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Fighting For Faith, Family & Freedom
Friday, January 17, 2025
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Carol Bauer
As you know, my wife, Carol, prepares a monthly prayer alert. I hope you will share Carol's thoughts with your friends and fellow worshipers. Thank you for taking an interest in her monthly devotion. -- Gary
At this moment, Washington, D.C., stands astride a great divide. On the one side is the outgoing Biden administration which had been buttressed by a Democrat-led Senate. Like air going out of a helium balloon, the last few weeks have seen the last gasps of the Biden administration and the Senate is now Republican.
President Biden is leaving office with most Americans unhappy with his actions. He approved sentence commutations for nearly 4,000 convicted people and pardoned his son for any and all crimes he did or may have committed over more than 10 years. (I suspect the list of pardoned individuals is not yet complete.) He issued numerous executive orders or policy changes on immigration, energy, and student loan forgiveness in a final effort to tie the hands of the incoming Trump administration.
On the other side of this great divide stands President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vance. They are buttressed by a comfortable Senate majority and Vance’s vote as president of the Senate if needed to break a tie. The House of Representatives was, and is, controlled by Republicans, but by a very slim majority.
This week has seen confirmation hearings unfold for Trump’s cabinet nominees and it has been refreshing to watch them, to a person, arrive well-prepared, polite, and on the offense in hearings rooms not always places known for straight talk and crisp well-delivered answers. Several Democrat senators appeared to be flailing, sometimes humorously so, as they had to get used to being in the minority. It looked like a bitter pill to swallow.
Most interestingly, it feels like not only the American people but leaders across the world are well aware of what to expect in the once and future president. It seemed like the transition started 48 hours after the election, and has been underway at breakneck speed ever since.
This time, Donald Trump knows what to expect, who is loyal, how this town is run, and he is ready to make his mark. The whirlwind of appointments, hearings, press availabilities, social media posts, and the flurry of executive orders expected on Day One herald the new sheriff in town.
President Biden is gasping for attention in a series of long goodbyes while President Trump can’t wait to take the oath of office, participate in the pageantry of the inaugural parade and inaugural balls, and get to work early the next day to Make America Great Again!
Heavenly Father, we ask your blessing on our nation in the days, weeks, and months ahead. We ask for Your hand of protection on all the events of the upcoming inauguration weekend. Keep it a safe and orderly transition of power, protect those in law enforcement whose roles are seen and unseen, protect those traveling to Washington from all over the country to participate in the historic events. May it be a joyous celebration of the country we love.
Lord God, we ask You to be with the newly elected lawmakers who just days ago took their oaths of office. Prompt them to seek You as they fulfill their legislative responsibilities in representing the voters from their home state or district. Prod them to keep uppermost in their minds the good of our country.
Be with their families. Some have moved to the Washington area and are adjusting to new homes, new schools, and demanding family and political schedules. Other families have not moved here and are adjusting to an absent parent on weekdays and busy political schedules on weekends. Prompt each of those families to carve out uninterrupted time together.
Dear Lord, be with those men and women appointed by President Trump to implement the policy changes he voiced during the campaign. Give them the vision and the strength to go into the cabinet departments and agencies they oversee to streamline, cut waste, reorganize, and consolidate. Grant to them the ability to explain their actions to a hostile press and in words easily understood by voters.
Finally, pray for the protection of Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and their families. The last year has seen two attempts on the president’s life. Ask the Lord to keep our new leaders safe and healthy.
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It feels like the dawning of a new era in Washington. Competence and common sense are headed directly into a tired, hidebound, and self-serving bureaucracy. May the American people come out the winners.
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