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"
Thursday, March 26, 2015
"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty . . ." (Zephaniah 3:17)
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The Daily Brief
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1. Germanwings co-pilot wanted to 'destroy the plane,' locked pilot out of cockpit, says prosecutor -Fox News
The co-pilot of Germanwings 9525 had sole control of the doomed flight that crashed into the French Alps early Tuesday and "wanted to destroy this plane," a French prosecutor said Thursday.
The cockpit voice recorder, recovered on Wednesday from the rugged terrain north of Nice appeared to show the pilot locked out of the cockpit and knocking on the door, first politely, then frantically in the moments before the jet, carrying 150 passengers and crew, began a rapid descent that killed all aboard.
Read More
- Lord, we cannot fathom how anyone would deliberately take the lives of 148 people, from high school students to babies. We pray for full disclosure of the truth in this situation. We also pray Your comfort for the families left behind.
- "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me" (Psalm 23:4)
2. US Declassifies Document Revealing Israel's Nuclear Program - Israel National News
In a development that has largely been missed by mainstream media, the Pentagon early last month quietly declassified a Department of Defense top-secret document detailing Israel's nuclear program, a highly covert topic that Israel has never formally announced to avoid a regional nuclear arms race, and which the US until now has respected by remaining silent.
But by publishing the declassified document from 1987, the US reportedly breached the silent agreement to keep quiet on Israel's nuclear powers for the first time ever, detailing the nuclear program in great depth. (Read more)
- Father, have mercy on us for we are under an unrighteous ruler who frequently undermines Israel. According to Your Word, we know that the United States is on shaky ground for the treatment of Israel. We ask forgiveness for our leaders, and ask You to bring them to repentance for their actions.
- Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed-without remedy. 2) When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Proverbs 29:1-2)
3. Real Clear Politics Video - Real Clear Politics
MATT LEE, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Okay. And then this has been raised before by other people, but I'll ask it again now in this same context: When the Supreme Leader of Iran is continuing - in the middle of these negotiations is continuing to make statements like "death to America," how is that not problematic for you? How is that not something - why are you just willing to let that - let it slide, basically, and you are holding the prime minister of Israel to comments that he made and has since changed?
Read More
- Thank You, Lord that even the mainstream media is beginning to question the veracity of this Administration's plans. With Jim Acosta form CNN and Matt Lee from AP, we are hopeful that an awakening is occurring.
-"A false witness shall perish, but the man who hears him will speak endlessly." (Proverbs 21:28)
4. WHITE HOUSE EXEMPTS EXECUTIVE OFFICE The White House on Tuesday erased a government-transparency rule that required the president's Office of Administration to make records available to the public, removing the regulation from the books nearly six years after it effectively died under a federal court ruling.
The timing of the move caused an uproar among transparency advocates, who are in the middle of Sunshine Week, a seven-day effort to promote open government and greater compliance with the Freedom of Information Act. The law allows the public to access federal documents with limited exceptions.
-"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves." (Rom 13:1-2)
5. Clinton family facing RICO racketeering case filed in federal court in Florida - The Examiner
A former Department of Justice prosecutor, now heading a public-interest watchdog group, filed a RICO-related civil lawsuit against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton and their lucrative family foundation. The lawsuit filed on March 24 before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida alleges that the Clintons and their foundation committed criminal violations under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
The attorney, Larry Klayman, reported that the RICO lawsuit accuses the Clintons of engaging in a criminal enterprise during the last 10 years with the goal of enriching themselves personally. Klayman and his organization Freedom Watch alleges that the Clintons - through mail and wire fraud, and various fraudulent statements - misappropriated government documents to which Klayman and Freedom Watch were lawfully entitled to receive and possess under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Specifically, the documents sought involve allegations that Hillary Clinton released Israeli war and cyber-warfare plans and practices.
