HOUSTON, TX - Thousands of Americans who gathered here this weekend for a national prayer rally heard many messages of concern about the state of their nation -- but they also heard that with God's blessing, their country can be healed.

"His agenda is not a political agenda; his agenda is a salvation agenda," Texas Governor Rick Perry told the more than 30,000 in attendance at Saturday's prayer rally -- not including the thousands more who watched via streaming video online. (See earlier story)

Dr. James Dobson of Family Talk was one of those in attendance. He told OneNewsNow that he believes the prayer rally will have more lasting impact than people realize -- and that he is hopeful it will spawn a "national revival" because the nation "desperately need[s] a touch" from God.

"We don't have all the answers. We don't have any of them," he said. "We've got a lot of questions we don't have answers [for]. And I just think that this is a historical moment in the long history of this great nation."

Dr. Tony Evans, president of The Urban Experience, received one of the most rousing reactions of the day when he said, "Everyone else is coming out of the closet, we Christians may as well, too!" Evans also tells OneNewsNow that Christians have been quiet for way too long. (Dobson: America desperately needs God's touch )

Video>>> (Dr. James Dobson on The Response )

(Billy's Thoughts>>> Dr. Dobson and others who were at this prayer rally are right America needs a touch by God. The answer is not politics or getting the right people into office as important as that is it is to pray God will move in America and us who know the Lord would start to put his word the Bible first in our lives.)

Family members confirmed that an Arlington man was one of 30 service members killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Saturday.

Chief Petty Officer Matt Mills, 36, was on his last mission when the Chinook helicopter crashed in the restive Wardark province, his family said.

"He's always loved what he did," said his sister, Ashley Mills. "He told me he couldn't believe he could do this for a living because he loved it so much."

He was a Navy SEAL for 10 years. ( last mission... )

“He was very humble about what he did,” said his cousin, J.B. Abbot. “He never bragged about being a Navy SEAL.”

(Billy's Thoughts>>>> God Bless Matt, and the rest of these Navy SEAL's men/women who were killed. They put America first. Please keep all of their families in your prayers.)

She reclines among leopard print pillows, her rouged lips pouting at the camera. But shockingly the model in these highly sexualised pictures is only 10 years old.

The provocative images of Thylane Lena-Rose Blondeau, who is tipped as the next big thing on the fashion scene, are causing a storm of controversy with campaigners furious that a child so young should be displaying the sexual allure of someone twice her age.

One Christian hopes the Crystal Cathedral property will remain among the "Christian fold," as he thinks the church should do everything in its power to get out of bankruptcy. (Crystal Cathedral -- 'give it your best shot' )

The Southern California church launched by Robert Schuller has received another offer for its properties and iconic glass building, this time for $99 million from billionaire Robert Lee Tran Troung, who is reportedly a descendent of Vietnam royalty. Truong says he wants to buy the cathedral and use the property for a church, a school, and for his organization, God's Way Institute.

( Billy's Thoughts>>> Let me make it clear God has not told me this but I just wonder if this church is having trouble today because it doesn't preach the whole Bible. You know the parts about sin and hell.  Dr. Schuller  I heard some place say the worst thing the Bible believing churches have done is to tell people they are sinners. I also saw a video on You Tube where he said when he started his ministry he just wanted the positive stuff from the Bible read at his church. Dr. Schuller is a  gifted preacher with vision but he needs to preach the whole Bible.)

The ACLU is demanding that a Georgia school remove a web filter that blocks access to a pro-LGBT website.

The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) has sent a letter to the Gwinnett County Public Schools, urging officials to hold firm and not cave in to the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) demand. ADF attorney Jeremy Tedesco says the school is well within its rights to use the filter.

"It's very simple to see that these filters block more than just websites that the ACLU appears to care about," Tedesco notes. "They also block sexually explicit materials that are simply not suitable for minors."

He contends school districts have a right to make decisions they believe are in the best interest of their students.

"The reality is that a school district's decisions over what materials can be accessed on the Internet on their computers is a curricular decision," the attorney explains. "It's no different than the decisions the school districts make over what books will or will not be available in the library. ( ADF: Web filter the school's call)

(Billy's Thoughts>>> What would we do without the ACLU. It might give me less to blog about but America would be much better and safer without our friends at the ACLU. The schools in our nation  need to do what is best for the kids regardless what Mr. or Mrs. ACLU thinks.) 

A Cuban-born anti-communist activist believes a Cuban pastor is being kept from entering the United States because the government thinks he's a threat to the Fidel Castro regime's propaganda effort. (Castro continues persecuting Cuban pastor )

According to a Christian Solidarity Worldwide news release, Pastor Omar Gude Perez was recently granted asylum in the United States after being imprisoned since May 2008 on false charges. The Cuban regime granted him a conditional release from his confinement after serving three years of a six-and-a-half-year sentence, but it has not given him a visa to leave the country.

(Billy's Thoughts>>> We should pray for this Pastor and the people of Cuba. We should even pray for the evil leaders of Cuba that they would have a heart changed and or be removed from power. This should also be a lesson to those on the left if they be from the political world, faith world, education world, or the world of media that life in Cuba is anything but nice for the everyday people of Cuba.)

A Chicago court has allowed the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to intervene in the state's fight against Catholic Charities' adoption policies.

Several of the Illinois agencies filed suit because in spite of the state's homosexual civil union law, the Catholic organizations do not permit same-gender couples to adopt through their agencies. The ACLU, while representing a lesbian couple, claims Catholic Charities is discriminating against their clients. But Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society says that is not so.

"Catholic Charities' policy does not prevent a single person who is cohabiting, whether same-sex or opposite sex, from becoming a foster parent," he reports. "There are over 40 different agencies in Illinois [for] those individuals who want to become foster parents but do not want to be married; those folks have plenty of other places they can go to." (ACLU joins state against Catholic group )