I was back on Capitol Hill this week and my time there was intense with numerous divine appointments.

Tuesday afternoon as I began delivering my notes in the Cannon Building, I encountered a representative who shared his belief that "we are on the verge of losing the country." It's a sentiment that many of his colleagues share.

After making my deliveries in the Cannon, I headed to the Capitol Hill Club for dinner. The person I was going to have dinner with had a change of plans so I sat at a table by myself when a Chief of Staff who I knew entered the grill. I invited him to join me. As we sat and chatted, this young man shared how in the past year his life had been transformed. He has totally given up drinking and is passionate about God. His life has been radically transformed. It was amazing to sit and hear his story.

As I left dinner, a congressional spouse saw me and asked me to walk with her to the Capitol where she was headed to a reception for Congressional spouses. Soon I found myself in Statuary Hall and within minutes I was included in a discussion of three representatives discussing how the House should move forward on Israel, Ukraine, the border, and the potential of vacating the Speaker. I stood and listened as they chatted about these challenges. It was amazing to observe this exchange.

Shortly after starting my trek on Wednesday morning, a young staffer greeted me in the basement of the Cannon Building saying, “Hi Steve.” Honestly, I didn’t recognize the young lady but obviously she knew me and we had a great chat. I commented to Sarah that I could believe that she knew my name. She responded, “Everybody knows you, Steve.” It was a reminder that the impact of my notes and presence on the Hill is incalculable. People are starving for morsels of encouragement and Good News.

I made my way to the Senate offices to deliver my notes of encouragement. I was able to engage with Senators Ernst, Marshall, and Mike Lee of Utah. Senator Lee is always very gracious. Senator Lee emphatically said, "Keep praying," as we parted.

Heading back to the House side through the Crypt of the Capitol, I stopped at the statue of Charles Brantley Aycock. Each state is allowed two statues in the Capitol of significant people from their state.

In May, the statue of Governor Aycock of North Carolina will be replaced by a statue of Billy Graham. I plan on being in Washington, DC that week with the hope of attending the unveiling of Dr. Graham's statue.

As I walked the halls, I saw all kinds of signage including a sign celebrating Easter and a sign displayed outside a room where Ramadan prayers are being held.

Outside of Senator Ernst’s office was a placard with the number of days that American Hostages have been held by Hamas in Gaza. Little is heard or said about these American citizens as they linger in captivity.

Exiting one office, I saw The Hill newspaper with the cover article about the challenging time Speaker Johnson is having with his own party as well as the opposition party.

One representative told me that he feared that the Speaker’s office was being influenced by “K Street,” which is known as a center for lobbying, advocacy, law firms, trade associations and think tanks.

I was also told that there had been a nonstop stream of Ukrainians into the office of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene asking her to change her hardline stance against more funding for Ukraine.

The lobbying groups from different states were out in force, sometimes making it difficult to get through the hallways. Whenever I would see a different group, it made me think of all the money these organizations are hoping to get from the government. It's your tax dollars "at work." And even though it wasn't the weeks following an election when there are office changes, the basement hallways of the Rayburn building were lined with furniture on its way to storage. More tax dollars "at work."

I was invited to attend the Republican Study Committee. The RSC is a weekly gathering of Republican House members who choose to participate in the luncheon where legislative issues and strategies are discussed. This week's meeting included remarks from Senator JD Vance explaining some issues from the Senate side including funding for Ukraine and the border. He said the Ukraine "unites Democrats and divides Republicans." His remarks were brief as he needed to head to the Senate Chamber for a vote on the impeachment of Director of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkis.

Stephen Miller of the America First Legal Foundation also spoke. Miller reminded the representatives that voting for the next election starts in only 180 days. He also suggested that securing the southern border should be the number one issue for Republicans and to keep the messaging simple. "Words are used to obscure the truth," he said. He also said, "You want to defend a democracy overseas, defend democracy at home."

Some friends from Connecticut had come to participate in our Wednesday evening service. They arrived early so I could show them around the Capitol. I was hoping to take them out onto the Speaker's Balcony to show them the magnificent view looking down the National Mall with the Washington Monument in the background. I hesitated heading down the hallway but decided to give it a try. Just before we made it out onto the balcony, Speaker Johnson came out of his office. He greeted me, we had a brief exchange, and I shared some words of encouragement. He did share that support for the nation of Israel was a top priority. I was honored to have a brief moment with the Speaker who is under intense pressure, even from his own party.

In our worship service, Representative Rick Allen of Georgia spoke for us. Mr. Allen gave a portion of his own testimony of how he came to faith. He also shared about his questioning of the President of Columbia University earlier in the day in the House Education Committee. His questioning and comments regarding Israel and antisemitism can be seen below. I strongly encourage you to watch.

Following our service our group made our way to the Rotunda to share in the Lord's Supper and a time of prayer and singing. My friend and pastor Cary Schmidt led this time standing in the center of the Rotunda.

Soon several representatives entered the space giving tours to constituents. As we were leaving, Representative Pete Sessions entered the room with a group. He immediately asked if I would return to the Rotunda and sing for his group. It was a fitting way to complete the day.

On Thursday morning the House voted on a bill condemning Iran's unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel. Click here to see the Clerk of the House's vote tally.

The bill passed with 404 votes in favor and 14 votes against. Thirteen nay votes were cast by Democrats and one vote was cast by a Republican. To me, it seems rather odd not to vote for condemning the attack.

As I close this update, I would suggest that all concerned citizens should become more intentional about where they get their news and that would include going beyond the traditional outlets including CNN, NPR, FOX News, NewsNation, NBC or whatever. The world has changed and how one gets the news has changed. I encourage you to identify the voices you trust and search for the Truth on sources like X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, Rumble, Substack and others. It is part of our responsibility as citizens to be informed

I would also encourage you to keep up on locale events and not let the national news media consume you. While what happens in Washington, DC and New York City might be interesting, stay up to date on your local city council, school board and county and city issues. Be informed on issues impacting your community.

Steve