English subtitles for clip: File:President Obama Speaks at the 2012 National Prayer Breakfast.webm

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The President:
Well, good morning, everybody.

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It is good to be with so many
friends united in prayer.

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And I begin by giving all praise
and honor to God for bringing us

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together here today.

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I want to thank our
co-chairs Mark and Jeff;

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to my dear friend, the guy
who always has my back,

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Vice President Biden.

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All the members of Congress
-- Joe deserves a hand.

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(applause)

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All the members of Congress and
my Cabinet who are here today;

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all the distinguished guests
who've traveled a long way to be

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part of this.

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I'm not going to be
as funny as Eric --

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(laughter)

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-- but I'm grateful that he
shared his message with us.

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Michelle and I feel truly
blessed to be here.

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This is my third year coming
to this prayer breakfast

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as President.

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As Jeff mentioned, before
that, I came as senator.

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I have to say, it's easier
coming as President.

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(laughter)

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I don't have to get
here quite as early.

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But it's always been an
opportunity that I've cherished.

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And it's a chance to
step back for a moment,

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for us to come together as
brothers and sisters and seek

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God's face together.

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At a time when it's easy to lose
ourselves in the rush and clamor

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of our own lives, or get caught
up in the noise and rancor that

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too often passes
as politics today,

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these moments of
prayer slow us down.

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They humble us.

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They remind us that no matter
how much responsibility we have,

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how fancy our titles, how
much power we think we hold,

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we are imperfect vessels.

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We can all benefit from
turning to our Creator,

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listening to Him.

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Avoiding phony religiosity,
listening to Him.

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This is especially
important right now,

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when we're facing some big
challenges as a nation.

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Our economy is making progress
as we recover from the worst

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crisis in three generations, but
far too many families are still

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struggling to find work or make
the mortgage, pay for college,

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or, in some cases,
even buy food.

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Our men and women in uniform
have made us safer and more

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secure, and we were
eternally grateful to them,

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but war and suffering and
hardship still remain in too

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many corners of the globe.

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And a lot of those men and women
who we celebrate on Veterans Day

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and Memorial Day come
back and find that,

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when it comes to finding a job
or getting the kind of care that

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they need, we're not always
there the way we need to be.

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It's absolutely true that
meeting these challenges

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requires sound decision-making,
requires smart policies.

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We know that part of living in a
pluralistic society means that

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our personal religious beliefs
alone can't dictate our response

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to every challenge we face.

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But in my moments of prayer, I'm
reminded that faith and values

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play an enormous role in
motivating us to solve some of

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our most urgent problems, in
keeping us going when we suffer

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setbacks, and opening our minds
and our hearts to the needs

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of others.

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We can't leave our
values at the door.

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If we leave our
values at the door,

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we abandon much of the moral
glue that has held our nation

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together for centuries, and
allowed us to become somewhat

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more perfect a union.

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Frederick Douglass, Abraham
Lincoln, Jane Addams,

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Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Dorothy Day, Abraham Heschel --

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the majority of great reformers
in American history did their

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work not just because
it was sound policy,

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or they had done good analysis,
or understood how to exercise

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good politics, but because their
faith and their values dictated

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it, and called
for bold action --

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sometimes in the
face of indifference,

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sometimes in the
face of resistance.

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This is no different today
for millions of Americans,

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and it's certainly not for me.

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I wake up each morning
and I say a brief prayer,

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and I spend a little time
in scripture and devotion.

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And from time to
time, friends of mine,

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some of who are here today,
friends like Joel Hunter or

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T.D. Jakes, will come by the Oval Office or they'll call on

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the phone or they'll send me a
email, and we'll pray together,

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and they'll pray for me and my
family, and for our country.

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But I don't stop there.

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I'd be remiss if
I stopped there;

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if my values were limited to
personal moments of prayer or

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private conversations
with pastors or friends.

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So instead, I must try --
imperfectly, but I must try --

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to make sure those values
motivate me as one leader of

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this great nation.

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And so when I talk about our
financial institutions playing

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by the same rules as
folks on Main Street,

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when I talk about making sure
insurance companies aren't

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discriminating against
those who are already sick,

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or making sure that unscrupulous
lenders aren't taking advantage

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of the most vulnerable among
us, I do so because I genuinely

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believe it will make the
economy stronger for everybody.

