Pledge of Allegiance of the United States

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."


In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God," creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Today it reads:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Section 4 of the Flag Code states:

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.", should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute."






Tuesday, July 5, 2011

SHARE IN THE 2012 CAMPAIGN OF PRAYER FOR AMERICA!

Numbers 11:16-17 (NIV)


16 The LORD said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.


Please consider submitting an original prayer for the 2012 campaign of prayer - 40 Days of seeking the Lord for this land.


I would be happy to accept your original one-two paragraph prayer for the concern that God places on your heart.  Please provide your name, location (country, state, or city), and any organization that you may represent / or your denomination.


Prayers may be submitted immediately, or throughout the 40-day prayer event in 2012 to: 40dayprayer4theusa@gmail.com


God Bless You!


Wally Ziolo
40DAYPRAYER4USA





Matthew 18:19 NIV


"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

THANK YOU - AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU!


Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,


At the conclusion of this years 40-Day Prayer, I would especially like to thank each of you for your faithfulness to this nation, it's people, and our religious heritage.  Through our humble and continual prayer and intercession for this county, we hope to be blessed once again by our loving Father.  The word of God promises that wherever two or more are gathered in prayer, He will be also (Matthew 18:20). Thank the Lord for His promise to hear our supplication, and answer our fervent prayers.  May He richly bless the efforts of our time in seeking His face, and may He shower down the abundant blessings from His great storehouses.


Please celebrate the Independence of this great nation tomorrow (July 4th), and proclaim throughout this land that we are a Christian nation....one that serves the God of God's, King of King's, and Lord of Lord's. May we always live in a land where we are free to pray to the one God, creator of all things.


God bless you, and may He hold you free from harm.  May we once again gather next year, and again seek His blessings for our nation through prayer.


In Christ,


Wally Ziolo
40DAYPRAYER4USA

DAY 40 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (LIBERATION) - JULY 3, 2011

July 3



John 8:36
Amplified Bible (AMP)


36So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free.

DAY 40 - DAILY PRAYER (LIBERTY) - JULY 3, 2011

July 3


O ETERNAL God, through whose mighty power our fathers won their liberties of old; Grant, we beseech thee, that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain these liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


The Book of Common Prayer (1928)

DAY 40 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JULY 3, 2011


American Minute for July 3rd:


    Washington, D.C., was in a panic as 70,000 Confederate troops were just sixty miles away near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The furious battle had lasted three days. As General Lee found his ammunition running low, he ordered General Pickett to make a direct attack. After an hour of murderous fire and bloody hand-to-hand combat, the Confederates were pushed back and the Battle of Gettysburg ended JULY 3, 1863, with over 50,000 casualties. President Abraham Lincoln confided to a general wounded in the battle: "When everyone seemed panic-stricken...I went to my room...and got down on my knees before Almighty God and prayed." Days later, July 15, 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving, Praise and Prayer: "It is meet and right to recognize and confess the presence of the Almighty Father and the power of His hand equally in these triumphs and in these sorrows...I invite the people of the United States to...render the homage due to the Divine Majesty for the wonderful things He has done in the nation's behalf and invoke the influence of His Holy Spirit to subdue the anger which has produced and so long sustained a needless and cruel rebellion."


Endnotes


Lincoln, Abraham. 1863, in conversation with a General who was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863, relating the panic in Washington, D.C., as General Robert E. Lee was leading his army of 76,000 men into Pennsylvania. Thomas Fleming, Lincoln's Journey in Faith" (Carmel, NY: Guideposts, February 1994), p. 36.


