In This Issue• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot
• Obama's Growing Problem
• Welcome Home!
• American Minute
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
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The Daily Brief - Friday, August 20, 2010
". . . the LORD alone will be exalted in that day." (Isaiah 2:11)
IMPORTANT NEWS!
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." (Eccl. 3:1)
The time has come to allow our editors a much-deserved break from their labor -- the time for a vacation!
Accordingly, we will "stand down" next week, and take that break.
The Daily Brief will return on Monday, August 30th, but for now, let's all enjoy a season of resting and refreshing . . . before our Lord. Thank you!!
The Daily Brief
1. Clinton announces direct talks will resume on Sept. 2 in Washington - AP
Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to resume direct negotiations in Washington early next month, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday, with a goal of two sovereign states existing side by side in peace.
The office of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued a statement Friday welcoming the US plan. "Reaching an agreement is a difficult challenge but is possible," the Netanyahu statement said. "We are coming to the talks with a genuine desire to reach a peace agreement between the two peoples that will protect Israel's national security interests, foremost of which is security."
- "Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; State a proposal, but it will not stand, For God is with us." (Isaiah 8:10)
2. Military Strike Could Delay, Not Stop, Iran's Nuclear Program, Officials Say - Fox News
As Iran, with Russia's help, gets ready to flip the switch on its first nuclear reactor, Washington is engaged in a frenzied debate over whether Israel should consider launching an air attack designed to cripple Tehran's nuclear capabilities.
- As of this writing, all is calm tonight in Iran and in Israel. We must trust that the Israeli authorities have been led by the Spirit of the Lord, in answer to our prayers, as they have held their ground this week in the face of a nuclear Iran. This issue requires intensive, ongoing prayer as Iran continues to develop its nuclear capabilities. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; God is watching over her tonight.
- "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." (Psalm 122:6)
3. Exclusive: Al Qaeda Plans for Israel War - Yahoo
The terror group's arm in Yemen is ordering jihadists across the region to ready themselves for a war "by the Jews against Iran" that will spread across the globe, according to a new audio message. Bruce Riedel on the assassinations al Qaeda is plotting to exploit the conflict -- and the new threats against America. Read more
- The schemes of the wicked seem to grow more evil by the day. But where sin abounds, grace doth more so abound. Pray for abounding grace to overwhelm and obliterate all the plans cited in this report, and thank God that He is a God who answers prayer!
- Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, And will not call back His words, But will rise against the house of evildoers, And against the help of those who works iniquity. ( Is. 31:2)
4. Saudi judge 'asks hospital to paralyse man as punishment' - UK Telegraph
A Saudi judge has asked several hospitals to paralyze a man by damaging his spinal cord as punishment after he was convicted of attacking another man, the brother of the victim said on Thursday.
- Pray that the Lord will use this case to awaken the nations to the horrors of the nature of Shariah law; and to then turn their hearts to the way of judging of our Savior. Amen.
- "I can of Myself do nothing, As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. " (John. 5:30)
5. Oil Plume From Spill Persists, Data Show - Wall Street Journal
Oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill formed an underwater plume of hydrocarbons the size of Manhattan, scientists said Thursday, raising fears of a lingering cloud of trace chemicals in the Gulf with an unknown long-term impact.
- As data continues to surface about the Deepwater Horizon crisis, ask the Lord to intervene for the safety of all who are involved by His miraculous doings.
- Why is my pain perpetual, And my wound incurable, Which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, As waters that fail? (Jer. 15:18)
6. President Obama hits GOP on small-business bill - Politico
The last thing President Barack Obama did before leaving for a 10-day vacation on Thursday was call out Senate Republicans again for opposing a jobs bill for small businesses.
a. Weekly Jobless Claims Post Surprise Jump, Hit 500,000 - CNBC
New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly climbed to a nine-month high last week, yet another setback to the frail economic recovery.
- Pray that our people will look unto the Lord for the work that He has for them to do, and not unto man for their supply. He is able, and He is faithful.
- But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19)
7. Egg recall tied to salmonella grows to 380 million - AP
Hundreds of people have been sickened in a salmonella outbreak linked to eggs in four states and possibly more, health officials said Wednesday as a company dramatically expanded a recall to 380 million eggs.
-Pray for the health and safety of all who are involved in this crisis, and ask our Lord to grant His wisdom to those who are tracking these outbreaks.
- "I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord." ( Ps. 118:17)
8. AFA Threatens Boycott of Sears Over Online Pornography Issue - LIfesiteNews.com
Retail giant Sears, which was exposed for marketing pornographic posters through their website, could be facing a boycott if they continue their refusal to remove the products. The AFA is calling on men and women of good will to demand that Sears remove the products from their website and their line.
