What a great day it is! Iran has surrendered! They are going to forsake their efforts to build a nuclear bomb! Oh, what joy. Those of us in Israel will no longer need to fear the radical Islamic state.

We doubted President Obama, but six years after this Rodney King speech (“Can’t we all just get along?”) in Cairo, a fanatical Islamic regime is coming back to reality.

Or are they? The vibe over President Obama’s 17-minute phone call with new Iranian President Rouhani is euphoric. After more than 30 years of the silent treatment, an Iranian president and a U.S. president spoke (and without calling each other Satan). Of course, this was after Rouhani refused to dine with Obama or even meet with him over snacks.

Rumor has it that Obama slipped a note to a classmate that said, “Will you answer the phone if I call? Check yes or no.” Only after assurances that Rouhani would indeed chat did the president make the call.

The big question is, Can this new openness be trusted? While on the one hand Rouhani told CNN that the Holocaust was “reprehensible and condemnable” (something that Iran now denies that he said—even though he said it), on the other hand he added he would leave it to the historians to judge the dimensions of the Holocausts. Newsflash: They have!

Nevertheless, face-to-face (or ear-to-ear) contact between the two countries cannot be ignored. This is unprecedented in recent history. And yet it seems all too familiar. Bob and weave—or maybe rope-a-dope is a better analogy. Let your opponent think they are winning just before you attack.

How many times has Iran, in the throes of sanctions, pretended to be willing to compromise? During the Bush administration, North Korea played the same game, declaring in 2005 to abandon all its nuclear undertakings and rejoin the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. A year later, North Korea tested its nuclear bomb!

Sanctions are hurting the Iranian public. Their currency continues to lose value. Why not play games with the West to see if sanctions can be reduced? Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu doesn’t seem to be falling for the ruse.

“I wish I could be moved by Rouhani’s invitation to join his wave, a world against violence and extremism, but the only waves that Iran has generated in the last 30 years are waves of violence and terrorism that it has unleashed in the region and across the world,” Netanyahu says. “I wish I could believe Rouhani, but I don’t.”

He goes on to say Ahmadinejad was a wolf in wolves’ clothing but that Rouhani is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

While the world is duped into thinking that Iran has elected a moderate, let’s not forget that next to the Holocaust-denying Ahmadinejad, Satan looks like a moderate. Netanyahu explains, “[Rouhani] was one of only six candidates the regime permitted to run for office … nearly 700 other candidates were rejected.”

The Israeli prime minister also pointed out that Iran is building intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that in a few years could reach NYC.

“And why would a country with a peaceful nuclear program develop [ICBMs], whose sole purpose is to deliver nuclear warheads?” Netanyahu quips. “You don’t build ICBMs to carry TNT thousands of miles away; you build them for one purpose: to carry nuclear warheads.”

And lastly, let’s not forget that the Iranian president is not in charge. The supreme leader of Iran is not an elected position. There have only been two ayatollahs since the 1979 revolution, and the first one kidnapped 52 American diplomats for 444 days.

Having said all that, who knows? Maybe Iran has come to its senses. It would sure be nice to live in Israel not so far from a peace-loving Iran. But don’t hold your breath (unless you’re the ayatollah—in that case, feel free).

The Bible teaches that a collection of countries, including Persia (Iran) will attack Israel in the last days. Fortunately, the Lord will protect Israel from them. In the meantime, let’s not forget the people of Iran, who hate being under a dictatorship and secret police. And let’s keep praying for the release of U.S. pastor Saeed Abedini, who is jailed in an Iranian prison for his faith.

Ron Cantor is the director of Messiah’s Mandate International in Israel, a Messianic ministry dedicated to taking the message of Jesus from Israel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Cantor also travels internationally teaching on the Jewish roots of the New Testament. He serves on the pastoral team of Tiferet Yeshua, a Hebrew-speaking congregation in Tel Aviv. His newest book, Identity Theft, was released April 16. Follow him at @RonSCantor on Twitter.

To live powerfully, it’s important to rest powerfully. Have you heard of power naps? Did you know that they could be hazardous to your health? True!

Napping in the afternoon or long naps in the early afternoon can interfere with nighttime sleep, and sleep deprivation can trigger many short-term and long-term health risks.

What are the stages of sleep, and why are they important? Are there natural solutions we can use to help us get a good night’s sleep? This writing will cover both of these questions.

There are two types of sleep necessary to keep our body and brain in optimum condition: NREM (non rapid eye movement, or “quiet” sleep) and REM (rapid eye movement, or “dream” sleep). Let’s look at what both do to help in the renewing process of the brain and body.

