[Senate Document 108-4]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Tributes Delivered in Congress
to
Chaplain Lloyd John Ogilvie
To Commemorate His Service in the
United States Senate
TRIBUTES TO CHAPLAIN LLOYD JOHN OGILVIE
TRIBUTES TO CHAPLAIN LLOYD JOHN OGILVIE
?
Chaplain Lloyd John Ogilvie
?
Tributes Delivered in Congress
to
Chaplain Lloyd John Ogilvie
To Commemorate His Service in the
United States Senate
One Hundred Eighth Congress
First Session
?
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
7
Allard, Wayne, of Colorado.....................
15
Bennett, Robert F., of Utah....................
12, 16
Chambliss, Saxby, of Georgia...................
24
Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi..................
11
Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
23
Daschle, Thomas A., of South Dakota............
4
Dole, Elizabeth, of North Carolina.............
27
Domenici, Pete V., of New Mexico...............
22
Ensign, John, of Nevada........................
23
Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
16
Frist, Bill, of Tennessee
...............................................
......
3, 6, 15, 16
Hagel, Chuck, of Nebraska......................
26
Hollings, Ernest F., of South Carolina.........
11
Kyl, Jon, of Arizona...........................
27
Lott, Trent, of Mississippi....................
5, 29
McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
7, 11
Mikulski, Barbara A., of Maryland..............
13
Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
13
Nickles, Don, of Oklahoma......................
21
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
15
Santorum, Rick, of Pennsylvania................
25
Sessions, Jeff, of Alabama.....................
21
Selected Prayers......................................
31
BIOGRAPHY
Lloyd John Ogilvie, was born in Kenosha, WI, on
September 2, 1930. He was educated in the public schools
of Kenosha and received a B.A. from Lake Forest College.
He received his Master of Theology at Garrett Theological
Seminary and conducted postgraduate studies at New
College, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
His pastorates include Gurnee Community Church, Gurnee,
IL; Winnetka Presbyterian Church, Winnetka, IL (1956-62);
First Presbyterian Church, Bethlehem, PA (1962-72); First
Presbyterian Church, Hollywood, CA (1972-95); and Chaplain
of the U.S. Senate (1995-2003). Before coming to the
Senate he had a nationally syndicated weekly television
show, ``Let God Love You,'' which was on the air for 17
years. He also had a daily radio program for 10 years.
Dr. Ogilvie is the 61st Chaplain to serve the U.S.
Senate. His Senate flock included not only Senators and
their spouses, but every employee of the Senate. He gave
the opening prayer on days the Senate was in session. He
also conducted Bible study discussion groups each day of
the week for the Senators, their families, and their
staffs.
Dr. Ogilvie emphasized nurturing others through personal
relationships. He was determined to keep the Office of
Chaplain nonpolitical, nonsectarian, and nonpartisan. He
felt his role as Chaplain was to act as an intercessor for
the Senators, serving as a trusted prayer partner and a
faithful counselor. In his opening prayers, he was
committed to praying to God, not preaching to the
Senators. He emphasized encouragement, not persuasion.
Chaplain Ogilvie led the Senate through many significant
events including the impeachment of President Clinton; the
attacks on 9/11; the anthrax attack in the Senate; and the
contested Presidential election in 2000.
Chaplain Ogilvie was awarded the Distinguished Service
Citation, Lake Forest College; Preacher of the Year Award
and Angel Award (Religion in Media); Silver Angel Award,
1982, 1986; Gold Medallion Book Award, 1985; and the
William Booth Award, 1992.
Chaplain Ogilvie is also the author of 49 books.
?
Tributes Delivered in Congress
to
Chaplain Lloyd John Ogilvie
To Commemorate His Service in the
United States Senate
Proceedings in the Senate
Thursday, March 13, 2003
IN GRATITUDE TO CHAPLAIN LLOYD JOHN OGILVIE
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, while reflecting on Dr.
Ogilvie's tenure as Senate Chaplain, I came across a
letter of his dated March 31, 1995. He was just 3 weeks on
the job. You could already see his devotion not only to
his official duties as Senate Chaplain, but his unofficial
duties as the spiritual leader of the entire Senate
family.
In that letter, he writes about the importance of
interceding ``personally'' for Senators--for praying for
Members, for our families, and for our staff. He says that
he is just as close as a phone call and provides not only
his work phone number, but his home phone number, as well.
He asks that we keep him up-to-date about the needs of
others in the Senate family. And he talks about building a
``caring network of people who support each other.''
This is a man who knew early on the Senate needs more
than one prayer at the start of each day. We needed a lot
of support from him, from God, and from each other. And
that is exactly the kind of spiritual climate Lloyd
Ogilvie fostered for 8 years as Senate Chaplain.
He conducted Bible studies--which Karyn and I and many
in this Chamber regularly attended. He hosted weekly
prayer breakfasts and small faith groups. He researched
theological questions and advised us on the great moral
issues of our times. And when he took time to offer his
own private thoughts to God, he always forwarded our
petitions with his.
He even filled in at the last minute when my office
needed a third baseman on our Senate softball team. Now
that is going above and beyond the call of duty.
Dr. Ogilvie consoled us during our darkest hours--
September 11, the October anthrax attacks, the loss of two
Capitol Police officers and three Senate colleagues come
to mind. But he was also there for us every day to help us
cope with the stress of our jobs, to help us overcome
struggles in our personal lives, and, most of all, to help
us keep things in perspective by reminding us we serve the
United States in our offices, but we serve God in our
lives.
So I simply want to say thank you to Dr. Ogilvie for his
many prayers on our behalf, for the many hours he
dedicated to his position, and for being there--as the
spiritual leader of the Senate family--every day in the
Chamber and every day in our lives.
And, last, I want to thank him for being such a
wonderful and supportive friend. I wish him the best in
California with Mary Jane. And though Karyn and I will
miss them both dearly, we are certain we will hear from
them because they will always be family. And there is
nothing more precious to the Ogilvies--as they have
demonstrated time and again--than family.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sununu). The minority leader.
Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, in a few moments the Senate
will offer a resolution which honors a member of our
Senate family who, as the majority leader noted, will be
leaving us soon. Lloyd Ogilvie has the appreciation of
every one of the Members of this body. I join in
expressing my heartfelt appreciation to him and his family
as they begin the next chapter in their lives.
A Senate Chaplain was once asked: You pray for the
Senate? He replied, ``No, I look at those Senators as I
stand on the dais and I pray for the country.''
For the last 8 years, Lloyd Ogilvie has done a lot of
praying--for our Nation, for the Members of this Senate,
and for our families, for our staffs, and all the people
who work in this building, and for those who come to visit
the Senate from all over the world. He has prayed for us
and with us. For many of us, he has been a source of
guidance and support. We are grateful to him for his
wisdom, for his friendship, and for his service to this
Senate and our Nation.
The Senate has been through many challenges these last 8
years, as the majority leader has noted. During those
challenges, many of us have found hope and direction in
Dr. Ogilvie's words. He comforted us and led us through
the deaths of three of our colleagues, our friends John
Chafee, Paul Coverdell, and Paul Wellstone. He consoled us
when two fine, brave members of the Capitol Police,
officers J.J. Chestnut and Detective John Gibson, were
murdered guarding this building. He helped us find courage
and faith after our Nation was attacked on September 11,
and again after the anthrax attack that closed the Hart
Building. He has helped many of us grapple with the
profound moral and spiritual questions that underscore all
questions of public policy.
One lesson Dr. Ogilvie has always stressed is the
importance of keeping our priorities straight. In his
words: ``Put God first, then family, then Nation, then
career, and things will turn out as they are meant to.''
Now Dr. Ogilvie is living that lesson. He is putting his
family ahead of his career and returning to California to
be with and care for another treasured member of our
Senate family, his wife Mary Jane. As much as we will miss
him, we respect his decision greatly.
Everyone who knows Lloyd Ogilvie knows he has a special
place in his heart for St. Andrew. That seems fitting for
two reasons. The first and most obvious reason is that St.
Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, and we all know
how proud Dr. Ogilvie is of his family's roots in that
beautiful country. The other reason is St. Andrew never
got the attention he deserved. In the Bible it was
Andrew's brother, Peter, who got the headlines, even
though it was Andrew who first recognized that Jesus was
an extraordinary teacher. It was Andrew who told Peter to
pay attention to Jesus' words.
Here in the Senate, it is Senators who get most of the
headlines. But for many of us for the last 8 years it is
Lloyd Ogilvie who has been there to remind us of the
important lessons.
Our thanks and our prayers will go to Lloyd Ogilvie as
he returns to California. We wish him and Mary Jane, their
children, Andrew, Scott and Heather, and their
grandchildren, much happiness in the days, months, and
years ahead.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I know a vote was scheduled and
many wish to speak, but I ask unanimous consent the vote
may be delayed so I may speak at this time. I feel
compelled to ask for that time so I may speak about our
friend, Lloyd Ogilvie.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. LOTT. The first time I heard Lloyd Ogilvie speak, it
was in a prayer, and I remember looking up because I
thought I had just heard what God's voice must sound like.
What a magnificent voice he has. What a magnificent prayer
he always prayed. But as Benjamin Franklin said: ``Well
done is better than well said.''
