Family Policy Foundation wants to wish you a Happy New Year!

As we once again turn the page leaving last year behind and looking into the new year, we anticipate changes on the cultural and political fronts not only in Washington, DC, but also in statehouses across the nation. Along with those changes comes a shift in the focus of our prayers and what we see emerging in the coming weeks and months.

Here are just a few of the things that we are praying about as 2023 gets underway.

Congress

Having just come through the 2022 elections, we now have a different political landscape that is sure to affect cultural and social issues across the board – we pray in a good way.

As new leadership will soon emerge in Congress, we are praying that the leaders chosen would be godly men and women who will seek to lead in ways that honor biblical truths in all aspects of their work. We know that the leadership in both Houses of Congress will be tested with difficult tasks and decisions. We pray that they would have wise counsel and reliable discernment that leads them to the right decisions regarding the business of our nation on issues like abortion, marriage and religious freedom, among others.

Statehouses

The same leadership decisions will be occurring in statehouses all across the nation as well. We pray that godly men and women would be selected in every instance. We anticipate progress on a number of vital issues in many states this year.

Abortion After Roe

It will be in statehouses where we see renewed efforts to protect life since Roe v. Wade was overturned last June. We pray for wise and well-formulated efforts in this regard. That men and women of faith would stand up and adopt smart, effective policies to continue to move us toward a nation where abortion is unthinkable. We also pray that those who would seek to expand abortion would fail and that the truth about the abortion industry would be exposed in these efforts wherever they occur. To find out more about the current status of abortion in your state visit AfterRoe.

Protecting Minors

We are also praying about efforts to protect minor children from dangerous, unapproved, untested, unaccountable and unwarranted gender transition procedures. Every year, more and more confused children are compelled into life-altering procedures that often leave them scarred, regretful and physically debilitated and mutilated.

Along with our allies in the state family policy councils, we are launching efforts in many states to prohibit procedures to mutilate healthy body parts of young children in the name of the transgender agenda. We pray also for laws or regulations to hold medical professionals accountable for the grave harms done to children.

Visit Help Not Harm to learn more about this issue.

We pray for progress on these and other issues that greatly impact our culture and that godly wisdom and biblical standards would be upheld across our nation and in our culture.

Prayerfully,

Robert Noland
Director of Audience Engagement

PS – to receive prayer updates like this one, please sign up for our Under God, One Nation prayer team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Friend,

As you know, we are very quickly approaching yet another national election. The problems and trials affecting our nation weigh heavy on our hearts and minds as we approach this important time of decision.

If you have been reading Family Policy Alliance’s email messages, you know that woke DC policies affect nearly every aspect of our lives and those of our children as well.

We at Family Policy Foundation invite you to join us in prayer as we enter the final stretch of the 2022 election. Many godly men and women are seeking office at all levels of government across the nation, and they need our prayers—as does our country.

While we all know politics is not the answer and no politician can fix what is really wrong in this world, we need to seek God’s favor in these important decisions that will impact our nation for years.

We also remember that we have the blessing to live in a nation where we can still cast ballots, share our beliefs and take action that seeks the good of the city and the welfare of the nation. Our freedoms are truly praiseworthy and not to be taken for granted.

Please join us in prayer for the following:

Thank you for praying with us. For more information and to receive prayer updates throughout the year please visit Under God, One Nation.

God bless,

Robert Noland
Director of Audience Engagement

Dear Friends,

I wanted to pass along to you a very timely and important opportunity to join in on a national prayer gathering related to the impending Supreme Court Decision in the Dobbs case. As you know the landmark decision, Roe v. Wade, which sought to legalize abortion in 1973 hangs in the balance and a decision could come any day.

The Dobbs decision will have many repercussions. We have updated our AfterRoe website with all the latest information. If you have read the news lately, you also know that intimidation and violence surrounding this eventual decision is ramping up across the nation.

It is for these reasons that this evening a number of national and state groups are engaging in a prayer assembly for the Dobbs decision and the effects it is now having (and others it will soon have) on our nation.

You are invited to join in-person if you are in Chattanooga, TN or you can participate from anywhere online at the link below.

Here are the details:

What – Virtual Prayer, Solemn Assembly
RE: Upcoming Dobbs Decision on Roe. Wade

Where – Chattanooga, Calvary Chapel
3415 Broad Street, Chattanooga

When – Thursday, June 9
6:30-8:00 PM Eastern Time / 5:30 – 7:00 Central Time
4:30 – 6:00 Mountain Time / 3:30 – 5:00 Pacific Time

Admission is free or join online HERE.
https://calvarychatt.online.church/

Even if you cannot join this gathering this evening (in person or online), we are with you in prayer for this and so many other issues affecting our nation.

