PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14)
Month of RAMADAN - Please make note that the Muslim month of Ramadam this year is June 28-July 27. This is the second year I will join with the over 1 billion Muslims in their annual time of prayer and fasting (sun-up to sun-down each day) and ask God to reveal Himself to them in dreams and visions. As this is the time each year when they are most open to spiritual things, I ask you to join me that God would speak clearly to each one and come to lead millions to leave their kingdom of darkness for Jesus' kingdom of light. (Col. 1:13-14) - Stan
RAMADAN 2014 - Day # 12 - Peace - In a dream Jesus appeared to Achmed. "They're right," he thought. "They're following the right way." Holy Spirit, today make Yourself knownn to those who are seeking You. And, in Islamic nations experiencing chaos and turmoil, may Your perfect peace rdiate fro Your flock, drawing them to seek refuge in You. from Open Doors Ramadan Prayer Guide for the Persecuted Church.
SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november
WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
6/13 - PRAY FOR THE CRISIS HAPPENING NOW IN IRAQ (see post #907)
(6/12-7/13) PRAY for the WORLD CUP IN BRAZIL - that God will show favor to the many thousands who are there to present the message of Christ to the athletes and visitors from around the world. May many return to their home countries having come to Christ and sharing that same new faith with family and friends.
LATEST SAHEED NEWS! May 22 - "Pastor Saeed Forcibly Returned to Prison after Beating" - By Caitlin Burke,CBN News, May 22, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/May/Pastor-Saeed-Beaten-Sent-Back-to-Iran-Prison/ "Saeed Abedini, a U.S. pastor imprisoned for his faith, was severely beaten at an Iranian hospital before being returned to the brutal Rajai Shahr prison. His Iranian family claims the transfer was unexpected and the reason is unclear. But one of the guards involved in the transfer suggested recent Iranian nuclear talks could be a motive, the family said...""
We need to continue to pray for Pastor Saeed - that his health will improve and that he will be re-united with his wife and two young children who live in the United States. We also remain hopeful that in addition to getting the medical care he so desperately needs, that Iranian officials display the kind of humanitarian treatment that often accompanies the start of the Iranian New Year which began on March 21st. This is the time of year when the Iranian government frequently offers clemency to prisoners of conscience. [If you have not yet, please sign the petition for his clemency- http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign]
PRAY ALSO : - 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
- 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
The U.S. State Department believes the Russian army is now prepared to launch an invasion of eastern Ukraine if President Vladimir Putin decides to pull the trigger, according to a senior Administration official."At this point, they are amassed and they could go at a moment’s notice if Putin gave the go ahead," the official said...Top Ukrainian security officials said Thursday that Russia now has 100,000 troops on its side of the Russia-Ukraine border.(Sources: CBS News, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Daily Beast)
As the Lord leads, please pray:
*For God to suppress President Putin’s ambitions to "restore" the Soviet empire.
*For the people of Ukrainen [esp. for the church 'to be THE church'] as they wait to see if the Russian troops will advance.
*About President Obama and to use wisdom in crafting our foreign policy, and wisdom for his advisers.
NEWS/PRAYER ALERT!"Kim Jong-un Calls for Execution of 33 Christians" - 3/7/2014; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=3651 "North Korea tyrant Kim Jong-un has reportedly ordered that 33 Christians believed to be working alongside South Korean Baptist missionary Kim Jung-wook be put to death. The South Korean missionary - who was arrested last year - and his accomplices have reportedly started 500 or so underground churches..."[PRAY that the plans for execution would be rescinded, and these believers released.] [Che\ck out: They'll Be Dead By Morning (What Difference Will It Make) http://loristanleyroeleveld.blogspot.com/2014/03/theyll-be-dead-by-morning-what.html
NEWS ALERT/PRAISE! "Iran Allows Surgery on Ailing, Imprisoned Pastor" - CBNNews.com,March 07, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/March/Iran-Allows-Dire-Surgery-on-Ailing-Imprisoned-Pastor-/ The Iranian government has finally allowed doctors to perform surgery on imprisoned Pastor Benham Irani.Irani suffered from a herniated disc and bleeding intestines and urgently needed medical care. PRAY for the final release of Pastor Irani and others imprisoned for their faith.
