[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 142 (Wednesday, September 13, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1774-E1778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       A TRANSCRIPT OF THE NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST PROCEEDINGS

                                 ______


                           HON. BILL EMERSON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 13, 1995
  Mr. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year the 43d annual National 
Prayer Breakfast was held here in our Nation's Capital. This gathering 
is hosted each year by Members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of 
Representatives and their respective prayer breakfast groups.
  We were honored once again with the participation of our President 
and Mrs. Clinton and our Vice President and Mrs. Gore. Also joining us 
were individuals from literally all walks of life--representing all 50 
States and over 140 countries.
  Our Congressional Committee, which plans the breakfast, was chaired 
by the Honorable H. Martin Lancaster, who faithfully served here in the 
House for many years. On his behalf and in behalf of the Congressional 
Committee for the National Prayer Breakfast, I request that a copy of 
the program and of the transcript of the breakfast proceedings be 
printed in the Record at this time, so that all Americans can be 
encouraged by the proceedings that took place that morning.
                       National Prayer Breakfast


              CHAIRMAN: THE HONORABLE H. MARTIN LANCASTER

     Pre-Breakfast Prayer--General Carl E. Mundy, Jr., Commandant, 
         U.S. Marine Corps
     Opening Song--Mount Olive College Concert Choir and Mount 
         Olive College Singers
     Opening Prayer--The Vice President of the United States

                               Breakfast

     Welcome--The Honorable H. Martin Lancaster
     Remarks-U.S. House of Representatives--The Honorable Tillie 
         Fowler, U.S. Representative, Florida
     Old Testament Reading--The Honorable Ruth Ginsburg, Associate 
         Justice, U.S. Supreme Court
     Remarks-U.S. Senate--The Honorable Robert Bennett, U.S. 
         Senator, Utah

[[Page E 1775]]

     Solo--Ms. Janice S. Sjostrand
     New Testament Reading--The Honorable Richard W. Riley, 
         Secretary, Department of Education
     Prayer for National Leaders--The Honorable John Engler, 
         Governor, State of Michigan
     Message--The Honorable Andrew Young
     Introduction of the President--The Honorable H. Martin 
         Lancaster

                   The President of the United States

     Closing Song--Mount Olive College Concert Choir and Mount 
         Olive College Singers
     Closing Prayer--The Reverend Billy Graham