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But I also do it because I know
that far too many neighbors in

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our country have been hurt and
treated unfairly over the last

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few years, and I believe
in God's command to

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"love thy neighbor as thyself."

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I know the version of that
Golden Rule is found in every

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major religion and
every set of beliefs --

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from Hinduism to Islam
to Judaism to the writings

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of Plato.

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And when I talk about
shared responsibility,

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it's because I genuinely believe
that in a time when many folks

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are struggling, at a time when
we have enormous deficits,

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it's hard for me to ask
seniors on a fixed income,

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or young people
with student loans,

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or middle-class families who can
barely pay the bills to shoulder

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the burden alone.

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And I think to myself, if I'm
willing to give something up as

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somebody who's been
extraordinarily blessed,

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and give up some of the
tax breaks that I enjoy,

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I actually think that's
going to make economic sense.

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But for me as a Christian, it
also coincides with Jesus's

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teaching that "for unto
whom much is given,

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much shall be required."

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It mirrors the Islamic belief
that those who've been blessed

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have an obligation to use those
blessings to help others,

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or the Jewish doctrine of
moderation and consideration

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for others.

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When I talk about giving
every American a fair shot at

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opportunity, it's because I
believe that when a young person

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can afford a college education,
or someone who's been unemployed

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suddenly has a chance to retrain
for a job and regain that sense

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of dignity and pride, and
contributing to the community as

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well as supporting
their families --

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that helps us all prosper.

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It means maybe that research
lab on the cusp of a lifesaving

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discovery, or the company
looking for skilled workers is

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going to do a little bit better,
and we'll all do better as

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a consequence.

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It makes economic sense.

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But part of that belief comes
from my faith in the idea that I

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am my brother's keeper and
I am my sister's keeper;

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that as a country, we
rise and fall together.

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I'm not an island.

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I'm not alone in my success.

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I succeed because
others succeed with me.

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And when I decide to
stand up for foreign aid,

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or prevent atrocities
in places like Uganda,

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or take on issues like
human trafficking,

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it's not just about
strengthening alliances,

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or promoting democratic
values, or projecting American

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leadership around the world,
although it does all those

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things and it will make
us safer and more secure.

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It's also about the biblical
call to care for the least of

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these -- for the poor; for those
at the margins of our society.

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To answer the responsibility
we're given in Proverbs to

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"Speak up for those who
cannot speak for themselves,

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for the rights of all
who are destitute."

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And for others, it may reflect
the Jewish belief that the

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highest form of charity is to
do our part to help others stand

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on their own.

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Treating others as you
want to be treated.

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Requiring much from those
who have been given so much.

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Living by the principle that
we are our brother's keeper.

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Caring for the poor
and those in need.

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These values are old.

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They can be found in many
denominations and many faiths,

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among many believers and
among many non-believers.

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And they are values that have
always made this country great

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-- when we live up to them; when
we don't just give lip service

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to them; when we don't just
talk about them one day a year.

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And they're the ones that have
defined my own faith journey.

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And today, with as many
challenges as we face,

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these are the values I believe
we're going to have to return to

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in the hopes that God will
buttress our efforts.

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Now, we can earnestly seek to
see these values lived out in

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our politics and our policies,
and we can earnestly disagree on

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the best way to
achieve these values.

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In the words of C.S. Lewis,
"Christianity has not,

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and does not profess to have
a detailed political program.

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It is meant for all
men at all times,

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and the particular program which
suited one place or time would

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not suit another."

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Our goal should not be
to declare our policies

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as biblical.

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It is God who is
infallible, not us.

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Michelle reminds
me of this often.

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(laughter)

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So instead, it is our hope that
people of goodwill can pursue

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their values and common ground
and the common good as best they

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know how, with respect
for each other.

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And I have to say that sometimes
we talk about respect,

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but we don't act with respect
towards each other during the

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course of these debates.

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But each and every day,
for many in this room,

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the biblical injunctions are not
just words, they are also deeds.

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Every single day,
in different ways,

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so many of you are living out
your faith in service to others.

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Just last month, it was
inspiring to see thousands of

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young Christians filling
the Georgia Dome at the

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Passion Conference, to worship
the God who sets the captives

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free and work to
end modern slavery.

