[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 21] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 30521-30527] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST TRANSCRIPT INDUCTION ______ HON. STEVE LARGENT of oklahoma in the house of representatives Tuesday, November 16, 1999 Mr. LARGENT. Mr. Speaker, since the early 1950's, Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives prayer groups have hosted an annual gathering in our Nation's Capital known as the National Prayer Breakfast. The Breakfast has afforded the opportunity for both the House and Senate to come together, in a nonpartisan alliance, whether in times of peace or times of war, in times of [[Page 30522]] abundance or times of scarcity, to prayerfully support the President and other leaders in this country. This year I was given the privilege of chairing this event. We were honored once again to have the President and First Lady, and the Vice President and Mrs. Gore in attendance. We were also honored to have several heads of state from Macedonia, Albania, Ecuador, and Benin. Max Lucado, an author, pastor, and this year's keynote speaker, spoke of the model that Jesus of Nazareth gave of love, not only for those we like and agree with, but most importantly, for those we do not. On behalf of the Members of the Senate and House who have hosted this Breakfast, I submit the transcript of the breakfast for insertion into the Record for our posterity. 1999 NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST Thursday, February 4, 1999, Hilton Washington and Towers Hotel, Washington, DC Chairman: Representative Steve Largent Representative Largent. My name is Steve Largent, and I want to welcome you to the National Prayer Breakfast. I am a member of the House of Representatives from the state of Oklahoma, and I am this year's chairman and will be acting as the Master of Ceremonies for the prayer breakfast this year. It is my pleasure at this time to introduce Mr. Jim Kimsey, who will begin with our pre-breakfast prayer. Mr. Kimsey. Basil was a fourth-century saint from Asia Minor. He said, ``We pray in the morning to give us the first stirrings of our mind to God. Before anything else, let the thought of God gladden you.'' Would you begin this day with me in prayer? Dear God, may the efforts of all those gathered here today reach far and wide--our thoughts, our work, our lives. Make them blessings for your kingdom. Let them go beyond today. Our lives today have consequences unseen. Each life has a purpose. Please, God, grant us the wisdom to recognize that purpose. Today is new and unlike any other day, for God makes each day different. To live each day wisely, we need wisdom-- wisdom in our hearts and in our thoughts. We need wisdom in the choices we make. Psalm 90 implores us, ``Lord, teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom in our heart.'' Each day, like today, we pray to God to help us to do the things that matter, not to waste the time we have. We know the moments we have are precious. We pray that God helps us count them dear and to teach us to number our days aright; that he fills this day and every day with kindness so that we may be glad and rejoice all the days of our life. Numbering our days aright is crucial for our own happiness, but it is even more important for the rest of the world. Each day we are presented with opportunities to make a difference; small differences, like a hello to a lonely neighbor, to extra change dropped in a homeless person's cup. And we can make big differences feeding the hungry, teaching children to read, bridging understanding and peace between nations. Every difference you make matters, just as every day matters. Edmund Burke wisely noted long ago, ``The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.'' We are especially blessed today. We have a unique opportunity in our frantic lives to begin with prayer and listen to the wisdom of the incredible group assembled here today. I would like to leave you with one thought. Yesterday is history, and tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. Thank you. (Opening Song by the United States Army Chorus.) Representative Largent. Thank you to the United States Army Chorus. We appreciate that. That is inspiring, and a good way to start the breakfast. At this time I would like to call to the podium General Dennis Reimer, who is the Chief of Staff of the Army, for our opening prayer. General Reimer. Let us pray. Almighty and eternal God, creator of all things, we ask your presence with us at this gathering this morning as we raise our minds and hearts to you. May the words we share be an echo of your voice. We are grateful for our nation's long and abiding legacy of freedom. We thank you for your gifts, which become richer as we share them, and more secure as we guard them for one another. Gracious Lord, we praise you for the spirit of liberty you have established through our nation's founders. Lord, we remember this morning the words of Peter Marshall, who gave thanks for the rich heritage of this good land, for the evidences of thy favor in the past and for the hand that hath made and preserve this a nation. We thank you for the men and women who, by blood and sweat, by toil and tears, forged on the anvil of their own sacrifice all that we hold dear. May we never lightly esteem what they obtained at a great price. Grateful for rights and privileges, may we be conscious of duties and obligations. May his words continue to be timeless. Lord, we ask that you will strengthen us to stand firmly against cruel and heartless discrimination or prejudice of any kind. In your holy presence we ask that the things which make for peace may not be hidden from our eyes. Help us catch your vision of a greater destiny and the call of holy responsibility. May the moral fibers of duty, honor and country be seen in all we do. Lord our God, in profound gratitude we ask your blessing on the United States of America. Bless now this food to our use and us to your service. In your holy name we pray. Amen. Representative Largent. Thank you, General Reimer, a great Oklahoman. Please enjoy your meal. We will continue with the program in about 15 minutes. Thank you. (Breakfast) Representative Largent. In addition to the President and First Lady, and the Vice President, this morning we have a number of special guests. We have members of the Senate and the House, and Members of the President's Cabinet. We have Members of the Joint Chiefs, prime ministers, heads of corporations, student leaders and numerous other dignitaries. We have people from all 50 states and over 160 countries represented here this morning. (Applause.) In addition, we have with us several heads of state which I would like to recognize at this time. We have His Excellency Ljubco Georgievski, Prime Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. (Applause.) Also joining us