Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief
Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013
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The Daily Brief
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1. Supreme Court Declines To Take Liberty University's Obamacare Lawsuit - AP
The Supreme Court has turned away a Christian university's attempt to overturn a key part of the Obama administration's health care law.
The justices did not comment Monday in leaving in place a federal appeals court ruling dismissing Liberty University's lawsuit.
Liberty made several arguments in challenging the portion of the health care law that requires most employers to provide health insurance to their workers or pay a fine. The 4th U.S. Circuit of Appeals in Richmond, Va., rejected those claims.
The Supreme Court separately is considering whether for-profit corporations can mount religious objections to the law's requirement to include birth control among preventive health benefits. (Read more)
- Oh, Lord our God . . . deliver us from evil, we pray. We ask for Your grace to rest upon Liberty University and all other institutions that this "nonruling" will affect. May each one somehow yet find a way . . . a legal loophole . . . that will allow them to be exempt from the onerous burden of this law. We ask in Jesus' name, amen.
- "Arise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall inherit all nations." (Psalm 82:8)
2. No security ever built into Obamacare site: Hacker - CNBC
It could take a year to secure the risk of "high exposures" of personal information on the federal Obamacare online exchange, a cybersecurity expert told CNBC on Monday. "When you develop a website, you develop it with security in mind. And it doesn't appear to have happened this time," said David Kennedy, a so-called "white hat" hacker who tests online security by breaching websites.
- Father in Heaven, we appeal to You to bring an end to this debacle of government trying to control something the framers of our Constitution knew was not a legitimate function of the federal government and did not write into our Constitution. Please deliver us from the wicked plans of man to control access to healthcare under the guise of doing good for the needy. Please protect the information that has already been given by many people to this faulty website.
- "Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the Lord, and whose deeds are done in a dark place, and they say, "Who sees us?" or "Who knows us?"
(Isaiah 29:15)
3. UPS Spouses Lose Insurance Coverage Thanks To Obamacare - Personal Liberty
One of the busiest seasons of the year has begun for employees of United Parcel Service (UPS). And as the company's employees scramble to deliver gifts to doorsteps throughout the Nation , 15,000 of them will do so with the new knowledge that Obamacare has taken away health insurance for their spouses. An internal UPS memo recently obtained by Kaiser Health International informs 15,000 non-union employees that their working spouses will no longer be covered by UPS insurance plans due to changes under Obamacare if their spouse is eligible for insurance offered by an employer.
- O, Lord, at this time of joy at the celebration of the birth of Your Son, we are saddened by this news of a such a loss to the spouses of these workers and the possibility that other companies will experience the same thing. Father, we ask for mercy and provision for these families and that all the healthcare they need will be provided by You in Your creative ways. We ask in the name of Jesus that You would bring the wicked plans of man to an end and re-establish You plans for the health of our nation's people.
- "For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee and Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after." (Jeremiah 30:17)
4. Budget panel blows first deadline - The Hill
Congressional budget conferees on Monday failed to meet a deadline set by appropriators for a top-line budget number. The blown deadline raises the odds that Congress will need at least a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running after Jan. 15. (Read more)
- Hidden beneath all of the unfortunate focus on gift-giving, shopping, etc. in this Christmas season lurks a tiger ready to pounce at the start of the New Year: another government shutdown. We can all agree that this last round was so nasty that no one wants to see this nation go through this again. Please pray much in the Spirit as the Lord brings this matter to your attention; the future of our nation rests upon these decisions.
- "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."
(Romans 8:26,27)
5. Intelligence Chairs Warn of 'New Bombs, Very Big Bombs' - CNSNews.com
Are Americans safer now than they were a year or two ago? No, said the chairs of the House and Senate intelligence committees on Sunday. (Read more)
- Please continue to lift up all federal agencies that are now tasked with tracking down and ending terrorist threats against our nation. Many who work inside these agencies are, indeed, sisters and brothers in Christ, and they do covet our prayers that they will be successful in the missions they are pursuing. Thank you!
- "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
6. American Jihadist in Syria: Entire World Will Be Muslim - Israel National News
"We are coming to kill all the infidels in the West and beyond to spread Allah's law (Sharia) and the book of Allah (Koran) and to raise them to the highest level," he continues.
- In the name of Jesus, we come against all plans of the enemy to take down the West and implant the demonic kingdom of Islam! Lord, we pray that You and Your people will raise up a banner against this threat to civilization and those who believe in You.
