“Please join in praying – 138 least-reached people groups live in Sudan, the largest being the Sudanese Arabs.

KHARTOUM, Sudan – Muslim extremists have sent text messages to at least 10 church leaders in Khartoum saying they are planning to target Christian leaders, buildings and institutions, Christian sources in Khartoum said. “We want this country to be purely an Islamic state, so we must kill the infidels and destroy their churches all over Sudan,” said one text message circulating in Khartoum last month. The text messages were sent in July and August.

Church leaders here said they fear more persecution as they and their flocks become targets of local Islamists. In addition, Muslim extremists from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh arrive in sudan every two weeks to undergo training in secret camps in Khartoum before they are sent to various parts of Sudan to preach Islam and demolish church buildings, according to a Christian source in Khartoum…

The Rev. Ramadan Chan Liol, general secretary of the Sudan Council of Churches, told Ecumenical News International last month that threats have caused Christians to stay away from some church services, and some government leaders have ordered pastors to close down churches without proper documentation.”

“They say nothing good happens in Washington today.  I beg to differ.

Granted, it's easy to become cynical about current events in the nation's capital. The polls tell us that voters are tired of Washington politics amid the constant clamor of problems and solutions. While the pundits claim that "Washington is broken," candidates in both parties run on the pledge to "fix" Washington.

But there is something good going on in Washington, and you won't find it highlighted on the 6 o'clock evening news. Prayer is happening. Not just the prayers of those who gather outside the Capitol to protest or rally (although those prayers are important too), but prayers from within the Capitol itself - our lawmakers!  A bi-partisan group of 94 Members
 - all elected congressmen and women - meet regularly to pray before votes are cast on the floor. Known as The Congressional Prayer Caucus, the group formed in 2005 and is now an official Caucus of the United States House of Representatives. According to Founder and Co-chairman Congressman J. Randy Forbes of Virginia, the Members recognize "the role that prayer has played in strengthening the fabric of our society throughout our more than 200-year history."

I don't know about you, but this makes me feel hopeful. Following the examples set by Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln, this group exists to acknowledge the importance of the role of our Creator, our nation's dependence on prayer, and the reality of God's presence woven throughout America's history since its founding…

We can only pray that those who participate in the Caucus would vote in a manner according to God's will, and that our country would elect more representatives who would increase and enrich the group's fellowship. Let's lift up these current Caucus Members in prayer…let's pray for them specifically as a group and as individuals. Click on the following link to use the list of current Members to intercede for them by name:

 http://forbes.house.gov/PrayerCaucus/Members.aspx

Serving in Washington can be a perilous job for believers today. These men and women need our prayers to remain strong in their faith, true to their word, and aligned with God's plans for this nation. Is Washington broken? Certainly not all of it. praise God!”

“Please pray that the Supreme Court will serve our country without a trace of deceit. Intercede that no private interpretation in any legislation will stand and that our freedoms will remain intact. Pray that God would give the justices on the Supreme Court His wisdom to grasp the ramifications of their decisions. Ask for unity in our country and for unprecedented discernment on state and federal matters.

The 2011-12 term of the U.S. Supreme Court started on Monday, October 3. Many items are being slated for review by this historic U.S. Supreme Court.

1)    GPS: Whether police need a warrant from a judge to attach a GPS device to a car to track its movements for extended periods. United States v. Jones. Antoine Jones was a Washington, D.C., nightclub owner and suspected drug dealer. So as part of their investigation, officers attached a Global Positioning Satellite tracing device on a Jeep driven by Jones.
2)    Strip Search: Whether jails can strip-search all newly booked inmates without evidence that they are concealing contraband.
3)    Profanity: Whether the Federal Communications Commission’s rules on indecency which prohibit radio and television stations from broadcasting patently offensive words and depictions of sexual activities, are unconstitutionally vague.

The case, FCC v. Fox Television, will examine whether the FCC’s indecency enforcement procedures violate the First and Fifth Amendments. At issue is the government’s attempt to police the public airwaves to prevent not only obscene material but also indecent communications offensive to a family-oriented audience.

4)    Church and State: In an important case involving the First Amendment’s separation of church and state, the justices will consider whether a former teacher at a Lutheran elementary school can sue the church-run school for alleged disability discrimination and retaliation. The case is Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC and Cheryl Perich.
School officials argue that the lawsuit is barred under the “ministerial exception,” a legal doctrine which blocks employment-related lawsuits against religious organizations filed by employees who perform important religious functions.

5)    Disputed Status of Jerusalem: Because Jerusalem is a major source of disagreement in Middle East peace talks, the U.S. government has tried to remain neutral on the Jerusalem issue. As a result, children born in Jerusalem to U.S. Citizens are listed on birth documents as having been born in Jerusalem. No country is noted on the State Department documents. Pro-Israeli members of Congress who disagree with this posture, sponsored and passed a law directing the State Department to record the place of birth as Jerusalem, Israel.

Besides these issues, there are several other topics for review.

Obamacare – States and a business group opposed to the Obamacare overhaul asked the Supreme Court for a speedy ruling that puts an end to the law aimed at extending insurance coverage to more than 30 million people…The ACA requires every American to purchase a government-approved level of health insurance or pay a penalty.

This Supreme Court is in a position to leave a giant footprint on public policy in the coming  year.”

Ask the Lord to protect the U.S. from any revenge attacks that may be planned by Moslems. Ask that the Lord would give intelligence sources sharp knowledge and understanding of harmful actions that could be planned. The Lord is our strength and shield. Look to Him as our strong tower.

“Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just; for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.” (Psalms 7:9)