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Cranston, Rhode Island federal judges and the school board members have voted to remove prayer banner at the public high school

CRANSTON, Rhode Island (Reuters) - A Rhode Island school board voted on Thursday to comply with a federal court order to remove a prayer banner that has been displayed in a public high school for nearly a half century, saying the cash-strapped district cannot face a costly appeal.

I have a female friend who was asking me some questions on currency exchange. It turns out that she is involved in some gig in which the participant works on a coffee plantation in Costa Rica in exchange for room and board. I would consider Costa Rica a dangerous location. I would classify it as a Third World country. Just look at the State Dept. website. I was trying to gauge if this gig is legit. My friend is in her early 20s, fairly attractive. Her Third World experience consisted of a resort in Mexico. She has no idea what...

Pray For Our American Heroes and Our Nation "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."Matthew 6 God Bless America!

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Zechariah Chapter 4 Vision of the Lampstand and Olive Trees 1. Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. 2. And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. 3. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the...

The Inspiration of Spiritual Initiative "Arise from the dead . . ." —Ephesians 5:14 Not all initiative, the willingness to take the first step, is inspired by God. Someone may say to you, “Get up and get going! Take your reluctance by the throat and throw it overboard—just do what needs to be done!� That is what we mean by ordinary human initiative. But when the Spirit of God comes to us and says, in effect, “Get up and get going,� suddenly we find that the initiative is inspired.We all have many dreams and aspirations when we are young,...

February 16, 2012   Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time   Reading 1 Jas 2:1-9 My brothers and sisters, show no partialityas you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly,and a poor person with shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothesand say, "Sit here, please,"while you say to the poor one, "Stand there," or "Sit at my feet," have you not made distinctions among yourselvesand become judges with evil designs? Listen, my beloved...

Please post public prayer for Rick Santorum here. Friends, we are in a spiritual battle. Rick is not our God but I believe he will listen to Godly counsel. Father God surround Rick Santorum with Godly men who prayerfully seek your divine will. Lead him and guide his every step. May he be wise and humble, yet confident in doing what is right over what is popular. In the name of Jesus, my Rock, my Lord, my Deliverer.

"Am I My Brother’s Keeper?" "None of us lives to himself . . ." —Romans 14:7 Has it ever dawned on you that you are responsible spiritually to God for other people? For instance, if I allow any turning away from God in my private life, everyone around me suffers. We “sit together in the heavenly places . . .� (Ephesians 2:6). “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it . . .� (1 Corinthians 12:26). If you allow physical selfishness, mental carelessness, moral insensitivity, or spiritual weakness, everyone in contact with you will suffer. But you...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Zechariah Chapter 3 1. And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 3. Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 4. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Zechariah Chapter 2 1. I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2. Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. 3. And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, 4. And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls...

The Discipline of Hearing "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops" —Matthew 10:27 Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and God puts us into “the shadow of His hand� until we learn to hear Him (Isaiah 49:2). “Whatever I tell you in the dark. . .�— pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are...

"As you know, our precious daughter Hannah was a victim of a tragic, accidental gunshot wound to her head," her father, Pastor Tim Kelley, reportedly wrote on the church's Facebook page. "She remains in very critical condition, the prognosis is not good. Please pray the swelling ... goes down in her brain." "The outpouring of love has been overwhelming and humbling -- thank you all," the statement continued. "There is no way to thank you all as hundreds have contacted us. I am getting your messages -- your love speaks life into our souls. Please continue to pray for my...

"Yea, Tho I Walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I Will Fear No Evil... For Thou Art With Me."Psalm 23:4 "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting Him." (Psalm 91:1-2)

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Zechariah Chapter 1 1. In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 2. The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers. 3. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. 4. Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying,...

The Devotion of Hearing "Samuel answered, ’Speak, for Your servant hears’ " —1 Samuel 3:10 Just because I have listened carefully and intently to one thing from God does not mean that I will listen to everything He says. I show God my lack of love and respect for Him by the insensitivity of my heart and mind toward what He says. If I love my friend, I will instinctively understand what he wants. And Jesus said, “You are My friends . . .� (John 15:14). Have I disobeyed some command of my Lord’s this week? If I had...

I have received an email from Binyamin L. Jolkovsky, Editor in Chief of Jewish World Review. He's requesting prayers for Yisroel ben Chana Tzirel, a rabbinic mentor of his. This is someone who has been more like a father to him, and is considered to be among the most prominent Orthodox rabbis in America. He was rushed to the hospital this morning and had emergency surgery. In the words of Mr. Jolkowsky, every prayer is precious to the Almighty. The power of prayer is often spoken of. But those of us who truly believe in it, act on it. Thanks!