- "So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him." (Isaiah 59:17)
7. Paul Walker Left Mormon Faith to be a Christian
Known for a Heart to Help Others - Gospel Herald
In a 2005 USA Today article the California native says he grew up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but eventually left the Mormon faith. According to Walker's biography on IMDb he became a non-denominational Christian later in life.
"I'm a Christian now. The things that drove me crazy growing up was how everyone works at fault-finding with different religions. The people I don't understand are atheists. I go surfing and snow boarding and I'm always around nature. I look at everything and think, 'Who couldn't believe there's a God? Is all this a mistake?' It just blows me away." (Read more)
- The news of the death of Paul Walker has hit the Hollywood community like a lightning bolt. As many are now grappling with the reality that their dear friend is no longer here, ask our Lord to use this passing as a means to reach hearts of many in Hollywood who are normally caught up in a fantasy culture of tinsel, fans, and big money. May each one stop and realize that eternity is only a breath away. Are they . . . and are we . . . ready to meet our maker?
- "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent . . . " (Acts 17:30)
8. Biden on delicate diplomacy mission after tension with China - LA Times
How to reassure Japan and South Korea that the United States will stand behind them, without inflaming the Chinese? That is the mission that stands before Vice President Joe Biden as he arrives in the region with a potential crisis developing over China's designation of a large swath of the East China Sea as an air defense identification zone. (Read more)
- Lift up the vice-president, that he might ask our Lord for wisdom as he negotiates this delicate matter.
- "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)
9. Muslim Brotherhood rejects Egypt's draft constitution - BBC
The Muslim Brotherhood has rejected Egypt's new draft constitution. The group said "abusive coupists" were trying to "distort Egypt's legitimate constitution", adopted under ousted President Mohammed Morsi last year. The draft, approved by a constituent assembly late on Sunday, preserves some of the military's wide-ranging powers and would allow a presidential election to be held before parliamentary polls. (Read more)
- The people of Egypt have fought so hard and so long to be able to free themselves from the oppressive yoke of the tyranny of the Moslem Brotherhood and its system of Sharia law. Please continue to lift them up in prayer; may God give them His strength to be able to continue to stand. In His Name, amen.
- "Ask and ye shall receive . . ." (Matthew 7:7)
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The Middle East in Focus
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The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25b)
1. Jewish activists want to pray on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, raising alarm in Muslim world - Washington Post
A small but growing movement by Jewish activists demanding the right to pray at the site of their destroyed temple, in the heart of this disputed capital's Old City, is creating a potentially explosive clash with the Muslim world, which considers the spot holy and bans Jews from public worship there.
2. Kerry: With global anti-Semitism on the rise, Israel's voice must be heard everywhere - Jpost
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday welcomed Israel's inclusion into the United Nation's Western Eastern and Others Group in Geneva, a move that grants it national rights at the UN's Human Rights Council. "At a time when the scourge of global anti-Semitism is on the rise, it is more important than ever for Israel to have a strong voice that can be heard everywhere," Kerry said.
3. Abbas Phones Deri: We Want Peace - Israel National News
Mahmoud Abbas on Monday telephoned Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri and expressed his condolences over the passing of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. During Monday's conversation, Abbas also reportedly told Deri that he would like to advance the peace process with Israel.
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The Persecuted Church
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Today's Focus: The Persecuted Church
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18)
Persecuted Church in Central China Appeals for Help - ChinaAid
The Nanle County Christian Church has released its application for a permit to protest the events of the past weeks that began with the detainment of Pastor Zhang Shaojie and other believers and a letter calling for the aid of fellow Christians.
As a member of the global Christian church, this church, for one thing, dedicates itself to proclaiming the gospel of "salvation through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ," persuading people to repent of sin and turn to the holy, true God, and for the other, compelled by the great redemptive love of God, this church follows God's commands, showing care and compassion to the poor in society, founding orphanages and nursing homes, and working hard to promote social justice and advance social righteousness.
Nevertheless, since Nov. 15, 23 believers of our church, including Pastor Zhang Shaojie, were taken into police custody. The majority of them have not received a criminal charge, any writte notice, nor have their families been told where they are detained.
Nov. 17 and 24 are Sundays on which our church met to have a regular service to worship the God in which we believe, and yet government employees, other than the employees of religious management agencies, intruded into the worship venue of our church without the permission of our management staff, walking around, peeping, taking photos, videotaping our meeting place without permission, and severely disrupted the normal worship service of our church. Many believers were threatened and received warnings from government agencies who forbade believers to leave their homes to attend worship service and severely interfered with the religious freedom of the believers of our church.
