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"
Friday, March 28, 2014
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways
acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."
(Proverbs 3:5,6)
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. Holder says feds will recognize Michigan gay marriages despite state decision - Fox News
Attorney General Eric Holder said Friday that the federal government will recognize about 300 same-sex marriages performed in Michigan before a federal appeals court halted them, despite a decision by Michigan's governor not to recognize those unions. The decision means federal benefits will be extended to those couples -- including the ability to file taxes jointly, get Social Security benefits for spouses and request legal immigration status for partners. (Read more)
- Lord, we grieve over the loss of sovereignty of states rights, which we are guaranteed in the constitution. We ask that this dictatorial administration would be brought to accountability of our Constitution and States Rights. It seems they are intent on not only bypassing Congress and the American people to enact laws to their own liking; but they also choose to ignore laws that are contrary to their liking, and thereby overturn the will expressed by the people. Father, we ask You to make them accountable to the people, and that this Fall's election will tie the hands of these lawbreakers, we pray, Amen.
- "A land which transgresses [is punished by] having many rulers; but with a man of understanding and knowledge, stability is prolonged." (Proverbs 28:2)
2. Obamacare enrollment passes 6 million - Washington Examiner
With just four days left until the end of the open enrollment period, more than 6 million consumers have signed up for the health law's insurance exchanges, President Obama announced Thursday. Would President Obama prefer that you have health insurance of which he doesn't approve, or no health insurance at all? Well, based on the penalties in play under his signature legislation, it would appear that he prefers for you to have no insurance at all than to have the "wrong" insurance (as defined, of course, by his administration).
- Lord, we continue to bring this "Obamacare mandated health care" law before You. We know that the majority of Americans do not want to be forced to buy healthcare by the government. We ask that somehow this would, indeed, be reversed, and the law "tweaked" by both houses of Congress. We pray that it would become affordable, which doesn't seem to be the case now. We ask that these "mandates" that are trampling our freedoms of choice would be overturned. In Your Name we pray, Amen.
- "And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' And they marveled at Him."
(Mark 12:17)
3. Obama Secretly Negotiating Away U.S. Sovereignty - WND
Consumer protections and the use of domestic law in the U.S. may drastically change as President Obama forges ahead with two secretive international deals that impact major aspects of the economy, privacy and beyond.(Read more)
- Abba, we ask You to "rein in" this rogue President, who keeps undermining our Constitution, and our people, and subverting our country and our freedoms. Father, You set up kings, and You bring them down. We pray for Your will and Your Word to prevail over this situation. We ask You to remember Your covenant with our Forefathers, who came here for freedom from tyranny. We put our trust in You, and ask You to stem the tide of this evil. In Your Name, we pray, Amen.
- "He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding!"
(Daniel 2:21)
4. US now pumping 10 percent of the world's crude - FuelFix
Boosted by the galloping pace of tight oil operations, the United States produced a tenth of the world's oil at the end of last year, the Energy Information Administration reports.
- Father, we thank You for this good news, and we pray that we will continue to produce crude from these oil deposits within our land, so that we will not be dependent on foreign oil, and the politics that go with it. We thank You for the oil deposits we do have, and ask that they will continue to produce, and be used domestically to provide energy, and protection. In Your Name, we pray, Amen.
- "They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields!This is what the Lord says to me: 'Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees'." (Isaiah 21:5,6)
5. Atheists Demand Gov. Walker Remove Religious Tweet - CBN News
A new Lifeway Research poll shows 54 percent of Americans think religious liberty is on the decline. Another instance of such decline is playing out in Wisconsin.Gov. Scott Walker recently tweeted the Bible verse Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
The atheist group, Freedom from Religion Foundation, is now demanding Walker remove the post from Twitter and Facebook. They say the governor is using his position to promote Christianity, adding that the scripture sounds more like a threat."This braggadocio verse coming from a public official is rather disturbing," FFRF co-presidents Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Baker wrote in a letter to the governor. "To say, 'I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me,' seems more like a threat -- or the utterance of a theocratic dictator -- than a duly elected civil servant."
Gov. Walker has no plans of taking down the post. He said the verse was inspiring him that day and he wanted to share it."Gov. Walker will not remove the post on his social media," press secretary Laurel Patrick told Fox News reporter Todd Starnes. "The verse was part of a devotional he read that morning, which inspired him, and he chose to share it."
