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July 23, 2008
In this edition:
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"We have been the recipients of
the choicest bounties of Heaven.
We have been preserved, these
many years, in peace and
prosperity. We have grown in
numbers, wealth and power, as no
other nation has ever grown.
But we have forgotten God.
We have forgotten the gracious
hand which preserved us in
peace, and multiplied and
enriched and strengthened us;
and we have vainly imagined, in
the deceitfulness of our hearts,
that all these blessings were
produced by some superior wisdom
and virtue of our own.
Intoxicated with unbroken
success, we have become too
self-sufficient to feel the
necessity of redeeming and
preserving grace, too proud to
ray to the God that made us!"
- President Abraham Lincoln,
from a proclamation appointing a
National Fast Day, March 30,
1863.
Portrait ca. 1865; Ohio
Historical Society
Various church and civic leaders
speaking at the May 1, 2008
National Day of Prayer
observances in Washington, DC
referenced Lincoln's Second
Inaugural Address. The issues
which Lincoln addressed are all
pertinent today; injustice and
prolonged war, racial discord
and political division, economic
upheaval, Christians praying
"against" each other, the divine
attributes and judgments of God,
and "binding up the nation's
wounds." We felt prompted to
include in IFA's
July | August First Friday
Newsletter
Lincoln's historic speech for
summer reflection and prayer.
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THE CALL DC AUGUST 16, 2008
A brief glance at the headlines
of our daily newspapers exposes
the frailty of the moral fabric
of our nation as the corruption
of sin digs its claws deeper and
deeper into the hearts and minds
of our young people. Abortion
continues to claim over 1.6
million unborn lives every year
in the U.S., wiping out nearly
one-third of an entire
generation born since 1973.
The growing slave trade of
pornography, homosexuality,
human trafficking, and sexual
perversion-not only accepted by
the culture, but now shamelessly
promoted by it-has claimed
countless young men and women,
pilfering the Kingdom of the
Lord's inheritance.
In 2000, 400,000 people, both
young and old, gathered on the
National Mall in Washington, DC
to fast and pray believing the
dream that a nation can change.
That gathering and many others
have imprinted tens of thousands
of young people, initiating a
24-hour prayer revolution and
inspiring a dream in their
hearts that they could be a
voice and real agents for
change. Our nation continues in
crisis and we feel it is time
for TheCall to go to a national
scale in another historic
gathering in our nation's
capital.
TheCall isn't a conference or a
festival; it is a solemn
assembly-a gathering of all
ages, races and denominations.
The 12 hours of TheCall are
spent primarily before the Lord
in the place of repentance,
prayer, and worship. The hour is
late and the time is urgent. Our
nation is in desperate need of
revival. We are seeing some
signs of God moving, but we do
not have what we need.
Full-scale revival is only
ushered in through the
collective body of Christ
uniting in repentance and
prevailing prayer.
When there seems to be no
remedy, when there seems to be
no hope for a nation, God still
has a holy prescription . . .God
has a dream. "Blow the trumpet
in Zion, gather the people, call
a fast." (Joel 2:12-18)
See you from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
at the DC National Mall on
Saturday, August 16th! Pre-Call
conferences are also convening.
- Gary Bergel, TheCall DC
Advisory Council
TheCall has invited churches and
small groups to join us for a
National Live Pre-Call Rally
with Lou Engle
Regional Pre-Call Rallies
Friday, July 25, 7 pm, Silver
Spring, MD
Saturday, August 2, 5 pm,
Paducah, KY
Sunday, August 3, 6:30 pm,
Melbourne, FL
Contact information:
TheCall
10524B Grandview Road
Kansas City, MO 64137
Phone: 816.285.9351
Email:
Response@TheCall.com
Web page:
http://www.thecall.com/Groups/1000000220/TheCall.aspx |
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IN YOUR NATION'S CAPITAL
DC VIOLENCE LEAVES MANY
SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS
Shooting Death of 13-Year-Old
Boy Punctuates Crime Surge
"In
the battle against crime, let's
not wait for our local police
department to ask us to do what
we should have been doing all
along: praying."
