This Thursday! The Collegiate Day of Prayer -- see below
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
"A National Prayer Alliance"
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief
"Praying for All in Authority"
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)
Please visit the website for the International Christian Concern to find ongoing needs for prayer among the persecuted around the world. Thank you.
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The Daily Brief
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1. Western nations scramble to contain fallout from Ukraine crisis - The Guardian
Interim government signals that it will push for European integration as Russia recalls ambassador for 'consultation' -- Western governments are scrambling to contain the fallout from Ukraine's weekend revolution, pledging money, support and possible EU membership, while anxiously eyeing the response of Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, whose protege has been ousted. Seemingly the biggest loser in the three-month drama's denouement, the Kremlin has the potential to create the most mischief because of Ukraine's pro-Russian affinities in the east and south, and its dependence on Russian energy supplies.
(Read more)
- Father, we speak peace to the Ukraine crisis. We pray Your will be done in this recent revolution. May decisions be made according to Your plan for the country Ukraine. In Jesus Name.
- I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men;(1 Timothy 2:1)
2. A turning point in German-Israeli relations - DW
Merkel and her 15 cabinet ministers will participate in the largest-ever bilateral consultations on Monday and will kick off official preparations for next year's celebrations commemorating 50 years since diplomatic relations between the two countries were established.
- We praise You, Lord, for this wonderful gesture of healing in international relationships involving the Israel that You love. We pray for more and more countries to join in this movement to honor Israel, and come against anti-Semitism.
-"The Lord of Glory has sent me against the nations that oppressed you, for he who harms you sticks his finger in the Jehovah's eye."(Zechariah 2:8)
3. 'Israel Apartheid Week' returns to US, UK campuses - Times of Israel
University campuses across North America and the UK kick off "Israel Apartheid Week" (IAW) Monday, the tenth anniversary of the international protest against the Jewish state.
(Read more)
- Do good, O Lord, to those who are good. And to those who are upright in their hearts. But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be on Israel. (Psalm 125:4-5)
4. Heavy Snow, Ice Storms, Flooding, Likely First Week Of March For Central and Eastern United States - The WeatherSpace.com
The storm track into the West Coast is going to bring about the return of the heavy snow, ice storm, and flooding dynamics from the Central to Eastern United States for the first week of March.
(Read more)
- He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. (Psalm 107:29)
5. The Math That Predicted the Revolutions Sweeping the Globe Right Now - Motherboard
Just over a year ago, complex systems theorists at the New England Complex Systems Institute warned us that if food prices continued to climb, so too would the likelihood that there would be riots across the globe.
- Dear Father, we pray mercy from Your throne to counteract the expected rise in food prices, and that all people across the globe would be supplied with enough to eat in the coming months and years. We bind up all efforts of evil men to stir up discontent within nations, because of either real or perceived lack in the food supplies. We bind up efforts to replace one evil for another of a worse variety in the name of Jesus, and that people will look to You for what they need.
-"And my God shall meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)
6. Texas police double as Mahmoudberg's militia - WND
The Texas compound is called "Mahmoudberg," located in south Texas' Brazoria County on County Road 3 near the town of Sweeny, which has a population of about 4,000. Jamaat ul-Fuqra was the jihad terrorist organization that murdered journalist Daniel Pearl - he had gone to try to interview its leader. According to an informed source, one of Pearl's murderers now lives at Mahmoudberg. I have also discovered that another member of the MOA compound in Sweeny is a police officer for the nearby city of Freeport; his name is Hussein Jones.
(Read more)
- Dear Lord, forgive our unwise leaders who have let people into our country that have ulterior motives in coming here. In the name of Jesus, we come against all plans for evil against the United States and speak confusion and failure into the plans to overtake our country in the name of Allah. Drive out the spirits of violence and hatred so that darts of doubt and regrets cause them to consider Your love for them. Stir up prayer warriors to speak Your life to these compounds, and bring down this culture of death.
-"Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips." (Psalms 16:4)
7. FRC Commends Arizona Legislature for Approving Religious Freedom Legislation - Family Research Council (2/21/14)
Yesterday, the Arizona legislature approved S.B. 1062, a bill that strengthens Arizona's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
FRC President Tony Perkins released the following statement:
"Family Research Council applauds the Arizona legislature for approving commonsense legislation that reinforces the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This legislation reaffirms the basic principle that the fundamental rights of free speech and the free exercise of religion do not stop at the exit door of your local church, and instead extend to every area of life.