Despite the magnificent messages he has delivered on
this floor, his prayers, and our private counsel sessions
with him, what he has done has been even more valuable;
the way he has come to us all in times of great
celebration and times of stress and times of despair. In
the good times and the bad times he has been there for me
and for many of us--all of us, at one time or another.
Despite all the good things he said, what he has done will
be what will stay with us the longest.
Each morning I get up, the first thing I read is ``One
Quiet Moment,'' a passage from the Bible, and a brief
prayer that Lloyd Ogilvie prepared for all of us. It
begins my days in the right way. Many nights, just before
I go to sleep, I pray for Lloyd and Mary Jane, I pray for
their safety, and for their future.
He has been a magnificent influence on this body and on
me personally.
This morning I looked up the definition of ``chaplain,''
and it is not enough to describe what he did. He wasn't
just a person who was a counselor to this institution and
our whole family. I looked up ``pastor''--maybe that was
the right word. That wasn't sufficient either because he
was more than just a pastor to a flock in a narrow area.
No, he has been a spiritual counselor in the broadest
sense. The Bible says, in Proverbs: ``Where there is no
vision the people perish.''
That, of course, refers to the way we really should
think about the vision. I think it is true for a country,
a country that seeks democracy and freedom and liberty.
But it also is true in the broader sense. Lloyd has given
us a vision of what life is really about. Thank you, Lloyd
John Ogilvie. Well done--ay.
COMMENDING THE SERVICE OF DR. LLOYD J. OGILVIE, THE
CHAPLAIN OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
Mr. FRIST. I send a resolution to the desk and I ask for
its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the
resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (Res. 83) commending the service of Dr.
Lloyd J. Ogilvie, the Chaplain of the U.S. Senate.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to
consider the resolution.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we had the opportunity
this morning to hear the last prayer of our Senate
Chaplain, Lloyd Ogilvie, a man who has touched each of our
lives in a different and very special way. All of us in
here have reached an age where if we took a few moments
and tried to list the people outside of our immediate
families who really had an impact on us, it would probably
be a pretty short list, if we were candid with ourselves.
I have been doing a bit of that the last couple of days,
thinking about Lloyd, his contribution here, and the fact
he is now going home to take up the challenge of providing
care for his wonderful wife Mary Jane.
I have decided my list would be very short, indeed,
outside of my immediate family. On that list would,
indeed, be Lloyd Ogilvie, who has had a powerful impact on
my life. I will never, ever forget him.
We all love him and we care for him. Even though we will
not see him as much in the coming years, I hope each of us
for whom he has made such a difference will make an extra
effort to stay in touch with our dear friend in the coming
years.
So, Lloyd Ogilvie, thanks for all you did for all of us.
Good luck in the future. Thanks for making a difference.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I join the distinguished
Senator from Kentucky in saying a word about the Chaplain,
Lloyd Ogilvie.
I am a new Senator, as is the presiding officer, and
there have been a great many wonderful things about coming
to the Senate. But nothing has surpassed the privilege of
getting to know Lloyd Ogilvie in these first couple of
months. I have watched him and listened, and I have
learned from him. I have been comforted by him. I am
deeply grateful for that.
This month in Billy Graham's publication, Decision,
Lloyd Ogilvie's picture is on the front, and there is an
interview with him about his 8 years in the Senate. It is
a clue about why he has been such an inspiration to so
many Senators. The questioner notes: ``A current Senator
remarked that your prayers often `make reference to
specific turmoil' in the Senate.''
The questioner goes on: ``I understand that sometimes
following your opening prayer you sit through the Senate
sessions.''
And Lloyd's answer was: ``The task of any spiritual
leader is to listen. You can't minister to individuals or
to a group unless you know what is going on. That is the
reason that I have to be there.''
Lloyd Ogilvie has been a counselor. He is a minister. He
is a listener--maybe a listener above all. I have found in
my conversations with him that I suspect he knows more
about the Senate than any other individual because he
knows the hearts of the Senators.
So I rise to thank him, to wish him the very best with
his wife Mary Jane, and to let him know that one more
Senator has been touched by his presence here in a very
short period of time.
I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record
the interview with Dr. Ogilvie that appears in the March
2003 edition of Decision, the Billy Graham publication.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
After serving eight years as U.S. Senate Chaplain, Lloyd
John Ogilvie is retiring this month. He has provided
spiritual guidance to senators, to Senate staff and to
families during some of the most tumultuous events in the
history of the United States. Decision recently spoke with
Ogilvie about his Senate experiences and about where God
is leading him now.
Q: Describe a typical day in the life of Lloyd John
Ogilvie.
A: I usually get up around 6 a.m. and walk for my
exercise.
As I walk around the Capitol, I pray for 20 senators
each day. I cover all 100 senators in a week. Often God
puts on my mind and heart people who have needs or
concerns. Then, during the day, I often have an
opportunity to talk with those people.
After walking, I have my own personal Bible study, and
then I walk to work. I live on the Hill--it's 10 minutes
from my breakfast table to the floor of the Senate. I give
the opening prayer for the Senate. I write the prayers in
segments, perhaps a month ahead of time, and as crises
change in the nation or in the world or in the life of the
Senate, I can change the prayers so that they are current
and relevant.
The opening prayer is an extremely important part of my
day, because it is on the Senate floor that I speak a word
about God that is crucial to American history and to our
future. That word is Sovereign. As I studied the prayers
of those who founded this nation, a word they frequently
used for God is Sovereign, because they came to this
country seeking a land where God could be the Sovereign of
the land.
So very often in my prayers, I use the world Sovereign
in describing God's nature and His lordship over this
nation. Then I pray for God's power and direction and
specifically for the needs that I know might be coming up
that day.
I usually spend the rest of the morning in preparation
for my Bible studies. I have five Bible studies during the
week: for the senators, for senators' spouses, for the
chiefs of staff of the senators' offices, and two studies
for the Senate staff. It makes for a busy schedule, but I
feel that my task is to lower the plumb line of God's
justice and righteousness and mercy on the issues that we
are facing in the nation. And I can do that by teaching
the Bible.
Q: How do you make the Gospel relevant to the issues
that our Nation and world face?
A: I believe that the Holy Spirit, who inspired the
writing of the Scripture, is present in the room as I
teach the Scripture. That's awesome, when you stop and
think of it. It forces you to study and pray and get
ready, because there is a Word from the Lord, and He will
speak through the Scriptures if we are faithful to
communicate them.
Q: What is one message that we need to hear today?
A: We need to know that God is the Sovereign of this
nation. We have a responsibility to trust Him, to seek His
will and to live in accordance with His righteousness and
justice.
As you trace U.S. history, it is fascinating to see how
our founders were very clear about wanting God to guide
them. In the First Continental Congress, Samuel Adams
stood up and said, ``I believe we need to pray,'' and they
went down and got the pastor of Christ Church Philadelphia
to come to Carpenters' Hall to pray. Then, when there were
deadlocks in the Constitutional Convention, crucial people
stood up and said, ``We cannot make it without God's
power.''
Q: You have led the Senate spiritually during some
extremely trying times, including the impeachment hearings
and the Sept. 11 tragedy. What were those times like?
A: I can't imagine that in eight years we've been
through all of this. I think of the impeachment, for
example, when it was so important to reaffirm God's
sovereignty and His grace. As I was standing outside the
Chamber, the senators and leaders would go by and say,
``What are you going to pray today?'' Then Chief Justice
William Rehnquist would say, ``What have you got to say to
God today?'' Then at the end of the prayer, he would give
an ``Amen'' with gusto. But it was a painful time. I'm so
thankful that when the Senate leaders got together prior
to the impeachment, they opened their meeting with prayer.
Trent Lott was majority leader at that time, and he
constantly called them back to trust God.
Then, of course, the aftermath of Sept. 11 was a time of
helping people to realize that God has not caused that
tragedy. He did not send that on America in judgment. But
it did bring us to a place of asking what He had to say
through all of this.
We had the long process of healing and taking care of
people who were traumatized by that event. We had many
different services during that period. I remember one in
particular, when the senators went over to the National
Cathedral to take part in a time of prayer following 911.
I had the feeling that I should stay here at the Capitol;
the staff needed someone to take care of them. So I asked
for a large room that seated 300 people, and I made a
simple announcement that we would have a prayer time. When
I arrived, people were standing in the room, squeezed in
shoulder to shoulder. Instead of 300 people, there were
600 in the room and out in the hall. By the end, 1,000
people had come.
Q: A current senator remarked that your prayers often
``Make reference to specific turmoil'' in the Senate.
A: I feel that this is part of my responsibility as
chaplain. Answers to unasked questions are foolish, but
Biblical answers to the real questions people are asking
are powerful. It is our task to listen, to be sensitive to
where people are and then to respond to what's going on
inside of them and around them.
When the senators are under a great deal of pressure and
stress, I'll pray about that and talk about the pressure
cooker of politics. When they are at odds with each other,
I can ask God to bring understanding and peace for the
good of the American people and for His glory, and to help
us depend on Him to bring understanding, to break
deadlocks.
Q: I understand that sometimes following your opening
prayer you sit through the Senate sessions.
