virginia, and is dedicated to the “men of the United States Marine Corps who have given their lives to their country since November 10, 1775.”




9. National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, is the nation’s only museum dedicated to preserving the legacy of World War II. It houses stories, uniforms and aircraft from the war.


10. The Liberty World War I Memorial was completed in 1926 in Kansas City, Mo., to honor soldiers who died in World War I and holds The National World War I Museum.

Where are you honoring our nation’s fallen soldiers today? What is your favorite national memorial? (All photos courtesy of Newscom and Thinkstock.)