- From
"Ready Ready, Set, Pray!"
By Mark Earley
A 13-year-old boy was gunned
down, six other people shot, and
one stabbed within minutes of
each other shortly after
midnight on Saturday (7/19). No
arrests have been made in the
case, nor in any of the other
shooting and stabbing incidents
that left two dead and 13
injured -- most of them in the
Trinidad neighborhood -- from
late Friday through early
Saturday.
In June, a similar spike in
violence happened in Trinidad
causing police to start setting
up checkpoints. During a
checkpoint, police officers stop
cars, check driver's
identification, and ask if
drivers have a legitimate reason
to be in the area, such as going
to a doctor's appointment or
visiting a relative. If not,
drivers are turned away. The
checkpoints are now the subject
of a class action lawsuit.
Robert Brannum says residents
are sick of the crime and
support the police. "We have to
let these individuals know that
they are not going to take our
neighborhoods from us," he says.
"We are going to live our lives,
walk our neighborhoods and they
are not going to run us out of
our community."
Former D.C. Police Chief Isaac
Fulwood Jr. led the department
from 1989 to 1992, when violence
in Trinidad was a constant. The
recent rash of homicides was
stunning, he said, because the
whole city is far safer than it
was during that era. "When you
get seven or eight homicides,
it's like 'Great God almighty,
what's happening?' " he said.
"It's not in the magnitude of
the 1980s or '90s, but these are
significant problems."
D.C. police are now watching
live images from dozens of
surveillance cameras posted in
high-crime parts of the city,
hoping to respond faster to
shootings, robberies and other
offenses and catch suspects
before they get away. Since
August 2006, the city has
installed 73 cameras across the
city. The District is following
cities such as Baltimore,
Chicago, New York and
Philadelphia, where police have
actively monitored live camera
scenes for years. (Washington
Post, WTOP.com 7/20/08)
Pray against a spirit of murder
and for the Lord's protection of
human life. Let us intercede for
conciliatory dialog and
understanding, and against
violence, bloodshed and loss of
life. Pray for the protection of
all persons, security and police
officers. Pray specifically for
Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier,
her assistants, advisors and
staff:
District of Columbia,
Metropolitan Police Department
Chief of Police - Cathy L.
Lanier
Assistant Chief, Executive
Officer - Assistant Chief Alfred
Durham
Patrol Services and School
Security Bureau - Assistant
Chief Diane Groomes
Homeland Security Bureau -
Assistant Chief Patrick Burke
Professional Development Bureau
- Assistant Chief Joshua
Ederheimer
Corporate Support Bureau - Mr.
Edward Hamilton
Investigative Services Bureau -
Assistant Chief Winston Robinson
Internal Affairs Bureau -
Assistant Chief Peter Newsham
Many congregations and various
ministries hold prayer meetings,
night watches and a monthly
night of prayer for our nation's
capital. Let us humbly offer
thanksgiving for the
contribution which IFA "partners
in prayer" have made over these
years. Let us intercede that the
crescendo of prayer in our
nation's capital increases even
more! |
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NOVEMBER
ELECTIONS | PARTY PLATFORMS
- Affirm the sovereignty of
God and the supremacy of Jesus
Christ over all U.S. political
parties, candidates, super
delegates, platforms and the
August 25-28 Democratic and
September 1-4 Republican
nominating conventions. (Col
1:9-20) Intercede for the
drafting of all party platform
planks, that God will anoint and
use individuals to advocate and
uphold the sanctity of life,
traditional marriage, and
biblical morality. Intercede
that Godly candidates be granted
resources, media attention, and
favor with voters. (1 Tim 2:1-4,
1 Jn 5:14) |
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Whatever you do, do all to the
glory of God
- 1 Corinthians 10:31
"Only a life motivated by the
desire to glorify God in all our
actions is worth living.