Klayman's complaint accuses then Secretary Hillary Clinton of being behind the release of documents to a reporter in order to thwart Israel's secret military plans to preemptively attack Iranian nuclear sites to stop the Islamic nation's march to producing atomic weapons. Another Klayman/Freedom Watch FOIA request was submitted for Mrs. Clinton's and her underling's records linked in any way to the "granting of waivers for persons, companies, countries and other interests to do business with Iran. In essence, they allegation is that Hillary Clinton knowingly undermined U.S. economic sanctions on the terrorist-sponsoring, nuclear-weapons-seeking nation of Iran.
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- Father, bring out into the open all truth regarding Hillary Clinton's actions. We are alarmed at these reports. If these reports are true, we ask that appropriate measures be taken that requires her to answer for her actions and justice be served.
- ""Who will confront him with his actions,And who will repay him for what he has done?" (Job 21:31) NASB
6. Bowe Bergdahl, once-missing U.S. soldier, charged with desertion- Washington Post
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier who slipped away from his patrol base in Afghanistan in 2009 and was held in captivity for five years, has been charged with desertion and misbehaving before the enemy, Army officials said Wednesday, setting the stage for emotionally charged court proceedings in coming months.
The charges were announced by the service at Fort Bragg, N.C., hours after the 28-year-old was handed a charge sheet, according to one of his attorneys. Bergdahl will next face a preliminary Article 32 hearing, which is frequently compared to a grand jury proceeding in civilian court.
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- Lord, we thank you that there will be some modicum of justice for the men who died trying to retrieve Mr. Bergdahl. We ask that You invade his heart, to reveal truth to him.
-"For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him." (Isaiah 30:18b)
7. Navy bans chaplain from ministering to family of dead sailor -Fox News
It really takes a special kind of lowlife to stop a chaplain from ministering to the family and colleagues of a dead sailor.
But that's exactly what happened last week at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Goose Creek, S.C., according to attorneys representing Chaplain Wes Modder.
"For this Navy to bar a chaplain from comforting and ministering to sailors and families is a reprehensible violation of religious freedom and common human decency," said Kelly Shackelford, the president of Liberty Institute, a law firm that specializes in religious liberty cases.
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- Lord, in this time of upside down thinking by US officials, we pray that You will provide comfort and love to these families. We bind the enemy from allowing the wrong kind of ministry and loose Your Holy Spirit to console them. We ask for mercy over our brother Wes Modder, and pray for the best possible outcome for him.
-"Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street and equity cannot enter. So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey - when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him." (Isaiah 59:14,15a,19c)
8. 1 dead after tornado spotted near Tulsa - CNN
One person was killed Wednesday when severe weather ripped through the Tulsa and Oklahoma City areas. The death was reported in Sand Springs, a suburb of Tulsa, after the storm system ravaged a mobile home park, said Maj. Shannon Clark with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office.
"Right now, rescue efforts are continuing and officers are aiding the injured and helping those who need immediate medical care," he said. "It's very tough conditions right now -- very touch and go. The conditions my people are working in right now are deplorable at best."
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- Father, we pray for Your mercy and protection over this region. We ask for the Presence of Your Holy Spirit to be active as search and rescue efforts continue.
- "For your mercy is great above the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the clouds." (Psalm 108:4)
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The Middle East in Focus
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"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you." (Isaiah 54:10)
1. Palestinians demonstrate after Egypt cuts power supply - Israel Hayom
Residents of Khan Younis and Rafah took to the streets Tuesday after Egypt had cut off power to parts of the southern Gaza Strip.
The protesters vented their anger at Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and his government in light of reports that the decision to take parts of those towns off the grid was made by high-ranking officials in Egypt's Ministry of Electricity and Energy. Egyptian media said the government resorted to that measure as a result of outstanding payments owed by a Palestinian utility company. The Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip cannot generate enough power on its own and has over the years had to rely on the Egyptian and Israeli grid. (Read more)
2. Negev Arabs Plan March on Jerusalem to Present 'Demands' - Israel National News
Arab residents of the Negev in the south are planning a march on Jerusalem this Friday led by United Arab List MK Taleb a-Sana, the head of the Negev Arab Supreme Planning Council. The group will start its march from Bedouin villages in the Negev and end up at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem.
