In This Issue
· The Daily Brief
· The Middle East in Focus
· Election News
· Pray for the Persecuted Church
· Palin Shifts Paradigm For Disabled Children
· Good News in California
· Good News in Alaska
· Remembering 9/11 . . .
Greetings!
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The Daily Brief Thursday, September 11, 2008
"His Kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall endure to the end." (Daniel 6:26)
The Daily Brief
1. President Bush Meets with President Talabani of Iraq - Whitehousenews.gov
President Bush on Wednesday said, "Mr. President, thanks for the good conversation we had about the election laws, about the need to get a strategic framework agreement signed. And thank you very much for bringing me up to date on your perspective about life inside of Iraq. It's -- things have changed a lot since we've known each other."
· Father, we thank you for the positive changes in Iraq, and for the hope of a stable future in that nation. We continue to pray for a strong democracy to form, a place of safety and freedom for all the people of Iraq.
· "Look among the nations and watch - be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe though it were told you." (Habbakuk 1:5)
2. CBO: Federal Deficit to Climb to $407B by October - Fox Business
The federal government will run a near-record deficit of $407 billion for the budget year ending Sept. 30, according to the latest Capitol Hill estimates.
· Father, we ask that wisdom prevail over America's leadership, rather than short term fixes which deepen our problems.
· "A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel." (Proverbs 1:5)
3. OPEC Cuts Output to Shore up Falling Market - AFP
The OPEC oil group announced a cut of 520,000 barrels per day (bpd) to its output on Wednesday, citing downside risks to the oil market as prices fell below 100 dollars for the first time since April.
· Lord, we ask Your mercy over the price of oil for consumers, and prevent OPEC nations from furthering the economic crisis for ordinary people.
· "Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked, Do not further his wicked scheme, lest they be exalted." (Psalm 140:8)
4. In Hunt For Bin Laden, A New Approach - Washington Post
Frustrated by repeated dead ends in the search for Osama bin Laden, U.S. and Pakistani officials said they are questioning long-held assumptions about their strategy and are shifting tactics to intensify the use of the unmanned but lethal Predator drone spy plane in the mountains of western Pakistan.
· Lord, may Your revelation and strategy find Osama Bin Laden, and completely destroy the Al Qaeda terror network.
· "Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known." (Matthew 10:26)
5. Russia Ducks Objections,Talks Advanced Weapons Systems with Iran - World Tribune
Iran and Russia have been discussing high tech defense cooperation over the objections of the United States.
· Lord, we bind the plans of our enemies and cover them with the fire of God. We pray that You will turn back every plan and cause our enemies to be ashamed.
· "He shall call upon Me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him." (Psalm 91:15)
6. Russian Strategic Bombers Land in Venezuela - AP
Two Russian strategic bombers landed in Venezuela on Wednesday, as part of military maneuvers, President Hugo Chavez said, welcoming the unprecedented deployment at a time of increasing tensions between Moscow and the U.S.
· Lord, we stand firmly on Your protection for America, and pray that this alliance will not prosper. We thank You for Your heavenly host to surround our nation.
· "And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around..." (2 Kings 2:17b)
7. Ban on Political Endorsements by Pastors Targeted- Washington PostDeclaring that clergy have a constitutional right to endorse political candidates from their pulpits, the socially conservative Alliance Defense Fund is recruiting several dozen pastors to do just that on Sept. 28, in defiance of Internal Revenue Service rules.
· Father, we ask that You will change the minds of our government that pastors will be allowed to exercise their Constitutional right to free speech.
· "Is this not the fast I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?" (Isaiah 58:6)
The Middle East in Focus
The Middle East in Focus This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE: "O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You will be put to shame." (Jeremiah 17:13)
1. Abbas to meet U.S. Pres. Bush to discuss Israeli- Palestinian peace talks - Ha'aretz
A Palestinian official says Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will hold talks with U.S. President Bush on Sept. 26 at the White House.
2. U.S.: No to 'bunker-busters,' Iraq flyover rights for Israel - Ha'aretz
The security aid package the United States has refused to give Israel for the past few months out of concern that Israel would use it to attack nuclear facilities in Iran included a large number of "bunker- buster" bombs, permission to use an air corridor to Iran, an advanced technological system and refueling planes.
3. 'Israel is dividing Gazan, W. Bank populations' - Jerusalem Post
In the past year, Israel has stepped up its policy of separating the Gaza Strip from the West Bank and forcing Palestinians registered in Gaza or wishing to visit Gaza to forgo their right to live in the West Bank, two human rights organizations charged Wednesday.
4. Israel wants more indirect Syria talks - Jerusalem Post
Israel wants a fifth round of indirect talks with Syria in Turkey, senior diplomatic officials said Wednesday, amid reports that the Syrians would prefer to postpone further negotiations until the spring, after the US election and the establishment of a new government in Jerusalem.
Election News
For all the headlines below, we thank God for the promise of His Word: "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
McCain, Obama Put Politics Aside to Mark Sept. 11th
The seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks is supposed to bring the heated presidential race to a screeching halt. But just for a day. Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama were appearing together twice Thursday and agreed to suspend all TV ads critical of each other in honor of the day terrorists forced four airplanes to crash into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon in Washington, killing nearly 3,000 people.