 Audience, please remain in place until The President and Mrs. Clinton 
                             have departed
       General Mundy: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Would you 
     bow in prayer with me?
       Our heavenly Father, there are many here today in positions 
     of great responsibility to and concerns for the peoples of 
     the world. We come to pray for your guidance. We recall that 
     at the beginning of his reign, Solomon prayed to you and 
     asked the following, ``Now O Lord, my God, you have made your 
     servant king, in the place of my father, David. But I am only 
     a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 
     Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a 
     great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your 
     servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to 
     distinguish between right and wrong.'' In hearing his prayer, 
     God said to Solomon, ``Since you have asked for this and not 
     for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the 
     death of your enemies, but for discernment in administering 
     justice, I will do what you have asked. Moreover, I will give 
     you what you have not asked for, both riches and honor, so 
     that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.''
       Holy Father, we here today ask for the overshadowing wisdom 
     of God not just for ourselves, but for all the peoples of the 
     world. Trusting in that wisdom and in your forgiveness, we, 
     like Solomon, who are also but little children, ask your 
     presence, your grace, and your blessing on this gathering and 
     on this food that we share together.
       Amen.
       Master of Ceremonies: Ladies and gentlemen, the President 
     of the United States and Mrs. Clinton. (Applause.)
       Representative Lancaster: Surely the Lord is in this place 
     and aren't we all glad to be here is morning? (Applause.)
       As you will hear later, the House and Senate each have 
     regular weekly prayer breakfasts, the Senate on Wednesdays 
     and the House on Thursdays, and one of the longest and most 
     regular participants in those prayer breakfasts, first as a 
     member of the House and later as a member of the Senate, is 
     our Vice President of the United States, Al Gore. We are 
     happy now to call on the Vice President for our opening 
     prayer.
       Vice President Gore: Would you join me in prayer?
       Oh, God, creator of the Earth and the heavens and all 
     living things, we come together this early winter morning to 
     warm ourselves through our faith in you. We all come in the 
     same spirit, a spirit of faith and love, but different paths 
     have brought us here. We come to you from all walks of 
     society and all corners of the globe, leaders in national 
     office, students in college, men and women, Republican, 
     Democratic, Independent. We are of all beliefs, Christian, 
     Jew, Hindu, Muslim, some do not belong to an organized 
     religion at all. But we all believe that by coming together 
     in this way we may better understand each other, our place in 
     this world, and our duty to serve you.
       Bring us together this morning. Be with those who speak, 
     who read, and sing, and pray this morning. Open our hearts to 
     hear.
       Almighty God, we thank you for all that you have given us. 
     The gifts we have received from you are many. We ask that you 
     give us these blessings as tools to help others and to better 
     bring your presence into the awareness of all in this world.
       We are mindful of those who are not here, and especially of 
     those who are in need, who are in poverty, those who are 
     hungry, those who are suffering from disease, crime, ethnic 
     violence, war, and ecological destruction.
       President Kennedy reminded us that here on earth God's work 
     must truly be our own. Sometimes if we're lucky we know how 
     best to do your work. At other times the answers may not be 
     so clear.
       We come to you in prayer this morning and we ask that you 
     would grant us the wisdom to know what it is that You desire, 
     and then to have the courage to do those tasks you set before 
     us. Let us have enough faith in you that we may become 
     vessels of your goodness. May we always remember to bring 
     your light into the darkness.
       Please bless all of us here, bless President Clinton and 
     the First Lady, and all leaders here. May they receive 
     strength from their faith in You, to continue the work they 
     have begun for all of us.
       And Lord, bless our great country.
       Amen.
       Representative Lancaster: Mr. President, Mr. Vice 
     President, heads of state, leaders from around this country 
     and around the world, what great joy it brings to me to be 
     able to welcome you to the 43rd National Prayer Breakfast.
       We have participating here today over 3,800 people. With 
     more than 170 countries represented, all 50 states, today's 
     remarks are being interpreted into six languages.
       What a happy time it is that so many have chosen to come 
     here this morning in the Spirit of Christ and to share this 
     time together.
       I am happy to welcome here amongst us six heads of state, 
     and I would like, if I could, to have them stand, if you 
     would please wait, and recognize the six of them after I have 
     completed the introductions.