So perform even the smallest and
most insignificant tasks with
this loving purpose. In heaven
you will reap an immeasurable
harvest." - M. Basilea Schlink,
More Precious Than Gold
 More
Precious Than Gold
M. Basilea Schlink
Perfect summer reading!
This beautiful devotional,
recently published in English is
now available from IFA. Order
Item # B692, $8.95 + $3.00
shipping. Credit card orders
toll-free 1-800-872-7729 or
via
www.ifabooks.com
Additional titles by
M. Basilea Schlink are also
available.
Other books by M. Basilea
Schlink . . .
Repentance The Joy Filled Life
Allah or The God of the Bible
My All For Him
Nature Out of Control?
Building A Wall of Prayer
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PLEASE REMEMBER IFA IN YOUR
SUMMER PRAYERS AND GIVING!
Special summer offer: Receive
these two historic volumes for
any direct donation of $30 or
more or any $20 donation added
to a book order! The fair
market value of $5.00 for these
two books must be deducted from
your contribution to our
ministry in determining the
tax-deductible portion of your
gift.
Both of these
excellent compilations - "Under
God," soft cover 382 pages, and
"Living Under God," soft cover
263 pages - drawn from a
multitude of historic sources by
DC Talk will renew you in your
understanding and appreciation
of America's Judeo-Christian
foundations. Both of these
books will be sent free to all
who respond to this eBookstore
offer, make a direct summer
contribution of $30 to IFA or
add a $20 donation to any order.
Because of
the economic recession and
escalating gas, food and
electricity costs, contributions
to IFA and many ministries are
down. Please know that IFA
needs your support at this time.
You can send a check payable to
"IFA," earmarked "Under God," or
a you can easily make a credit
card donation by
clicking here by
using the eBookstore order
form or by calling toll-free
1-800-USA-PRAY (872- 7729).
Thanks! |
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JOINT PRAYER MEETING ACROSS
AMERICA
For
Afghanistan & Iraq
Revival in America
Saturday Morning, July 5, 2008
8AM Eastern, 7AM Central, 6AM
Mountain, 5AM Pacific
Use the Conference Call Number &
Access Code:
1-712-432-9998 & 526338#
(Alternate Number:
1-712-432-1690 & 399430#)
WAR IN IRAQ | WAR IN AFGHANISTAN
Pray that wisdom and strategy be
granted to U.S. commanders in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Intercede
for Afghan President Hamid
Karzai, the Afghan government,
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani
(Kurdish), Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki (Shiite Muslim), the
Parliament, and all
officials-that a form of good
government that is
representative of all Iraqi and
Afghan socio-religious ethnic
groups be established and
maintained. Intercede for all
troops deployed and for their
families-for protection, good
health and morale. Intercede for
all Christians and churches in
both countries. (1 Tim 2:2) |
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PRAYER CALENDAR
August 16
The Call - Washington,DC
www.thecall.com
September 11
CRY OUT AMERICA
http://www.awakeningamerica.us/
September 12-14
Family Research Council - Values
voter Summit
Register at 1-877-372-2808
Ongoing
Praying Through The Window 9
Global terrorism, world
religions, and lawless
regimes in the 10/40 Window.
www.win1040.com
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At the IFA Website . . .
Follow
recent reports regarding
Christian Persecution
http://www.ifapray.org/persecution.html
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BUSH ADMINISTRATION | 110TH
CONGRESS | SUPREME COURT
SENATE PASSES LANDMARK AIDS, TB
AND MALARIA BILL
On a 80 to 16 vote, the U.S.
Senate passed a crucial bill
last week backed by President
Bush, that reauthorizes the U.S.
program on global HIV/AIDS while
also authorizing much greater
funding for programs to address
tuberculosis and malaria.
