The Bulletin Board:(Please SCROLL DOWN this page to find the article titled on this post in LARGE CAPITAL LETTERS. Thank you.)
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)
ANSWERED PRAYER!! - "Miraculous Day' as US Ebola Patients Sent Home" - By Caitlin Burke, August 22, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2014/August/American-Missionary-Recovers-from-Ebola-Virus/ "After nearly three weeks of intense treatment, testing and isolation, American Ebola patients Nancy Writebol and Dr. Kent Brantly are back with their families..."
UPDATE: "Second US Doctor Sick with Ebola; Crisis 'Out of Control'" - CBNNews.com, Sept. 02, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2014/September/A-Losing-Battle-Ebola-Going-to-Get-Worse-CDC-Says/ "Another American doctor in Liberia has tested positive for the Ebola virus, according to the international Christian mission organization, SIM. SIM leaders report the American doctor was treating obstetrics patients at the organization's ELWA Hospital in Monrovia and not treating Ebola patients..."The epidemic is going faster than we are," he warned. 'We need to scale up our response. We can hope for new tools and maybe they'll come, but we can't count on them.' So far, the West African outbreak has killed more than 1,500 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria."
Of course, let's CONTINUE PRAYING FOR AN END TO THE EBOLA CRISIS IN WEST AFRICA AND THE HEALING OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INFECTED.
PRAY FOR THE PRESENT CONFLICT BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS TO END SOON BEFORE MORE INNOCENT LIVES ARE LOST ON BOTH SIDES.
PRAY FOR THE CRISIS HAPPENING NOW IN IRAQ (see post #907) Pray that allied forces will be able to drive the group ISIS back (see post #964)
URGENT: Emergency Relief For Iraqi Believers Facing Genocide! - August 30, 2014- Liberty Counsel Action is partnering with RUN Ministries to deliver emergency food, water and shelter to Iraqi Christians and Yazidis who have fled their homes and are facing genocide. More than 146,000 people are now threatened by genocide from radical ISIS forces.RUN Ministries has a solid network of believers throughout the Middle East who are willing to risk life and limb to get relief through the ISIS lines of defense. The cost of getting the needed aid to them is $8 per person per day. This includes tents, blankets, food, and water for the first 3 weeks. TO DONATE (as I have), PLEASE GO TO: http://www.grassrootsaction.com/201181/offer.asp?Ref_ID=27781&CID=201181&RID=42814607
"Not Everyone Happy with Religious Ambassador Pick," Caitlin Burke,July 29, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/July/Obama-Taps-Rabbi-for-Religious-Freedom-Ambassador/ ".. An estimated 76 percent of the world's population live in countries where religious freedom is restricted. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States must take a strong stand against those violations. "Around the world repressive governments and extremists groups have been crystal clear about what they stand against, so we have to be equally clear about what we must stand for," Kerry said. "We stand for greater freedom, for greater tolerance, greater respect, for rights of freedom of expression and freedom of conscience," he said A key development in the 2013 report is the large number of displaced members of religious communities, including entire Christian communities in Syria and Iraq that have been forced to flee their homes because of persecution."
SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november
WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
LATEST SAHEED NEWS! May 22 - "Pastor Saeed Forcibly Returned to Prison after Beating" - By Caitlin Burke,CBN News, May 22, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/May/Pastor-Saeed-Beaten-Sent-Back-to-Iran-Prison/ "Saeed Abedini, a U.S. pastor imprisoned for his faith, was severely beaten at an Iranian hospital before being returned to the brutal Rajai Shahr prison. His Iranian family claims the transfer was unexpected and the reason is unclear. But one of the guards involved in the transfer suggested recent Iranian nuclear talks could be a motive, the family said...""
We need to continue to pray for Pastor Saeed - that his health will improve and that he will be re-united with his wife and two young children who live in the United States. We also remain hopeful that in addition to getting the medical care he so desperately needs, that Iranian officials display the kind of humanitarian treatment that often accompanies the start of the Iranian New Year which began on March 21st. This is the time of year when the Iranian government frequently offers clemency to prisoners of conscience. [If you have not yet, please sign the petition for his clemency- http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign]
*For the people of Ukrainen [esp. for the church 'to be THE church'] as they wait to see if the Russian troops will advance.
*About President Obama and to use wisdom in crafting our foreign policy, and wisdom for his advisers.
