Truth of the Matter - Stan M. Yonashiro

"#3296 (6/13) "Politics Makes A Lousy Worldview""

2021-06-13T05:12:00.005-07:00

ATTENTION: SCROLL DOWN to get TODAY'S entitled in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. PLEASE be sure to note the various PRAYER REQUESTS listed BEFORE and AFTER the posted article. (NOTE each day's DAILY prayer requests for the persecuted church.)

Questions for President Biden:

PRAYER ALERT

URGENT: Pray for the effective distribution of the COVID vaccines to all Americans.

Pray for the healing of all infected with the virus throughout the US and the world.

*Pray for U.S. Pastor David Lin in China (see "Something Serious Is Happening In That Dark Place" - Tony Perkins, Washington Watch, April 09, 2019; https://www.frc.org/updatearticle/20190409/something-serious)

*Pray for Leah Sharibu is a courageous Nigerian Christian teen girl held captive by Boko Haram. The Islamic militia is threatening to kill or enslave her because she won't renounce Jesus Christ. Pray that the UN will intervene in her release. [2/13/19 – This day marked ONE YEAR since her kidnapping.

ATTENTION!

PERSONAL UPDATE: 6/12 - For several months now, I've had computer problems but even more have been dealing with a lot of physical and emotional exhaustion. I will try to post something an this blog from time to time but it will probably not be EVERY day as it had for a long while now. But I do encourage you to check it at any time to see if there has been a recent post. Thanks for understanding and esp. for your prayers. P.S. - I look forward to hearing from YOU to update me on how you are doing; I would REALLY appreciate that! - Stan

From the Presidential Prayer Team:https://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/daily-prayer-

JUNE 13 -**For God to be at work through the meeting between the president and Queen Elizabeth today.

*For the president to seek God’s wisdom as he works with world leaders to address global issues.

*For God’s hand to be on the president as he represents the United States while abroad.

DECLARATION FOR LIFE: Please be sure to sign this at: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life

BE Prepared TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ABORTION

(...because ALL Babies Matter! - http://www.lifenews.com/2017/03/01/why-do-unborn-babies-matter-just-because-they-are/ : Go to: LIFE Training Institute - http://prolifetraining.com/resources/five-minute-11/

Be Prepared TO ENGAGE WITH THE PC CULTURE:Go to:"Tactics" -

http://townhall.com/columnists/mikeadams/2016/04/29/tactics-n2154983
"Don't Argue the Exceptions - Beating Bad Arguments For Abortion and Transgenderism" - by John Stonestreet,

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"POLILTICS MAKES A LOUSY WORLDVIEW" - John Stonestreet and Maria Baer, Breakpoint.org, 06/10/21; Politics Makes a Lousy Worldview - BreakPoint

Politics makes a terrible substitute for a complete, thoughtful worldview. “God has filled his world full of pleasures,” wrote C. S. Lewis in The Screwtape Letters. There are things for humans to do all day long without His minding in the least. Sleeping, walking, eating and drinking. It’s only when these things are twisted, Lewis argues, that they become sinful.

Now, there used to be many things we could do all day long without other people minding in the least: eating fast food chicken for example, flying an American flag from your porch, rooting for a particular professional sports team or athlete, watching a certain TV network, or watching the other certain TV network. Today all of these things are politically loaded, as is so much of life in a culture that pretends that we can’t know any real answers absolutely. To the deep, ultimate questions of life, we’re still a culture searching for the answers.

Of course, we’re a people in need of answers. Instead of finding them in the Church or in something transcendent, our culture looks largely elsewhere. More and more we choose to find our answers in politics. I define politics here as more than just the process by which we decide how to govern. The way we understand politics today is more like a game, complete with teams—good guys, bad guys, opponents, fandom, celebrities. All of this is a problem. Politics isn’t big enough to answer the questions that we’re expecting it to solve.

For starters, politics certainly doesn’t tell us the truth about real people. It’s common now to think that, based on who a person voted for, we know everything we need to know about them. And making the problem even worse is what we do with the assumptions we make about people based on who they voted for. It’s common now to treat another person’s politics as grounds for our acceptance and love for them, or to excuse, or dismiss, or deny their personhood — or even hate them.

