REMINDER Check out this week's broadcast of ''Truth That Transforms''at http://www.truthi:hnaction.org/index.php/truth-that-transforms/ It talks about "What It Means to Be Spiritual'' and includes a feature answering the questions of the millions who are unchurched.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
"Muslims Bomb Christian Homes, Church in Egypt," - CBNNews.com; Aug. 12, 2013; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/Muslims-Bomb-Christian-Homes-Church-in-Egypt/ [CONTINUE TO KEEP THE CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT IN PRAYER as they increasingly have become the targets of Islamic extremists during this uncertain time in one of the largest Arab countries in the Middle East.] Angry Muslims tossed gasoline bombs into a Christian church and four Christian homes in southern Egypt over the weekend, wounding 15 people.
Officials say the incident began Sunday, when two families started fighting after a Muslim tried to stop a Christian neighbor from building a speed bump in front of her home. Tensions between Egypt's Muslim and Christian communities have been high ever since Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was ousted from power last month.
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: "Detained American's Health Dwindles in N. Korea Prison," - CBNNews.com; Aug. 9, 2013; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/Detained-Americans-Health-Dwindling-in-N-Korea-Prison/ UPDATE: N. Korea Transfers Jailed Missionary to Hospital, CBNNews.com; August 12, 2013; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/N-Korea-Transfers-Jailed-Missionary-to-Hospital-/ Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American missionary detained in North Korea for the past nine months, has been transferred from a labor camp to a hospital.
Meanwhile, in the United States, his family is stepping up calls for his release. On Saturday, hundreds of people attended a vigil for Bae in Seattle, Wash. Bae was a tour guide who encouraged prayer for the reunification of South and North Korea. He was arrested in November 2012 and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. His sister, Terri Chung, said Bae suffers from diabetes, an enlarged heart, liver problems, and back pain. "What if something happens to Kenneth - he goes blind or his heart gives up or his body just gives out," she said. "He's in a really weak state. He's got to be in a bad state for them to have transferred him." In recent letters, Bae urged his family to speak out more for his release.[PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
“Abandoned” For Christ" -
Franklin Graham is the latest to join the chorus of voices calling for U.S. State Department and White House officials to take a more vocal role in protesting the Iranian imprisonment of American pastor Saeed Abedini. September 26 will mark the one year anniversary of Abedini’s imprisonment for allegedly “endangering the national security” of Iran.
Graham pointed out that, in contrast to Iranian accusations, “Pastor Saeed was in Iran trying to help children. With the permission of Iran’s government, he was working to build an orphanage. But his humanitarian mission led to an arrest on bogus charges and nearly a year of inhumane treatment, simply because he loves Jesus Christ.”...
Behind the scenes, more than 600,000 people around the world have signed a petition sponsored by ACLJ in support of pastor Abedini. A concerted movement this past May brought together Christians from many nations to set aside Pentecost to pray for Abedini. On June 13, demonstrations were held at Iranian embassies in at least six countries to protest Abedini’s treatment. And, on July 29, Arizona Republican Representative Trent Franks spoke on the floor of the House to urge other Congressmen to join him in “adopting” Pastor Abedini through the bipartisan Defending Freedoms Project.
Saeed’s response…and yours
Through his family living in Iran, Pastor Abedini has been made aware of these efforts on his behalf, and is grateful. “I heard that the persecution, my arrest and imprisonment has united churches from different denominations, from different cities and countries. That the churches have united together in prayer to put one request (my freedom) on one day (Pentecost) before God,” he wrote in a letter.
The story of Saeed Abedini, the jihad against Syrian Christians, the attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt, and the ongoing desecration of churches in Nigeria and India should cause every American to reflect on the blessings of freedom still enjoyed in this nation.
PRAY: For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.
- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- BOLDly (Beside Our Leaders Daily) for leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- Go to SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release.
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"Congressional Recess: The Battle of Ideas," - By Rich Tucker, August 12, 2013All the political action this month will take place outside Washington, D.C. And that’s as it should be. In a healthy republic, lawmakers hear from their constituents and then attempt to do what’s best for them and for the country.