NREM

• Restores the physical body
• Occurs in first 90 minutes of sleep
• Releases growth hormone, encouraging tissue growth/repair
• Blood focuses on muscles, not brain
• Stimulates immune system to defend against infections

REM

• Restores the brain
• Occurs after NREM sleep
• Clears out brain “junk mail”
• Captures memories that allow learning to take place

According to the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas, healthy sleep occurs when NREM and REM cycle through stages of sleep throughout the night. There are four stages to NREM sleep that need to occur before REM sleep begins. 

Stage 1: Light sleep; lasts about 10 minutes. During this time, you feel calm and experience sudden arm and leg movement. Your heart rate lowers, and the eyes open without awareness. If you are awakened, you feel in a state of “half-sleep.”

Stage 2: Begins a sleep that lasts about 30-45 minutes. During this time, there is lack of movement, and you become oblivious to your surroundings. If you wake up during this time, you do not remember your dreams.

Stage 3: Brief time before stage 4. While you are in this stage, your heart rate and breathing slows down, and you display active brain waves every few minutes.

Stage 4: Deepest sleep takes place. It is in this sleep stage that complete relaxation occurs. Blood pressure, heart rate and respiration lower; this is sometimes referred to as “human hibernation.” If you’ve heard “You only grow when you’re sleeping,” this is the time. Eighty percent of all human growth hormone is released in this stage to grow and repair tissue. You will feel groggy for up to an hour if awakened in this stage.

REM occurs 90 minutes into sleep. This is when the eyes dart back and forth and the body temperature and blood pressure rise. The pulse and respiration rates go up as the brain begins racing.

You need to sleep eight to 10 hours continuously to cycle through these stages three to four times. Every time you cycle, the length of the REM sleep increases while the deep NREM decreases until you have a good 30 minutes in dream sleep without any deep sleep occurring—that is considered healthy sleep.

What Can You Do Naturally to Get a Good Night’s Sleep?

Here are some tips from my friend Jean Dukes, a certified natural health professional and a certified aromatherapist. She has practiced nursing for 20 years and now does natural health counseling through her Ten Days Health Ministry. Here are her thoughts on fighting sleep deprivation using aromatherapy:

“Before I knew anything about essential oils, I thought they were just pleasant odors. But I have since learned that essential oils are God’s original medicines and have powerful therapeutic effects, meaning they have healing properties. A good definition of aromatherapy is ‘skilled and controlled use of essential oils.’

“If you have difficulty sleeping, you must first determine the cause of your sleeplessness. Is it due to hormonal changes, pain, worry, internal chatter or stress, for example? Then you must specifically address that issue.

“After age 40, sleep quality and quantity often deteriorate as melatonin production decreases. Sun helps stimulates melatonin production in the brain. So be sure to expose yourself to the sun, don’t wear sunglasses, and ‘sun’ your eyes by looking at the sun through closed eyelids. This will help increase your melatonin levels, promoting a deeper and more restful sleep, as well as having positive effects on your mood.

“Scents of many essential oils exert a powerful calming effect on the mind through their stimulation of the limbic region of the brain. The limbic system is a group of brain structures involved in emotion, motivation and emotional association with memory.

“Historically, lavender is probably the aroma that comes to mind to calm and aid sleep. In one study, lavender oil was applied to the pillows of nine elderly patients. After one week, eight of the nine patients reported improved sleep duration and quality.

“You can put a few drops of lavender oil on your hands, rub them together and then rub your pillow before retiring (and be sure to cup your hands over your nose and inhale deeply and slowly too). Or you can dilute some lavender oil in a small spray bottle of water & mist your pillow and sheets. Be sure to shake well before spraying, as oil and water do not mix easily.

“Essential oils can also be dispersed by means of a diffuser, which encourages tiny droplets to go out into the air. Just inhaling them can cause positive effects—physically, emotionally and even spiritually.

“Roman chamomile oil has calming and relaxing properties. It is often used for restlessness, anxiety, ADHD and insomnia—and combats depression, sleeplessness and stress. Apply two to four drops to the wrists and ankles, diffuse and/or inhale directly.”

Jean can be reached at 10days@, or visit her website at .

With 70 million people suffering with sleep problems, I felt the urge to bring this information to you. I pray it brought you to the great place of “Aha!” Many of us need to visit there often to keep the cobwebs from making a home in our grey matter, myself included.

Linda Goldfarb is a certified physical fitness specialist, speaker, and syndicated radio talk show host. You can download her weekly Not Just Talkin’ the Talk radio broadcasts, a one-hour variety talk show based out of San Antonio, Texas, at . Linda’s show encourages listeners to “walk the walk” spiritually, physically and relationally each and every day.

Your son is 13, and testosterone is running wild in this young man. He’s changing mentally, physically and emotionally. The girls around him are too. His friends are dating, and he has an interest in it as well. The “fun” of fatherhood is about to begin!

