[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14422]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 14422]]

            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES--Wednesday, July 9, 2008


  The House met at 10 a.m.
  Rev. John Crosby, Christ Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 
offered the following prayer:
  God of the heavens and Earth, thank You for the opportunity to gather 
in this place this morning, in freedom of body, mind and spirit. Just 
as we have celebrated the birth of our freedom, we ask that You help us 
offer that same freedom to others.
  You have said that if any of us lacks wisdom, we should ask and You 
will be generous, and so we ask, not only to discern the right but for 
the will to act on what we discern.
  I ask that You give grace to those who lead us, whether they are 
security guards or Senators, cafeteria workers downstairs or the 
Representatives on the floor. Whether it is the ladies who clean the 
toilets at night or the staff who work so hard behind the scenes, I 
pray that they might be becoming men and women of humility and courage, 
principle and generosity, even in the middle of trials. We keep before 
us the welfare mom who looks for any kind of help, the teacher who 
can't afford $4 for gas, the banker who has to figure out how not to 
foreclose on a friend, the farmer who looks out at his fields and 
wonders where help will come from. We pray that this will be a place of 
that help.
  I thank You for those who have served here faithfully on the field of 
battle, in the fires of the forests, or in these Halls; and in a 
special way, I ask You to give special peace to those who have served 
and now return home, as our brother Jim Ramstad. May he return with the 
thanks and blessing of a grateful people, and may he hear Your voice 
saying to him and so many others, ``Well done; well done, good and 
faithful servant.''
  For all who gather here this day, we ask Your wisdom and Your 
blessing. Amen.

                          ____________________