INTRODUCTION TO DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS
This week Dan and Melissa explore Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s techniques for tackling the negative thoughts and lies that enter into our minds and lead us away from God.

http://www.spiritualdirection.com/2016/04/22/introduction-to-discernment-of-spirits

http://traffic.libsyn.com/divineintimacy/DIR_0064_Pod_4-22-16_Intro_to_Disc_of_Spirits.mp3

Pray For Someone You Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-1PoUSgqpU
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http://thecatholicguy.tv/
http://www.facebook.com/theCatholicGuyMinistry

Sweet By and By by Bird Youmans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T2bZ1SHBIo

https://www.facebook.com/CountryGirlsLoveOfJesus

How to Get Through What You’re Going Through
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Series Description 
In their return to Saddleback Church after the death of their son, Pastor Rick and Kay share the very personal story of Matthew and his battle with mental illness. They explore the stages of loss that they are walking through with honesty and transparency, teaching us how to do the same in the tough and tragic times of our lives, and reminding us that through it all, God is with us and loves us.
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This 7-part sermon series consists of the following parts:
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Free Download - Intro - Hope For Those Who Have Lost Loved Ones - Pastor Rick and Kay Warren
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Part 1 - Shock: When Your World Collapses (Aug 4th)
Part 2 - Sorrow: Healing A Broken Heart(Aug 11th)
Part 3 - Struggle: When You Don't Understand (Aug 18th)
Part 4 - Surrender: How To Experience Peace (Aug 25th)
Part 5 - Sanctification: How God Turns Bad To Good (Sep 1st)
Part 6 - Service: How To Use Your Pain For Good (Sep 8th)
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http://www.saddlebackresources.com/025000_How-to-Get-Through-What-Youre-Going-Through--C3408.aspx
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http://www.saddleback.com/mc/m/16056/

Encouraging Each Other
April 6, 2013
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http://hopeforthebrokenhearted.com/njk39rbmj9ri845yufotjz4ru9ta0z/4/6/2013/encouraging-each-other
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http://hopeforthebrokenhearted.com/

The Compassionate Friends - Worldwide Candle Lighting

Worldwide Candle Lighting Video
Worldwide Candle Lighting
The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting unites family and friends around the globe in lighting candles for one hour to honor and remember children who have died at any age from any cause. As candles are lit at 7 p.m. local time, creating a virtual wave of light, hundreds of thousands of persons commemorate and honor children in a way that transcends all ethnic, cultural, religious, and political boundaries.
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The Compassionate Friends - Home

"Cry of Anguish": African Synod Unveils Final Document Blasting Western Anti-Life Ideologies, Resource Exploitation