A-Sana said that the purpose of the march was to throw a spotlight on the "suffering" of Negev Arabs, especially those living in "unrecognized towns" - illegal Arab settlements built on poached land, mostly owned by the state. The settlements are generally not connected to services like electricity and sewers, so residents often steal power or dump their waste in the wadis and valleys of the Negev, polluting the environment. (Read more)
3. Amnesty says Gaza groups committed war crimes - Times of Israel
The human rights group Amnesty International said in a report Thursday that armed Palestinian organizations committed war crimes during the 2014 Gaza-Israel conflict, by killing both Israeli and Palestinian civilians using indiscriminate projectiles. The report comes after two other reports issued in late 2014 that accused Israel of war crimes for attacks on multistory civilian buildings and attacks on Palestinian residential homes during the war.
The 50-day Gaza war left more than 2,100 Palestinians dead, around half of whom Israel says were fighters; Israel blames Hamas for all civilian fatalities since it emplaced its war machine in residential areas. Hamas officials in Gaza claim most were civilians. On the Israeli side, 66 soldiers and six civilians were killed. (Read more)
4. Jerusalem Officials Say Obama Administration is More Hostile Than Europe - 'Not Even Half a Minute of Grace Was Given' - Algemeiner
Israeli officials in Jerusalem said on Wednesday that the Obama Administration is acting in a manner that is more hostile to Israel than European governments, Israel's Walla News reported. As the tensions between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu were ratcheted up by the Administration this week, the officials in Jerusalem noted the relatively positive response from Europe to Prime Minister Netanyahu's re-election last Tuesday.
Since the results of the election came in showing that Netanyahu's Likud had won 30 seats in the Knesset, European governments, as well as representatives of the European Union, have been content to send laconic congratulatory messages to Netanyahu, according to Walla's report. Some of the communiques also emphasized the importance of the negotiation process with the Palestinian Authority in order to achieve a two-state solution. (Read more)
5. IDF drafting long-term plan to counter regional threats - YNET News
After four years during which the Israel Defense Forces has operated in keeping with short-term budget plans, sometimes of just a few months, the General Staff is now formulating a multi-year plan - codenamed Gideon - that will allow the military to ready itself for the threats in the region and streamline its budget by means of long-term contracts.
Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has issued a directive under which the IDF will focus its operations this summer on training exercises in preparation for the next war until the multi-year plan is approved by the political echelon. To achieve this, the army will have to suspend some of its development and procurement programs.
The IDF's budget amounts to approximately NIS 30 billion, out of the NIS 57 billion defense establishment budget in total. According to a senior defense official, a multi-year program is a necessity and will lead to increased efficiency and financial savings. (Read more)
6. Abbas meets Joint List MKs, urges focus on internal problems of Israeli Arabs - Jerusalem Post
The Joint List said on Wednesday that the meeting of some of its members with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday night was part of its willingness to meet with anyone in the world "to promote a just peace based on UN resolutions."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has a policy of refusing peace and this was reinforced by the recent election results, that likely will lead to a right-wing government aiming "to put an end to the two-state solution," the Arab party said in a statement.
"The Joint List is willing to meet with anyone in the country, in the occupied territories, and abroad, and not mention the Palestinian leadership in order to make every effort to promote a just peace based on UN resolutions," it said. (Read more)
7. Global Jewish genealogy database grows to 1 million entries - JNS.org
(JNS.org) A growing Jewish genealogy database announced that it has reached 1 million entries. The Knowles Collection, which globally links generations of Jewish families, launched about seven years ago and is searchable for free online at FamilySearch.org/family-trees. The database has been growing by about 10,000 names per month, with contributions of records from more than 80 countries. (Read more)
8. Yemen rebels threaten revenge on 'Zionist' Saudis after airstrikes - Times of Israel
As Saudi Arabia carried out airstrikes in Yemen Wednesday against Houthi forces, an official from the Shiite rebel group said they would exact revenge on "the Zionist Saudi regime," the Israeli Ynet news site reported. Saudi Arabia launched an operation early Thursday to save the government of embattled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi as the country teetered on the brink of civil war after the Iran-backed separatists overran the southern stronghold of Aden.