is His Excellency Mathieu Kerekou, President of the Republic of Benin. (Applause.) His Excellency Jamil Mahuad, President of Ecuador. (Applause.) And His Excellency Pandeli Majko, Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania. (Applause.) I get extra credit for all of that. (Laughter.) At this time, I would like to introduce the head table. Beginning on my left and your right is Mr. Jim Kimsey. He is the founder of America On Line and is a gentleman who has a deep love for the District of Columbia. With Mr. Kimsey is Ms. Holidae Hayes. We are glad to have you here. (Applause.) Next to them is Mr. Michael W. Smith. He is a Grammy- winning recording artist who will perform for us later, and his wife, Debbie. (Applause.) Next we have Dr. Laura Schlessinger, also known as Dr. Laura. (Applause.) I don't even need to say who she is, right? (Laughter.) No, she is one of America's most listened- to-radio talk show hosts. She is the co-author of the current bestseller, ``The Ten Commandments: The Significance of God's Law in Everyday Life.'' She is also a licensed marriage, family, and children's counselor and is frequently referred to as America's mommy. (Applause.) Next to Dr. Schlessinger is Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, an outstanding Senator from the State of Texas, who will share with you later about the Senate and House breakfast groups. Senator, thank you. (Applause.) Next is Annie Glenn, wife of Senator John Glenn. Annie is a great friend and a great example for us all. (Applause.) And then we have Senator Glenn, who is one of our national heroes, whose return to space last year had me considering out of retirement, briefly. (Applause.) Next is our Vice President, Al Gore. Every year Congress hosts a National Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values, and this year the Vice President and his wife, Tipper, were kind enough to open up their home to about 200 student leaders from across the country and actually spent a lot of time with them individually, talking with them. Mr. Vice President, please tell Tipper we said thank you very much. (Applause.) Next are President Clinton and the First Lady. (Applause.) I want to tell you an interesting story that I think also is a bit of a glimpse behind the scenes of President Clinton. After the prayer breakfast two years ago, I sent him a note thanking him for his remarks, which were wonderful, as they will be this morning. He actually was in the process of writing me a note and said, ``No, I thought I would just call.'' So he called our home, and my daughter Casie, who at that time was about 15 years old, answered the phone and said, ``The President of the United States is calling for Congressman Steve Largent.'' My daughter put the phone on hold and came and got me and she said, ``Dad, somebody said that the President is on the line. Would you please get him off the line because I've got Brad Pitt holding on the other line.'' (Applause.) Next to the First Lady is my first lady, Terry Largent. (Applause.) Next we have our speaker this morning, Max Lucado and his wife Denalyn. I will tell you more about Max just a little bit later. (Applause.) Next to the Lucados is Senator Joseph Lieberman, a great senator and a man who is known for his integrity and for his love of God. (Applause.) Next is one of my good friends and colleagues in the House of Representatives, Harold Ford, Jr. He is the first African- American in history to succeed his father in the U.S. House of Representatives. (Applause.) And next to Congressman Ford are General Dennis Reimer, who I introduced earlier, one of our great military leaders, and his wife, Mrs. Mary Jo Reimer. (Applause.) [[Page 30523]] As we gather this morning, this is the National Prayer Breakfast, and there are many around the world who need our prayers here this morning. I want to take a moment to mention just a few of the people that are in dire need of our prayers this morning, including King Hussein, Billy Graham, Pope John Paul II, and the victims of the recent earthquake in Colombia. In fact, it is my understanding that King Hussein is undergoing therapy for cancer treatment as we are speaking and is watching the prayer breakfast this morning. Many in the Senate and the House breakfast group have had the opportunity over the years to become friends in this fellowship with his majesty, King Hussein of Jordan. As friends, we have prayed with his majesty in times of triumph and times of trial. And as he undergoes treatment this week for the trial of a lifetime, we join all our prayers to uplift his spirit and strengthen his family, his loved ones and his medical care team in a special way. Also, many of you may be here this morning asking, ``What is the prayer breakfast and why am I here?'' I want to tell you just a little bit about the prayer breakfast and its genesis. It is not very complicated, actually. There was a small group that began meeting in the Senate back in the early 1950s. They were joined later by a small group that began in the House. At some time they decided, wouldn't it be a good idea if the House group and the Senate group met together to pray for the President of the United States. And that is how the prayer breakfast began 47 years ago. You are going to hear a little bit more about the Senate and House groups from Senator Hutchison and what we are doing in both chambers as we speak. The members concluded that whether our country is experiencing peace or war, bounty or struggle, there is a tremendous need for people of faith to lift the President up in prayer. This is not now, nor has it ever been, a political event. When we come to the prayer breakfast, we take our political hats off and come together to talk and pray about the principles of Jesus. One individual who embodies these principles and who generally graces our presence here at the prayer breakfast is Dr. Billy Graham. Unfortunately, because of his health considerations, Dr. Graham is unable to attend this year. However, by way of a letter, he sends his greetings. I would like to share a portion of his letter with you, because I believe it captures the spirit of the occasion. Dr. Graham writes, ``After so many years, the most difficult thing for me to do is to inform you that I will not be able to come to the prayer breakfast as I had planned. I hope you will give my greetings and the promise of prayer for this important gathering this morning. Our country is in need of a unity that only God can bring. We must as a people repent of our sins and turn to God in faith. He alone can heal our divisions, forgive our sins and bring the spiritual renewal the nation needs if we are to survive. I deeply regret that I cannot be with you today, but I will be in prayer that God will give the greatest spirit of spiritual renewal that we have ever had. Please assure the President and Mrs. Clinton, Vice President and