Pray for the Persecuted Church
Prayers for the Persecuted Church This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE: "May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you." (Psalm 20:1)
1. Christians from Muslim Background Charged With Apostasy in Iran
Two Christians from Muslim backgrounds were officially charged with apostasy last week at the Public and Revolutionary Court in Shiraz, Iran, raising fears for their continued well-being.
2. Degar Montagnard Christian Receives House Arrest In Vietnam
An active Degar Montagnard Christian remained under house arrest in Vietnam's Central Highlands Monday, September 8, after he was already forced to sign a statement renouncing Christianity and pledging to stop attending a local church, his friends said.
3. Vietnamese Authorities Invade Church Service
Ten Vietnamese officers of the local police authority some of them in uniform, others in plain clothes and others in disguise, last Sunday, (August 31), rushed into the Church With A Mission house church interrupting the service and creating great anxiety among new converts.
Palin Shifts Paradigm For Disabled Children
Palin Shifts Paradigm by Embracing Son with Disability
SUMMARY: 'Unconditional acceptance of Trig has illuminated the stark differences between the culture of life and the culture of death.
Decades ago, a different presidential election was under way. The candidate's sister had a disability, and was kept hidden from the public eye.Rosemary Kennedy, the younger sister of John F. Kennedy, was slow mentally. At age 23, her father took her in for a lobotomy - a surgical separation of the brain. It left her incapacitated, prompting her move to an institution. Just a few people knew the truth about what had happened.
Today, there is another candidate. And another relative with a disability. But Gov. Sarah Palin is not keeping hidden her baby son, Trig - who has Down syndrome. She calls him "beautiful" and "perfect." In the past, individuals with disabilities may have been pushed to the wayside of society. Today, an estimated 90 percent of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted.
"This is properly called eugenic abortion - the ending of 'imperfect' lives to remove the social, economic and emotional costs of their existence," writes Michael Gerson, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former assistant to President Bush. "And this practice cannot be separated from the broader social treatment of people who have disabilities. By eliminating less perfect humans, deformity and disability become more pronounced and less acceptable. Those who escape the net of screening are often viewed as mistakes or burdens."
Wesley J. Smith, senior fellow in human rights and bioethics at the Discovery Institute, said the Palins are changing the paradigm."Their unconditional acceptance of Trig has illuminated the stark differences between the culture of life and the culture of death," he told CitizenLink. "The culture of life claims unequivocally that there is no such thing as 'them.' There is only us. This is in stark contrast to the culture of death, which accepts a 'quality of life' ethic that denigrates some people as having lesser value than others based on their capacities.
"Let us hope the bad old days when people like Trig were hidden away, as if their existence was a cause for shame, are gone forever."Smith said the Palins' public example to welcome their son with joy could help others make a similar decision to choose life. "If we accept the sheer importance of being human," he wrote on his blog, "then we can embrace each of us as wonderful and equal members of the human family."
(Source: by Jennifer Mesko, editor, Focus on the Family, Citizen Link)
Good News in California
Good News: Judge Says Teacher Can Keep Patriotic Banners that Mention God
A federal judge ruled Friday that a California teacher can display patriotic banners in his classroom while a lawsuit filed by the Thomas More Law Center moves forward.Brad Johnson, a math teacher at Westview High School in San Diego, was asked to remove from his classroom red, white and blue banners that contain phrases such as "In God We Trust," "One Nation Under God" and "God Bless America."
School officials said the banners, which Johnson has displayed for 25 years, promoted a Judeo-Christian viewpoint. However, other teachers were allowed to keep posters with Buddhist and Islamic messages, Tibetan prayer flags and other displays. Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel for the Thomas More Law Center, said: "Many public schools exhibit a knee-jerk hostility towards Christianity and seek to cleanse our nation's classrooms of our religious heritage while promoting atheism or other religions under the guise of cultural diversity."
(Source; Focus on the Family, CitizenLink)
Good News in Alaska
Good News: Alaska Woman's Feeding Tube to Remain in Place
An Alaska hospital has agreed to keep a patient's feeding tube in place after a lawsuit by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF).The patient's husband filed a lawsuit in May against Providence Hospital to keep medical staff from removing her feeding tube, which would have caused her to starve her to death. The hospital claimed keeping her alive violated its ethical standards.
"Hospitals should be in the business of preserving life rather than willfully destroying it," ADF Senior Counsel Joe Infranco said. "A man is caring for the wife he loves. A hospital should be working with him, not against him - giving every benefit of the doubt regarding life."
(Source: Focus on the Family, CitizenLink)
Remembering 9/11 . . .
A Prayer Offered by Intercessors for America:
Lord, may we remember what took place on September 11, 2001, the cost to our nation and to nearly 3000 families who lost loved ones. May neither we, nor our nation's leaders grow forgetful or complacent in estimating the threats posed against us. (Is 47:8-11; Ezek 33 Amos 6:1; Zeph 1:11-12; 1 Pet 5:8)
