I fall on my knees before the Father. - Ephesians 3:14
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When asked how to start a revival, a popular British evangelist said, “Go home. Lock yourself in your room. Kneel down in the middle of the floor, and with a piece of chalk, draw a circle around yourself. There on your knees, pray fervently and brokenly that God would start a revival within that chalk circle.”

The Apostle Paul, a murderer of Christians turned missionary for Christ, wrote to the church at Ephesus that he falls on his knees before his heavenly Father in a spirit of humility and brokenness, pleading for Him to move. Paul was never going to tell the church to be humbled before making sure he was humbled first! That is the key!

Today, we know there is cultural chaos, political unrest, division, and a downward spiral of morality. But darkness is just the absence of light. Our generation needs the spirit of Christ to fall down on us and shine bright. We are ripe for revival!

The psalmist wrote, “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God” (Psalm 51:17). God desires an open heart ready to receive all He has. We can’t please Him by our outward actions, no matter how good we are, if our heart is not right with Him through Christ.

Do you feel the brokenness all around you? Do you want to experience the spirit of God falling on your campus? For that to happen, we must start with praying just like Paul to say, “God, start here in my life.” Break me, oh God. Let revival begin with me! When God has answered your prayer, the revival has begun!

At a youth prayer meeting, a little over a century ago, a young teenage girl named Florrie Evans rose to her feet and said, “I love Jesus with all my heart!” Immediately the Spirit of God fell in that place. That brokenness began to rapidly spread to students and out into the community like wildfire. Florrie’s simple, short confession of a humble, broken heart sparked a revival that eventually spread to five continents around the world! Yes, just one girl impacted her entire generation.

Cultural statistics are reporting we are either on the brink of a dark age in Christianity, or on the brink of a great revival. Repentance in this century can happen today! Revival in your generation can start with you!

Are you willing to be broken before God? Then draw your circle. Fall on your knees. Announce that you love Jesus. Let revival begin with your heart.

Let this be one step toward your higher calling!

​Standardized tests are used by colleges and universities as one part of the application process. Many high schools are utilizing the PSAT as a tool to measure student progress. Taking the PSAT/NMSQT as a junior gives you an opportunity to take a standardized test and see how you do, without having to worry that colleges or programs will see your scores. It’s also a great way to prepare for the regular SAT and it is the only test you can take (as a junior) to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship.

National Merit finalists could receive between $2,500 and full-tuition, depending on the kind of scholarship awarded. The three types include: National Merit $2500 Scholarships, corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards, and college-sponsored Merit Scholarships.

What can you do to be as prepared as possible for this important test? 

5 Steps to Prepare for the PSAT in October 

1. REGISTER for the PSAT at your high school. This test is scheduled by your high school, for a time in October. Be sure to register to take the test. Check with your school counseling office to be sure there will be room for you to take the test.
2. GET FAMILIAR with the PSAT. Look at the College Board website for information about what the questions are like in the PSAT, how long it is, and what to expect. 
3. PREPARE for the PSAT. If your high school does not offer a PSAT study group, get a group of your friends together and set a time each week to spend preparing for the PSAT. You will have more fun, and be less likely to shrug off the practice. 
4. Use RESOURCES to prepare for PSAT. Khan Academy, and other test prep resources offer practice tests, practice questions and personalized preparation for the test.
5. Start EARLY. Don’t wait until the week before to prepare. Start now (in September) to prepare for the test. 

Remember, the “P” in PSAT stands for practice. It’s just practice! So, if you miss the test date, do not worry. However, if you are a high-achieving student (all A’s), you can contact the PSAT/NMSQT administration to request information about retaking the test.

To qualify as a National Merit Semifinalist, you must be among the top one percent of all juniors in your state who took the PSAT. The National Merit website reports that “approximately 1.6 million students meet entry requirements, but only about 50,000 of the highest scoring students receive program recognition.”

Homeschooled students can take the test at a local high school or approved location. Contact the guidance counselor at the nearest high school to make arrangements.

Just as a reminder, seniors are encouraged to wrap up their SAT and ACT testing by December. Your test scores are a key part of your college applications, and colleges typically require you to submit test scores by their application deadline.