- Thank the Lord for the quick action of the American Family Association in light of this report, and pray that the senior management of the Sears Corporation would, indeed, respond as requested.
- Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. (I Cor. 6 v 9,10)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
It shall be said to Jerusalem, "Fear thou not." (Zeph. 3:16)
1. US assures Israel on Iran's A-bomb plans - AFP
The United States has persuaded Israel that Iran would take one year or longer to build a nuclear weapon, dimming the prospects of a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, The New York Times said.
2. Direct Middle East peace talks scheduled to start next month - UK Telegraph
World powers are expected to invite Israelis and Palestinians to begin direct peace talks on Sept. 2 in Washington.
3. Russia: Israel need not fear reactor - Jerusalem Post
Israelis should not be concerned about the uranium fueling of a Russian-built nuclear reactor in the southern Iranian city of Bushehr that is set to take place on Saturday, diplomatic officials at the Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv told The Jerusalem Post.
4. Organizers: Lebanese ship to sail for Gaza Sunday - Jerusalem Post
A Lebanese ship carrying aid and women activists with the intention of reaching Gaza will set sail Sunday from Lebanon despite warnings that they will not be allowed to make it past Cyprus, organizers said Thursday.
5. Arab terrorists preparing for war with Israel - Ynet News
Hezbollah built an elaborate network of tunnels that will allow its members to fight a future war against Israel without being exposed to Air Force bombardments and IDF surveillance, a Kuwaiti newspaper says.
6. Jesus lives on in Jerusalem - Ynet News
Some 15,000 Messianic Jews currently live in Israel, but if you saw one on the street you would almost certainly fail to recognize any difference. They honor Jewish circumcision, bar-mitzvah, and wedding ceremonies, but believe Jesus is the messiah.
The Daily Jot
Survey shows public schools are breeding grounds for immoral activity
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, headed up by former Carter Administration Health, Education and Welfare Secretary Joseph Califano, has released its annual survey of American attitudes on substance abuse. Consistent with its findings over the 16 years of surveys, the Center's survey of some 2,000 teens and nearly 500 parents indicates that the public school system is failing miserably in protecting America's children against drugs and violence. Even the liberal Califano can see that there is trouble with the public school system, although he has no understanding of to fix it.
Califano writes, "Perhaps our most important finding from so many years of surveying teens and other research is this: A child who gets through age 21 without smoking, using illegal drugs or abusing alcohol is virtually certain never to do so. And, for better or worse, no one has greater power to influence a teen's decision whether to drink or use drugs than that teen's parents." The report says, "Our nation's public schools are riddled with gangs--and schools where there are gangs are likelier schools where there are drugs...some 5.7 million public school students attend schools where drugs are used, kept or sold and where gangs are present."
Califano says, "If you want to know one of the reasons why so many public schools are failing our children, consider the difference our survey reveals between public schools and private and religious schools: 46 percent of teens at public schools say there are gangs at their schools compared to only 2 percent of teens at private and religious schools. Think about this situation: compared to private and religious schools, public schools are 23 times likelier to be gang infected." In 2001, the report stated that 62% of public schools were drug free compared with 43% today. Some 79% of private and religious schools, however, were drug free in 2001, and the number is virtually unchanged a decade later.
Take note: the infiltration of public schools by radical anti-moral, humanist liberals and organizations like the National Education Association and the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network have ruined schools and generations of children. You cannot condone an immoral culture and expect to produce good character. Public schools are locally controlled by taxpayers. And taxpayers are us. We must take a stronger role in the schools to hold them accountable to our moral standards. Organizations that do not match our morals should be booted. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." This is no time to be asleep at the switch.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
Obama's Growing Problem
Barack Obama has a growing problem on his hands, and it's not Iran. It's much closer to home, but it's not unemployment either. It's more personal - a matter of faith to be precise.
A new poll by the respected Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life finds that after 19 months on the job, more Americans now think Obama is a Muslim. That's a big problem - one that suggests the president is grossly disconnected from the American people.
If this disconnect -- or as one commentator suggested, this sense that Obama's "default setting is in opposition to the general sensibilities of the American people" -- is allowed to grow, it risks undermining the president's legitimacy much like the Left's claim that "Bush lied" about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq undermined the previous administration.
But what amazes me is the media's astonishment that many Americans would question the president's professed faith. The talking heads denounce this as an example of bigoted and extremist fringe thinking. But it is a much bigger problem than they care to admit.