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
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"Why Michelle Obama Is Wrong on School Lunches" - Daren Bakst / @darenbakst / June 29, 2014 / http://dailysignal.com/2014/06/29/michelle-obamas-school-troubles/?utm_source=heritagefoundation&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=morningbell
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
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Weather and feature anchor NBC TODAY Show Al Roker (left), Chef Marcus Samuelsson (center) and First Lady Michelle Obama (right), prepare Shrimp Salad and Vegetable Tacos at the 'Kids Kitchen' activity center led by the White House chefs and celebrity guest chefs at the White House Easter Egg Roll in April 2012. The theme, 'Let’s Go, Let’s Play, Let’s Move!' is the emphasis of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative promoting health and wellness and encouraging children to lead healthy and active lives. (Photo: USDA/Bob Nichols)
Michelle Obama thinks she knows what your children should eat. She’s adamant about promoting her nutrition policies for kids, even the new and disastrous school meal standards implementing the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.” In a recent MSN interview, Michelle Obama revealed her own struggles with getting her kids to eat properly before she came to the White House. This apparently led to a major realization: “I thought to myself, if a Princeton- and Harvard-educated professional woman doesn’t know how to adequately feed her kids, then what are other parents going through who don’t have access to the information I have?” This motivated her to take on childhood obesity. She set her sights on schools because “the most important place to start tackling this issue is in our schools.”
But attending Ivy-League schools doesn’t magically make someone better parent material than an individual who attended a public university, or, dare it be said, someone who didn’t attend college.It also doesn’t mean that she should be a co-parent to your children. Make no mistake; the underlying assumption is that federal technocrats and educated individuals such as her need to act on your behalf to meet the best interests of your children.
This arrogance is on display in the current controversy over the new and restrictive federal school meal standards. Since the 2010-11 school year, participation in the school lunch program has fallen dramatically after more than a decade of growth. Most of the decline occurred in the 2012-2013 school year, when participation fell by over a million students. This just so happens to be the first year that the standards were in effect.Schools are incurring massive costs to comply with the standards. Some schools have reportedly transferred money out of their teaching budgets to cover the food costs. There’s massive plate waste, food storage and equipment costs, and little flexibility for local schools to meet the needs of their students.
Michelle Obama has scolded anyone who dares to address concerns about these standards, including the School Nutrition Association (SNA), which represents more than 55,000 school nutrition professionals. That may be the only way to counter the legitimate concerns that the school system’s foot soldiers are seeing firsthand. SNA, though, isn’t the only organization highlighting the problems. The independent Government Accountability Office did a survey of school nutrition officers. These officials expressed similar concerns, including problems with plate waste and food costs.According to the National School Board Association, “School boards cannot ignore the higher costs and operational issues created by the rigid mandates of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.”
As the self-appointed First Parent of the United States, Michelle Obama is effectively making that infamous parental argument, “Because I said so.” She just ignores all the problems that have been identified. The big argument that she makes along with her allies is 90 percent of schools are meeting the standards.
This is an irrelevant point. It doesn’t address the problems that have been identified, such as plate waste, food costs, participation, or whether long-term compliance is feasible. In fact, significant compliance should have been expected; otherwise, schools wouldn’t be so concerned about the massive burden they currently face by having to comply with the standards. These standards should be changed to create more power and flexibility for parents and local school officials. In the meantime, the “radical” idea in the House agriculture appropriations bill of giving one-year compliance waivers to financially struggling schools should be adopted. A waiver doesn’t weaken the standards in any way; it doesn’t touch them.
This entire issue, though, is really about the proper role of the federal government. While Michelle Obama is pushing for rigid federal control of school meals, the alternative is respecting parents who know their children’s needs better than anyone else, even better than Michelle Obama. The alternative also includes respecting local school officials, who know their communities better than the federal government. If parents don’t like meal standards, they can and will complain directly and in person to local officials. Parents don’t have the same recourse with faceless and nameless bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
It’s a bit strange that Michelle Obama, who admits she had problems feeding her own children, is now taking the lead to aggressively push what other people’s kids should eat. Even though she acknowledges she hasn’t been infallible when it comes to child nutrition, she can’t admit that these new and controversial national standards might be problematic. A good parent knows when to let go.[Originally posted on the Daily Caller.]
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Daren Bakst studies and writes about agriculture subsidies, property rights, environmental policy, food labeling and related issues as The Heritage Foundation’s research fellow in agricultural policy.
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