http://files.tubesnack.com/iframe/embed.html?hash=tvcm298n&wmode=window&bgcolor=FFFFFF&t=1407190679

National Observance – Thursday, May 1, 2014

Cannon House Office Building – Caucus Room 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance – Mr. John Bornschein, Vice Chairman National Day of Prayer Task Force

Opening Remarks – Mrs. Shirley Dobson, Chairman National Day of Prayer Task Force

Scripture Reading – Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, President of Hope of the World Ministries

Blowing of the Shofar – Rabbi Neal Surasky, Chosen People Ministries

Prayer of Blessing – Rev. Patrick J. Conroy, S.J. Chaplain, U.S. House of Representatives

Prayer for the Nations – Ambassador Bobby Little and Ambassador Zoran Jolevski (Republic of Macedonia)

A Congressional Welcome – Congressman Robert Aderholt (Alabama)

Worship – Don Moen

Prayer of Repentance – Jeff Noel, National Prayer Committee

Judicial Branch Remarks – Judge Maurice Foley

Prayer for the Judicial Branch – Dr. Dick Eastman, Every Home for Christ

Personal Remarks – Dr. James C. Dobson, Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk

Legislative Branch Remarks – Congressman Mike McIntyre (NC, 7th District)

The Legacy of Prayer in America – The Honorable Bob McEwen

Military Remarks – Major General Joseph S. Ward, Jr.

Prayer for the Military Branch – Chaplain Wayne Brittian (LTC)

Keynote Speaker – Anne Graham Lotz, Honorary Chairman National Day of Prayer Task Force

Prayer for the Executive Branch – Mr. David Butts, Harvest Prayer Ministries

Prayer Challenge – Mr. John Bornschein and Rabbi Jonathan Cahn

Closing Song – Don Moen

This program agenda is tentative and subject to change.

This special observance was hosted by Congressman Robert Aderholt (Alabama, 4th District)

Anne Graham Lotz, 2014 Honorary Chairman and daughter of Rev. Billy Graham, delivered a powerful message on prayer and repentance at the National Observance of the 63rd annual National Day of Prayer. Her 29-minute appeal to God's people was one of the highlights of the solemn assembly in Washington D.C. and was viewed around the world in more than 200 countries.


The 2014 National Observance was broadcast on DirecTV channel 365 and streamed LIVE on this website.[hr]  

National Observance in Washington DC - National Day of Prayer Task Force

A restaurant in North Carolina is giving customers a 15 percent discount if they pray in public.

Mary’s Gourmet Diner in Winston-Salem gives the discount for anyone who takes the time to appreciate their food before digging in. Although the restaurant has been offering the special for four years, a recent Facebook post featuring a receipt with the discount has gone viral, highlighting the practice.

Jordan Smith was on a business trip when she got her discount.  She told  HLN that she and her colleagues "prayed over our meal and the waitress came over at the end of the meal and said, "Just so you know, we gave you a 15 percent discount for praying."

Continue reading this story 

Mary's Gourmet Diner gives a 15 percent discount to those who pray in public.

 

In Keep in Step with the Spirit, J. I. Packer lists four elements of spiritual prayer:

1. First it is a matter of seeking, claiming, and making use of access to God through Christ (Ephesians 2:18).


2. Then, the Christian adores and thanks God for their acceptance through Christ and for the knowledge that through Christ their prayers are heard.


3. Third, they ask for the Spirit’s help to see and do what brings glory to Christ, knowing that both the Spirit and Christ himself intercede for them… (Romans 8:26-27, 34).


4. Finally, the Spirit leads the believer to concentrate on God and His glory in Christ with a sustained, single-minded simplicity of attention and intensity of desire…supernaturally wrought.

May each of this bring you new spiritual intensity.

P.R.A.Y. for Today

Praise God for accepting you through Christ; Repent of any failure to use your access to God through Christ; Ask for His Spirit’s power in living this day in integrity; Yield to Him by doing what is right wherever you’ve been tempted to do otherwise.

- Shirley Dobson, Chairman

I spend a lot of time helping missionaries and those associated with missions to learn how to pray more effectively for those they are trying to reach with the Gospel. Any Great Commission Christian will passionately desire for all tribes and nations to hear and respond to the good news. There are good and accepted ways for us to reach out to an unreached people group.

Can you imagine a missionary attempting to bring the Gospel to a tribal group by:

*   refusing to learn their language

*   condemning all of their cultural practices

*   refusing to spend time with them because their lifestyle might affect you

*   in effect, cursing them by criticizing everything they did.

