Memorial Day Weekend

What a wonderful church service we had yesterday morning! We always have great church, but I loved the patriotic slant of this morning's service. We started out with a couple of worship songs, followed by several patriotic songs, and then the kid's choir singing"It's a Grand Old Flag." We also presented two more flag certificates. It's become an annual tradition that started three years ago. We have a large flag for each veteran in our church, and yesterday two additional flags were presented: one to one of the elder ladies in our church, in honor of her late husband's service, and one to our guest speaker, Bro. Ron Krantz, from Oroville, CA. (To learn more about ordering a flag that's been flown over the U.S. Capitol, see the bottom of this post.)

We also watched a special presentation that our pastor's son Tyler put together to honor our church veterans and members of our armed forces. I told him that he needs to put his presentation on YouTube or his blog so that I can share it with my blog readers. :) The video in my last post to the song "I Still Believe in America" was create by Tyler as well. He hasn't posted in a while, but his last blog post is very appropriate for this weekend. You can view it by clicking here.

Bro. Krantz' message was regarding the "Importance of the Rank and File in Pentecost Today." Too many times the average saint will sit in the church pews and leave all of the soul-winning to the pastor. He reminded us that the world doesn't need more preachers, what the world needs is for the "rank and file" to show the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Have you ever asked yourself "how can I win someone to Christ" and wanted a practical answer? How about by baking cookies and taking them to your neighbor, letting them know that if they ever have a need to call you, and then stopping by their house 3-4 days later and asking them if they have a need yet? This is not crazy! We need to show the love and grace of Christ to others, and they will eventually ask you why you have peace in the midst of the storm and where you turn in times of difficulty. At that time, you can share of the grace God applied to your life.

Here are a few pics of the service. Thanks again to all those who have given their lives for our freedoms. The fallen heroes deserve to be honored and remembered every day, but especially on Memorial Day! God Bless America!

Kids' choir led by our pastor's daughter, Sis. Kadee

Bro. Krantz & family in front of the flag bearing his name and service

The embroidery on the side of the flag - E.R. Krantz, U.S. Army

Family Pic - Shauna in the "stars," Staci in the "stripes," Matthew is wearing a red with white striped tie, and me in my "Memorial Day outfit."

Anyone can purchase a U.S. Flag that has flown over the United States Capitol building in Washington D.C. This can be accomplished writing a letter to your Senator with your request. Their address can be obtained by calling your local Public Library and asking for it or use the Senators of the 109th Congress web site to locate contact information for your Senator.You may request that your flag be flown on a certain date such as a birthday or anniversary. Be sure to mail in your request at least 4 weeks prior to the date you have selected. Your flag will be mailed to you and arrive 3-4 weeks after the date you have specified (Since September 11th, 2001 it may take longer to receive your flag). Enclosed with your flag will be a Certificate from The Architect Of The Capitol certifying that your flag was flown as requested. If you mention in your letter that this flag is for any specific occasion, that information will be included on the certificate. In addition, you can also order flags from your U.S. Representatives. (For CA, google Dan Lungren's official site, and then click on Constituent Services)