Good day to you all and all my prayers going out for all of our men and women in uniform at this time. 

I hope that you all may be protected today and all days to come till your home and safe with all your loved ones, also I want to say thank you to you all for the job you are doing wherever you may be and on behalf of all the folks that don't know about this thread yet,  I'd also like to say thank you and job well done.

My God protect you all, you are not forgotten.

God Bless and God Speed.

The poppies referred to in the poem grew in profusion in Flanders in the spoiled earth of the battlefields and cemeteries where war casualties were buried and thus became a symbol of Remembrance Day. The poem is part of Remembrance Day solemnities in Allied countries which contributed troops to World War I, particularly in countries of the British Empire that did so.

The poem "In Flanders Fields" was written after John McCrae witnessed the death, and presided over the funeral, of a friend, Lt. Alexis Helmer. By most accounts it was written in his notebook <sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference">[2]</sup> and later rejected by McCrae. Ripped out of his notebook, it was rescued by a fellow officer, Francis Alexander Scrimger, and later published in Punch magazine.

[edit] Poem

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— <cite>Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)</cite>

Dedicated To All That Serve... God Bless America!

I got this today from the Presidential Prayer Team (www.presidentialprayerteam.org).  They are nonpartisan and have prayer efforts for whomever is in office, for our nation, and for our troops.  They have a special "adopt our troops in prayer" segment and newsletter.  Go to their website and then to the "Adopt Our Troops" section and see if you want to subscribe or contribute prayer and/or testimony.  Here's today's newsletter:

AOT "Confidential" (Adopt Our Troops Newsletter)

 
Do you have a story to tell of how the power of prayer has changed your life - or the life of your loved one in the military?  The Presidential Prayer Team, on behalf of Adopt Our Troops in Prayer, is preparing a proposal for a Christian publishing house that, if accepted, would result in a book about how God has used prayer--your prayers--to impact the lives of military men and women and their families.   And we'd like to perhaps include your testimony in that book.

http://www.presidentialprayerteam.n

et/aot/adopt.php

Marine mom Luanne Alderden calls it "a different side of evil."

Something that has surprised her, but also built her faith in the Lord, as she's prayed through Adopt Our Troops.

She discovered it after her son Jim was deployed to Iraq this February for his first tour as a U.S. Marine. "I used to think of evil in this war as just being al-Qaida. But I've learned that my prayer isn't only to keep them safe from terrorists, but it's also to protect them from the enemy of our souls. So I've been praying for their souls - not only for my son, that he stays strong, but for those of the men around him, too."

By having a member of her family in the military, Luanne has discovered that some of our Troops have had to deal with issues of divorce, break-ups, and financial crisis while being alert 24/7 serving our country in Iraq. She also discovered that there is a period of adjustment that occurs after the Troops come home. "Many times we stop praying for our Troops once they come back to the United States, but there is also prayer needed for them as they reacclimatize after their deployment," She said. "There are just so many issues to work through when they come home that I had no clue about. That has really opened the eyes of my understanding."

And as her eyes have been opened, God has called upon her more often to pray. He's given her reminders throughout each day to intercede, what she describes as "an unction that maybe something was going on that He wanted me to pray about at that time." As she's responded to His leading, the Lord has encouraged her. "Just to know that He knows what's going on, even when I don't, is a reminder that nothing is in my hands. It's all in God's hands, and He has control. It's made me more in awe of the Lord and of His power and goodness. In the end, God is there, and He knows what's best. I find peace in knowing that."

Her son Jim is scheduled to be home for the Christmas holidays, and although she has two other adult children and two high school students that she is home schooling, Luanne makes sure she's not too occupied to take time to pray.

"We sometimes get so busy 'doing,' taking that time to pray for somebody can be overlooked," she admits. "But I've learned that praying for our troops and this war on terror is like the air strikes going in before the ground troops arrive. Prayer is so necessary to battle the spiritual war for the souls of our military. Adopt Our Troops has helped me to be able to prioritize daily prayer for my son and so many others. It's let me fight this war, with my son, through prayer."

You can join Luanne is this holy fight. Just go now and either register or adopt a troop - or, if you have registered a troop for prayer through Adopt Our Troops, please go online this week and provide an update on their status. It is only through the updates provided by family and friends of the registered Troop that others will be able to intercede in an informed way for the Troops enrolled in Adopt Our Troops. 

Feature by Adam Colwell