Hollywood is very much a tribal group. Thought not unreached in a technical sense, they are still predominantly pagan. My friend, Karen Covell, who founded the Hollywood Prayer Network in 2001, speaks often of her Hollywood Tribe. When you accept that perspective, you suddenly realize how often we have found ourselves using those absurdly poor ways listed above of reaching a tribal group. How often have you heard Christians (yourself?) denounce and condemn Hollywood? In the process, we have forgotten that we are speaking of people for whom Christ died and who He loves completely.

Can I share with you three reasons why I pray for the Hollywood tribe?

1. Because Christ loves them and I want to please Him

 

1. Because I have asked the Lord to give me a love for lost people and Hollywood is filled with lost people.

 

1. Because the entertainment industry is perhaps the main instrument of cultural transformation and Christ needs to be overseeing that transformative process.

Our prayers are making a difference. We are increasingly seeing more movies and shows that reflect biblical values coming out of Hollywood. What once was a values wasteland is beginning to be transformed. Churches are being established in Hollywood that target the entertainment industry. Christians that once cursed Hollywood are coming to bless Hollywood. God is reclaiming His lost Hollywood tribe!

One very practical, hands-on way you can pray for Hollywood is to join many of us this fall who are coming to pray during The Summons: Hollywood.  From October 1-5, hundreds of Christians will be coming to learn from Hollywood professionals how we can be praying for them, and of course, we will be praying.  Prayer walking at key strategic places and prayer drives through places that desperately need us will take much of our time. My friend Steve Hawthorne describes prayer walking as praying onsite with insight.  You will pray with much greater intensity and focus as you join us in Hollywood for The Summons. You can register at: www.hollywoodprayer.org

See you in Hollywood!

David Butts, Chairman of the National Prayer Committee

The National Day of Prayer Task Force and the National Prayer Committee are pleased to present Prayer Connect, a 48-page, full color magazine devoted entirely to prayer. It is designed to stimulate, inspire and equip you to go deeper in your connection with Jesus Christ through prayer. Below are a few PDFs that are samples of complete issues. Get signed up today - subscribe now

Here is a free PDF download of Issue 14, "Help!: The Heart Cry of Desperate Prayer."

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a free download of issue 3 of Prayer Connect. With the theme, "Solid Foundation: The Power of Praying Scripture," this issue teaches the reader how to effectively pray God's Word back to Him.

Click here to download.

The content of just the theme articles of this issue is available in booklet form. The Solid Foundation booklet is a 48-page, 4 x 6 booklet that can be purchased in bulk for congregations to learn together how to pray Scripture. Click here for information.

 

Free Download of Issue 1: Can Prayer Save America?

 

 

 

 

 

Free Download of Issue 11: Our Great Intercessor: Learning from the Prayer Life of Jesus.

On June 28, a prayer mobilization effort began to pray for 30 days for the Muslim World - concluding on July 27.

The 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World is a prayer focus which coincides yearly with Ramadan, an important month of fasting and religious observance for Muslims. Christians worldwide are called upon to make an intentional effort during that period to learn about, pray for and reach out to Muslim neighbors.

Join the millions of Christians around the world who regularly participate in this largest ongoing international prayer focus on the Muslim world. A new full-color prayer guide booklet—available in both adult and kids versions—is produced each year, and is a proven tool helping Christians to understand and to persistently pray for Muslim neighbors and nations.

The editorial work for this prayer movement was initially coordinated in Australia, then in France and is currently managed in Germany. The North American edition has been published continuously since 1993 by WorldChristian.com.

It is our sincere desire that Muslims around the world would have the opportunity to freely understand and consider the Good News—Jesus Christ. To learn more and to join in this 30-day prayer movement, click here 

Blow the trumpet…sound the alarm…for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand-- Rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God…    ~Joel 2:1, 13

 

Pray! in the 7^th month, July
Pray! on each of the first 7 days of July
Pray! and fast on July 7th for 7 hours (of your choosing)

 

 

Kathy Branzell

Greetings Prayer Warriors! I pray that your summer season is in full swing with picnics, time at the pool and family vacations filled with precious memories that will last a lifetime. For many people, just the mention of the word, “summer,” brings back memories of playing outside all day, sleeping a little later, camping, or a sweet change of pace from our otherwise hectic schedules throughout the school-year.

I have some sweet memories of summers gone by, but I also have memories of stress-filled summer days as my dad, an Air Force pilot, was “serving” away from home. I was known as a, “military- brat.” This was not a summary of my behavior, although I had my moments; but rather the nickname given to the children of those in the military. Years later, knowing that it was a difficult life, I was proud to become a military wife. I grew up in the “olden days,” before email, cell phones, Skype, Facebook and Facetime. When my dad was gone, he was GONE! These memories keep me on my knees praying for our military families, knowing that there are many families who are not focused on S’mores and catching fireflies this summer; they are just trying to get through the challenges of each day while their loved-one is away.