God bless,

Robert Noland
Director of Audience Engagement

For years, Coach Kennedy would pray quietly on the 50-yard line following his games. Then, one day, the school fired him simply for praying by himself. 

Now, his case is headed to the Supreme Court, where our friends at First Liberty Institute will be defending his God-given right to pray.

This case isn’t just about Coach Kennedy, though. It’s about the right of Americans across the country – especially teachers and coaches – to be able to simply pray.

Want to show your support for Coach Kennedy and the right to pray? Here’s what you can do:

  1. Join us in a national day of prayer for Coach and his case.

Coach Kennedy was fired for praying on the 50-yard line. So, on Sunday April 24th, we’re calling on Americans around the country to gather on school 50-yard lines (or wherever you can) to pray for Coach, for his case, and for the freedom to pray in our country.

Invite your friends and family to join you! It’s easy with the information and free flyers at #Pray50, a joint project of Family Policy Alliance and Focus on the Family.

Plus, when you gather, be sure to share on social media by using #Pray50. Let’s show Coach Kennedy how many people are praying for him – and show the power of prayer!

  1. Meet Coach Kennedy!

Hear straight from Coach Kennedy and one of his lawyers at First Liberty. Learn how Coach got started praying after games (hint: he was inspired by a movie), how he got fired, what he’s learned in this process and why he’s standing up for the right to pray across the country. Plus, learn what this case could mean for you and what you can do to help protect religious freedom.

Prayer is a God-given right. No one should be fired simply for praying by themselves.

Will you join us in praying for Coach Kennedy and showing him our support?

Hope to see you soon!

Meridian Baldacci
Director of Strategy

 

P.S. Don’t forget to watch our livestream, then invite your friends to pray at a 50-yard line near you on Sunday, April 24th.

 

 

 

Please join Family Policy Alliance as we pray for families in Ukraine.

After months of posturing, we have now seen Russia invade its neighbor Ukraine.

This violent invasion is already affecting Ukrainian families who have been displaced or lost loved ones just in the hours since the attacks began. And it will continue to harm families in both Ukraine and Russia, as they bear the far-reaching consequences of Putin’s decision to invade.

Today, we join Christians around the globe in praying for these families, and we invite you to join us in that prayer.

Years ago, I had the privilege of being a part of a ministry trip to Ukraine. I left a part of my heart there, and I am still overwhelmed by God’s love for the people of Ukraine. They have endured some of the darkest periods in world history. They have suffered horrific oppression. And yet, they have overcome. They are deeply committed to defending their freedom and sovereignty – a commitment Americans know well.

Ukrainian believers are humble and devoted to Christ. A friend of mine who is currently a missionary there shared a few ways we can pray for Ukraine. I encourage you to use them and share with others:

Thank you for praying for the families of both Ukraine and Russia who are suffering in different ways because of the decisions of the Russian leaders. God loves the people of both nations and desires for them to know His love and freedom.

Standing with Ukraine,

Nicole Hudgens
Government Affairs

 

 

The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer
of the upright pleases him. Proverbs 15:8

 

Just over a year ago, we asked you to be in prayer for our nation. You signed up to join us in praying regularly for the nation, and we thank you for being with us in this effort.

It has been a little while since our last update. Even though it has been busy, we know you have been there right along with us faithfully praying for different issues affecting our nation day in and day out. While there are still plenty of challenges facing our nation, we have much to be thankful for!

Here is the latest update in our ongoing prayer initiative Under God, One Nation.

First, the good news! By God’s grace, numerous efforts to advance harmful and dangerous polices in Congress have failed over the past 12 months. Here are just a few of those things:

While it is good that these efforts have not succeeded, there has been a multitude of efforts by the Left to enact the same or similar initiatives through the Biden Administrative state. For example, the President has used executive orders to enact certain parts of the Equality Act for a number of functions in the government. He has also reestablished full funding for Planned Parenthood that was halted in a previous administration. These are deeply troubling developments for our nation which require continued prayer.

In what has been perhaps the most notable good news, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld one major abortion law in Texas, and the Court has also heard arguments in a recent case directly challenging Roe v. Wade – the first to do so in many years.

We  praise God for His great forbearance, the advancement of His truth and His attention to every single prayer for our nation!

At the same time,  as we are now in the 2nd year of the Biden administration, we want to renew our calls for prayer over all that faces our nation.

Here are some of the most prominent issues we see now and into the next few months of 2022:

Thank you for being part of our Under God, One Nation prayer initiative! We know that prayer for our nation and our lawmakers is foundational to the process of seeking His favor and blessing for our nation.