Your son may be uncomfortable talking to Mom about what he’s going through, so he looks to you. The stories I’ve heard my friends tell of conversations with their dads around this time are pretty … let’s say strange. 

What are you going to say? How will you coach your son through the dating years? Here are four ways to coach your son through the dating years. And if you have a daughter, here’s how to teach her the difference between boys and men.

1. Ongoing dialogue. When your son reaches this age, you begin to think of “the talk.” But “the talk” implies one conversation will take care of it all. How wrong you are if you think that. “The talk” should be called “the talks” because they should be ongoing conversations and “counseling” sessions. Your son will have new experiences and feelings on a regular basis, and those will require new dialogue and new answers to his questions. Make sure you make it a point to discuss as much as needed.

2. Complete honesty. Don’t talk about the birds and the bees. If you have to get a book to get the proper names and explanations, then do it. Have no pride in this. Also, be honest and open about your experiences—the good and the bad. This is also a good time to discuss the dangers and pitfalls of pornography that is introduced to many young men at this age.

3. Model it for him. Are you dating your wife, his mother, or someone else? When you do, make sure you speak to him about it. Share what you are doing. Share why you are excited or uneasy about something. Your example in dating and the dialogue about it will model the right way to date.

4. Discuss the future. Have real conversations about the consequences of sex—the possibility of STDs, pregnancy and ties to a person he may never have any plans to be with in the future. You don’t want teenage boy “locker room” talk being his frame of reference for this. 

The most important part to remember is your son needs a male, his dad, to be there during these new experiences and thoughts. Just like a coach does, work with him, encourage him and challenge him so he can be best prepared for this season.

Are your sons (or daughters) in this season? How comfortable do you feel about coaching them through this season?

All Pro Dad is Family First’s innovative and unique program for every father. Their aim is to interlock the hearts of the fathers with their children and, as a byproduct, the hearts of the children with their dads. At , dads in any stage of fatherhood can find helpful resources to aid in their parenting. Resources include daily emails, blogs, Top 10 lists, articles, printable tools, videos and eBooks. From , fathers can join the highly engaged All Pro Dad social media communities on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Ready or not—and like it or not—enrollment in the Obamacare Affordable Care Act health care exchanges has begun, providing a new way of shopping for health plans if you don’t get your insurance from your employer, Medicare or Medicaid.

If you’ve decided you want to buy insurance through the exchange offered by your state or the federal government—or maybe you’re just curious about the offerings—here’s a primer on the exchanges and a step-by-step guide to picking a plan, calculating costs and determining if you’re eligible for a federal subsidy.

1. How will buying insurance through an exchange be different? Each state and the District of Columbia will have a health insurance exchange that will run like a complicated version of Expedia. Individual consumers will be able to go online to make apples-to-apples comparisons of various insurance policies, pick a plan and enroll. 

Some states, like New York and California, will run their own exchanges, with insurance companies offering dozens of qualified plans, each with varying costs. Others, like Florida and Texas, will be run by the federal government. Still others, such as Illinois and Michigan, are partnering with the federal government to run their marketplaces. 

For information on what your home state is doing, to find your exchange and to enroll if the federal government is handling the program in your state, you can log on to the federal government website——and follow the prompts

2. When does the enrollment period end? Enrollment begins Oct. 1 and ends March 31, 2014. If you pick a plan by Dec. 15, 2013, your coverage begins on Jan. 1, 2014. 

If you miss the March 31 deadline, you will be required to pay a tax penalty next year to the IRS—$95 per individual (or 1 percent of your income, whichever is greater) and $285 per family. That fine rises to $325 per individual (or 2 percent of income) and $975 per family in 2015. The penalty maxes out at $695 per individual (or 2.5 percent of income) and $2,085 per family in 2016. 

After March 31, you can only apply for insurance if you experience a major life change, such as job loss, divorce or a birth in your family. The next open enrollment period (for 2015) will begin Oct. 15, 2014. 

Employees of small employers can sign up for coverage through the exchanges at any time. 

3. What if I don’t have access to a computer? Toll-free call centers will also be available, with trained experts to detail your options and enroll you in health coverage. 

For information, call 800-318-2596. The line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

4. How can I find out if I qualify for a subsidy? Up to 26 million Americans will be eligible for federal tax subsidies to help defray the cost of their insurance premium. Only qualified individuals who sign up for insurance through the exchanges will be able to get the subsidies, which kick in next year. 

If you earn less than 400 percent of the poverty level—about $46,000 for an individual and $90,000 for a family of four—you may qualify for subsidies. For instance:

• A family of four on the high end of the scale—with an annual household income of $88,200—will pay a maximum of 9.5 percent, which amounts to $8,379 per year for a health insurance premium, and the rest would be subsidized
• On the bottom end of the scale, a family of four with an income of $29,327 will only have to pay 2 percent of its household income—or $587 per year—for the same plan that will cost the higher-income family $8,379.