"Cry of Anguish": African Synod Unveils Final Document Blasting Western Anti-Life Ideologies, Resource Exploitation
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Nigerian archbishop says that the issue of the Church's efforts for AIDS sufferers "cannot be reduced to discussion over condoms."
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By Hilary White
VATICAN CITY, October 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In their final document, the participants of the second Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa have denounced the imposition of foreign anti-life and family ideologies, issued a stern call for holiness and repentance by political leaders, blasted resource exploitation by multinational corporations and called for a rethinking of Africa by the rest of the world.
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At the penultimate press conference today at the Vatican's press office, John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, said that the issue of the Church's efforts for AIDS sufferers "cannot be reduced to discussion over condoms."
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Onaiyekan reiterated the Synod's final document, saying that the Church's work for those with the disease is "second to none" and "deserves greater publicity."
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It is rarely mentioned in western media reports that the vast majority of work caring for people stricken with AIDS in Africa is done by the Catholic Church. "Many of those who go around distributing condoms will not go near anybody with HIV/AIDS," Onaiyekan added.
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One member of the Vatican's press office staff told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) of the frustration that some in Rome feel over the lack of media attention given to the Church's work in treating the sick and spoke of the difficulties involved in getting anti-retroviral drugs to those who need them in Africa. He said that the issue of caring for AIDS patients is being overlooked with the overweening emphasis on prevention with condoms, "and it's prevention that doesn't work."
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The Synod's Summary, issued today, called for sustained assistance for those who already have the disease and noted that Pope Benedict had warned that AIDS "cannot be overcome by the distribution of prophylactics."
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"We appeal to all who are genuinely interested in arresting the sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS to recognise the success already obtained by programmes that propose abstinence among those not yet married, and fidelity among the married.
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"Such a course of action not only offers the best protection against the spread of this disease but is also in harmony with Christian morality."
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The bishops added a note directly to young people, saying, "Let no one deceive you into thinking that you cannot control yourselves. Yes you can, with the grace of God."
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In their Summary, the bishops focused on the imposition of anti-life and anti-woman ideologies. "All over Africa there is much talk about women's rights, especially through the plans of action of some UN agencies. Much of what they say is right and in line with what the Church has been saying."
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The bishops called for "caution," however, in accepting financial aid for the projects being proposed by international aid organisations, which often come "with a hidden agenda." The bishops called on the foreign NGOs to be "more consistent and transparent in implementing their programmes."
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"We urge the countries of Africa to carefully scrutinise the services being offered to our people, to ensure they are good for us." Most particularly, they said, the Synod "denounces all surreptitious attempts to destroy and undermine the precious African values of family and human life."
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They referred directly the "obnoxious" (in Italian "detestabile") Maputo Protocol on women's rights. Pro-life organisations have long called for the retraction of the Protocol that they say is a direct attack on the African people because of its emphasis on "reproductive and sexual rights" that include abortion, contraception and sterilisation.
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The bishops issued a strong warning over the corruption of some African politicians. Africa they said, needs "saints" in government "who will clean the continent of corruption, work for the good of the people," and end the evils of war and poverty devastating the continent. They called on governments in Africa to protect families, and to "remember that a nation whose legislation destroys its own families does so to its own detriment."
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In what Onaiyekan called a "cry of anguish," the bishops also blasted multinational corporations exploiting African natural resources, demanding that they "stop their criminal devastation of the environment in their greedy exploitation." They accused these corporations of "short sighted policy to foment wars in order to make fast gains from chaos at the cost of human lives and blood."
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"Is there no one out there able and willing to stop all these crimes against humanity?"
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Nevertheless, the Summary called for an attitude of hope in the face of the colossal problems of Africa, the "abject poverty," war, genocides, exploitation, violent religious conflict, hunger and disease. The bishops said that the bad news, despite the emphasis of the media, does not make up the whole picture. A refrain for the Synod has been the need for African solutions to African problems and a reduction of the reliance on foreign aid, which, they have said, is too often offered with strings attached.
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"We are challenged and encouraged by the African proverb which says that "an army of well organised ants can bring down an elephant." We should not be afraid of, less still be discouraged, by the enormity of the problems of our continent."
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Almost 300 bishops have participated in the conference that began October 4 and wraps up tomorrow.
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Read LSN coverage of the African Bishops' Synod here.

How to Handle the Bible - Charles Stanley

How to Handle the Bible
Charles Stanley
September 8, 2009
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READ Psalm 1:1-3
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From article:
The value we place on something deter-mines how we treat it. ...
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http://www.intouch.org/magazine/content.aspx?topic=How_to_Handle_the_Bible_devotional#.Uei-GdLviSo

Started March 23, 2005


In Remembrance of:
--Shawn Earhart
--Theresa Marie Schindler (Schiavo)--Pope John Paul II - Karol Wojtyła
--Walter Sharp--Jonathan Brickhouse--Trinity Nicole Casey--Anibal Cruz--Daniel Agosto
--Jesstin "Manny" Pagan--Dylan Groene--LaToyia Figueroa--Baby Figueroa
--Reese "Barry" Robertson--Brice Edwards--James Zadroga--Leona McCleary.
Tallmansville, West Virginia-Sago Miners: --Alva Martin Bennett--Jim Bennett --Jerry Groves
--Terry Helms --David Lewis--Martin Toler--Fred Ware Junior --Marshall Winans --Jack Weaver
--Thomas P. Anderson--George Hamner Jr.--Jesse L. Jones--William Lee "Flea" Chisolm
--John Nelson Boni.
Melville, West Virginia- Alma Miners: --Don Israel Bragg--Ellery "Elvis" Hatfield.
--Kelsey Ann Smith--Daniel Benoit--Tammy Faye Messner--Donald Herbert -- Caylee Marie Anthony 
-- Eluana Englaro