       First, the Prime Minister of Dominica. (Applause.)
       The President of Eritrea. (Applause.)
       The President of Fiji. (Applause.)
       The President of Muldova. (Applause.)
       The Prime Minister of Poland. (Applause.)
       And the President of Western Sahara. (Applause.)
       For 43 years people have gathered in Washington each 
     February with one purpose in mind, to come together in God's 
     love to pray for our country, our leaders, and our 
     relationship with our brothers and sisters around the world.
       In a time of increasing fractiousness in our councils of 
     government at all levels and in our interpersonal 
     relationships, this is a special time to come together as one 
     in Christ. In a time of increasing partisanship it is time to 
     put aside our party differences and to just love each other 
     and to pray for one another. In a time when harsh words are 
     often thoughtlessly uttered against our brothers and sisters, 
     it is a time to come together in harmony and in peace. In a 
     time when at home and abroad too many seem to be consumed by 
     hatred, so this is a time to come together in reconciliation. 
     In a time when we seem to be divided by race, ethnicity, 
     creed, party, country, it is a time to reach across those 
     divides and to see each other as all human beings who are 
     children of God, and who each one of us is loved by him.
       It is perhaps remarkable then, that so many of us have come 
     together today, when you consider that the forces of Satan 
     are so ever present, seeking to pull us apart. But it is the 
     Spirit of Christ that permeates this place and this setting 
     this morning.
       It is important that every day we remember our President, 
     our Vice President, their families and our leaders in this 
     country, in our prayers, and to do so despite our political 
     and philosophical differences. But it is especially important 
     that we come together today in that spirit to say that we may 
     not always agree, but we always love.
       Likewise it is important for our President, our Vice 
     President, our leaders of Congress and the government to also 
     pray for all of us, the American people and our friends from 
     around the world, and to join us in prayer for wisdom, for 
     health, for prosperity, for peace, and that God's will will 
     be done in our lives, in their lives, and in all of our 
     actions.
       This National Prayer Breakfast grew out of a House and 
     Senate Prayer Breakfast that you will hear about this 
     morning, 43 years ago with the leadership of then President 
     Eisenhower, Dr. Billy Graham, and the members of the House 
     and Senate Prayer Breakfast at that time. Before we hear from 
     them, however, I would like to introduce the head table.
       I know that I can't stop you from applauding--(laughter)--
     but it would be nice, except for the President and Vice 
     President, if you would wait, and we will give them all a 
     great big round of applause when we finish.
       To my right is the President of the United States, William 
     Jefferson Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton. 
     (Applause.)
       My wife, Alice. (Applause.)
       The Reverend Dr. Billy Graham. (Applause.)
       Our speaker today, Ambassador Andrew Young. (Applause.)
       Justice Ruth Ginsburg. (Applause.)
       The Secretary of Education and Mrs. Richard Riley. 
     (Applause.)
       And to my left, Senator Robert Bennett, who will bring 
     greetings from the Senate. (Applause.)
       The Vice President, Albert Gore, and his wife Tipper Gore. 
     (Applause.)
       Mrs. Robert Bennett. (Applause.)
       The Governor of Michigan, John Engler. (Applause.)
       Congresswoman Tillie Fowler. (Applause.)
       Our soloist, Ms. Janet Sjostrand. (Applause.)
       And the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General and Mrs. 
     Carl Mundy. (Applause.)
       One of the most meaningful experiences of my service in 
     Congress has been to gather on Thursday morning, in a time of 
     fellowship and prayer with my colleagues in the House. And I 
     am very pleased to present to you now, Congresswoman Tillie 
     Fowler of Florida, to bring greetings to us from that very 
     special group. Congresswoman Fowler.
       Representative Tillie Fowler: Good morning everyone, and 
     thank you, Martin.
       On behalf of the House Prayer Breakfast Group I want to 
     greet you all and welcome you to this very special event. We 
     are especially happy to see the many honored guests who have 
     traveled from abroad to be with us today. Your presence here 
     and the sheer size and diversity of this morning's gathering 
     underscores the fact that the Prayer Breakfast movement is 
     not only national but international. And I am honored to have 
     the opportunity to tell you about our group in the House.
       Every Thursday at 8 a.m. a group of House members gathers 
     together in room H-130 of the Capitol for fellowship and 
     prayer, Democrat and Republican, young and old, liberal and 
     conservative, from any number of states and backgrounds. We 
     leave our differences outside the door of that room and we 
     get to know each other on the basis of something that 
     transcends the labels which so often divide us during the 
     rest of the week. As a result many special and unlikely 
     friendships 