In prayer,

Robert Noland
Director of Audience Engagement

P.S. – You can always visit the Under God, One Nation webpage to see past updates. Please also share the page with family, friends and your Bible study or Sunday school class so they too can sign up for a prayer time and receive these updates.

 

Department of Defense Image*

Last week our great nation lost thirteen brave service members to a craven terrorist attack at the Kabul airport. Family Policy Alliance is calling for prayer not just for their families, but for the families of all service members who have fought and sacrificed during the war in Afghanistan. As an officer veteran of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), I have seen the toll this conflict has taken on the physical and behavioral health of our warfighters and their families. The blood of my friends and brothers in arms stains the Afghan earth, and the tears of their families continue to grace our own land. We must pray for the physical and emotional comfort, healing, and recovery for all our service members and their families these past two decades, particularly those who have tirelessly endured assisting in the recent chaotic evacuation.

This evacuation reveals much, but the Biden’s Administration’s disregard for families here and around the world is perhaps the most troubling. Because of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan that the Biden Administration deliberately enabled, families throughout Afghanistan will suffer at the hands of extreme Islam. Women and girls will be particularly oppressed, losing equality, freedom, opportunity, and security. We therefore also call for prayer on behalf of the nuclear family in Afghanistan: that families throughout the country will be protected, shielded, and allowed to flourish even under the pressure of a jihadist regime.

America has always been a beacon of hope for families; may we continue to be in our prayers and deeds in the wake of this calamity.

In prayer,Joseph Kohm
Joseph Kohm
Joseph Kohm III
Public Policy Director

 

 

* The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? – Isaiah 14:27

As we continue to roll along in 2021, a lot is happening across the nation. There are bright spots among a number of other rather dark developments. Through it all, one thing is sure: we know who is in control of all that happens, and nothing that happens is unknown by our Creator.

Here is the latest prayer update in our ongoing prayer initiative Under God, One Nation.

The Hyde Amendment

As we have shared before, the Hyde amendment is a long-standing policy that has been included in Congressional spending bills for decades to prevent taxpayer money from funding abortion (in most cases). President Biden and many on the left want to eliminate the Hyde Amendment so that government can begin to use taxpayer funds for abortions in any instance.

We are now in the season when Congress is working on annual spending bills and there is an all-out war to rip the Hyde Amendment out of those bills. It is likely that Nancy Pelosi’s House of Representatives will remove this essential pro-life provision in the coming weeks. Fortunately, if that does happen, Republicans and even a few Democrats in the Senate have pledged to oppose any spending bill that does not have Hyde’s protections. That is good news because as we have noted before, there is a requirement for 60 votes to advance legislation in the Senate. God willing, and as long as conservatives and a few key Democrat senators stand strong, these spending bills will fail to advance in the Senate.

We continue to pray for pro-life protections in all Congressional and federal government activity and we pray against the political forces advancing the culture of abortion. We pray for the strength and resolve of those who will stand in the gap to protect life.

Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation and The Equality Act

There has been a lot happening in this particular area over the past few weeks. Here is a quick rundown.

Equality Act –

The House passed the Equality Act in February. After a hearing or two, the bill has been sitting idle in the Senate for some time. While it was expected that the bill would receive action in June, that did not occur. We have heard that the outcry from voters against the bill as well as the multiple efforts to protect women’s and girls’ sports had a significant impact on stalling this bill in Congress. Much of that is thanks to your willingness to speak out! Moreover, to pass anything, the Senate would need 60 votes. It is unclear why the bill has not come up for a vote, but it could be that there are not yet 60 votes to pass it in the Senate at this time.

We continue to pray that those who oppose the Equality Act will stand strong and not cave to the intense pressure they are sure to feel in the coming months.

Title IX –

Since the Equality Act has not yet been approved, the Left has seized upon other means to accomplish their goals administratively—without having to go through the work of the legislative process.  For example, the Biden administration effectively gutted Title IX protections for girls and women in recent weeks. This came as a major hat-tip to the LGBT community during their effusive PRIDE Month. The Biden Administration’s action completely redefined the word “sex” in the law – which means male and female – to instead include “gender identity,” the idea that you can be whichever sex you feel like. That undermines the very purpose of the law, which was originally enacted in the 1970’s to give girls and women more access to educational opportunities, including athletics. Now, the Department of Education is ironically using the law to put girls at risk of losing athletic opportunities, while at the same time permitting members of the opposite sex to invade private spaces like locker rooms and bathrooms in schools.