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Devil's Bargain: America's Dance with Rogue Regimes" - By Erick Stakelbeck, CBN News Correspondent, September 02, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/August/Devils-Bargain-Americas-Dance-with-Rogue-Regimes/
WASHINGTON -- ISIS is on the march in the Middle East, Iran is developing a nuclear bomb and Russian President Vladimir Putin is sizing up Ukraine. In this increasingly chaotic world, can America outmaneuver its enemies by talking to them?
In the Obama administration's foreign policy strategy, dialogue and diplomacy take the lead. Yet the president has caught heavy criticism in recent months for negotiating with the likes of the Taliban and Iran.
As far back as 2007, during a CNN/YouTube debate, then-candidate Barack Obama made no secret of the fact that -- unlike President George W. Bush -- he would seek dialogue with America's enemies."Would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration in Washington or anywhere else -- with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Cuba, Venezuela and North Korea?" Obama was asked.
"I would," he responded. "And the reason is this: the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them, which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of [the Bush] administration, is ridiculous."
Dancing with the Devil?
Once in office, Obama put this strategy to test by promising a "reset" of America's strained relationship with Russia. Putin, on the other hand, had different ideas.In recent months, Russia seized the Crimea region of southern Ukraine and may have designs on the rest of that country and beyond.In addition, pro-Russian separatists stand accused of shooting down a Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine in July, killing nearly 300 people. The Obama administration has levied sanctions and warnings against Russia, but Putin does not seem to be changing course.
"We may want to be safe; we may want to repeat the mantra that the Cold War is over," Michael Rubin, a resident scholar with the American Enterprise Institute, said. "But what matters is what [Putin] thinks. And we have to play the game on his terms if we're going to win."
Rubin is author of the book, Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes. He says the Obama administration wrongly believes it can negotiate in good faith with the likes of Iran.The administration recently announced an extension on nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic after a deadline passed with the two sides no closer to a deal."In the year before negotiations began," Rubin explained, "the Iranian economy shrank 5.4 percent. In order to get the Iranians to the table, we've given them $20 billion in sanctions relief and new investment."Despite ongoing talks with the Obama administration, the Iranian regime continues to sponsor global terrorism and threaten Israel -- and cries of "Death to America" remain staples at its rallies.
Obama vs. Reagan
Supporters of the president point out that Ronald Reagan met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during the Cold War. Rubin says Reagan did so from a position of strength, with America's economy and military might growing and the Soviets realizing they couldn't compete."For Reagan, this came at the end of the process, not the beginning, and after a multi-year military buildup," Rubin told CBN News.
For years, the United States stood strong on the policy of never negotiating with terrorists. It came as no surprise, then, that Obama came under fire recently for negotiating with the Taliban, exchanging five high-ranking Taliban terrorists for U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl, an alleged deserter."Why is it a big mistake trying to engage the likes of the Taliban, Hezbollah, and Hamas, which are terrorist organizations?" CBN News asked Rubin. "First off all, you legitimize the organizations when you negotiate with them," he said. "Second of all, there's so many organizations that don't come to the table -- if they learn that the way to get to the table is to blow up buses -- then that's what they're going to do. You don't want to create an incentive for bad behavior."
Hamas gained legitimacy earlier this year when the Obama administration recognized it as part of a new Palestinian government. Hamas kidnapped and murdered three Israeli teenagers and unleashed a barrage of rockets that ignited a war with Israel shortly thereafter.
Washington's Moral Blindness
"Because of the moral relativism that most of the Washington policy community has really engaged in, they can't distinguish between good and evil," Middle East expert Sarah Stern explained. "They can't distinguish between a genocidal, hate-infested organization like Hamas and a Western, liberal democracy with democratic values like Israel," she said.Stern is president of the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) in Washington.
"I'm on Capitol Hill almost every day," she told CBN News. "And based on what I'm hearing from many members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, they do not want to give money to the Palestinians if the Palestinians are entering into an accord with Hamas."
Rubin warns that foreign policy missteps today can have grave consequences down the line."When a president loses political credibility, that gets restored when the next president gets elected," he said. "But international credibility, that doesn't get restored. We're going to be picking up the pieces for decades to come."
