episode 2 - Arise & Build podcast
This blog is a list of resources and details related to Episode 2 of the Arise & Build podcast.
Episode 2 is the first in a series about making changes to our state constitution and the measures that you can expect to see on a ballot in 2024 - legalizing full term abortion and gun control.
I highly encourage you to check it out, subscribe and follow along!
map of ratification results in nov '22 - legalizing marijuana
This map shows the results of the Nov '22 election by county. You can see that only 13 counties out of 163 in the State of Missouri wanted to make this change. Because only a simple majority of popular vote is required for ratification, it passed.
2024 Ballot Measures
Issues we will see on the ballot in 2024 will be abortion & gun control. Missouri voters need to understand this issue and do the work it takes to bring and keep righteous statutes in Missouri.
I'll be explaining more of the specifics of these measures on future podcasts, so be sure to subscribe.
take action
1. Call & email the governor. Ask for a special session to pass Concurrent Majority Ratification. 573.751.3222
2. Call & email your representatives & senators. Ask for their support in a concurrent majority ratification resolution that would be based on House districts.
3. SUBSCRIBE & SHARE this information with your friends and family! Our Arise & Build podcast is on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts & other podcast platforms. Arise & Build Podcast
4. DO NOT sign ANY petitions that would enable ANY measures to be added to the Missouri ballot.
5. Vote NO on ANY change to the Missouri Constitution in 2024.
arise & build podcast launch
The inaugural episode of the Arise & Build podcast dropped today! Hosted by yours truly, this will be another way for me to deliver content related to Christians stewarding freedom here in Missouri and across the nation.
I'm new to the podcast world, so it's not professional quality but I promise I'm a quick learner and it'll get better as the days go by.
As always, please subscribe & share!
*CORRECTION: I misspoke on the podcast. The meeting Tuesday is not a committee meeting and won't be available to the public. It's a caucus for the republican reps at the Capitol.
resources & action items
FiscalNote, Inc. is the parent company to Fireside, the constituent management service being pushed to our House reps by lobbyists and salesmen.
FiscalNote's CEO is a World Economic Forum type of guy. Check out his bio on the WEF website.
"Prior to founding FiscalNote, Hwang started his career in politics in the Obama '08 campaign, assisting in the election of the first Obama Administration."
"He is also currently a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer,"
FiscalNote is being represented by lobbyist John Bardgett, per the MEC website as seen below. It will be interesting to see what donations come in to what campaigns & PACs after the purchasing decision is made.
contact your representative
Reach out to your rep and let them know you do NOT want constituent services in Missouri to handled by a 3rd party liberal globalist vendor!
We have a system already in place that is privately held by the State.
Our data should NOT be farmed out to the cloud, and definitely not to an ESG supporting vendor.
This is NOT a safe option for Missouri!
Use this lookup tool if you need to find your representative.
sB 681 & SB 662 (2022) by Senators cindy o'laughlin (R) & Lauren Arthur (d)
SB 681 & SB 662 were combined to create an education omnibus bill in the 2022 legislative session. It's what we call a "Christmas Tree Bill" because there are several different sections of Missouri statute addressed. It was a large bill that ended up being 166 pages long, repealed 30 sections and added 50 brand new sections of statutes. It was all pertaining to elementary and secondary education. This was the brainchild of Senator Cindy O'Laughlin, republican from northern Missouri (Majority Floor Leader in 2023) and Senator Lauren Arthur, democrat from Clay County (KC area).
It contained everything from testing kids for lead poisoning to creating additional pathways for high school graduation to changing the state learning standards and MANDATING mental health training for high school students.
The latter is what we are going to be talking about today.
Here's the statute created by SB 681 & SB 662:
the result of rsmo 170.307 is ADDED social emotional learning standards
Based on this new statute, on Tuesday, August 15th, the Missouri State Board of Education approved a rule change to add Social Emotional Learning (SEL) standards for K-12 mental health training.