Mrs. Gore, and the other leaders gathered at the breakfast, that they are in my constant prayers. God bless you all. Billy Graham.'' (Applause.) Mr. President, I would just add that our prayer is that while you are here with us, you will have a sense of peace and rest and will understand that as you leave here that there are people all over the world that are praying for you. Now, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson will share with you about the House and Senate prayer groups. Senator Hutchison. Thank you, Congressman Largent. And thank you for all the work you have done to make this a wonderful event. (Applause.) Mr. President and Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Vice President, we are so honored to have all of our guests today. It is gratifying to see such a large and distinguished crowd for this great Washington tradition. We come for our own reasons, some more inspired than others. For some, it is the prayer. Perhaps for some it is the breakfast. (Scattered laughter.) But as I look around this morning, in this city, I am reminded about the small-town Texas preacher who phoned the local newspaper editor on Monday to thank him for making a mistake in the paper. And the editor said, ``Well, why are you thanking me for the mistake?'' And the preacher said, ``Well, the topic I sent you was, `What Jesus Saw in the Publicans and Plutocrats.' What you printed was, `What Jesus Saw in Republicans and Democrats.' The curiosity brought me the greatest crowd of the year.'' (Laughter.) Obviously, we do not come here today as Republicans or Democrats, or even as Americans. We come as God's human creation, seeking guidance in our daily lives. I am pleased to report for the United States Senate and the House of Representative this morning. Each of us has a regular weekly meeting at breakfast, and our regulars rarely miss it. It is the priority time on our schedules. It is a time for fellowship and reflection, two commodities that are often in short supply in the course of our daily lives. It is also a time to renew old acquaintances. One of the regulars who grace the Senate meeting is former Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield. Every Wednesday morning he comes in and orders bacon and eggs and biscuits, and all of my younger colleagues are eating granola and fruit. (Laughter.) We tell him we love to see a guy that still eats like a guy. (Laughter.) We figure that the breakfast and the prayer is working for him, because he is 96 years old. (Applause.) We are blessed with occasional drop-ins. Both the Vice President and the President have dropped in on our prayer breakfasts, and we enjoy it very much. But mostly it is just us, our members and our former members, who are always welcome. We spend our sessions discussing different things. Sometimes it is the events of the day and what bearing they may have on our spiritual growth and renewal. At other times, we hear the testimony of a colleague or we help him or her respond to a personal crisis. There is only one informal rule: we never discuss Senate or House business. The Senate and the House are institutions, that, by their very nature and genius, are diverse. They represent varied sections and interests that define the great nation that is ours. They come together to find common ground. But in our prayer breakfast, we start on common ground and we grow together from there. We start from the acceptance that each of us is flawed, that we all need guidance, and that none of us alone has the answers. We grow from the relationship that bonds us. We gain the strength to fulfill our collective duty to develop and nurture one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. That is what all of us hope that this annual meeting does, to inspire us to do better in the next year for our respective nations. Thank you. Thank you, Steve. (Applause.) Representative Largent. Thank you, Senator. And now, for a reading from the Holy Scriptures, Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Dr. Schlessinger. First, I would just like to say I cannot tell you how touched and honored I am to be here doing this. You have no idea what it means to me. This is Deuteronomy 8. ``You shall faithfully observe all the instruction that I enjoin upon you today, that you may thrive and increase and be able to possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your fathers. Remember, the long way that the Lord your God has made you travel in the wilderness these past 40 years, that he might test you by hardship to learn what is in your hearts, whether you would keep his commandments or not. ``He subjected you to the hardship of hunger and then gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had ever known, in order to teach you that man does not live by bread alone, but that man may live on anything that the Lord decrees. The clothes upon you did not wear out, nor did your feet swell these 40 years. ``Bear in mind that the Lord your God disciplines you just as a man disciplines his son. Therefore, keep the commandments of the Lord your God. Walk in his ways and revere him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill, a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat food without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper. ``When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the Lord your God for the good land which he has given you. Take care, lest you forget the Lord your God and fail to keep his commandments, his rules and his laws, which I enjoin upon you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses to live in and your herds and flocks have multiplied and your silver and gold have increased and everything you own has prospered, beware lest your hearts grow haughty and you forget the Lord your God, who freed your from the land of Egypt, the house of bondage, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness with its serpents and scorpions, a parched land with no water on it, who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers had never known, in order to test you by hardship, only to benefit you in the end. ``You say to yourselves, `My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.' Remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the power to get wealth in fulfillment of the covenant that he made an oath with your fathers, as is still the case. If you do forget the Lord your God and follow other gods to serve them or bow down to them, I warn you this day that you shall certainly perish. Like the nations that the Lord will cause to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you did not heed the Lord your God.'' Shalom. (Applause.) Representative Largent. Thank you, Dr. Laura. Now Michael W. Smith. (Michael W. Smith sings ``Salvation Belongs to God.'') Representative Largent. Thank you, Michael. [[Page 30524]] As you are aware, Senator Glenn made history