On Nov. 24, out of concern for the detained brothers and sisters, our church showed their pictures to believers attending worship service to encourage them to pray for those in chains, which was banned by force by certain government agents. It was a violation of our church's worship service. Leaders of our church invited lawyers to give believers a seminar on the law with the intention of helping them act according to the law, but government agents forbade the lawyers to speak at the seminar. The lawyers protested in vain and had to cancel the seminar at last. The act was a violation of the law committed by law enforcement agents, which made the situation worse.
All the believers of our church are legal citizens of the People's Republic of China and none have violated the law of the nation regarding religion. The incidents described above are not tolerable to believers. According to Article 35 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, which says "Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession, and of demonstration," and Article 3, Article 5, and Article 6 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Assemblies, Processions, and Demonstrations, which say, "the citizens' exercise of their right to assembly, procession, and demonstration shall be safeguarded by the people's governments at all levels in accordance with the provisions of this Law," "the competent authorities governing assemblies, processions, and demonstrations shall be the municipal public security bureau, county security bureau, or municipal public security sub-bureau in the localities where the assemblies, processions, and demonstrations are held; if the route of a procession or demonstration cuts through two or more districts or counties, the competent authorities thereof shall be the public security organ at the next higher level to the public security organs in such districts or counties," and "for the holding of an assembly, a procession, or a demonstration, application must be made to and permission obtained from the competent authorities in accordance with the provisions of this Law," we now submit this application for a permit to stage a protest. We expect a permit to be granted as soon as possible.
For more news about the Persecuted Church, and how you can be more involved in intercession for these precious saints, go here.
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The Madisonian
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The Madisonian
The Legislative Bulletin for Conservatives
The Week of December 2nd-6th, 2013
Fellow Conservative Patriots,
We are now in the home stretch of the 2013 legislative session, which means conservatives should be vigilant of any last minute shenanigans to grow government by lawmakers. This week only the House is in session, but there is a chance that individual members of the Senate could convene conference committees with the House on "must-pass" legislation. The House plans to adjourn for the year at the end of next week, leaving just one week when both bodies are in session. Here is what conservatives need to watch for:
The Budget Deal
Pursuant to the agreement that ended the government shutdown, the 29-member House-Senate conference committee is charged with forging a final budget bill for FY 2014 by December 13. The current Continuing Resolution expires on January 15. It is still unclear whether House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) - the leaders of the conference committee - will meet that deadline. However, what is clear is that Republicans have no plans to fight Obamacare in the budget. The entire debate is over how to replace the sequester cuts. While many conservatives would like to shift the defense cuts to non-defense spending, it is clear that any replacement plan will either raise taxes or raise the overall level of spending. Conservatives must reject any sequester deal and focus entirely on Obamacare. We should also watch to make sure the budget deal doesn't morph into a catch-all omnibus bill to harbor other liberal priorities.
(Tomorrow: To be continued . . .)
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Legislative Alert
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Congressman Lamborn and Colleague introduce legislation to cancel two years of Defense Sequestration
Today, Congressman Doug Lamborn and Congressman Jim Bridenstine (OK-01) introduced the Provide for the Common Defense Act (PCDA). The bill would reduce the deficit by $200 billion over ten years by reforming entitlements as requested by the President in his 2014 budget and unwinding for two years the devastation to defense caused by sequestration.
Congressman Lamborn said:
"Washington has a spending problem, but incessantly and mindlessly cutting national security will not get us out of our fiscal mess. Completely eliminating the Department of Defense (DOD) would not even pay off this year's deficit - let alone seriously reduce our $17 trillion national debt. Congress needs to give our military relief rather than use it as a punching bag. Even President Obama must realize that out-of-control entitlement spending is drowning our country in debt. Our bill cancels national security sequestration for two years by enacting a few Obama-endorsed reforms that will actually produce over $300 billion in savings over ten years. Two-thirds of the savings will go toward debt reduction."
Congressman Bridenstine said:
"China is claiming international waters and airspace as its own while building the world's second largest Navy and Air Force including state-of-the-art aircraft carriers and nuclear ballistic missile submarines. Russia is investing $750 billion into military modernization and buildup while threatening nuclear war and invading its former Soviet satellite states which are striving for freedom and independence. In the meantime, America is hollowing out its military, emboldening our enemies to be even more aggressive, and encouraging our friends to align with the east. This bill generates three times the savings needed to offset the increased defense spending through implementing modest mandatory spending reforms endorsed by President Obama. Our bill also pays down the national debt by $200 billion."
