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America’s
Declining Religious Freedom
Watch... God
may just intervene!
by By Nikolas Grosfield
“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? It must
spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our
lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen,
we must live through all time, or die by suicide”
Abraham Lincoln spoke these provocative words in Springfield, Illinois in
1838 long before becoming president.
Nearly two centuries later, one research organization found in a survey
that 70 percent of Protestant senior pastors consider religious liberty to
be “on the decline in America.” In the same poll, more than half of
Americans in general agreed with the same statement. Do you?
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Thomas J. Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture
The Department of Agriculture announced last week that it will spend
millions of dollars to help farmers and ranchers improve pastures in five
Midwestern states to provide food for the nation’s struggling honeybees.
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Sheldon Whitehouse, United States Senator from Rhode Island
It’s personal, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said. The impact of climate
change on homes in the Rhode Islander’s state gives his fight increasing
urgency. “When I see little summer cottages washed into the sea when a
winter storm comes, that makes it a bit personal,” Whitehouse said in a
recent interview. “And when we can’t take action on something of this
magnitude, that is a disgraceful moment in our history.”
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General Martin E. Dempsey, U.S. Army, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Army General Martin E. Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, arrived in Afghanistan at the end of February as the White House
announced that in the absence of a signed post-2014 bilateral security
agreement, President Obama had directed the Pentagon to assure that it has
adequate plans in place to accomplish an orderly withdrawal should the
United States not keep any troops in the country beyond the end of the
year. Dempsey told reporters traveling with him that he recommended the
U.S. military begin the planning process.
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Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme
Court
The Supreme Court’s swing vote last week voiced skepticism of a key
plank in the Obama Administration’s efforts to limit greenhouse gas
emissions. Justice Anthony Kennedy suggested he believed the Environmental
Protection Agency overstepped its bounds in the way it is requiring
greenhouse gases be regulated under permits for power plants, factories and
other “stationary” sources.
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Military
Cutbacks: Wisdom Or Foolishness?
Look at both
sides before you decide
by Dr. Tom Askew
In a way, it was predictable that following hard on the heels of budget
deadlocks, government shut-downs, sequestrations, and talk show rantings
about funding cuts to military veterans, there would be another round of
bad news soon. Or was it?
The recent announcement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel that there will
be a systematic reduction in forces in the U.S. military over the next
several years was greeted by both shrieks and applause. Before looking at
the cheers and boos in detail, here’s a more or less balanced statement of
the proposed effects:
• Reduction of Army personnel from roughly 540,000 to about 440,000 (about
20 per cent)
• An increase in health insurance benefits for military retirees balanced
against a reduction in tax-free housing allowances for the same group
• Retirement of the U-2 spy plane in favor of the remotely powered Global
Hawk
• Complete elimination of the Air Force A-10 attack aircraft
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President Obama this
week will seek to force American businesses to pay more overtime to millions
of workers, the latest move by his administration to confront corporations
that have had soaring profits even as wages have stagnated.
Republican David Jolly
narrowly defeated Democrat Alex Sink in the special election for Florida’s
13th District on Tuesday in an unusually expensive race watched closely by
both parties as the midterm election season kicks into high gear.
"Security" is
tightening around Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula ahead of Sunday’s referendum on
whether to join Russia or become an independent state.
Dr. Vivek Hallegere
Murthy has been tapped to lead the charge when it comes to promoting public
health with the full weight of the federal government behind him.
West Virginia Sen. Joe
Manchin is "supportive" of a West Virginia bill banning abortions
after 20 weeks and is considering backing a similar federal ban in the
Senate.
International police
authorities said on Tuesday that two Iranians known to have used stolen
passports to board the Malaysia Airlines jet that disappeared on Saturday
were unlikely to be linked to terrorist groups, echoing an assessment by the
Malaysian police that one of them was a 19-year-old Iranian who wanted to
migrate to Germany.
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 (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;
Contact
Evangelist Waters:
Follow
my Bible Study Blog:
Follow
the Weekly Prayer Blog:
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President Obama urged Russia to stop “meddling” in Ukraine and
withdraw its troops from Crimea, but a defiant Putin said sanctions
threatened by the West won’t prevent him from defending his country’s
interests.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power accused Russia of an act of
aggression, not a humanitarian mission, saying that Russia responded to an
imaginary threat and wanted to retain its dominant influence there.
Pray for
President Obama, Secretary Kerry, Ambassador Power and all who are dealing
with the Ukraine issues.