recently by returning to space 36 years after he became the first American to orbit the earth. During Senator Glenn's space flight last year, he kept in contact with the President via e-mail. At one point, the Presdient E-mailed Senator Glenn to let him know he had spoken to an 83-year-old woman from Queens and asked her what she thought of the mission. She replied that it seemed like a perfectly fine thing for a young man like Senator Glenn to do. (Laughter.) So please welcome the young Senator Glenn to the podium. (Applause.) Senator Glenn. Thank you. (Continued applause.) Thank you all very much. Thank you all very, very much. Steve, I thank you for that introduction very much also. Let me add a couple of Old Testament thoughts to what Dr. Laura just read for you a moment ago. These readings have been favorites of mine for long time, and I wanted to add those before I get over into a couple of quotes from the New Testament. I am sure you all are very familiar with that part in Ecclesiastes that starts out, ``To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.'' I won't take time to read all of it exactly, but you remember that. ``A time to be born and die, plant, pluck up that which is planted, a time to kill, heal, break down, build up, weep, laugh, mourn, dance, cast away stones, gather stones, embrace, time to refrain, time to get, time to lose, time to keep, cast away, rend and sow, silence, speak, love and hate, time of war, time of peace.'' That about covers the whole gamut of the human experience. There is not much we could add to that. That has always been one that I thought leads us to believe that there is a time for everything intended for us, than God wants us to live a full life. There is a time for everything. There is a time to live and a time to do--for all these things. There is another passage that I also like. This came to me and has been a favorite, because when I was training way back in World War II days, which does show my age, I guess, my mother sent a passage to me that I have always thought was very apropos, not only for that time and what I was looking forward to then, but also no matter what happens to us any time in life. And that is out of Psalms 139. ``Whither shall I go from thy spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou are there.'' And this part in particular: ``If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me.'' To me, that dwelling in the uttermost parts of the sea also means going into space, I can tell you that. Those two passages together I have always thought were about my favorite parts of the Scripture. Now to our New Testament reading, which I understand is also the favorite of some of the other people here this morning. Romans 8: ``Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? As it is written, `For thy sake, we are killed all day long. We are counted as sheep for slaughter.' Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'' The second passage is out of Philippians: ``Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me, do. And the God of peace shall be with you.'' Thank you. (Applause.) Representative Largent. Thank you, Senator Glenn. Please welcome to the podium, ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President of the United States, Albert Gore, Jr. (Applause.) Vice President Gore. Thank you, Steve. Thank you very much. Thank you, Congressman Largent; Mr. President, Mrs. Clinton; Mr. Speaker; distinguished guests. To all of those who have worked so hard to make this breakfast what it is, including a lot of men and women in the Overflow Room, who did more work than anybody else, I want to thank them. When I went over to speak with them during the breakfast briefly, by sheer coincidence, I read exactly the same passage from Romans that John just picked here. And to all of you, I want to thank you for joining us at this annual gathering, which reaffirms America as a pilgrim people and a nation of faith. Every one of us, I believe, has a task appointed for us by the Lord. We are reminded, ``Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.'' A teacher should teach with all his heart, a parent should care for her child as if all heaven were watching, a machinist should take the utmost pride in a job well done, because all of us are asked by God to devote our daily work to others and to his glory. All of us have a chance to be made great, not by our achievements measured in the world's eyes, but through our commitment to a path of righteousness and to one another. I also believe our nation has a task appointed for it by the Lord. As the Gospel says, ``Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven.'' Though our founders separated Church and State, they never forgot that this eternal spiritual light illuminated the principles of democracy, and especially the idea of the preciousness and equality of every human being. The truth that underlies the Constitution is that every human being, no matter how rich or how poor, how powerful or how frail, is made in God's holy image and must be treated accordingly. We have seen, especially in this century, how dangerous and destructive the world becomes when individuals, nations, and leaders forget this eternal truth. Without it, the door to evil is wrenched open, wreaking untold misery on the human race; demagoguery and cruelty, racial hatred and totalitarianism may enter unchecked. When we understand our real nature and responsibility as true sons and daughters of the living God, it does not mean we retreat from the world, even though all of us know how hard the world can be on our ideals. Rather, God asks us to more forward into human institutions and, instead of conforming ourselves to them, change them for the better, doing our best to listen to the small, still voice that should guide us. A little farther in that part of Romans, in a different translation, is a passage that has always meant a lot to me: ``Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Let love be genuine. Hate what is evil. Hold fast to what is good. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.'' An old folk tale says there are two ways to warm yourself when it is very cold. One is by putting on a luxurious coat; the other is by lighting a fire. The difference is that the fur coat warms only yourself, while the fire lights anyone who comes near. We have a comparable choice every day. Indeed, we are at a moment of great spiritual opportunity to choose right. The end of the millennium is drawing near, so let us carry no spiritual debts into a new time, but recommit to a future where we elevate mankind's faith and fill the world with justice. (Applause.) Representative Largent. Thank you, Mr. Vice President. I was joking with the Vice President earlier that the prayer breakfast is on Thursday, but his prayers were answered earlier in the week when Mr. Gephardt pulled out of the presidential primary. (Laughter.) It gives me great honor to introduce our speaker this morning, Mr. Max Lucado. Max is probably best known as a best-selling author, having 11 million books in print. Although I have read many of his books, the one that truly touched me the most has been one of his children's books called ``You Are Special.'' I have given this book to several friends and have read it aloud on various occasions, especially when I speak with young people. When I was asked to choose a speaker this morning, I immediately thought of Max, because I am convinced that someone who writes the way he writes knows a great deal about the unconditional love of God. So, Max, please come and share with us what is on your heart this morning. (Applause.) Mr. Lucado. Mr. President and Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Vice Presdient. I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful privilege that you have given me and my wife, Denalyn, to be with you this morning. Thank you, Congressman Largent, for those kind words. I never quite know how people respond to those of us who write. Not long ago I was speaking at a conference and a man came up to me afterwards and said, ``I've never had dinner with an author before.'' And I said, ``Well, you buy, I'll eat.'' (Laughter.) So off we went and had a delightful chat. Some days later I received a note from him in which he said, ``I thoroughly enjoyed our visit, but you were not as intelligent as I thought you would be.'' (Laughter.) You can't please everyone. I will do my best to keep my remarks brief. Not long ago I was speaking and a man got up in the middle of my presentation and began walking out. I stopped everything and I said, ``Sir, can you tell me where you're going?'' He said, ``I'm going to get a haircut.'' I said, ``Why didn't you get one before you came in?'' He said, ``I didn't need one before I came in.'' (Laughter.) I have asked several people associated with the breakfast why the invitation came my [[Page 30525]] way. The answer that really made most sense was the briefest one, and that is, ``We thought you might share a few words about Jesus,'' a request I am privileged to attempt to fulfill. The final paragraph on the invitation that we received defines the National Prayer Breakfast as ``a fellowship in the spirit of Jesus.'' How remarkable that such an event even exists. It speaks so No highly of you, or leaders, that you would convene such a gathering and clear times out of your very busy schedules to attend such a gathering, not under any religious or political auspices, but in the spirit of Jesus. Thank you for that during these dramatic hours you have made prayer a priority. This breakfast speaks highly of you, our guests. You weave a tapestry this morning of 160 different nations, traditions and cultures, representing a varity of backgrounds but united by a common desire to do what is right for your people. And you are welcome here. Each and every one of you are welcome. The breakfast is a testimony to you, our leaders, to you, our guests, but most of all, wouldn't you agree?, the breakfast is a testimony of Jesus of Nazareth. Regardless of our perception and understanding and opinion of him, how remarkable that 2,000 years after his birth, we are gathered to consider this life, a man of humble origins, a brother to the poor, a friend of sinners and the great reconciler of people. It is this last attribute of Jesus I thought we could consider for just a few moments, his ability to reconcile the divided, his ability to deal with contentious people. After all, don't we all deal with people and don't we all know how contentious they can be? How does that verse go? ``To live above with those we love, O, how that will be glory. But to live below with those we know, now, that's another story.'' (Laughter.) I found this out in college when I found a girl whom I really liked and I took her home to meet my mom, but my mom didn't like her, so I took her back. (Laughter.) I found another girl I really liked, and so I took her home to meet my mom, but mom didn't like her either. So I took her back. I found another girl, took her home. Mom didn't like her. I went through a dormitory full of girls--(laughter)--until finally I found one that I knew my mom would like because she looked just like my mom. She walked like my mom. She talked like my mom. So I took her home, and my dad could not stand her. (Laughter.) People are tough to deal with. But tucked away in the pages of the Bible is the story of Jesus guiding a contentious group through a crisis. If you will turn your attention to the inside of your program that you received, you will read the worlds written by a dear friend of Jesus, the apostle John. And he tells us this story: ``Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God. So he got up from the meal, he took off his outer clothing, he wrapped a towel around his waist. After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him `Lord, are you going to wash my feet?' And Jesus replied, `You do not realize what I am doing, but later you will understand.' :`No,' said Peter. `You shall never wash my feet.' And Jesus answered, `Unless I wash your feet, you have no part with me.' `Then, Lord,' Simon Peter replied, `not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well.' '' It is the final night of Jesus' life, the night before his death, and Jesus and his disciples have gathered for what will be their final meal together. You would think his followers would be sensitive to the demands of the hour, but they are not. They are divided. Another follower by the name of Luke in his gospel writes these words: ``The disciples began to argue about which of them was the most important.'' Can you imagine? The leader is about to be killed and the followers are posturing for power. This is a contentious group. Not only are they contentious, they are cowardly. Before the night is over, the soldiers will come and the followers will scatter, and those who sit with him at the table will abandon him in the garden. Can you imagine a more stressful evening--death threats on one side and contentious and quarrelsome followers on the other? I suppose some of you can. That may sound like a typical day at the office. But we know that the response of Jesus was not at all typical. But I wonder what our response would be. Perhaps we would preach a sermon on team work, maybe point a few fingers or pound a few tables. That is probably what we would do. But what does Jesus do? How does he guide a divided team through a crisis? He stands and he removes his coat and he wraps a servant's towel around his waist. He takes up the wash basin and he kneels before one of his disciples. Unlacing a sandal, he gently lifts the disciple's foot and places it in the wash basin, covers it with water and begins to clean it. One by one, Jesus works his way down the row, one