[[Page E 1776]]
     have been born and nurtured during those meetings.
       The meetings are for members only, no staff is allowed, and 
     each week there is a different speaker, alternating between 
     our parties. So no matter what the concerns of the day, we 
     always meet with good humor and fellowship. We spend time 
     relating to one another on a personal level rather than a 
     political one. And we raise our voices in a joyful, though 
     not always very tuneful noise to the Lord by singing a hymn, 
     and we pray for each other, for our president, for our 
     nation, and for peace in the world.
       And every week we meet to talk and pray, to share our 
     public concerns and our private dilemmas. A small miracle 
     takes place there, a miracle I think of in terms of regaining 
     perspective.
       I know if any of you are artists, you know that in art 
     perspective means drawing or painting to fool the eye into 
     seeing something which is not there, distance for example, or 
     three dimensions instead of two. But for the rest of us, 
     however, it means exactly the opposite, seeing what is really 
     there and what is truly important.
       For a member of Congress Washington can be a dangerous 
     place, not because of crime, although that exists, but 
     because every day we face the possibility of losing our 
     perspective, of becoming tangled in the snares of business, 
     partisanship and self-importance that lie all around us and 
     which distract us from remembering why we are here.
       Anyone who watches C-SPAN can see that we sometimes tend to 
     concentrate on what divides us rather than what unites us. In 
     the midst of all the sound and fury it is very easy and very 
     human to get carried away by some personal or partisan agenda 
     and forget about the importance of actually accomplishing 
     something constructive on behalf of the people who sent us to 
     Washington.
       Our weekly House Prayer Breakfast serves as a spiritual 
     self defense against the very real danger of losing our 
     perspective and forgetting that our purpose here is to serve 
     others. The time we spend together on Thursday mornings 
     fortifies our faith, sharpens our sense of purpose, and 
     reminds us that we are here to work together for the good of 
     our nation.
       J. Hudson Taylor once said, ``Do not have your concert 
     first and tune your instruments afterward, begin the day with 
     God.'' And I think of our meeting as a time to tune up and 
     begin the day in harmony with each other and with God's will, 
     and I know that the House of Representatives and each one of 
     us is the better for it. Thank you. (Applause).
       Representative Lancaster: Thank you, Tillie, and I believe 
     that her remarks have given you a flavor of the importance 
     that the weekly prayer breakfast is to all of us who 
     participate in that wonderful event.
       I am now happy to call on Associate Justice of the Supreme 
     Court, Ruth Ginsburg, for the Hebrew reading.
       Justice Ginsburg: My reading is from Deuteronomy, Chapter 
     16, Verses 18-20, and Deuteronomy, Chapter 25, Verses 13-16.
       ``You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your 
     tribes, in all the settlements the Lord your God is giving 
     you. And they shall govern the people with due justice. You 
     shall not judge unfairly. You shall show no partiality. You 
     shall not take bribes, for bribes line the eyes of the 
     discerning and upset the plea of the just. Justice shall you 
     pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land the Lord your 
     God is giving you.''
       ``You shall not have in your pouch alternate weights, 
     larger and smaller. You shall not have in your house 
     alternate measures, larger and smaller. You must have 
     completely honest weights and completely honest measures if 
     you are to endure on the soil that the Lord your God is 
     giving you, for everyone who does those things, everyone who 
     deals dishonestly, is abhorrent to the Lord your God.''
       Representative Lancaster: Thank you, Justice Ginsburg.
       Representing the Senate Prayer Breakfast Group, to bring 
     you greetings from them, is the Senator from Utah, Robert 
     Bennett. Please welcome Senator Bennett. (Applause.)
       Senator Robert Bennett: Thank you, Mr. President and Mr. 
     Vice President and other distinguished guests. It is an honor 
     for me to be here representing the Senate Prayer Breakfast 
     Group. If I may be personal for a moment, I remember the 
     first time I walked into that group as a newly elected 
     Senator, Mark Hatfield who in many ways is the--if I may use 
     the term, the Godfather of that group, been involved in it 
     for all of his Senate career, said to me, ``That seat,'' and 
     he pointed to a particular chair, ``Is where your father 
     always sat.''
       Forty-two years ago my father started attending the Senate 
     Prayer Breakfast, and it's a great honor for me now to carry 
     on that tradition in the Senate Prayer Breakfast and in the 
     Bennett family, to see to it that I continue to attend 
     regularly.
       My one regret is that one of the few times I let my 
     schedule interfere with attending that, President Clinton 
     came, unannounced. If he had announced it obviously we would 
     have had much better attendance than we did. (Applause.) And 
     I think that's a tribute to him, that he would do that at a 
     time of pressure, that he would seek that kind of solace and 
     sanctuary, because the Senate Prayer Breakfast Group has 
     become a place of refuge and sanctuary for those Senators who 
     seek that relief from the pressures of the time. All Senators 
     are welcome, as in the House.
       We come together to do the kinds of things you've heard 
     about in the House, to read the scriptures, to talk over the 
     various pressures and challenges that we have, and all of 
     that is the formal thing that goes on. But informally, I have 
     discovered that we also come together to heal.
       The Senate Prayer Breakfast is a place where we can recover 
     from deep political wounds and on occasion serious personal 
     tragedy. As we listen to our colleagues talk out the 
     challenge of the loss of a spouse, or a child, or a parent, 
     it's a wonderful time. It's a wonderful place to be.
       I am honored to be able to represent that group here today 
     and to welcome all of you to this breakfast. Thank you. 
     (Applause.)
       Representative Lancaster: Thank you, Senator Bennett.
       When members of the Executive Committee of the National 
     Prayer Breakfast met with the President and the Vice 
     President in the Oval Office to discuss this year's program, 
     we went over the entire program to receive their input and to 
     let them know how important their participation from the very 
     beginning was in their efforts. It is a tradition of the 
     National Prayer Breakfast that a person is chosen with 
     special talents in song to come and present a solo for those 
     of us here at the National Prayer Breakfast.
       It was at the suggestion of the President that this 
     morning's soloist was invited. For some of you who were 
     present or otherwise heard by video or audio the funeral 
     services of the President's mother, you may remember the 
     beautiful voice that sang on that touching occasion, because 
     it was Janice Sjostrand who is from Lonoke, Arkansas, who 
     with her husband, her father-in-law and mother-in-law engage 
     in a special ministry in that community in Arkansas, who 
     presented that solo. We are pleased this morning that Janice 
     Sjostrand would come and bless us with her song of praise. 
     Ms. Sjostrand. (Applause.)
                    solo by ms. janice s. sjostrand