In addition, low income residents in about half the states that plan to expand Medicaid under Obamacare will also qualify for free or low-cost health care through the federal program for the poor. Applicants earning up to 133 percent above the poverty line—just under $30,000 a year for a family of four—who log on to will be directed to Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

5. What kinds of plans will be offered? The exchanges aim to simplify the decision-making process, with insurers offering four standardized insurance plans—designated bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Each will cover 10 categories of essential benefits set by the federal government, such as emergency service, prescription drug coverage, preventive care and mental health treatment, but these will vary in cost as follows:

• Bronze plans: Offer the lowest amount of coverage—60 percent of medical costs on average—but will have the lowest premiums.
• Silver: 70 percent of costs are covered.
• Gold: 80 percent of costs are covered.
• Platinum: 90 percent of costs are covered, but these plans will have the highest premiums.

6. What does the application process involve? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has devised a three-page application (down from the original 21 pages) for individuals to apply (online or on paper). You will need to provide the following type of information: 

• Name and personal facts (address, Social Security number, date of birth)
• Health status (pregnant, physical/mental conditions)
• Employment status and household income level (using pay stubs or W-2 forms)
• Current health insurance coverage (if any)
• Permission to give an authorized representative or “navigator” access to application information

7. What about small businesses? Small businesses—those with fewer than 50 workers—will also eventually be able to shop for coverage for their employees through the so-called Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) that is a part of the healthcare exchanges.

The SHOP exchanges aim to help small businesses, which have historically paid more than large companies to insure their workers—not only in premiums, but also in administrative costs—in part because they have a smaller pool of employees with which to negotiate deals with insurers.

The SHOP exchanges pool small employers together so they bargain with insurance coverage as a group. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated the SHOP exchanges will lower annual premiums for businesses by 1 to 4 percent. But there are some problems with the rollout of the SHOP exchanges. 

Last week, federal officials announced that small businesses would not be able to enroll directly on Oct. 1, as planned, unless they work through an insurance agent. Officials expect the exchanges will be open to small businesses by Nov. 1.

In addition, the Obama administration recently said it is delaying the full implementation of the SHOP program until 2015. In most states where federal officials are running the exchanges or operating them in partnership with the states, small businesses will not be able to provide workers with a choice of health plans as the law intended. Instead, they will be limited to a single SHOP plan next year.

For more information:  or 800-318-2596.

Are you actively practicing the habits associated with great fathering?

Here at the National Center, most of our materials are based on research about fathering. And quite often we see that research confirmed when we interview great dads about how they live out Championship Fathering.

Since those real-life guys may not have studied my book, they don’t say, “Well, you see, being a good dad is all about loving, coaching and modeling.” (You can see more specifics about each of those here.)

But our staff will tell you that when they hear a dad mention certain fathering habits or topics, they know that guy really gets it. He incorporates traits and attitudes that translate into great fathering.

Here are four of those most critical habits:

1. They express love. Some dads will say things like, “Susie knows I love her because she sees me doing things for her and with her.” And that’s a valid perspective. Kids do feel loved when their dads are involved and help care for them. But dads also need to say it: “I love you, and there’s nothing you can do to change that.” They put their own discomfort or ego aside and say it often because kids need to hear it.

2. They ignore the costs. Some dads might be committed to their families, but they’re constantly thinking about what they’ve sacrificed to be a father: things they enjoy, money, job advancement and so on. But devoted dads realize it isn’t sacrifice but an intentional investment in something more important than those other things.

3. They acknowledge the impact of loving their child’s mother. This doesn’t mean there are no great single or divorced dads, but that dad/mom partnership is a big factor. And it speaks volumes when dads recognize the great security kids gain when they see that their dad and mom love each other and work together for the children’s benefit.

4. They see the bigger picture. They recognize that healthy fathering reaches beyond the walls of their own homes and encourage kids who don’t have a dad. They see that engaged fathers and father figures can truly change the culture, because many of society’s issues will be helped when caring, responsible men step up and care for children.

What about you, Dad? Do you get it? I hope these qualities challenge you, like they challenge me, to be more committed to family tomorrow than you are today.

So, what’s on your “dads who get it” list? What would you add? What qualities stand out most for you when you see them in devoted dads? Please leave a comment below.

