Memorial Day

I trust that each of us realizes that the presence of God’s love, care, concern and interest is “fresh and new” each and every day of our lives. This knowledge reminds me of the song, “Oh, What a Savior.” We are blessed to know that God loves us unconditionally and He does not abandon us regardless of the situations of life!!

I offer God praise, appreciation and thanksgiving for this past weekend’s services. The presence of God was very identifiable and His ministering presence was received by many of those who participated in those services. I truly believe that God desires to reveal His presence among us as we gather as His family in our times of worship whether private or public. We must be willing to identify His presence and then obediently respond to His presence. We have to expand our thinking from just knowing “that we need God”. We must BOLDLY DECLARE THAT WE WANT HIM TO PERFORM HIS WORK IN OUR LIVES!! I continue to seek for guidance as I follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. This is a critical time for Christians in America. I have been praying and will continue to pray for a SPIRITUAL AWAKENING in our personal lives, our families, our churches, our communities as well as our nation!!

I am sure that each of us knows that this coming weekend is Memorial Day Weekend. I would like to ask you to take a moment and realize that Memorial Day is more than cookouts, mini vacations, the opening of swimming pools, etc. I do not believe that any of these events are evil or sinful if they are conducted in the right manner. I am not writing this to condemn anyone as much as I feel challenged to remind us of what this weekend should represent. I was awakened with a “spirit of heaviness” which I believe came from the Holy Spirit as I began to reflect on the memories of those who sacrificed their lives on a battlefield in America or around the world.

It seems to me that the people of America have a tendency to take “moments of remembrance” and turn them into opportunities to celebrate ourselves rather than focusing on the true purpose of the Holiday. I am quite sure that there are families across our nation who still lives with the daily loss of a loved one on a battlefield in some far away land. And let us also not forget those families whose loved one has the letters MIA or POW attached to their name!! There are still men and women being deployed to BATTLE FIELDS today or to areas of unrest and trouble. We must continue to pray for these brave men and women who are serving our nation. They are protecting our FREEDOM and we need to cover them in prayer!!

I found this information concerning Memorial Day and I would like to share it with you. Memorial Day is much more than just a three-day weekend and a chance to get the year's first sunburn. It's a time to remember the men and women who sacrificed their lives for their country. MEMORIAL DAY BEGAN AS A RESPONSE TO THE CIVIL WAR. Memorial Day was a response to the unprecedented carnage of the Civil War, in which a total of some 620,000 soldiers died between both sides. The loss of life and its effect on communities throughout the country led to several spontaneous commemorations of the dead.

In 1864, women from Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, put flowers on the graves of their fallen soldiers from the just-fought Battle of Gettysburg. The next year, a group of women decorated the graves of soldiers buried in a Vicksburg, Mississippi Cemetery. In April 1866, women from Columbus, Mississippi, laid flowers on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers. In the same month, in Carbondale, Illinois, 219 Civil War veterans marched through town in memory of the fallen to Woodlawn Cemetery, where Union hero Major General John A. Logan delivered the principal address. The ceremony gave Carbondale its claim to the first organized, community-wide Memorial Day observance. 

Each of us needs to remember our personal opportunity to take some time and reflect on those "who gave it all" as we are enjoying OUR FREEDOM TODAY!!