An American Prayer

God bless America,
Hold us in your hand.
We need your comfort,
To help us understand.
God bless America,
We turn to you.
Your loving guidance,
Will be An American Prayer

God bless America,
Hold us in your hand.
We need your comfort,
To help us understand.
God bless America,
We turn to you.
Your loving guidance,
Will help to see us through.

God bless America,
Bless the ones who died.
Help end the suffering,
Dry the tears we cried.
God bless America,
Show us all the way.
God bless America, today. 

Is it an eye for an eye,
Or turn the other cheek?
Is it revenge,
Or justice that we seek?
Is it a time to kill,
Or inherit with the meek?
Will we listen
If You speak? 

God bless America,
Show your guiding light.
Lead us from tragedy,
Make our decisions right.
God bless America,
Show us all the way.
God bless America, today.

sung by Steve Bryant

God Bless all the American, Australian,
and British Military troops
      and the innocent men, women and children of Iraq
Pray for their sacrifice, courage and safety.

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL 

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE 

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home from the war. He called his parents from San Francisco.

Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me."

they replied, "we'd love to meet him."

There's something you should know the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."

I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."

No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own."

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are. Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.

Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!! There's a miracle called Friendship That dwells in the heart You don't know how it happens Or when it gets started But you know the special lift It always brings And you realize that Friendship Is God's most precious gift! Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

" Here are 10 things to consider when voicing an
opinion on the coalition's involvement in Iraq:

1. Out of President Bush and Dictator Saddam
Hussein........Hussein is the bad guy.

2. If you have chosen to have faith in the United
Nations to 'do the right thing' - keep in mind, they have LIBYA
heading the committee on 'human rights' and IRAQ heading the global
'disarmament' committee........Do your own math here!!

3. If you use Google search and type in 'French Military Victories' -
you won't find much to read there............

4. If you are chanting the anti-war slogan 'NO WAR FOR OIL'......sue
your school district for allowing you to slip through the cracks and
robbing you of the education you should have gotten.

5. SADDAM HUSSEIN and BIN LADEN will NOT seek United Nations approval
before they "again" attempt to kill 'Americans'...............

6. Despite common belief among certain factions of our society......Martin Sheen is not the real President.  He only plays one on a poorly scripted T.V. show.

7. Even if you are anti-war, you are still very much an 'infidel' in the eyes of Hussein and bin Laden - and they want YOU dead also.....Read it for yourself in any English translation of the Quran.

8. If you believe in a 'vast right-wing conspiracy' but NOT in the
danger that Hussein poses - stop hanging out so much with the Dell
Computer 'dude'........

9. If you are convinced that the freedom to express your 'name-calling, anti-opinion' against the leadership of this nation is a right you 'earned'........visit the hundreds of cemeteries across the USA - read the names of the thousands and thousands of servicemen and women who really preserved that right for you.........

10. Whether you are for military action or against it........our country's men and women have been called to defend our own children's
future peace - and to liberate the brutally oppressed people of Iraq.......We all need to support our troops without reservation.

Let us all continue to pray for all the armed forces that are risking their lives to make a better world for the people of Iraq.