A: The task of any spiritual leader is to listen. You
can't minister to individuals or to a group unless you
know what is going on. That is the reason that I have to
be there. When I sense there is great tension or
frustration, I go down on the floor, slip into the chair
where I sit, and pray for those who are in conflict.
Afterwards, I often go to them individually, talk with
them about what's happened and see if I can bring them
together.
I am pleased when I see greatness emerge in the senators
and they reach beyond their parties and their own
particular persuasions to have deep communication with
each other. I see that in our Bible studies on Thursdays,
when members of both parties study the Scriptures together
and try to come to grips with what God might be saying.
Q: Our culture is heavily saturated with the message of
separation of church and state, but you have often said
that there is no separation of God and state. What do you
mean?
A: There is no statement in the literature of U.S.
history that is more misunderstood than this phrase,
``separation of Church and State.'' It was included in a
letter by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists in
Danbury, Conn. He was trying to protect the church from
government and was establishing the fact that he was a
different kind of leader than the sovereigns of Europe.
The phrase, however, stuck and has been used to diminish
the role of God in American life and in politics.
I believe that there is no separation between God and
State. We need God in the affairs of government, and those
who are involved in leadership desperately need Him and
His guidance and direction. If we take God out of the
affairs of government, we are left to our human devices
without the empowerment that comes through a relationship
with God.
I was very gratified when the Senate dealt with the
recent question raised about the phrase ``one nation under
God.'' All of the Senators were in their seats, and we
gave the Pledge of Allegiance together. No one was missing
in affirmation of the fact that they all really believe in
this historic declaration that we are a ``nation under
God.''
Q: How can we pray for the Senators and their families?
A: Pray that they will know God, that they will trust
God, that they will depend on supernatural power rather
than on human talents, that they will pray for and receive
the gift of courage, and that they will speak with
boldness and dare to give the leadership that's necessary.
Q: What has led you to retire as Senate Chaplin on March
15?
A: My wife, Mary Jane, contracted a bad case of
bacterial pneumonia last April, and it lodged in some scar
tissue in her lungs from a previous cancer operation. They
had such a hard time getting that dislodged that in the
process they had to put her on a respirator. That was
eight months ago, and she has been in three different
hospitals since then struggling to get off the respirator,
to get back to breathing on her own and to get back to
health.
I'm so thankful for the way she has trusted God in this
dark, dark valley of suffering. I realized that it would
be much better for her to be near our family in
California. She is in a respiratory hospital there that
specializes in just the kind of illness she has. I thought
I would go back and forth as frequently as I could and
stay as long as I could, but I realized this was not
adequate. For eight years, I have asked the senators to
put God first, family second, the Senate third and
ambition fourth.
It was time for me to live any message. So I told the
officers of the Senate that I needed to be with my wife.
Just as soon as she's strong enough, I'll be available to
preach and to teach and to speak, here and around the
world.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, if I may before the
Senator from Tennessee leaves, he may not have been in the
Senate very long--a couple of months--but the Senator from
Tennessee has picked up the essence of Lloyd Ogilvie and
why he is so widely admired, respected, and loved around
here.
I thank the Senator from Tennessee for his contribution.
Mr. ALEXANDER. I thank the Senator.
Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, the retirement of our Senate
Chaplain, Lloyd Ogilvie, leaves me with a profound sense
of loss. He has been a personal friend to me, as well as a
wise counselor and adviser. I know I will miss him
greatly. He has served the Senate with great distinction.
His daily prayers were works of art and poetry, delivered
in his deep rich voice, with conviction and a seriousness
of purpose.
He has warmed our hearts with his genuine concern for
our spiritual well-being and reached out to touch the
souls of staff members and Senate employees, as well, who
sought his advice and his message of hope and reassurance.
We have all been richly blessed by the presence and the
ministry of Lloyd Ogilvie. Our thoughts and sincerest best
wishes and our love go with him.
Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I have been in the Senate
more than 36 years and there is no question that Dr. Lloyd
John Ogilvie has been the best Senate Chaplain I've ever
seen, by far. On this his last day, I join my colleagues
in thanking him for the spiritual care he has provided to
all of us and our families, and especially for his daily
prayers as we tackle the monumental responsibilities
before us.
My wife Peatsy and I pray for the health of his loving
wife Mary Jane. And we are confident that as the Chaplain
leaves Washington and returns to California good things
await him. For in Psalm 92 it is written that the
righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree and that in
maturity they shall bring forth fruit and be full of
vitality and richness. There is no more worthy son of the
Creator to flourish in retirement than Dr. Ogilvie.
Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to
pay tribute to Lloyd Ogilvie, our Chaplain. I have told
him of the deep affection that I and my wife Joyce have
for him and Mary Jane. I wish I could reach as deeply into
the writings of Robert Burns as he is able to and come up
with exactly the right epigram.
I will point out that he and I share the common
experience of living in Scotland as young men. He, there
while he was studying for the ministry, and I, there while
I was serving as a missionary for my church. In that
experience, each of us gained deep respect for the
Scottish people and Scottish traditions.
That is why you find me today sporting the tartan of my
family, the Wallace tartan. My father served in this body
as Wallace Bennett, coming from a long line of Wallaces,
including one William Wallace. Whether it was the William
Wallace who morphed as Mel Gibson onto the silver screen
or not, I am not sure.
Lloyd Ogilvie has made his mark here in a tremendous
way, and he deserves all of the wonderful things everyone
has said about him. I simply quote a hymn that we sing
often in our church. I don't think it is unique to our
church, but we sing at this time when young men go out in
the circumstance I have just described--go off to a
foreign land or to a foreign part of the world to preach
the gospel. We sing to them:
God be with you till we meet again;
When life's perils thick confound you;
Put His arms unfailing round you;
God be with you till we meet again.
This is what I say to Mary Jane and Lloyd Ogilvie, from
all of us. God be with you till we meet again.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to speak of
the contributions and service to the Nation, the U.S.
Senate, to my family and myself made by Dr. Lloyd J.
Ogilvie as Chaplain of the U.S. Senate. I joined the U.S.
Senate just over 3 months ago and I am repeatedly
impressed and reminded about the history and tradition of
this body. The Office of the Chaplain has served the
Senate each day with prayer strongly reaffirming this
institution's commitment to faith in God and our
recognition of God being the ultimate Sovereign over this
Nation. The daily guidance and reminder of our Maker helps
us all keep perspective on our duties and activities as we
debate and make decisions of weighty issues confronting
our country.
The Chaplain of the Senate has been an integral part of
the U.S. Senate since 1789 when the first Senate elected
the first Chaplain. The daily prayers of the Chaplains
have been published over the years. In times of great
turmoil and in times of the mundane the Chaplain reminds
us of our obligation to keep the moral compass pointed in
the right direction. This body has been brought together
in times of conflict with the help of the Chaplain. Dr.
Ogilvie has served us well since 1995 as the 61st
Chaplain.
Just last week the U.S. Senate passed a resolution
reaffirming that the term ``under God'' was an essential
part of the pledge of allegiance. I am confident that Dr.
Ogilvie could have contributed to our insight and debate.
There is no dispute that this body and this Nation remain
under the graceful guidance of God. We have been helped to
understand this grace by the spiritual guidance of Dr.
Ogilvie.
I have known of Chaplain Ogilvie for longer than my
service in the U.S. Senate. My parents, Senator Frank
Murkowski and Nancy Murkowski, share a warm and special
relationship with Dr. Ogilvie and his wife Mary. Through
them I learned about Dr. Ogilvie and his compassion and
commitment to his faith. They join me in sending their
prayers, best wishes and expressions of warmth to him upon
his retirement.
Dr. Ogilvie will be missed by all his flock and all who
know him in his role as Chaplain in the U.S. Senate. He
has served this institution in the tradition of this body
with honor and excellence.
Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President. Eight years ago today, Dr.
Lloyd Ogilvie became our Senate Chaplain. Today, as he
leaves the Senate, I wish to thank Dr. Ogilvie for his
spiritual guidance and friendship.
Dr. Ogilvie is a great scholar and preacher. Yet he has
been so much more to our Senate family. I am particularly
grateful for the hospitality Dr. Ogilvie has shown to all
religions. He hosted Jewish seders. He invited Cardinals
to the Senate. He made sure that religious leaders of all
faiths have led the Senate in prayer.
I also appreciate the creative and energetic way he
reached out to the entire Senate family. He has led Bible
study groups and prayer meetings for Senators and staff.
He has provided individual counseling for anyone who has
asked for it.
Since September 11, our Nation and our Senate have faced
great stress and uncertainty. On September 11, during the
anthrax attacks, and now as our Nation prepares for a
possible war, Dr. Ogilvie has helped the Senate family to
become stronger through faith and prayer.
I also wish to thank Reverend Ogilvie's wife, Mary Jane,
who has been such an important partner to him and such a
dear friend to all of us in the Senate. I wish the
Ogilvies well as they move to California to begin a new
chapter in their lives. They will always be in my thoughts
and prayers.
Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be
agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to
reconsider be laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 83) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, submitted by Mr.