       Representative Lancaster: What a wonderful suggestion you 
     made to us, Mr. President, and what a blessing that was for 
     all of us, Janice, thank you very much.
       It's now my pleasure to present to you for the New 
     Testament reading, my friend and the former Governor of South 
     Carolina, and now the very fine Secretary of Education, 
     Richard Riley. Mr. Secretary. (Applause.)
       Secretary of Education Richard Riley: Thank you, Martin. My 
     reading from the New Testament is short, so I ask you to pay 
     close attention. (Laughter.)
       I shall read from the book of Matthew, Chapter 19, verses 
     13 and 14.
       ``Then children were brought to him that he might lay his 
     hands on them and pray. The Disciples rebuked the people, but 
     Jesus said, `Let the children come to me and do not hinder 
     them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.'''
       May God bless the reading and the hearing of his Holy Word.
       Representative Lancaster: We are pleased to call on 
     Governor John Engler, the Governor of Michigan, to bring to 
     us a prayer for our national leaders. Governor.
       Governor John Engler of Michigan: Thank you, Congressman. 
     Let us pray.
       Almighty God, we come together on this special occasion to 
     pray for the leaders of our great nation, for President 
     Clinton, for Vice President Gore, and the cabinet, for 
     members of the Congress and Justices of the Supreme Court. 
     Indeed, for all the men and women who are called to serve the 
     American people, and whose judgment, decisions and actions 
     affect our nation's destiny. May our leaders have the wisdom 
     to seek your guidance and the courage to do your will.
       Lord, we know that our nation was founded and forged in 
     prayer. We thank you for blessing America, throughout our 
     history with great leaders, with men and women who in triumph 
     and tragedy sought to do what was pleasing in your sight.
       We think back to the year 1775 when the brave members of 
     the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, aware that the 
     fate of a noble experiment lay in their hands, but they knew 
     they didn't carry that burden alone. Ben Franklin told that 
     esteemed gathering, ``Truly our first order of business as a 
     Congress is to ask the protection and guidance of Almighty 
     God.'' And our Founding Fathers called for a day of public 
     humiliation, fasting and prayer throughout the 13 colonies, 
     that the people would pray for them and that God would lead 
     them to do what was right. And within a year a new nation was 
     born, a nation destined to lead the world in the paths of 
     freedom and opportunity, justice and righteousness.
       We think back to the hard winter of 1777 and '78, when 
     George Washington was Commander-in-Chief of the American 
     armies. He sought shelter in Valley Forge and protection in 
     you. Withdrawing to a lonely snow covered clearing at the 
     edge of the forest, he dropped to his knees and humbly prayed 
     for your protection. He beseeched you to keep liberty loving 
     men and women safe during that bitter cold winter that we now 
     know as the crucible of freedom. And his citizen-soldiers 
     survived to fight for a new day, to fight the good fight for 
     a nation that held out promise beyond measure.
       Then, we think back to 1861, to the newly elected president 
     of a troubled nation. Abraham Lincoln experienced a tearful 
     farewell when he left his home in Springfield, Illinois, for 
     Washington. Before boarding the train he spoke these poignant 
     words, ``My friends, I leave you with this request, pray for 
     me. I 