Poll: More Americans calling themselves pro-life

AP – Chart shows abortion poll results
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Poll: More Americans calling themselves pro-life
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By DAVID CRARY,
Ap National Writer – Fri May 15, 7:38 pm ET
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NEW YORK – A Gallup Poll released Friday found that 51 percent of Americans now call themselves pro-life rather than pro-choice on the issue of abortion, the first time a majority gave that answer in the 15 years that Gallup has asked the question.
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The findings, obtained in an annual survey on values and beliefs conducted May 7-10, marked a significant shift from a year ago. A year ago, 50 percent said they were pro-choice and 44 percent pro-life — in the new poll, 42 percent said they were pro-choice.
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The new survey showed that Americans remained deeply divided on the legality of abortion — with 23 percent saying it should be illegal in all circumstances, 22 percent saying it should be legal under any circumstances, and 53 percent saying it should be legal only under certain circumstances.
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The findings echoed a recent national survey by the Pew Research Center, which reported a sharp decline since last August in those saying abortion should be legal in all or most cases — from 54 percent to 46 percent.
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Taken together, the two polls have elated anti-abortion activists, who had been stung by the November election results that placed President Barack Obama and other abortion-rights supporters in power in Washington.
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"Ironically, Obama's radical abortion policies and nominees may have helped make America more pro-life," said Wendy Wright, president of the conservative advocacy group Concerned Women for America.
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The Rev. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said the poll findings demonstrate that the anti-abortion cause "is a vibrant, growing, youthful movement."
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"We are winning the battle for hearts and minds in our culture on the life issue," he said.
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The president of a leading abortion-rights group, Nancy Keenan of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said the Gallup findings "do not square with the voting patterns in the last two elections cycles."
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"It would be a mistake for anti-choice groups to interpret this one poll as a signal that Americans want even more interference from politicians in their personal, private decisions, including a woman's right to choose safe, legal abortion," Keenan said.
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Another abortion-rights leader, Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Cecile Richards, questioned the terminology in the Gallup questions.
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"The terms pro-choice and pro-life no longer define the parameters of the debate, witnessed by the fact that in the Gallup Poll, a majority of people say they are both pro-life and that abortion should be legal," Richards said.
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She added that most Americans share Obama's stated goal of reducing the number of unintended pregnancies.
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Planned Parenthood also noted that another recent national survey, a CNN/Opinion Research Corp., poll in April, reported 49 percent of respondents identifying as pro-choice and 45 percent as pro-life.
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The Gallup poll's release came just ahead of Obama's scheduled commencement speech Sunday at the University of Notre Dame, where he also is to receive an honorary degree. Those plans by the Roman Catholic University have sparked a wave of protests by anti-abortion activists, who contend Notre Dame should not honor a such a prominent supporter of abortion rights.
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Gallup said its new poll showed an increase in the pro-life position across Christian religious affiliations, including an eight-point gain among Protestants and a seven-point gain among Catholics. It also reported a 10-point shift toward the pro-life category among Republicans but said there was no significant change among Democrats.
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In the new poll, men identify as pro-life, 54 percent to 39 percent, while women also tilt pro-life 49 percent to 44 percent. A year ago, Gallup found more women calling themselves pro-choice than pro-life, by 50 percent to 43 percent, while men were more closely divided: 49 percent pro-choice, 46 percent pro-life.
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"It is possible that, through his abortion policies, Obama has pushed the public's understanding of what it means to be 'pro-choice' slightly to the left, politically," according to the Gallup analysis. "While Democrats may support that, as they generally support everything Obama is doing as president, it may be driving others in the opposite direction."

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The Gallup survey was based on telephone interviews with 1,015 adults nationwide. Its margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

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___
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On the Net:

Gallup Poll:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/118399/More-Americans-Pro-Life-Than-Pro-Choice-First-Time.aspx

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090515/ap_on_re_us/us_abortion_poll

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER, 2009 - For Immediate Release May 7, 2009

President Barack Obama signs the proclamation marking the National Day of Prayer in the Oval Office of the White House May 7, 2009. Looking on is Joshua DuBois, Director of the White House Office for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

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THE WHITE HOUSE

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Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

May 7, 2009

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NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER, 2009

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

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Throughout our Nation's history, Americans have come together in moments of great challenge and uncertainty to humble themselves in prayer. In 1775, as the Continental Congress began the task of forging a new Nation, colonists were asked to observe a day of quiet humiliation and prayer. Almost a century later, as the flames of the Civil War burned from north to south, President Lincoln and the Congress once again asked the American people to pray as the fate of their Nation hung in the balance.

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It is in that spirit of unity and reflection that we once again designate the first Thursday in May as the National Day of Prayer. Let us remember those who came before us, and let us each give thanks for the courage and compassion shown by so many in this country and around the world.

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On this day of unity and prayer, let us also honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. We celebrate their commitment to uphold our highest ideals, and we recognize that it is because of them that we continue to live in a Nation where people of all faiths can worship or not worship according to the dictates of their conscience.