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Since we've expanded and
strengthened the White House

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faith-based initiative, we've
partnered with Catholic

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Charities to help Americans who
are struggling with poverty;

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worked with organizations like
World Vision and American Jewish

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World Service and Islamic Relief
to bring hope to those suffering

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around the world.

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Colleges across the country have
answered our Interfaith Campus

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Challenge, and students are
joined together across religious

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lines in service to others.

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From promoting responsible
fatherhood to strengthening

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adoption, from helping people
find jobs to serving our

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veterans, we're linking arms
with faith-based groups all

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across the country.

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I think we all understand that
these values cannot truly find

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voice in our politics and our
policies unless they find a

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place in our hearts.

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The Bible teaches us to "be
doers of the word and not

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merely hearers."

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We're required to have
a living, breathing,

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active faith in our own lives.

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And each of us is called on to
give something of ourselves for

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the betterment of others -- and
to live the truth of our faith

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not just with words,
but with deeds.

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So even as we join the
great debates of our age --

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how we best put
people back to work,

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how we ensure opportunity
for every child,

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the role of government in
protecting this extraordinary

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planet that God has made for us,
how we lessen the occasions of

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war -- even as we debate
these great issues,

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we must be reminded of the
difference that we can make each

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day in our small interactions,
in our personal lives.

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As a loving husband,
or a supportive parent,

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or a good neighbor, or
a helpful colleague --

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in each of these roles, we help
bring His kingdom to Earth.

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And as important as government
policy may be in shaping our

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world, we are reminded that it's
the cumulative acts of kindness

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and courage and
charity and love,

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it's the respect we show each
other and the generosity that we

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share with each other that in
our everyday lives will somehow

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sustain us during these
challenging times.

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John tells us that, "If anyone
has material possessions and

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sees his brother in need
but has no pity on him,

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how can the love
of God be in him?

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Dear children, let us not love
with words or tongue but with

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actions and in truth."

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Mark read a letter
from Billy Graham,

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and it took me back to one of
the great honors of my life,

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which was visiting Reverend
Graham at his mountaintop

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retreat in North Carolina, when
I was on vacation with my family

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at a hotel not far away.

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And I can still remember winding
up the path up a mountain

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to his home.

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Ninety-one years
old at the time,

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facing various
health challenges,

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he welcomed me as he would
welcome a family member or

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a close friend.

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This man who had prayed great
prayers that inspired a nation,

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this man who seemed
larger than life,

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greeted me and was as kind
and as gentle as could be.

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And we had a wonderful
conversation.

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Before I left, Reverend Graham
started praying for me,

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as he had prayed for so
many Presidents before me.

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And when he finished praying, I
felt the urge to pray for him.

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I didn't really
know what to say.

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What do you pray for when it
comes to the man who has prayed

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for so many?

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But like that verse in Romans,
the Holy Spirit interceded when

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I didn't know quite what to say.

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And so I prayed -- briefly,
but I prayed from the heart.

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I don't have the intellectual
capacity or the lung capacity of

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some of my great preacher
friends here that have prayed

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for a long time.

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(laughter)

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But I prayed.

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And we ended with an
embrace and a warm goodbye.

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And I thought about that moment
all the way down the mountain,

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and I've thought about it
in the many days since.

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Because I thought about my
own spiritual journey --

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growing up in a household that
wasn't particularly religious;

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going through my own period
of doubt and confusion;

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finding Christ when I wasn't
even looking for him so many

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years ago; possessing so many
shortcomings that have been

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overcome by the
simple grace of God.

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And the fact that I would
ever be on top of a mountain,

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saying a prayer
for Billy Graham --

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a man whose faith had changed
the world and that had sustained

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him through triumphs
and tragedies,

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and movements and milestones
-- that simple fact humbled me

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to my core.

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I have fallen on my knees with
great regularity since that

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moment -- asking God for
guidance not just in my personal

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life and my Christian walk, but
in the life of this nation and

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in the values that hold us
together and keep us strong.

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I know that He will guide us.

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He always has, and
He always will.

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And I pray his richest
blessings on each of you in the

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days ahead.

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Thank you very much.

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(applause)