Firestorm of Debate
Author incites church discussion
by Bill Noles Jr.
Recently, an article written by Christian author and blogger Rachel Held Evans, “Why Millennials Are Leaving the Church,” went viral, creating a firestorm of debate among Christians.
In the article, published on CNN’s Belief Blog, Evans offered her take on why those belonging to the millennial generation are leaving the evangelical church in America and what should be done about it. Her opinions created the explosive debate that is still being discussed online in forums, posts, tweets and Facebook comments as well as offline in coffee shops and classrooms.
| Pray For President Obama & Administration |
Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met with their Russian counterparts in Washington for talks aimed at seeing what can be salvaged from the U.S.-Russia-Snowden relationship collapse.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samatha Power used her first public speech to urge young activists to demand results and criticized the UN and red-tape bureaucracies that don’t always prioritize progress.
Pray for President Obama, his Cabinet and diplomats as they deal with important international relationships.
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| Pray For Congressional Leaders |
Senator Ed Markey (Massachusetts) wrote President Obama saying exports of natural gas should be restricted so that the U.S. isn’t put in the position of needing to import it from countries under terrorist control or influence.
If Congress doesn’t pass a comprehensive immigration reform law in the next year, then President Obama might be “tempted” to legalize 11 million undocumented immigrants by executive order, warned Senator Marco Rubio.
Pray for members of Congress on recess whether vacationing, campaigning or traveling internationally.
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| Pray For Judicial Needs |
In a stinging rebuke to the Bloomberg administration, a federal judge ruled that the New York City Police’s “stop-and-frisk” crime fighting practice violates the Constitutional rights of minorities notwithstanding reduced crime rates.
West Virginia’s Attorney General – along with 22 other states – asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court ruling that declared a New York town’s practice of starting a meeting with prayer unconstitutional.
Pray about the rulings of the courts and their impact on civil society in America.
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| Pray for Current Events |
WARS AND TERRORISM
The Shi’ite-led Iraqi government and Kurdish authorities are concluding that recent attacks in Kurdistan and Baghdad have one familiar fingerprint – Al Qaeda – whose insurgents are rapidly gaining ground a year after U.S. pullout.
The top U.S. and coalition commander in Afghanistan stressed the signing of a stalled national security agreement between America and Afghanistan was needed to signal Taliban and Afghan people of international commitment.
Pray about the increasing roles of Al Qaeda in terrorist activities through the Middle East and North Africa.
FOREIGN INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS
Egypt has imposed a month-long state of emergency because of violence between security forces and several pro-Morsi camps, bringing death, injury and chaos to the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian communities.
Medical aid agency Doctors Without Borders closed all its operations in war-torn Somalia after 22 years, warning of increased insecurity. So far this year, the agency has treated over 300,000 people in Somalia.
Pray about both the real and hidden costs of worldwide political instability, particularly in human tolls.
THE ECONOMY
President Obama wants to pay for high-speed internet and wi-fi service to America’s schools by raising fees on mobile-phone users, relying on the Federal Communications Commission to impose the fees, bypassing Congress.
The United States government spent $98 billion more than the revenue it took in during July, with the deficit driven by spending on healthcare programs, pensions for the elderly, and the military.
Pray as the United States still rides a bumpy road to economic recovery, and about new fees and taxes.
ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
The Israeli military shot down a rocket launched toward the Red Sea resort of Eilat, near the border with Egypt. An Al Qaeda-inspired militant group based in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula claimed responsibility for the rocket attack.
The U.S. State Department criticized Israel for approving new settlements on disputed lands even as long-stalled peace talks have resumed. The State Department urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to put the 1200-home project on hold.
Pray about the peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians and the centuries of ill-will to overcome.
HEALTH CARE
The California Supreme Court ruled that school staff without healthcare licenses can administer insulin and other prescription drugs to students. The case had the potential to serve as a national precedent.
Only 25 percent of state-employed home-health workers found guilty of abusing disabled and mentally ill patients are terminated from their positions. The majority found protection by their unions and faced loss of vacation time.
Pray for the members of society who are unable to care for themselves due to youth, age, or infirmity.
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| The Bright Spot |
Priest or Angel at Accident Scene?
Someone was there and then just disappeared
Emergency workers and community members in eastern Missouri are not sure what to make of a mystery priest who showed up at a critical accident scene Sunday morning and whose prayer seemed to change life-threatening events for the positive.
