Teachers Saving Children® Inc. - National
Newsletter
Volume 11, Number 4
April 2001
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"Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, 'Because I bore him in pain.' And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!' So God granted him what he requested."
Recently I was introduced to this prayer through a very small but powerful book entitled The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson. This brief prayer is found in the midst of the official family tree of the Hebrew tribes. Jabez is someone probably most of us have never heard about but an individual who obviously was a man after God's own heart. His simple and direct request to God not only changed his life but also left a permanent mark that entered the history books of Israel. God heard and answered his prayer.
"Oh, that You would bless me indeed!" The word "bless" has been used so much in our everyday conversation that the real meaning of the word has been lost. We must understand the Biblical meaning of the word "bless" to understand exactly what Jabez was requesting. According to Wilkinson, in the Biblical sense the word "bless" means "to ask for or to impart supernatural favor." When we ask the Lord to bless us, we are seeking to receive nothing more or nothing less than the wonderful, unlimited goodness that only God has the power to give. We leave it entirely up to God to decide when, where, and what blessings He will bestow. James 4:2 says, "...you do not have because you do not ask" (NKJV). Often we do not receive from the Lord because we do not ask for His blessing upon our lives. The very nature of God is to grant blessings beyond our imagination or expectation. They are only limited by us.
"Oh, that You would enlarge my territory!" This part of Jabez's prayer relates his request for the Lord to enlarge his life. He wanted more responsibilities and opportunities so that he could have a greater impact for the glory of the Lord. Many of us probably think our lives are too full already. But God always provides when we put His agenda before our own. The Lord desires to work in and through average individuals who allow the Lord to add His supernatural power to their willingness and weaknesses to work out His purpose for His glory.
"Oh, that Your hand would be with me!" Wilkinson emphasizes that in the Biblical sense the phrase "hand of the Lord" means "God's power and presence in the lives of His people". After we have received God's blessings and He has expanded our ministry, we often reach a point of crisis as we become overwhelmed with all that is laid before us. We often wonder if we are really in the center of the Lord's will. Too often, especially in our culture, we become so independent that we try to minister in our own strength. But the Lord expects us to be dependent upon Him for apart from Christ we can do absolutely nothing (John 15:5b)! When we rely upon the strong hand of God, He makes blessings and ministry opportunities unlimited as He becomes great through us.
"Oh, that you would keep me from evil!" This part of the prayer calls upon God to anoint His supernatural power upon our lives to protect us from Satan and temptation. With greater opportunity for ministry there will be greater attacks upon our own lives, the lives of our families, and those of close friends. Success brings greater opportunity for failure and thus greater opportunity to yield to temptation. Too often we pray that the Lord will give us the strength to endure temptation rather than pray that He will simply keep us away from temptation. The Lord longs to hear us plead for protection and safekeeping. Through Christ we can live in triumph - not defeat. What an amazing declaration of victory when we seek the Lord for His protection from temptation.
The challenge laid before us is to each day pray a variation of Jabez's prayer for Teachers Saving Children® and then to expect the Lord to grant our request in such a way that His purpose for TSC will be fulfilled and that He will be glorified!
1. Election of Officers for the 2001-2002 fiscal year was held. Connie Bancroft will serve as the Executive Director; Gary Winney will serve as the Assistant Executive Director; Lisa Rudloff will serve as Secretary; David Kaiser will serve as Treasurer.
2. The Board of Trustees previewed the web pates that have been completed. There are 100+ pages being prepared to upload on the site. About 75% of the entire site is ready to upload. There have been some technical difficulties with the site. It is hoped that these difficulties can be resolved and the uploading completed by summer so that the site may become "live".
3. The Board of Trustees spent much time discussing the publicity brochure. By consensus, the Board of Trustees has approved a draft revision. A final revision is being prepared for presentation and approval at the Fall Board of Trustees meeting.
4. The Board of Trustees discussed the TSC exhibit for the NEA Expo 2001. The exhibit application has been sent. Materials for distribution still need to be purchased.
Membership: As of April 1, 2001, there are 349 paid TSC members. TSC membership is open to all pro-life/pro-family educators and concerned citizens. Contributions and memberships are NOT tax deductible. Please note that according to the TSC Constitution & Bylaws, the membership year is from September 1 - August 31. Our membership drive for the 2001-2002 membership year will begin June 1st. Renewal membership information will be sent to all current members in early July.