Action Points for Dads on the Fathering Journey

• Write a short note to each of your children that simply communicates your love. (If your child is too young to read, write the note, put the date on it, and save it for when he/she is older.)
• Are your children getting enough of your focused time and attention? Maybe there’s room for more adjustments as you live out your priorities. What could you put on hold to free yourself up so you can give more of yourself to your children?
• Get together with your children’s mom to discuss each child’s development and challenges and how the two of you can work together to encourage and guide them more effectively. If you’re divorced and don’t get along with their mom, meet at a neutral place and make it clear you simply want to do better at helping the kids thrive; don’t get into past hurts or mistakes.
• Next time you’re doing a one-on-one activity with your child, include one of his/her friends who doesn’t have a dad or doesn’t see him often.
• If you read today’s blog and were convicted of ways you need to improve as a dad, use this as a wake-up call, an opportunity to make lasting, positive changes on behalf of your children.

Carey Casey is the CEO of the National Center for Fathering, a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the culture of fathering in America by enlisting 6.5 million fathers who to make the Championship Fathering Commitment. Subscribe to his weekly email tip by clicking here: “Yes! I want tips on how to be a great dad who loves, coaches, mentors and inspires my children.”

An enormous slide and a determined toddler is not the sort of combination every parent is hoping for on their first trip to the park.

You watch your child teeter up the ladder, push through the chaos of older kids, and plop down at the top of the slide. You wait with a nervous smile and open arms at the bottom, hoping nothing will go wrong—and a moment later, you’re cradling your child once again.

But what about when your child grows into a teenager and the slide turns into a math test? It’s tough to know at what point you ought to step away and let your teenager make decisions that may have painful consequences. But a little bit of pain can be a good teacher.

Here are seven mistakes you may want to allow your kids to make:

1. Let them fail a test. If your son chooses to disregard your advice to turn off the movie and study, don’t be afraid to let him fail a test. Sometimes it takes one bad grade to wake him up to the importance of studying so he’ll do well on future tests.

2. Let them run low on gas. Your daughter spent more than she should have at the mall and is left without money to fill up her car with gas. Let her learn. It will teach her how to handle money more wisely.

3. Let them forget their practice equipment. When your son rushes out the door and forgets his practice jersey for football, don’t offer to drive all the way up to the field and bring it to him. Let him explain to the coach that it was his own fault he wasn’t prepared, and let him experience the consequences from the coach.

4. Let them leave their homework at home. So your son leaves his homework in a stack of messy papers on the floor instead of in his backpack. Let him learn a lesson in responsibility instead of taking the homework to his school.

5. Let them forget their lunch. If your daughter has too much on her mind to remember to grab her lunch off the counter in the morning, let her figure out a solution at school. Don’t take it to her.

6. Let them wear dirty socks. So your son never brought down his laundry basket last night when you asked him to. When it’s 7 a.m. and he’s running around the house asking you why he has no clean socks, tell him to grab a dirty pair out of the laundry and make it work. Next time, he will obey right away if he wants to avoid more smelly socks.

7. Let them miss a target. A week ago, you told your daughter she had to clean her room if she wanted to go a concert Friday night. If she’s ready to walk out the door that night with her room still a disaster, don’t go back on your word. No clean room, no concert.

Can you think of any other mistakes you should let your kids make? If so, please share them below.

Mark Merrill is the president of Family First. For the original article, visit .

As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu braced for his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama scheduled for Monday, in which he was expected to warn the American president against lifting Iranian sanctions, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro took to the airwaves in efforts to assuage Israeli fears.

Speaking to Israel Radio on Monday, Shapiro said Israel and the U.S. have identical goals in regard to Iran and reiterated that both countries wish to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Shapiro said further that in their meeting Monday, Obama and Netanyahu would outline a joint plan for continued action, in close cooperation and without any surprises.

“There is nothing to worry about over our joint approach to the Iranian issue,” Shapiro told Israel Radio. “Our goals are the same, and our leaders agree on these goals. The main objective is to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“The two leaders agree that it is preferable to try to resolve this problem diplomatically, and what is required now is not just soothing words from the new Iranian government but also real, practical, verifiable steps that can lead to a meaningful agreement—one that will ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons under any circumstances.” 

The ambassador declined to say whether the U.S. would consider lifting or easing the sanctions imposed on Iran, but he did stress that the upcoming meetings between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, would reveal how willing Tehran actually is to move forward.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Netanyahu prepared to bring an unpopular message to the White House and the U.N. in the coming week: Don’t be fooled by Tehran’s new leadership.

Netanyahu contends Iran is using conciliatory gestures as a smoke screen to conceal an unabated march toward a nuclear bomb.

He will deliver those strong words of caution—and fresh intelligence—in an attempt to persuade the U.S. not only to uphold the economic sanctions on Iran but to deepen them, in efforts to prevent the Islamic republic from developing a bomb or getting closer to becoming a nuclear threshold state.

With the White House cautiously optimistic about its dialogue with Iran, Monday’s meeting between Netanyahu and Obama could be tense.

