[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 7102]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, offered the following prayer:
  O God of love, give us a fresh experience of Your love today. Help us 
to think about how much You love each of us with unqualified acceptance 
and forgiveness. May the tone and tenor of our words to the people in 
our lives be an expression of Your love. You have called us to love as 
You have loved us. May we know when to express not only tough love but 
also when to be tender in withholding judgment or condemnation. Help us 
to love those we find it difficult to bear and those who find it a 
challenge to bear with us. All around us are people with highly 
polished exteriors that hide their real need for esteem, affirmation, 
and encouragement from us. Show us practical ways to express love in 
creative ways. May we lift burdens rather than become one; may we add 
to people's strength rather than becoming a source of stress. Place on 
our agendas the particular people to whom You have called us to 
communicate Your love. And give us that resolve of which great days are 
made: If no one else does, Lord, I will! Place in our minds loving 
thoughts and feelings for the people in our lives. Show us caring 
things we can do to enact what's in our hearts. Direct specific acts of 
caring You have motivated in our hearts. Don't let us forget, Lord. 
Give us the will to act, to say what we feel. Through Him who is Your 
amazing Grace. Amen.

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