grimy foot after another. He washes the feet of his followers. By the way, I looked for the verse in the Bible that says Jesus washed all of the disciples' feet except the feet of Judas, but I could not find it. The feet of Judas were washed as well. No one was excluded. You may be aware that the washing of feet was a task reserved not just for the servants but for the lowest of servants. Every group has its pecking order, and a group of household servants was no exception. And whoever was at the bottom of that pecking order was the one given the towel and the one given the basin. But in this case, the one with the towel and the one with the basin is the one whom many of us esteem as the creator and king of the universe. What a thought. Hands which shaped the stars, rubbing dirt; fingers which formed mountains, massaging toes. And the one before whom all nations will one day bow, kneeling before his friends, before his divided and disloyal band of friends. It is important to note that Jesus is not applauding their behavior. He is not applauding their actions. He simply chooses to love them and respect them, in spite of their actions. He literally and symbolically cups the grimiest part of their lives in his hands and cleanses it with forgiveness. Isn't this what this gesture means? To wash someone's feet is to touch the mistakes of their lives and cleanse them with kindness. Sometimes there is no other option. Sometimes everything that can be said has been said. Sometimes the most earnest defense is inadequate. There are some conflicts, whether in nations or in homes, which can only be resolved with a towel and a basin of water. ``But Max,'' you might be saying, ``I'm not the one to wash feet. I've done nothing wrong.'' Perhaps you have done nothing wrong. But neither did Jesus. You see, the genius of Jesus' example is that the burden of bridge-building falls on the strong one, not on the weak one. It is the one in the right who takes the initiative. And you know what happens? When the one in the right volunteers to wash the feet of the one in the wrong, both parties end up on their knees. For don't we always think we are right? We kneel to wash feet only to look up and see our adversary, who is kneeling to wash ours. What better posture from which to resolve our differences? By the way, this story offers a clear picture of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We have allowed the definition to get so confusing. Some think it has something to do with attending a certain church or embracing a particular political view. Really it is much simpler. A follower of Jesus is one who has placed his or her life where the disciples placed their feet--in the hands of Jesus. And just as he cleansed their feet with water, so he cleanses our mistakes with forgiveness. That is why followers of Jesus must be the very first to wash the feet of others. Jesus goes on to say, ``If I, your Lord and master, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I did this as an example so that you should do as I have done for you.'' I wonder what would happen if we accepted this challenge, if we followed Jesus's example. What if we all determined to resolve conflict by the washing of feet? If we did, here is what might occur. We would listen, really listen, when people speak. We would be kind to those who curse us and quick to forgive those who ask our forgiveness. We would be more concerned about being fair than being noticed. We would not lower our God-given standards, nor would we soften our hearts. We should keep our minds open, our hearts tender and our thoughts humble. And we would search for and find the goodness that God has placed within each person, and love it. Would our problems be solved overnight? No. Jesus's were not. Judas still sold out and the disciples still ran away. But in time--in fact, in short time--they all came back and they formed a nucleus of followers who changed the course of history. And no doubt they must have learned what I pray we learn this morning: that some problems can only be solved with a towel and a basin of water. Let's pray together. Our Father, you have taught us that the line between good and evil does not run down geographical or political boundaries but runs through each of our hearts. Please expand that part of us which is good and diminish that part of us which is evil. Let your great blessings be upon our President and his family, our Vice President and his family, and all of these leaders and dignitaries gathered. But we look to you as the ultimate creator, director and author of the universe. Lead us to someone today whose mistakes we might touch with kindness. By your power we pray. Amen. (Applause.) Representative Largent. Thank you, Max. At this time I want to make one other brief introduction, and that is the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, my friend from Illinois, Denny Hastert. (Applause.) I want to say it is my privilege and high honor to at this time introduce the President of the United States, Mr. William Jefferson Clinton. (Applause.) President Clinton. Thank you very much. Steve, distinguished head table guests, to the leaders from around the world who are here, the members of Congress, Mr. Speaker and others, ladies and gentlemen. I feel exactly the way I did the first time I ever gave a speech as a public official, to [[Page 30526]] the Pine Bluff Rotary Club Officers Installation Banquet in January of 1977. The dinner started at 6:30. There were 500 people there. All but three were introduced; they went home mad. (Laughter.) We had been there since 6:30. I was introduced at a quarter to 10. The guy that introduced me was so nervous he did not know what to do, and, so help me, the first words out of his mouth were, ``You know, we could stop here and have had a very nice evening.'' (Laughter.) He did not mean it the way it sounded, but I do mean it. We could stop here and have had a very wonderful breakfast. You were magnificent, Max. Thank you very much. (Applause.) I did want to assure you that one of the things that has been said here today repeatedly is absolutely true. Senator Hutchison was talking about how when we come here, we set party aside, and there is absolutely no politics in this. I can tell you that is absolutely so. I have had a terrific relationship with Steve Largent, and he has yet to vote with me the first time. (Laughter.) So I know there is no politics in this prayer breakfast. (Laughs.) We come here every year. Hillary and I were staying up kind of late last night talking about what we should say today and who would be here. I would like to ask you to think about what Max Lucado said in terms of the world we live in, for it is easier to talk about than to do, this idea of making peace with those who are different from us. We have certain signs of hope, of course. Last Good Friday in Northern Ireland, the Irish Protestants