In recent years, we have seen courts declare that people's sincerely-held religious beliefs do not permit them to run their privately-owned businesses in accordance with their religious beliefs. For example, just last year the New Mexico Supreme Court ordered a Christian photographer to participate in a same-sex commitment ceremony in violation of her deeply held religious beliefs. The Founders never envisioned a court forcing Americans to choose between the basic teachings of their faith and losing their livelihood. If you're against the Arizona bill, you're against First Amendment rights.
"We commend Arizona's legislature in its work to preserve the long-held American value of respecting the right to live and work according to one's conscience," concluded Perkins.
- Please lift up Arizona Governor Jan Brewer now in prayer, as she weighs signing this bill into law. We believe our Lord desires that each of our citizens be free to worship and to follow Him in Spirit and in truth, and that it is not in His will to have the government forbid this freedom. Ask that Governor Brewer be strengthened to choose the right stand for Him, and for the citizens of Arizona, in this vital matter. Amen.
- "All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD." (Proverbs 16:7)
8. BREAKING: NBC News (Twitter) Reporting Brewer will Veto this Bill! - Newsmax
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer will veto a controversial bill that would allow business owners to refuse service to gays and lesbians on the grounds of their religious conviction, NBC News is reporting via Twitter.
Brewer has been under intense pressure from business groups and political leaders to diffuse the situation and veto the legislation which they fear will draw unnecessary attention to Arizona a year before it hosts the next Super Bowl and following economic losses on controversial immigration stances.
At the same time, three GOP state senators who initially ratified the measure have written to Brewer, a Republican, asking her to reject Senate Bill 1062, according to The Los Angeles Times. (Read more)
- Money may talk, but the Voice of the LORD is louder. Praise Him that it is written that He holds the hearts of kings in His hand, and that He will move upon the heart of this governor to do His will, if we but ask. Pray, decree, trust and declare His Word to be true. In His Name, amen.
- "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes." (Prov. 21:1)
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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:
"Blessed are those who keep judgment, he who does righteousness at all times." (Psalm 106:3)
1. Rabbis to Knesset: Extend sovereignty to Temple Mount - Jerusalem Post
A group of rabbis and yeshiva heads have submitted a petition to the Knesset demanding legislation to extend Jewish sovereignty on the Temple Mount.
2. Israeli jets reportedly strike arms shipment en route to Hezbollah - Times of Israel
Israel bombarded a Hezbollah stronghold on the Lebanon-Syria border twice on Monday night, killing several Hezbollah operatives, Lebanese and other Arab media reported.
3. Steinitz after meeting US's top Iran negotiator: Israel reserves right to act independently - Jerusalem Post
Israel reserves the right to assess the Iranian situation and make the necessary decisions independently, Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said Sunday after emerging from some five hours of talks with Wendy Sherman, Washington's top Iran negotiator.
4. Report: Hezbollah militants killed in Israeli strike - Ynet News
Several Hezbollah militants were killed in an alleged Israeli attack in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley near the border with Syria, Al Arabiya reported.
5. Merkel: Two-state solution is essential to Israel's security - Ynet News
Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that she is visiting Israel with most of her new cabinet in order to show Germany's friendship with the Jewish state and that her country is working to secure the future of Israel.
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The Daily Jot
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Political deception: bills upholding the Constitution
In recent years we have witnessed a political ploy designed to make you think that your elected officials are doing something to earn your vote. Bills that restate various principles in the Constitution, for example, are pretty much useless because the Constitution already guarantees what they are trying to do. In fact, they may just result in tightening the government grip on citizen's rights because they set a new level of debate rather than establishing the actual right as provided in the Constitution. An example is the bill in Arizona about allowing business owners to preserve their religious rights to deny service to homosexuals.
This is right in line with hate speech legislation. In hate speech, lawmakers chipped away at the Constitution by exempting Christian preachers teaching from the Bible. There was no need for the law. There were crimes and punishments on the books already. Homosexuals are upset about a bill in Arizona reaffirming that business owners who hold strong religious beliefs can refuse services to homosexuals. It all started with a small business who refused to sell a wedding cake to a same sex couple. Then they take it to court and a leftist judge who has no business being a judge determines that business owners must repress their religious beliefs and bake a cake for the gays.
Here is the thing: Common sense would have been for the same sex couple to say, "OK, you don't want to sell me a cake, I'll take my business elsewhere." But, NOOOO. It becomes a federal civil rights case. The point that the homosexuals are missing is that their plight is not akin to race. There is nothing I know of in the Bible that says people with a certain skin color are repugnant to God. But it specifically states that homosexuality is an abomination to God. Moreover, the Constitution says that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech. No one can be compelled by legislation to go against their Christian faith.