[[Page E 1777]]
     leave now not knowing when or whether ever I may return. For the task 
     before me is greater than that which rested upon President 
     Washington. Without the assistance of that divine being, I 
     cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail.''
       Yes, Heavenly Father, throughout the ages our leaders have 
     called on you, knowing that without your assistance they 
     could not succeed, but with your assistance they could not 
     fail. And so, with confidence we approach your throne of 
     grace.
       Today at this annual prayer breakfast our nation calls out 
     to you in prayer again. On bended knee we beseech you to 
     forgive our sins against the old and young, against the born 
     and unborn. With longing hearts we listen for your answers 
     that are wiser than our prayers. We ask that you send the 
     holy spirit to our leaders. We ask that you send the holy 
     spirit to them and to all of us, that we may raise our hearts 
     and voices in one refrain to you, O God, and give you thanks 
     for the United States of America. Amen. (Applause.)
       Representative Lancaster: Thank you, Governor.
       Ambassador Young is a man of great distinction. From his 
     days as a very young leader in the Civil Rights Movement, to 
     a respected member of the House of Representatives, he 
     brought great distinction to himself and to his country as a 
     young man. And during the Carter administration brought great 
     credit to his country on the international stage as 
     Ambassador to the United Nations. And then, to complete the 
     cycle, he returned to his home of Atlanta and became its 
     mayor and led that city to new heights.
       But first and always, Andy Young has been and will continue 
     to be a man of God. Welcome now our speaker for this morning, 
     Ambassador Andrew Young. (Applause.)
       Ambassador Andrew Young: Mr. President, Mrs. Clinton, Vice 
     President Gore and Mrs. Gore, distinguished friends, brothers 
     and sisters, this is an awesome responsibility. And yet, I 
     grew up with these prayer breakfasts.
       As a young member of Congress one of the things that helped 
     me to find my way was the attendance at the House Prayer 
     Breakfast. Later as Ambassador to the United Nations, before 
     our cabinet meetings, many of us gathered in the White House 
     for a moment of prayer. It was, as Senator Bennett said, a 
     time when we came together in spite of disagreements, 
     essentially because of our sufferings and in need of healing. 
     For in spite of what anybody says about us, all of us, in 
     spite of what we think of ourselves, we are all God's 
     children. And the flesh and blood which we see is only a 
     small part of the existence that makes us real.
       In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul talks about the 
     purpose of God, to unite all things in him, things in heaven 
     and things on earth. And there is in the presence of the 
     enormous diversity of opinion, of race, of creed, of class, 
     national origin, there is a need ultimately and fundamentally 
     that we all somehow know that we are one, that if there is a 
     purpose to our existence, if there is a process toward which 
     we all move in our politics, it is to find ways to live 
     together in peace and to enjoy the abundant life which God 
     has made possible for us.
       And when we don't come together to seek that unity, we end 
     up pulling apart and we destroy ourselves but we also destroy 
     the possibilities of the abundant life with which God has 
     blessed us. And so, in some way or another, we all seek to 
     move toward that end. And it is not without difficulty.
       We are so mindful of the things that divide us. Everything 
     about our society tends to pit us against each other. All of 
     our insecurities make us reach out to people whom we think 
     are like ourselves, but even in our marriages, when we find 
     someone that we know is just like ourselves, fortunately I 
     found out she was a woman. (Laughter.) And there are major 
     differences. (Laughter.) And thank God for those differences.
       But it was always easier for me to get along with the Ku 
     Klux Klan. (Laughter.) For I never lost my temper. 
     (Laughter.) I understood we were different. (Laughter.) But 
     in the intense emotion and love of man and woman, of mother 
     and father and children, the difference between generations, 
     there is all the emotion and all of the insecurity and all of 
     the threat that makes it difficult for us to be one.
       And so, when we talk about oneness, we're not just talking 
     about bringing the whole globe together. We are not talking 
     just about Democrat and Republican, we're talking about human 
     beings, and that is the struggle of each and every one of our 
     lives in some way, shape or form. And if the truth be told, 
     none of us does it very well.
       We all need forgiveness of one another and we all need 
     sensitivity toward one another, to learn to listen and 
     understand one another, and that's extremely difficult. And 
     yet, that's the task to which we have been called. That's the 
     requirement of leadership in order for civilization to 
     survive. And we have, in our experience with the Bible, 
     lesson after lesson as to how God leads us in that direction.
       The prophet Jeremiah says that the Lord has written a new 
     covenant on our hearts, that nobody has to tell anybody 
     anymore about God, that God loves us unconditionally and we 
     know that. That's not even a matter of debate. We might 
     resist it, but we spend so much energy in the denial that 
     that in itself is an affirmation that we do not belong to 
     ourselves, we belong to a creator far greater than any and 
     all of us. And we have discovered that in our living 
