21 Days for a New Awakening

Christian Educators has joined other ministries across the nation to call fellow believers to a time of prayer and fasting as we begin a new year.

Imagine what would happen in America if millions of believers united together in crying out to the Lord!

21 Days for a New Awakening is a simple, sincere call for educators and other leaders, churches, and believers across America to begin 2008 in a season of radical fasting, intercession and repentance. From January 1-21, join with thousands of other believers and numerous denominations and ministries across our nation as we seek God for a Christ awakening in our day.

This call to begin 2008 with a corporate national fast is the first in a series of united activities designed to assist the American church in pursuing spiritual awakening.

Consider this sobering information:

Only 17% of Americans attend church on any given Sunday.

If present trends continue, by 2050 the percentage of the United States population attending church will be less than half of what it was in 1990.

America has become the 3rd largest mission field in the world.

Moral failure among Christian leaders continues at a high level.

The disturbing, present condition of our nation demands united, decisive action from the body of Christ. We need more than one positive election, more than one court decision, more than one good series of sermons and more than one significant local church revival. We must experience a new national awakening in our generation.

2008 promises to be a critical year in the history of the United States. If you believe, as we do, that Christian believers must now unite across our country to seek God for a national outpouring of revival and salvation for the lost, then we invite you to:

1) VISIT
http://www.awakeningamerica.us
to learn more about the Awakening America Alliance and what you can do today to seek God for a national awakening.

2) JOIN the Awakening America Alliance and add your name to a growing list of individuals and organizations that are committed to uniting together around their desire to see America experience a national awakening.

Secret to Helping Procrastinating Kids

by Rita Emmett
author of THE PROCRASTINATING CHILD: A Handbook for Adults to Help Children Stop Putting Things Off

Do you have anyone in your classroom who just seems to put off everything? Here's a simple secret to help a child break the procrastination habit. It’s easy to teach, and might be a helpful reminder for adults to review also.

When children are overwhelmed, they experience the same feelings that many adults (maybe even you?) have been through --- that sense of: "There's so much to do, I don't know where to start." and "I have a million things to do and I can't do everything"

When children are overwhelmed, teach them the "secret" of breaking down that overwhelming task into smaller parts, and then select one piece and start there.

When you have so much to do,
You think you can't get through it;
Break it into little chunks,
Then pick out one and do it.

If children are swamped with homework and don't know where to start, help them select just one subject. If it's spelling and they have to learn their words plus write each word in a sentence, explain that they have to select one of those two, and then start there.

Or perhaps the one thing they need to do it track down their text book, or the notebook with the assignment in it, or maybe simply a pen and some paper. When they start to look at homework as first one step, then another, it stops being so overwhelming.

Explain to them the concept of "A journey of ten thousand miles begins with but one single step." All they have to do is to figure out what that first single step is.

These are things that seem obvious, but not to a procrastinator. These are things you think they should know, but most procrastinators don't. It’s a secret nobody ever shared with them, so now it’s time to let them in on it. 

You might even want to share some of these ides with parents. For example, in cleaning a bedroom, perhaps start with clothes. Put the clean ones away where they belong, and the dirty ones in the laundry hamper. Next, put all the books away. It can be like a game, where each time they think of a different way to break the job into chunks. Maybe clean the dresser top first, then the bed, then the floor, or maybe start with one corner of the room, then another.

This simple trick helps children figure out how to get started when they are overwhelmed. And we all know that one of the biggest secrets to blasting away procrastination is that once you get started on something you've been putting off, the hardest part is over.

# # #

Rita Emmett, author of The Procrastinator’s Handbook; The Procrastinating Child: A Handbook for Adults to Help Children Stop Putting Things Off and The Clutter-Busting Handbook, is a “Recovering Procrastinator” and professional speaker who presents Keynotes and Seminars nationwide. She can be reached at 847-699-9950 and email is Rita@RitaEmmett.com. To subscribe to her free monthly “Anticrastination Tip Sheet” with quick short tips & ideas to help break the procrastination habit, go to the first page of her website: www.RitaEmmett.com

Protect Our Original "Wall of Separation of Church and State"

By Chuck Sproull

I have done a lot of research into Jefferson's intended meaning of the "wall of separation of church and state" and it's relation to our 1st Amendment rights. That "wall of separation" was supposed to:

1) Separate the administration of government and religion, thus making religion a personal issue, not a legal or political issue.

(2) Protect American citizens from tyrannical government-controlled religion and from religion-controlled government. These are some of the things that our Founders left behind when they left England and Europe, and separated themselves by 3,000 miles of water to settle in America. They didn’t want these things and other immoral corruptions following them.

(3) Allow all American citizens freedom to express their Bible-based religious convictions while on government property as well as their own private property; whether public employees in uniform or private citizens, regardless of Protestant or catholic sect.

There are no exception clauses in the 1st Amendment that state or imply freedom of expression, except if it: (a) offends non-believers, or (b) disagrees with beliefs of personnel in higher positions.

Also, that wall has a door that:

(4) Allows God's righteous influence (honesty, unselfishness, love and morality) into our Government decision-making and money-spending process; and

(5) Allows outward expressions of their personal faith in God; not just as a religion, but as principles of the highest quality life. Jesus came to give more abundant life.

In fact, this “Wall” actually protects us from the very things subversive groups like ACLU are trying to do, like separating our Government leaders from God’s beneficial influences. As long as we have a 1st Amendment to protect our freedoms, who needs the ACLU and their lawyers?

Our Constitution cannot be used by anyone to justify being offended by our beliefs, nor to restrict our freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is a gift from God; our Government didn’t give it, and it can’t take it away. For atheists like Mike Newdow to be infuriated at “One Nation under God” in our pledge, and then make a legal or political issue out of his emotions is un-Constitutional. The only legal “wall of separation” should separate expressions that are true, important and beneficial -- from those that are dishonest, disrespectful and profane. As long as personal religious expressions are peaceful, our Government and lawyers should be totally un-involved.

When taken correctly, in its original context, that “Wall of Separation” actually prevents anyone, Government official or private citizen or group, from limiting our freedom to respectfully express our religious beliefs. This is how people can learn from each other about the good concepts in each other’s religions, and overcome the false concepts.

For example, in America (established as a result of our Founders’ Bible based convictions and where we had more religious freedom than in any other country in the world), honest Bible students rediscovered the complete new birth procedure outlined in Acts 2:4, 38. This beginning of New Testament salvation had been hidden in the “dark ages” for 15 centuries. According by Peterson’s book, “The Pentecostals,” in 1901 believers began receiving “the gift of the Holy Ghost” with initial evidence of “speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance,” and in 1914, they began having faith in water baptism “in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins.”

Freedom for religious and non-religious Americans is enhanced by Government staying uninvolved, without positive or negative regulation; and allowing God’s influence into our schools through the voluntary efforts of students groups, parents, teachers and “qualified” preachers. As long as Congress does not make laws to sponsor a particular religion (in violation of the 1st Amendment Establishment clause), and as long as Congress does not prohibit or sensor our expressions (in violation of the Free Exercise clause), Government (and Corporate) leaders allowing these religious expressions should never be considered as endorsement of a particular religion.

Expressions that magnify God’s beneficial influence include prayer to God in public schools, Jesus’ manger scenes at Christmas, Bible studies, singing hymns of praise and devotion to God, and testimonies of being delivered from sin; Ten Commandments displays in our Court Houses, “One nation under God” in our Pledge of Allegiance, “In God we trust” on our coins.

Chuck Sproull, Springville IN, 11/29/2007