This August recess will be an especially busy one for progressive (don’t call them liberal) activists. Ever since they were outflanked by the formation of the Tea Party in 2009, progressives have been trying to even things up. This year, President Obama “has urged his backers to spend the month speaking out on issues such as gun control, climate change and health care, part of an ‘Action August’ effort spearheaded by Organizing for Action, the advocacy group that grew out of his reelection campaign,” The Washington Post reports [1].
But the left has a problem. On each of these issues (and many more, of course), the general public leans conservative.
Gun control? The President has frequently promised to ram a bill through Congress. But most Americans don’t want it. A recent Reason-Rupe national poll [2] showed that just 33 percent of Americans think the “Senate should debate and vote on gun control legislation again.” Almost two-thirds want the Senate to “move on to other issues.” Voters sensed that the Senate gun control bill [3] aimed to erode American rights, and they oppose it.
Climate change? Most Americans have bigger concerns. A Pew poll released in June [4] found that only two out of every five Americans consider global climate change a major threat to the United States. Foreigners seem concerned about the condition-that-used-to-be-called “global warming” (54 percent think it’s a threat to their country), but few lawmakers are likely to be campaigning outside the U.S.
Health care? Well, keep in mind that the Tea Party arose because voters wanted to let their representatives know [5] they opposed Obamacare [6]. And their opposition is getting stronger. A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll [7] found that Obamacare is more unpopular now than at any time since it became law. Some 47 percent of Americans think Obamacare is a “bad idea,” while just a third think it’s a “good idea.”
>>> Check out Heritage Action’s Obamacare town halls featuring Heritage President Jim DeMint [8]
Let’s throw in immigration reform for good measure. “At town hall meetings, lawmakers will face activists calling for a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants,” the Post writes.But Pew reported in May [9] that “fewer than half (44 percent) favor allowing those here illegally to apply for U.S. citizenship.” A better, but more nuanced, approach would include [10] securing the border, reforming our legal immigration system, and providing temporary worker programs.
Progressives would be more likely to succeed if they were talking about topics that matter to voters, such as how to create more full-time jobs [11]. Yet they can’t touch that, because [12] one of the biggest anchors holding the economy back is uncertainty among businesses caused by the President’s own policies: Obamacare, the Dodd–Frank financial law, environmental regulations, and lack of government action to head off a debt crisis that runaway entitlement spending will cause in the near future.
That may be why early returns from the field aren’t promising for liberals. At an early-month event to promote Obamacare in Virginia, Politico reports that only one volunteer [13] showed up to work the phones.
May the best ideas prevail.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
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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/2013/08/12/congressional-recess-battle-of-ideas/
URLs in this post:
[1] The Washington Post reports: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/august-recess-now-high-season-for-interests-lobbying-lawmakers/2013/08/04/38984716-f935-11e2-b018-5b8251f0c56e_story.html
[2] Reason-Rupe national poll: http://reason.com/poll/2013/05/17/reason-rupe-may-2013-national-survey
[3] the Senate gun control bill: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/04/17/morning-bell-senate-takes-up-gun-control/
[4] A Pew poll released in June: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/25/poll-americans-not-all-that-concerned-about-climate-change/
[5] let their representatives know: http://blog.heritage.org/2009/08/03/townhall-downfall-senator-arlen-specter/
[6] opposed Obamacare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Bpshk5nX0
[7] NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll: http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/wsjnbcpoll_july2013.pdf
[8] >>> Check out Heritage Action’s Obamacare town halls featuring Heritage President Jim DeMint: http://heritageaction.com/townhall/
[9] Pew reported in May: http://www.people-press.org/2013/05/09/most-say-immigration-policy-needs-big-changes/
[10] would include: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/06/25/morning-bell-the-kind-of-immigration-reform-we-could-support/
[11] more full-time jobs: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/08/heritage-employment-report-labor-market-recovery-is-still-on-vacation
[12] can’t touch that, because: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/07/31/economic-growth-remains-too-slow-because-of-policy-uncertainty/
[13] one volunteer: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/obamacare-event-attendance-virginia-95172.html?utm_source=heritagefoundation&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&hp=f2&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell
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