     together, and I think we have discovered it most of all in 
     our sufferings.
       One of the things that we share is human suffering. I lost 
     my wife a few months ago. The president said good-bye to his 
     blessed and wonderful mother. Doug Coe lost a son. When our 
     presidential prayer breakfast, when I was at the United 
     Nations, Ray Marshall's 16-year-old was dying of cancer while 
     he was trying to carry on the Department of Labor. There is a 
     human drama of suffering that involves in some way all of us, 
     and maybe that's what makes us one. For God has identified 
     with us in our suffering and has sent his son to suffer with 
     us and for us. And now it's almost as though in our 
     sufferings we come to know who we really are.
       And so, we shouldn't be afraid of our sufferings. Our 
     sufferings are our teacher that remind us that we belong to 
     God, that we are not flesh, and bone, and blood. We are, 
     indeed, all creatures of the spirit.
       And when we are challenged by the difficulties that 
     certainly exist as we come to the end of a century and even 
     the end of a millennium, when we face as leaders the anxiety
      and frustration and insecurity, the conflict that rages all 
     across this planet, when there seems to be no possibility 
     of political or economic unity, we are reminded that we 
     are one, that in our suffering and in our inevitable death 
     we are one.
       I was fortunate to live with Martin Luther King for eight 
     years before his assassination, and hardly a day passed when 
     he didn't talk about death. But it was never a morbid 
     conversation because ironically in some ways, or 
     prophetically, Martin was stabbed as a young man of 29, and 
     in order to remove the letter opener that pressed against the 
     aorta of his heart, the surgeons had to carve a cross in his 
     chest.
       He used to joke and say he was glad he got stabbed in 
     Harlem because they knew how to deal with knife wounds at 
     Harlem Hospital and it was a matter of routine surgery. But 
     he was left with this cross carved in his chest, and he said, 
     ``Every day when I wake up and brush my teeth, I have to look 
     the cross in the face, and I have to ask myself, `What am I 
     living for today?' And I know that each day might be my 
     last.''
       And he would always end up making a joke about it, as 
     though death were not something to be feared, but that death 
     was something that would liberate him from the awesome burden 
     in which history has placed him. And he said if a man has not 
     found something for which he is willing to die, he probably 
     isn't fit to live anyway.
       As we have watched our loved ones suffer, we have come to 
     realize that as the flesh subsides, the spirit is released 
     and we know who and what we really are. We know ultimately 
     that we are sons and daughters of God. And that knowledge, 
     that faith can take us through the complexities of any 
     millennium. It is what has seen our country through many 
     dangers, toils and snares, God's amazing grace.
       And I close by sharing with you one of my favorite hymns. 
     It's a hymn for tough times, ``How firm a foundation, when 
     through the deep waters I cause thee to go. The rivers of woe 
     will not be overflow, for I will be with thee, thy troubles 
     to bless and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. When 
     through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, my grace all 
     sufficient shall be thy supply. The flames shall not hurt 
     thee. I only design thy dross to consume and thy goal to 
     refine. The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose, I will 
     not forsake to his foes. That soul, all though all hell shall 
     endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake.''
       God is with us constantly, moving, loving, forgiving. We 
     need not fear. We need not shirk responsibility. We need only 
     be faithful and give thanks for the blessings of God 
     throughout the history of this nation and know that 
     throughout this planet God is still moving in mysterious ways 
     to make it more possible for us to come together and know 
     that in Him we are truly one.
       Amen. (Applause.)
       Representative Lancaster: Clearly the Lord's hand was 
     present in guiding us to our wonderful speaker this morning. 
     Thank you, Ambassador Young.
       From our first meeting with President Clinton in the Oval 
     Office, through subsequent telephone communications as we 
     planned this event, his participation has been unusual and 
     unprecedented. However, it should not be surprising to those 
     of us who know him, because we know that faith is central to 
     the life of Bill Clinton.
       He is a scholar of the Bible, a seeker of the truth, a man 
     whose faith is obvious in his utterances and in his 
     compassion for the poor and downtrodden.
       It is my privilege and high honor to present to you William 
     Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States. 
     (Applause.)
       President Clinton: Thank you. (Applause.)
       Thank you, Martin Lancaster, for your incredible devotion 
     to this prayer breakfast and for all the work you have done 
     to make it a success. To Vice President and Mrs. Gore, and to 
     the members of Congress, and the Supreme Court, and governors 
     the distinguished leaders of previous administrations, and of 
     course, to all of our foreign guests who are here, and my 
     fellow Americans.
       Hillary and I look forward to this day every year with much 
     anticipation. It always gives me new energy and new peace of 
     mind, but today is a special day for me.
       It's always wonderful to see our friend Billy Graham back 
     here. This is the 40th of 43 Prayer Breakfasts he has 
     attended. I'd say 

