The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Greetings to everyone in western Illinois;
A special greeting goes out to those who are racing the weatherman to the finish line for those last few acres of harvest, applying that high priced fertilizer they have already paid for, and trying to accomplish as much fall tillage as they can before the weather breaks.
The Thanksgiving holiday is now upon us this week. That same Thursday is the new moon. Isn't it something how fast a month flies by.
I was forwarded a prayer recently that gives one pause for thought.
It has at various times been credited to Billy Graham as well as Paul Harvey who used it on his program.
The prayer came into public consciousness in January 1996. At that time Rev. Joe Wright, senior pastor of the Central Christian Church in Wichita, was invited to serve as the Kansas House's guest chaplain by Representative Anthony Powell, who was also a member of Wright's Church.
Rev. Wright delivered the "Prayer for our Nation" at the opening prayer of a session of the Kansas House of Representatives.
Rev. Wright's prayer was a version of a prayer, written in 1995, by Bob Russell, who had offered it as a "Prayer of Repentance" at the Kentucky Governor's Prayer Breakfast in Frankfort.
In February 1996 the chaplain coordinator in the Nebraska legislature read the prayer to that group.
The prayer is not without controversy because it is about sin.
"It jumps into America's tense debate about whether some things are always right and some things are always wrong" was an explanation on its controversy by Terry Mattingly, a syndicated religion columnist.
The prayer was offered by Rev. Wright as follows:
"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 confess that.
We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle.
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 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 neighbor'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-honored 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. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of Your will, to openly ask it in the name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen".
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on, "The Rest of the Story" on the radio and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.
Have a good Thanksgiving with family and friends, attend the church of your choice in the spirit of Thanksgiving, and pray for our nation.
Catch ya later
Barnyard Bruke