I have lived outside the US for 10 years trying to learn how to pray for the future of a nation. Korea needs prayer in a big way and my country needs prayer as they move ahead with a new president. In 1981 Barack Obama was 20 years old, a Columbia University student in search of the meaning of life. He was torn a million different ways: between youth and maturity, black and white, coasts and continents, wonder and tragedy. When he felt restless on a Sunday morning, he would wander into an African-American congregation such as Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. "I'd just sit in the back and I'd listen to the choir and I'd listen to the sermon," he says, smiling a little as he remembers those early days in the wilderness. "There were times that I would just start tearing up listening to the choir and share that sense of release." He is now a Christian, having been baptized in the early 1990s at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. He found Christ—but that hasn't stopped him from asking questions. The visits to the black churches uptown helped fulfill that desire. "There's a side very particular to the African-American church tradition that was powerful to me," he says. The exuberant worship, the family atmosphere and the prophetic preaching at a church such as Abyssinian would have appealed to a young man who lived so in his head. Sarah Kliff  - Newweek © 2008   I spent 11 years in Korea learning how much parents love and support their children's education; now I have returned to the US to happily discover that our president realizes the importance of what Koreans already know. 090321 "In the end, no program can substitute for a parent." Since President Barack Obama assumed office two months ago, he's put forth an ambitious political agenda. High on his list: Improving education and urging parents to do their part. The $789 billion economic stimulus package includes $115 billion in new education funding, dollars that will be used for things like school renovation, special education and Head Start. But Obama is also calling on parents to do what no government program can: "There is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent-teacher conferences or help with the homework or turn off the TV, put away the video games, or read to their child. Responsibility for our children's education must begin at home," he told a joint session of Congress last month. Here are five steps you can take now to heed the president's call: Read to your child Make time for homework Manage access to media Attend school events Volunteer at school Find more tips to support your child in school