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."






Friday, June 24, 2011

DAY 32 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (HARMONY) - JUNE 25, 2011

June 25



1 John 3:17 


17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

DAY 32 - DAILY PRAYER (HELP OTHERS) - JUNE 25, 2011

June 25




A Prayer to Help Others 




Heavenly Father, we bow our heads and thank You for Your love. Accept our thanks for the peace that yields this day and the shared faith that makes its continuance likely. Make us strong to do Your work, willing to heed and hear Your will, and write on our hearts these words: "Use power to help people."

For we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people. Help us to remember it, Lord.
The Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us; so that He may incline our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways... that all peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.



George H. W. Bush 
41st President of the United States (1989–93)

Inaugural address, January 20, 1989


Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com

DAY 32 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 25, 2011


American Minute for June 25th:


    The Korean War started JUNE 25, 1950. Communist North Korea invaded South Korea, killing thousands. General Douglas MacArthur was given command of the U.N. Forces and after a daring landing of troops at Inchon, MacArthur recaptured the city of Seoul. Political involvement prolonged the war, resulting in high casualties. President Truman stated in his 1952 Christmas Message: "Our hearts turn first of all to our brave men and women in Korea. They are fighting and suffering and even dying that we may preserve the chance of peace in the world." Truman continued: "Let us remember always to try to act...in the spirit of the Prince of Peace. He bore in His heart no hate and no malice - nothing but love for all mankind. We should...follow His example...As we pray for our men and women in Korea...let us also pray for our enemies...Through Jesus Christ the world will yet be a better and a fairer place." To the Salvation Army, December 12, 1951, General Douglas MacArthur said: "History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster."


Endnotes


Harry S Truman, December 24, 1952, in a nationally broadcast address upon lighting the National Community Christmas Tree, Washington, D.C., Public Papers of the Presidents. MacArthur, Douglas. John Stormer, The Death of a Nation (Florissant, MO: Liberty Bell Press, 1968), p. 128. John Eidsmoe, God & Caesar-Christian Faith & Political Action (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, a Division of Good News Publishers, 1984), p. 68. George Otis, The Solution to the Crisis in America, Revised & Enlarged Edition (Van Nuys, CA.: Fleming H. Revell Co.; Bible Voice, Inc., 1970, 1972, foreword by Pat Boone), pp. 41-42.


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DAY 31 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (PROTECTION) - JUNE 24, 2011

June 24



Deuteronomy 33:27 
(NIV)



27 The eternal God is your refuge, 
   and underneath are the everlasting arms. 
He will drive out your enemies before you, 
   saying, ‘Destroy them!’

DAY 31 - DAILY PRAYER (NATIONAL PROTECTION) - JUNE 24, 2011

June 24



National Protection


Most High God, I come to You in the Name of Jesus, asking for divine protection for the people of this country. I pray for the safety of every man, woman, and child. Keep us from harms way and provide protection from plans of destruction that our enemies have plotted. Stop their plans before they are evoked. Give wisdom, understanding and discernment to those who provide us protection. Help us to be watchful and alert to signs of wrongdoing. Please provide insight to national and local authorities on ways to guard, defend, and insure the safety of all American citizens both home and abroad. Helps us to unite with government leaders and law enforcement personnel in making this country a safe place to live, work, and play. Allow Americans to enjoy our freedom without fear. Amen.


http://www.2heartsnetwork.org/america.htm#foreign

DAY 31 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 24, 2011


American Minute for June 24th:


    His travels were exceeded only by Lewis and Clark. He led expeditions up the Missouri River with such characters as keelboatman Mike Fink. He discovered the South Pass through the Rockies and the first land route to California. He led settlers across the Santa Fe Trail, the Mojave Desert, the Sierra Nevadas and up the Oregon Coast. His name was Jedediah Smith, born JUNE 24, 1798. Jedediah operated a successful fur trading company out of Salt Lake City. Jedediah noted in his Journal: "Then let us come forward with faith, nothing doubting, and He will most unquestionably hear us." On December 24, 1829, from Wind River on the east side of the Rocky Mountains, Jedediah Smith wrote to his parents in Ohio: "It is a long time since I left home & many times I have been ready, to bring my business to a close & endeavor to come home; but have been hindered hitherto...However I will endeavor, by the assistance of Divine Providence, to come home as soon as possible...but whether I shall ever be allowed the privilege, God only knows. I feel the need of the watch & care of a Christian Church. You may well suppose that our Society is of the roughest kind. Men of good morals seldom enter into business of this kind-I hope you will remember me before the Throne of Grace...May God in His infinite mercy allow me soon to join My Parents is the Prayer of your undutiful Son, Jedediah S. Smith." In a letter to his brother, Ralph, December 24, 1829, Jedediah Smith wrote: "Many Hostile tribes of Indians inhabit this Space...In August 1827, ten Men who were in company with me lost their lives by the Amuchabas Indians...In July 1828, fifteen men who were in company with me lost their lives by the Umpquah Indians...Many others have lost their lives in different parts...My Brother...I have need of your Prayers...to bear me up before the Throne of Grace." On May 27, 1831, Jedediah Smith was ambushed by Comanches near Sante Fe and killed. Just four months earlier, January 26, 1831, Jedediah Smith wrote to his brother Ralph in Wayne County, Ohio: "Some, who have made a profession of Christianity & have by their own negligence caused the Spirit to depart, think their day of grace is over; but where did they find Such doctrine? I find our Saviour ever entreating & wooing us."


Endnotes


Smith, Jedediah Strong. December 24, 1829, in writing to his brother, Ralph Smith in Richland County. Dale L. Morgan, Jedediah Smith - & the Opening of the West (Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, Bobbs - Merrill Co., 1953; Bison Books, 1964), pp. 352-353.


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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

DAY 30 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (HARMONY) - JUNE 23, 2011

June 23



Colossians 3:12-14 


12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

DAY 30 - DAILY PRAYER (HARMONY) - JUNE 23, 2011

June 23


Harmony Among Races


Dear Father, I realize that racial enmity came as a result of the Fall. Truly, we do not even know the ethnicity of Adam, except that he was Your creation, a child of God. It is from his seed that all humanity proceeded. I pray that there would be such a move of Your Spirit in our nation that our oneness is Jesus Christ would positively influence relations between races. I desire that this begin in the Body of Christ and spread throughout every community in our country. May it affect every ethnic group and cross every racial barrier. I pray that when we look at those from another culture, we won't see them as people of another color, but that we will see them through the eyes of love as You see them--as people created in Your own image. Remind us all of the Golden Rule. Let us embrace one another as members of the one Body of Christ. Amen.




http://www.2heartsnetwork.org/america.htm#foreign

DAY 30 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 23, 2011


American Minute for June 23rd:


    Indians along the Delaware River called themselves "Lenape," meaning in Algonquin "the people," and were in three clans: Turtle, Wolf and Turkey. William Penn, called "Miquon" meaning quill, made a peace treaty with Tamanend, chief of the Turtle clan, on JUNE 23, 1683, under an elm tree in what was to become Philadelphia. The Peace Treaty with the peaceful Quakers lasted over 70 years. In 1697, Tamanend's last message before he died was "We and Christians of this river have always had a free roadway to one another, and though sometimes a tree has fallen cross the road, yet we have removed it again and kept the path clear." During the French & Indian War, the Turkey clan attacked English settlers. In 1778, Turtle clan Chief Gelelemend signed the first Indian treaty ever with the U.S. Government and later was converted to Christianity by German Moravian missionaries. The Wolf clan converted, being called Christian Munsee, but were mistakenly confused with hostile Indians and tragically many were killed by vigilantes. The Lenape Indians fled to Canada, Kansas and finally to Oklahoma, where in 1861, the great-grandson of Chief Gelelemend was born, John Henry Killbuck. John attended the Moravian Seminary and in 1884 was one of the first Christian missionaries to the Yupik Indians in Alaska.


Endnotes


Penn, William. August 18, 1681, Letter to the Indians before his arrival. Pennsylvania Historical Society Collection, Philadelphia.


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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

DAY 29 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (FATHER) - JUNE 22, 2011

June 22


Romans 13:1 NIV


 1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

DAY 29 - DAILY PRAYER (WISE GOVERNANCE) - JUNE 22, 2011

June 22


Prayer for Wise Governance


Heavenly Father, we give thanks for the democracy alive in our country and for the freedom to worship You. 
Help the elected government and all in positions of power and authority to govern wisely and for the common 
good of all. Amen.