February 13, 2012   Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time   Reading 1 Jas 1:1-11 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings. Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters,when you encounter various trials,for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.And let perseverance be perfect,so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.But if any of you lacks wisdom,he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly,and he will be given it.But he should ask in faith, not doubting,for the...

Psalm 63:7,8 How I Rejoice through the Night Beneath the Protecting Shadow of Your Wings. I Follow Close Behind You, Protected by Your Strong Right Arm.

Timeless words...written 149 years ago but could have been penned yesterday, but not by the current Imposter-in-Chief: "Insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and...

Are You Listening to God? "They said to Moses, ’You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die’ " —Exodus 20:19 We don’t consciously and deliberately disobey God— we simply don’t listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them— not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. “If you love Me, keep My commandments� (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Psalm 79 1. O God, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance; Thy Holy Temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. 2. The dead bodies of Thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of Thy saints unto the beasts of the earth. 3. Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them. 4. We are become a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us5. How...

Much like the days of Deborah, we here in America seem to have the same settings and lawless crisis sweeping throughout our land at an exponential rate. There truly has not been a great American conservative (socially and fiscally) leader in this land since Ronald Reagan, some 25 years ago and as Sarah does best, she brought this years CPAC convention to a rousing conclusion firing up TRUE American's and taking it to the socialists and their leader "Mr. Hope and Change". What America so desperately needs more than ever is one who has the same God fearing, moral compass...

Religious controversy burns Obama againBy Niall Stanage and Amie Parnes - 02/11/12 07:05 AM ET Chalk up yet another religious controversy on President Obama’s record. The furor over contraception that consumed much of this week is just one more instance of the president having been put onto the back foot at the intersection of faith and politics. It’s a problem that previously has popped up in controversies over Israel, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and even Obama’s 2008 comments about people holding on to “guns and religion.” “It almost appears that every time he tries to steer clear of [the intersection...

Is Your Mind Stayed on God? "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" —Isaiah 26:3 Is your mind stayed on God or is it starved? Starvation of the mind, caused by neglect, is one of the chief sources of exhaustion and weakness in a servant’s life. If you have never used your mind to place yourself before God, begin to do it now. There is no reason to wait for God to come to you. You must turn your thoughts and your eyes away from the face of...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Genesis Chapter 32 Jacob's Fear of Esau 1. Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. 2. Jacob said when he saw them, "This is God's [a]camp." So he named that place [b]Mahanaim. 3. Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4. He also commanded them saying, "Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: 'Thus says your servant Jacob, "I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now; 5. I have oxen...

February 11, 2012 Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Kgs 12:26-32; 13:33-34 Jeroboam thought to himself:"The kingdom will return to David's house.If now this people go up to offer sacrificesin the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem,the hearts of this people will return to their master,Rehoboam, king of Judah,and they will kill me."After taking counsel, the king made two calves of goldand said to the people:"You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough.Here is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt."And he put one in Bethel, the other...

Jesus said to her, “ I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25,26

Prayer Team for Rick Santorum take your post! Stand in the gap and put on your FULL ARMOR. The spiritual battle against Rick Santorum is about to get ugly......very ugly. Father God, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, I come before your throne of grace and seek your divine will and divine protection for Rick Santorum. Lord, I claim your promise that you will direct my path and make my path straight. Lead me and guide me as I desire to know and do your will. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Rock, my Redeemer....

Hi all. I think this is my first vanity. I'm hoping you all don't mind, but I'm asking for prayers for myself. I'm having surgery on Monday, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely terrified. The surgery is a core decompression of the femural head in my right hip. I have Avascular Necrosis in both hips, likely due to a lifetime of taking Steroids for Asthma. I have 3 daughters, and I'm so afraid of something happening to me. My respiratory history is awful, and both my parents died young, and it all just makes me scared....

Why are Pastors 'Laying Hands' on Rick Santorum in TX? Santorum may be capturing the attention of Christians and their leaders. WHY WERE PASTORS ‘LAYING HANDS’ ON RICK SANTORUM IN TX? (THE BLAZE) -- Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum stopped in McKinney, Texas, earlier today, where he met with evangelical faith leaders. During their time together, the pastors and congregants “laid hands on” the candidate and prayed for him, as can be seen in the below image: (see image at: http://content.clearchannel.com/cc-common/mlib/2135/02/2135_1328806795.jpg Pastors praying around GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum) The New York Times reports: Santorum, a Catholic, is said to...