Just a few weeks ago, a New York Times opinion writer argued that violent anti-Semitic attacks in the U. S. and abroad were problematic, not because people were being attacked, but because those attacks made it more politically difficult to criticize Israel. In this view, the victims of those attacks were pawns, not people.

Just a few days after that, I shared a commentary on BreakPoint from my friend Gerald McDermott about President Biden’s speech impediment. We received many positive comments about the commentary, but we also received many, many negative ones from listeners asserting that we shouldn’t give any cover whatsoever for Biden in any form, that Biden’s politics somehow excuses us from having to treat him with dignity and compassion. In this, too, he became a pawn, not a person.

We have to remember that a person with the right politics doesn’t have any more human dignity or deserve our love any more than someone with the wrong politics. Our politics don’t determine who we are. It’s that we’re made in the image and likeness of God. Our politics aren’t what makes us human. It’s who we were created to be that does.

And of course, our politics don’t tell us the full truth about ideas. Right now our government and public health experts around the world are trying to decide whether COVID-19 first leaked from a lab in China. That theory has been proposed all along—as early as last spring. But it was categorically dismissed by most of the world’s media; not based on any information, not based on any investigation, not based on any facts, but simply because President Trump said that it might be true. Because of his politics, that was treated as proof that it wasn’t true. And if we’re being fair, many others thought that because President Trump said it, that was proof that it was true.

It is culturally and personally dangerous to either unquestioningly accept or dismiss ideas merely because of their political context. Politics doesn’t determine reality. And of course, politics can’t tell us the whole truth about the world either. This should be perfectly obvious.

Politics are powerfully shaped by cultural taste. What was politically unthinkable ten years ago — for example giving sterilizing cross-sex hormones to a pre-teen — is nearly politically unquestionable today. In other words, politics is just as trendy as fashion can be. It’s certainly not any rock on which we can build our worldview or our ethics.

Politics first and foremost is merely a process. It’s a way to do things. It cannot give us the purpose of life. Our political views don’t make us human so they shouldn’t be the basis of determining who we are willing to “do life with” or are willing to forgive, or willing to learn from, or are willing to love. Having the right politics isn’t the fullness of our calling as followers of Jesus any more than having the wrong politics is eternal condemnation.

Our politics today is merely a show, a reality show that doesn’t give us the reality about us, or about the world. And let’s be honest, the show is getting embarrassing. On the other hand, the way of Jesus is abundant life, and it’s not single-pixel, one-dimensional, or fake.

[italics and colored emphasis mine]

RESOURCES:

C.S. Lewis – Screwtape Letters - The Screwtape Letters: C.S. Lewis: 9780060652937 - Colson Center with Christianbook.com

"The Point on New York Times Piece on Anti-Semitism" - “Political Opponents” or Human Beings? - BreakPoint

"BreakPoint on President Biden’s Stutter "– Gerald McDermott - President Biden's Stutter and the Image of God - BreakPoint

PRAYER MATTERS:

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against
the disorder of the world. - Karl Barth

"Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer."- Stan

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“INTERCESSORS ARE THE RUDDER” – A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT - Wanda Alger, June 28th, 2017; https://www.getamericapraying.com/blog/I was recently given a word by my good friend, Bill Yount. His word greatly encouraged me as an intercessor. Working for Intercessors for America, I soon realized it was not just a word for me, but for all who have been praying for our nation, wondering if their prayers are truly making any difference. Bill told me, “I kept seeing you as a small rudder on a huge ship. Hidden, but giving guidance. Although it seemed slow it was turning the whole ship. Patience was needed to see the impact of your…ministry. I sense the Lord saying, ‘Don’t jump ship! I’ve made you the rudder!’ ” I was immediately touched in my spirit by this encouragement, knowing that our seemingly small place in prayer was having a great impact.

