Archive for January, 2010
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »Featured Member of the Judicial Branch for Prayer
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
José A. Cabranes , United States Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals
José A. Cabranes was appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1994. At the time of his appointment, he was Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, a court to which he was appointed in 1979.
Judge Cabranes was born in 1940 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and at the age of five moved with his family to the South Bronx. After attending public schools in New York City, he graduated from Columbia College (A.B., 1961), Yale Law School (J.D., 1965) and the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England (M.Litt. in International Law, 1967). He studied at Cambridge under a Kellett Research Fellowship from Columbia College and the Humanitarian Trust Studentship in Public International Law from the Faculty Board of Law of the University of Cambridge.
Judge Cabranes was serving as General Counsel of Yale University when appointed to the federal bench in 1979; he was the first Puerto Rican appointed to the federal bench in the continental United States. Previously he had practiced in a New York City law firm; taught law on the full-time faculty of Rutgers University Law School and the adjunct faculty of Yale Law School; and served as Special Counsel to the Governor of Puerto Rico and as head of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico’s office in Washington, D.C. He is the author of Citizenship and the American Empire (Yale University Press, 1979), a legislative history of the United States citizenship of the people of Puerto Rico, and co-author (with Kate Stith) of Fear of Judging: Sentencing Guidelines in the Federal Courts (University of Chicago Press, 1998)(Certificate of Merit of the American Bar Association, 1999), and articles in various law journals.
Judge Cabranes served as a trustee of Yale University from 1987 to 1999, and now serves as a trustee of Columbia University. He is also a former trustee of Colgate University. He has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
In 1988, Judge Cabranes was one of five Federal judges appointed by Chief Justice Rehnquist to the 15-member Federal Courts Study Committee created by Act of Congress “to examine problems facing the Federal courts and develop a long-range plan for the future of the Federal judiciary.”
He was the recipient of the Learned Hand Medal for Excellence in Federal Jurisprudence of the Federal Bar Council in 2000.
Before his appointment to the federal bench, Judge Cabranes served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of two major Hispanic civil rights organizations: Aspira of New York, the educational agency that helps inner-city Hispanic youth prepare for college, and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (of which he was a founding member).
Posted in judicial prayer focus |
Judicial Prayer Needs
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
PRAY FOR OUR JUDICIARY
A federal subpoena issued by the FBI garnered 12,000 pages on the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in connection with terror ties to the “Muslim Mafia.”
Corporate America and the media are cheering the Supreme Court decision to toss out a rule that bared corporations from using their own money to pay for political spots.
Pray about the results that the decision of the Court will have in the coming mid-term election cycle.
Posted in judicial prayer needs |
Other Prayer Concerns
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
THE WAR
Gen. Raymond Odierno has reported that since August, Al Qaeda has dedicated itself to destabilizing the government of Iraq and weakening support for their security forces.
A Pakistani intelligence official says that to succeed in Afghanistan, the U.S. must negotiate a deal with Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. This official says he trained Omar to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan.
Pray for our military commanders in the war zones to seek wisdom from the Lord in their decision-making.
TERRORISM
Shots have been fired from both sides of the border of North and South Korea escalating tensions over the disputed area of the peninsula. No casualties were reported.
President Barack Obama has unveiled plans for better and quicker responses to bioterrorism threats, citing that “we no longer have the luxury of a slow learning curve as Al Qaeda has shown an interest in bio-weapons.
As threats of all natures increase, pray for God’s protection of our nation and for our allies.
THE ECONOMY
Ford Motor Co. said it will hire an additional 1,200 workers in Chicago, and General Motors Co. announced a big investment in manufacturing electric engines, signs indicating the auto industry may be emerging from its slump.
The recession has taken a particularly heavy toll on black youth age 20-24 and young people from low-income families according to a researcher with Northeastern University in Boston.
Pray for families of every demographic who have been heavily impacted by the nation’s economic recession.
ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is confident Islamic nations will one day watch the destruction of its arch-foe Israel, he remarked in a meeting in Tehran.
An internal Israeli Foreign Ministry document accuses Turkey’s prime minister of fueling anti-Semitism with his criticism of Israel, further fueling the diplomatic row with one of its few Muslim allies.
Pray for a de-escalation in the war of words between Israel and its Middle-Eastern neighbors.
HEALTH CARE
A new University of California study is raising concerns about the effects of fire-retardant chemicals used on carpet padding, furniture, computers and other home and office products, on pregnancies, fertility, infancy and general health.
The pregnancy rate among US teens has jumped for the first time in more than a decade, and abortion rates along with it, according to the Guttmacher Institute of New York.
Pray for the physical, emotional and spiritual health of all Americans, and particularly our teenagers.
Oh Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me.
Hear my voice when I call to you.
Psalm 141:1
Posted in other prayer concerns |
Executive Prayer Needs
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
PRAY FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
President Barack Obama’s proposal to freeze government spending appears to be turning out to be a “tough sell” on both sides of the aisle according to White House spokesmen.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner faced fierce bipartisan criticism during a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, including a call for his resignation by some.
Pray for the President and his Cabinet as they begin their second year of governing our country.
Posted in executive prayer needs |
Featured Member of the Executive Branch for Prayer
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Dr. Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy
Dr. Steven Chu, distinguished scientist and co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics (1997), was appointed by President Obama as the 12th Secretary of Energy and sworn into office on January 21, 2009.
Dr. Chu has devoted his recent scientific career to the search for new solutions to our energy challenges and stopping global climate change – a mission he continues with even greater urgency as Secretary of Energy. He is charged with helping implement President Obama’s ambitious agenda to invest in alternative and renewable energy, end our addiction to foreign oil, address the global climate crisis and create millions of new jobs.
