Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
"A National Prayer Alliance"
P.O. Box 5152
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The Daily Brief:
"Praying for All in Authority"
Friday, August 15, 2014
"All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and do wondrous things;
You alone are God." (Psalm 86:9,10)
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse . . ." (Rev. 19:1)
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The Daily Brief
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1. Family of shot US teenager urges calm - BBC
The family of the black teenager shot by police on Saturday in Ferguson, Missouri, appeals for calm after police reveal he was a suspect in a robbery. (Read more)
- Lord God, we thank You for the godly character we see being demonstrated in the lives of the parents of Michael Brown. Even in their pain, they are calling for calm, stating that "this violence is not the legacy we want to leave for Michael." May all demonstrators take heed, and protest now in an orderly fashion. We ask this in Your Name, amen.
- "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."
(Proverbs 15:1)
2. Missouri takes control of security away from Ferguson police - Reuters
Missouri's governor moved to ease tensions on Thursday after days of racially charged protests over the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager, putting the African-American captain of the Highway Patrol in charge of security in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson. Captain Ron Johnson, who grew up in Ferguson, told reporters he would take a new approach after complaints that police have used heavy-handed tactics, arresting dozens of protesters and using teargas and pepper pellets to break up crowds. Protesters filled the streets for a fifth night on Thursday in the mostly black suburb of Ferguson, and also assembled in other U.S. cities following the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown last weekend. The mood was largely peaceful, even festive at times, in sharp contrast to tense nightly standoffs between heavily armed riot police flanked by armored cars and angry protesters, as well as episodes of looting, vandalism and violence.
- Abba, lawlessness is filling our land. We pray against violence, hatred, and recrimination. We ask that You would put people who have a good relationship with You, between these people to speak life and truth to them. May they realize that their cause will, and is, being heard and dealt with appropriately. We pray against a "mob mentality", and ask that no more people or property will be hurt. Again, we ask for sanity to return to this situation, and that positive changes would come out of this whole situation. Bring peace we pray, Amen.
- ". . . but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the law." (Acts 21:24)
3. Stirring The Pot: DOJ Sends 'Marshals' To 'Coach' The Protesters In Ferguson - RightSide News
"Protest marshals" from the same Department of Justice division that organized protests against George Zimmerman in the aftermath of the shooting of Trayvon Martin have been deployed to the troubled city.
- Lord, we hope that these "coaches" of the protestors in Ferguson, are there to help and not further inflame the situation. We ask that there be no need of "martial law", but, rather these folks would learn how to express their opinions non-violently. We ask, Lord, that somehow You would bring glory to Yourself through this terrible tragedy that has occurred. We ask that changes be made to avoid this kind of situation in the future. We pray for the safety of everyone there, and we release a spirit of "reconciliation" and a peaceful solution to all parties involved. We pray that the officer involved would also be protected from those who may wish to do him harm. Bring Your Shalom into the center of all of this, we pray, Amen.
- "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." (Eph. 2:14-18)
4. US Jobless Claims Rise - VOA
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, but will probably do little to change views that the labor market was strengthening. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 21,000 to a seasonally adjusted 311,000 for the week ended Aug. 9, the Labor Department said on Thursday, above economists' expectations for a rise to only 295,000.
- Lord, we come to You again, asking that You would be the Counselor to those seeking jobs, and give them good ideas to find them. We thank You that You watch over us and are concerned about everything we need, and You have, indeed become our Provider. We look to You for wisdom and discernment, in Your Name we pray, Amen.
- "Are not two little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's leave (consent)and notice. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, then; you are of more value than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31)
5. The first wave of National Guard troops has taken up observation posts along the Texas-Mexican border - NY Daily News
Several dozen soldiers deployed in the Rio Grande Valley are part of the up to 1,000 troops called up by Gov. Rick Perry last month, Texas National Guard Master Sgt. Ken Walker of the Joint Counterdrug Task Force said Thursday. Several guardsmen were seen Thursday afternoon manning an observation tower along the busy road leading to the Hidalgo International Bridge.