President Bush, who requested
$30 billion over the next five
years, has agreed to the larger
amount of $50 billion for a
program he started in 2003. The
program originally focused on 15
poor nations, but the
legislation would expand it to
help provide prevention and
treatment services in more than
100 countries.
"We've made tremendous strides,
but our work is not nearly
finished. Two million people
died last year of
HIV-AIDS. Over two and a half
million people died of
malaria and TB," said Senate
Foreign Relations
Committee Chairman Joseph R.
Biden Jr. (D-Del.).
He praised Bush's "bold" support
for AIDS funding
calling it his greatest
achievement as president. The
House has passed its own version
of the bill.
One
key difference in the bills is a
House provision that
would allow funding for family
planning programs
in poor nations.
A
VICTORY FOR THE WORLD'S MOST
VULNERABLE PEOPLE
(The ONE Campaign seeks to raise
public awareness about the
issues of global poverty,
hunger, disease and efforts to
fight such problems in
developing countries). In the
past few weeks, more than
100,000 ONE members have written
letters, signed petitions and
made phone calls, asking our
senators to support the
reauthorization of PEPFAR,
America's lifesaving response to
global AIDS, TB and malaria.
On Wednesday, 80 senators did
just that by voting to pass
PEPFAR. Overwhelming bipartisan
majorities stuck together to
defeat a number of amendments
that threatened to cut funding
or otherwise undercut the
success we've had in fighting
these diseases.
Visit the ONE Blog
to learn more about which
Senators voted to reauthorize
PEPFAR, answering your calls and
providing hope for the millions
of people around the world who
look to America as a partner in
fighting these deadly, but
treatable diseases.
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HOMOSEXUALS IN THE MILITARY:
DEBATE RENEWED
A U.S. House subcommittee on
Wednesday will debate the future
of a 1993 law that bans openly
homosexual men and women from
serving in the military. Gay
activists
and some members of Congress are
attempting to repeal the
so-called "don't ask,
don't tell" law.
Elaine Donnelly, president of
the Center for Military
Readiness (CMR), said forcing a
sexual agenda on the military
will hurt discipline and morale.
"The culture of the armed forces
- how things are done, the
infrastructure of values,
standards, priorities,
everything that makes our
military as strong as it is -
all of these values are now
under attack," Donnelly said
during a recent Focus on the
Family radio broadcast. "There
are civilian activists who do
not understand the culture of
the military, who want to use
the Armed Forces toward their
own end. The military today is
about to be hit with the full
force of extreme social
engineering." (CitizenLink
7/22/08)
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NO RUSH TO RETIRE BLACK ROBES ON
SUPREME COURT
John Paul Stevens still plays
tennis at 88. Ruth Bader
Ginsburg, 75, works out
regularly in the Supreme Court
gym. The oldest two justices,
half the court's liberal wing,
top the list of those considered
likely to retire during the next
presidential administration.
Despite Stevens' and Ginsburg's
apparent vigor, change on the
Supreme Court is more likely
than not over the next four
years.
With five justices 70 or older
by the time the court meets
again in October, interest
groups and commentators have
been talking about the court's
role in the presidential
election. One change on a court
that divides 5-4 in key cases
can alter the results.
But their forecasts depend on
three factors: Who wins the
presidency, who leaves the court
and who is appointed.
Democrat Barack Obama would most
likely be replacing liberal
justices with like-minded
successors. Republican John
McCain could get the chance to
fulfill a campaign pledge and
put a conservative justice on
the court in the mold of Chief
Justice John Roberts or Justice
Samuel Alito.
Alito, among President George W.
Bush's two selections,
repeatedly has demonstrated the
difference one justice can make
on a closely divided court. The
result in disputes over
abortion, religion and school
desegregation almost certainly
would have been different had
Sandra Day O'Connor not retired
in 2006.
justices find it hard to leave
the court unless they're in poor
health, Goldstein said.