“I will tell the truth in the face of the sweet talk and the onslaught of smiles,” Netanyahu said before boarding his flight to the U.S. on Sunday. “Telling the truth today is vital for the security and peace of the world, and, of course, it is vital for the security of the state of Israel.”

Israeli leaders watched with great dismay what they derisively call the “smiley campaign” waged by Iran’s new president, Hasan Rouhani, last week. Rouhani delivered a conciliatory speech at the U.N. in which he repeated Iran’s official position that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons and declared his readiness for new negotiations with the West.

Capping off the visit, Rouhani and Obama held a 15-minute phone call as the Iranian leader was traveling to the airport. By the end of the call, which was the first conversation between the nation’s leaders in 34 years, Obama was suggesting that a breakthrough on the nuclear issue could portend even deeper ties between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. and European diplomats hailed a “very significant shift” in Iran’s attitude and tone.

For Netanyahu, such sentiments are reason for concern. For years, he has warned that Iran is steadily marching toward developing nuclear weapons, an assessment that is widely shared by the West because of Iran’s continued enrichment of uranium and its run-ins with international nuclear inspectors.

The Israeli prime minister contends Rouhani’s outreach is a ploy to ease international sanctions and buy time. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran an unacceptable threat, given repeated Iranian assertions that the Jewish state should not exist. Israel has a long list of other grievances against Iran, citing its support for hostile Arab militant groups, its development of long-range missiles and alleged Iranian involvement in attacks on Israeli targets in Europe and Asia.

On Sunday, Israel announced the arrest of a Belgian-Iranian businessman on espionage charges.

Netanyahu says the new Iranian leader must be judged on his actions, not his words. In the meantime, he says, sanctions and other international pressure, including the threat of military action, must be increased. He has likened Iran to North Korea, which used the guise of international negotiations to secretly develop a nuclear weapon.

Netanyahu appears to enjoy widespread domestic support for his tough approach. Israel’s Channel 10 television network aired a poll on Sunday indicating 78 percent of Israelis don’t believe Iran truly wants to resolve the nuclear standoff; 59 percent said they did not think the U.S. would reach an agreement with Iran; and just 29 percent said they expected a resolution. The network did not say how many people were polled.

Zalman Shoval, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. who now serves as an adviser to Netanyahu, says the prime minister will present Obama with “some very hard facts” based on intelligence showing that Iranian behavior has not changed.

Similarly, in his speech at the U.N., “[Netanyahu] will make it very clear that Israel and the world at large should continue to be on guard,” Shoval says.

Over the years, Israel has issued shifting assessments of how close Iran is to producing a weapon. Last year, Netanyahu presented a cartoon diagram to the U.N. showing that Iran would enter the final phase of weapons production by mid-2013. Israel has since backed off that assessment.

Strategic Affairs, Intelligence and International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz says international pressure forced Iran to slow production.

“Netanyahu had previously led the sanctions against Iran, and now the Iranians are trying to do the bare minimum to maintain their efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, [which they will] in a short time. Therefore it is better to have no deal [with the Iranians] than a bad a deal. The sanctions should be made stricter, not relaxed,” an Israeli government official says.

While American officials are well aware of Israel’s concerns, they say there are no plans to reverse the latest diplomatic push.

Two senior Obama administration officials say the U.S. expects Israel to be skeptical about Iran’s overture and that the U.S. is similarly skeptical.

Obama will try to convince Netanyahu that the U.S. won’t consider lifting sanctions until Iran takes concrete actions to show it is serious about a verifiable, transparent agreement, say the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.

Obama will also seek to assure his Israeli counterpart that if the U.S. reaches a deal with Iran, it will ultimately advance Israel’s security interests by resolving the nuclear issue without the need for military intervention.

Obama’s bottom line remains that Iran can’t be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, the officials say.

Israel, however, wants the U.S. to establish clear “red lines” to prevent Iran from pressing forward with its nuclear program and moving toward threshold status: having the capability to build a nuclear weapon without actually possessing one. That scenario is unacceptable to Israel.

Netanyahu has laid out four demands: that Iran stop enriching uranium; that its stockpiles of enriched uranium be removed from the country; that a fortified underground enrichment facility be shut down; and that Iran refrain from making plutonium, another possible path toward nuclear weapons.

Professor Eytan Gilboa, an expert on relations at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, predicts a “very difficult conversation” on Monday.

“[The Americans] like Rouhan,” Gilboa says. “They think he represents a new policy, a new approach, and therefore should be given at least a chance. Netanyahu’s strategy is to say that this whole thing is a big hoax. There are no buyers for his message.”

For the original article, visit .

Tom Freiling, founder of Xulon Press, ventures back into self-publishing with the launch of Excel, a breakthrough in digital self-publishing that utilizes an exclusive technology to facilitate high-speed publishing.