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Saturday, July 2, 2011

DAY 39 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (GO) - JULY 2, 2011

July 2


Mark 16:15


New International Version (©1984)


He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

DAY 39 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JULY 2, 2011


American Minute for July 2nd:


    One bullet grazed his elbow, but a second lodged in the back of President James Garfield, who, on JULY 2, 1881, was shot as he waited in a Washington, D.C., train station by Charles Guiteau, a member of a polygamist-type communist cult. Garfield had only been in office four months. Though not wounded seriously, unsterile medical practices caused him to die two months later. A distinguished Civil War major general, James Garfield had been a college president and a preacher for the Disciples of Christ. In his Inaugural Address, March 4, 1881, President James Garfield stated: "Let our people find a new meaning in the divine oracle which declares that 'a little child shall lead them,' for our own little children will soon control the destinies of the Republic." President Garfield continued: "Our children will not be divided...concerning our controversies. They will surely bless their fathers and their fathers' God that the Union was preserved, that slavery was overthrown, and that both races were made equal before the law." Earlier, as U.S. Congressman chairing the Committee on Appropriations, James Garfield stated July 4, 1876: "If the next century does not find us a great nation...it will be because those who represent the...morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces."


Endnotes


Garfield, James Abram. 1876, in a speech commemorating the centennial of the Declaration of Independence. "A Century of Congress," by James A. Garfield, published in Atlantic, July 1877. John M. Taylor, Garfield of Ohio - The Available Man (NY: W.W. Norton & Co., Inc.), p. 180.


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Thursday, June 30, 2011

DAY 38 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (OPPRESSED) - JULY 1, 2011

July 1


Psalm 10:17-18
Amplified Bible (AMP)


17 O Lord, You have heard the desire and the longing of the humble and oppressed; You will prepare and strengthen and direct their hearts, You will cause Your ear to hear, 18 To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man, who is of the earth, may not terrify them any more.

DAY 38 - DAILY PRAYER (ANTI-SLAVERY) - JULY 1, 2011

July 1


Adonai,


Master of the universe, we seek your mighty power to banish slavery in this nation, and that, which stems from this nation.  To the ends of the Earth Father, we cry out to you to remove the strongholds of Satan from this fallen world.  We cry out against the modern day affliction of child slavery, commercial sexual exploitation of children, forced labor, human trafficking, prostitution, and a host of oppressions that subdue your children.  Rise up against such offenses, and rescue those who are held prisoner to this ungodly torture.  Rise up Mighty Father, and lose the chains of those who are bound and enslaved.  Send out a mighty legion of Angels to conquer the enemy, and to destroy the strongholds of slavery and perversion.  Allow the eyes of the oppressor who are blind through these sins to clearly see the salvation of Your Son, and come to know redemption though His blood.  Strengthen and protect those in this world that fight to end these modern day forms of slavery.  We humbly come to You on our knees for those that are in the darkness of oppression, for You Father will give them the light of hope, love, and protection.


We ask these things in Jesus' name.


Amen


Wally Ziolo
40DAYPRAYER4USA
Lancaster, Ohio

DAY 38 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JULY 1, 2011


American Minute for July 1st:


    Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders charged up Cuba's San Juan Hill and captured it JULY 1, 1898. After eight hours of heavy fighting over 1,500 Americans lay dead or wounded. Just 4 months prior the U.S.S Maine was blown up in Havana's Harbor. Teddy Roosevelt resigned as Assistant Secretary of the Navy and organized the first volunteer cavalry, made up of polo riders, cowboys and even Indians. Forty years earlier, President James Buchanan stated December 19, 1859: "When a market for African slaves shall no longer be furnished in Cuba...Christianity and civilization may gradually penetrate the existing gloom." President Ulysses S. Grant stated December 2, 1872: "Slavery in Cuba is...a terrible evil...It is greatly to be hoped that...Spain will voluntarily adopt...emancipation...in sympathy with the other powers of the Christian and civilized world." On July 6, 1898, after the Battle of San Juan Hill, President William McKinley wrote: "At a time...of the...glorious achievements of the naval and military arms...at Santiago de Cuba, it is fitting that we should pause and...reverently bow before the throne of divine grace and give devout praise to God, who holdeth the nations in the hollow of His Hands."