The Houthi official promised there would be no pilgrimage to the holy Saudi city Mecca this year. Another Houthi official, a member of the Houthi political council, said on Al-Jazeera that "we will threaten you in your own homes." (Read more)
9. Iran condemns Saudi strikes in Yemen as 'dangerous step' - Times of Israel
TEHRAN - Iran condemned regional rival Saudi Arabia on Thursday for launching air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, saying it was "a dangerous step" that violated "international responsibilities and national sovereignty." Foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said that the military action would "further complicate the situation, spread the crisis and remove opportunities for a peaceful resolution of Yemen's internal differences."
"This aggression will have no result except to spread terrorism and extremism, and increase insecurity throughout the region," she said in a statement, calling for an immediate halt to the air strikes. (Read more)
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The Daily Jot
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The occupant's occupant rant
The president suffered a great loss of international political capital when Benjamin Netanyahu won an astounding victory in his re-election bid for Prime Minister of Israel. The "president" has now vested the White House in making the determination that a Palestinian state will be birthed, shrinking Israel back to pre-1967 borders. He sent his message through White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, who addressed leftist so-called pro-Israel support group, J Street. Politico reports that McDonough proclaimed to a standing ovation, "An occupation that has lasted more than 50 years must end."
Politico reported that McDonough "described the alternate to a two-state agreement: a one-state solution based on unilateral annexation and abandonment of democratic rights for Palestinians that, he warned, "would only contribute to Israel's further isolation." In other words, he said, more divestment, boycotts and efforts to delegitimize Israel in the international community." It would appear that the Administration was threatening Israel with boycotts and divestment if Israel didn't bow to allowing an obvious terrorist state to be formed. McDonough said, "The United States will never stop working for a two-state solution and a lasting peace that Israelis and Palestinians so richly deserve."
This so-called occupation by Israel began after Egypt, Jordan, and Syria amassed troops on the Israeli border in an effort to "drive the Jews into the sea." Israel seized control of Gaza, the strategic Golan Heights, Judea and Samaria (now called the West Bank). In short, Israel took back some land God had already granted it. Genesis 15:18 says, "In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates." Numbers 34:1-13 and Deuteronomy 11:24 also speak to the borders of Israel. In essence, what God gave Israel would encompass part of Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria. No "Palestinians" mentioned.
For me, it would be more important that an occupation of the White House that has lasted more than six years must end. It is rife with treason, treachery, blatant lawbreaking, support for America's enemies against the good interest of the American people. Israel's claim to its land and its nation is far more legitimate. The United States has no right to define Israel's borders. Palestine was an area designated by the Roman occupation. Contemporary Arabs invented the "Palestinian" in order to divide the land of Israel. The US government is trying to literally "cut" Israel in half with its proposal of a "Palestinian" sate. All that burden themselves with this issue may find themselves "cut into pieces."
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
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Texas Mayor Fights Sharia Law
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Sharia Law in Texas?
Not if This Mayor Can Help It!
"I will not stand idle and will fight with every fiber of my being against this action. Our nation cannot be so overly sensitive in defending other cultures that we stop protecting our own." -Mayor Beth Van Duyne
(Irving, TX)-A Texas tribunal that was set up to establish legal counsel for Sharia law for American Muslims is now calling for the mayor of Irving, Texas to apologize for not supporting the foreign Islamic law. (Photo via Fox News)
Sharia law is the set of legal guidelines that all Muslim people must follow, including specific laws on crime, politics, economics, sexual intercourse, hygiene, diet, prayer, etiquette, and fasting. The set of laws are thought to be created by the prophet Muhammad and written in the Quran.
The Dallas-area tribunal was first created earlier this year by four Muslim lawyers who said that a group was needed to regulate those laws for the ever-growing number of Muslims living in America.
