[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12533]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 PRAYER

  Reverend Bradford Braley, First Presbyterian Church, Cedar Falls, 
Iowa, offered the following prayer:
  Great and gracious God, we gather today from north and south and east 
and west as representatives chosen to lead Your people. As we approach 
the 234th anniversary of the birth of this great Nation, we ask You to 
rekindle the spirit of independence which values and respects each 
person's freedom.
  Reignite the spirit of unity that overcame sharp differences of 
opinion to form these United States. Renew a spirit of interdependence 
which seeks the common good of all above personal preferences.
  Inspire a sense of awe and wonder at the bountiful resources of this 
land, and in light of the environmental tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico, 
may we humbly dedicate ourselves to preserving and protecting those 
resources. Guide these leaders in their work today, and in the days to 
come, that our Nation's example of democracy and compassion may be a 
beacon of hope to all the world. Amen.

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