Chief Justice William Rehnquist
didn't retire even after he was
diagnosed with cancer. His death
in 2005 created the second
vacancy for Bush. (AP 7/19/08)
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SENS. BROWNBACK, SALAZAR,
LIEBERMAN
INTRODUCE OPEN FUEL STANDARD ACT
Each year, well over half a
trillion U.S. dollars are spent
on oil imported from OPEC and
non-OPEC nations.
U.S. Senators Sam Brownback
(R-KS), Ken Salazar (D-CO) and
Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) today
held a press conference to
introduce the Open Fuel Standard
Act, legislation which seeks to
reduce America's dependence on
foreign oil. Senators Susan
Collins (R-ME) and John Thune
(R-SD) also have co-sponsored
the bill.
The Open Fuel Standard Act
requires that starting in 2012,
50% of new automobiles, and
starting in 2015, 80% of new
automobiles, be flex-fuel
vehicles warranted to operate on
gasoline, ethanol, and methanol,
or be warranted to operate on
biodiesel. The alternative fuels
can be made from a variety of
sources, including switchgrass
and other energy crops, coal,
agricultural bi-products, corn,
soybeans, natural gas and other
materials. Making a flex-fuel
vehicle costs the manufacturer
about one hundred dollars per
vehicle. (Brownback.senate.gov
7/22/08)
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SEN. CLINTON OPPOSES PLAN TO
PROTECT PRO-LIFE DOCTORS ON
ABORTION
Without making physicians do
abortions or allowing nurses to
do them,
the abortion industry is facing
a severe shortage and the number
of abortions could continue to
decline.
Senator Hillary Clinton says she
will try to stop a new proposal
from the Bush administration
that would protect pro-life
doctors, nurses and other
medical professionals from
having to participate in
abortions. The Bush plan also
protects medical facilities that
don't want to do abortions. The
idea is to require hospitals and
other medical facilities that
receive federal funding to
guarantee that they will not
refuse to hire medical staff who
refuse to participate in
abortions.
Clinton has said no to the idea
and called it a "gratuitous,
unnecessary insult" to women.
"We will not put up with this
radical, ideological agenda to
turn the clock back on women's
rights," the New York senator
said.
Meanwhile, as abortion
practitioners like Rapin
Osathanondh are held accountable
for shady medical practices and,
in his case, killing a woman in
a legal abortion, the number of
doctors willing to do abortions
is on the decline. Without
making physicians do abortions
or allowing nurses to do them,
the abortion industry is facing
a severe shortage and the number
of abortions could continue to
decline. (LifeNews.com 7/22/08)
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ACROSS THE COUNTRY
PARENT'S PLACE:
WHAT OUR CHILDREN ARE WATCHING
AND HEARING
New technologies are changing
the landscape of our
communications arena almost
daily. With an increasing number
and variety of communications
entering our homes each day, it
can be hard for parents and
caregivers to monitor, or even
track, what children are
watching and hearing. While
technology has great potential
to teach the nation's children,
it also has the power to shape
their lives and opinions. This
FCC Web site
offers an array of information
to help parents deal with,
decipher, and monitor the
communications that their
children can access. (Federal
Communications Commission)
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HURRICANE DOLLY HITS
TEXAS-MEXICO COAST
First hurricane in the Gulf of
Mexico this season; about 1.5
million Texans could feel the
storm's effects.
Hurricane Dolly strengthened
early Wednesday as its leading
edge lashed the Gulf Coast near
the Texas-Mexico border with
heavy rain and powerful winds.
The center of the hurricane was
expected to make landfall later
Wednesday and dump up to 15
inches of rain, threatening
flooding that could breach
levees in the heavily populated
Rio Grande valley.