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Representative Darrell Issa (California) angrily adjourned a
divisive House Oversight hearing Wednesday, after IRS official Lois
Lerner pleaded the Fifth Amendment. The Committee will consider
contempt charges, he said.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (California) said she would not
be able to get the needed signatures for a procedural tactic to force a
vote on immigration reform, saying she will decide how to proceed in a few
more days.
Pray for
members of the House and Senate to find a way of working together even
during the election year.
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A federal appeals court has ruled that BP must stick to its agreement and
pay some Gulf Coast businesses for economic damage without having to prove
it was caused by the massive oil spill of 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico.
The U.S. Supreme Court significantly expanded legal protection for
corporate whistleblowers, making it clear for the first time that thousands
of mutual fund workers cannot be retaliated against for reporting fraud.
Pray for
wisdom for the nation’s judges as they deal with issues involving foreign
and domestic companies.
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THE WARS
Afghan
President Hamid Karzai said he is deeply troubled by both Afghan and U.S.
casualties in the war, but he felt betrayed by an insufficient U.S. focus
on targeting the Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan, instead pursuing al
Qaeda.
Two Los Angeles gang members have appeared armed and dangerous and fighting
with Hezbollah forces for Syrian President Assad. One is Armenian, the
other Latino, and it is unclear if they are American citizens.
Pray about
the scourge of terrorism, whether from radical Islamists or hired
mercenaries.
TERRORISM
The European
Union pledged $15 billion in aid to Ukraine while top Western diplomats
sought ways to defuse tensions over the Russian military takeover of the
strategic Crimean Peninsula. The U.S. prepared to give $1 billion in aid.
A monthly bulletin by the International Crisis Group addressed current and
potential conflicts around the world, with focus on armed clashes between
Azerbaijan and Armenia, and terror groups attacking ships in the Suez
Canal.
Pray for the
Undersecretaries in the State Department as they keep watch on conflicts
around the globe.
THE ECONOMY
U.S. private
employers added fewer workers than expected in February and service sector
growth slowed, the latest signs that severe weather continues to be a drag
on the national economy.
Some long-term employment issues are on the horizon, like baby boomers
retiring from the work force. Some analysts predict losing those employees
will hurt the economy’s ability to grow.
Pray that for
tens of millions who continue to be unemployed, although the recession
officially ended 4-1/2 years ago.
ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Israel’s
military says it has intercepted and seized a shipment of advanced weapons
from Iran that were being sent to terror groups in the Gaza, including
long-range missiles capable of reaching any site within Israel.
Prime Minister Netanyahu placed the onus for peace on the Palestinians to
recognize Israel as a Jewish state – something they have long balked at.
“It is time for the Palestinians to stop denying history,” he said.
Pray for
God’s hand of protection upon the nation and people of Israel.
HEALTH CARE
The White
House has announced another delay in the nationwide implementation of
ObamaCare, allowing insurers to continue offering health insurance plans
that do not meet the minimum criteria of the Affordable Care Act – for now.
A Christian healthcare sharing program that has been around for 20 years
has exploded since the launch of ObamaCare. Believers who are living
‘God-honoring lifestyles’ are permitted to apply to the plan.
Pray about
the gamesmanship allegedly being played with ObamaCare to benefit one
political party over another.
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Pro-Life Or
Pro-Choice
Abortion
battle rises as 2014 election issue
by Bill Noles
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I
consecrated you.
– Jeremiah 1:5
As midterm elections loom on the horizon, one of the leading issues this
year will be reproductive health laws. With abortion nearing the top of the
list, parties on both sides will concentrate their efforts to sway voters.
Democrats, aware of how potent the subject has been in recent campaigns are
looking to rally female voters by portraying their conservative opponents
as insensitive on women’s issues.
“Republicans have turned the floor of the House into the battleground for
their relentless war on women’s health care and freedoms,” said
Representative Steve Israel of New York, the chairman of the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee. “Every time they launch another extreme
attack against women’s rights, they lose more ground with women voters.
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Chuck Colson
Legacy
Congress
Establishes Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections
When Congress
passed its omnibus spending bill in January, it included funding for a
prison reform task force named after the late Prison Fellowship founder and
best-selling evangelical author, Charles “Chuck” Colson.
The spending bill for fiscal year 2014, provides $1 million to establish
the “Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections.”
"Chuck Colson‘s vision of a criminal justice system centered on
accountability and redemption has had a lasting impact on those in Congress
of both parties," said Craig DeRoche, president of Justice Fellowship.
"The Charles Colson Task Force is an important first step in the
discussion on how to reform criminal justice beyond the catchy sound bites
and overused sports metaphors that have permeated the dialogue in recent
years."
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