[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 51 (Tuesday, April 30, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H1690]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 PRAYER

  The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered the following 
prayer:
  Preserved in Your grace, O Lord, at times we may seem at a 
standstill. But momentary inactivity may mean a fermenting of resolve.
  Lord, grant to the Members of the House of Representatives a patience 
to listen to deepest convictions buried within the heart and their 
delegation. Inspire a practical wisdom that is wrapped in the art of 
timing.
  Help all of Your people of this great Nation grow in perseverance. 
Deliver them from headline success, pollster popularity, and personal 
insecurity. Strengthened by faith in You, may quiet and stronger 
commitments prevail and produce enlightened options born of creative 
repression. Let yesterday's setbacks and compromise only store up 
energy for tomorrow's leap forward.
  By taking one step at a time, may every American persevere in 
pursuing higher goals than those found in immediate satisfaction. May 
we prove faithful in seeking Your plan for us before reaction to every 
circumstance, now and forever. Amen.

                          ____________________