- Abba, thank You that we still have freedom of speech, and freedom of religion, at this point in our nation, and we pray that those rights will never be taken from us. We ask You to strengthen Gov. Walker in his resolve to exercise those rights. May this whole exchange bring glory to You, we pray.
- "I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges Me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God." (Luke 12:8,9)
6. Get ready to have your biometrics tracked 24/7 - Wired.co.uk
It's already too late to stop the ubiquitous tracking and monitoring of the public through biometrics, says Peter Waggett, Programme Leader at IBM's Emerging Technology Group. We need to stop worrying about prevention, and start working out how to make the most of data garnered from that kind of surveillance. "I've been working in biometrics for 20 years, and it is reaching a tipping point where it's going to be impossible not to understand where people are and what they are doing. Everything will be monitored. It's part of the reason why when we put together the definition of biometrics it included biological and behavioral characteristics--it can be anything."
- Lord, it appears that the "science fiction" we used to read as children, has now become a reality. There is no place to hide, except in You! We thank You that You have promised to watch everything that concerns us, and You are our Life, and the Breath we breathe. Hide us, O Lord, in Your bosom! We ask that this new technology will be used for good and not for evil. Amen.
- "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! For then He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler." (Psalm 91:1-4)
7. Muslims File $5 Million Lawsuit After Allegedly Being Barred from Praying in Empire State Building - Christian News
A Muslim family has filed a $5 million dollar lawsuit against the owners of the Empire State Building after they were allegedly ejected from the landmark for praying in the 86th floor observatory. . . "The claims are totally without merit and we will respond to them in court," a representative from Empire State Realty Trust told reporters last week without providing further details. (Read more)
- Father God, we ask that this case be dimissed in court and that no monies be paid to this family. We ask in Jesus' name, amen.
- "But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream." (Amos 6:24)
8. 'Willing to Go to Jail': Politician in Maryland Risks All in Order to Pray - The Blaze
Delivers Passionate Speech About God Before Defying Judge's Order and Uttering a Christian Prayer
Just two days after a U.S. district judge issued a preliminary injunction barring sectarian prayer at government meetings in Carroll County, Md., commissioner Robin Bartlett Frazier ignored the order and opened Thursday's budget meeting with an invocation referencing Jesus Christ.
The Carroll County Times reported that Frazier "seemed near tears" when she openly voiced her dissatisfaction with the injunction, which was signed Tuesday by U.S. District Court of Maryland Judge William D. Quarles Jr.
"I'm willing to go to jail over it. I believe this is a fundamental of America and if we cease to believe that our rights come from God, we cease to be America," she said. "We've been told to be careful. But we're going to be careful all the way to communism if we don't start standing up and saying 'no.'" (Read more) [Also reported by: Breaking Christian News]
- Lord God, we thank You for the courage demonstrated by Commissioner Bartlett in this action. We agree, Lord God, that if we continue to "cave in" to the unreasonable demands of our government -- demands that bring persecution of our faith - we will live in a communist society.
We ask that this sister be granted mercy in a court of appeals, even as she has already been granted mercy in the High Court of Heaven. Thank You, God, for hearing our prayer, in Jesus' Name, amen.
- "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (I Peter 3:12)
9. 5th Circuit Upholds Texas Pro-life Law - CBN News
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, a panel consisting of all women, upheld a Texas law enacted last summer, protecting women and unborn children from unprincipled abortion providers. (Read more)
- Lord God, our hearts are filled with joy at this news! Thank You, Jesus!
- "He brought forth His people with joy, and His chosen ones with a shout!" (Psalm 105:43)
10. Obama hears Vatican's concerns over health care, invites Pope to US - Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama heard the Catholic Church's concerns over his health care plan while on a visit to the Vatican on Thursday, but drew a cheerful response from Pope Francis when inviting him to visit Washington. (Read more)
- Lord God, only You know what actually transpired behind those closed doors at the Vatican yesterday. We ask for Your perfect will to be done when these two world leaders meet again in Washington, sometime later this year. In Your name, amen.
