The Prayer That Shocked the World

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good", but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot anti-abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbour's possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honoured values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest.

In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively.

The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea.

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.

With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and whole-heartedly become our desire so that we again can be called: "one nation under God"
 

If possible, please pass this prayer on to your friends. "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for everything."

Right to Service Act raises hope in Bihar

With the ambitious Right to Public Service Act having been made operational in Bihar from August 15 and already evoking huge expectant responses from the people, the real test has begun for the state’s bureaucracy and the Nitish Kumar-led government’s commitments to deliver essential public services faster.

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In just two-working days after the much-hyped law guaranteeing time-bound delivery of several public utility services was enforced, at least 40,000 applications were reportedly received at the district and block headquarters across Bihar by large crowds seeking mostly certificates for caste, residence, income, ration cards and social security pension. Seeing the public enthusiasm in the swelling throngs of applicants, special counters were opened in several districts on Wednesday, said officials.

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The law, a brainchild of the chief minister, was envisioned and drafted as a major anti-corruption tool and passed without even a debate in the state Assembly in March and the rules were framed in May. Prescribed forms were issued on Tuesday for making applications and applicants were issued receipts. Termed as “yet another revolutionary step” in Bihar’s journey towards becoming a corruption-free state, the law provides penal action against officials failing to provide the certificates within the stipulated timeframe.

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There is also a provision for dismissal of officials from service for such failure.

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At the district magistrate’s office in capital Patna, many people were on Wednesday seen to be returning after being told by officials that their applications did not have complete documents required for the certificates they sought.

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However, the closure of “May I Help You” counters for unknown reasons on the Independence Day itself put off many applicants.

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Even though this law is touted as a cure-all for the perennial blight of bureaucratic bottlenecks in Bihar, a large number of touts were still seen in action at the government offices.

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• Let us make our city beautiful, disciplined and Loveable.

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Let us handover to our future generation a better place to live in.