~~ Harvey Barnes

DAY 29 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 22, 2011


American Minute for June 22nd:


    In Medieval Europe no one voted except the kings. In colonial America only landowners voted, then those owning a certain amount of personal property. After the Revolution, States gradually let those without land vote if they paid taxes, but many had religious and literacy tests. In 1870, the 15th Amendment let former slaves vote. In 1920, the 19th Amendment let women vote. In 1924, American Indians could vote in Federal Elections. In 1961, the 23rd Amendment let District of Columbia residents vote in Federal Elections. In 1964, the 24th Amendment let vote those who could not pay a poll tax. In 1965, the Voting Rights Act removed literacy tests. On JUNE 22, 1970, President Nixon extended the Voting Rights Act to let 18-year-olds vote. The Supreme Court, in Oregon v Mitchell, limited this right so the 26th Amendment was passed in 1971 to confirm it. President Nixon stated March 24, 1970: "In other areas, too, there were long struggles to eliminate discrimination...Property and even religious qualifications for voting persisted well into the 19th century - and not until 1920 were women finally guaranteed the right to vote." On August 24, 1972, Nixon said: "For the first time in the 195 year history of this country, men and women 18 to 21 years of age will have the chance to vote."


Endnotes


http://www.infoplease.com/timelines/voting.html Richard Milhous Nixon, Jan. 20, 1969, Inaugural Address. Department of State Bulletin, February 10, 1969. Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents - From George Washington 1789 to Richard Milhous Nixon 1969 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 91 Congress, 1 Session, House Document 91-142, 1969), pp. 275-279. The Annals of America, 20 vols. (Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1968, 1977), Vol. 19, pp. 8-12. Benjamin Weiss, God in American History: A Documentation of America's Religious Heritage (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1966), p. 154. Willard Cantelon, Money Master of the World (Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1976), p. 122. J. Michael Sharman, J.D., Faith of the Fathers (Culpepper, Virginia: Victory Publishing, 1995), pp. 116-117.


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Monday, June 20, 2011

DAY 28 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (FATHER) - JUNE 21, 2011

June 21


John 14:16–17 KJV


16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

DAY 28 - DAILY PRAYER (I BELIEVE) - JUNE 21, 2011

June 21



Roger Sherman 
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution


"I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the same in substance equal in power and glory. That the scriptures of the old and new testaments are a revelation from God, and a complete rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. That God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, so as thereby he is not the author or approver of sin. That he creates all things, and preserves and governs all creatures and all their actions, in a manner perfectly consistent with the freedom of will in moral agents, and the usefulness of means. That he made man at first perfectly holy, that the first man sinned, and as he was the public head of his posterity, they all became sinners in consequence of his first transgression, are wholly indisposed to that which is good and inclined to evil, and on account of sin are liable to all the miseries of this life, to death, and to the pains of hell forever.


I believe that God having elected some of mankind to eternal life, did send his own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind, so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the gospel offer: also by his special grace and spirit, to regenerate, sanctify and enable to persevere in holiness, all who shall be saved; and to procure in consequence of their repentance and faith in himself their justification by virtue of his atonement as the only meritorious cause.


I believe a visible church to be a congregation of those who make a credible profession of their faith in Christ, and obedience to him, joined by the bond of the covenant.


I believe that the souls of believers are at their death made perfectly holy, and immediately taken to glory: that at the end of this world there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a final judgement of all mankind, when the righteous shall be publicly acquitted by Christ the Judge and admitted to everlasting life and glory, and the wicked be sentenced to everlasting punishment." 


--The Life of Roger Sherman, pp. 272-273.

DAY 28 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 21, 2011


American Minute for June 21st:


    The U.S. Constitution went into effect JUNE 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the 9th state to ratified it. The 55 writers of the U.S. Constitution consisted of: 26 Episcopalian Christians, 11 Presbyterian Christians, 7 Congregationalist Christians, 2 Lutheran Christians, 2 Dutch Reformed Christians, 2 Methodist Christians, 2 Quaker Christians, 2 Roman Catholic Christians, and 1 Deist Christian - Dr. Franklin, who called for prayer during the Constitutional Convention, June 28, 1787: "God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? 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 in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel...I therefore beg leave to move-that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessing on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business." Ben Franklin signed Pennsylvania's Constitution, Sept. 28, 1776, which stated: "Each member, before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration, viz: I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor of the Universe, the Rewarder of the good and the Punisher of the wicked. And I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration." The Journal of the U.S. House of Representatives, March 27, 1854, recorded the unanimous vote of the 33rd Congress to print Congressman James Meacham's report, which stated: "At the adoption of the Constitution, we believe every State - certainly 10 of the 13 - provided as regularly for the support of the Church as for the support of the Government...Down to the Revolution, every colony did sustain religion in some form. It was deemed peculiarly proper that the religion of liberty should be upheld by a free people." Congressman Meacham concluded: "Had the people, during the Revolution, had a suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity, that Revolution would have been strangled in its cradle."