and the Irish Catholics set aside literally centuries of distrust and chose peace for their children. Last October, at the Wye Plantation in Maryland, Chairman Arafat, Abu Mazin and the Palestinian delegation, and Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli delegation went through literally sleepless nights to try to save the peace process in the Middle East and put it back on track. Throughout this year, we have worked with our allies to deepen the peace in Bosnia, and we are delighted to have the leader of the Republika Srpska here today. We are working today to avoid a new catastrophe in Kosovo, with some hopeful signs. We also have worked to guarantee religious freedom to those who disagree with all of us in this room, recognizing that so much of the trouble in the world is rooted in what we believe are the instructions we get from God to do things to people who are different from us. And we think the only answer is to promote religious freedom at home and around the world. I want to thank all of you who helped us to pass the Religious Freedom Act of 1998. I would like say a special word of appreciation to Dr. Robert Seiple, the former head of World Vision, who is here with us today. He is now America's Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. Later this month, I will appoint three members to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. The Congress has already nominated its members. We know that is a part of it. But, respectfully, I would suggest it is not enough. As we pray for peace, as we listen to what Max said, we say, well, of course it is God's will. But the truth is, throughout history, people have prayed to God to aid them in war. People have claimed repeatedly that it was God's will that they prevail in conflict. Christians have done it at least since the time of the crusades. Jews have done it since the times of the Old Testament. Muslims have done it from the time of the Essenes down to the present day. No faith is blameless in saying that they have taken up arms against other faiths, other races, because it was God's will that they do so. Nearly everybody would agree that from time to time, that happens over the long course of history. I do believe that, even though Adolf Hitler preached a perverted form of Christianity, God did not want him to prevail. But I also know that when we take up arms or words against one another, we must be very careful in invoking the name of our Lord. Abraham Lincoln once said that in the great Civil War neither side wanted war and both sides prayed to the same God; but one side would make war rather than stay in the union, and the other side would accept war rather than let it be rent asunder, so the war came. In other words, our great president understood that the Almighty has his own designs and all we can do is pray to know God's will. What does that have to do with us? Martin Luther King once said we had to be careful taking vengeance in the name of God, because the old law of ``an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind.'' And so today, in the spirit in which we have been truly ministered to today, I ask you to pray for peace in the Middle East, in Bosnia and Kosovo; in Northern Ireland, where there are new difficulties. I ask you to pray that the young leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea will find a way to avoid war. I ask you to pray for a resolution of the conflicts between India and Pakistan. I ask you to pray for the success of the peace process in Colombia, for the agreement made by the leaders of Ecuador and Peru, for the ongoing struggles to make the peace process work in Guatemala. I ask you to pray for peace. I ask you to pray for the peacemakers; for the Prime Minister of Albania; for the Prime Minister of Macedonia; who are here. Their region is deeply troubled. I ask you to pray for Chairman Arafat and the Palestinians; for the government of Israel; for Mrs. Leah Rabin and her children, who are here, for the awful price they have paid in the loss of Prime Minister Rabin for the cause of peace. I ask you to pray for King Hussein, a wonderful human being, the champion of peace who, I promise you today, is fighting for his life mostly so he can continue to fight for peace. Finally, I ask you to pray for all of us, including yourself; to pray that our purpose truly will reflect God's will; to pray that we can all be purged of the temptation to pretend that our willfulness is somehow equal to God's will; to remember that all the great peacemakers in the world in the end have to let go and walk away, like Christ, not from apparent but from genuine grievances. If Nelson Mandela can walk away from 28 years of oppression in a little prison cell, we can walk away from whatever is bothering us. If Leah Rabin and her family can continue their struggle for peace after the Prime Minister's assassination, then we can continue to believe in our better selves. I remember on September the 19th, 1993, when the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority gathered in Washington to sign the peace accord, the great question arose about whether, in front of a billion people on international television, for the very first time, Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister Rabin would shake hands. Now this may seem like a little thing to you. But Yitzhak Rabin and I were sitting in my office talking, and he said: ``You know, Mr. President, I have been fighting this man for 30 years. I have buried a lot of people. This is difficult.'' And I started to make an argument, and before I could say anything, he said, ``But you do not make peace with your friends.'' And so the handshake occurred that was seen around the world. A little while afterward, after some time passed, they came back to Washington. And they were going to sign these agreements about what the details were of handling over Gaza and parts of the West Bank. On this second signing, the two of them had to sign three copies of these huge maps, books of maps. There were 27 maps. There were literally thousands of markings on these maps, on each page: ``What would happen at every little cross road? Who would be in charge? Who would do this, who would do that, who would do the other thing?'' Right before the ceremony there was a hitch, and some jurisdictional issue was not resolved. Everybody was going around in a tizzy. I opened the door to the little back room, where the Vice President and I have lunch once a week. I said to these two people, who shook hands for the first time not so long ago: ``Why don't you guys go in this room and work this out? This is not a big deal.'' Thirty minutes later they came out. No one else was in there. They worked it out; they signed the copies three times, 27 pieces each, each page they were signing. And it was over. You do not make peace with your friends, but friendship can come, with