This first batch of soldiers was specifically trained to man such observation towers in the area belonging to local law enforcement agencies and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Walker said. They will serve as extra eyes on the border and report suspicious activity to authorities.
State officials have estimated the deployment will cost $12 million per month. Perry said the soldiers were necessary to help secure the border while the Border Patrol was busy with a surge in illegal immigration. From October to July, 63,000 unaccompanied children were arrested after entering the U.S. illegally, double the number from the same period a year earlier. Another 63,000 families - mothers or fathers with young children - were arrested during that period. (Read more)
- Father, we thank You for Texas Governor Rick Perry, and his endeavor to protect his state from those coming across the border illegally, many of them criminals. We ask that his example would also be enacted in the other border states, i.e. Arizona, New Mexico, and California. We pray that You would protect them, and that they would help secure our borders, especially from those with terrorist ties, and drug cartels. Lord, we humbly ask that You would give us national leaders who love our nation, and will abide by the law. We pray for organization and wisdom in sorting through those who are entering our nation, and protection for our people. In Your Name we pray, Amen.
- "See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession You gave us as an inheritance. Our God,will You not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You." (2 Chronicles 20:11,12)
6. Obama Expected to Take Executive Action on Undocumented Immigrants - VOA
In coming weeks, President Barack Obama is expected to take executive action to address the plight of millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States - provoking cheers from immigrant rights groups and condemnation from those who see it as amnesty for law-breakers. Congress [reaching an impasse] has not passed comprehensive immigration reform or approved funds to deal with a surge of child migrants at America's southern border.
- Father, we are concerned about the excessive use and abuse of this president concerning issuing "Executive orders" to bypass Congress and enact his personal will upon the people. As we know, he has been waiting for Congress to take their vacations, so that he can issue these "edicts". In fact, the Democrats deliberately defeated legislation that would have taken a more sane approach in dealing with these illegal immigrants, in order for their president to enact their/his own agenda. Minorities tend to vote Democratic, so of course, this is the Washington game of politics and power.
- Abba, we ask that we would return to our Constitution and abide by it, with the three branches of government operating as our Founding Fathers intended, in a system of "checks and balances." We ask for Your intervention in this situation, that our president be "reigned in" from his lawlessness and do what is best for all Americans. Thank You for Your faithfulness and Your watch-care over us. In Your Name, we ask this prayer, amen.
- "But all things should be done with regard to decency and propriety and in an orderly fashion." (I Corinthians 14:40)
7. Yazidi villagers 'massacred' in Iraq - BBC News
Islamic State militants in northern Iraq massacre at least 80 men from the Yazidi faith in a village and abduct women and children, reports say. (Read more)
- Holy God, this horror just continues to grow. We ask that you help us, Your people, to not harden our hearts to "protect ourselves" from the impact of these reports, but rather to press in even more so with vigorous intercession to protect any citizens who are in the path of the ISIS terrorists. We ask for an end to this vengeance, in Your Name, amen.
- "I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet." (Psalm 18:37,38)
8. THE NEXT AL QAEDA? Officials worry ISIS poses growing threat to the West - Reuters
SECURITY OFFICIALS, lawmakers and analysts are raising alarm that the Islamic State terrorist group - that has described itself as the successor to Usama bin Laden - poses a growing threat to the West. that must be confronted more directly, despite the U.S. military's success this week in breaking the group's siege of civilians on a mountain in northern Iraq.
According to U.S. intelligence officials, the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, has "pitched itself as the successor to Usama bin Laden."
U.S. intelligence officials say some IS operatives have returned home and started cells, though they have not seen evidence yet the group has the ability to pull off a major, successful strike outside of their territory in Iraq and Syria. (Read more)
- Lord God, we thank You that, in our nation, You have raised up mighty prayer networks who, when they are in alignment with Your will and in agreement with each other, can do mighty works for Your kingdom. On the other hand, Lord, we also see the fallen state of our nation . . . one which is ripe for judgment.