Instead of re-legislating what is already the law of the land, State legislators and Congressmen should work with citizens to get rid of the judges that go against the Constitution--run them out of town and shame them. Do something. But don't give us more laws that "protect" what we already have. Homosexuals should also understand that they cannot force acceptance of their behavior onto those whose faith specifically opposes it. Christians should understand the eternal implications of sin and our mission stated by Christ in Mark 16:15, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." You don't have to agree with a person's sin life or political agenda to lead them to Christ.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
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The Madison Report
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The Madison Report
www.MadisonProject.com
THE MADISONIAN:
Week of February 24 - 28, 2014
As this week unfolds in Washington, DC, it is apparent that the GOP Establishment has become very content with playing small ball in Washington, DC at a time when we need major changes in the size and scope of government. Many in the Establishment will say that it is impossible to do anything unless you have the balance of power. To those I say, "Ask Bill Clinton how he felt about the balance of power in 1996 when he signed welfare reform."
For us to start winning in Washington, there has to be a will to fight and if there is not, then we will work to send those to Washington, like Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, who will.
While this is very much a policy fight, more importantly it is even more basic that that.
It is the desire to win.
Drew Ryun
The Madison Project
> > > Watch for this week's edition of the Madisonian, to be published tomorrow on our Daily Brief.
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Hobby Lobby Update
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Hobby Lobby Update
Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments for
"Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby" on March 25th
Pray for the Hobby Lobby as they seek to conduct their business according to their deeply held convictions. The U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing oral arguments on March 25th. Please lift up their lead attorney, Kyle Duncan, in prayer, too, asking our Lord to grace him with "wisdom from above" as he prepares to argue this case on behalf of Hobby Lobby before the Supreme Court justices. (James 1:5)
(Source: The Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation)
BACKGROUND:
Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. began out of founder David Green's garage and has grown from one 300-square-foot store to more than 500 stores in 41 states, becoming one of the nation's leading arts and crafts retailers.
Devout Christians, the Green family believes that "it is by God's grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured." Therefore, the Greens seek to honor God by "operating their company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles."
Believing their employees should have the opportunity to spend Sundays with their families, the company is closed on Sundays and only operates 66 hours per week. Indeed, the Greens strive to apply the Christian teachings on respect and fairness to their employees, increasing the pay of Hobby Lobby's full- and part-time hourly workers for four years in a row. Full-time hourly workers now start at 90 percent above the federal minimum wage.
The Hobby Lobby success story is a true example of the American dream. Now the Greens want to live another American dream: that every American, including business owners like the Greens, should be free to live and do business according to their beliefs.
The HHS mandate requires the family-owned business to provide insurance coverage for the "morning after pill" and "week after pill" contrary to their religious convictions or pay fines to the IRS. The Greens believe that Hobby Lobby cannot fulfill its mission while paying for these drugs (the "morning after pill" and "week after pill") that conflict with their beliefs. That is why on Wednesday, Sept. 12, Hobby Lobby filed suit in an effort to defend its constitutional freedom to carry out its mission in a way consistent with its owners' religious principles.
The Green family has no moral objection to the use of 16 of 20 preventive contraceptives required in the mandate and will continue its longstanding practice of covering these preventive contraceptives for its employees. However, the Green family cannot provide or pay for four possible life-threatening drugs and devices. These drugs include Plan B and Ella, the so-called morning-after pill and the week-after pill. Covering these drugs and devices would violate their most deeply held religious belief that life begins at conception, when an egg is fertilized.
The Green family respects the religious convictions of all Americans, including those who do not agree with them. All they are asking is for the government to give them the same respect by not forcing them to violate their religious beliefs. (Source: The Becket Fund) Read more here.
UPDATE: The Obama administration was going to fine Hobby Lobby $1.3 MILLION A DAY if they refused to comply with the HHS Mandate, but, because you prayed, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver said last June that Hobby Lobby . . . shouldn't have to pay millions of dollars in fines while their claims are considered. (Huffington Post) Read more here.
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Pray for Ukraine; Venezuela
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Pray for Ukraine; Venezuela
The following are letters we have received from saints who live on the land in both Venezuela and Ukraine. Each nation is now in a state of upheaval, and the lives of believers are in danger. Thank you for hearing their heartcry and for praying, as requested.