Frist and Mr. Daschle reads as follows:
S. Res. 83
Whereas Dr. Lloyd J. Ogilvie became the 61st Senate
Chaplain on March 13, 1995, and has faithfully served the
Senate for 8 years as Senate Chaplain;
Whereas Dr. Ogilvie is the author of 49 books, including
``Facing the Future without Fear''; and
Whereas Dr. Ogilvie graduated from Lake Forest College,
Garrett Theological Seminary of Northwestern University
and New College, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and
has served as a Presbyterian minister throughout his
professional life, including being the senior pastor at
First Presbyterian Church, Hollywood, California: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) the Senate hereby honors Dr. Lloyd J. Ogilvie for
his dedicated service as the Chaplain of the United States
Senate; and
(2) the Secretary transmit an enrolled copy of this
resolution to Dr. Ogilvie.
LLOYD J. OGILVIE
Mr. REID. Madam President, while the two leaders are in
the Chamber, it is my understanding that the leaders are
going to provide an opportunity for people who wish to
give statements regarding Pastor Ogilvie--that the
chairman of the Appropriations Committee is going to put
that in booklet form. So is it fair to announce to
everyone that they need not come now to give speeches
regarding Pastor Ogilvie, that they will have an
opportunity to give a speech later or insert something in
the Record so Dr. Ogilvie will have all of these in one
book?
Mr. FRIST. Madam President, that is correct. There has
been an outpouring of feeling for our Chaplain on this
very special day, 8 years after he first gave a prayer in
this Chamber. With that outpouring of respect, people will
be given the opportunity to provide their written
statements. Of course, they are welcome to come and make
statements, but we are encouraging people to make their
written statements part of a permanent book that we will
be giving him. We will have morning business and people
can come to the Chamber. There will be other morning
business conducted as well, but most of the tributes will
be going into written form, and we encourage people to do
just that.
Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, since 1995 Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie
has provided exceptional spiritual leadership to the
Senate family. Serving as Chaplain for 8 years, Dr.
Ogilvie daily guided and counseled Members and staff with
encouragement, support, and wisdom.
I will miss Dr. Ogilvie. Lloyd Ogilvie has led the
Senate family and Nation through difficult situations,
including the shooting deaths of Capitol Hill police
officers J.J. Chestnut and Detective John Gibson; the
impeachment of our President; the deaths of three Senate
Members, Paul Wellstone, John Chafee, and Paul Coverdell;
the tragic terrorist attack on September 11; the attack of
anthrax on the Senate; and the current possibility of war.
His leadership and counsel have stayed Senate Members,
spouses, and staff. I thank Dr. Ogilvie for his daily
prayers. He offered us spiritual leadership through his
weekly Bible study for Senators, and always made himself
available--at any time of the day--as a source of prayer
and counsel. Chaplain Ogilvie also hosted a weekly Bible
study for Senate spouses.
Chaplain Ogilvie also made himself available to staff.
He welcomed staff to his office, responded to electronic
mail from staff, and taught an inspirational study every
Friday for Senate staff. Dr. Ogilvie also made an effort
to stimulate a relationship with the Washington community.
He made information available to staff about opportunities
to serve Washington-based charities, and he made the
Senate aware of Senate and community groups to help Senate
staff strengthen their lives morally and spiritually. Dr.
Ogilvie also offered himself to minister and speak to the
local Washington community.
While serving in the Senate, I have been encouraged and
blessed by Chaplain Ogilvie and I am pleased the Senate
chose him as our Chaplain. His friendship and counsel have
served the Senate well and Washington will miss his
presence.
My wife Joan and I give you and Mary Jane our warmest
thoughts and our prayers as you return home to California.
We will continue to pray for you and your family. We thank
you for your service and ministry to us and wish you and
your family God's best.
PRINTING OF TRIBUTES TO DR. LLOYD OGILVIE
Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
the tributes to Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, the retiring Senate
Chaplain, be printed as a Senate document, with the
understanding that Members have until 12 noon, Friday,
March 21, to submit these tributes.
Monday, March 17, 2003
LLOYD J. OGILVIE
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, ever since I first arrived in
the Senate, I have always looked forward to starting each
new day with a prayer. Whether that prayer came from one
of his excellent books, like One Quiet Moment, or on the
Senate floor, we have all received a great deal of
inspiration and encouragement from our Chaplain, Dr.
Ogilvie. Each day, as we prayed together on the floor or
in our offices, Dr. Ogilvie has helped us to focus on the
tasks of the day and the importance of working together as
one family to solve the problems we face as a nation. His
words have also reminded us of the beliefs of our Founding
Fathers and their inherent trust in God for all things.
Looking back over the years he has served in the Senate,
Dr. Ogilvie has helped us through a long list of trials,
tribulations and difficulties. In particular, he prayed
with us each morning as we began to recover from the pain
of the attacks of September 11. As the Chaplain of all the
Senate, he took the pain and isolation that some of us
felt from those days, and through prayer and
understanding, he brought us together as one, the Senate
family, and taught us how to console each other and how to
help each family member through the pain of that day.
Now, after all he has done for us, Dr. Ogilvie will be
leaving to help his own special family and his wife, Mary
Jane. Their story is remarkable, and someday it may be
written, about teamwork, love and happiness. Now she needs
his time, his caring and his attention and so he will be
working with her, just as she has worked with him as part
of his team for all of the years of their marriage, to
bring her back to health.
As he prepares to return to California to be with his
wife, a lot of us have taken a few moments to think about
the difference he has made in our lives, in our staff's
lives, and in the everyday routines of the Senate.
I have always believed that there was no better gauge of
how well you did your job than to measure your results
against what you said you wanted to do on your first day
in the office. For Dr. Ogilvie, that meant pursuing a role
as ``intercessor, trusted prayer partner and faithful
counselor to members of the Senate family as they seek to
know God and discover His will in the monumental
responsibilities entrusted to them.''
I don't think there is any doubt that he has fulfilled
his own charge to the letter. He has been a counselor,
comforter and a source of strength for us all, no matter
our status or rank in the Senate or in each office because
those things don't matter to the other members of a family
when someone is in need.
One of my favorite moments from the New Testament has to
do with the story of the apostles who were in a boat with
Jesus Christ when a terrible storm came up all around
them. As Christ slept peacefully, the apostles were in the
throes of a terrible panic about their situation and what
was to become of them. As Christ was awakened and sensed
their fear, He stretched out His arms and quelled the seas
and the winds and everything around them became peaceful
and calm once again.
Our lives are often like that. We see the storm clouds
and the very real rough winds and seas that seem like they
will batter and demolish the little boat of our life. The
thought can often leave us feeling very afraid of what is
to become of us. In those moments, Dr. Ogilvie was a
constant reminder that the strength of God was never far
off, and we were never far from Him. All we needed to do
was to imitate Christ, stretch out our arms to God and
listen for the peace and calm that is always within us.
That is God's gift to the troubled and confused and it
always lies within us, in the depths of our hearts and
souls. Another of God's gifts was surely Dr. Ogilvie, who
has a wonderful talent of helping us to find that small,
still place in ourselves where we can find the peace,
strength and comfort of God for those times when life
seems unfair and our boat feels adrift and lost in the
turbulent seas of the world.
After coming to know Dr. Ogilvie over the years, and
seeing him in prayer with my staff and so many others, I
have no doubt that a book about our Chaplain and the many
ways he has made a difference in our lives would be a very
important one. Every office, and every staff has at least
a handful of stories about Dr. Ogilvie and the difference
he made in their day or their lives just by being
available and joining in prayer--or by being there to
listen. To those who are fortunate enough to know him, he
has been more than a chaplain to us--he has been a trusted
friend who could always be relied on for a good word of
advice or to help with an idea or suggest a different
approach to a problem.
We all know that all prayers are answered, it is just a
difficult thing when the answer we pray for isn't the one
we receive. Through the years, Dr. Ogilvie helped so many
of our staff members through the storms of their own lives
and he did so with great humility, kindness and a
gentleness of spirit.
As I thought about the problems faced by my staff, I
remembered the mother of one of my staff members who has a
problem with pain. When he found out about it, Dr. Ogilvie
called her and personally expressed his support for her
and his intention to keep her in his prayers. It meant a
lot to his mother and to my staff member to know just how
much he could count on and rely on the Chaplain for help.
Another member of my staff had just received the
devastating news that both of her parents were ill and
facing a crisis in their health. Again, Dr. Ogilvie
offered his prayers, his support and his spiritual
strength for the battle. When a miracle came to pass and
both parents recovered, he was there to express the joy
and happiness that he found in another's victory. As the
old adage says so well, each person's joy was his own.
Another staff member's wife was battling cancer. Dr.
Ogilvie was there again to support and encourage as he
prayed with them and helped them to face and battle the
illness together.
Those are just a few examples of a long list that I
could put together of the times when Dr. Ogilvie joined us
in prayer, silently and in the background, helping to
strengthen the ties between us and the Lord--because, as
he said in his mission statement--it was more than his
job, it was his charge from God.
For my own office, we will never forget all that Dr.
Ogilvie shared with us when one of our staffers, a young
man named Ben, faced the ultimate crisis of his life.