"In order for there to be a healthy and viable community these issues must be addressed in an amicable, just and proper way to the full satisfaction of the community. To allow conflicts to be unresolved is tantamount to leaving an open wound and if unchecked will wreck the peace and tranquility of the community as a whole."
But Irving, Texas mayor Beth Van Duyne opposed the creation of any type of foreign law in the city or the state of Texas. In a Facebook post, Van Duyne explains that allowing Sharia law in Texas was never even something she considered, and she reassured the people of Irving that this tribunal has no influence over the town's government.
"Sharia Law Court was NOT approved or enacted by the City of Irving," she said.
Click here to watch a video of the mayor standing up to those in her community pushing for Sharia Law. (The Gospel Herald Society) Read more here.
Also reported by Breaking Christian News.
- Lord God, we thank You that, when we first heard of the news of an Islamic Tribunal being established in Texas, we cried out to You for help, and it has now come. Thank You, God, that You always answer our prayers!
We ask Your Hand to rest upon this mayor for her protection, as well as that of her family members and staff. Lord God, we thank You that You do protect the righteous. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.
- "The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous." (Proverbs 15:29)
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Obama's Secret Deal
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Obama's Secret Deal
State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki went "on the record" last night with Fox News host Greta Van Susteren. Greta went straight to a major concern about the pending deal with Iran -- the degree of secrecy that surrounds it and President Obama's refusal to submit it to Congress.
When asked whether the American people would be told about the details of the nuclear deal Obama is negotiating with the Iranians "before it's actually signed, sealed, and delivered . . . so we can have some input," Psaki declined to give a clear answer. Instead, she talked about how international agreements are historically negotiated.
Pressed a second time, she was again evasive, saying, "We don't have a deal yet, but I can promise you that if there's a deal it's something we will be communicating quite aggressively with the American people."
Nobody doubts that. Yes, Ms. Psaki, I fully expect Obama to crow about a nuclear deal with Iran. I think he wants it more than anything else and at any cost -- even if it means risking our security and Israel's security.
Obama has been reaching out to Iran since the first days of his administration. He seems far more interested in making a friend out of Iran while remaking Israel as our enemy.
We got a perfect example of Obama's upside down world this week. The White House has repeatedly slammed Prime Minister Netanyahu for comments he made during last week's elections. It is even threatening to punish Israel in response. Yet when the ayatollah says, "Of course yes, death to America," the White House was quick to brush it off.
In terms of Obama's legacy, a deal with Iran will be the foreign policy equivalent of passing Obamacare. But as Nancy Pelosi told us, Obamacare had to be passed so we could find out what was in it. That is an unacceptable risk when it comes to the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism potentially gaining access to nuclear weapons.
We hear over and over again that no deal is preferable to a bad deal. I am not convinced Obama truly believes that. And from everything we know, this going to be a very bad deal. (Gary Bauer)
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Iran Cannot Be Trusted
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Iran Cannot Be Trusted
Here's what everyone should know: The Iranians cannot be trusted. The regime's leaders call America "the great Satan" and threatened to annihilate our ally Israel. It is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of America soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has tried to hide its nuclear research facilities and has even buried some in mountains.
And it is also cheating, right now, on current agreements while it is negotiating a new one. Consider this excerpt from the Washington Post: "The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran has failed to provide the information or access needed to allay the agency's concerns about the weapons potential of the country's nuclear program."
The Associated Press reported yesterday that Iran refused an IAEA request for "snap inspections" that would guarantee its compliance.
At this point, U.S. and European negotiators should simply get up and walk out. Clearly, Tehran is not negotiating in good faith. If they will not adhere to existing agreements, why on earth would we trust them to follow the terms of a new deal?
My friends, it is impossible to overstate just how crucial this is. As we have explained, the controversy over the letter by Republican senators and the controversy over whether Israel sought details of the nuclear negotiations are not what the media say they are. Both are controversial only because they undermined what the Obama Administration intends to do -- make a deal with a foreign power whose very constitution essentially calls for the destruction of America and Israel.
