NOTE - Last night I watched an inspiring episode of Life Today ministry that featuredfeatured Jennifer Rothschild. Trust me, you will be greatly blessed! Go to http://lifetoday.org/video/missing-pieces-2/ALSO Check out this week's "Truth That Transforms" broadcast at www.truthinaction.org). This week’s program is part 1 of a special program entitled “One Nation Under God” that looks at the Christian roots of America. Don't Miss It!
URGENT PRAYERS/PETITIONS:
ATTENTION: TODAY begins the 30 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (see link below for resource material you can download.) Please join me in focusing prayers of these over one billion people who need to hear the gospel of Jesus.[NOTE: 1) You can download a page of helpful basic information about Islam and Ramadan at: http://www.opendoorsusa.org/downloads/pdf-downloads/Islam_reference_guide-1.pdf ; and 2) The following is from a 30-day prayer guide you can download at: http://www.opendoorsusa.org/downloads/pdf-downloads/2013-ramadan-prayer-calendar-1.pdf
July 10 ALPHA & OMEGA (Saudi Arabia)“’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God ….” (Revelation 1:8a)Five times a day Muslims around the world face toward Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, to pray. Today, during your time of prayer, ask that Gods spirit descend upon all the people of Saudi Arabia and abroad. During this season of Ramadan, as Muslims seek the truth, pray that they will know the True God. Pray also for Christians living in Saudi Arabia to embody the essence of God in their speech, actions and thoughts, allowing Him to be revealed to all.
Egypt Facing Civil War? "Some Fear Civil War As Violence Spreads In Egypt," http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=1605 -- PRAY for the nation of Egypt, as it faces a crucial moment, that the recent events would result in its becoming a true democracy and NOT an Islamic state. PRAY esp. that the peoples' freedoms, in particular the religious freedom of its minorities (specifically its oppressed Christians) would be protected.PRAY also: 1) For peace and stability in Egypt after the government overthrow, 2) That the U.S. will effectively reach out to the new government, and 3) For safety for Americans living in Egypt
Egypt Facing Civil War? "Some Fear Civil War As Violence Spreads In Egypt," http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=1605 -- PRAY for the nation of Egypt, as it faces a crucial moment, that the recent events would result in its becoming a true democracy and NOT an Islamic state. PRAY esp. that the peoples' freedoms, in particular the religious freedom of its minorities (specifically its oppressed Christians) would be protected.PRAY also: 1) For peace and stability in Egypt after the government overthrow, 2) That the U.S. will effectively reach out to the new government, and 3) For safety for Americans living in Egypt
Texas To Vote On Major Pro-Life Bill THIS Week - PRAY that the Texas House will finally vote to approve a bill (which the Governor is ready to sign) that will, among other things, make illegal abortions before the 20th week (when babies are discovered to first feel pain) and which will regulate abortion clinics just as any other medical facilities are. PRAY that the passage of this law will spur other such laws throughout the country and eventually be made into a federal law.
American Pastor Saeed Held Prisoner in Iran - June 5th Update - "Saeed's Wife Uses UN Speech to 'Plant Gospel'," by George Thomas, CBN News Sr. Reporter, June 05, 2013, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/June/Saeeds-Wife-Uses-UN-Speech-to-Plant-Gospel/?cpid=EU_CBNNEWSPM_2013_156"Prayers from Prison: American Pastor Held in Iran Releases Letter," May 22, 2013; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=1458"...Abedini has been held at the brutal prison for 238 days, enduring long stints in solitary confinement, and, according to his supporters, beatings and torture at the hands of his jailers and fellow inmates. For months, he has been suffering from serious injuries, including internal bleeding from beatings with no proper medical attention, according to his family and attorneys."(Sources: Fox News, Assemblies of God website) Please PRAY:1) For the imprisoned Pastor Abedini, and for those Iranians who tend to his needs in prison to treat him more humanely. 2) For his family in Boise, Idaho. and their efforts to involve the U.S. State Department in securing Pastor Abedini’s release. And 3) For the impact of his witness upon believers and non-believers, in America and across the world. And if you have not yet, join the over 600,000 worldwide who have signed the petition asking for his release at www.SaveSaeed.org
''Egypt: Fruits of the Obama Administration’s Neglect,'' - By Kim Holmes On July 8, 2013 @ 12:00 pm In American Leadership,Featured | No Comments
For a leader, neglect almost always turns out for the worse. Problems fester. Opponents are emboldened, and supporters demoralized. Aimlessness begets powerlessness, as changing positions confuse and bewilder. Then, after all is said and done, the very thing you most earnestly wanted to avoid comes to pass anyway, only now it’s too late for you to do anything about it.