We ask that a spirit of true repentance would fall upon Your people, as we humble ourselves before You and cry out for protection from these terrorists on our own soil. Help us, O Lord, we pray. Expose these cells and apprehend that savages before they can wreak havoc here as they have already done overseas. We ask this prayer in Your Name, amen.
- "In wrath, remember mercy." (Habakkuk 3:2) "For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open." (Mark 4:22)
9. BREAKING NEWS: There are unconfirmed reports of renewed fighting in Ukraine, potentially involving a direct engagement between Russian and Ukrainian military forces. Watch for additional developments over the weekend. Thugs around the world, from Putin to ISIS, are on the march as they see America in retreat. (Gary Bauer)
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The Middle East in Focus
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The Middle East in Focus
OPERATION PROTECTIVE EDGE
"For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways." (Psalm 91:11)
1. Muslims Force Closure of Temple Mount for Jews - Israel National News
Three Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount on Tuesday were met by a throng of rabidly chanting Muslim visitors, who attempted to intimidate them off the holiest site in Judaism, and succeeded in forcing police to close Jewish access to the holy site. (Read more)
2. Syrian rebel commander says he collaborated with Israel - TImes of Israel
A Free Syrian Army commander, arrested last month by the Islamist militia Al-Nusra Front, told his captors he collaborated with Israel in return for medical and military support, in a video released this week.
In a video uploaded to YouTube Monday by the Executive Sharia Council in the eastern Daraa Region, an Islamic court established by Al-Nusra in southern Syria, Sharif As-Safouri, the commander of the Free Syrian Army's Al-Haramein Battalion, admitted to having entered Israel five times to meet with Israeli officers who later provided him with Soviet anti-tank weapons and light arms. Safouri was abducted by the al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front in the Quneitra area, near the Israeli border, on July 22. (Read more)
3. IAF retaliates to Gaza rocket attacks despite claims of cease-fire extension - Jerusalem Post
Israeli jets struck targets in the Gaza Strip on Thursday morning shortly after midnight as a response to rocket attacks on southern Israel throughout Wednesday night.
Two rockets fired from Gaza landed in open areas of Sh'ar HaNegev and another landed in the Eshkol Regional Council. One rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome.
The rocket attacks continued less than half-an-hour before a three-day cease-fire was due to expire at 12:00 a.m. on Thursday. (Read more)
4. New 5 Day Truce Begins on Rocky Ground - Amidst rocket attacks and Israeli retaliatory strikes within the Gaza Strip, both sides agreed to extend a three-day truce by an additional five days.
5. Israeli official confirms US nixed arms shipment; pols argue over who's to blame - Times of Israel
WSJ report of frayed relations between Washington and Jerusalem, including combative Obama-Netanyahu phone call, sparks firestorm among Israeli politicians.
A senior Israeli official confirmed to Israeli media that the US had suspended a shipment of Hellfire missiles to Israel amid worsening ties over fighting in Gaza. The decision to hold off on the transfer was most likely on grounds of increased diplomatic tension, the official said, corroborating a Wall Street Journal report earlier in the day that claimed the White House and State Department had been angered by a transfer of arms to Israel and had ordered greater oversight into future sales.
The report claimed that US-Israeli tensions are at a record high, with US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said to hold a "particularly combative phone call on Wednesday" and officials on both sides resorting to name-calling.
The accounts sparked an internal debate between Israeli politicians. (Read more)
6. Weekly Update from Intercessors for Israel - IFI
To read this weekly update from Jerusalem, go here.
(Includes scriptures for prayer)
7. Israel Prayer Update - Bridges for Peace
To read this prayer guide, go here.
(Includes scriptures for prayer)
8. Netanyahu says Israel will respond forcefully even to a 'drizzle' of rockets - Jerusalem Post
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told leaders of communities near Gaza on Thursday - even as a five-day cease-fire took hold - that Israel would not tolerate a drizzle of mortar or rocket attacks.