James 3:4 talks about the power of a small rudder to steer a large ship. In this scripture about the power of our tongue, consider the power of prophetic intercession! In the Forerunner Commentary on this verse we read, “…rudders manipulate the course of immense ocean vessels with a slight movement of a pilot’s hand. Since it is underwater and aft, the rudder of a ship does its work UNSEEN. A passenger is ignorant of its movements most of the time. Yet, when it is in proper working order, the rudder holds more power over the ship than the wind. The wind will blow, toss, even destroy the ship’s rigging, but the rudder guides the ship exactly where it directs.”

This is God’s promise to the intercessors in this hour of national turbulence. Don’t stop praying! Your prayers have great power to turn the ship! Continue praying, interceding, and discerning the workings and movements of the Holy Spirit, being faithful to God’s commands. As we come together to declare God’s faithfulness, this nation will, once again, head in the direction that God intends. Don’t give up and don’t give in. Regardless of the winds of adversity and the fires of the enemy, God’s people have a power that cannot be matched. Let us join in faith and continue to pray and speak of God’s faithfulness in order to bring God’s people and this nation into the fullness of God’s plans. Note this additional encouragement from God’s word:

Colossians 2:15 – “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (ESV).

Psalm 33:8-11 – “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Wanda Alger, IFA Field Correspondent

PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14) Short of that, we should not be saying "God Bless America"but instead "God be merciful towards America!"

PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS: 1) Pray for President Trump and his advisers, that they would select Godly leaders at the federal level who will be accountable to do an excellent job (or be fired!) ; that he would seek God's wisdom and be enabled to lead our country effectively in the years ahead; and 2) Pray our leaders at every level of government will Spirit-filled, leading us with Godly wisdom and integrity; that they will only pass legislation and enact policies that will benefit Americans today as well as future generations and NOT do any lasting harm.

SUPREME COURT: PRAY that the justices will only hand down decisions that are Constitutionally sound and in the best interests of our country now and for future generations.

World-Wide Prayer Requests:

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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

A Life-Giving Message. Despite the coronavirus global pandemic and border closings, Open Doors has continued our critical radio ministry in North Korea. As sermons, Christian stories, testimonies and praise songs are broadcast, underground believers regularly receive Christian lessons and encouragement. They hide in secret places and listen to the radio programs. Sometimes they take turns listening and then share what they’ve heard and learned with their fellow underground Christians.

June 13 - Thank God that His Word does not return void (Isa. 55:11), and pray that secret believers will be fortified and lifted up by what they hear

*Representative name or photo used to protect identity.

STANDING STRONG THROUGH THE STORM - OpenDoorsUSA.org

At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.- 2 Tim. 4:16

SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO SUFFER

The Apostle Paul knew exactly what it was like to be alone, to be deserted by all who called themselves “brothers” and “sisters.” A former colleague who has done considerable travel among the persecuted says, “It is hard to believe that Christians are the largest persecuted group in the world today. But it is even more difficult to believe that this is so seldom mentioned in our gatherings and church services. More Christians know the names of their favorite actors than their fellow believers who are in prison.”

He continues, “With every trip something in my heart breaks as I hear the echoes of suffering:

I remember the echoes of an Egyptian mother as she shared how her young boy was stuck in a haystack because she refused to deny Jesus.

I remember the sounds of weeping as fellow students in Indonesia shared how Sariman, their co-student, was hacked to death.

I remember the cries of anguish as we walked from church to church that was burned to the ground on the island of Lombok.

I remember the tears of Rebecca in Iran as she showed the picture of her father who was stabbed to death for sharing the gospel.

I remember the voice of Pastor Daniel in Vietnam as he shared how he was chained to the ground for six months.

I remember the fear of Grace from Sudan as she shared how her church was attacked and her friend was shot through the head.

Oh, I remember the cries of Caleb in Eritrea as he shared with tears how two dear friends were executed in front of him because of their faith.

And I remember the tears of Joy in the southern Philippines as she shared how her fiancé was shot to death in their church in Mindanao.

But, most all, I remember the deafening sounds of silence every time I return home.

RESPONSE

How can I be silent today? How can I not speak on behalf of those who suffer?

