Nation Founded in Prayer By Congressman Randy Forbes May 2, 2013                      The greatness of a nation comes from its foundation. Today marks the 62nd annual observance of the National Day of Prayer, and there could be no more appropriate time than today to acknowledge the action that has most shaped our country―prayer. The foundation of America, from the Revolution to the Constitutional Convention, was steeped in prayer. When the first Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774, its first act was to ask a minister to open in prayer. As our war-tattered nation was struggling to hold fast in the wake of the fight for freedom and the members of the Constitutional Congress found themselves in a quagmire of fighting and disagreements, they turned to prayer. Benjamin Franklin called on the members to begin each meeting in prayer, famously stating, I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build the House they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel. Only after the members heeded Mr. Franklin’s advice was the world’s greatest founding document, the Constitution, born out of the ashes of war and disagreement. Presidential recognition of the vital role of prayer in the continuance of our freedoms has a strong pedigree. As our nation was on the verge of splitting in half in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed a national day of prayer, that “the united cry of the nation will be heard on high and answered with blessings no less than the pardon of our national sins and the restoration of our now divided and suffering country to its former happy condition of unity and peace.” On the eve of D-Day in 1944 as General Eisenhower and his troops carried out the perilous invasion of Normandy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt led the nation in prayer. Since the inauguration of President Washington in 1789, there have been well over two hundred fifty Presidential calls to prayer. The first National Day of Prayer as we now know it was passed by Congress on April 17, 1952, and called for the President to “set aside and proclaim a suitable day each year . . . on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.” On May 9, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the current version of the law, calling on the President to issue a proclamation each year designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer. Today, we stand at another critical moment in our nation’s history. We must decide whether we will continue to honor the principles on which our nation was founded, or allow our religious freedoms to be squelched in the wake of a cultural shift that champions equality and tolerance, even as it continues to silence the voice of faith everywhere except the most private of places. On this National Day of Prayer, let us continue to build on the foundation laid for us in faith by our Founding Fathers and join together today in prayer for our leaders, for our communities, and for our spiritual welfare. Let us stand up and defend our heritage, so that all who follow in our footsteps will find we were faithful to the God who blessed our nation because it was founded in prayer.

Liberty Counsel Successfully Defends National Day of Prayer Event

Liberty Counsel
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT - 800-671-1776 or Media@LC.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 2013           www.LC.org

North Miami, FL – The City Council of North Miami ignored the threatening, inaccurate letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation in favor of Mission Miami and local pastors after a letter from Liberty Counsel. The City of North Miami loans its sound truck, event staff, and certain public property to local nonprofits free of charge. By an initial vote of 4-1, the North Miami City Council approved the same for Mission Miami’s National Day of Prayer event, but the action item was put back on the agenda after the dissenting councilman said that taxpayer dollars should not be funding religion, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote a letter urging the city to reverse its decision. Liberty Counsel intervened, and North Miami’s National Day of Prayer event remains on schedule after a 3-2 vote. While the city need not provide city property for use by nonprofits, once it does, it creates a “forum” for purposes of the First Amendment. Once government opens property in this manner for use by the public, it cannot discriminate on the basis of viewpoint. Requiring Impact Miami to pay a fee for use of city property simply because it espouses a religious position constitutes viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment. The city “has no legitimate concerns that it may be violating the Establishment Clause by allowing Impact Miami to engage in private religious speech, even where it is in relation to the National Day of Prayer and on public property,” Liberty Counsel told the city council. The Supreme Court ruled in Capitol Square Review and Advisory Bd. v. Pinette that “private religious speech, far from being a First Amendment orphan, is as fully protected under the Free Speech Clause as secular private expression.” The Supreme Court has been very clear that government may not exclude individuals or groups from public property or a government-created limited public forum simply because the speakers are religious or because they wish to communicate a religious message.   “On May 2, thousands of National Day of Prayer Events will take place across America, despite the best efforts of atheist groups to remove God from the public square,” Staver said. Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.

'Let Us Go On' by Annie Johnson Flint

Let Us Go On

 

Some of us stay at the cross,

Some of us wait at the tomb,

Quickeded and raised together with Christ,

Yet lingering still in its gloom.

Some of us bide at the passover feast

With Pentecost all unknown--

The triumps of grace in the heavenly place

That our Lord has made our own.

 

If the Christ who died had stopped at the cross

His work had been incomplete,

If the Christ who was buried had stayed in the tomb

He had only known defeat;

But the Way of the Cross never stops at the Cross,

And the Way of the Tomb leads on

To victorious grace in the heavenly place

Where the risen Lord has gone.

 

So, let us go on with our Lord

To the fulness of God He has brought,

Unsearchable riches of glory and good

Exceeding our uttermost thought;

Let us grow up into Christ,

Claiming His life and its powers,--

The triumps of grace in the heavenly place

That our conquering Lord has made ours.