Ben was a remarkable young man, someone you took a
liking to as soon as you met him. He had a remarkable
spirit that comes from being young and being convinced you
can do pretty much anything you want to. I don't think
I've ever seen anyone at so young an age that was so full
of promise and potential--mixed in with a lot of
personality and spirit. We all knew when we met Ben that
he was one colt that would be impossible to break--but
sometimes the spirited ones make the whole herd run
better. Such was the case with Ben.
He had come to us in the middle of a battle with cancer
and every day we could sense his joy at the gift he was
given of another day, another moment of life. Every day he
seemed to be getting better and stronger until one
terrible day when he seemed to lose a lot of ground and
strength--all of a sudden. That was the day it started to
seem clear that he might lose his battle with cancer.
Each day, as Ben battled for his life, we battled to be
heard as we prayed in earnest for his recovery. Although
each passing day seemed to put that elusive goal further
from us, we joined together with Dr. Ogilvie in our
prayers for a miracle. Sadly, we didn't get what we prayed
for. I still remember the day we got the news we had come
to dread but expect. Ben had passed away.
Once again, Dr. Ogilvie was with us, to comfort those of
us who had lost a good friend, a hardworking colleague,
and an all-around nice guy who had made a difference in
all our lives. As we remembered our past years together
many of us wondered why God had taken his future from him
and from us at such a young and tender age.
Together with Dr. Ogilvie we prayed for answers to these
and to all the questions that haunt those who have lost a
loved one.
Those answers will come from God at His own speed and at
His own time. For then, and for now, it was enough to have
our good friend, Dr. Ogilvie, lead us in prayer and
provide the words that resonated in our hearts. He helped
us find the strength and courage to support each other as
we continued to reach out to his family when they mourned
the loss of a special son.
Dr. Ogilvie never said this in his prayers or lectures,
but it was so clear from the way he lives his life that he
knows it's not about him--it's about his service and it's
about our God. He is God's servant and he continues to
serve Him with great strength and an abundance of good
cheer and good will. In many ways he's like a beacon of
light that helps to light the way we must walk to draw
closer to God and His holy heaven.
One of the greatest preachers of our time was Billy
Graham. When asked what made for a good preacher he said,
``The test of a preacher is that his congregation goes
away saying, not, `What a lovely sermon!' but `I will do
something.' ''
If that is the test, Dr. Ogilvie is one of the best. In
fact, I don't think there is a single one of us who met
with Dr. Ogilvie to discuss a problem who didn't leave
feeling absolutely certain that he or she knew what to do
and when to do it.
That was one of Dr. Ogilvie's great gifts. He could
listen and provide strength and support while he helped us
all to find the answer that was right for us--from the
silence and peace that lies within our hearts.
God bless you, Dr. Ogilvie, for you certainly were a
blessing to each of us while you were here.
I have always believed that God puts us where He needs
us, where He wants us to be found. I have no doubt that He
is doing that with you right now. Wherever you go from now
on, and whatever path He chooses to have you follow, I
have no doubt you will continue to do a good job and
represent well He who has sent you. As it teaches us in
the Bible, ``you have been faithful over a few things, I
will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy
of your Lord.''
God bless you, Dr. Ogilvie, and may you continue to find
the joy of your Lord wherever you go and in everyone you
meet.
Friday, March 21, 2003
TRIBUTES TO DR. LLOYD JOHN OGILVIE
Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I would like to take this
opportunity to express my gratitude to Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie,
who served as our Chaplain in the Senate since 1995.
Dr. Ogilvie has been an outstanding Chaplain to the
Senate. He is a person I think all of us have grown to
know and love and appreciate. He has been our mentor, our
companion, our friend, our brother, and our Chaplain.
He has provided great leadership and great prayers. He
has prayed for us many times, and not just in his official
capacity as Chaplain of the Senate. He has prayed for us
individually as Members. He has prayed for our families.
He has been with us through a lot of difficult times,
challenging times, exciting times.
We want him and his family to know they are very much in
our thoughts and prayers. His wife Mary Jane is a lovely
lady. And she has experienced some very challenging
physical tribulations of late. We want both Dr. Ogilvie
and his wife Mary Jane to know they are in our thoughts
and our prayers.
We certainly miss him as our Chaplain. He has been kind
enough to not only meet with us in the morning and lead us
in prayer, but he has met with many of us on a weekly
basis--Members of the Senate and also our staffs, and also
other people who work in the Senate.
He has been a great mentor and friend. We are certainly
going to miss him as our Chaplain of the Senate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I, too, would like to share
a few comments about our Chaplain, Lloyd Ogilvie. I had
the honor to get to know him after I came here. We live
near one another. We see each other on a regular basis. My
wife and Mary Jane are friends, as we are with Lloyd
Ogilvie.
He is an extraordinary individual, one of the most
educated people I have had the honor to know. He has
written over 40 books. His book One Quiet Moment, a
devotional, I believe, is the finest devotional book I
have ever seen. Reading those devotions, and thinking
about them, is so current in time today while also so
consistent with the great traditions of faith that it is
really remarkable.
It is a special work he created there.
During his entire ministry, he was successful, whether
in Hollywood, CA, or in Illinois or here as Chaplain. Our
prayers are with Mary Jane, his wife. She is suffering
substantially now. We worry about her. We care about her.
Our prayers are with her. She has such a fighting spirit.
She is a champion of life and of the good things of life.
She speaks her mind and she has great values. They are a
tremendous team.
I, too, join with others in expressing my appreciation
for what he means to me, my appreciation for what he does
for others in the Senate, including our staff members for
whom he has ministered and for whom he has represented an
outstanding example of the richest kind of Christian
faith.
We have been blessed by having him here. We certainly
will miss him. I will miss him.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I wish to comment a moment
on our Chaplain who is leaving us.
I vividly recall when our previous Chaplain indicated he
was not going to serve us any longer. Many of us thought
it would be impossible to replace him. I was in a small
group--I don't remember if it was three or five Senators--
who were given the job of going out and looking in America
for another Chaplain. Senator Stevens was a member, I
recall. So was Senator Mark Hatfield. I don't recall the
others.
There were a lot of people. I was not so sure that Lloyd
Ogilvie, based on the things he had done in his life was
the one for the job--he was a great preacher; he had large
assemblies of Christians he spoke to in the California
area. I did not believe, as one, that he would necessarily
fit in, but I said, ``Let's try him.''
He preaches with a beautiful voice; he sounds almost
like you would expect God to sound. He came, and he has
been absolutely marvelous. Everybody here has learned to
grow in faith and confidence having him around.
It is too bad he has to leave, but he is a very loyal
man in terms of his marriage and his wife. I think her
illness takes him to join her. I hope she gets well,
although she has been very critical and he sees fit to be
present there with her.
So we all say goodbye and good luck. Whomever he serves
and whomever he shares his views with as to where we came
from, where we are going to go when we finish here on
Earth, and our value system, I am sure they will all
benefit, just as we have.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, let me add my voice in
commendation of Lloyd Ogilvie. He has been superb as the
religious leader of this body.
Several years ago, my chief of staff died suddenly and
unexpectedly. I called Dr. Ogilvie on very short notice
and asked him to come and lead my staff in prayer and
remembrance. I will never forget the extraordinary job,
the extraordinary sensitivity that Dr. Ogilvie brought to
that task. I will never forget the way he made my staff
feel better in a very acute time of loss.
Dr. Ogilvie has been a remarkable friend to us all; he
has done a superb job of leading us in prayer, and been a
counselor to so many in the Senate family. We are going to
miss him very much, and certainly miss the presence of
Mary Jane as well.
I thank the Chair.
Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from
Oklahoma for talking about our Chaplain. Lloyd Ogilvie was
very influential in the very short time I knew him these
last 2 years. A lot of people around the country don't
know him, but he provided a very valuable service to the
country by being the spiritual foundation not for just
Senators but for the entire Senate family.
Because Lloyd Ogilvie had a television ministry, I was
very skeptical about who this Senate Chaplain was when I
first came here a little over 2 years ago. He leads Bible
studies. He leads prayer groups. He leads times to get
together for people. Regardless of faith, whether somebody
was Muslim, Jewish or a follower of Jesus, Lloyd John
Ogilvie was there for us in the truest sense of the word.
He knew what was going on in individual people's lives.
If somebody was suffering, he knew about it because people
trusted him enough to bring him into their confidence. As
we have seen over the last couple years, he was there when
the Senate was suffering as a family. He would come and
comfort us, and he would lead us from a spiritual sense. I
have come to greatly admire this man.
One of his sayings was quoted in an article I read that
helped inspire me to run for Congress back in 1994. The
saying was, ``You may only be able to make a small
difference, but that does not relieve you of the
responsibility to make that small difference.''
People say you can't change the world, so why try. That
quote by Lloyd John Ogilvie tells us of the responsibility
we have. Whatever small difference you can make, that is
what you are called to make.
This man, who I believe at the end of his days will come
before the Father in heaven, the Father in heaven will put
his hand on his head and he will say to Lloyd John
Ogilvie: Well done, good and faithful servant.
Each of us in the Senate family look to Lloyd John
Ogilvie and say to him, ``Thank you.'' He has truly been a
good and faithful servant. My prayers go out to him and
Mary Jane. She is suffering tremendously. All of us
together have been joining in prayer to relieve her
suffering. It has been a terrible thing to watch them go
through. Even through this terrible suffering, we have
seen the strength of Lloyd and Mary Jane. They have been a
comfort to us even through this time of trial.