Prior to his appointment, Dr. Chu was director of DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and professor of Physics and Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California. He successfully applied the techniques he developed in atomic physics to molecular biology, and since 2004, motivated by his deep interest in climate change, he has recently led the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in pursuit of new alternative and renewable energies. Previously, he held positions at Stanford University and AT&T Bell Laboratories.
Professor Chu’s research in atomic physics, quantum electronics, polymer and biophysics includes tests of fundamental theories in physics, the development of methods to laser cool and trap atoms, atom interferometry, and the manipulation and study of polymers and biological systems at the single molecule level. While at Stanford, he helped start Bio-X, a multi-disciplinary initiative that brings together the physical and biological sciences with engineering and medicine.
He received an A.B. degree in mathematics, a B.S. degree in physics from the University of Rochester, a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley as well as honorary degrees from 10 universities. Chu was born in Saint Louis, Missouri on February 28, 1948. He is married to Dr. Jean Chu, who holds a D.Phil. in Physics from Oxford and has served as chief of staff to two Stanford University presidents as well as Dean of Admissions. Secretary Chu has two grown sons, Geoffrey and Michael, by a previous marriage.
You can email your prayer requests directly to http://www.energy.gov/contact/index.htm
Posted in executive prayer focus |
Featured Member of the Armed Forces for Prayer
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
General Douglas Fraser
General Douglas Fraser comes to U.S. Southern Command from U.S. Pacific Command, where he served as the Deputy Commander from 2008-2009. He is a 1975 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and a native of Colorado. He spent three years of high school in Bogota, Colombia, graduating from Colegio Nueva Granada in 1971.
General Fraser has commanded operational units across the U.S. Air Force, including the 12th Fighter Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan, the 366th Operations Group at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho and the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska from 2000-2002.
Following his time at the 3rd Wing, he commanded the Space Warfare Center at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado and four distinct commands while serving his second time in Alaska, including Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Defense Region, Joint Task Force Alaska, and Eleventh Air Force at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.
General Fraser’s staff assignments include Aide to the 12th Air Force Commander, action officer for Air Force’s Directorate of Programs and Resources, the Air Force Chief of Staff’s Action Group, and analysis assistant in the Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Requirements. He also served as the Director of the Chief of Staff’s Air Force Operations Group from 1996-1997, as the Executive Assistant to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command from 1999-2000, and was the Director of Air and Space Operations for Air Force Space Command from 2003-2005.
General Fraser’s operational flying assignments include Bitburg Air Base, Germany; Luke Air Force Base, Arizona; Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico; Kadena Air Base, Japan; Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; and Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. He is a command pilot with more than 2,800 flying hours, primarily in the F-15A/B/C/D, the F-15E and the F-16.
General Fraser graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science. He earned a Masters Degree in Political Science from Auburn University in 1987. He is also a graduate of Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, National War College, and the Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course.
His decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Legion of Merit.
Posted in armed forces prayer focus |
Prayer for America
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Lord, thank you for providing for all our needs in this country. As joblessness is still one of the biggest worries among so many of Your people, we turn to You for help. Help guide our President and his cabinet as they work to address the unemployment rate and look to create jobs. And help work in the lives of those who are unemployed to guide them to the opportunities You have planned for them. Turn their hearts to you in prayer and remind them of the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Posted in prayer for america |
Legislative Prayer Needs
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
PRAY FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
Senators including Dick Durbin (Illinois), Byron Dorgan (North Dakota) and Olympia Snowe (Maine) are among many divided in building consensus over the number one priority for 2010 – job creation.
The Senate rejected a plan backed by President Obama to create a bipartisan task force to tackle the federal deficit, predicted at $1.5 trillion this year, with a sluggish economy and continued high unemployment.
Pray for our Senators and Congressmen as they deal with the heavy economic issues ahead of them.
Posted in legislative prayer needs |
Featured Member of the Legislative Branch for Prayer
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Senator George LeMieux (FL)
Senator George LeMieux is a native Floridian, who grew up in Broward County, Florida. He attended public schools in Coral Springs, Florida, along with his wife Meike. George graduated with great honors and Phi Beta Kappa from Emory University with a degree in political science. He received his law school education at Georgetown University where he also graduated with honors.
Upon graduating law school, he returned to Fort Lauderdale to begin practicing law. In 2000, George was elected Chairman of the Broward County Republican Party. In 2003, he was asked by then Attorney General Charlie Crist to serve as Florida’s Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Staff to the Attorney General’s Office where he supervised more than 400 lawyers and 1300 total staff. As Deputy Attorney General he appeared on behalf of the State of Florida in the United States Supreme Court where he argued for and won a unanimous decision in a death penalty case.
LeMieux served as the Executive Director of the Crist/Kottkamp transition team, and went to lead the Executive Office of the Governor as the Governor’s Chief of Staff in 2007. In 2008, LeMieux rejoined the Gunster, Yoakley firm. In March of 2008, George was selected to lead Gunster, Yoakley as Chairman of the firm.
On August 28, 2009, Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced LeMieux’s appointment to the U.S. Senate to fill out the remainder of Senator Mel Martinez’s unexpired term. LeMieux was sworn in to the U.S. Senate on September 10, 2009.
Senator LeMieux currently serves on the Armed Services Committee, the Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee, and the Special Committee on Aging.
In October, Senator LeMieux traveled to Afghanistan where he met with U.S. troops, the U.S. Commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.
In late October, Senator LeMieux introduced his first piece of legislation, Senate bill 2128, the Prevent Health Care Fraud act of 2009. The bill seeks to recover the billions that are lost to health care waste, fraud and abuse each year.
George lives in Tallahassee with his wife Meike and their three sons Max, Taylor and Chase.
Posted in legislative prayer focus |