Endnotes


McKinley, William. July 6, 1898, in a Proclamation of a National Day of Thanksgiving. James D. Richardson (U.S. Representative from Tennessee), ed., A Compilation of the Messages & Papers of the Presidents 1789-1897, 10 vols. (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, published by Authority of Congress, 1897, 1899; Washington, D.C.: Bureau of National Literature & Art, 1789-1902, 11 vols., 1907, 1910), Vol. X, pp. 213-214. A Compilation of the Messages & Papers of the Presidents 20 vols. (NY: Bureau of National Literature, Inc., prepared under the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing, of the House & Senate, pursuant to an Act of the 52 Congress of the United States, 1893, 1923), Vol. XIII, pp. 6573-6574.


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DAY 37 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (THANKSGIVING) - JUNE 30, 2011



June 30

Psalm 107:1 (NIV) 
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

DAY 37 - DAILY PRAYER (THANKSGIVING) - JUNE 30, 2011

June 30




"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name."

1 Chronicles 29:11-13 

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

DAY 37 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 30, 2011

American Minute for June 30th:


    The first European settlement in North America was Fort Caroline at St. John's River in Florida, founded by French Christians known as Huguenots. On JUNE 30, 1564, they set a day of Thanksgiving and offered the first Protestant prayer in North America: "We sang a psalm of Thanksgiving unto God, beseeching Him that it would please Him to continue His accustomed goodness towards us." Rep. Charles E. Bennett sponsored a bill, September 21, 1950, establishing the Fort Caroline National Memorial. In 1989, Rep. Bennett recited the history: "The 425th anniversary of the beginning settlements by Europeans...renamed from Fort Caroline to San Mateo, to San Nicolas, to Cowford and finally to Jacksonville in 1822...Three small ships carrying 300 Frenchmen led by Rene de Laudonniere anchored in the river known today as the St. Johns." Charles Bennett continued: "On June 30, 1564, construction of a triangular-shaped fort...was begun with the help of a local tribe of Timucuan Indians...Home for this hardy group of Huguenots...their strong religious...motivations inspired them." Rep. Bennett related the colony's unfortunate end: "Fort Caroline existed but for a short time...Spain...captured...the fort and...slaughtered most of its inhabitants in September of 1565."


Endnotes


Florida, St. Johns River Settlement. June 30, 1564, as recorded by French Huguenot leader, Rene de Laudonniere. Diana Karter Appelbaum, Thanksgiving: An American Holiday, An American History (NY: Facts on File Publications, 1984), pp. 14-15. Gary DeMar, America's Christian History: The Untold Story (Atlanta, GA: American Vision Publishers, Inc., 1993), p. 22. http://www.keyshistory.org/FL-Fla-Fr.html http://www.famousamericans.net/renedelaudonniere/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Caroline 
Congressional Record, Page: E2481, 425 Anniversary of Jacksonville, Florida, July 12, 1989, Rep. Charles Bennett. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?r101:79:./temp/~r101USE1Ac::


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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

DAY 36 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (COMPASSION) - JUNE 29, 2011

June 29



Psalm 103:8 (NIV)
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

DAY 36 - DAILY PRAYER (LOVE) - JUNE 29, 2011

June 29


FOR THOSE WE LOVE


    O Thou who hast ordered this wondrous world, who knowest all things in earth and heaven; So fill our hearts with trust in thee, that by night and by day, at all times and in all seasons, we may without fear commit those who are dear to us to thy never-failing love, for this life and the life to come. Amen.


A Prayer Book for Soldiers and Sailors (1941)

DAY 36 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 29, 2011

American Minute for June 29th:


    "I would rather be right than President," stated Henry Clay, who died JUNE 29, 1852. The son of a Baptist minister, Henry Clay was elected Speaker of the U.S. House 6 times, having served in Congress over 40 years with Daniel Webster and John Calhoun. The State of Kentucky placed Henry Clay's statue in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall. Struggling to hold the Union together prior to the Civil War, Henry Clay stated in 1829 to the Kentucky Colonization Society in Frankfort: "Eighteen hundred years have rolled away since the Son of God...offered Himself...for the salvation of our species...When we shall...be translated from this into another form of existence...we shall behold the common Father of the whites and blacks, the great Ruler of the Universe." In an obituary address upon his death, Representative John C. Breckinridge recalled Henry Clay as saying: "The vanity of the world, and its insufficiency to satisfy the soul of man, has been long a settled conviction of my mind. Man's inability to secure by his own merits the approbation of God, I feel to be true." Henry Clay concluded: "I trust in the atonement of the Saviour of mercy, as the ground of my acceptance and of my hope of salvation."