Here are the Fall 2018 test dates:

ACT
October 27, 2018: Registration deadline is September 28th
December 8, 2018: Registration deadline is November 2nd 

To register for the ACT go to: http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration-information.html

SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests
November 3, 2018: Registration deadline is October 5th
December 1, 2018: Registration deadline is November 2nd

To register for the SAT go to: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register

Many graduating seniors have shared that if they could change one thing about their college planning they would spend more time using test prep to get higher scores and qualify for more merit aid! Studying for and taking the PSAT is the first step to help pay for college.

Hope you have a great week!

Credit: GuidedPath Guru

It’s essay season! How many do think you’ll write?

Twelve? Seven? Thirty-eight? More?

There are many factors that will cause that number to rise or fall. The number of college applications. (Remember the Million Dollar Scholar?) The number of essay-based scholarships…that ask different questions. If you’re using the Common Application. If your personal statement could be written once and shared multiple times. If the application requires that you pick four of eight questions.

Not only will the number of essays vary, your word limit will vary as well. Aside from short-answers, essay word limits could be 250 or even 1000 words! And word limit is just that – a limit. Do not exceed! Do not pass! Creatives, just this once, do not color outside the lines!

You’ve heard how important the essay is to the admission process. Highly selective colleges may give the essay more value than others. Some colleges use the essay as a final deciding factor if they’re on the fence about accepting your application.

At most colleges, the essay may be less than ten percent of an application, yet students may spend more time writing than completing the actual application. This is one reason to get your essay prompts early in the summer and start writing – especially your personal statement.

In the Journal of College Admission (Summer 2018), Ashley Dobson talked about about the essay process with a few seniors.

Angela Weiss said, “It took a lot of my time, especially first semester senior year. It was extremely stressful to balance applying for college and still balancing schoolwork.” She wrote fourteen essays.

Students are applying to more colleges than ever before.

Dobson wrote, “According to the Higher Education Research Institute, 35 percent of first-time freshmen applied to seven or more colleges during the Fall 2016 admission cycle. More than 80 percent of first-time freshmen apply to at least three colleges each year.”

This is one reason why students are hiring professionals to review their essays. While it is unethical and illegal to write admission essays, having them reviewed for content, structure, and grammar is beneficial.

College planners are good choices for many college-bound students who are attempting to balance athletics, academics, and applications.

Remember, along with writing the application essays, students have to complete research papers, projects and vocabulary tests. And take time to breath. There is so much to do!

The essay prompts are unique, but sometimes confusing.

The essay prompts are too philosophical, and not personal.

Dobson also heard from Anna Jace, who shared about the different approaches to writing. “We learn academic essay writing, so we learn how to form an argument and things like that. But for colleges, it was more creative writing and writing about yourself, which kind of took me by surprise.”

If you are an underclassman, understand that grades and grammar are the keys to success in college. Keep learning how to read. Keep learning how to write.

If you are a junior, make a note to begin writing your personal statement (250- and 500-word versions) in June. Then get the essay prompts from the Common Application, UC Application, or Coalition Application and start writing.

If you are senior, now that it is September, it is time to finalize your college essays.  Here are some Do’s and Don’ts provided by Cyndy McDonald of GuidedPath.

College Essay General Do’s and Don’ts 

Do’s 

1. Do be concise and write about something you know about. 
2. Do be open and authentic.  Reveal something about your identity in your essay. 
3. Do show rather than tell. Giving examples and illustrating your topic brings it to life. 
4. Do write in your own “voice” and style. 
5. Do have multiple people help you edit your essay for grammar, spelling, and context (parents, friends, your counselor, etc.). 

Don’ts 

1. Don’t write what you think others want to read. 
2. Don’t exaggerate or write to impress. 
3. Don’t use a flowery, inflated, or pretentious style of writing. 
4. Don’t ramble—say what you have to say and conclude. 

Your college essay, along with your high school record, standardized test scores, and extracurricular involvement, will provide the basis upon which the college makes its admissions decision. A thoughtful, well-written essay can positively affect that final decision. Keep this in mind and take full advantage of the opportunity which the college essay affords you.

No matter how many essays you need to write, contact me if you have any questions or need someone to review your work.