ATTENTION: SCROLL DOWN to get TODAY'S article entitled in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. PLEASE be sure to note the various PRAYER REQUESTS listed BEFORE and AFTER the posted article. (NOTE the list of DAILY prayer requests for the persecuted church.) They ALL deserve your intercession.
PERSONAL UPDATE: 10/30 Note my latest entry in the JOURNAL section on the right side of this page.
BE Prepared TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ABORTION
"DACA AND THE SUPREME COURT - NO ISSUE IS PURELY POLITICAL" - by John Stonestreet and Roberto Rivera, Breakpoint.org, November 13, 2019;http://www.breakpoint.org/2019/11/breakpoint-daca-and-the-supreme-court/
It never should have come to this.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a.k.a, DACA. In 2012, President Obama issued an executive order that allowed “unauthorized immigrants who were brought to the U. S. as children, to live and work in the United States” legally. Approximately 700,000 people, dubbed “Dreamers,” are currently covered under DACA.
In 2017, the Trump administration announced it was ending DACA, giving Congress six months to offer a possible replacement solution. We all know what happened next. . . . Nothing.
In recent years, both political parties have shifted talking points on immigration and now effectively hold positions dictated by their most extreme members. Any hope for a legislative solution seems impossible. Rulings by various federal courts against the White House only have entrenched the stalemate.
What will the Supreme Court decide? Three outcomes seem most likely.
1) The Court could agree with lower courts that the administration failed to meet the necessary legal requirements for ending DACA. That wouldn’t be the same thing as saying the administration can’t end DACA, since it was an executive order and not an act of Congress. This would be more of an immediate decision based on a technicality.
2) Or, the Court could rule that the administration’s decision to end DACA was legal and also legally implemented. If that happens, Dreamers would face deportation as soon as their current authorization expired.
3) Or, the Court could issue a more sweeping ruling that President Obama’s initial DACA executive order was illegal. That is the argument being made by the Trump administration and would prevent a future President from reinstating DACA.
Predictions based on oral arguments are notoriously pointless, but it seemed the conservative justices believed the administration had legal discretion to end DACA, while the liberal justices believed the administration had nefarious intent in ending DACA. If those lines hold, we’ll likely see a 5-4 decision in favor of the Trump administration. I don’t make predictions, but if I were to make a prediction, which I won’t, that would be it.
The better question is, of course, what should the Supreme Court decide?
Frankly, I don’t know. In a perfect world, a decision on this would have been made years ago, one that balanced concerns over immigration numbers, enforcing borders, human dignity, and constitutionality. But the thing we can’t change is that we’re now having this debate in the context of a full-on immigration mess, with the futures of 700,000 human beings on the line, who are largely in this country through no fault of their own.
Like I said, it never should’ve come to this. But it did—because this is what happens when politics takes over everything.
In an upcoming video in our “What Would You Say?” series, we answer the question about whether churches should be engaged in “political issues.” Our answer is that the question is wrong from the very beginning. Why? Because, in reality, there is no such thing as a political issue. There are economic issues, environmental issues, criminal justice issues, national security issues, and, yes, immigration issues. But politics is not a category of issues. Politics is a process by which we work through issues in an attempt to order our lives together. What side of the road should we drive on? What’s the definition of marriage? Who should be allowed in the country and who shouldn’t?
But in America almost everything has been reduced down, and is now thought of, as entirely political issues. When that happens, moral decisions become matters of power and influence. In cases like DACA, when what’s at stake are actual people, then both citizens and immigrants alike become dehumanized victims of a process out of its lane.
So, what’s the way forward? I’m not sure there is one, until we first go back and de-politicize most of American life. I know that’s not a satisfying answer, and I wish I had a better one.
[italics and colored emphasis mine]
RESOURCES
"Supreme Court May Side With Trump On 'DREAMers'" - Nina Totenber\, NPR,November 13, 2019; https://www.npr.org/2019/11/13/778545559/supreme-court-may-side-with-trump-on-dreamers
"Supreme Court leans toward Trump plan to end DACA program for nearly 700K undocumented immigrants" - Richard Wolf USA Today November 12, 2019; https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/11/12/daca-supreme-court-leans-toward-trump-ending-obama-program/2567009001/
PRAISE GOD for the continuing recent successes againstISIS ! Pray that coalition forces will be able to fully destroy the leadership and infrastructure of ISIS .