“Birthing People”–

In another bizarre move, some on the far Left in Congress, attempting to remove basic ideas of sex from even motherhood, began referring to mothers as “birthing people”.

Other Bills –

While the Equality Act has not advanced, there are at least 100 other bills in Congress that include similar proposals. Some opportunists in Congress see the advantage of including pieces of the Equality Act in many different proposals – hoping that no one will notice. They hope that once a few of them are passed the rest will follow along.

We continue to pray that these efforts will fail, and that no girl will be harmed or endangered by these ill-conceived changes. We also pray that administrative efforts to enact radical LGBT mandates will fail after meeting intense opposition. Similarly, we pray that subversive efforts in Congress will be exposed in every instance and thwarted. Because administrative changes like these do not have the permanency of enacted law, we also pray that the next administration will have the determination to root out all of these changes.

Filibuster –

As we have shared before, the filibuster is a procedural rule in the US Senate that requires 60 votes to advance any particular legislation to a final vote.

Right now, we know that there are at least two Democrat Senators (maybe more) who are standing strong against changing this rule. With the 50-50 split in congress, those now opposed would have to agree to a change in the rule for it to occur. The importance of this point cannot be overstated – as long as the filibuster remains, the bar to pass radical legislation like the Equality Act is high enough to preclude a lot of bad things from happening.

We continue to pray that the filibuster will remain in place and that the Senators who are receiving pressure to change it will stand strong no matter what. We are also praying that any efforts to get around the filibuster or weaken it would fail.

Supreme Court –

In recent weeks, the Supreme Court has issued a few positive rulings – here are the three most important.

  1. The court ruled unanimously to preserve the religious freedom of Catholic Charities adoption services to only certify married man and woman couples for foster care or adoption, based on their faith.
  2. The Court also ruled that state laws requiring non-profits to release donor lists was unconstitutional. This is a win for people of faith who want to privately support important causes!
  3. Lastly, the Court has upheld the right of states to pass voter ID requirements and other important provisions that preserve the integrity and safety of elections.

These three rulings are particularly important because each one of them strikes a severe blow to certain pieces of legislation that many on the Left were seeking to rush through Congress this year. The recent attempt to federalize elections has been severely hampered by the 2nd and 3rd rulings noted above. (One vote on one of the election ‘reform’ bills failed in recent weeks.)

These three rulings are a relief, but they also raise the specter of those on the Left who wish to change the Supreme Court. For some, their goal is to expand the Court so that the Biden administration has an opportunity to add more left-leaning judges in order to restore what the Left calls ‘balance’ on the Court.

We are praying prayers of thanksgiving for these rulings and the direction that they represent from the Court. We are also praying against the forces that would manipulate the system in order to pack the court with ideological leftists. As noted above, we are praying that the filibuster holds as it is the stopgap preventing this proposal from advancing as well.

Save Girls Sports –

As a quick update, 8 states passed Save Girls’ Sports legislation this year—with possibly Texas joining in as the 9th. Those states chose to elevate the matter to state law and in so doing pushed back against the national movement to impose sexual orientation and gender identity policies. These states now have drawn a line in the sand and created an opportunity to challenge the Biden Administration’s concerning actions on Title IX (mentioned above).

We are thankful for the men and women who stood strong during their state legislative sessions to get these laws enacted. We especially pray for Texas to show its strength in joining as the ninth state to protect their daughters’ sports and hope more states will take the necessary steps to enact these laws in 2022.

Prayers for LGBT Individuals –

Finally, as noted above, June has been deemed by many as LGBT PRIDE month. While many see it as a month of promoting a lifestyle and exploiting corporate and national sympathies to advance an agenda, we see it as an opportunity to pray for those trapped in LGBT lifestyles. At the beginning of June, Meridian Baldacci, our Policy and Communications Strategist, launched a new video series called Ask Meridian. Her first video was a heartfelt message about how to address these issues with LGBT individuals and perhaps more importantly, how we can be praying for those individuals. It was an excellent video, especially helpful to those of us who know LGBT individuals but are unsure whether we should approach the issue with them and if so, how to do it. You can read more and watch the video HERE.

We appreciate you partnering with us in prayer. Please share this list with your church, your small group, your pastor, and your Sunday School class in the coming days. Please encourage them to join you in signing up for a prayer time so that we can continue to lift the nation and these issues in the coming weeks and months.

Prayerfully,

Robert Noland
Communications Manger

 

June is Pride Month, a time when many who identify as LGBT will spend this month celebrating that identity. As Christians, we are saddened by the celebrations of this month, because not only do we know that Pride Month is a celebration of sin, but we also know that we will never be free until we find our identity, salvation, and hope in Jesus Christ.