Amid mounting public criticism, especially in the South, that Operation Protective Edge might well end without removing for a long period the rocket and mortar threats from the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu met in his office with the heads of the Hof Ashkelon, Sha'ar Hanegev and Sdot Negev regional councils.
"The IDF launched Operation Protective Edge after Hamas returned to drizzle rocket fire on the southern communities," the prime minister said. "Our policy is clear and consistent - even to a drizzle we respond forcefully.
We launched this campaign to strengthen the security of all Israeli citizens in general, and yours in particular.
9. The new US-Israeli quarrel. How bad is it, really? - The Times of Israel
The withholding of a missile shipment is nothing to worry about, an ex-defense minister says. Others call it a 'very serious rupture' The apparently less-than-happy relationship between the Israeli government and the American administration is once again dominating local headlines, after the Wall Street Journal revealed Thursday that the White House had suspended a shipment of Hellfire missiles to its closest ally in the Middle East. How bad is it this time?
The personal relationship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama is known to be frosty, so does the "particularly combative phone call" the two leaders had Wednesday, according to the paper, really signify a new crisis? Does the "additional care" is paid to arms deliveries "in any crisis," Harf claimed, adding that it's "by no means unusual and, again, does not indicate any change in policy." And what to make of the anonymous name-calling in the Journal piece? (Read more)
- O Lord, God of Israel, we come to You on behalf of our nation, and beg You to forgive our president and his administration for disrespecting Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu. We ask You to bless Israel and Netanyahu, as they struggle to keep possession of the land that You gave them as an inheritance forever. We ask that the people of Israel will realize that the U.S. is not their Savior, but You are! May they be reminded that You keep Covenant with them, and You love them with an everlasting love. We thank You that You battle the enemy on their behalf. Draw them to Yourself with chords of love, that cannot be broken. Have mercy on us as a nation, we pray. In Your Name, Amen.
- "I will gather all nations and will bring them down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and there will I deal with and execute judgment upon them for their treatment of My people and of My heritage, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations and because they have divided My land." (Joel 3:2)
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Tracking ISIS
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Tracking ISIS:
"Flash forth lightning and scatter them; Send out Your arrows
and confuse them." (Psalm 144:6)
1. Iraq PM al-Maliki gives up post - Fox News
Embattled Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says he is relinquishing his post to Haider al-Abadi as the nation's next prime minister, ending the deadlock that has plunged Baghdad into political uncertainty.
- Father God, tonight we lift up a prayer for the new government now being formed inside the nation of Iraq, under the leadership of Prime Minister al-Abadi. We ask that You would extend Your hand over this nation and these people, bringing stability and peace. And we continue to ask for many to be saved through Your shed blood in the nation of Iraq. Amen and amen.
- "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." (I Timothy 2:1-4)
2. NJ man says ISIS flag flown on porch a misunderstanding - Fox News
A 44-year-old Muslim convert says it was news to him that the flag he hung outside his house is the same banner waved by the murderous jihadist group known as Islamic State.
Neighbors and passersby who took to Twitter were alarmed at the black flag emblazoned with the Arabic words "The only god is Allah" flying from above the porch of Mark Dunaway, in Garwood, N.J. The chilling banner flew next to a red flag of Islam, but Dunaway said he never intended to show support for the terrorist group infamous for beheading Christians.
"I hang it every Friday and every Ramadan which ended not too long ago and I keep it up a little longer than I normally do," Dunaway told FoxNews.com. "I guess some people saw it and got offended so I took it down. I do not support any militant group or anything like that."