FOR UKRAINE:
Dear praying Brothers and Sisters,
This e-mail is from Paul Popov, born in Bulgaria, now of the USA and Canada. I worked with him and his father on the Board of Evangelism to Communist Lands (ECL) in the 1970's ans 80's. His father, Rev. Harlan Popov was imprisoned more that 11 years by the communists because Harlan was the leading Protest pastor/evangelist in Bulgaria.
Please continue to pray for the people of the Ukraine and the girl mentioned in this letter and all the people there who are in the Household of Faith!!
Blessings David Depew
Olesya Zhukovska, a 21 year old paramedic, and first-aid volunteer at Maidan (Independence Square) was shot in the neck by a sniper and struggling for her life.
Olesya's story: When a grenade exploded next to her, on Hrushevskogo Street, Olesya's clothes caught fire and burned. Still, she stayed to help others. Later, she was hospitalized with severe chest pains. Being the only child, Olesya's mom begged her to come home so she did. However, when she heard what was happening in Kiev, Olesya and 18 other volunteers took a bus back to Maidan.
On February 20, Olesya was at a first-aid post when she was shot in the neck by a sniper. Today, Olesya is fighting for her life on an artificial respirator in Kiev's Hospital #17.
An eerie and alarming message was posted on Olesya's Facebook page: Я УМИРАЮ
(I am dying).
Since then her blog has not been updated.
Please pray for this young and brave girl who did not think of herself but selflessly reached out to others first.
God bless you,
Paul
FOR VENEZUELA:Paul
(President Maduro now in power there.)
Sara . . .
The situation in Venezuela is very critical. Many of my friends and family are scrambling to little towns in the interior of the country to escape the rioting and death. Maduro has ordered the Cuban soldiers there to shoot to kill anyone on the streets. So far 12 have been shot- in the head. My God . . . our people Sara. My cousins and dear friends are there. I can't imagine any of them being forced to kneel to receive a bullet in their head. We are sick over this. The Venezuelan people know that it is Raul Castro that is ruling Venezuela long distance, and that Lt. Diosdado Cabello is telling Maduro what to say as well.
Did you know that Maduro is not Venezuelan??? We all need to learn whatever we can from what is going on over there. All these situations are sleeping volcanoes that are and will one day explode.
Also, This is from a very dear friend of ours . . . She held a very high position in the Venezuelan Government pre-Chavez. She was the assistant judge to the head of the judiciary in the entire country.
I had asked how the situation was in the beautiful Andean town of Tachira where she has an apartment. She has fled the State. Here is the translation of her reply:
"The situation is worse in the State of Tachira because Maduro ordered the state to be militarized and they are trying to scare the the people with overhead Zucoi (Russian) planes that Chavez purchased. The problem originated in Tachira and then it spread to the rest of the country"
- Abba Father, we cry out together today, the many millions of us who read these alerts daily, and we ask that You would intervene with Your Mighty Hand to protect the honest citizens of both Ukraine and Venezuela. In Your Name and through Your power, we ask that the thrones of these dictators and tyrants be TOPPLED, and that another would rule in their place, of Your choosing. Help us, dear Lord we pray, in Jesus' Name, amen.
- "The LORD is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth."
(Psalm 94:1)
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Thursday is the Collegiate Day of Prayer
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About the Collegiate Day of Prayer:
Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014
As the students go, so goes our nation! If we win the spiritual battles across our nation but neglect our college campuses, all our progress will be undone in a generation. Therefore, students today need our support and earnest prayers. However, college students don't just need more prayer, they need our UNITED prayer. Without a greater degree of genuine, unified prayer, our hopes and dreams for this generation may never be realized. According to Matthew 18:18-20, the greater the number united in faith and prayer, the easier the battle for this generation can be won. Just as a team of horses can move a heavy load faster and easier together, so our greatest barriers can be better overcome through united prayer.
This kind of unified prayer is usually born out of a sense of urgency and need. In times of great need, men are willing to lay aside their differences so they can find a sure path to safety and blessing. For the Church, that path is united prayer. "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of NEED." (Hebrews 4:16). A humble recognition of great need combined with great faith in Christ always awakens united prayer. When Jesus was moved with compassion upon seeing the needs of the multitudes, He urged His friends and disciples: "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray..." (Matthew 9:36-38). Biblically and historically, united prayer has always been the means of grace to bridge the gap between a great need and a great awakening! This generation needs our unified prayers - please join us in praying for America's college campuses!
"If added power attends the united prayer of two or three, what mighty triumphs there will be when hundreds of thousands of consistent members of the Church are with one accord day by day making intercession for the extension of Christ's Kingdom." -John R. Mott
A Three Phase Approach to Praying for a Student Awakening:
1) Pray for an Open Heaven - A Posture of Worship & Adoration
- Pray for the fullness of the power and presence of Jesus Christ.