- [A word for kings] "He opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they return from evil." (Job 36:10)
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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:
" Your word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path."
(Psalm 119:105)
1. IDF on alert for terrorism as 75,000 plan to visit Cave of the Patriarchs - Jerusalem Post
The IDF has completed preparations to host an expected 75,000 Israeli visitors at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron during Passover.
2. Barak: Hezbollah will be able to pick which building to hit - Ynet News
In five years, terror organizations will have missiles so precise they could "choose which building in Israel to hit," former defense minister Ehud Barak warned on Wednesday.
3. PA officials: Jews have 'no right to pray' at Western Wall - Times of Israel
Two Palestinian Authority officials recently asserted that Islamic law forbids Jews from praying at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, both adding that the wall was an integral part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
4. PA: Israel refuses to release prisoners, adds demands - Times of Israel
Early Friday morning, the meeting between PA President Mahmoud Abbas and American special envoy Martin Indyk on the scheduled fourth prisoner release ended.
5. End to Foreign Ministry strike may be near - Times of Israel
A solution to an ongoing Foreign Ministry strike that has shuttered Israeli embassies across the world may be at hand after the two sides came to an agreement late Wednesday night, the Finance Ministry said.
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The Daily Jot
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Evil in the skirts of the black robes
Since when is a business owner required to pay for employees' birth control? Moreover, since when is the business owner required to pay for pills that abort babies? Ever since godless evildoers and those who have no backbone to oppose them have been elected and appointed to public positions of authority. US Supreme Court Justices Ruth Ginsberg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan shouldn't even be permitted to enter the building to argue a case let alone sit on the highest court of the land--most everything they stand for is antithetic to America and Americans. How did they get there? Evildoers and those who allow them their place. There should be no debate whatsoever on abortion or birth control.
The idiocy of people like Sotomayor and Kagan is exposed on almost every opportunity they have to issue a Constitutional ruling. They suggest that if a corporation doesn't like the socialized healthcare, to just pay, what they call "The Liberty Tax." Really? How about if we don't like that the Supreme Court cannot understand the plain English in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, that we just tar and feather them? What don't they or their predecessors understand about the words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness"? They are liars and deceivers.
Regime attorney Donald Verrilli would not deny that corporations could be forced to pay for abortions. While defending socialist healthcare requirements that companies cover birth control (which include the morning after abortion pill) as part of employee health insurance, Verrilli said it was unlikely the government would demand corporations pay for abortions. Chief Justice John Roberts told Verrilli: "I thought that's what we had before us." Typical of the evildoer and godless mantra, the occupant of the Oval Office's attorney would essentially say the law compels companies to pay for abortion, but it is unlikely that it will happen. Of course, his boss only enforces the laws that he wants to.
We have laws in this country against murder. If you murder a woman who is pregnant and the baby dies as well, you would be charged with a double homicide. Yet doctors and mothers can murder a generation of Americans with impunity and an illiterate Supreme Court twists Constitutional privacy rights into a justification for abortion. And people who know better and are charged with the public trust allow them to do it. Jeremiah 2:34 says, "Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these." A direct Hebrew translation of the next verse says, "Here, I am passing sentence on you, because you say, 'I have done nothing wrong.'" We must see that these deceivers are removed from the high places as they bring the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
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More About Hobby Lobby at the Supreme Court
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What You Need To Know About the HHS Mandate Arguments
On Tuesday, the case of the Hahn family (Conestoga) and the Green family (Hobby Lobby) was argued at the U.S. Supreme Court. Here's what you need to know about what happened both outside and inside the court.
Outside the Court:
Particularly saddening to us was the way our opponents mislead others by framing the issue as about "women's equality" and "access to healthcare." In reality, two religious family-owned businesses are objecting to being forced by the government to pay for 4 abortion causing pills (of the 20 kinds of birth control covered in the HHS Mandate), or else face crushing fines that will put them out of business.
As Alliance Defending Freedom attorney David Cortman pointed out in this opinion editorial, "No one has ever been harmed because an employer didn't pay for these drugs. No one seems to have trouble obtaining them. Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards unwittingly proved that point by claiming recently that 99 percent of women use the drugs covered under the mandate. It doesn't seem like a crisis at all, much less one requiring massive government intrusion into the lives of families in business. Since nearly everyone can already get the drugs - and most of them are fairly inexpensive - why is this issue even before the Supreme Court?"