The flag flap in the small town 20 miles west of New York blew up on Tuesday with a tweeted photo of Dunaway's home with the ISIS flag displayed along with what appeared to be a Turkish flag but which Dunaway insisted was a "flag of Islam." (Read more)
- Lord God, Mark Dunaway seems to be a very confused and a lost soul. We pray tonight for his salvation. We ask, too, that stories of the dangerous actions of ISIS would be neither ignored nor misunderstood by the American public. We ask that the news coming from northern Iraq at this hour would serve as a wake up call to all of us to repent, to get right with You, and to be ready for whatever may come. We ask this in Your name, amen. - "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst." (I Timothy 1:15)
3. Christians and Yazidis in Iraq Subjected to 'Savage Rapes,' Sexual Slavery - CNSNews.com
As the U.N. scrambles to help tens of thousands of religious minority Iraqis displaced by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS/ISIL), experts are warning that jihadists may have forced 1,500 Christians and Yazidis into sexual slavery.
"Atrocious accounts on the abduction and detention of Yazidi, Christian, as well as Turkomen and Shabak women, girls and boys, and reports of savage rapes, are reaching us in an alarming manner," two U.N. experts said in a statement released in Baghdad.
"We condemn, in the strongest terms, the explicit targeting of women and children and the barbaric acts [ISIS] has perpetrated on minorities in areas under its control," said U.N. special representative for Iraq Nickolay Mladenov and special representative on sexual violence in conflict, Zainab Bangura. (Read more)
- Lord God, how deeply You must be grieved to know of the barbaric acts being committed upon women and children in Iraq. Abba, we ask that You would place Your hand upon each hurting soul tonight, and bring comfort as only You can do. We ask this in Your name, amen. - "This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed." (Lamentations 1:16)
4. DOD: ISIS Threat Not Eliminated, But 'We Certainly Put a Hurting on Them' - CNSNews.com
"ISIL continues to pose a threat to U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq," a Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday. But, he added, "We certainly put a hurting on them with respect to their activities in and around Erbil. And we'll continue to do that as needed."
Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters that of the 25 U.S. airstrikes conducted so far, about half of them have been aimed at ISIL targets in and around Erbil, to protect U.S. personnel and facilities; and the other half took place in and around Mt. Sinjar as part of the effort to rescue people stranded there.
"[W]hat I would tell you is, we still believe that Erbil faces threats from ISIL. It's just unclear exactly what their full intent is." (Read more)
5. Nasrallah: Islamic State is a monster coming to devour region - Israel National News
In the second part of an interview to Al-Akhbar, the Hezbollah leader called the group and "uncontrollable monster conducting horrible massacres," and said "They have no reservations: Not ideological, not moral, not religious and not human." (Read more)
- Pray that Hezbollah will NOT ally itself with ISIS!
- "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
6. Is Yazidi Crisis Really Over? - Gary Bauer
Yesterday Obama declared that the jihadi siege of Mt. Sinjar had been broken and that the Yazidi crisis was essentially over. The brief effort was so successful in fact that Obama said, "It's unlikely that we're going to need to continue humanitarian air drops on the mountain." The president added, "The majority of the military personnel who conducted the assessment will be leaving Iraq in the coming days." Once again, Obama just can't get out of Iraq fast enough.
But is the crisis really over? A disturbing report from the New York Times suggests otherwise. Vian Dakhil, a Yazidi member of the Iraqi Parliament who barely escaped Mt. Sinjar this week, told the Times: "It's not true. It's better now than it had been, but it's just not true that all of them are safe -- they are not. Especially on the south side of the mountain, the situation is very terrible." According to Ms. Kakhil, there may be 70,000 to 80,000 Yazidis still trapped on the mountain.
David Swanson, a spokesman for the United Nations, said, "The crisis on Mount Sinjar is by no means over. . . there are still thousands of others up there . . . The situation is far from solved."
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The Daily Jot
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Gone too far
The details of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri in St Louis County will take a while to work out. Police say Brown physically assaulted a police officer and during the struggle reached for the officer's gun. He was shot once in the police car and a number of shots were fired outside the car. The result is an 18 year old unarmed Black man killed by the police. Riots have ensued. In the days since Saturday, there has been a tremendous show of force by the St. Louis police. It is as if the US Armed Forces and all their firepower converged on Ferguson. The pictures of the equipment, machine guns, assault rifles, protective gear do not remind us of the Midwest, but rather of the Third Reich.
