WASHINGTON – Hundreds of people from all 50 states and over 160 nations came to the nation's capital for the 61st Annual National Prayer Breakfast. Guests crowded the International Ballroom of the Washington Hilton off of Connecticut Avenue for the Thursday morning event, which featured politicians, musicians, an Olympic gold medalist, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

Attendees of the breakfast described the event as having an aura of inspiration and being a beneficial practice for federal government officials who frequently attack each other in uncivil political debates.

Kathleen O'Connell of Media Fellowship International, a Christian organization that ministers to entertainers and media professionals, told The Christian Post that she found it "inspiring." more >>

The decline of church attendance within recent years may have been prompted by the growing frustration within the church body concerning leadership marred by growing numbers of scandals and churches more concerned with entertaining those in the pews than feeding them spiritually.

Emily Michaels is completing her graduate studies at New York Theological Seminary in New York City. When questioned about her opinion concerning the path of the Christian church, she gave a surprising answer. "I really would like to see the church operate in the days of my grandmother. The church has become such a show these days. It operates just as a play on Broadway. You have your production team, singers, musicians, dancers, skits and VP sections. Everything has to happen at a certain time. We give so much time to all of these things but only allow five minutes for the Holy Spirit to appear. What happened to just plain church?"

Cynthia Hartgrove, a Christian who attends a megachurch in New Jersey, shares her sentiment. "I have stopped attending church for that very reason. If I want to be entertained, I can go to a movie. I am not saying that singing and dancing are not permitted but when the choirs perform for the cameras, I have a problem. It takes a lot to get out of bed when your heart is heavy to attend church only to be disappointed because you received nothing in the process." more >>

An online comedic group known by the name of Blimey Cow has turned heads this week with its latest video, a tutorial titled "How to Write a Worship Song (In 5 Minutes or Less)," lampooning popular praise songs found in some Christian churches.

The nearly four-minute production from the Nashville, Tenn., group of 20-something Christians was uploaded on YouTube on Monday, and became an immediate hit with Blimey Cow's fan base. By Tuesday, the tutorial was among YouTube's top five most popular videos.

"Every good worship song only needs four chords. You can add an extra one in the bridge if you're feeling especially artistic, but you really only just need four," says tutorial guide Jordan Taylor, one-third of Blimey Cow. "Just make sure that you play it really loud and that you have a lot of delay on the lead guitar." more >>

South Carolina's NewSpring Church led by Pastor Perry Noble will be starting a new sermon series this coming Sunday titled, "Don't Waste Your Life." The multi-campus megachurch begins the provocative series after creating a bit of a stir for moving last Sunday's evening services to last Saturday night so that its congregants could opt to watch the Super Bowl.

"The average life expectancy in America is 78-years-old. That's 28,470 days, give or take a leap year," reads a church announcement about the new series. "So what are you doing with your days? How do you spend them?

"Your life is too short to wander, to be filled with regret, or to pass by opportunities He puts in front of you. Don't let it slip away. Don't waste your life," the series promotion concludes. more >>

WASHINGTON – An influential United Methodist pastor who delivered the sermon at the 57th Inaugural Prayer Service stated in his message that America needs a "compelling vision" that unites the country in a time of strong political partisanship.

Adam Hamilton, author and senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kan., said on Tuesday morning to those gathered at the Washington National Cathedral, including President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden:

"To many Americans we can feel like a house divided that cannot stand," said Hamilton, regarding the apparent intractability of the current political climate at the federal level and the desperation to find a "common vision….that brings us all together." more >>

Planetshakers, one of the most influential church movements in Australia is making its United States conference debut at Rock Church in San Diego, Calif., during a three-day event that began Thursday. A live webcast on Friday will feature the founders of Planetshakers City Church in Melbourne and the Planetshakers worship band.

"At Planetshakers Limitless Conference San Diego, it's our desire to see people empowered, so they can increasingly impact their world in a way that points people to Christ and encourages them to live life to the full," founder and senior pastor Russell Evans told The Christian Post via email Thursday.

"We will have passionate praise and worship and teaching from some great pastors from various parts of the world," Evans said. Every continent will be represented during the webcast. "We are pretty excited to have the honor of bringing our conference to the USA for the first time. We are expecting those in attendance to be touched by God in a powerful way," he stated. more >>