Even odder, the black-garbed priest does not appear in any of the nearly 70 photos of the scene of the accident in which a 19-year-old girl almost died. No one knows the priest and he vanished without a word, said Raymond Reed, fire chief of New London, Missouri.
"I think it‘s a miracle," Reed said. "I would say whether it was an angel that was sent to us in the form of a priest or a priest that became our angel, I don‘t know. Either way, I‘m good with it."
| Executive Prayer Focus |
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Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Shaun Donovan, HUD Secretary, has unveiled a new policy called “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing,” that will require HUD to gather data on segregation and discrimination in every single U.S. neighborhood and try to remedy it.
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| Legislative Prayer Focus |
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Nick Rahall, United States House of Representative for West Virginia
Every Democrat voted for the Senate’s immigration bill when it passed the chamber in June. That unanimous party support isn’t likely to be replicated in the House as it votes on its own immigration reform this fall. Among them is Representative Nick Rahall of West Virginia, whose grandparents legally emigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon.
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| Armed Forces Prayer Focus |
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Alicia Hinds Ward, 2013 Armed Forces Military Spouse of the Year
The schedule of a military spouse is an arduous one. Appointments, dinners, and family time are vital to maintaining normalcy despite the strain of military life. Alicia Hinds Ware, the 2013 Armed Forces Military Spouse of the Year, is another in a long line of military mothers and spouses who work a multitude of tasks, seemingly at the same time, while staying involved and focused.
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| Judicial Prayer Focus |
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Judge Milton A. Tingling Jr., New York County Supreme Court
Late last month, New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg was dealt a stinging blow when a State Supreme Court Judge quashed his plan to ban the sale of large sugary drinks in the city’s restaurants and other venues. At a news conference following the decision, Mr. Bloomberg and the city’s top lawyer said they believed the judge erred in his ruling and vowed to appeal. The decision was both lauded and criticized by city officials and others.
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| Inside Washington |
Benghazi Gate
New questions arise over terrorist attack
by Dave Ficere
The saying “It‘s not the crime, it‘s the cover-up” is said to have originated with the Watergate scandal that brought down Richard Nixon’s presidency in August, 1974. But, many of you who grew up in earlier generations would beg to differ. Your parents probably said something similar after catching you in a misdeed. The refrain went something like this: “If you misbehave you’ll be punished, but if you lie to me about it, the punishment will be far worse.”
What was true for Richard Nixon, me and perhaps you, may sadly also become a reality for President Obama as the Benghazi scandal threatens to become his legacy.
Nearly one year after the deadly attack on the U.S. embassy compound that killed four Americans, including U.S. ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, there are more questions than answers about the incident. After ridiculously blaming what it called a “spontaneous demonstration” on a YouTube video, the administration was forced to admit the incident was not only a pre-planned and well-orchestrated terrorist attack, but had nothing to do with the obscure video that had been floating around in cyberspace for several months.
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| Viewpoint |
Assault on the Second Amendment
Is the United Nations after your guns
by Jim Ray
George Orwell wrote about politicians who abuse words in “a consciously dishonest” way. “The person who uses them has his own private definition,” he said, “but allows the hearer to think he means something quite different.” Orwell wrote this in a famous 1946 essay entitled “Politics and the English Language,” and, if he were around today, he would not likely find comfort in the way things have progressed over the intervening years.
Some Americans today are worried about the meaning of the verbiage in the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, which President Obama plans to sign. The White House says the treaty is harmless to U.S. gun owners, but many Second Amendment supporters say it is a Constitution-destroying maneuver that would ultimately allow the United Nations to control your guns. Should you be alarmed?
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| Presidential Quote of the Week |
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Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), 33rd President of the United States
The peoples of the earth face the future with grave uncertainty, composed almost equally of great hopes and great fears. In this time of doubt, they look to the United States as never before for good will, strength, and wise leadership. It is fitting, therefore, that we take this occasion to proclaim to the world the essential principles of the faith by which we live, and to declare our aims to all people. The American people stand firm in the faith which has inspired this Nation from the beginning. We believe that all men have a right to equal justice under law and equal opportunity to share in the common good. We believe that all men have the right to freedom of thought and expression. We believe all men are created equal because they are created in the image of God. From this faith we will not be moved.
Second Inaugural Address, January 20, 1949
All prayer requests are made directly from our Presidential Prayer Leader. We ask you all to pray for our leaders as the scripture says.
1 Timothy 2:1-3
King James Version (KJV)
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
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