Memorial Day

Huntergirl's performance of her original song "Red Bird" will bring tears to your eyes as she honors veterans and those who have lost loved ones.

Faithful Father, we lift up our leaders to You. Please lead and guide them to do what is good, noble, and right. Sway them from selfish motives and protect their hearts and minds as they make decisions for our nation. Give them the desire and passion for seeking You and walking with purpose and integrity. As a free nation that is given the opportunity to take part in the election process, grant us the wisdom to choose leaders and officials that will honor You, Lord.

With a husband deployed and our third child’s due date facing me, several friends rallied. Some watched our two older children until my parents arrived in town. Another friend drove with me to the hospital. A few stayed with me as I labored unsuccessfully, and one even stayed the night at the hospital, then attended the birth in the operating room the following day. They showed up. And we can too.

We are blessed to have a nation of brave men and women who have greatly sacrificed for our country. Our great nation celebrates Memorial Day in honor of their service. May these Memorial Day prayers encourage and inspire those who serve in the military as well as the family members who support them.

The Lord called for memorials and celebrations to occur on multiple occasions throughout history. Joshua commanded a member of each tribe to take a stone and set it up on the banks of the Jordan River after they crossed to recognize their victory in entering the Promised Land.Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever. (Joshua 4: 5-7 NIV)When the Jews were saved from annihilation during the time of Esther, they proclaimed a remembrance to continue throughout all generations so that none would forget the miraculous way God saved their populace.These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants. (Esther 9:28)Photo Credit: Unsplash/Aaron Burden

If you live in a community with active duty military families but have never been a part of the military yourself it can be difficult to know how to support them. You may want to meet their unique needs but don’t know where to begin. The military family makes unique sacrifices to defend the freedoms that we all enjoy and a little bit of effort to encourage and support them goes further than you may ever know. So what can you do? Here are ten ways, among many, to show your support to military families: Jeremy Stalnecker is the Director of Mighty Oaks Warrior Programs. He served as a USMC Infantry Officer in Operation Iraqi Freedom and then became a pastor when he returned to civilian life. Through Mighty Oaks, Jeremy has brought together his ministry experience and military background to serve and minister to many hurting veterans, service members and their families. Jeremy, his wife Susanne and their four children live in Central California. www.mightyoaksprograms.org

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First and foremost, we must recognize the meaning behind this holiday. We have several veterans in my own family, so making a point on Memorial Day to honor those men and women that sacrificed their lives in the line of duty is invaluable to them.

We celebrate Hamilton for his remarkable audacious, courage. Hamilton made a lifelong habit of asking God one key question: “How can I be bolder?”

We should never stop appreciating our military because of what they give and what they give up.

For all of those veterans who didn't make it to Memorial Day this year, I say thank you. You remain constants—forever with us all.

This Memorial Day weekend will be unlike any we have seen before, but perhaps that is a good thing. Perhaps this holiday we can come together in spirit to rejoice and celebrate the wonderful and beautiful things that still remain.

I, for one, love the America that has survived all those horrible “What Ifs” of our history. I love the America where our fallen heroes are revered and our serving men and women are held in the highest esteem.

So, how is your Memorial Day shaping up? Heading to the pool or the beach? Having friends over for a barbecue? Or maybe catching that sale at the car dealership?

A Texas pastor and grandfather shares with his family how witnessing a local deployment of National Guardsmen changed him.

The military family makes unique sacrifices to defend the freedoms that we all enjoy and a little bit of effort to encourage and support them goes further than you may ever know. So what can you do?