All this firepower and military-level equipment in the possession of police is not only a bad idea, it is unconstitutional. The military is not supposed to police the citizenry. We are on the same side. But the police in St Louis, and I'm sure in other parts of the country, have become the military. If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it must be a duck. People can call it a goose, but it is a duck. They can call the riot control in St Louis police, but it has the look and feel of a high-powered military. And that should be the major concern for Americans, behavior of the citizens of Ferguson aside. The pure deadly force possessed by police officers puts them in a military/warrior mindset.
Reporters Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post and Wesley Lowery of the Washington Post were arrested in a Ferguson McDonalds, a gathering spot for journalists covering the riot. In an interview with MSNBC, Reilly said the officer would "not tell me what I was under arrest for...he was in complete SWAT gear...The worst part was he slammed my head against the glass purposely on the way out of the McDonalds then sarcastically apologized for it....The mentality of the officers was extremely disturbing. They essentially acted as a military force." Lowery wrote on Twitter: "Apparently, in America, in 2014, police can manhandle you, take you into custody, put you in cell & then open the door like it didn't happen."
The UK Daily Mail reported that "The two men were eventually released without charge and all attempts at asking the names of their arresting officers were rebuffed." Irrespective of the behavior of the citizenry and justification for the shooting, jackboot tactics and military firepower have been established as the national policy for unrest. We saw it in the door to door shut down of Boston and we see it in Ferguson. This is a dangerous threat to the liberty of all Americans, irrespective of race, religion, age, gender or social status. It is even more threatening when you consider the persecution of race, religion, and freedom of speech allowed worldwide by this Administration. Someday you may face an Acts 5:29 moment. Will you be as Peter and the other apostles in answering "We ought to obey God rather than men"?
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
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Obama and Ferguson, MO
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"Obama Calls For Calm, Then Golfs"
That was the prevailing headline after President Obama interrupted his vacation schedule yesterday on Martha's Vineyard to address the ongoing crises in Iraq and Missouri.
I'm sure many Americans are praying that the situation in Ferguson, Missouri, is peacefully resolved, that the rule of law is observed by all sides and that justice is done. I don't think there is much I can add to the debate.
But I have to comment on this: There is outrage by liberal commentators and the president himself that a couple of reporters were arrested by local police. The circumstances surrounding their arrests are unclear and they were quickly released. Yesterday, Obama said this:
"And here, in the United States of America, police should not be bullying or arresting journalists who are just trying to do their jobs and report to the American people on what they see on the ground. Put simply, we all need to hold ourselves to a high standard, particularly those of us in positions of authority."
I agree with his last sentence, which is what makes the rest of it so laughable. This administration has tried to put more journalists in jail than any in history. Don't take my word for it. In recent days, multiple journalistic associations have protested the Obama White House's "politically driven suppression of news and information."
When the public affairs officer at the Department of Justice applauded one of the arrested reporters as "gutsy," CNN's Jake Tapper tweeted, "How do you distinguish between the 'gutsy' reporters and the one the administration is threatening to put in jail?"
Tapper is referring to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James Risen, whom the Obama Administration is threatening to lock up unless he reveals his sources.
And beyond the White House's official propaganda machine is a myriad of left-wing outfits like Media Matters that routinely harass and bully news outlets that do not toe the liberal line. (Gary Bauer)
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Navy Reverses Decision on Bibles
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Tony Perkins Praises Navy's Decision to Lift Bible Ban in Navy Lodges
August 15, 2014
Two months ago, the Navy made a controversial decision to remove Bibles from the recreational lodges on-base due a complaint filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Today, the Navy announced it has decided to reverse course.
A Navy spokesman said that Bibles will be available again in base lodges. The spokesman also announced that an investigation was underway to determine the reason behind the initial decision to remove the Bibles.