It's ALWAYS a problem when we see in statute that our legislators are abdicating their authority to the unelected bureaucrats with NO way of knowing what the outcome will be. The overreach of bureaucrats into every part of society is a primary reason government has grown to the extent it has, and it's a huge problem in our education system.
This should be a primary concern to conservatives, especially Christian conservatives across Missouri. Promulgated rules are nearly always written to expand progressive government in one way or another.
what is SEL?
Social Emotional Learning is a broad umbrella term that encompasses several things, but the term is pretty self explanatory. In a nutshell, it's the teaching or training of students in regard to social and/or emotional issues.
This is the proposed rule change:
SEL can include, but is not limited to:
- any mental health related topic such as depression, suicide, anxiety, etc.
- communication skills
- motivational skills
- racial & social justice issues
- diversity & equity
- civic engagement
- affirming LGBTQIA+ student behavior
- giving students a "safe" private space with counselors without parental knowledge or consent
- comprehensive sex education
- SEL related student surveys that collect student data related to their beliefs
SEL learning objectives will most likely come through health or PE class by way of the school counselors, who are NOT trained psychologists. Honestly, I don't prefer my own student to have ANY mental health instruction at school - SEL or otherwise.
These new standards will most likely be largely driven by the American School Counselor's Association and organizations such as CASEL and American Federation for Teachers (AFT). These organizations are the opposite of conservative. POLAR opposite.
It doesn't take much to see why it would be a problem for these large progressive organizations and bureaucrats to be running the show in relation to social and emotional learning.
vague standards & local control
The standards are vague. When you read them, there is no clear danger if you aren't familiar with specific terminology or the bigger picture of SEL. Of course we want our children to be empathetic, good problem solvers and happy, productive kids.
Isn't that what this is about??
Well, for some districts and teachers - yes. But for others and maybe most at this point because of the American School Counselors Association - there is a bigger agenda involved.
A marxist agenda. An agenda that divides our kids, pits them against one another and destroys the fabric of patriotic Christian family values all unbeknownst to parents while our kids are in school.
The standards DO allow for individual districts & teachers to adopt their own curriculum and lesson plans as they pertain to these specific standards. It IS possible that your school and your student would not be exposed to the progressive woke agenda. This is why if you ask your administration or school board member, they'll likely tell you that the standard doesn't really matter and that the local school controls the curriculum. That is true.
But here are a few of the problems:
How will you know what your student's teacher is saying or teaching regarding SEL?? You won't. Most likely, you won't even know the questions to ask your student or when to ask them.
How will you know if your student is talking to your school counselor about LGBTQ, sexual identity, gender identity or even suicide? You won't. They are not required to disclose. They are "safe" spaces for students and your students have privacy privileges there. You will know NOTHING if the school counselor doesn't want you to know. The School Counselor's Association wants it this way and they are lobbying legislators to keep it this way.
Do you want your school counselor, PE teacher or health teacher or any teacher - none of whom are trained psychologists - to be teaching mental health topics to your students anyway? I don't.
Do you want your student to be surveyed without your knowledge? I don't.
Do you want your school district to be forced to do MORE teaching that is NOT core classes? I don't. Our schools have more than enough requirements forced onto them by DESE as it is.
Are you familiar with the American School Counselor's Association and what they are pushing into your school counselors offices? Probably not. There are a few resources below & I'll continue to talk about it here.
what can you do?
- Submit public comment to DESE, via survey below, rejecting SEL standards being MANDATED to our schools. You can simply enter "I reject all SEL standards, definitions, and implementation in any format, whether recommended or mandated, in Missouri public schools" in the appropriate text boxes.
2. Share this blog with your like-minded family & friends!
3. Use the resources below to learn a little more and be sure to subscribe to the blog!
resources
Please spend some time learning about SEL if you aren't already aware.
- Pay attention to her language in the video above. She want's school transformation - bringing joy & justice to schools by bringing together SEL, restorative practices & racial equity. They have a NEW definition of SEL. "Culturally affirmative SEL". Race conscious, justice oriented & everything that happens in a classroom cannot be neutral.