- Pray for an accurate view of the glory and majesty of Jesus Christ.
- Pray for a renewed passion and an intimate affection for Jesus Christ.
2) Pray for an Open Heart - A Posture of Humility & Submission
- Pray for a response of faith, humility and surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
- Pray for a turning away from anything that would hinder a strong relationship with Jesus Christ.
- Pray for a revelation of the unfailing love, comfort and adoption of the Father through faith in Jesus Christ.
3) Pray for an Open Hand - A Posture of Joyful & Sacrificial Giving
- Pray for students to joyfully share the hope of Christ's love through generous acts of compassion and evangelism.
- Pray for students to defend the defenseless and care for the orphans and the widows.
- Pray for students to finish the remaining task of evangelizing every tongue, tribe and nation in this generation for the glory and pleasure of Jesus Christ.
To learn more about the Collegiate Day of Prayer, go here.
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The Good News Corner
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The Good News Corner:
Volatile US-Mexico Border Home to Newest Christian Spanish-Speaking
Radio Station
"It has been a long-held dream of missionary broadcasters to saturate the U.S.-Mexico border with Christian Spanish radio programs. The border region is home to increasing levels of crime, kidnappings, murders, drug trafficking and a host of other violent activities. Very few places in the world need the Gospel more than this region." -Glenn Lafitte
(Colorado Springs, CO)-Reach Beyond, formerly HCJB Global, recently moved a step closer to its vision of blanketing the volatile, ripe-for-the-Gospel U.S.-Mexico border with the planting of its 14th Christian Spanish-language radio station in Del Rio, Texas.
Inspiracom, a partner ministry of Reach Beyond, recently went on the air with KVFE 88.5 FM, 150 miles west of San Antonio. The ministry now operates stations at every major border crossing except San Diego/Tijuana. After Cuba, Mexico is considered one of the most restricted Spanish-speaking countries in terms of religious broadcasting. Christian Spanish-language radio-with its combination of music and Biblical teaching-may be the best opportunity to reach the estimated 30 million people who live along the increasingly conflict-laden border.
"It has been a long-held dream of missionary broadcasters to saturate the U.S.-Mexico border with Christian Spanish radio programs," said Glenn Lafitte, CEO of Inspiracom, and who, along with a number of Inspiracom personnel, remain missionaries with Reach Beyond. "The border region is home to increasing levels of crime, kidnappings, murders, drug trafficking and a host of other violent activities. Very few places in the world need the Gospel more than this region." (ReachBeyond.org) Read more.
Also reported by: Breaking Christian News
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Signs and Wonders
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Signs and Wonders:
Ancient helium rising to the surface in Yellowstone National Park
Helium, trapped underground for 2 billion years, is bubbling to the surface from steam vents and hot springs of Yellowstone National Park, U.S. researchers say. Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey say the park, located mostly in Wyoming, was releasing hundreds, even possible thousands, of times more of the ancient helium than previously thought, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
About 60 tons are being release each year, enough helium to fill one Goodyear blimp every week, researchers said in a report published in the journal Nature.
Volcanic activity beginning about 2 million years ago initiated the release, they said.
That counts as a "sudden" release compared with how long the helium has been trapped within the Earth's surface, study coauthor Bill Evans, a research chemist at the USGS office in Menlo Park, Calif., said.
"[Two million years] might seem like a really, really long time to people, but in the geologic time scale, the volcanism is a recent phenomenon," he said. Helium is produced in Earth's crust through the decay of uranium and thorium decay. This non-radioactive helium can remain trapped and build up over time, especially in places like Yellowstone where rocks have remained mostly stable for an estimated 2.5 billion years.
"The Yellowstone crust is among the oldest on Earth, and for most of its history had been part of the tectonically moribund core of North America," lead study author Jacob Lowenstern, a research geologist at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, said.
Then came the period of volcanic activity.
"This really isn't a volcano story," Lowenstern said. "But it reveals how the Earth's crust behaves on a long time frame. The crust 'holds its breath' for long periods of time, and then releases it during tectonically and volcanically active bursts."
(Source: SpaceDaily.com) Read more here.
"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
(Luke 11:25-28)
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Worship With Us Today!
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Worship With Us Today!
"How Emptiness Sings" - Christa Wells
Glory to God, Glory to God!
In fullness of wisdom,
He writes my story into his song,
My life for the glory of God.