Inside the Court:
The attorney arguing on behalf of Conestoga and Hobby Lobby was Paul Clement, who did an admirable job making the case for religious freedom and the Hahn and Green families. A few highlights include when Paul Clement stated:
"This is not about access to contraceptives, this is about who is going to pay for the government's preferred subsidy." - Paul Clement
Another profound moment was when Justice Anthony Kennedy pointed out a serious concern over the fact that the department of Health & Human Services (HHS) created the abortion pill mandate, and not Congress, when he asked:
"What kind of Constitutional structure do we have if an agency has the power to grant some exemptions but deny religious exemptions?" - Justice Anthony Kennedy
And finally, Chief Justice John Roberts put the government's attorney, U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verilli, in a difficult situation when he asked:
"Every court of appeal to have looked at the situation has held that corporations can bring racial discrimination claims as corporations. Now, does the government have a position on whether corporations have a race?" - Chief Justice John Roberts
The response . . .
"Yes. We think those are correct and that this situation is different." - U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verilli
But he couldn't explain why a family business can have a race but cannot exercise religion.
(Source: Alliance Defending Freedom) Read more here.
- Capitol Hill Prayer Partners asks all of our intercessors to not drop this case in prayer, but rather to press in, even more vigorously, until the opinion has been rendered later this spring. Thank our Lord that, as we lift up the minds of the nine justices of the Supreme Court, He will speak to them, even in the night.
- "In a dream, a vision of the night, When sound sleep falls on men, While they slumber in their beds, Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction . . ." (Job 33:16)
> > > To read the actual transcript of this hearing, go here.
> > > To read an article, "Five Legal Cases That May Shape the Conestoga Woods Case," go here.
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Obama And The King
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Obama And The King
After meeting with Pope Francis yesterday, President Obama is headed to Saudi Arabia today to meet with King Abdullah. Just as Obama's NATO meetings this week were meant to reassure nervous allies, today's meeting is meant to repair strained relations with the Saudis.
The Saudis have been very public in their displeasure with Obama's foreign policy, particularly his outreach toward Shiite Iran. One Middle East expert suggested that Riyadh's patience is wearing thin.
"Their view of Mr. Obama is that his entire understanding is wrong. The trust in him is not very high," said Mustafa Alani of the Gulf Research Center. "If [Obama's] coming empty-handed and King Abdullah hears the same rhetoric he's been hearing, I think the relationship will suffer far more than it suffered before."
I couldn't help but notice that after Obama's stop in Rome he's off to Riyadh. Even though he is "in the neighborhood," I suppose his schedule is just too jammed to squeeze in a visit to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.
Here's something the president should bring up with the Saudis (though I'm not holding my breath). This week the Arab League held a summit in Kuwait and released a statement that read in part: "We hold Israel entirely responsible for the lack of progress in the peace process . . . We express our absolute and decisive rejection to recognizing Israel as a Jewish state."
Israel is surrounded by Islamic nations, many of which have Sharia law written into their constitutions. Yet some believe there cannot be even one Jewish state in the world.
If Israel's neighbors were serious about the peace process, if they truly desired peace with Israel, it shouldn't be that hard to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The fact that it is speaks volumes about the deep-seated anti-Semitism that is so prevalent among Israel's Arab League neighbors. And that is the real reason there is no progress in the so-called "peace process." (Gary Bauer)
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Focus on Turkey's Local Elections
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Why Turkey's Local Elections May Have Global Impact
. . . in a fiercely contested election, and amid a political crisis that has splintered the Turkish people, many find the images of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan frightening, a symbol of an Islamic dictatorship that threatens to destroy the nearly 100-year-old secular Turkish Republic, oft-lauded as the only Islamic democracy in the world.
"America is focusing on Putin," my businessman friend says. "But Erdogan is much more dangerous. He is Muslim Brotherhood. He hates Jews, Zoroastrians, and atheists. He wants only Islam."