#3295 (6/12) "Goodbye To My Brother - For Now"

2021-06-12T06:41:00.004-07:00

"GOODBYE TO MY BROTHER - FOR NOW" - David Limbaugh: Apr 09, 2021; Goodbye to My Brother -- for Now by David Limbaugh (townhall.com) [AS I SEE IT: Like our former president Donald Trump, I believe that Rush Limbaugh will go down as one of the most misunderstood and most maligned public figures in American history. It's still hard to believe this brilliant mind is now silenced but, as his younger brother states at the end of this article, it is SO good to know somehow we might get to meet him in Heaven as a fellow believer. - Stan]

Source: AP Photo/Photo courtesy of Rush Limbaugh

Losing Rush has been tough. Until a few very long weeks ago, he was always in my life. Like other siblings growing up in the same home, we shared experiences that were exclusive to us. Our parents instilled in us -- and we thoroughly absorbed -- their Christian values: their love of God; their unconditional love for each other and for us; their belief in moral absolutes, of truth, of right and wrong; the paramount importance of family; the critical necessity of personal character and integrity; the value of human life; and the uncompromising duty to treat others with respect and compassion. No one perfectly succeeds in living out these godly values, but our parents equipped us, lovingly disciplined us and guided us.

Though Rush is now known to the world as a consummate talker, what is not widely known is that he didn't start that way. He was first a listener -- an information sponge, quietly inhaling knowledge at the feet of our dad.

Rush was initially unassuming, respectful and focused, as if dedicating the first part of his life to acquiring the building blocks that would later serve him and the millions he was to touch when he would grow to full intellectual and professional maturity.

From an early age, Rush was an avid reader, and he devoured the set of children's classics our dad provided and encouraged us to read, accumulating a knowledge of life, human trials and tribulations, and the way the world works.

Like our World War II fighter pilot dad, Rush loved aviation, even as a young kid. I lament that our dad didn't live to fly on the various jets Rush purchased by using the very knowledge and skills he acquired from him and our mom.

We loved baseball, and Rush was good at it. He had home-run power and became a good pitcher, not through an abundance of natural talent but by teaching himself how to throw curve balls, sliders and even knuckleballs, which he tried to teach me.

Almost everyone in our hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, was a St. Louis Cardinals fan. But in a foreshadowing of his mischievous independence, Rush was a superfan of the Los Angeles Dodgers and in particular their shortstop, base-stealing phenom Maury Wills. Rush was obsessed with Wills' base-stealing acumen and wanted to emulate it. He was intrigued that Wills could reach full speed on his second step down the baseline, and Rush diligently worked on developing that for himself. We didn't go on many vacations as kids, but we went to a lot of baseball games in St. Louis and almost always when the Dodgers were in St. Louis for a series. Rush was so enamored with Wills that he wrote him a letter requesting an autographed picture, which I remembered when I serendipitously found the picture in my house during this last, very difficult year.

Rush practiced his skills as a broadcaster while turning down the volume on the television as we watched baseball games so he could call the games himself. Later, our parents gave him a Remco Caravelle, a toy that enabled him to broadcast on the actual radio airwaves within our home. Our mom and I logged many hours listening to his first days as a disc jockey and sports announcer.

Let's now fast-forward to his time in his adopted hometown of Sacramento, California, in the late '80s. He mainly loved that city because it was where he came into his own as a broadcast professional after so many fits and starts, simply because he found a program director with the wisdom and courage to let Rush be Rush.

I was struck by how much he brought our parents to life in the practice of his art -- exhibiting their qualities, talents and values. Rush was blessed with the best of both. He was Rush and Millie writ large. Our mother was a comic, a singer, a natural ham and an entertainer; our dad was unusually brilliant, the small college national debate champion, a lawyer's lawyer and the guy who would hold court in our living room to the fascination of our friends. But he never had the national platform that Rush would carve out for himself. Rush did our parents proud in a way that is indescribably gratifying to me.