Even without the Budget Control Act-required sequestration, our national security budget is scheduled to receive a $650 billion cut over ten years. Sequestration is an additional cut - a blunt and imprecise "meat axe" in the words of former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta - that mindlessly cuts another $500 billion.
The Provide for the Common Defense Act cancels sequestration for the "revised security category" in FY 2014 and FY 2015. This change brings national security spending back up to levels consistent with the House-passed "Ryan" Budget, the conservative Republican Study Committee budget, and the Budget Control Act caps.
PCDA enacts mandatory spending reforms resulting in approximately $307 billion in savings over one decade. The bill only enacts reforms proposed by President Obama in his FY 2014 budget request. The 3-to-1 ratio of budgetary savings to increases sensibly restores the national security budget in a fiscally responsible manner. The remaining two-thirds of savings is used to help pay down the debt.
(Press Release: Office of Congressman Doug Lamborn)
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Nativity Scenes at all State Capitols?
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Committee Spearheads Nationwide Nativity Scene Project
It's an ambitious goal: to place a Nativity scene within or directly outside each state capitol building across the country. It's a new project, but the American Nativity Scene Committee (ANSC) is hopeful it will continue to generate interest.
The group, located in Prospect Heights, Ill., provides the displays to individuals and groups at no cost. So far, four states - Florida, Illinois, Mississippi and Rhode Island - are participating. Other organizations and individuals have also placed requests.
"We have every right to place a Nativity scene in the public square and in state capitol buildings," said ANSC President Ed O'Malley. "People are not always knowledgeable about these rights."(Read more)
[Source: Citizen Link]
Prayer Request:
Please join us in praying for the success of this mission. Praise the Lord!
"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Matthew 21:22)
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The Good News Corner
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The Good News Corner:
A Thanksgiving Miracle
We are getting reports from all over the country of a possible Thanksgiving miracle. Truly, something appears to have happened once believed to be impossible.
On farms in Iowa and in gritty working class neighborhoods in Pittsburg, from sunny L.A. to windy Chicago, we have seen reports that at Thanksgiving meals across the nation, lost sheep came home. As families gazed in wonder in home after home, former "Obamabots" renounced their indoctrination and admitted they had been wrong when they bought into the doubletalk from our community organizer-in-chief.
Sure, these conversions aren't quite a "road to Damascus" experience and backsliding is still possible. But from unemployed college graduates to recently insurance-deprived consumers, the "faith" in "O" has collapsed. God bless America! (Gary Bauer)
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Just a Simple Recognition
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Just a Simple Recognition . . . to Honor our Fallen
International Picture of the Year
Here are three very touching photos honored this year.
To learn how YOU can honor our fallen, please go here and scroll to the bottom of the page. Thank you.
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Worship With Us Today!
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SONGS FOR THE SEASON . . .
Songs for Advent
"What Child is This?"
"She brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7)
Written in 1865 by William Chatterton Dix. It is said that at the age of 29 Dix suffered a near-fatal illness and was bedridden for several months, during which time he went into a deep depression. After a near-death experience he wrote several hymns, including this one, which was later set to the tradional English melody "Greensleeves."
This version is arranged by American composer Sally DeFord, and performed by British baritone James Loynes. It is found on Loyne's Christmas CD "His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful" available on his website, www.jamesloynes.com
"What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary. . . ."
"Light the Menorah"
An original song about the Miracle of Hanukkah, turning darkness into Light.
". . . to purify and sanctify the oil in our core . . ."
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Pray for the Harvest!
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Pray for the Harvest!
"Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (John 4:35)
Every day, in every nation on earth, tens of thousands of men and women are making decisions for Christ. Now, you can monitor this amazing fact online by literally "watching" as these souls are born again into the Kingdom.
Of course, the identities of those who are coming to the Lord are never revealed, but our God knows who they are! Join us as we monitor these "names" daily, praying over each one to be mentored and to grow in his or her faith . . . even in these perilous times. You may visit either or both of the sites below, to pray for fields that are ripe for harvest.
> > > OPTION ONE: AboutJesus.net
Go here!
> > > OPTION TWO: The Great Commission Map!
Go here!
