PRAYER REQUESTS:
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST- Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"- CBNNews.com, Aug 14, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/ - The United States is willing to engage North Korea to secure the release of imprisoned American Christian Kenneth Bae.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the United States is "willing to consider a number of different options" to bring him home.In a video recently released by a North Korean newspaper, Bae requested the United States send a high-ranking official to North Korea to seek his pardon. It is unclear if he spoke of his own volition in the video. Bae, 45, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for sharing his faith. He suffers health problems such as diabetes and is currently hospitalized.[PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
"Muslims Bomb Christian Homes, Church in Egypt," - CBNNews.com; Aug. 12, 2013; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/Muslims-Bomb-Christian-Homes-Church-in-Egypt/ http://blogs.cbn.com/globallane/archive/2013/08/15/egypt-bible-society-attacks-detailed.aspx[CONTINUE TO KEEP THE CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT IN PRAYER as they increasingly have become the targets of Islamic extremists during this uncertain time in one of the largest Arab countries in the Middle East.] Angry Muslims tossed gasoline bombs into a Christian church and four Christian homes in southern Egypt over the weekend, wounding 15 people. Officials say the incident began Sunday, when two families started fighting after a Muslim tried to stop a Christian neighbor from building a speed bump in front of her home. Tensions between Egypt's Muslim and Christian communities have been high ever since Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was ousted from power last month.
“Abandoned” For Christ" -
Franklin Graham is the latest to join the chorus of voices calling for U.S. State Department and White House officials to take a more vocal role in protesting the Iranian imprisonment of American pastor Saeed Abedini. September 26 will mark the one year anniversary of Abedini’s imprisonment for allegedly “endangering the national security” of Iran.
Graham pointed out that, in contrast to Iranian accusations, “Pastor Saeed was in Iran trying to help children. With the permission of Iran’s government, he was working to build an orphanage. But his humanitarian mission led to an arrest on bogus charges and nearly a year of inhumane treatment, simply because he loves Jesus Christ.”...
Behind the scenes, more than 600,000 people around the world have signed a petition sponsored by ACLJ in support of pastor Abedini. A concerted movement this past May brought together Christians from many nations to set aside Pentecost to pray for Abedini. On June 13, demonstrations were held at Iranian embassies in at least six countries to protest Abedini’s treatment. And, on July 29, Arizona Republican Representative Trent Franks spoke on the floor of the House to urge other Congressmen to join him in “adopting” Pastor Abedini through the bipartisan Defending Freedoms Project.
Saeed’s response…and yours
Through his family living in Iran, Pastor Abedini has been made aware of these efforts on his behalf, and is grateful. “I heard that the persecution, my arrest and imprisonment has united churches from different denominations, from different cities and countries. That the churches have united together in prayer to put one request (my freedom) on one day (Pentecost) before God,” he wrote in a letter.
The story of Saeed Abedini, the jihad against Syrian Christians, the attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt, and the ongoing desecration of churches in Nigeria and India should cause every American to reflect on the blessings of freedom still enjoyed in this nation.
PRAY: For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.
- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- BOLDly (Beside Our Leaders Daily) for leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- Go to SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release.
"What Obama Wants for Your Children and Grandchildren," - by Lindsey Burke, Aug. 14, 2013
Proud parents and grandparents are sharing photos of their kids’ first day of school. And as students head back, many states are pushing back—telling the Obama Administration that its federal education plan isn’t right for their students.
Anyone who has taught in a classroom knows how different children are from school to school—even from class to class. Teachers understand that the content, methods, and evaluations they use will differ depending on the makeup of the class. A teacher might teach her 9:40 a.m. Algebra II class differently than her 1:40 p.m. Algebra II class. And she’ll make that decision based on the pace of her students and their comprehension levels.
Kids have different needs and dreams. Are they working toward Advanced Placement Calculus with the hopes of attending a selective college, or are they planning to use the math skills they acquire in high school in a technical field in the workforce shortly after graduation?
The Common Core State Standards Initiative—an effort underway to set national standards and tests for what every child in public school will learn—turns a blind eye to the unique nature of teaching and learning, and to the fact that education is a quintessentially local issue. The Obama Administration has tried to entice states into Common Core by tying states’ acceptance of the standards to education funding [1] and waivers [2].
As Sen. Marco Rubio recently cautioned [3] in an interview with Hugh Hewitt:
"…the federal government never knows when to stop. When [it] starts taking, it never gives back and, quite frankly, I don’t think we need a National School Board. I think that we have local school boards for a reason because that’s where parents can most influence the process and get good results."
But what the Obama Administration wants for American children isn’t inevitable. Thankfully, state and local leaders concerned with Common Core’s impact have begun to push back. BL-common-core-update-AUG-2013_600 [4]
After putting Common Core implementation on “pause,” Indiana is now withdrawing as a governing member [5] of Common Core’s national tests. Alabama, Oklahoma, and Georgia have now withdrawn from the national tests. Utah withdrew [6] from one of the testing consortia last year. There are indications that other states are growing concerned about the national standards push. An Ohio legislator has a proposal to repeal Common Core [7], and Florida and Arizona have voiced concerns over the cost of the endeavor.
These are good first steps. But to ensure excellence in education, states should completely hop off the national standards bandwagon. You can read the Heritage proposal for how they can get started here [8].
America has reached an education policy fork in the road. One path leads toward choice and customization; the other, centralization and uniformity. If student-centered learning is our goal, only the path toward choice will take us there—and that includes choice in standards and assessments.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
- Lindsey Burke is Heritage’s Will Skillman Fellow in Education and a former high school teacher.
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Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org; URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/08/14/back-to-school-states-pushing-back-on-common-core-national-standards/
URLs in this post:
[1] education funding: http://blog.heritage.org/2012/08/17/race-to-the-top-for-school-districts-more-federal-education-intervention/
[2] waivers: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/09/no-child-left-behind-waivers-bogus-relief-genuine-overreach
[3] Sen. Marco Rubio recently cautioned: http://www.hughhewitt.com/senator-marco-rubio-on-defunding-obamacare-aid-to-egypt-and-the-common-core/
[4] Image: http://blog.heritage.org/?p=127576
[5] withdrawing as a governing member: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/08/04/indiana-set-to-withdraw-from-common-core-national-assessments/
[6] Utah withdrew: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/07/utah-withdraws-from-smart_n_1752261.html
[7] a proposal to repeal Common Core: http://eagnews.org/ohio-republican-offers-common-core-repeal-bill-despite-long-odds/
[8] how they can get started here: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/04/states-must-reject-national-education-standards-while-there-is-still-time
Copyright © 2013 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.
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