As few others do, Rush lived life his way, and the world is immensely better because of his contributions. He was the tip of the spear from day one and took tidal waves of abuse from hateful leftists who devoted their lives to destroying him -- and they failed. Rush was responsible not for the development of modern conservatism but for its explosion into the mainstream of American life. He paved the path for so many other great conservatives. The nation -- and all of us -- owe him deeply for this. He single-handedly resurrected AM talk radio.

Rush particularly inspired me to be the best I could be in both my law practice and my writing career. He entrusted me to handle his entertainment contracts and encouraged me to write columns and books. He pushed me to excel in both professions.

Rush was loving and unfailingly generous -- the best brother, the best brother-in-law, the best uncle and the best cousin we could have had. In the weeks following his death, I have felt a deep and profound loss. We were in constant communication, supporting each other to the end. Every day since he died, I steadily find myself wanting to share something with him and instantly realize I can't and will not be able to again until we meet in heaven. That hurts.

But I thank God for Rush's faith in Jesus Christ and for receiving him into a much better place, one with no more death, mourning, crying or pain.

One of the last things I said to Rush when he was still conscious and able to interact was, "I love you." He looked at me and replied: "I love you, too. Big time."

Goodbye, big brother. Thank you for being you and for being there for me all your life. I am so, so grateful for you -- and may God bless you forever and hold you in His loving arms.

[italics and colored emphasis mine]

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PRAYER MATTERS:

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against
the disorder of the world. - Karl Barth

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World-Wide Prayer Requests:

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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

June 12: Pray for the reach and quality of radio frequencies—that more listeners will be able to clearly hear each word of each message.

*Representative name or photo used to protect identity.

#3294 (6/2) "Biden's Brutal Budget for the Unborn"

2021-06-02T14:59:00.000-07:00

Questions for Our President:

PRAYER ALERT

URGENT: Pray for the effective distribution of the COVID vaccines to all Americans.

Pray for the healing of all infected with the virus throughout the US and the world.

ATTENTION!

PERSONAL UPDATE: 4/25 - Note my latest entry in the JOURNAL section on the right side of this page.

From the Presidential Prayer Team:https://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/daily-prayer-

JUNE 2 -* For God to be at work through the negotiation efforts today on the "infrastructure" bill.

*For God to use both the president and Congress to accomplish His will for the nation.

DECLARATION FOR LIFE: Please be sure to sign this at: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life

BE Prepared TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ABORTION

Be Prepared TO ENGAGE WITH THE PC CULTURE:Go to:"Tactics" -

http://townhall.com/columnists/mikeadams/2016/04/29/tactics-n2154983
"Don't Argue the Exceptions - Beating Bad Arguments For Abortion and Transgenderism" - by John Stonestreet, Breakpoint.org, May 25, 2017;

http://breakpoint.org/2017/05/breakpoint-dont-argue-exceptions/

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"BIDEN'S BRUTAL BUDGET FOR THE UNBORN" - Tony Perkins, FRC, May 28, 2021, Biden's Brutal Budget for the Unborn (frc.org)

Joe Biden got a lot of exercise during the 2020 campaign sprinting to the Left. He turned himself inside-out to prove his radical cred to everyone from Planned Parenthood to Squad socialists. But his biggest surprise, at least after 40 years of saying otherwise, was his flip on taxpayer-funded abortion. Pushed and prodded by reporters and activists, the self-professed Catholic finally took a question on the Hyde amendment that sealed the deal with his party's extremists. Asked by a liberal voter about the wall between taxpayer dollars and abortion, Biden replied: "It can't stay." Two years later, the test of whether he meant it has finally come. And the answer is: he does.

When Biden released his first budget proposal this week -- a $6 trillion boondoggle of every Leftish wish under the sun -- there was one thing noticeably absent. For the first time since 1976, a president presented a budget that didn't protect the American people from paying for them. To the liberal media establishment, it was the clearest sign yet that Biden has come full circle. "A budget blueprint that omits the Hyde amendment and other anti-abortion provisions could be Biden's strongest statement yet..." Politico agreed.