[[Page E 1778]]
     he's been faithful to this as he has to everything else in his life, 
     and we are all the richer for it. (Applause.)
       It was wonderful to be with Andy Young again. He stayed 
     with us last evening at the White House and we relived some 
     old times, talked about the future. None of us could fail to 
     be moved today by the power of his message, the depth of his 
     love for his wonderful wife, who blessed so many of us with 
     her friendship, and I'm sure he inspired us all.
       I also want to say a special word of thanks to my friend 
     Janice Sjostrand for coming here all the way from Arkansas. 
     You know, one of the greatest things about being governor of 
     my state is I got to hear her sing about once a month, 
     instead of once in a blue moon, and I miss you and I'm glad 
     to hear you today. Thank you. (Applause.)
       We have heard a lot of words today of great power. There is 
     very little I can add to them, but let me say that in this 
     age, which the Speaker of the House is always reminding us is 
     the Information Age, an exciting time, a time of personal 
     computers, not mainframes, a time when we are going to be 
     judged by how smart we work, not just how hard we work, the 
     power of words is greater than ever before.
       So, by any objective standard, the problems we face today, 
     while profound, are certainly not greater than they were in 
     the Great Depression, or in the Second World War, or when Mr. 
     Lincoln made those statements when he left his home in 
     Illinois to become president that Governor Engler quoted, or 
     when George Washington suffered defeat after defeat until 
     finally we were able to win by persistence our freedom. No, 
     they are not, these times, as difficult as they are, more 
     difficult than those. What makes them more difficult is the 
     power of words.
       The very source of our liberation, of all of our 
     possibility and all of our potential for growth, the 
     communications revolution gives words the power not only to 
     lift up and liberate but the power to divide and destroy as 
     never before--just words--to darken our spirits and weaken 
     our resolve, divide our hearts.
       So I say perhaps the most important thing we should take 
     out of Andy Young's wonderful message about what we share in 
     common is the resolve to clear our heads and our hearts and 
     to use our words more to build up and unify, and less to tear 
     down and divide.
       We are here because we are all the children of God, because 
     we know we have all fallen short of God's glory, because we 
     know that no matter how much power we have,
      we have it but for a moment and in the end we can only 
     exercise it well if we see ourselves as servants, not 
     sovereigns.
       We see sometimes the glimmer of this great possibility when 
     after hundreds of years the Catholics and Protestants in 
     Northern Ireland decide that it may be time to stop killing 
     each other; when after 27 years Nelson Mandela walks out of 
     his jail cell and a couple of years later is the president of 
     a free country from a free election; when we see the 
     miraculous reaching out across all the obstacles in the 
     Middle East. God must have been telling us something when he 
     created the three great monotheistic religious of the world 
     in one little patch and then had people fight with each other 
     for every century after that. Maybe we're seeing the 
     beginning of the end of that, in spite of all the 
     difficulties. But it never happens unless the power of words 
     become instruments of elevation and liberation.
       So we must work together to tear down barriers, as Andy 
     Young has worked his whole life. We must do it with greater 
     civility. In Romans, St. Paul said, ``Repay no one evil for 
     evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 
     Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good.''
       There's not a person in this room that hasn't failed in 
     that admonition, including me. But I'm going to leave here 
     today determined to live more by it.
       And we must finally be humble, all of us, in whatever 
     position we have, not only because, as Andy reminded us, 
     we're just here for a little while, not only in our positions 
     but on this earth, but because we know, as St. Paul said in 
     Corinthians, that we see through a glass darkly. And we will 
     never see clearly until our life is over. We will never have 
     the full truth, the whole truth. Even the facts, as Andy 
     said, I thought that was a brilliant thing, the flesh and 
     blood of our lives, the facts we think we know, even they do 
     not tell us the whole truth of the mystery of life.
       So, my fellow Americans and my fellow citizens of the 
     world, let us leave this place renewed in the spirit of 
     civility and humility and the determination not to use the 
     power of our words to tear down.
       I was honored to say in the State of the Union last week 
     that none of us can change our yesterdays, but all of us can 
     change our tomorrows. That surely is the wisdom of the 
     message we have heard on this day.
       Lastly, let me ask you to pray for the president, that he 
     will have the wisdom to change when he is wrong, the courage 
     to stay the course when he is right, and somehow, somehow, 
     the grace of God not to use the power of words at the time in 
     human history when words are more omnipresent and more 
     powerful than ever before, to divide and to destroy, but 
     instead to pierce to the truth, to the heart, to the best 
     that is in us all.
       Thank you all, and God bless you. (Applause.)
       Representative Lancaster: Thank you, Mr. President.
       Since the first National Prayer Breakfast there has been 
     one constant and guiding light to all of them, the Reverend 
     Dr. Billy Graham. As the president indicated, in 43 years he 
     has missed only three of them. And throughout those years and 
     even the years he was not here, his prayers have always been 
     for the people and her leaders.
       The Reverend Dr. Billy Graham will now pronounce the 
     benediction. Dr. Graham. (Applause.)
       The Reverend Billy Graham: In all these years we have never 
     had a more spiritual Prayer Breakfast than this one. My own 
     heart has been touched and I have rededicated my own life to 
     the Lord for what years I may have left. Shall we pray.
       Our Father and our God, we humbly thank you for this unique 
     occasion and for the privilege that is ours of coming to you 
     in prayer. We thank you for those who have joined us from 
     other nations today, especially from North Korea. We have 
     come today asking for your wisdom, strength and guidance for 
     the future, especially as we approach the end of this century 
     and face the challenges of a new millennium.
       Again, we pray for President Clinton and Vice President 
     Gore and their families. Give them wisdom, and strength, and 
     courage that they have asked for here today. Give wisdom to 
     all who counsel them. We pray again for the Senate and the 
     House of Representatives, the cabinet, the courts as they 
     continue their deliberations. Give us wisdom. Give wisdom to 
     all who serve at every level of government. Help us to 
     remember that to whom much has been given, much has been 
     required, and this applies to us all as individuals as well 
     as a nation.
       Now we leave this place, we believe, with a new commitment. 
     The challenge that Ambassador Young brought us will never be 
     forgotten. The challenge that has been brought to us by our 
     president will linger in our hearts for a long time and help 
     us all to resolve to pray for him daily as he faces all the 
     problems that any president faces, but even more in this 
     information age.
       We thank you especially for our Lord, Jesus Christ, who 
     died on that cross that Andy Young referred to a moment ago, 
     out of love for us, and then told us to love one another and 
     to love our neighbors as ourselves.
       So the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face 
     to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, the Lord lift up 
     his countenance upon you and give you peace. This we pray in 
     the name of our Father, in the name of his Son, in the name 
     of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
       End of Program.
       

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