The beauty of prayer is that it is an individual act, and we do it by choice, where we choose to do it — in the forest, or within the public school. Nobody can stop the inner working of our mind. In the Forest, original oil painting by Steve Henderson; licensed open edition print at iCanvasART and Framed Canvas Art.

Christians, like all humans, fuss about things, and a central fussing point of the last many years is prayer in schools.

“Our country is falling apart because we no longer have prayer in schools,” people say. emphasizing the point with 2 Chronicles 7: 14 —

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

All our problems? It’s because we no longer pray in schools.

There’s a freedom in admitting something we’ve denied for a long time. If you feel like you don’t fit in, then admit it, and recognize that you’re not necessarily the problem. The Misfit Christian by Carolyn Henderson, at Amazon.com.

Given that I’m more than a half-century old, and at no point, in my school years, did we pray in schools, I’m not sure when these halcyon days of Christian piety were supposed to exist, but whether or not they did, there are three major reasons why we Christians do not need to — and probably should not — agitate for prayer in schools.

Please read the rest at my Commonsense Christianity column at BeliefNet, 3 Reasons America Does Not Need — or Want — Prayer in Schools. As you know, I am unable to print the whole article in more than one place, and I am grateful to my readers to click through.

I am also grateful to my readers who look at my book, The Misfit Christian, and consider purchasing it. Nobody likes to think of themselves as sticking out, but if you come home from church consistently feeling sad, depressed, or out of the loop, why not admit it to yourself and do something about it?

You’re not abnormal, you know — you’re part of a growing group of seekers who aren’t finding the truth where you’re told it will be. Want to find it? Get out your Bible, read it for yourself, and ask God to give you the faith you need to believe in Him.

This article is linked to My Daily Walk in His Grace, Wholehearted Home, Raising Homemakers, We Are That Family, Ducks in a Row, The Life of Jennifer Dawn, My Disorganized Life, A Wise Woman, Time Warp Wife, Table for Seven, Titus Tuesday, A Peek into My Paradise, Tuesday Link Up, The Shady Porch, What Joy Is Mine, A Mama’s Story, The Life of Faith, Moms the Word, Women of Worship, Mopping the Floor, A Life in Balance, Mama Diane, A blossoming life, Serving Joyfully, 3D Lessons, Children Are a Blessing, Graced Simplicity, I Choose Joy, Jenny Mullinix, Shine Blog Hop, All Things with a Purpose, A Look at the Book, Friday Flash Blog, A little dash of diva, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Weekend Wind down, Fellowship Friday, Family Fun, Christian Mom Blogger, Essential Things, Missional woman