Rockingham Remembered
Short Stories
Opening Prayer
If you're a believer or not there is a lot of truth in
these words. This interesting prayer was given in
Kansas at the opening session of their Senate.  It
seems prayer still upsets some people. When
Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new
session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was
expecting the usual generalities, but this is what
they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask
Your forgiveness and 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."

The response was immediate. A number of
legislators walked out during the prayer in protest.
In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where
Rev.Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000
phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding
negatively. The church is now receiving
international requests for copies of this prayer
from India, Africa, and Korea.

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.

With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over
our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire
so that we again can be called one nation under
God.