Jodi grace ministries has officially launched & stepped 'out of the boat!'
This past Saturday, we kicked off our ministry and the Awakening at The Wall event series in Jefferson City! We had a great turnout and enjoyed spending the day connecting to Jesus and each other.
We are excited about where God is taking us and what He is doing here in Missouri.
We had a pretty full house all day Saturday as we brought worship & ministry together with education on legislation and child exploitation in Missouri. Here is what a couple of our guests had to say...
I have only praise and for a "first time" Jodi Grace Ministries event, I thought it was excellent, informative, organized and with high quality speakers, music, and guests. Thank you for your hard work and focus, I am so very glad I was in attendance. - Portia C.
I am so happy I did not miss this. The information presented was informative and interesting. - Gary J.
I thoroughly enjoyed your event. It was uplifting and educational. You did such an amazing job!!! - Lisa E.
"what are these AWAKENING events, exactly?"
The simplest answer in a nutshell is that I am being obedient to what Holy Spirit has been asking me to do for months - gather the believers.
Why? To empower & equip Missourians who love the Lord.
If you want more specifics, here's a list of things you can expect from us:
1. Worship & Praise. Often, in Biblical times, when they were preparing for battle they sent worshippers out before hand. We are in a spiritual battle the likes of which we've never experienced before & it's imperative that we look up and offer up our worship and praise before we do anything else.
2. Prayer. We need people of prayer who are in right relationship with Jesus, who have been healed or are willing to be healed and are walking in personal spiritual freedom to rise up and be involved in government. When we gather, we will always create space for Holy Spirit to move and work in the hearts and lives of His people. HE is the answer & there are things only He can do no matter what topics we teach or speak on.
3. Biblical Message. Our feet are grounded in the Word & He's called us to bring a message of hope to counter the darkness we are bringing to light. Throughout the Awakening at The Wall events, we'll be focusing on the book of Nehemiah.
4. A Meal & Fellowship. We'll break bread together & connect in a personal way. One of our highest priorities is to build relationships with Believers across Missouri.
5. Education. One of our purposes is to empower Missourians with knowledge and information they can use to make a difference in Missouri government. We'll bring real, practical information to empower believers to be more informed voters and better equipped to steward freedom.
6. Building Community, Networking & Connecting. We need each other. We already have challenges as conservative Christians that we've never seen in this country before. Those challenges are likely going to escalate. We believe creative solutions will come as we are growing in relationship with Him and with each other. Our vision is to grow a trusted community where we can pray, share challenges, brainstorm solutions, work and serve together to build a spiritual "wall" around Missouri.
Are you having church?
My prayer is that we have AMAZING church every time we gather. However, we encourage our community members to stay engaged in their local churches and share educational information with like-minded Missourians there.
Is this a political meeting?
No. This is about God's heart for Missouri and local government. We inspire, educate & activate Missourians to be better stewards of liberty. We work to...
- Inspire through the Word & worship
- Educate on specific Missouri government issues
- Activate believers through building community & delivering simple action steps
Please join us!
September 9th in West Plains
November 4th in Independence
We are looking for venues in Nixa/Ozark, Poplar Bluff, Cape Girardeau, Farmington, St. Charles, and Belton. If you would like to help bring an event to any of those areas, please reach out and let us know.
We are also hosting Gatherings at The Table and speaking at meetings as requested.
Be sure to reach out to us if you're interested in scheduling an event.
are you ready for an awakening in missouri?
The 10 day countdown has begun!
I don't know about you, but I'm ready for an amazing move of God across our beautiful Show-Me State! I almost named this event series Show Me Your Glory, because I am longing to see His kingdom come here in Jefferson City and around the state. Instead, He directed me to the book of Nehemiah for a headline but my heart is crying out for Him to show us His glory through this season of worship and repentance.
I'm expecting God to show up in AMAZING ways throughout this series of live events across the state!
jodi, what are you doing?