I thank both of them for their service to this country
and to the Senate family.
Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, let me add my appreciation
to Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie for his terrific service to this
great institution. I have been a Member here for not even
3 months now. Lloyd Ogilvie has added such great
inspiration to my life. It has been a joy to get to know
him and to have the opportunity to listen to him, to learn
from him in our Bible study, to share our Wednesday
morning prayer breakfast with him, and to have some
private time with him. It has been a real joy, a
privilege, and something that truly got my career in the
Senate started in the right way.
We are all here truly by the grace of God. There is
nobody who understands the grace of God and is able to
express it better than Lloyd Ogilvie.
My wife is a very strong Christian, and the highlight of
her week, when she is able to be up here, is the Tuesday
Bible study that the spouses attend. Dr. Ogilvie exhibits
that same inspiration to the spouses as he does to us.
We will miss this guy. He is such a great man, a great
spiritual leader, and a great American. What he and Mary
Jane have been through over the last couple of years is an
inspiration to all of us. It lets us know that good men
suffer just like everybody else in the world, and Lloyd
Ogilvie and Mary Jane have been through very difficult
times.
God has a place for all of us, and God truly has placed
Lloyd and Mary Jane in the right place at the right time
by sending him to the Senate.
I told Lloyd this in the last Bible study he led last
week. The first time I met him I was not a Member of the
Senate. I was a Member of the House, and I attended the
funeral of my close friend and Georgia colleague, Senator
Paul Coverdell. It was in a Methodist church in Atlanta.
When they said that Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, who I knew was a
Presbyterian minister, was going to have the service, I
said, ``Who is this guy? Why is he coming down to do my
friend Paul's service''?
I told him the other day, I said, ``It didn't take but
one sentence out of your mouth, Lloyd, to understand why
you are where you are, that God had truly placed you in
the right position.'' And what a terrific job he did for
the Coverdell family and all of us at a very difficult
time in the life of my State, the life of me personally,
and certainly the life of the Coverdell family at that
point in time.
We obviously will keep Lloyd and Mary Jane in our
thoughts and prayers every single day as they continue to
go through difficult times. Mary Jane had a better day the
other day. And when it was reported at the prayer
breakfast on Wednesday morning, you could just see the
light in the room brighten because we knew that Mary Jane
was feeling better, which meant Lloyd was feeling better,
which meant all of us were feeling better.
We do cherish the moments we have with Lloyd. We thank
him for his great service to our country and to this great
institution. We wish him and Mary Jane Godspeed. They will
continue to be in our prayers every single day.
Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I rise today to honor and
thank Chaplain Ogilvie for his service and devotion to the
entire Senate family over the past 8 years. Dr. Lloyd John
Ogilvie has been the Chamber's spiritual leader since the
104th Congress, having been nominated to the Chaplaincy by
Majority Leader Robert Dole in 1995, the same year I
joined the U.S. Senate. Throughout his tenure here, he has
fulfilled his role as ``an intercessor, trusted prayer
partner, and faithful counselor'' with the commitment,
compassion, and comforting grace of a learned and sincere
man of God. There are many among us in the Senate who have
sought his wisdom and found solace in his council and
friendship.
In addition to listening to his beautiful prayers at the
commencement of each legislative session, I have been a
regular participant in his weekly Bible study groups. Like
many of my colleagues, I have watched Dr. Ogilvie execute
his office with a great joy for the work he does and a
deep respect for the moral difficulties we often face as
the Nation's lawmakers. In times both of celebration and
distress, Chaplain Ogilvie always did more than make
himself available to the thousands of Senate members,
staff, and employees; he reached out to our community and
brought us together, inviting all faiths and all kinds to
be a part of the family. Throughout the tragic events of
September 11, 2001, and in the confusing, frightening time
that followed, we witnessed Dr. Ogilvie's amazing capacity
for calming and focusing our thoughts, encouraging their
expression, and reminding us of the strength we possess
when we put our faith in God.
Chaplain Ogilvie has been a particularly important
figure in my private and professional life. We pray
together daily and frequently discuss questions of ethics,
religion, and law. But he has also shared in the personal
experiences and sorrows that my own family has undergone.
Prayerfully guiding me and my wife through the loss of our
son, Gabriel, Dr. Ogilvie's reassuring words and his
friendship were an invaluable source of peace for us then,
as they continue to be now.
I have much admiration for Lloyd John Ogilvie, and am
grateful to him, for leading us all by the example of his
life. As he relinquishes the Senate Chaplaincy and returns
to California and to his wife, he reminds us that our most
important responsibilities are always to our families and
loved ones, and through them, to God.
Thank you, Lloyd, for showing us where the right path
leads, for serving the Senate and our Lord faithfully, and
for helping the Senate family to weather our personal and
collective difficulties. Your guidance and your
companionship will be greatly missed.
Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, we will all miss our dear
friend Dr. Lloyd J. Ogilvie. His distinguished service to
the Senate has been an important part of this institution
during this historic time. Since he was appointed Senate
Chaplain in 1995, Dr. Ogilvie has offered guidance,
support, and prayers to Senators, their staffs, and our
families. He has greatly enhanced the Office of Senate
Chaplain that was instituted at the Senate's first meeting
in 1789.
Dr. Ogilvie's ministry has been a ballast and a bridge
for Senators on both sides of the aisle. His spiritual
leadership has been strong. His service has been selfless.
As he takes up his work outside of the Senate, Lilibet and
I wish to express our profound gratitude for the
inspiration and wisdom he has shared with so many of us.
We cherish our friendship with Lloyd and Mary Jane. May
God bless both of them.
Mr. KYL. Mr. President, Rev. Lloyd Ogilvie came to the
Senate when I did in 1995. He and I became good friends.
Lloyd has meant more to me than I can express. He has been
a friend and spiritual advisor to my colleagues and many,
many staff members and employees of the Senate. Democrats
and Republicans, men and women of many different religious
faiths, could always call on him.
He has been a focal point of the Senate family. On
September 11, and every day since, his ability to share
the power of his faith in God has been all the more
invaluable to me and to others. He is eloquent and
learned. He's done a wonderful job, opening every session
with prayer, leading Bible study, helping us to understand
Scripture and ourselves.
For the good of this institution he has worked with us
to realize, in the words of John Witherspoon, ``the
dominion of Providence over the passions of men.''
Obviously that is pretty important here in the Senate,
where we are frequently at loggerheads. Reverend Ogilvie,
by lifting our sights to the world of the spirit, has been
a soothing presence.
We do not want to lose him; but we know it's necessary
for him to be with his wife Mary Jane in California. We
understand; and, since he is going to continue his
prolific speaking, teaching, and writing, we also know we
won't lose touch with him.
The entire Senate family is better for the service of
this influential servant of God. Lloyd and Mary Jane,
Godspeed.
Mrs. DOLE. Mr. President, I rise tonight to express my
great admiration and appreciation for Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, a
man who has served the Senate, and our country, with great
dignity and honor.
Bob and I have treasured our friendship with Lloyd and
Mary Jane through many years. I feel blessed to know such
a warm, compassionate and caring couple. They share a
beautiful partnership and just last year celebrated 50
years of marriage and three wonderful children, Scott,
Heather and Andrew.
Mary Jane has long been admired for setting such a
strong example of what it means to give of yourself. After
battling breast cancer 20 years ago, she has done so much
to help other women going through the pain--physical,
emotional and spiritual--of cancer and cancer treatment.
My thoughts and prayers are continually with Mary Jane and
her family now, at this very difficult time in her life
and theirs.
Lloyd Ogilvie is an extraordinary man of God. He has
served amongst us with such a gentle and humble spirit,
that sometimes it has been easy to forget what a world-
renowned spiritual guide and Biblical scholar we have had
in our midst. As a profound preacher, as well as an author
and editor of over 40 books, Lloyd Ogilvie is admired the
world over for his depth of insight into eternal truths
and for his ability to communicate those truths in a
loving spirit. It has been our special blessing to have
had this wise, dear man of God as our personal friend and
advisor, standing with us here in the Senate Chamber or
meeting with us just down the hall.
The first in his family to attend college, Lloyd
Ogilvie's plan was to study drama, hoping to go to
Hollywood. He answered a call to preach instead, but still
ended up in Hollywood--pastoring the First Presbyterian
Church.
After 23 years at First Presbyterian, Dr. Ogilvie
answered another call--and became the 61st Chaplain of the
Senate. Recommended by a bipartisan committee, he was
nominated by then-Majority Leader Bob Dole and he began
his duties March 13, 1995. He bridged Dole to Dole--and
during his time in the Senate he has also bridged many
differences, counseling and caring for both sides of the
aisle.
With that deep, booming voice of his, which we have come
to so easily recognize and love, Lloyd has opened our days
in prayer. Day after day, he has steadied our hearts and
pointed our thoughts heavenward. And I believe, as a
result, he has helped us to render service to our Nation
and to our God with a deeper sense of perspective and
stewardship.