Responding to the Navy's change of course, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said:
"We certainly hope the Navy's change of course on the Gideon Bible was a correction of an unintentional error. However, for the military that relies upon precision in executing its mission, the number of errors we've seen on the religious liberty front is alarming. The concern remains that the Navy's throwing the Bible overboard was not an isolated assault on religious freedom, but rather a growing pattern of hostility toward religion under the Obama Administration. The encouraging signal from this incident was that when the American people see an attack on religious freedom they respond with all hands on deck, and as a result they prevailed."
(Family Research Council)
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The Good News Corner
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The Good News Corner:
Franklin Graham to Preach at Historic "Super Bowl"
of Crusades This Weekend
(Pittsburgh, PA)-Newsmax reports that a massive revival this weekend in the Pittsburgh area is being hailed as the "Super Bowl" of spiritual crusades.
The Three Rivers Festival of Hope event is scheduled August 15-17 at the Consol Energy Center and will feature musicians Charlie Daniels, Tenth Avenue North, Michael W. Smith and more.
Local newspapers are reporting that both Catholic and Protestant churches have joined together to promote and support the revival.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett wrote an official letter of welcome for the crusade and the Office of the Mayor of Pittsburgh issued a Proclamation declaring August 15-17 "Festival of Hope Week."
According to a report on Billy Graham Org., twenty-two years ago, Billy Graham held a Crusade in Pittsburgh, and many people around the city have seen the impact it's had over the years. Nancy Lee Cochran remembers that Crusade well.
"It was one of the most exciting projects I've ever been involved in," she said. "We knew that Billy would bring an important message, and we prayed that thousands of people would respond."
That was 1992, when Cochran served on the Crusade's executive committee. For 13 months, the city prepared for it, getting churches involved, inviting people to the event and training local Christians to counsel those who would respond to the Gospel.
When Mr. Graham invited people to come forward and give their lives to Christ, she said, she saw with her own eyes how God spoke to people at that time and place.
"It was an answer to prayer," she said. "Everything that we had worked for was so that people would come to know Christ in the way that we know Him and love Him. It was just a time to praise God and to be grateful for the small part we played in the preparation."
Read More
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Signs and Wonders
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Signs and Wonders
Swarm Reveals Earth's Changing Magnetism
19 June 2014
The first set of high-resolution results from ESA's three-satellite Swarm constellation reveals the most recent changes in the magnetic field that protects our planet.
Launched in November 2013, Swarm is providing unprecedented insights into the complex workings of Earth's magnetic field, which safeguards us from the bombarding cosmic radiation and charged particles. June 2014 magnetic field.
Measurements made over the past six months confirm the general trend of the field's weakening, with the most dramatic declines over the Western Hemisphere.
But in other areas, such as the southern Indian Ocean, the magnetic field has strengthened since January.
The latest measurements also confirm the movement of magnetic North towards Siberia.
These changes are based on the magnetic signals stemming from Earth's core. Over the coming months, scientists will analyse the data to unravel the magnetic contributions from other sources, namely the mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere.
This will provide new insight into many natural processes, from those occurring deep inside our planet to space weather triggered by solar activity. In turn, this information will yield a better understanding of why the magnetic field is weakening. (European Space Agency) Read more.
"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!
"I Know That My Redeemer Liveth"
George Frederick Handel's "Messiah"
"But I know that my Redeemer lives, that in the end
he will rise on the dust; so that after my skin has been
thus destroyed, then even without my flesh,
I will see God." The Complete Jewish Bible (Job 19:25)
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Today's Birthdays
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Today's Birthdays on the Hill
Almost every day of the year, a member of Congress or a Senator is celebrating a birthday. Let's lift up these men and women, day by day in prayer on their special day, that God might bless them and show them His love for each one. Indeed, let's move together in obedience to the Lord's mandate in I Timothy 2:1-4. It is written:
"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
Today's Birthday Greetings go to:
Del. Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (American Samoa)
Rep. Robert Pittenger (NC)
Rep. Maxine Waters (CA)
(Source: Bible Pathways Ministries. www.biblepathway.org)