If you talk to any military family, they will tell you that as soon as their military spouse, in most cases a husband, leaves, there is an “enemy attack” that they have to face on the home front too. Inevitably, the washing machine, car or something else, breaks. It is not usually a quick or cheap fix. Ask a military family, and they will tell you about major losses, trips to the hospital, a significant change in their children behavior or sleeping patterns, and many more “battles,” they had to face and fight as their military loved one served away from home. The frontline and the home front would both be entrenched in “enemy fire.”

As I pull from my own memories to pray over military members and their families each day, I think about the Old Testament warrior. One of the Hebrew words for, “Warrior” is the Hebrew word that is transliterated “Gibbowr,” and is defined as: “champion, great, helpers, heroes, men of outstanding, mighty, strong, and valiant.” Those are some really great words that not only describe the Old Testament soldier but that also describe the men and women who are willing to serve and sacrifice so much for the liberty and safety of our nation today.

In addition, many of the Old Testament “valiant warriors” had armor-bearers. These brave servants served the warrior. They had a variety of responsibilities including carrying a large shield to cover the soldier and carrying a variety of weapons so that the warrior was prepared for a multiplicity of attacks and combats. The armor-bearer would sometimes walk ahead as protection and then rotate behind to make sure the job was done; protecting the warrior from everything from distractions to death. The armor-bearer acted as their close confidant, encourager and could strategize in the heat of battle to make sure the warrior could fight with optimum focus and strength.

I see today’s military family as a modern-day “Armor-bearer.” The military spouse and children protect their warrior with prayer and bravery, while also fighting the home front battles that could otherwise distract and discourage their military family member serving away from home. Our military men and women face dangers that many of us cannot even imagine. They risk their lives daily, while sacrificing summer memories, holidays with their family, attending their children’s school, sports, recitals and other events. They are not at home to deal with the broken appliances, trips to the hospital or principal’s office, natural disasters, and other home front crisis and yet they must maintain their focus and strength to complete their mission.

I want to leave you with several prompts; first, please continue to pray fervently for our military and their families. Secondly, if there are military families in your church or community, seek ways to serve them – be their armor-bearers. If you are close to them, offer to help with mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, childcare, bring a meal once in a while, or other ways that will lift their burden. I always love to see people randomly approach military members at the airport, restaurants or other places to thank them for their service. If you ever have the opportunity to say, “Thank you,” to our warriors, or their families, do not hesitate, they need to know you recognize and appreciate their significant service and sacrifices.

The National Day of Prayer Task Force sends our sincere thanks and prayers for our military members and their “armor-bearers.”

- Kathy Branzell, Director

Based on the inspiring, true story!

Alone Yet Not Alone is the gripping, true story set in 1755 about two young sisters who were captured and raised by Native Americans during the French and Indian War. The sisters are sustained only by their unflinching and abiding trust in God, and their hope of escape against all odds to be reunited with their family. Alone Yet Not Alone releases nationwide on Friday, JUNE 13 (Father's Day weekend) and we're inviting everyone to buy advance tickets or if you're interested in buying tickets for a large group (church, school, etc), please click here 









Perhaps you have heard of the recent media attention surrounding Alone Yet Not Alone when its theme song (beautifully performed by Joni Eareckson Tada) received an Oscar nomination, which was hastily rescinded by the Academy. The resulting media attention surrounding the controversy provided an unexpected spotlight on this small, independent movie and we couldn't be more grateful for the supporters.

Help us get the word out by telling everyone you know about this beautiful, true story of God's faithfulness. Learn more 

Shirley Dobson

Empty of Self, Full of God

In John 15:5, Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

When he was a young man, John Wesley wrote to his mother:

My desire is to know and feel that I am nothing, that I have nothing, and that I can do nothing. For whenever I am empty of myself, then know I of a surety that neither friends nor foes, nor any creature, can hinder me from being “filled with all the fullness of God.”

The nothingness Wesley talks about may be the most elusive of all attributes. It defies the very “essence of self” on which so many of us base our identities. Yet when we give ourselves wholly to God, He takes from our meager reserves and gives back from infinity. What a marvelous exchange!

 

 

P.R.A.Y. for Today

 

Praise God for His fullness; Repent of your own fullness of self; Ask Him to fill you with His fullness; Yield to Him by emptying your mind and spirit of every aspect of self.