From his first days as Chaplain, Dr. Ogilvie reached out
in so many ways--one of which impacted my life--a weekly
Bible study for Senate spouses. And one of the things I
will miss most is the Senators' Bible study he has led
every Thursday at noon during my first 10 weeks in the
U.S. Senate.
Lloyd has seen all of us here in the Senate family as
his parish. He will be deeply missed by the hundreds of
Senate staffers, cafeteria workers, police officers, and
service department personnel whom he has inspired to
deeper faith and commitment.
Lloyd's love of Christ, and his love of others in
Christ's name, have been evident through his life, and his
ministry amongst us, each and every day. There is a
remarkable, caring spirit about Lloyd Ogilvie, a special
attentiveness in his demeanor. Lloyd has a wonderful
capacity for kindness and compassion. He has been a valued
teacher and counselor to so many. He has been there at our
side, when we or our family members have faced turmoil.
And he has ministered among us when our Nation has faced
special challenges.
Each one of us is constantly in need of God's grace and
guidance not only to make the big decisions, but also to
perform life's routine duties with the love for others,
the peace, the joy inherent in God's call. Lloyd Ogilvie
has helped bring that grace and guidance to the Senate.
His gift, and his passion, is helping others not only to
understand God's will, but to resolve to live within God's
will each and every day.
Although Lloyd Ogilvie is leaving the Senate, I am
comforted in knowing that he will still be praying for the
people of the Senate. Through his continued friendship,
and his writings, he will be a treasured resource for
spiritual guidance.
As former Chaplains of distinction Peter Marshall and
Richard Halverson continue to impact this historic
Chamber, so, too, will Lloyd John Ogilvie.
Selected Prayers
March 13, 1995
Let us pray:
Almighty God, Lord of our lives and Sovereign of our
beloved Nation, as we begin this new day filled with
awesome responsibilities and soul-sized issues, we are
irresistibly drawn into Your presence by the magnetism of
Your love and by our need for Your guidance. We come to
You at Your invitation. Our longing to know Your will is
motivated by Your greater desire to guide and inspire us.
In the quiet of intimate communion with You, the tightly
wound springs of pressure and stress are released and a
profound inner peace invades our minds. We hear again the
impelling cadences of the drumbeat of Your Spirit calling
up to press on in the battle for truth, righteousness, and
justice. Our minds snap to full attention, and our hearts
salute You as Sovereign Lord. You have given us minds
capable of receiving Your mind, imaginations able to
envision Your plan and purpose, and wills ready to do Your
will. Anoint our minds with the liberating assurance that
whatever You give us the vision to conceive, and the power
to believe, we can completely trust You to help us
achieve. Lord, fill our minds with Your spirit. Go before
us to show us the way, behind us to press us forward,
beside us to give us courage, above us to protect us, and
within us to give us supernatural wisdom and discernment.
Continue to bless our President and his Cabinet, the House
of Representatives, and the men and women of the Senate as
together they serve You as partners in solving the
problems which confront us and grasp the full potential of
Your destiny for our great Nation.
In Your all-powerful Name, Amen.
October 20, 1995
Almighty God, ultimate Judge of us all, free us from the
pejorative judgments that put others down when they do not
agree with us. We develop a litmus test to judge others.
Sometimes, when they don't measure up, we question their
value and make condemnatory judgments of them. Most
serious of all, we think our categorization justifies our
lack of prayer for them. Often we self-righteously neglect
in our prayers the very people who most need Your
blessing.
Give us Samuel's heart to say, ``Far be it from me that
I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you''
(1 Samuel 12:23). Remind us that You alone have power to
change the minds and hearts of people if we will be
faithful to pray for them. Make us intercessors for all
those You have placed in our hearts--even those we
previously have condemned with our judgments. We accept
Your authority: ``Judgment is mine, says the Lord.'' I
pray this in the name of Jesus, who with Moses and the
prophets, taught us to do to others what we would wish
them to do to us. Amen.
March 15, 1996
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
On Sunday, we will celebrate St. Patrick's Day. So,
today it is appropriate to share the Gaelic blessing and
then pray one of St. Patrick's prayers.
May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be always
at your back. May the sun lie warm upon Your face, The
rain fall softly on your fields, And until we meet again
May the Lord hold you In the hollow of His hand.
Gracious Lord, we remember the words with which St.
Patrick began his days. ``I arise today, through God's
might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to
look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's hand to guard
me, God's way to lie before me and God's shield to protect
me.'' In Your holy Name, Amen.
October 2, 1996
God of hope, we need Your vibrant optimism. Our own
optimism is like a teabag: we never know how strong it is
until we get into hot water. It is in times of
frustrations or adversity that our optimism is tested.
When the process of human efforts grinds slowly and people
disturb our pace of progress, our attitudes are given a
litmus test.
Often our realism too soon turns to resignation. We
expect far too little and receive it.
Transform our experienced pessimism into expectant hope.
So often we live as if we had to carry the burdens alone.
Today we relinquish any negative thoughts to You and
receive a fresh infusion of Your hope.
Hope through us today, O God of hope. Make us people who
are a lift and not a load, a blessing and not a burden.
Through our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
July 9, 1997
Generous Father, help us to be more gracious receivers.
We talk a lot about giving but often find it difficult to
give to others what they need because we have been stingy
receivers of Your grace and goodness. We cannot give what
we do not have. Remind us that to love You is to allow You
to love us profoundly. Then we will be able to love others
unselfishly. The same is true for the gifts we need from
You for our leadership. We need Your supernatural gift of
discernment. Help us be willing to receive Your divine
intelligence rather than obdurately insisting on making it
on our own limited resources. Invade our thinking with
insight and inspiration we could not produce on our own.
You wait to bless us. We receive not because we do not
ask. All through this day, make us aware of our great need
for You and the great things You want to do through us. In
the Name of our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
June 16, 1998
God of power and providence, we begin this day of work
in the Senate with Your assurance: ``I will not leave you
nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage'' (Joshua
1:5-6). You have chosen to be our God and elected us to be
Your servants. You are the Sovereign Lord of this Nation
and have destined us to be a land of righteousness,
justice, and freedom. Your glory fills this historic
chamber. Today has challenges and decisions that will test
our knowledge and experience. We dare not trust in our own
understanding. In the quiet of this moment, fill our inner
wells with Your Spirit. Our deepest desire is to live
today for Your glory and by Your grace.
We praise You that it is Your desire to give good gifts
to those who ask You. You give strength and courage when
we seek You above anything else. You guide the humble and
teach them Your way. We open our minds to receive Your
inspiration. Astound us with new insight and fresh ideas
we would not conceive without Your blessing.
Help us to maintain unity in the midst of differing
solutions to the problems that we must address together.
Guide our decisions. When the debate is ended and votes
are counted, enable us to press on to the work ahead of us
with unity. Through our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
September 30, 1998
YOM KIPPUR
Blessed be the Name of the Lord: God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Israel. We thank You for this sacred Yom Kippur, the
Day of Atonement. We hear Your whisper in our souls, ``I,
even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own
sake; and I will not remember your sins'' (Isaiah 43:25).
Guide our confession, Holy God. Remind us of those
things that need Your atonement. Forgive us for our sins
of omission and commission, for the drift of our culture
from Your moral absolutes. Situations should not shape our
ethics, but Your ethics must shape our situations. Cleanse
us from the acts and attitudes that contradict Your will
for us. We have broken Your commandments, denied Your
justice, and resisted Your righteousness.
As a Nation on this holy day, we ask for Your
forgiveness; as individuals, we claim Your forgiveness for
the ways we have broken Your heart.
May the assurance of Your grace give us fresh courage to
forgive others as You have forgiven us. Liberate our
memories from harbored hurts. We commit this day to
communicate Your love and forgiveness to others. Through
our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
January 27, 1999
TRIAL OF WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES
Dear God, leadership has its defining days in which
crucial decisions must be made. You know that this is an
important one of those days. In a few moments, votes must
be cast. Now in the quiet, the Senators wait to be
counted. It is a lonely time. Beyond party loyalties,
those on both sides of the aisle long to do what
ultimately is best for our Nation. Debate has led to firm
convictions. Give the Senators the courage of these
convictions and the assurance that, if they are true to
whatever they now believe is best, You will bless them
with peace. We intercede for them and the heavy
responsibility they must carry. Imbue them with Your
calming Spirit and strengthen them with Your gift of faith
to trust You to maintain unity once the votes are tallied.
We commit the results to You. Our times are in Your hands.
Through our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
April 13, 1999
Lord of creation, You have written Your signature in the
bursting beauty of this magnificent spring morning in our
Nation's Capital. The breathtaking splendor of blossoms
blankets the city with fairyland wonder. The daffodils and
crocuses have opened to express Your glory. Now, Lord,
tune our hearts to join with all nature in singing Your
praise.
We thank You for the rebirth of hope that comes with
this season of renewal. You remind us, ``Behold, I make
all things new!'' As the seeds and bulbs have germinated
in the Earth, so You have prepared us to burst forth in
newness of life. We forget the former things and claim
Your new beginning for us. Help us to accept Your
forgiveness and be giving and forgiving people. Clean out
the hurting memories of our hearts so that we may be open
communicators of Your vibrant, creative spirit as we
tackle problems and grasp the possibilities of this day
for our beloved Nation's future. By Your power. Amen.