PRAYER ALERT:
URGENT:
* 11/13 - TODAY, PRAY that in meeting with the President of Turkey, President Trump will make a point of holding him accountable for the humanitarian crisis in Northern Syria. Pray that a definite improvement in the situation there will somehow result.
*11/8 - Please pray for the humanitarian crisis that has resulted from the recent U.S. withdrawl from Northern Syria. Pray that President Trump will consider doing something to stop the geat suffering that has resulted from Turkey's subsequent actions in the area..Go to:
* 11/13 - TODAY, PRAY that in meeting with the President of Turkey, President Trump will make a point of holding him accountable for the humanitarian crisis in Northern Syria. Pray that a definite improvement in the situation there will somehow result.
*11/8 - Please pray for the humanitarian crisis that has resulted from the recent U.S. withdrawl from Northern Syria. Pray that President Trump will consider doing something to stop the geat suffering that has resulted from Turkey's subsequent actions in the area..Go to:
*10/26 - Pray for an end to the contiuing partisan investigations by the U.S. House Democrats that prevent our country from addressing the real problems facing America.
*10/8 - Please pray for my co-worker Brandon who was in a horrific motorcycle accident several nights ago. He is expected to undergo several surgeries and be in recovery for around 6 months.
*10/8 - Please pray for my co-worker Brandon who was in a horrific motorcycle accident several nights ago. He is expected to undergo several surgeries and be in recovery for around 6 months.
1) Pray for the continued violent crisis taking place in Venezuela and for America and other Latin American countries to respond appropriately;
2) PRAY also that our leaders will finally implement an effective border policy that will prevent these incidents in the future.
3) 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)
4) 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 – This day marked ONE YEAR since her kidnapping.]
ATTENTION!
DECLARATION FOR LIFE: Please be sure to sign this at: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life
PERSONAL UPDATE: 10/30 Note my latest entry in the JOURNAL section on the right side of this page.
11/13 - PRAY for the President and others in leadership
(1 Tim. 2:1-3)
(1 Tim. 2:1-3)
Heavenly Father,
I pray that you will guide President Trump to seek YOU with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength in the New Year. May he act with wisdom and strength against those whose actions would bring harm to this nation and the world now and for generations to come. I pray that you would strengthen his marriage and deepen the love he and his wife Melania share. Pray that you give them wisdom to speak into the life of their son Barron. Please protect him and his family and others in our leadership from physical harm that any might seek to do against them. May all that our President does bring honor and glory to YOU and cause him to draw in closer relationship with you. I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, Amen. P.S. - I highly recommend your reading "The Faith of Donald J. Trump." The copy I read is in my public library. It really helps us understand our 45th President better.
(from Intercessors For America
*For God to be at work through the meeting of President Trump and Turkey's President Erdogan.
*For God to bring peace and stability to the worn-torn nation of Syria.
*For wisdom for the president as he navigates the complex waters of foreign policy.
*For wisdom for President Trump and his advisers as they examine the issue of gun violence in the U.S.;
*For God to bring peace and stability to the worn-torn nation of Syria.
*For wisdom for the president as he navigates the complex waters of foreign policy.
*For guidance for the administration as they consider various bills to support the pro-democracy protests going on in China.
*For strength for the many immigration and border patrol agents working to secure the U.S. border.*For wisdom for President Trump and his advisers as they examine the issue of gun violence in the U.S.;
*For wisdom for the president and secretary of state as they work on the next steps in negotiations with North Korea.
*For guidance for the president as he continues to tackle complex issues such as border security and immigration.
*For unity for Congressional leaders as they work to resolve the current issues with immigration law.
*For wisdom for President Trump, Cabinet members and advisers determining the best course of action for the United States in Venezuela.
*For guidance for the president as he continues to tackle complex issues such as border security and immigration.
*For unity for Congressional leaders as they work to resolve the current issues with immigration law.
*For wisdom for President Trump, Cabinet members and advisers determining the best course of action for the United States in Venezuela.
*For safe travel for members of the administration who are making trips abroad.
*For unity in Congress as they work to solve the many pressing issues that face the nation.
*For guidance for President Trump as he works on a variety of issues, that God’s will would be accomplished through him.\
(...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, Breakpoint.org, May 25, 2017; http://breakpoint.org/2017/05/breakpoint-dont-argue-exceptions/
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"DACA AND THE SUPREME COURT - NO ISSUE IS PURELY POLITICAL" - by John Stonestreet and Roberto Rivera, Breakpoint.org, November 13, 2019;http://www.breakpoint.org/2019/11/breakpoint-daca-and-the-supreme-court/
Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a.k.a, DACA. In 2012, President Obama issued an executive order that allowed “unauthorized immigrants who were brought to the U. S. as children, to live and work in the United States” legally. Approximately 700,000 people, dubbed “Dreamers,” are currently covered under DACA.