Endnotes


Clay, Henry. The World Book Encyclopedia, 18 vols. (Chicago, IL: Field Enterprises, Inc., 1957; W.F. Quarrie & Co., 8 vols., 1917; World Book, Inc., 22 vols., 1989), Vol. 3, p. 1472. Clay, Henry. 1829, in a speech at Frankfort to the Kentucky Colonization Society. Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, OR: American Heritage Ministries, 1987; Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, TX), p. 87. http://www.wintektx.com/freeman/hen_clay.htm


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DAY 35 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (PRAYER) - JUNE 28, 2011

June 28



Isaiah 56:7
New International Version (NIV)


7 these I will bring to my holy mountain 
   and give them joy in my house of prayer. 
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices 
   will be accepted on my altar; 
for my house will be called 
   a house of prayer for all nations.”

DAY 35 - DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER) - JUNE 28, 2011

June 28



Heavenly and Supreme Father,


Together as a nation, we the people of the United States of America come before Your throne this day.  We humbly seek Your guidance on the direction of this country, and implore Your great mercy upon these people.  Might we always begin each day, and session o
our governmental establishments (Your elected authority) in heartfelt prayer.  Might every elected official of these United States of America turn from their wicked ways, and seek you with all their hearts.  Might the people of this land repent of their many sins, and accept the blood offering given by Your Son for their eternal salvation.  Father, return this nation to a humble and repentant character, where our forefathers spent time with you on there knees in fervent prayer and fasting.  Might this nation once again be known singly as a Christian nation, and might Your great blessings be upon us.  We ask Your guidance and strength in this restoration of our founding temperament, and a swift return to a posture of prayer and seeking across this great nation.


In the name of Your One and Only Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen!



Wally Ziolo

40DAYPRAYER4USA

Lancaster, Ohio

Christian

DAY 35 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 28, 2011


American Minute for June 28th:


    The Constitutional Convention was in a deadlock over how large and small states could be represented equally. Some delegates gave up and left. Then, on JUNE 28, 1787, 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin spoke and shortly after, the U.S. Constitution became a reality. As recorded by James Madison, Franklin stated: "Groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights." Franklin continued: "In the beginning of the Contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending Providence in our favor...And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?" Franklin concluded: "We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that 'except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.'...I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed...no better than the Builders of Babel."


Endnotes


Franklin, Benjamin. June 28, 1787. James Madison, Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (NY: W.W. Morton & Co., Original 1787 reprinted 1987), Vol. I, p. 504, 451-21. James Madison, Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1966, 1985), pp. 209-10. Henry D. Gilpin, editor, The Papers of James Madison (Washington: Langtree & O' Sullivan, 1840), Vol. II, p. 985. George Bancroft, Bancroft's History of the Constitution of the United States vols. I-X (Boston: Charles C. Little & James Brown, 1838), Vol. II. Albert Henry Smyth, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin (NY: The Macmillan Co., 1905-7), Vol. IX, pp. 600-601. Gaillard Hunt & James B. Scott, ed., The Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 Which Framed the Constitution of the United States of America, reported by James Madison (NY: Oxford University Press, 1920), pp. 181-182. Andrew M. Allison, W. Cleon Skousen, & M. Richard Maxfield, The Real Benjamin Franklin (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Freeman Institute, 1982, pp. 258-259. John Eidsmoe, Christianity & the Constitution - The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, A Mott Media Book, 1987, 6 printing 1993), pp. 12-13, 208. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), pp. 122-124. Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, OR: American Heritage Ministries, 1987; Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, TX), p. 159-160. D.P. Diffine, Ph.D., One Nation Under God - How Close a Separation? (Searcy, Arkansas: Harding University, Belden Center for Private Enterprise Education, 6 edition, 1992), p. 8. Stephen McDowell & Mark Beliles, "The Providential Perspective" (Charlottesville, VA: The Providence Foundation, P.O. Box 6759, Charlottesville, Va. 22906, Jan. 1994), Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 5-6.