Yet, that very realization makes Pride Month an incredible opportunity for prayer and for the Gospel to go forth.

So today, at the beginning of June, I want to share two things with you: an answer to your questions on this topic, and a prayer for our LGBT neighbors.

Answering Your Questions

First off, an exciting announcement: we are pleased to announce that we’re launching a new video series! Ask Meridian is an opportunity for you to send us your questions – and get answers! Last month, we kicked off this initiative by asking you to send us the family policy questions you’ve always wanted someone to answer. Among the many submissions were questions asking how you could express your views on sexuality in a loving way.

We know this can be a challenging conversation to approach.

So, today, we are pleased to release to you the first video in the series: How to Love Your LGBT Neighbor. In this video, I share when and how to talk about our views on sexuality with friends and family who identify as LGBT. We hope you find this helpful!

Click here to watch:

Have a question for a future Ask Meridian episode? Send us an email at mail@familypolicyalliance.com!

A Prayer for Our LGBT Neighbors

This month, will you join me in this prayer?

Lord, in this month our hearts are heavy for those who identify as LGBT. Your Word is clear about both sin and salvation – and our own consciences testify to this truth – yet so many live with the hope that they will find their “true self” or even their worldly salvation in a broken identity.

So this month, we lift up this challenging issue before you.

For those within the walls of the church who may claim the identity of LGBT, we pray for the work of your Holy Spirit and of the Church to call those in sin to repentance.

For those Christians who continue to struggle in this area, and yet who choose faithfulness to your Word, we pray for great faith and encouragement.

For those who are uncertain about their fearfully and wonderfully made bodies, we pray for peace and confidence that you did not make a mistake – that they were not born in the wrong body.

For children who are hearing messages that make them question their own sexuality, we pray for protection over their minds and hearts.

For all those who identify as LGBT, or who are struggling with their sexual identity in another way, we pray that they would find the joy and freedom that only comes from following you as Lord. We pray that their hearts would be opened to see sin for what it is – and to see the joy of your salvation as greater.

For those in ministry to our LGBT neighbors, we pray for the strength to speak the truth in love – and more than anything, to make your Gospel known in the words they say and in the way they live.

For those of us with LGBT friends and family, we pray for great love and great discernment.

For each of us, we pray the hard prayer for conviction of our own sin and for freedom in repentance. We pray that our first priority – in our own hearts and in our conversations – would always be the magnification of Christ. We pray that our identities would not be rooted first in our work, our sexuality, or even our families, but that we could say as Paul that for us, to live is Christ. May our identity, our security, our salvation be ever fixed to you – and may that be first in our hearts and in our words.

Lord, this month we pray that as we speak the truth, the manner in which we speak it would be such that we are known by our love.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

I hope you’ll join me in that prayer this month, and that the Lord will give you wisdom if you have opportunities to speak into the lives of LGBT neighbors.

Sincerely,

Meridian Baldacci
Policy and Communications Strategist

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
1 Timothy 2:1-3

On this National Day of Prayer, New Jerseyeans from across the theological spectrum and political aisle will dedicate a time of prayer. Democrats and Republicans will bow their heads – and some will even humble their hearts – to pray for the common good.

As we reflect and earnestly pray today for those in authority, let us remember what the Apostle Paul said was the end result of those specific prayers – a peaceful and quiet life. Is that even attainable in our current climate?

Our nation is inflamed with intentional polarization thereby making civility a rare commodity. Big tech profits from political antagonism, creating the preferred echo chamber that keeps people unchallenged in their ideology. Some politicians desperately, and at times, hypocritically, engage in un-statesman like public rhetoric to increase small donors and heighten their national profile. Big media cloaks reality in their conceived narrative to persuade the consumer and control their actions, rather than simply informing and educating them on the facts.

Those in authority have been given a unique platform by which to lead. Despite the best of intentions or the worst of objectives – their decisions, conduct, and priorities can make life challenging. In other words, whether you agree or disagree with their policies and positions on certain issues, you are urged to pray for them, because the failure to do so will impact your family. And above all, we pray because it pleases God.

Let me reassure you that we pray weekly for Governor Murphy and the state legislators in both political parties. I want to encourage you to do the same. Please do not forget that in the middle of policy disagreements, grassroots mobilization, and election activity, we have no enemies, only opportunities.

Hopefully, you can join other believers on this National Day of Prayer. We are also praying for you and all our ministry partners. If you ever have any prayer requests, please email newjersey@familypolicyalliance.com so we can lift you up before the Lord!

Protecting your family,

Shawn Hyland
Executive Director