Veterans Day

Today we honor our military veterans, defined by an unknown author this way:

A Veteran — whether active duty, retired, National Guard or Reserve — is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a check made payable to The United States of America, for an amount of: ‘Up to and including my life.’

Thank you to everyone who has served our country so our flag still flies flee and proud.

 

 

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead; We give thee thanks for all those thy servants who have offered their lives in the service of our country. Grant to them thy mercy and the light of thy presence, both now and ever. Stretch forth, we pray thee, thine almighty arm to strengthen and protect the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines of our country. Support them in the day of battle, and in the time of peace keep them safe from all evil; endue them with courage and loyalty; and grant that in all things they may serve without reproach; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Operaton EBook Drop: Free Books for Deployed Soldiers

As you know if you’ve read my blog for a while, I’m a big supporter of our military troops. I try to do anything I can to thank the brave men and women who risk their lives daily to protect our freedoms.

So I am excited about Operation EBook Drop (OED), a  program through which authors can offer their books to deployed soldiers for free.

Updated: in early December 2009, Operation EBook Drop started its own Web site and forum at Operation EBook Drop.

It started simply enough when an author and a deployed soldier met online. The soldier mentioned that he had a Kindle
but couldn’t download books from Amazon because the Whispernet didn’t work in Iraq. The author, Ed Patterson, offered to send the soldier a copy of each of his books.

Then Ed invited other authors on the Kindleboards forum to join him.  Other soldiers asked for books, and the program grew quickly. As soon as I heard about it, I contacted my clients and asked if they wanted to join me in this project. Most of them did, and I have been busy adding their books and mine. We make the books available for sale on Smashwords.com, an e-book publisher and distributor. We then create a coupon for military members that gives them a 100% discount. I contacted Ed to get my clients and me added as OED authors. Ed sends us the names of military members requesting free e-books, and we e-mail the soldiers with information about our books and the Smashwords discount.

E-books from Smashwords can be read on a computer, Kindle, Sony reader, and other e-book readers. Anyone can purchase our books from Smashwords (or the stores in its distribution network), and we would love to sell more books. However, the main reason we put our books on Smashwords is to offer them to deployed military members through Operation EBook Drop. Reading e-books helps soldiers pass the time and relieve stress. We’ve heard back from troops thanking us for the books—they are the ones deserving our thanks, and OED gives us a chance to say “thank you” in a tangible way.

Please pass on the information about Operation EBook Drop to any members of the military you know and encourage other authors to contribute their books.

Logo Credit: From the Imagination and Graphic Artistry of K.A. M’Lady & P.M. Dittman

Patriot Day: In Memory of 9/11

The following video is provided by “The 9/11 Keeping Faith, Keeping Freedom Committee” of San Antonio, Texas, which is encouraging all churches to hold ecumenical services on the eighth anniversary of 9/11. I will attend the memorial service at All Saints Anglican Church.

Independence Day: Let There Be Fireworks

O ETERNAL God, through whose mighty power our fathers won their liberties of old; Grant, we beseech thee, that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain these liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Memorial Day 2009

The video shows the Memorial Day observance at Arlington in 2007, accompanied by Trace Atkins singing “Arlington.”

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead; We give thee thanks for all thy servants who have laid down their lives in the service of our country. Grant to them thy mercy and the light of thy presence, that the good work which thou hast begun in them may be perfected; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.

Armed Forces Day 2009

Today is Armed Forces Day in the US, a day to honor our military and thank them for their service.

Thank you to everyone who makes personal sacrifices and risks their lives for our security. And thank you to their families who sacrifice so the military members they love can serve their country.

O LORD God of Hosts, stretch forth, we pray thee, thine almighty arm to strengthen and protect all the members of our country’s armed forces. Support them in the day of battle, and in the time of peace keep them safe from all evil; endue them with courage and loyalty; and grant that in all things they may serve without reproach; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let’s Say Thanks

Let’s Say Thanks is a troop support program sponsored by Xerox. You can choose a card design created by a child, select a message or compose your own, and create the card online. Xerox distributes the cards to our troops through the military support organization Give2TheTroops^®. If you want to send a card to a specific soldier, you can download your chosen design, write your message, and mail.

I wrote about Let’s Say Thanks a couple of years ago and thought it was time for a reminder. Thanksgiving is a good time to thank our troops, but every day is a day to say thanks.

You can also thank our troops by supporting them through other great organizations:

• Adopt-a-Chaplain—”a Christ-centered ministry that is dedicated to supporting our troops through the ministries of chaplains.”
• Soldiers’ Angels—”Through special projects, dedicated teams and individuals supporting our troops, we make a visible difference in the lives of our service members and their families.”
• AnySoldier.com—Military volunteers stationed in harm’s way distribute your packages and letters to troops who need them most.

As we count our blessings this Thanksgiving, let’s remember the freedom that comes through the sacrifices made by our military trooops and their families. And let’s say thanks!

Honoring Our Veterans

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead; We give thee thanks for all those thy servants who have offered their lives in the service of our country. Grant to them thy mercy and the light of thy presence, both now and ever. Stretch forth, we pray thee, thine almighty arm to strengthen and protect the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines of our country. Support them in the day of battle, and in the time of peace keep them safe from all evil; endue them with courage and loyalty; and grant that in all things they may serve without reproach; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Vote!

If you’re in the US and haven’t already voted, take the time to cast an informed, considered vote today. The right to vote is the most precious right we have, the right that guarantees all our other freedoms.

If you are a Christian, pray about your choices and vote your conscience. The people we choose for offices from President to local government will determine the way our country goes in the coming years. May we choose righteous leaders who will honor God and put the interests of the country above self-interest and the desire for power.

O GOD, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly; Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do as we cast our votes in this important election, that the Spirit of Wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I’m grateful for the right to have my say in who leads our country, and I pray that voters will cast wise votes in accordance with God’s will.

I voted by mail, but my husband is heading for the polls tomorrow. He enjoys being in the midst of other people exercising their constitutional right to vote. If you’re voting in person, say a kind word to the poll workers. I served as an election judge for many elections, and it’s a difficult and thankless job—but one that’s absolutely essential in our democracy.  

photo credit: kafka4prez

Patriot Day 2008

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