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
"Obama's Non-ideological Foreign Policy Not Working" - Jonah Goldberg | Sep 03, 2014; http://townhall.com/columnists/jonahgoldberg/2014/09/03/obamas-nonideological-foreign-policy-not-working-n1886476?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl
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)
ANSWERED PRAYER!! - "Miraculous Day' as US Ebola Patients Sent Home" - By Caitlin Burke, August 22, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2014/August/American-Missionary-Recovers-from-Ebola-Virus/ "After nearly three weeks of intense treatment, testing and isolation, American Ebola patients Nancy Writebol and Dr. Kent Brantly are back with their families..."
UPDATE: "Second US Doctor Sick with Ebola; Crisis 'Out of Control'" - CBNNews.com, Sept. 02, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2014/September/A-Losing-Battle-Ebola-Going-to-Get-Worse-CDC-Says/ "Another American doctor in Liberia has tested positive for the Ebola virus, according to the international Christian mission organization, SIM. SIM leaders report the American doctor was treating obstetrics patients at the organization's ELWA Hospital in Monrovia and not treating Ebola patients..."The epidemic is going faster than we are," he warned. 'We need to scale up our response. We can hope for new tools and maybe they'll come, but we can't count on them.' So far, the West African outbreak has killed more than 1,500 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria."
Of course, let's CONTINUE PRAYING FOR AN END TO THE EBOLA CRISIS IN WEST AFRICA AND THE HEALING OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INFECTED.
PRAY FOR THE PRESENT CONFLICT BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS TO END SOON BEFORE MORE INNOCENT LIVES ARE LOST ON BOTH SIDES.
PRAY FOR THE CRISIS HAPPENING NOW IN IRAQ (see post #907) Pray that allied forces will be able to drive the group ISIS back (see post #964)
URGENT: Emergency Relief For Iraqi Believers Facing Genocide! - August 30, 2014- Liberty Counsel Action is partnering with RUN Ministries to deliver emergency food, water and shelter to Iraqi Christians and Yazidis who have fled their homes and are facing genocide. More than 146,000 people are now threatened by genocide from radical ISIS forces.RUN Ministries has a solid network of believers throughout the Middle East who are willing to risk life and limb to get relief through the ISIS lines of defense. The cost of getting the needed aid to them is $8 per person per day. This includes tents, blankets, food, and water for the first 3 weeks. TO DONATE (as I have), PLEASE GO TO: http://www.grassrootsaction.com/201181/offer.asp?Ref_ID=27781&CID=201181&RID=42814607
"Not Everyone Happy with Religious Ambassador Pick," Caitlin Burke,July 29, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/July/Obama-Taps-Rabbi-for-Religious-Freedom-Ambassador/ ".. An estimated 76 percent of the world's population live in countries where religious freedom is restricted. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States must take a strong stand against those violations. "Around the world repressive governments and extremists groups have been crystal clear about what they stand against, so we have to be equally clear about what we must stand for," Kerry said. "We stand for greater freedom, for greater tolerance, greater respect, for rights of freedom of expression and freedom of conscience," he said A key development in the 2013 report is the large number of displaced members of religious communities, including entire Christian communities in Syria and Iraq that have been forced to flee their homes because of persecution."
SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november
WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
LATEST SAHEED NEWS! May 22 - "Pastor Saeed Forcibly Returned to Prison after Beating" - By Caitlin Burke,CBN News, May 22, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/May/Pastor-Saeed-Beaten-Sent-Back-to-Iran-Prison/ "Saeed Abedini, a U.S. pastor imprisoned for his faith, was severely beaten at an Iranian hospital before being returned to the brutal Rajai Shahr prison. His Iranian family claims the transfer was unexpected and the reason is unclear. But one of the guards involved in the transfer suggested recent Iranian nuclear talks could be a motive, the family said...""
We need to continue to pray for Pastor Saeed - that his health will improve and that he will be re-united with his wife and two young children who live in the United States. We also remain hopeful that in addition to getting the medical care he so desperately needs, that Iranian officials display the kind of humanitarian treatment that often accompanies the start of the Iranian New Year which began on March 21st. This is the time of year when the Iranian government frequently offers clemency to prisoners of conscience. [If you have not yet, please sign the petition for his clemency- http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign]
PRAY ALSO : - 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
- 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
/PRAYER ALERT- UKRAINE: As the Lord leads, please pray:
*For God to suppress President Putin’s ambitions to "restore" the Soviet empire.*For the people of Ukrainen [esp. for the church 'to be THE church'] as they wait to see if the Russian troops will advance.
*About President Obama and to use wisdom in crafting our foreign policy, and wisdom for his advisers.
