[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 199 (Thursday, December 14, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S18583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, offered the following prayer:
  Gracious Father, as nature abhors a vacuum, You deplore deadlocks 
that debilitate progress. We confess that we are hammerlocked and 
pinned to the mat by seemingly unresolvable differences in the 
negotiations between the Congress and the White House over the budget. 
The clock is running and ticks toward tomorrow's deadline. Meanwhile, 
the Nation watches, worries, and wonders.
  Lord, help us to reorder our priorities. Deliberately we set aside 
self-serving manipulation. We trade in our party spirit for the spirit 
of patriotism. Grant both sides in this negotiation that triumphant 
transition that happens when we give up the pride of thinking that we 
have all of the answers and dare to pray, ``Lord, show us the way to 
break this deadlock.'' Displace our distrust of each other; replace it 
with a deep commitment to creative compromise. There is so much on 
which both factions agree. Give us the will to press on until workable 
solutions are found. We begin this day asking You to work in the minds 
and hearts of those who bear the responsibility of finding Your 
solution. Give them clear heads and willing hearts. We ask this for the 
good of the Nation and for the continuing respect of the people for the 
ability of the executive and legislative branches of Government to work 
together to govern this land. In the name of our Lord. Amen.

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