"Stymied in their attempts to put together a new merger proposal, committees of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers last week agreed instead to draft a 'partnership' agreement to be voted upon by each union's representative bodies next July. The agreement calls for a 30-member joint council made up of 15 NEA officials and 15 AFT officials, including executive officers from both unions. The council will be bound by the directives of their respective union's policies and by-laws, and each union will be responsible for funding its share of the council's expenses within existing budgets.
The proposed partnership is designed to promote 'interaction and collaboration' at all levels of the two unions, and to 'increase cooperation.' NEA and AFT agree to engage in join projects and coordinate the delivery of services to merged state and local affiliates.
....While most details are still unavailable, it appears the partnership agreement includes nothing that is not already in place....The current proposal, rather than building from the 1998 defeat of the Principles of Unity, seems to restore the status quo ante.
....The actual agreement will be distributed soon, along with 'a detailed question-and-answer' document. Only then will we know if the two unions will really address the issues that have kept them apart for 30 years: AFL-CIO affiliation, the secret ballot, raiding in states without collective bargaining laws, and guaranteed minority representation."
"After more than two hours of debate the NEA Board of Directors approved the 'NEAFT partnership' by a vote of 135-36. The partnership is designed to create a framework for a merger of the two unions in the future by fostering cooperation and collaboration. The proposal will now be sent to the NEA Representative Assembly for final approval in July. EIA was unable to determine by press time whether the vote will be by voice or by secret ballot.
The length of the board debate and the vehemence of the opposition suggest that the partnership proposal will be a significant bone of contention on the floor of the NEA convention. However, the margin of victory also suggests that NEA's pro-merger faction has a leg up on the opposition. One factor may loom large in the debate: NEA and AFT negotiators have been unable to come to a new 'no raid' agreement. A 'no raid' agreement prohibits each side from organizing employees who are members of the other side. The original 1997 agreement is still being enforced, but it doesn't cover states without collective bargaining....The NEA board was informed that there was virtually no chance of an agreement before the convention in July."
By faith, the TSC Inc. - National Board of Trustees last fall made a decision to once again apply for exhibit space in the huge display area during the pre-RA activities. With God's help we are putting the facts and the wonder of human development before the largest assembly of decision-makers in the teachers' union.
The purpose of our exhibit area will be to promote and provide educational classroom materials especially for science and health teachers. Free high quality materials will be distributed to educators who need appropriate, appealing, and accurate classroom materials on the wonder of life in utero.
Thank you to all of you who have given towards this special endeavor. Already the Lord has provided the $1,100 for the exhibit space rental as well as the additional $300 - 400 needed for the miscellaneous fees.
Additional contributions are now needed to fund the materials for distribution. Although seemingly a large task as well as a large expense to provide these free materials, the Lord will provide the financial means for the materials He wants distributed. Our God is the God of boundless resources and He is abundantly able to provide both the materials and the funds needed to get the truth into the hands of educators across this nation.
Prayerfully consider being a part of this special endeavor by sending in your contribution today. Each child born into this world will thank you for your contribution towards educating teachers about "The Wonder of Life".
Note: Please make checks payable to "TSC Inc. - National". Please carefully note how the amount given is to be designated ("NEA Exhibit") so that the contribution will be appropriately allocated.
It has been a long moment, this prolife struggle; and it will be longer still. Those who have been engaged in it for twenty-five years and more know that there were times when people talked about when it would end, about when victory would be achieved, and some still talk that way today. Slowly we have learned, but surely we have learned, that we are enlisted for the duration. So long as we have the gift of life we must protect the gift of life. So long as it is threatened, so long must it be defended. This is the time to brace ourselves for the long term. We are today laying the foundation for the prolife movement of the twenty-first century. Pray that the foundations are firm, for we have not yet seen the full fury of the storm that is upon us.
But we have not the right to despair. We have not the right and we have not the reason to despair if we understand that our entire struggle is premised not upon a victory to be achieved, but a victory that has been achieved. If we understand that, far from despair we have right and reason to rejoice that we are called to such a time as this, a time of testing, a time of truth. The encroaching culture of death shall not prevail, for we know, as we read in John's gospel, 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.' The darkness will never overcome that light. Never. Never."
Source: Supplement to LIFEQUEST. FEB/MAR/APR 2001 AD
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