June 16, 1999
Sovereign God, help us to see our work here in
government as our divine calling and mission. Whatever we
are called to do today, we want to do our very best for
Your glory. Our desire is not just to do different things
but to do some of the same old things differently: with
freedom, joy, and excellence. Give us new delight for
matters of drudgery, new patience for people who are
difficult, new zest for unfinished details. Be our
lifeline in the pressures of deadlines, our rejuvenation
in routines, and our endurance whenever we feel enervated.
May we spend more time talking to You about issues than we
do talking to others about issues. So may our communion
with You give us such deep convictions that we will have
the high courage to defend them. Spirit of the living God,
fall afresh on us so that we may serve You with renewed
dedication today. Through our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
March 6, 2000
Almighty God, Sovereign of our beloved Nation and
gracious Lord of our lives, in the ongoing schedule of
Senate business, we tend to lose one of the most precious
gifts You offer us: a sense of expectancy. As we begin
this new week, help us to expect great things from You and
to attempt great things for You. We will perform the same
old duties differently because You will have made us
different people filled with Your love, joy, peace, and
patience. We commit to You the challenges and
opportunities of the week ahead, expecting Your
surprises--serendipities of Your interventions--to work
things out. Give us freedom to cooperate with You. Give us
a positive attitude toward life because we know You will
maximize our efforts, assist us when dealing with
difficult people, and help us to care for those in need.
Bring on life, Lord; filled with Your spirit, we are
expecting wonderful things to happen. In Your all-powerful
Name. Amen.
November 14, 2000
Sovereign of our Nation, we trust You as ultimate Ruler
of this land. Give us historically astute hindsight so we
can have 20/20 vision to see that You are at work in the
shadowy realms of the often ambiguous election processes.
We grow in confidence as we remember that You have
sustained us in crises over contested Presidential
elections at crucial times in our history. There is no
panic in heaven; therefore there can be peace in our souls
in the midst of the human muddle of this uncertain time.
You have all power, You alone are Almighty, and You are
able to accomplish Your purposes and plans through the
votes of Your people. You rule and overrule. When these
votes bring us to results that are painfully close, give
us patience to wait for a just resolution. Your
intervening power is not limited: You are able to guide
the candidates and their advisors about when and how to do
what is best for America.
Lord, we all love a winner, but most of all, we want
America to win in this conflict. With this as the focus of
our attention, we intentionally turn away from divisive
distrust of people and human systems to divinely inspired
confidence in You. You are still in charge. In that
liberating assurance, may the Senators and their staffs,
and all of us who work with and for them, press on with
alacrity to finish the work of the 106th Congress. You,
dear God, are in control. You are our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
September 12, 2001
TERRORIST ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11
Almighty God, source of strength and hope in the darkest
hours of our Nation's history, we praise You for the
consistency and constancy of Your presence with us to help
us confront and battle the forces of evil manifested in
infamous, illusive, cowardly acts of terrorism. We turn to
You with hearts filled with dismay, anger, and grief over
the terrorist attacks on the World Trade buildings in New
York City and the Pentagon here in Washington. We pray for
the thousands of victims who lost their lives as a result
of these violent acts against our Nation. We intercede for
their loved ones; comfort them and give them courage. In
particular, we pray for the loved ones of the firefighters
and police who died seeking to help others. Quiet our
turbulent hearts. Remind us of how You have been with us
in trouble and tragedies of the past and have given us
victory over tyranny. Bless the women and men of this
Senate today as they join with President Bush in decisive
action. Guide them as they seek justice against the
perpetrators of yesterday's evil destruction and seek to
devise a long-range solution to the insidious problem of
terrorism. Thank You in advance for the courageous
leadership You will provide through this Senate. You are
our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
October 10, 2002
Almighty God, all power and authority belong to You. You
hold universes in Your hands and focus Your attention on
the planet Earth. We humble ourselves before You. You
alone are Lord of all nations and have called our Nation
to be a leader in the family of nations. By Your
providence You have brought to this Senate the men and
women through whom You can rule wisely in the soul-sized
matters that affect the destiny of humankind. With awe and
wonder at Your trust in them, the Senators soon will vote
on the resolution on Iraq as part of our Nation's ongoing
battle against terrorism.
Grip their minds with three assurances to sustain them:
You are Sovereign of this land and they are accountable to
You; You are able to guide their thinking, speaking, and
decisions if they will but ask You; and You will bring
them to unity so that they may lead our Nation in its
strategic role against terrorism and assist the free
nations of the world in their shared obligation.
O God, hear our prayer. You are our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
January 10, 2003
Gracious Father, Source of all the blessings of life,
You have made us rich spiritually. As we begin this new
day, we realize that You have placed in our spiritual bank
accounts abundant deposits of soul strength, intellectual
acumen, volitional aptitude, and physical agility.
You remind us of Your loving-kindness, You give us the
gift of faith to trust You for what we will need to meet
today's challenges. You promise to go before us, preparing
people and circumstances so we can press on with Your best
for America. You open doors previously shut and enable
serendipities of success so we can work without strain or
stress. You give us the magnificent gifts of wisdom and
discernment, vision and vibrant hope.
Bless the Senators as they expect great strength from
You and attempt great work for Your glory and for the good
of America. You are our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
January 17, 2003
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.'S BIRTHDAY
Almighty God, Lord of history, who calls great leaders
and anoints them with supernatural power to lead in times
of social distress when Your righteousness and justice
must be reestablished. This weekend we celebrate the
birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. We praise You, O God,
for his life and leadership in the cause of racial
justice. You gave him a dream of equality and opportunity
for all people which You empowered him to declare as a
clarion call to all America.
As we honor the memory of this truly great man and
courageous American, we ask You to cleanse any prejudice
from our hearts and help us press on in the battle to
assure the equality of education, housing, job
opportunities, advancement, and social status for all
people, regardless of race and creed. May this Senate be
distinguished in its leadership in this ongoing challenge
to assure the rights of all people in this free land.
Amen.
February 6, 2003
Almighty God, who never sends tragedies or trouble but
is with us in the midst of nerve-stretching times to give
us courage, we fall on the knees of our hearts seeking the
peace and hope only You can provide. When there is nowhere
else to turn it's time to return to You. With the untimely
death of the heroic astronauts, we are reminded of the
shortness of our lives and the length of eternity.
Yesterday we listened to Secretary of State Colin Powell
and realized again that we face a treacherous enemy with
formidable, destructive power. For the sake of the safety
of humankind and the world, grant the President, his
advisors, and this Senate Your strategy and strength for
the crucial decisions confronting them.
And now for the work of this day, keep the Senators and
all of us who work with and for them mindful that You are
Sovereign of this land, and that we are accountable to You
for all that is said and done. May the bond of patriotism
that binds us together always be stronger than any issue
that threatens to divide us. You are our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
March 6, 2003
Almighty God, we confess that it is sometimes easier to
pray about Your presence and power than it is to turn over
the control of our lives and our work to You. We are here
to serve You by working together as we serve our Nation.
But built right into our two-party system is the potential
for discord and the lack of civility. Sometimes procedures
can become more important than progress and winning more
crucial than finding ways of working together.
Now at the beginning of this day, remind the Senators
and all of us who serve with them that this is Your
Senate, that we are accountable to You, and that we could
not breathe a breath without Your permission. In our
mind's eye we picture a day in which we can put You and
our Nation first. We humble ourselves lest we miss Your
call to greatness. For You are our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
March 12, 2003
Gracious God, these days here in the Senate are filled
with crucial issues, differences on solutions, and vital
votes on legislation. We begin this session with the
question You asked King Solomon, ``Ask what shall I give
You?'' We empathize with Solomon's answer. He asked for an
``understanding heart.'' We are moved with a more precise
translation of the Hebrew words for ``understanding
heart,'' meaning a ``hearing heart.''
Solomon wanted to hear a word from You about the
perplexities that he faced. He longed for the gift of
wisdom so that he could have answers and direction for his
people. We are inspired by Your response, ``See, I have
given you a wise and listening heart.''
I pray nothing less as You answer this urgent prayer for
the women and men of this Senate. Help them to listen to
Your guidance and grant them wisdom for their debates and
decisions. All through our history as a Nation You have
made good men and women great when they humbled
themselves, confessed their need for Your wisdom, and
listened intently to You. Speak Lord; we need to hear Your
voice in the cacophony of other voices. We are listening.
You are our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
March 13, 2003
O God, our refuge and our strength, a very present help
in trouble, we will not fear! In the midst of these
perilous times, we hear Your voice saying, ``Be still and
know that I am God; I will be exalted among the Nations, I
will be exalted in the Earth.'' In response we affirm,
``The Lord of hosts is with us; You are our help and
hope.''
From the Continental Congress through the formation of
our Constitution to the establishment of the first Senate,
our leaders have acknowledged You as Sovereign of this
land and the source of all our blessings.
Lord I thank You for the privilege of serving as
Chaplain of the men and women of this Senate. As You have
called them to lead our Nation and the world, You have
opened their minds and hearts to receive Your guidance and
care. It is with profound gratitude that I reflect on
these years with them. You are our Lord and Saviour. Amen.