That is the sad predicament President Obama now faces in Egypt. He has never figured out what to do. He is like an eager amateur who rushes in with easy answers, only to find they don’t work. He then pulls back in a fog of passivity, pretending his newfound aloofness was his intent all along.
Look at his record in Egypt. At one point, Obama backed former President Hosni Mubarak. Then he abandoned him. Next, under the democratic banner of “letting the Egyptian people decide,” he stood on the sidelines as the Muslim Brotherhood took power and began to run the country into the ground. Again unsure of what to do, he took what he thought was the line of least resistance—supporting the Brotherhood and its leader, President Mohamed Morsi.
Only that didn’t work either. Now Morsi is gone, and all the President can muster in response is that he is “deeply concerned” by the Egyptian military’s decision to oust Morsi. Once again Obama got it wrong, and his policy is repudiated.
Foreign policy is hard. An American President cannot dictate events in Egypt. But that’s no excuse for wandering all over the place in confusion. The United States had tremendous influence with the army at the beginning of the Egyptian revolution. Obama squandered it by backing Morsi and his Brotherhood allies.
Now the demonstrators accuse the U.S. of being Morsi’s lackey. Protesters, disappointed by Obama’s uncritical support for Morsi, carried signs denouncing President Obama; one banner visible the day the military deposed Morsi, for example, read “Obama Stop Supporting MB [Muslim Brotherhood] Fascist Regime.”
That’s quite an “achievement.” The only “friends” America seems to have left are Morsi supporters in the anti-Western Brotherhood, who despise American values, oppose U.S. policies, and now blame Obama for backing the army “coup” against Morsi. Thus, the U.S. ends up on the side of the very Islamist group that spawned decades of Islamist enemies of America. And it does so in such a way that its natural allies, the secular democrats, no longer trust us.
There are two reasons why Obama has bungled Egypt. The first is he sincerely believes that too much American influence is a bad thing. Believing deeply that American power is a problem, he seems to think remaining aloof will prove that America is not an inveterate enemy of political Islam.
Only that’s not the problem in Egypt. It’s not American power that is causing Egyptians to doubt the U.S. It is wavering and support for the wrong side. In particular for the demonstrators, the Administration’s embrace of Morsi is seen as a betrayal of our nation’s dedication to democracy and freedom.
The other reason? Obama is confused about what constitutes democracy. Even though he himself said democracy is “more than elections,” that is not the way he’s acted. He watched as the election process chose the worst of the political lot in Egypt, all the while claiming that the U.S. should not “interfere” with the democratic rights of the people. He talked a good game, but his passivity only legitimized the claims that the Brotherhood is a “true” democratic force in Egypt (which they decidedly are not).
Whatever happens, nobody in Egypt is likely to trust Obama’s word again. His tendency is to support whoever ends up in power, but in the meantime, none of the factions knows which way he will jump. As English rhetorician Richard Whately once said, “It is the neglect of timely repair that makes rebuilding necessary.” Yes indeed. That’s why it’s time to start rebuilding our Egypt policy.
[bold, italics, and underline emphasis mine]
Kim R. Holmes, a former assistant secretary of state, is a Distinguished Fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
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Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org
URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/07/08/egypt-fruits-of-the-obama-administrations-neglect/
Copyright © 2013 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.
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