Excel, which launched last month, is a collaborative project owned by Charisma House and directed by Freiling. Excel is the world’s first self-publishing endeavor to offer print-on-demand technology specifically for Christian authors. This state-of-the-art typesetting program mirrors the future of the e-book market with a zero inventory system, enabling print books upon request in just 24 hours or less.

“Excel is the next generation of self-publishing,” Freiling said. “We’re taking digital publishing technology a step further, to make it faster and easier for Christian authors to get published.”

In three easy do-it-yourself steps, authors have the ability to submit their manuscript for free via Excel’s website and prepare it for electronic publication to over 30,000 bookstores in leading e-book formats such as Kindle, Nook, Apple iBooks and Kobo.

“Our vision is to publish books not just written by authors here in the United States, but on every continent,” Freiling said. “We don’t consider ourselves a USA publisher, or even a North American publisher—but a Christian publisher for the world.”

Excel also offers an online social gathering for like-minded authors to interact with experts via social media. Excel authors have members-only access to a special Twitter account, Facebook page, and LinkedIn profile. Amenities also include a biweekly conference call and a monthly newsletter with a personal book coach.

“In the past five years the self-publishing market has seen a 287 percent increase, with more than 200,000 titles published last year in the United States alone,” said Tessie DeVore, executive vice president of Charisma House. “Finding the right publisher has become overwhelming for Christian authors. Excel will provide something totally new and fresh, and will allow them to take their message to the world without the additional time, expense and labor of traditional publishing.”

Charisma House has published 11 New York Times best-sellers, including The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn, Fasting by Jentezen Franklin, 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese and The Seven Pillars of Health by Don Colbert, M.D.

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Cornell University researchers have developed a reliable method to distinguish between normal, age-related memory decline and the more serious disease-related memory decline. With this methodology, researchers can more accurately identify those likely to develop diseases associated with severe cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Memory impairment caused by disease differs from the normal memory decline associated with healthy aging. Analyzing the different types of errors made on standard memory tests can help identify these differences.

The new method identifies various patterns and memory processes. This new approach allows disease detection up to six years before obvious symptoms emerge and without expensive tests or invasive procedures.

To develop their model, Cornell College professors Charles Brainerd and Valerie Reyna compared data from two longitudinal studies. One was the broad-based aging, demographics and memory study targeting older adults. The other was the Alzheimer’s disease neuroimaging initiative targeting adults with Alzheimer’s. Both included brain and behavioral measures as well as diagnoses for cognitive impairment and dementia.

Recollective Versus Reconstructive Memory

The researchers identified two types of memory decline—recollective and reconstructive. Recollective memory involves simply recalling a word or event accurately. Reconstructive memory involves the more complicated process of recalling a word or event by making associations. The ability to recall a word or event normally declines with age, but one may still be able to make the recollection by associating it with something else. That’s reconstructing as opposed to simply recollecting.

The inability to reconstruct a word or event by making various associations is evidence of disease. For example, healthy older adults given a list of household pets should be able recall the word dog from the list by associating dog with household pets.

“Reconstructive memory is very stable in healthy individuals, so declines in this type of memory are a hallmark of neurocognitive impairment,” Reyna says.

Declines in reconstructive memory processes were reliable predictors of future progression from mild cognitive impairment to severe dementia. The new model was a better predictor than the best genetic marker of such diseases.

“With 10- or- 15-minute recall tests already in common use worldwide, we can distinguish individuals who have or are at risk for developing cognitive impairment from healthy adults, and we can do so with better accuracy than any existing tools,” Brainerd says.

Memory Training for Older Adults

Brainerd notes the research also has implications for helping all healthy adults improve their memory.

“Younger adults rely heavily on recollection,” he says. “But this method becomes increasingly inefficient throughout mid-adulthood. Training people how to make better use of reconstructive recall as they age should assist healthy adult memory function. Our analytical models are readily available for research and clinical use and could easily be incorporated into existing neuropsychological tests.”

On a side note, the research also challenges the notion that memory declines continuously throughout adulthood. According to the new data, most healthy adults experience some recollective memory decline up until age 69, but not afterward.

“When we separated out the cognitively impaired individuals, we found no evidence of further memory declines after the age of 69 in samples of nationally representative older adults and highly educated older adults,” Reyna says.

Don Colbert, M.D., is board certified in family practice and in anti-aging medicine. He also has received extensive training in nutritional and preventive medicine, and he has helped millions of people discover the joy of living in divine health.

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As children move though the teen years, they desire to pole-vault into independence. This, mixed with a bubbling set of hormones and an ever-expanding understanding of society, can make fathering teens one of the hardest and emotionally charged tasks for God’s man.

Yet, it’s critical to lean into these years versus withdrawing and not allowing the pace of life or teenage attitudes to create detachment. Here’s why: This is when your children are in the red zone of identity, and it is your responsibility to bring them into the end zone of adulthood.