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Monday, June 27, 2011

DAY 34 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (WORKS OF GOD) - JUNE 27, 2011

June 27

John 9:1-41 ESV


As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ...

DAY 34 - DAILY PRAYER (DISABILITIES) - JUNE 27, 2011

June 27

Almighty God and Father,


Thank you for Your loving creation of life, and for making each of us unique in our design. We are each fearfully and wonderfully made in your image, and celebrate the beauty of your workmanship. Father, as we are each uniquely blessed with special talents and gifts, allow us to glorify You through the fulfillment of Your plan for our lives. Give grace to those with specials needs, for Your great blessings may not always be apparent in our earthly view of our bodies. Allow our handicaps to not limit, but enhance our special ministry in this world. For those who live with a disability, allow them to be encouraged by Your great love. Your word tells us that you wish to prosper us, not to harm us. Father, through all of life's circumstances, and bodily limitations, allow us to joyfully serve in Your kingdom.


In Jesus' name. Amen


Wally Ziolo
40DAYPRAYER4USA
Lancaster, Ohio
Christian

DAY 34 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 27, 2011

American Minute for June 27th:


    Helen Keller was born JUNE 27, 1880. At the age of two she suffered an illness that left her blind and deaf. Her parents took her to Dr. Alexander Graham Bell who recommended the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston. There, at age of 7, Helen was tutored by Anne Sullivan through the sense of touch. Eventually Helen Keller learned to read Braille and began attending Radcliffe College, where Anne Sullivan interpreted lectures. Helen became concerned about all the blind, especially those blinded in war or by poor working conditions. She received numerous international honors for her efforts. Helen Keller learned to type on a Braille typewriter and wrote many books between 1903 and 1941, including: The Story of My Life, Optimism, The World I Live In, The Song of the Stone Wall, Out of the Dark, My Religion, Midstream, Let Us Have Faith, and The Open Door. Helen Keller stated: "The Bible is one mighty representative of the whole spiritual life of humanity." Helen Keller wrote: "I thank God for my handicaps, for, through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God." Helen Keller concluded: "Four things to learn in life: To think clearly without hurry...To love everybody sincerely...To act in everything with the highest motives...To trust God unhesitatingly."


Endnotes


Keller, Helen Adams. Bless Your Heart (series II) (Eden Prairie, MN: Heartland Samplers, Inc., 1990), 3.2.


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Sunday, June 26, 2011

DAY 33 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (HONESTY) - JUNE 26, 2011

June 26


2 Corinthians 8:21
English Standard Version (ESV)


21for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.

DAY 33 - DAILY PRAYER (HONESTY) - JUNE 26, 2011

June 26



Oh! Almighty and Everlasting God, Creator of Heaven, Earth and the Universe.


Help me to be, to think, to act what is right, because it is right; make me truthful, honest and honorable in all things; make me intellectually honest for the sake of right and honor and without thought of reward to me. Give me the ability to be charitable, forgiving and patient with my fellowmen - help me to understand their motives and their shortcomings -- even as Thou understandest mine!


Amen, Amen, Amen


Harry S. Truman
33rd President of the United States of America
Baptist


http://www.trumanlibrary.org/kids/prayer.htm





President Harry S. Truman, in 1950, stated:


“But all of us – at home, at war, wherever we may be – are within the reach of God’s love and power. We all can pray. We all should pray. We should ask the fulfillment of God’s will. We should ask for courage, wisdom, for the quietness of soul which comes alone to them who place their lives in His hands.” - 1950. Mrs. James Dobson (Shirley), chairman, The National Day of Prayer Information Packet (Colorado Springs, CO: National Day of Prayer Tack Force, May 6, 1993).