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Devil's Bargain: America's Dance with Rogue Regimes" - By Erick Stakelbeck, CBN News Correspondent, September 02, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/August/Devils-Bargain-Americas-Dance-with-Rogue-Regimes/
WASHINGTON -- ISIS is on the march in the Middle East, Iran is developing a nuclear bomb and Russian President Vladimir Putin is sizing up Ukraine. In this increasingly chaotic world, can America outmaneuver its enemies by talking to them?
In the Obama administration's foreign policy strategy, dialogue and diplomacy take the lead. Yet the president has caught heavy criticism in recent months for negotiating with the likes of the Taliban and Iran.
As far back as 2007, during a CNN/YouTube debate, then-candidate Barack Obama made no secret of the fact that -- unlike President George W. Bush -- he would seek dialogue with America's enemies."Would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration in Washington or anywhere else -- with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Cuba, Venezuela and North Korea?" Obama was asked.
"I would," he responded. "And the reason is this: the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them, which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of [the Bush] administration, is ridiculous."
Dancing with the Devil?
Once in office, Obama put this strategy to test by promising a "reset" of America's strained relationship with Russia. Putin, on the other hand, had different ideas.In recent months, Russia seized the Crimea region of southern Ukraine and may have designs on the rest of that country and beyond.In addition, pro-Russian separatists stand accused of shooting down a Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine in July, killing nearly 300 people. The Obama administration has levied sanctions and warnings against Russia, but Putin does not seem to be changing course.
"We may want to be safe; we may want to repeat the mantra that the Cold War is over," Michael Rubin, a resident scholar with the American Enterprise Institute, said. "But what matters is what [Putin] thinks. And we have to play the game on his terms if we're going to win."
Rubin is author of the book, Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes. He says the Obama administration wrongly believes it can negotiate in good faith with the likes of Iran.The administration recently announced an extension on nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic after a deadline passed with the two sides no closer to a deal."In the year before negotiations began," Rubin explained, "the Iranian economy shrank 5.4 percent. In order to get the Iranians to the table, we've given them $20 billion in sanctions relief and new investment."Despite ongoing talks with the Obama administration, the Iranian regime continues to sponsor global terrorism and threaten Israel -- and cries of "Death to America" remain staples at its rallies.
Obama vs. Reagan
Supporters of the president point out that Ronald Reagan met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during the Cold War. Rubin says Reagan did so from a position of strength, with America's economy and military might growing and the Soviets realizing they couldn't compete."For Reagan, this came at the end of the process, not the beginning, and after a multi-year military buildup," Rubin told CBN News.
For years, the United States stood strong on the policy of never negotiating with terrorists. It came as no surprise, then, that Obama came under fire recently for negotiating with the Taliban, exchanging five high-ranking Taliban terrorists for U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl, an alleged deserter."Why is it a big mistake trying to engage the likes of the Taliban, Hezbollah, and Hamas, which are terrorist organizations?" CBN News asked Rubin. "First off all, you legitimize the organizations when you negotiate with them," he said. "Second of all, there's so many organizations that don't come to the table -- if they learn that the way to get to the table is to blow up buses -- then that's what they're going to do. You don't want to create an incentive for bad behavior."
Hamas gained legitimacy earlier this year when the Obama administration recognized it as part of a new Palestinian government. Hamas kidnapped and murdered three Israeli teenagers and unleashed a barrage of rockets that ignited a war with Israel shortly thereafter.
Washington's Moral Blindness
"Because of the moral relativism that most of the Washington policy community has really engaged in, they can't distinguish between good and evil," Middle East expert Sarah Stern explained. "They can't distinguish between a genocidal, hate-infested organization like Hamas and a Western, liberal democracy with democratic values like Israel," she said.Stern is president of the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) in Washington.
"I'm on Capitol Hill almost every day," she told CBN News. "And based on what I'm hearing from many members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, they do not want to give money to the Palestinians if the Palestinians are entering into an accord with Hamas."
Rubin warns that foreign policy missteps today can have grave consequences down the line."When a president loses political credibility, that gets restored when the next president gets elected," he said. "But international credibility, that doesn't get restored. We're going to be picking up the pieces for decades to come."
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
"Obama's Non-ideological Foreign Policy Not Working" - Jonah Goldberg | Sep 03, 2014; http://townhall.com/columnists/jonahgoldberg/2014/09/03/obamas-nonideological-foreign-policy-not-working-n1886476?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl
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