How bad is this problem? Here's a clue: a plurality of Americans don't know what the president's faith is! According to the Pew poll, 18% of Americans believe Obama is a Muslim, up from 11% in 2009; just 34% believe he is a Christian, down from 48%; while 43% have no idea what Barack Obama believes.
This comes in spite of all the fawning and sympathetic press Obama received over the past several years. Why is this problem getting worse, rather than better, the longer we are exposed to Barack Hussein Obama? It is a problem entirely of Obama's making. For example:
• Obama has condemned the construction of homes for Jews in Jerusalem but endorsed the construction of a mosque at Ground Zero.
• His administration dismissed charges against the Muslim New Black Panthers, but it prosecutes the state of Arizona.
• He cancelled National Day of Prayer events at the White House but hosted an Iftar dinner to celebrate Ramadan.
• Obama gave his first television interview as president not to an American network, but to an Arab language satellite network, Al-Arabiya. In that interview, Obama said he felt his "job" was to communicate "to the Muslim world . . . that the Americans are not your enemy."
• He has apologized for America's "arrogance," repeatedly reached out to the Muslim world, including the Holocaust-denying regime in Iran, and even pressed NASA into his Islamic outreach mission.
• He bowed to the Muslim king of Saudi Arabia, but made the Dalai Lama exit the White House through the back door.
• He wrote fondly about his Muslim cultural background in his two autobiographies. In a 2007 New York Times interview, he "recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. . . Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as 'one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.'"
• Yes, Barack Obama says he is a Christian, but he attended a church whose pastor routinely condemned America, gave Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan an award and permitted the distribution of Hamas propaganda.
Given all this and more during the past 19 months, the average American could be forgiven for thinking that Obama is at least deferential, if not predisposed, toward Islam.
So while the media elites may see the Pew poll as evidence of right-wing bigotry, it should be more worrying to them that not even a majority of the president's staunchest supporters -- Democrats (46%) or blacks (43%) -- could say that Obama is a Christian. (Gary Bauer)
Welcome Home!
The last combat brigade left Iraq this week. The 14,000 soldiers of the Army's 4th Stryker Brigade crossed the Kuwaiti border Wednesday night. Under presidents of different parties, they have done their job and done it well. We thank them for their service to our country. There are still 50,000 U.S. troops deployed in Iraq and we will not forget them. They and their families remain in our prayers, as do our troops serving in Afghanistan.
Many Iraqis are sad to see America's troops going home. Our troops are good guys, and they are there for the right reasons. Once again the United States has sent its soldiers overseas not in conquest of territory or treasure but to liberate the oppressed. (Gary Bauer)
American Minute
300,000 miles on horseback (American Minute with Bill Federer)
August 20
300,000 miles on horseback, from the Atlantic to the Appalachians, from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico, for 45 years, he spread the gospel.
This was Francis Asbury, Methodist Circuit riding preacher who was born AUGUST 20, 1745.
When the Revolution started, he refused to return to England:
"I can by no means agree to leave such a field for gathering souls to Christ as we have in America."
He befriended Richard Bassett, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, who converted, freed his slaves and paid them as hired labor.
Francis Asbury dedicated the first African Methodist Episcopal Church and met personally with George Washington, congratulating him on his election.
By the time he died, the Methodist Church in America had grown from 300 members to over 200,000.
Unveiling the Equestrian Statue of Francis Asbury in Washington, D.C., 1924, President Calvin Coolidge stated:
"Our government rests upon religion It is from that source that we derive our reverence for truth and justice, for equality and liberty . . .
This circuit rider spent his life making stronger the foundation on which our government rests."
Coolidge concluded: "Francis Asbury is entitled to rank as one of the builders of our nation."
The Good News Corner
Conference Call to Pray for the Persecuted Church
Every Saturday night at 10:00 P.M. Eastern time
Saints, please join me in prayer for our brothers and sisters who carry the cross in restricted nations. Saints, members of our family are being put to death in over 50 countries because they follow Jesus. Will our legacy be to sleep as those closest to Jesus did when he asked them to pray for one hour? Our persecuted brothers and sisters ask for our prayers. They ask not to be delivered from persecution but to endure it. Let us call out justice for them this Saturday.
For the persecuted,
Blaine Scogin
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:18)
Time: 10:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (all zones)
9:00 p.m. Central
8:00 p.m. Mountain
7:00 p.m. Pacific
Conference Number is: 712-432-0031
Access code is: 452614#
Join us this Saturday evening to pray for the persecuted church. Amen!
Worship with Us Today!
"Creation Calls"
May our Lord bless you as you worship Him, King of all creation. Amen!