time and trust and humility, when we do not pretend that our willfulness is an expression of God's will. I do not know how to put this into words. A friend of mine last week sent me a little story our of Mother Teresa's life. She was asked, ``When you pray, what do you say to God?'' And she said, ``I don't say anything; I listen.'' And then she was asked, ``Well, when you listen, what does God say to you?'' And she said, ``He doesn't say anything either; he listens.'' (Soft laughter.) In another way, Saint Paul said the same thing. ``We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us, with signs too deep for words.'' So I ask you to reflect on all we have seen and heard and felt today. I ask you to pray for peace, for the peacemakers, and for peace within each of our hearts--in silence. (Moment of silence.) Amen. (Applause.) Representative Largent. Thank you Mr. President, for your remarks. You have asked us to pray for the leaders of the world and for leadership in the world. And at this time, I would like to ask my friend, Representative Harold Ford, to come forward to pray for world leaders. Representative Ford. Thank you, Steve. We pray, God, that you will help us to understand what the book of Ephesians means when it says, ``We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers.'' We pray that we may heed the ancient summons, pray as if everything depended on God and act as if everything depended on you. Whether we worship in the shadow of the cross, under the Star of David or the crescent of Islam, it is in this spirit that we gather and in this spirit that we pray. We pray that God be above us to protect, beneath us to uphold, before us to guide and around us to comfort. We offer these prayers in the name of one God of all humanity. Let all of God's children say amen. (Applause.) Representative largent. Thank you, Harold. One of the real mysteries of the power of Jesus is that, Mr. President, as you said, I may not have voted with you in the four years that I have been in Congress, but I want you to know that I care for you and [[Page 30527]] love you. That is part of the mystery of Jesus and the celebration that we have here this morning as we come to pray for our leaders and for our world. At this time I would to ask Senator Lieberman to come forward and lead us in our benediction. (Applause.) Senator Lieberman. Thank you. Let us pray. I pray, Lord, that you will open my lips, that I may declare your praise. We love you, Lord, because we come before you with a perfect faith that you will hear our prayer. And we have that faith not because of our confidence in our righteousness but because of our trust in your mercy. Lord, thank you for waking us up this morning, restoring our souls to our bodies, bringing us to this place, but the destination we seek is a unified one, Lord, and it is you. You are the source of our lives, of our principles, of our purpose. We thank you for all that you have done for us. And as the President said so beautifully and compellingly and truthfully, for reasons that only impress us with our imperfection, so often our attempts to reach you have divided us. But today, the spirit in this room is yours; in the Hebrew, Shekinah, the spirit of God, is here and it brings us together in a characteristically American way, in a way that the founders of this country understood, and they expressed in the very first paragraph by which they declared their independence that they held certain truths to be self-evident and that the first of these was that the rights they were granting us came from you; they were not the work of philosophers or lawers or politicians, but were the endowment we received from you, our creator. Lord, we thank you for the leaders who are here, the speakers who are here who have shared their faith with us. We ask your prayers, especially on the leaders of our country, the President and Vice President and their devoted and gifted wives. We pray particularly today for the President of the United States. We thank you for the gifts you have given him of intellect, of judgment, of compassion, of communication, that have enabled him to be such a successful leader of our country and have raised up so many people in this country to a better life and have brought him to a point where people around the world depend on him, put their hopes in him. And Lord, may I say a special prayer at this time of difficulty for our President, that you hear his prayers, that you help him in the work he is doing with his family and his clergy, that you accept his atonement in the spirit in which David spoke to the prophet and said, ``I am distressed. Let me put my faith not in human hands but in the hands of God, who is full of abundant mercy.'' So, Lord, we pray that you will not only restore his soul and lead him in the paths of righteousness for your name's sake, but help us join with him to heal the breach, begin the reconciliation and restore our national soul so that we may go forward together to make this great country even greater and better. And I pray, Lord, too, for all the leaders from around the world who are here. And in the spirit that the President himself invoked, I want to reach out particularly to Chairman Arafat and Abu Mazin and Leah Rabin and her children, and to do so in the spirit of unity that fills this room, but also in the recollection and remembrance of the truth, that Abraham, with whom you entered the covenant that gave birth to at least three of the great religions that are here today, that Abraham loved his son Ishmael as he did his son Isaac. And we pray that you will bring that truth to Chairman Arafat and the leaders of Israel and you will guide them in the paths of peace so that their children and grandchildren may truly one day not just live in peace but sit together, as Dr. King evoked in all of us, at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood. So, Lord, as we leave this place, we pray that you will take us by the hand and lead us home, but let us not leave here the spirit of unity and purpose that has filled this room. Let us resolve, each of us in our own way, to work to honor your name, to bring us closer each day to the realization of the prophet's vision, ``when the valleys will be exalted and the hills and mountains made low, when the rough spots will be made straight and the glory of the Lord will fill the earth, and all flesh will see it and experience it.'' On that day, Lord, your name will truly be one and your children will be one. Amen. (Applause.) Representative Largent. Thank you, Senator Lieberman. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the 47th National Prayer Breakfast. Thank you all for being with us here this morning. Let's leave today and live out the principles Jesus taught about loving one another, loving our God with all our heart, soul and mind. Thank you, and have a good morning. ____________________