heroes

Memorial Day

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3,000,000. If Google is correct, this is the approximate number of American Soldiers who have died in service to this great country. These are the ones we honor on Memorial Day.

Now this may shock you, but listen carefully. The sacrifices of these great heroes were not made in defense of our freedoms. In their Oath of Enlistment, every American soldier swears to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and to bear faith and allegiance to the same. You see their great sacrifice was made for a document. Oh, but what a document it is.

In its preamble, we read that the Constitution was ordained and established in “Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common Defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” So yes they did die for our freedom because they died defending the Constitution and the Constitution secures our Blessings of Liberty.

Now consider this. The Constitution is not the source of your rights, no it only secures them. When we read about “The Blessings of Liberty,” we must understand that blessings can only come from a Gracious God. In the Declaration of Independence, we find these words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” This truth is evident. Our rights are declared by the Declaration of Independence, secured by the Constitution of the United States but they are given to us by our Creator and God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On Memorial Day I pledge to remember and honor over 3,000,000 great men and women who sacrificed greatly in defense of the Constitution and for my Blessings of Liberty. Also because I am free, I will never stop glorifying my God and Savior Jesus Christ. He has given me the Rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness which is found in the Hope and Promise of Eternal Life.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

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Remembering the Heroes

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Over two thousand years ago one man voluntarily gave His life for all the world. In Romans 5:7-8 we read “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man, someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Our hope of eternal life was purchased by the blood of the Holy Son of God. This is something that I will choose to remember and never forget.

On April 19, 1775, in Lexington Massachusetts the first battle of the Revolutionary War took place. When the shooting ended and the smoke cleared, eight brave patriots lay dead. Their blood would join with the blood of many others as a priceless sacrifice to purchase our liberty.

Beginning with the eight men who died that day, about 3 million Americans have given their lives in the service of this great Nation. When I see the blood-red stripes on Old Glory, I am reminded that I must always remember and never forget the soldiers who died so that I might be free.

3 million is not just a number. It is a 19-year-old boy who will never see 20. It is a young father who will never hold his daughter. It is a young wife weeping over a flag-draped coffin. It is a mother hugging a folded flag to her breast. It is an old man burying his pride and joy. It is the sound of taps floating over the hills and valleys of this great land. It is a reminder that while freedom is a gift from God, it is not free. I will always remember and never forget that my freedom was purchased with the blood of American soldiers.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “ Any nation that does not honor its heroes will not long endure.” As Christians, we must honor Jesus who gave His life that we might live. As Americans, we must honor those who died so that we might live in freedom. On Memorial Day we are reminded to always remember and never forget that our God-given rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness have been sealed by the blood of many great American heroes.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

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Mighty Men Of Valor

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In 1 Chronicles, the Bible speaks of Mighty Men of Valor. These men loved their families, their nation, and their God. They were willing to fight and die for their families and their faith

In America, we have our own Mighty Men of Valor. For many generations, brave American soldiers have laid down their lives for our freedoms. And we owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the men and women who have sacrificed so dearly.

In a nursing home, a sweet lady spoke of her brother who died in World War 2. For many years her heart still ached and her tears honored her brother. She told me about the darkness of the bright sunshine when she learned that he was not coming home. I told her that her brother was a hero. And the truth is he was a Mighty Man of Valor.

I once worked with a man who served his country in World War 2, Korea, and Vietnam. He told about marching thru Europe when just a few feet away his buddy was obliterated by a mortar round. Years later in Vietnam, he was much older than most soldiers. As the helicopter landed, they jumped out running toward the enemy. Each soldier carried a heavy pack. Because of his age and the weight of his pack, he stumbled and fell. A black soldier stopped and picked up his pack and carried it along with his own. His story revealed the truth that when the bullets are flying there is no skin color among brothers who are Mighty Men of Valor.

Another Mighty man of Valor was my neighbor Mr. Thomas Rhodes. Like many true-life heroes, he was a gentle man who worked hard and never said much. It was only after he died that I learned that he had been a German prisoner of war in World War 2.

We have much to be thankful for. We set freely in our churches, worshiping without fear. We go to the polls and vote, without fear. We travel wherever we wish without fear. We live in the greatest country in the world and we are the most blessed people in the world.

So, with humble gratitude, I honor the great American heroes who are our own Mighty Men of Valor.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

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Veterans Day

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In the song “God Bless the USA” Lee Greenwood sings, “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free, and I won’t forget the men who died to give that right to me.” I believe this to be one of the greatest songs of all time. But in honor of all veterans, I would like to change two words. I would like to say, “I won’t forget the Ones who Served to give that right to me.” On Memorial Day, we remember those who died in the service of our nation. Veterans Day however has been set aside to honor all who served and sacrificed so much for our freedom.

Those who served our nation so faithfully deserve our highest esteem. Each one made unique sacrifices. For some their first time away from home was spent in boot camp. Also, imagine spending your first Christmas away from your family half the world away. Many veterans came home with physical and emotional scars. All came home changed.They all deserve our gratitude, respect and honor.

There is a story in the Bible of David defeating the Amalekites in battle. After the battle, some of the men who fought did not want to share the spoils with the ones who guarded the supplies. In 1 Samuel 30:24, David makes it clear that he considered the ones who served in support to be just as important as the ones who served in battle. Now, not all veterans served on the battlefield. Not all veterans served in foreign lands. But all served. Every soldier on the battle field needs an army of support personnel behind him. It does not matter where they served, our veterans all served faithfully. They are all genuine heroes.

“Thank you for your service.” We always mean well when we say this but I have noticed many veterans seem to be embarrassed by the recognition. It is as if they would say,” I was just doing my job”. Yes, they had a job to do and they did it well. Veteran’s Day and everyday a grateful nation says thank you for a job well done. Myself, I will always be proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free and I will never forget those of you who served so faithfully to preserve that right for me.

Douglas @ Deborah Huff

Pavement Ends Ministry

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In Honor of Veterans Day

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“Thank you for your service.” We always mean well when we say this but I have noticed many veterans seem to be embarrassed by the recognition. It is as if they would say,” I was just doing my job”. Yes, they had a job to do and they did it well. Veteran’s Day and everyday a grateful nation says thank you for a job well done. Myself, I will always be proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free and I will never forget those of you who served so faithfully to preserve that right for me.

This devotion is an audio podcast. In it I wish to say thank you and honor all brave Veterans who served our nation so faithfully. Please Click the link below to listem

https://podpoint.com/pavement-ends-ministry/in-honor-of-veterans-day?fbclid=IwAR1KSo1g3ku5FiscoCTVgaXVhZ1hWB5llj6WHHd6rQD4fkQsAbp_OitNpu4#

A Presidential Prayer

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This is the prayer that was read to the nation on radio by Franklin D. Roosevelt as Allied troops were invading Nazi-occupied Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944.


“Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give them strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.
They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
… For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let Justice arise—among all thy people. They yearn but for the end of the battle, for their return to the haven of home. Some, will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home— fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them– help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice…. And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.
… With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogance. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace– a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, almighty God. Amen”