Endnotes


Franklin, Benjamin. Jun. 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, 6th 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, AR: Harding University, Belden Center for Private Enterprise Education, 6th 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. The Journal of the U.S. House of Representatives, March 27, 1854, recorded the 33rd Congress? unanimous vote to print Connecticut Congressman James Meacham?s report on the history and benefit of continuing the tradition of chaplains in Congress, army and navy. http://www.usconstitution.net/constframedata.html


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Sunday, June 19, 2011

Day 27 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (UNITY) - JUNE 20, 2011

June 20





Ephesians 4:1-6

New International Version (NIV)

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ


 1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

DAY 27 - DAILY PRAYER (UNITY) - JUNE 20, 2011

June 20



Eternal Father,
we praise you for sending your Son
to be one of us and to save us.
Look upon your people with mercy,
for we are divided in so many ways,
and give us the Spirit of Jesus to make us one in love.


We ask this gift, loving Father,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.


Amen.




Copyright © 2007 Catholic Doors Ministry

DAY 27 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 20, 2011


American Minute for June 20th:


    JUNE 20, 1632, King Charles I of England granted a charter for the Colony of Maryland, named for his Catholic wife, Queen Henrietta Maria, stating: "Charles, by the Grace of God, of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith...Whereas our well beloved...subject Coecilius Calvert, Baron of Baltimore, in our Kingdom of Ireland...being animated with a laudable, and pious Zeal for extending the Christian Religion...hath humbly besought Leave of Us that he may transport, by his own...expense, a numerous Colony of the English Nation, to certain...parts of America...partly occupied by Savages, having no Knowledge of the Divine Being..." Maryland's Charter continued: "With the increasing Worship and Religion of Christ within said Region...shall...be built...Churches, Chapels, and Places of Worship." Lord Baltimore sent two ships, the Ark and the Dove, to settle the colony. Buying land from the Indians, they founded the city of St. Mary's as a refuge for persecuted Catholics. In 1649, they extended liberty to Protestants by issuing the Toleration Act, which stated: "That no person... within this province...professing to believe in Jesus Christ shall...from henceforth be any ways troubled or molested...in respect of his or her religion."


Endnotes


Maryland, Charter of. June 20, 1632, issued by King Charles I to Cecilius Calvert, Second Lord Baltimore. Ebenezer Hazard, Historical Collection: Consisting of State Papers & other Authentic Documents: Intended as Materials for an History of the United States of America (Philadelphia: T. Dobson, 1792), Vol. I, pp. 327-328. William McDonald, editor, Select Charters & Other Documents (NY: The Macmillan Co., 1899), pp. 53-54. Frances Newton Thorpe, ed., Federal & State Constitutions, Colonial Charters, & Other Organic Laws of the States, Territories, & Colonies now or heretofore forming the United States, 7 vols. (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1905; 1909; St. Clair Shores, MI: Scholarly Press, 1968), Vol. III, pp. 1677 ff. Henry Steele Commager, ed., Documents of American History, 2 vols. (NY: F.S. Crofts & Co., 1934; Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1948, 6 ed, 1958; Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc., 9 edition, 1973), Vol. I, p. 21. William McDonald, ed., Documentary Source Book of American History, 1606-1889 (NY: Macmillan Co., 1909), p. 32. Charles E. Rice, The Supreme Court & Public Prayer (NY: Fordham University Press, 1964), pp. 160-161. Richard L. Perry, ed., Sources of Our Liberties: Documentary Origins of Individual Liberties in the United States Constitution & Bill of Rights (Chicago: American Bar Foundation, 1978; NY: 1952), p. 105. Pat Robertson, America's Dates With Destiny (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1986), pp. 31-32.


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Saturday, June 18, 2011

DAY 26 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (FATHER) - JUNE 19, 2011

June 19



Psalm 103:13 (NIV)


As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; (NIV)

DAY 26 - DAILY PRAYER (FATHER'S) - JUNE 19, 2011

June 19


God our Father,


In your wisdom and love you made all things. 
Bless those fathers who have taken upon themselves, the responsibility of parenting.


Bless those who have lost a spouse to death ... or divorce
who are parenting their children alone.


Strengthen them by your love that they may be and become
the loving, caring persons they are meant to be. 


Grant this through Christ our Lord.  Amen


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