The administration does not want the Israeli or American people to know what is in this deal and it wants to tie the hands of future presidents by transferring our sovereignty to the unelected bureaucrats at the U.N.
That is a scandal bigger than Hillary's missing emails. It is worse than Benghazi, where four Americans were tragically killed. Hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk with this deal.
Of all the things Obama has done that has outraged conservatives, none are as egregious as these negotiations, which more than anything else resemble Neville Chamberlain's abject appeasement of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s. (Gary Bauer)
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Netanyahu Takes Control of Government
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Netanyahu tasked to form coalition; offers 'hand in peace' to Palestinians
Photo: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with President Reuven Rivlin in a ceremony tasking Netanyahu to form the next Israeli government, at the president's residence in Jerusalem on March 25, 2015.
. . . Speaking before Netanyahu, Rivlin said the next government has three major responsibilities - protecting relations with the US, stabilizing the Israeli political system and restoring the public's faith in it, and healing the social discord that arose during the elections.
"I have decided to give you the role of putting together the government," Rivlin told Netanyahu at a ceremony marking the event, noting that a majority of Knesset members had recommended the Likud leader for the task. He urged Netanyahu to build a coalition that is stable "and as wide as possible."
The president spoke of the stormy election, during which he said comments were made that are not appropriate "for a Jewish state or a democratic state." He urged Netanyahu to start working to "heal the rifts" exposed during "a hard election campaign." And he said it was important that Israel not find itself holding elections again two years from now. The March 17 elections were triggered two years early when Netanyahu fired his finance and justice minister in December.
Netanyahu, in turn, vowed to lower housing prices and the cost of living, as well as to defuse social tensions. He said: "I see myself as the prime minister of each and every one of you, those who voted for me, and those did not."
"We must put the elections behind us and focus on the things that unite us," Netanyahu said.
He said he felt a profound "sense of responsibility" at being chosen to lead Israel for another term, and that he was "as moved as I was the first time" he was elected.
(Excerpt; Times of Israel, Wednesday, March 25, 2015)
Read entire article here.
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Tornado in Oklahoma
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Tornado in Oklahoma:
A First-Hand Report
Hi, Sara --
Good to talk to you last night. We have lived here in the Tulsa area over 30 years (since 1983) and never encountered a tornado this close.
We left to go out to dinner at 5:30 p.m. and it was cloudy, but not raining, and no weather alerts. Within 15 minutes the skies turned dark and ominous, and it started raining and hailing, and the weather service interrupted the radio program we were listening to with a tornado alert and where it was headed, and the weather service also beeped our cell phones telling us to take shelter immediately. It was within a few miles of us and traveling at 40 mph, so we decided to stop and seek shelter. (We know you cannot outrun them).
I really felt in my spirit that God wanted us to stop at the Arby's, and so we did. They immediately put the guys in the mens room and the ladies in the ladies room. The sirens were wailing, and debris from the tornado approaching was swirling in the parking lot. Two of the 8 ladies in the bathroom started to cry. At that point a great peace and confidence rose in me and I started to tell them that God was in there with us, and we would all be alright. I talked about Psalm 91, and Isaiah 54:17. It was so wonderful to tell them that, and watch them calm down. I told them that God loved them and He was there to rescue them, not to harm them.
One wonderful item of praise, is that there were 80 children in the "Aim High Academy" sports complex, and it sustained a direct hit, with the roof collapsing, but not one child was injured. The firemen carried them out one by one to their waiting parents. When interviewed, I noticed the owner of the complex was holding a sign that said "Be Still and Know That I Am God"!!! Amen, and Amen.
Jeri in Oklahoma
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The Good News Corner
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California Christians Celebrate a Big Win For Religious Freedom in Their State
"This case is a great example of why we need to continue to stand for religious liberty regardless of the cultural climate. We can win as long as we show-up to defend our constitutional rights." - Robert Tyler
(Thousand Oaks, CA)-On Monday, March 23rd, a Ventura County Superior Court judge affirmed the rights of a Christian school in Thousand Oaks, California, to ask that its employees provide a reference from a pastor.