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Let us also use this day to come together in a moment of peace and goodwill. Our world grows smaller by the day, and our varied beliefs can bring us together to feed the hungry and comfort the afflicted; to make peace where there is strife; and to lift up those who have fallen on hard times. As we observe this day of prayer, we remember the one law that binds all great religions together: the Golden Rule, and its call to love one another; to understand one another; and to treat with dignity and respect those with whom we share a brief moment on this Earth.

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The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on the President to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a "National Day of Prayer.

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"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 7, 2009, as a National Day of Prayer. I call upon Americans to pray in thanksgiving for our freedoms and blessings and to ask for God's continued guidance, grace, and protection for this land that we love.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

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BARACK OBAMA

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http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Presidential-Proclamation-National-Day-of-Prayer/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/3510105557/

Obama Curtails "Day of Prayer," But Defends it Against Lawsuit in Madison

Obama Curtails "Day of Prayer," But Defends it Against Lawsuit in Madison

By
WTMJ-TV and JSOnline.com
updated 4:20 p.m. ET, Wed., May 6, 2009

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- President Barack Obama is scaling back White House plans for Thursday's National Day of Prayer even as his administration defends the tradition in federal court in Wisconsin.

Obama's position has disappointed Christian conservatives, who want the president to do more to mark the day, and an atheist group that wants him to end the tradition.

The Obama administration has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which claims the day violates the separation of church and state. In a rare alliance, 31 mostly Republican members of Congress and a prominent Christian legal group are joining the administration to fight the lawsuit.

Congress established the day in 1952 and in 1988 set the first Thursday in May as the day for presidents to issue proclamations asking Americans to pray.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday that Obama would issue such a proclamation Thursday but not hold any public events with religious leaders as President George W. Bush did.

Gibbs said Obama prays privately and his plan for the day was in line with those of past presidents. Still, Obama drew a rebuke from the National Day of Prayer Task Force, a private group that promotes prayer events around the country.

"We are disappointed in the lack of participation by the Obama Administration," said task force chairwoman Shirley Dobson, wife of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. "At this time in our country's history, we would hope our President would recognize more fully the importance of prayer."

The task force estimates 2 million Americans attended more than 40,000 events marking the day last year.

Meanwhile, Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-Director Annie Laurie Gaylor welcomed Obama's more subdued observance but said she has been shocked by his administration's strong defense of the day in court.

The Madison-based group of 12,000 atheists and agnostics filed the lawsuit near the end of Bush's second term in U.S. District Court in Madison. The suit asks a judge to declare the law unconstitutional and to order presidents and governors to stop issuing prayer proclamations.

The lawsuit also claimed federal and state governments work too closely with Dobson's task force to promote the day and give it a Christian bent. Among other things, the task force asks governors and mayors to issue prayer proclamations and suggests specific Bible verses and themes to quote in them.

The Obama administration asked U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb to dismiss the case in March. The administration argued the group has no legal standing to sue, said the tradition's roots date to 1775 and that most presidents have invoked faith in a higher power.

It also said the day does not promote religion and argued that preventing presidents from issuing a proclamation would unfairly restrict how they communicate with Americans.

"It was very right-wing," Gaylor said of the administration's arguments. "One would expect that under a Reagan or a Bush, but I did not expect that under an Obama."

She said the day disenfranchises the millions of Americans who do not believe in God or pray and suggested Obama implement a "national day of service" instead.

Thirty-one members of Congress, including House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio and Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, have filed a friend-of-the-court brief opposing the lawsuit. They call the prayer day "deeply embedded in the tradition and history of this country."

The Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-based group of Christian lawyers that is representing Shirley Dobson and the task force, has made similar arguments in asking for the case to be dismissed. Crabb is expected to rule on the motions in coming weeks.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30602699/

. Obama signs day of prayer proclamation

Unlike predecessor, no public ceremony with clerics, lawmakers or prayers

Associated Press
updated 1:51 p.m. ET, Thurs., May 7, 2009

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is marking today's National Day of Prayer -- but not publicly.

The president has signed a proclamation about the day in private. There'll be no public ceremony involving prominent clerics, lawmakers or prayers, as there was when George W. Bush was in the White House.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says it's not that Obama thinks the observance was getting politicized, as some critics charge. Aides say he's merely returning to the practice that prevailed before Bush took office -- of signing and issuing a proclamation.

Gibbs says Obama is well aware of the role prayer plays in the lives of Americans -- because he begins each day in private worship.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30618332/?GT1=43001

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I like, and am happy, with this by the Obama Administration. I also like he would stand up for many Americans in support of this day - that I uphold crosses all faiths.

FYI: We DO have a National Day Of Service - Patriot Day - September 11th of every year.

http://www.ndptf.org/home/home.html

http://www.mygooddeed.org/