Of course, Joe Biden didn't exactly need to prove his radical bona fides. He's already made more pools of government money available for abortion spending than any president -- including Barack Obama. Whether taxpayers realize it or not, this administration has opened up $479,905,584,775 dollars to the killing of innocent unborn children, almost 20 times what Obama allowed. In just four months, FRC's Connor Semelsberger points out, Biden is poised to do more damage in one term than Obama did in eight years!

Until Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016, the idea of forcing open Americans' wallets and ordering them to pay for the destruction of life was never really a question. Bill Clinton called for it in 1993 but never succeeded. The Hyde amendment's history, as Biden's pre-presidential run showed, was a story of bipartisan consensus. Even radical Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) admitted, "This is one of those things where it's hard to change people's minds. I don't think we're quite there yet."

And she's not just talking about her own more moderate colleagues. The American people are solidly against the idea -- and have been since pollsters started asking. Just this past January, the Marist organization found Democrats may have staked out new ground on the issue -- but voters haven't followed. Almost 60 percent of Americans don't want their money financing abortion, including 31 percent of Democrats and 65 percent of Independents). As even liberal outlets like Slate have been trying to warn Biden's party, this idea isn't as nearly popular as Democrats think. On the legality of abortion, it's a smorgasbord of opinions. "But on the question of direct payments, most voters agree with the GOP. If Democrats make that question a litmus test," Slate's William Saletan says, "they'll regret it."

Of course, the Democratic Party has never really let public opinion (or human dignity) get in the way of their radical agenda. As we speak, Democrats in Congress aren't waiting for Biden's budget proposal to move forward with this disastrous 180-degree turn. Leftists like Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who just took over the House Appropriations Committee, have already started the drumbeat to kick the four decades-old Hyde to the curb. Her party got a good start with the $1.9 trillion dollar COVID relief bill this March, which -- despite three Democratic senators joining the GOP -- fell a handful of votes shy of protecting the unborn in every area of the proposal's funding.

It's a dramatic contrast to the states, where legislatures are moving just as fast to tighten up pro-life laws and pass new abortion limits. In the last handful of months, at least four states -- Idaho, Arkansas, Montana, and Oklahoma -- took a bite out of the abortion industry's budget, defunding groups like Planned Parenthood by name or in broader appropriations. (To see how your state stacks up, check out FRC's Pro-Life Maps! >Pro-life State Policy Maps (frc.org) ) As many as 15 other states have similar proposals in the pipeline.

That momentum isn't lost on the White House or Democrats, Politico says. "With states pushing forward a new wave of sweeping abortion restrictions and the Supreme Court gearing up to hear a direct challenge to Roe vs. Wade, progressives have been pressing Biden to move fast." And so far, he seems quite content to oblige them. If that surprises Biden voters, it shouldn't.

This is the same radicalism that Democrats spelled out plainly in their last two party platforms. And frankly, it's what Biden promised to do. If squishy Republicans or misled Christians were under the impression Democrats would lighten up after Biden took the reins, they were either painfully naïve or desperately trying to justify their vote. Either way, the unborn will pay the price. And at $6 trillion dollars, it's a steep one.

For more on the history and importance of the Hyde amendment, check out FRC's resource by Connor Semelsberger here > https://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF20L09.pdf

[italics and colored emphasis mine]

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PRAYER MATTERS:

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against
the disorder of the world. - Karl Barth

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Colossians 2:15 – “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (ESV).

SUPREME COURT: PRAY that the justices will only hand down decisions that are Constitutionally sound and in the best interests of our country now and for future generations.

World-Wide Prayer Requests:

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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

Hope for the Middle East: Open Doors has a seven-year plan to pray for the church in the Middle East as Christians heal and rebuild in the years after war and the Islamic State group’s invasion. Join our multi-year Hope for the Middle East Prayer Campaign as we lift up requests from believers in Iraq and Syria. You can also visit ODUSA.org/Pray4ME to learn more.

May 30-31: One of our partners in Syria asks: “Pray that all our partners grow in discernment of God’s will for them and for Syria, and that they go out of their way to reach the marginalized, particularly the Muslims. May there be an awakening that brings the good news to thousands upon thousands of Muslims, and may our church leaders be inspired to love and welcome them with arms wide open.”