Indeed, recently, Erdogan, who has long blamed his troubles on "the Jewish lobby," has now taken to grouping atheists in with terrorists. And hinting at a conspiracy against the government, former economy minister Zafer Caglayan, also a member of the ruling AKP, or Justice and Development Party, declared at the climax of the graft corruption scandal that has gripped Turkey since last December 17, "I would understand if a Jew, an atheist, a Zoroastrian would do all these things to us. Shame on them if these things are done by those who claim to be Muslim. How can a Muslim do this?"
Tie such remarks in with Erdogan's strong support for Egypt's ousted Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi and the money-laundering schemes and illicit gold-for-oil deals with Iran at the center of the corruption scandal, and Erdogan and his AKP buddies appear quite threatening, indeed. (The Investigative Project on Terrorism) Read more here.
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Alarm over Russian Troop Buildup
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Alarm on Capitol Hill over Russian Troop Buildup
"More Indicators that Russia could Invade Eastern Ukraine"
(Ukraine)-According to US Intelligence sources, the latest buildup of Russian troops is an indication that an invasion into eastern Ukraine may be a possibility. (Photo via Yahoo News)
The report caused a great deal of alarm on Washington DC's Capitol Hill, as a senior US official told Fox News, "The thinking in the US Government is that the likelihood of a major Russian incursion into Ukraine has increased."
Estimations by some US lawmakers on the numbers of Russian troops are speculated at about 30,000, and others, such as Rep. Michael Turner of Ohio, have claimed that it could be as high as 80,000.
According to the Fox News report, NATO's Gen. Philip Breedlove told members of the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday morning, "We're all concerned about what Russia is doing on the border of Ukraine. The size of the forces have a message that are not congruous with respecting the borders." (Breaking Christian News) Read more.
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The Good News Corner
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The Good News Corner:
The Statue of Liberty Now Protected by Israeli Technology
"For over a hundred years, as people arrived at Ellis Island from every part of the world, they would see the Statue of Liberty and feel they had reached a safe haven in the USA. Today, we're extremely proud to be part of the team bringing 21st century safety and security technology to this long-standing symbol of hope and freedom." -Dror Irani, CEO, BriefCam
(Israel)-Total Recall Corporation, a security technology provider specializing in surveillance solutions, has reportedly put together a "dream team" to enhance public safety at the Statue of Liberty in New York City.
In 2012, Hurricane damaged the iconic monument, requiring extensive renovations and repairs. It was opened again to the public on July 4, 2013.
According to a report in Breaking Israel News, the "current surveillance deployment marks the first time an all-digital surveillance system has been installed at the Statue of Liberty monument, which previously had implemented an old analog system that had been unable to reach certain areas of Liberty Island." (Breaking Christian News)
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Signs and Wonders
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Signs and Wonders:
A New Planetoid Reported in Far Reaches of Solar System
Astronomers have discovered a second icy world orbiting in a slice of the solar system where, according to their best understandings, there should have been none.
"They're in no man's land," Scott S. Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution of Washington said of the objects, which orbit far beyond the planets and even beyond the ring of icy debris beyond Neptune known as the Kuiper Belt.
Intriguingly, the astronomers said that details of the orbits hint at perhaps an unseen planet several times the size of Earth at the solar system's distant outskirts.
The new planetoid, estimated about to be about 250 miles wide, is now 7.7 billion miles from the sun. That is about the closest it gets. At the other end of its orbit, the planetoid, which for now carries the unwieldy designation of 2012 VP113, loops out to a distance of 42 billion miles. Neptune, by contrast, is a mere 2.8 billion miles from the sun.
Much farther out, a trillion miles, the solar system is believed to be surrounded by a sphere of icy bodies known as the Oort Cloud, where many comets are thought to originate. But between the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud, astronomers had expected empty space.
The discovery, by Dr. Sheppard and Chadwick A. Trujillo of the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii, is reported in the current issue of the journal Nature.
For convenience, the scientists shorten the 2012 VP113 designation to VP, which in turn inspired their nickname for planetoid: Biden, after Vice President Joseph R. Biden. Dr. Trujillo said they had not thought of what they would propose for the official name. . . (New York Times) 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 21:25-28)
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Worship With Us Today!
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Worship With Us Today!
"Blessed Be Your Name" - Newsong
Blessed be your name
in the land that is plentiful.
where your streams of abundance flows
blessed be your name.
