Celebrate Memorial Day With Great Resources from Thomas NelsonPublishers

"When it comes down to it, this is about keeping faith with the idea of America, because America is an idea, isn’t it? I mean, Ireland is a great country, but it is not an idea. Great Britain is a great country, it is not an idea. That’s how we see you around the world, as one of the greatest ideas in human history, right up there with the Renaissance, crop rotations and the Beatles’ White album. The idea, the American idea, it is an idea." - Bono, Georgetown University, 2012

Today is Memorial Day.  I would say, "Happy Memorial Day," but that seems a bit odd.  After all, this is a holiday that is meant to remind us of those who have died in the service of our country.  Coming from a family full of service members (Both of my grandfathers, my father, all five of my uncles, and three of my cousins have all served.  My family has served in every branch of the military.) this holiday is a powerful one to me.  So, in honor of Memorial Day, I thought it would be nice to review a couple of patriotic resources.  And thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers, I have two wonderful resources to share with you!

The first is the American Patriot's Bible...

This lovely, hardback Bible is a wealth of information!  Dr. Richard G. Lee and several other editors have connected the teachings of the Bible and the history of the United States through several color inserts.  There are sections on: "The Bible and American Presidents," "Faith and Our Founders," "The Bible and American Education," and "Christianity and Equal Rights," among others.

There are also some fabulous notes in this Bible.  My favorites are the passages that each president laid their hand on when they took the oath of office during their inauguration.  It was fascinating to see what each president was thinking about when they took the oath.

The second resource I'd love to share with you is Dinesh D'Souza's DVD "America: Imagine the World Without Her." D'Souza defends America against what he refers to as "America Shamers" (those who feel that America is evil, imperialistic, and power-hungry.)  This was a very interesting and educational DVD.  My husband and I both agreed that the title didn't really fit, however.  It wasn't so much a discussion of what the world would have been like without America as it was a defense of the idea that is America.  But either way, my husband and I were very moved by this documentary.  It definitely left us with a greater appreciation of our great nation.

I hope that all of my lovely readers will have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  Enjoy some hot dogs, take the dog for a long walk, play catch with the kids.  But make sure you take a few minutes to honor those who have died to give us the freedom to enjoy a lovely day.

I received copies of these items, free of charge, from Thomas Nelson Publishers, in exchange for my honest review.