In 2017, the Trump administration announced it was ending DACA, giving Congress six months to offer a possible replacement solution. We all know what happened next. . . . Nothing.
In recent years, both political parties have shifted talking points on immigration and now effectively hold positions dictated by their most extreme members. Any hope for a legislative solution seems impossible. Rulings by various federal courts against the White House only have entrenched the stalemate.
What will the Supreme Court decide? Three outcomes seem most likely.
1) The Court could agree with lower courts that the administration failed to meet the necessary legal requirements for ending DACA. That wouldn’t be the same thing as saying the administration can’t end DACA, since it was an executive order and not an act of Congress. This would be more of an immediate decision based on a technicality.
2) Or, the Court could rule that the administration’s decision to end DACA was legal and also legally implemented. If that happens, Dreamers would face deportation as soon as their current authorization expired.
3) Or, the Court could issue a more sweeping ruling that President Obama’s initial DACA executive order was illegal. That is the argument being made by the Trump administration and would prevent a future President from reinstating DACA.
Predictions based on oral arguments are notoriously pointless, but it seemed the conservative justices believed the administration had legal discretion to end DACA, while the liberal justices believed the administration had nefarious intent in ending DACA. If those lines hold, we’ll likely see a 5-4 decision in favor of the Trump administration. I don’t make predictions, but if I were to make a prediction, which I won’t, that would be it.
The better question is, of course, what should the Supreme Court decide?
Frankly, I don’t know. In a perfect world, a decision on this would have been made years ago, one that balanced concerns over immigration numbers, enforcing borders, human dignity, and constitutionality. But the thing we can’t change is that we’re now having this debate in the context of a full-on immigration mess, with the futures of 700,000 human beings on the line, who are largely in this country through no fault of their own.
Like I said, it never should’ve come to this. But it did—because this is what happens when politics takes over everything.
In an upcoming video in our “What Would You Say?” series, we answer the question about whether churches should be engaged in “political issues.” Our answer is that the question is wrong from the very beginning. Why? Because, in reality, there is no such thing as a political issue. There are economic issues, environmental issues, criminal justice issues, national security issues, and, yes, immigration issues. But politics is not a category of issues. Politics is a process by which we work through issues in an attempt to order our lives together. What side of the road should we drive on? What’s the definition of marriage? Who should be allowed in the country and who shouldn’t?
But in America almost everything has been reduced down, and is now thought of, as entirely political issues. When that happens, moral decisions become matters of power and influence. In cases like DACA, when what’s at stake are actual people, then both citizens and immigrants alike become dehumanized victims of a process out of its lane.
So, what’s the way forward? I’m not sure there is one, until we first go back and de-politicize most of American life. I know that’s not a satisfying answer, and I wish I had a better one.
[italics and colored emphasis mine]
RESOURCES
"Supreme Court May Side With Trump On 'DREAMers'" - Nina Totenber\, NPR,November 13, 2019; https://www.npr.org/2019/11/13/778545559/supreme-court-may-side-with-trump-on-dreamers
"Supreme Court leans toward Trump plan to end DACA program for nearly 700K undocumented immigrants" - Richard Wolf USA Today November 12, 2019; https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/11/12/daca-supreme-court-leans-toward-trump-ending-obama-program/2567009001/
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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
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
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 AMERICA 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:
PRAISE GOD for the continuing recent successes against
*For believers in Syria
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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/
Monthly Focus | SECRET PROJECTS - Sometimes the work Open Doors does is so risky we can’t speak about the details—to protect the believers involved and sometimes the work itself. This month as you join us in prayer, try to imagine being a Christian in an area so dangerous that things like owning a Bible, attending a Bible study or participating in a home church must be done in absolute secrecy.
November 13 | COLOMBIA - Believers in Buenaventura continue to preach God’s Word in an environment where dismemberment, murder and death threats are regular occurrences. Pray for their perseverance and protection
*Names changed to protect identities
*Names changed to protect identities
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
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
I remember the voice of Pastor Daniel in Vietnam
I remember the fear of Grace from Sudan
Oh, I remember the cries of Caleb in Eritrea
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? How can I desert those that belong to the same body that I belong to and who desperately need the encouragement of my intervention?