 

 

 

Resurrected!, click here.  That He alone is the way and the key to salvation
And is remembered above all during Easter's celebration.

 

Seven Finest Easter Classics, plus animated favorites, click here.

 

 



Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signs bill for student-led school prayer

Gov. Phil Bryant of Mississippi signed Senate Bill 2633 last week.

The new law says all Mississippi school districts must allow students to talk about their faith in the classroom and organize school Bible clubs, as well as pray at football games, graduation ceremonies, and during morning announcement.

The policy must include a disclaimer that such student speech "does not reflect the endorsement, sponsorship, position or expression of the district."

Bryant stated, "We believe that we're on firm ground here with our opportunity for religious expression in a limited forum within public schools. That does not mean that they won't file a lawsuit, and we'll see how that comes out for us."

Bear Atwood, representing ACLU of Mississippi, told The Associated Press that she thinks the law "has serious constitutional issues."

In response to any legal objections, Bryant answered, "If we've got to spend taxpayers' money, I think we would be honored to spend it in defending religious freedoms for the people of the state of Mississippi."

The Rev. David D. Tipton Jr., superintendent for the Mississippi District of the United Pentecostal Church, explained there are barriers to religious expression in public schools.

"We have listened to the argument of the separation of church and state too long, and those barriers, I believe, is a facade with a certain agenda that has actually I think brought our nation to the peril that it is in. So, yes, there are barriers there that a person or a child is afraid to speak anything related to God or Jesus because of lawsuits and things like that. So I think this piece of legislation will be a positive thing for the state of Mississippi."

See original article, click here.

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

-- John Adams

 

"While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian."

-- George Washington 

In New Jersey, Muslim man accused of beheading two Coptic Christians

Yusuf Ibrahim, 28. was taken into custody after remains of two dead men were found.  Bodies were buried in one grave, heads and hands in separate graves.
The victims were from the Coptic Christian community in the area.

If guilty of this horror, was Ibrahim simply obeying his religion of Islam?

"When thy Lord was revealing to the angels, "I am with you; so confirm the believers.  I shall cast into the unbelievers' hearts terror; so smite above the necks, and smite every finger of them!" -- Quran 8:12


He (Ibrahim) was found driving the white Mercedes Benz that belonged to one of the victims.

See: MUSLIM ACCUSED OF BEHEADING TWO CHRISTIANS IN NEW JERSEY


Decapitations called solution for criticism of Islam
Atlas Shrugged  "Prominent Muslims urge beheading Westerners, putting Their decapitated heads On Display To Silence Attempts To Mock Prophet Muhammad"

CAIR successful in stifling speech at West Point
Sharia law imposed by judge to an unwilling group in an American court 
Florida church's planned Koran-burning ceremony--Unnecessary provocation or brave confrontation?


What is What is I HATE ISLAM BLOG?

January 20, 2013, designated as a 'Day of Prayer'

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

 

 

 

Please read this letter written by Governor Mike Huckabee.

Dear Friend,

The elections have ended and although many of us may have desired a different outcome, we cannot change what has happened. However, we can in common cause come together to help heal the deep divisions which threaten the greatness of our nation and the freedoms we hold so dear.

 

Today I ask you, as a faith leader within your community, to commit to joining me on January 20th for A DAY TO PRAY, a nationwide event to begin the healing of our country.

 

A DAY TO PRAY isn’t partisan or political, but is a spiritual event where believers from all faiths and walks of life will join together to pray for our selves, our families, our leaders, and our country.

 

As we have done in the past, let us bring together our friends, our families, and everyone we can reach using our own networks and platforms to advance A DAY TO PRAY and start a healing in this land.

 

A Facebook event has been created at www.ADaytoPray.com for every believer to RSVP for the event and commit to joining us for a national online Prayer Service.

 

I hope you will join me and use the website, your Twitter account, Facebook page, pulpit, or the printed word to share this simple message with your friends, family, and followers:

 

Let us stand together with one voice to determine the future of our ONE NATION UNDER GOD.

 

Friends, let's make this viral. Make it your own platform—not mine. Please share with your personal networks of friends and family. It is important that we show our unity in this effort so that we will not be dismissed as only a few. We will be heard by Almighty God and he will answer our prayers as He has promised, and we will see a revival in our land.

 

RSVP on Facebook at www.aDaytoPray.com and direct your friends, families and followers there to RSVP.

 

When you post your messages, please share them with us. We will promote your organizations on the event’s Facebook wall, so that everyone can see who is involved and support them as well.
 

Let me close by sharing one of my favorite quotes, "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go."

Abraham Lincoln said this at a time of great tumult for our nation. While our challenges are different today, receiving God’s forgiveness and wisdom are just as important to the future of our nation.

Sincerely,

Mike Huckabee

Rick Perry recommends America turn to God in prayer, click here.