"Almighty and eternal God
Protector of all who put their trust in Thee.
Accept the humble homage of our faith and love in Thee,
the one true God.

"Bless our efforts to preserve the integrity of the United States,
a nation founded on Christian principles.
Enlighten our rules, guide our lawmakers
and protect the sanctity of our homes.

"Bless our efforts in these exercises,
whose sole purpose is to develop our bodies
and to keep others mindful of Thy commandments.

"Give us perseverance in our actions,
that we may use this as a means to draw closer to You, the one true God.

"In the name of Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen."

Believe it or not, this is how students begin and end every karate class I've been to.

My son, Sam, and I have been studying karate together since he was 6. Like many Christian parents, I had numerous concerns and questions about the martial arts when Sam asked if he could start taking lessons:

• What about Eastern religions? I certainly didn't want to send Sam to learn karate and have him embrace Buddhism while he was at it!
• What about all the violence in martial arts? I worried about Sam getting hurt — or worse, turning into a bully.
• I figured martial arts would teach Sam to defend himself — but were there other benefits?
• I didn't know anything about martial arts other than what I'd seen in Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan movies; how could I choose the right style and/or school?
• Besides the above concerns, were there any other reasons I should avoid martial arts?

As you've probably guessed by now, not only were my questions answered, but studying martial arts has also been an enormous blessing for Sam and me, one that has radically strengthened our relationship. We're not just learning to defend ourselves against physical attack; martial arts help us to withstand the forces that threaten to tear families apart today.

— Greg Hartman