Unfortunately, reading between the lines of the following news reports, many teens suffer from a lack of fathers leaning in and taking their roles seriously, resulting in unintended but very real suffering. Check out these national headlines from the last couple months, along with my “between the lines” takes:

Teen charged, second sought in beating death of WWII vet, 88, in Spokane

My between-the-lines: Two young men unleashed pent-up anger to express machismo, perhaps copying what they experienced at home by their own fathers.

Teens charged after allegedly killing Australian student in Oklahoma for the ‘fun of it’

My between-the-lines: Fatherlessness is creating these types of boys by the millions with multiplied billions of their social interactions, creating a titanic wave of injustice for innocent people. Emotionally unaware and socially detached, these boys cannot connect their actions with the feelings of others.

Father and son behind bars for shooting near Purdue North Central

My between-the-lines: Sadly, the teenage son is following the example set by his drug-dealing father, learning how to execute “justice” when a deal goes wrong.

While these examples don’t paint fatherhood masterpieces, teenagers can also be wonderful, loving and even surprising young men and women who grow by leaps and bounds right in front of our eyes. Fathering a teen can be challenging but equally rewarding.

Here are a few tips I’ve used and picked up over the years from experts:

1. Understand the phases of fatherhood. As your child grows up, your fatherhood goes through phases. Recognize these phases so you can adjust your style of leadership. The phases of fatherhood are:

• Servant: infant to 3 years old
• Trainer: 3 to 12 years old
• Coach: 13 to 19 years old
• Friend: 19 and above

Notice that when your child becomes a teenager, your role should turn to being more of a coach and less of a trainer. That can be a subtle change, but as a coach you have to guide without telling. Advise without demanding. Lead without pushing. Hold them accountable with a reward system instead of enforcing boundaries with strict discipline.

2. Nurture independent responsibility—individuate. Whenever possible, empower your teenager to own responsibility and consequences so they can do things their own way and individuate themselves. Teenagers can be creative innovators, but they have to learn by experiencing the repercussions of events.

One example I use with my boys is to point out something or answer a question with the phrase “That’s what a man does” instead of “You should do …” Helping my boys discover the role of manhood without telling them what to do gives them a tethered leash to individuate and blaze their own trail.

The freedom your teens enjoy is a result of your being responsible. Dads can’t just take a day off. Dads have to make a living, provide for the family and serve others. Saying no to yourself and yes to others is the virtue of discipline and representative of the Christian life. After all, Jesus was sent to serve, not be served.

3. Be a model worth copying. Your teens are watching, evaluating and sizing you up moment by moment. In good times and bad, your teens are encoding your behavior and establishing precedent-setting DNA regarding how to handle life’s curveballs. Stand strong, wait on God and swing true, and your teens will see how to hit homeruns in life. You have to be a model worth copying. This may be the most challenging tip but also the most valuable. What does that look like?

Pray about everything. Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything.” Your kids will see where your strength and faith come from and follow suit. The pressure of life can result in progress in your faith, using prayer as the tool. Unfortunately, many men wilt at pressure and act out in unhealthy ways. Remember, your kids are watching.

Listen to your teens. In James 1:19, the Bible says, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak.” With teenagers, this often means asking open-ended questions, because they don’t always want to share what’s on their hearts and minds. If we listen to our teens and assure them we heard them, they will trust and share and feel respected—and return the favor.

Disarm conflict. Ephesians 6:4 sums up fatherhood like this: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (ESV). Conflicts can either tear you apart or lead to deeper intimacy and understanding. Disarm conflict with tempered discipline and biblical instruction. In Psalm 23, David compared God’s discipline and guidance to a “rod and staff” that provide comfort.

4. Practice my ‘flaps down’ prayer. While driving home after work, before walking in the door after a day at work, I use my “flaps down” prayer so I come home for a landing that allows me to be present and available for my family. The trap is getting caught in your own world, not theirs. Take a moment before you arrive home to pray and focus your attention on God and your family before you walk in the door. It’s a prayer “reset” to transition your mind, heart and soul to focus on the needs of your family. Set your own fatigue and issues aside to be available to shepherd the kids, help with the meal and clean-up, etc.

5. Know the Word. Speak it. Actions may speak louder than words, but speaking the Word “does not return void.” Raising teens in today’s troubled times requires that fathers know what the Bible teaches and are ready to speak the Scripture into their lives.

Kenny Luck, founder of Every Man Ministries and the men’s pastor at Saddleback Church, provides biblically oriented teaching and leadership for men and pastors seeking relevant, timely material that battle cultural, worldly concepts threatening men and God’s men. Follow Kenny and Every Man Ministries now on Facebook, Twitter (@everyMM) and YouTube.

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