Little Oaks School asked their employees to provide the reference in order to renew their contracts each year. Two preschool teachers refused to provide a pastor's reference and their contracts were not renewed.
They argued that because the school was not a non-profit entity they had no right to require their employees to obtain a pastor's reference. The school was owned by Calvary Chapel Thousand Oaks and served as a ministry to the community even though it was not separately organized as a tax exempt entity.
Advocates for Faith & Freedom, with the support of Tyler & Bursch, LLP, represented the school and Calvary Chapel Thousand Oaks. They argued that the school is protected by a ministerial exception backed by decades of case law that prohibits courts from intervening in the employment decisions of religious organizations.
The Judge agreed in his ruling and explained, "the ministerial exception is constitutionally compelled and arises out of the Establishment and Free exercise clauses of the First Amendment . . . It is based on the concept that secular courts will not attempt to right wrongs related to hiring, firing, discipline or administration of clergy. It extends to church related institutions which have a substantial religious character, which includes church related schools."
Attorney James Long applauded the judge's ruling saying, "We are grateful that this Court has chosen to protect the liberty of Little Oaks School. It only makes sense that a Christian school has the constitutional right to require that its teachers provide a reference from a pastor."
Robert Tyler, General Counsel of Advocates for Faith & Freedom agreed, "This case is a great example of why we need to continue to stand for religious liberty regardless of the cultural climate. We can win as long as we show-up to defend our constitutional rights."
Calvary Chapel Thousand Oaks' Pastor Rob McCoy explained the importance of the case saying, "Religious Liberty is a foundational right that must be preserved. This ruling gives cause to celebrate our government's faithfulness in protecting this right." (Breaking Christian News) Read more here.
- Father God, today we join the Christians in the State of California in celebrating this judicial ruling, that upholds our religious freedom. Thank You, God!
- "Praise ye the Lord!" (Psalm 150:6)
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His Eye is on the Sparrow
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Songs Our Grandmothers Sang:
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31)
In these perilous times, when all that can be shaken is being shaken, let us return to the "faith of our fathers" and sing the hymns and songs of old.
May we each draw strength in our own time, as we "dig the wells of treasure" to draw upon the strength that carried our ancestors through their own perilous times. Amen.
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW
Lyrics:
Why should I feel discouraged,
why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
Refrain
I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
"Let not your heart be troubled," His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
Refrain
Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
Refrain
Melody
(Sung by Mahalia Jackson)
Go here.
About the Author:
Words: Civilla D. Martin, 1905.
Music: Charles H. Gabriel
About the Song:
Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle-true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle's reply was simple: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" was the outcome of that experience.
Civilla Martin
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Signs and Wonders
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The Stars Are "Singing?!"
Read About This Amazing Scientific Discovery . . .
(United Kingdom)-A chance discovery by a team of researchers, including a University of York scientist, has provided experimental evidence that stars may generate sound.
The study of fluids in motion-now known as hydrodynamics-goes back to the Egyptians, so it is not often that new discoveries are made. However when examining the interaction of an ultra-intense laser with a plasma target, the team observed something unexpected.
Scientists including Dr. John Pasley, of the York Plasma Institute in the Department of Physics at York, realized that in the trillionth of a second after the laser strikes, plasma flowed rapidly from areas of high density to more stagnant regions of low density, in such a way that it created something like a traffic jam. Plasma piled up at the interface between the high and low density regions, generating a series of pressure pulses: a sound wave.
However, the sound generated was at such a high frequency that it would have left even bats and dolphins struggling! With a frequency of nearly a trillion hertz, the sound generated was not only unexpected, but was also at close to the highest frequency possible in such a material-six million times higher than that which can be heard by any mammal!
(Breaking Christian News)
Read more and view these stunning photos here.
"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard." -Psalm 19:1-3 NKJV
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Today's Birthdays
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Today's Birthdays on the Hill
Today we wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to:
Nancy Pelosi (CA)
Jason Chaffetz (UT)
God bless you!
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Worship With Us Today!
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Worship With Us Today!
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"Break Every Chain"
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