The storm, combined with levees
that have deteriorated in the 41
years since hurricane Beulah
swept up the Rio Grande, pose a
major flooding threat to
low-lying counties. Beulah
spawned more than 100 tornadoes
across Texas and dumped 36
inches of rain in some parts of
south Texas, killing 58 people
and causing more than $1 billion
damage. Much of the damage to
New Orleans from Hurricane
Katrina was from levee breaks
instead of wind. (AP 7/23/08) |
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OHIO
JUDGE GRANTS TEENS ABORTIONS
Parental-involvement laws are
supposed to protect teen girls,
but an Ohio judge freely
sidesteps those laws and allows
every teen she sees to have an
abortion.
Ohio is one of 36 states that
requires parental notification
or consent before a girl younger
than 18 can abort her preborn
baby. Most of those states allow
judges to bypass parents if they
feel the girl could face abuse.
Kim Browne, a judge in Franklin
County, said she has never
denied a request.
"I don't think I'm playing God
at all," Browne told The
Columbus Dispatch. "That is
their choice. That's the
decision they are going to have
to live with." Carrie Gordon
Earll, senior bioethics analyst
at Focus on the Family Action,
said Browne may or may not be
playing God, but she is
certainly playing parent. "This
judge is denying parents their
right to be involved in a major
decision in their daughter's
life, plus she's encouraging
girls to shut out their
parents," she said. "That's just
wrong." (CitizenLink 7/22/08)
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PLANNED PARENTHOOD ABORTION
CENTER CLOSES INSTEAD OF
FOLLOWING NEW LAW
Monday was the first day that
Planned Parenthood, which
operates the only abortion
business in South Dakota, had to
comply with a new state law
telling women the truth about
abortion. Rather than tell women
abortion kills children and has
numerous risks, Planned
Parenthood closed its doors.
Whether the closing is temporary
or permanent remains to be seen.
The state law required abortion
practitioners to inform every
woman that she is terminating
the life of a human being. It
requires giving her information
about the mental health
complications such as a high
risk of depression and suicide
and physical problems like
hemorrhage infection, premature
births of subsequent
pregnancies, and infertility.
The woman considering the
abortion receives a chance to
sign in writing that she
received the information and
abortion practitioners who don't
comply face losing their medical
license, two years in prison and
a possible medical malpractice
lawsuit.
Dr. Allen Unruh, a leading
pro-life advocate who works with
Alpha Pregnancy Center, told
LifeNews.com that Monday was a
historic day. "Time will tell if
Planned Parenthood plans to
re-open it's doors, but as for
now, the regular abortions were
canceled today as the
abortionist refused to show up,"
he explained. "We will see if
any other abortionists plan to
take the risks involved with
full disclosure of what they do
to women and their unborn
children," he added. (LifeNews.com
7/21/08) |
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PLEASE REMEMBER IFA IN YOUR
SUMMER PRAYERS AND GIVING!
Special summer offer - these
historic volumes free with any
direct donation of $30 or more
or any $20 donation added to a
book order!
Both
of these excellent compilations
- "Under God," soft cover 382
pages, and "Living Under God,"
soft cover 263 pages - drawn
from a multitude of historic
sources by DC Talk will renew
you in your understanding and
appreciation of America's
Judeo-Christian foundations.
Both of these books will be sent
free to all who respond to this
eBookstore offer, make a direct
summer contribution of $30 to
IFA or add a $20 donation to
any order.
Because of
the economic recession and
escalating gas, food and
electricity costs, contributions
to IFA and many ministries are
down. Please know that IFA
needs your support at this time.
You can send a check payable to
"IFA," earmarked "Under God," or
a you can easily make a credit
card donation by
clicking here by
using the eBookstore order
form or by calling toll-free
1-800-USA-PRAY (872- 7729).
Thanks! |
|
On Watch In Washington Editorial
Team:
Gary Bergel / Brian Miller /
Linda Watkins /
William
Lee
THE MISSION OF INTERCESSORS FOR
AMERICA:
Uniting Believers in Effective
Prayer and Fasting for America
INTERCESSORS FOR AMERICA
Purcellville, VA | 540-751-0980
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www.ifapray.org |
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