HARLINGEN, TX -- Noel Shankle of Carrollton, Texas calls his daughter every night to wish her sweet dreams. "He has a 4-year-old and calls her every night to say goodnight," said Nelly Shankle, Noel's mother. The 28-year-old father hasn't made that call since last Friday. In fact, he hasn't spoken to any of his family members in the Dallas area since flying into Harlingen. "We know he rented a car from Hertz in Harlingen and even got insurance to drive it into Mexico." said Shankle Noel was heading south of the border to Matamoros or Reynosa to have dental work...

Is Your Ability to See God Blinded? "Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things . . ." —Isaiah 40:26 The people of God in Isaiah’s time had blinded their minds’ ability to see God by looking on the face of idols. But Isaiah made them look up at the heavens; that is, he made them begin to use their power to think and to visualize correctly. If we are children of God, we have a tremendous treasure in nature and will realize that it is holy and sacred. We will see God reaching...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Genesis Chapter 31 Jacob Flees From Laban 1. Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father." 2. And Jacob noticed that Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had been. 3. Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you." 4. So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where...

Many freepers are having hard times; I've heard of some via freepmail, seen comments on threads, and as times get harder, more of us will experience financial hardship, health problems, emotional sorrows of many kinds, family problems - the human condition. I've heard of spouses with chronic terminal illness, members here with chronic, painful and incurable ailemnts; husbands laid off and rent past due, people with relatives who have cut themselves off from contact, and countless other sorrows and problems. I pray to God that all who seek Him find His shelter. I pray that everyone here finds the means...

Pray For Our American Heroes and Our Nation The Whole Armor of God 10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand...

I am requesting prayer for my father in law who is failing. I would like to add to that request a prayer for my wife who has been given, by her father, the right to make the final decision.

Are You Exhausted Spiritually? "The everlasting God . . . neither faints nor is weary" —Isaiah 40:28 Exhaustion means that our vital energies are completely worn out and spent. Spiritual exhaustion is never the result of sin, but of service. Whether or not you experience exhaustion will depend on where you get your supplies. Jesus said to Peter, “Feed My sheep,� but He gave him nothing with which to feed them (John 21:17). The process of being made broken bread and poured-out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other people’s souls until they learn to...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Genesis Chapter 30 1. When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!" 2. Jacob became angry with her and said, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?" 3. Then she said, "Here is Bilhah, my maidservant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and that through her I too can build a family." 4. So she gave him her...

February 9, 2012   Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time   Reading 1 1 Kgs 11:4-13 When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods,and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God,as the heart of his father David had been.By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians,and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD;he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab,and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites,on the...

The Cost of Sanctification "May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely . . ." —1 Thessalonians 5:23 When we pray, asking God to sanctify us, are we prepared to measure up to what that really means? We take the word sanctification much too lightly. Are we prepared to pay the cost of sanctification? The cost will be a deep restriction of all our earthly concerns, and an extensive cultivation of all our godly concerns. Sanctification means to be intensely focused on God’s point of view. It means to secure and to keep all the strength of our...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Genesis Chapter 29 Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram 1. Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2. There he saw a well in the field, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 3. When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Genesis Chapter 28 1. Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. 2. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. 3. “May God Almighty bless you, And make you fruitful and multiply you, That you may be an assembly of peoples; 4. And give you the blessing of Abraham, To you and...

Spiritual Dejection "We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened" —Luke 24:21 Every fact that the disciples stated was right, but the conclusions they drew from those facts were wrong. Anything that has even a hint of dejection spiritually is always wrong. If I am depressed or burdened, I am to blame, not God or anyone else. Dejection stems from one of two sources— I have either satisfied a lust or I have not had it satisfied. In either case, dejection...

February 7, 2012 Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time   Reading 1 1 Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30 Solomon stood before the altar of the LORDin the presence of the whole community of Israel,and stretching forth his hands toward heaven,he said, "LORD, God of Israel,there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below;you keep your covenant of mercy with your servantswho are faithful to you with their whole heart. "Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you,how much less this temple which I have built! Look...

"Yea, Tho I Walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I Will Fear No Evil... For Thou Art With Me."Psalm 23:4 "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting Him." (Psalm 91:1-2)

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Genesis Chapter 27 Isaac Blesses Jacob 1. Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered him, “Here I am.” 2. Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. 3. Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. 4. And...

Are You Ready To Be Poured Out As an Offering? (2) "I am already being poured out as a drink offering . . ." —2 Timothy 4:6 Are you ready to be poured out as an offering? It is an act of your will, not your emotions. Tell God you are ready to be offered as a sacrifice for Him. Then accept the consequences as they come, without any complaints, in spite of what God may send your way. God sends you through a crisis in private, where no other person can help you. From the outside your life...