I'm being asked this question a lot. Maybe you are wondering, too, so I figured maybe it was time to give you the scoop.
In a nutshell: I've told God I'll do whatever He tells me to do. Serious - whatever it is I'm doing it. We don't have time to play church or waste time anymore. The American "church" system is failing and we are on the brink of major shifts in our way of life. I'm of the opinion that Jesus could literally split the easter sky at any moment. I'm an all or nothing type and I'm ALL IN with Holy Spirit til this life of mine is over. I'm obeying the Holy Spirit and trusting that He knows what He's doing.
The Bigger Vision: God gave me a vision to build a community of Christ followers across the state for the purpose of inspiration, connection, education and activation in order to bring change to our culture and strengthen His remnant in Missouri.
What does that look like?
2023 - Jodi Grace ministries is born
After so much prayer, discussions, seeking counsel and confirmation, we have created and registered a faith-based 508 c1a non profit. Your donations are tax deductible. Our website is under construction, but you'll soon find more information at www.jodigrace.org.
Currently, we are working on a series of live events across Missouri and we'll be launching a private online community at our kickoff as well.
Awakening at The Wall Live Event Series
- Worship
- Repentance & Prayer
- Communion
- Fellowship
- Practical Education
- Connecting MO legislation to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals
- Child Exploitation & Trafficking
The Sword & Trowel
- Private online community & equipping center
- Weekly Zooms for prayer & Bible study
- Prayer team
- Multiple vaults of practical education regarding current events and culture, including government
- Sharing resources & information
- Occasional gatherings in person
it's almost here!
We are kicking off this new season just 10 days from now!
Awakening at The Wall in Jefferson City is nearly sold out! If you want a seat, please grab one now - before they are gone!
great lineup in jefferson city
Not every Awakening at The Wall event will look the same, but I am super excited about our kickoff in Jefferson City! The people I'll be sharing the platform with are absolutely incredible and I know you'll be blessed by them.
- Worship with Kingdom Church St. Louis Jake & Heather Matheny are spirit-filled worshipers with a heart to serve by leading you into an experience with Holy Spirit. They have been traveling from St Louis to Jefferson City once a month since January to minister with worship in the Capitol and they were SO incredible and such a blessing. Their heart for revival is sincere. I can't wait for you to meet them!
- The Word -Yours truly will be bringing a message from the Lord. If you want to prepare, read the book of Nehemiah. Come expecting a move of God. We'll be opening an altar for prayer and the prayer team is expecting miracles!
- The UN Sustainable Development Goals & Missouri Legislation Review - Amy Fox (not pictured) & Lisa Pannett are Missouri powerhouses when it comes to the fighting the global agenda and Missouri legislation. They are both sold out believers who have been walking the Capitol halls for several years, fighting for freedom on your behalf. Amy will show you how the United Nations & World Economic Forum have accessed our state and local governments. Then Lisa will share the legislation that passed in '23 and how it relates to their global agenda.
- Child Exploitation & Trafficking Education - Katie Fetzer is a Spirit-led believer who has years of experience working with the courts and the foster care system. She's seen child exploitation in its worst forms and she has an incredible first hand knowledge of what child trafficking looks like here in Missouri. She founded a non-profit called the 10.18 Strategy and she's graciously agreed to spend her time with us on the 19th equipping us to fight this darkness on behalf of Missouri's most precious treasure - our children.
- Judy Lamborn will be sharing her personal testimony of the redeeming love of Christ. You'll be encouraged & filled with hope!
- Alex Manford leads a chapter of the Missouri Freedom Foundation in Cass County. She's grown an incredible group of local people there who are sharing information and resources to equip citizens to be more self sufficient. She also has a podcast on Rumble called Alex Unscripted.
register to save your seat in jefferson city
future events
We'll be hosting several Awakening at The Wall events this fall.
Be sure to follow the blog to stay updated on the details as they develop. Our biggest challenge is finding event space. If you know of anything in these areas or if you'd like for us to come to you, please let us know.
