On Tuesday of this week, I made my way from Los Angeles back to Washington, DC. At the airport, the door of an elevator began to close before I entered. I then noticed my friend and Capitol Police Officer, David Bailey, kept the door open so I could enter.

David is part of what is known as the DPD, Diplomatic Protection Detail, and had been in Los Angeles providing security to a member of Congress who had been in town. It’s always great to see David when I’m on the Hill but there’s typically little time to converse.

Before we boarded our flight to DCA we had some time to chat. David was one of two officers involved in the shooting at the Republican baseball team practice in 2017. It was David who killed the shooter who had injured several including Representative Steve Scalise, another officer, and even David. He was shot in the ankle as he battled the shooter for over 20 minutes.

David told me more of the details of the incident including how he and his fellow officer prayed "The Lord’s Prayer" before David was able to make the final shot, killing the shooter. David also showed me his cell phone from that day that had taken a round. When David pulled out his phone to call for help, he noticed that it was damaged. It was great to learn more about David’s deep faith. Pray for David and others who serve on the Capitol Police Force.

As I boarded the flight, I spoke with Republican and Democrat representatives and a senator. They shared that the deadline to pass some spending bills was Friday. One representative shared how the White House has thrown them a curve on an issue but he was optimistic that they could complete their work before beginning a two week return to the district. Part of the problem was the rule requiring 72 hours before voting on the bill to allow members to read the text. There was a chance that the rule might be waived to allow a vote and for members to be able to leave DC. Not everyone is happy that the rule might be waived.

Once on the ground in DC, I began my office visits in the Cannon Building. Along the way, there were divine appointments to engage with representatives and staff.

As I passed one office, I noticed a Christian flag in addition to the United States and state flag. It’s the second Christian flag I’ve noticed on the Hill. A display of sticky notes with words of thanks and support continues to grow outside the office of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. These kinds of displays can be seen in House office buildings but I’ve never seen posters, placards of other flags than the United States, or state flags on the Senate side. If there's a reason there are no such displays, it's unknown to me.

After delivering my notes in the Cannon, I headed to the Capitol to rendezvous with my colleague, Dan Cummins. Dan and I stood at the end of the subway coming from the Rayburn Building and greeted members as they headed to the House Chamber for the first votes of the week.

Wednesday morning, I began my trek in the Hart Senate Office Building. As I walked into one office the staffer said, “It’s been a while.” I had not been to that office for about a month and he noticed. In another Senate office, there is a great cadre of Christian young men. I loved interacting with them and before I left, four of them stood in the hallway asking for prayer. Those are the moments that I savor. It's a target-rich environment. Here are four young men in significant positions, influencing policy and how the Senator votes.

In several offices, I asked about the constituent phone calls they were receiving. They had been fielding lots of calls about the legislation to force the sale of TikTok. Some of those calling were passionate, including young people threatening that they would commit suicide if they could no longer use the application. TikTok’s strategy of encouraging or even forcing some users to call Congress before they could use the application was backfiring. It demonstrated the influence the app could have on users.

Wednesday afternoon, Dan and I met with a Chief of Staff who had sought us out. After working on the Hill for 19 years, it struck him that there should be a Bible study for other chiefs. He wanted to know if Dan and I could identify other chiefs who might be interested. As we sat in the office, Dan and I were able to give him the names of 12 other chiefs that we knew were strong people of faith. Dan offered to teach the study.

This Bible study would become another element of the work that Dan and I have established including the Wednesday night worship service, a staff Bible study, engagement with Capitol Police, Dan and JoAnne’s weekend outreach with Capitol Police, special events, concerts and personalized ministry to members of Congress and staff. All of these elements are part of The Word on the Hill.

Almost ten years ago, I met Leo. At the time Leo was working in the office of a representative. The representative is now a Senator and Leo continues to work for her. A few months back, Leo asked if I would consider officiating at his upcoming wedding. Leo and I met for a few moments to discuss details of the wedding. Leo shared how I had been an influence in his life and he wanted me to be included in this special day. Pray for Leo and his fiancée.

A couple of times during the day I visited the office of a representative who was doing “damage control.” The member’s name had been mentioned in a hearing in a derogatory way. While the member was innocent of any wrongdoing, the staff was busy formulating a response. I was able to be an encouraging and calming voice. Politics is a brutal business.

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington State spoke in our Wednesday evening worship service. Cathy has served in Congress for 20 years and is a strong Christian. Her transparency and witness was powerful. She is the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and has shared recent examples of how God has moved in the committee as she has committed her life to more intense Bible reading and prayer.

Two recent pieces of legislation were passed out of committee unanimously with all 50 members from both political parties voting in favor. One bill (H.R. 7520 – “To prohibit data brokers from transferring sensitive data of United States individuals to foreign adversaries”) passed in the House unanimously (414 to 0) on Wednesday. Working on the Hill is challenging and Cathy has decided not to seek re-election and will be missed when she leaves the Hill.

Each state is allowed to have two statues of people from their state on display in the Capitol. In 2018, the Governor of North Carolina requested to replace the statue of Charles Brantley Aycok with a statue of Billy Graham. Private funds had to be raised for the replacement. I learned this week that the statue of Billy Graham will be unveiled in May.

At 2:32 am on Thursday morning, the text of the second half of the omnibus bill that I mentioned earlier was released. The bill was 1,012 pages and costs $1.2 TRILLION. The 72-hour rule was waived and on Friday morning and the omnibus bill was passed.

Once again, the House failed to follow “regular order” and passed the bill with support from both parties. Now the legislation will head to the Senate for a vote there. President Biden has already said he would sign the bill if it passes the Senate. All of this points to a government that is out of control.

In the midst of all of this activity, a Republican representative filed a motion to “vacate the chair,” in other words to remove Mike Johnson as Speaker. This could indicate that there is more chaos ahead.

In the next few weeks, I'll be singing at a variety of events around the country and return to the Hill after Easter. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement.

Steve