20 days ago- They met at a fraternity party in Baltimore the year before he left to attend the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Three years later, she slipped a ring on his finger at the academy’s “ring dance” — and 12 months later, he gave her an even more precious ring as John and Mary Dunham were married on the day he graduated from Annapolis, class of 1950.
47 days ago- My oldest daughter will vote in her first presidential election this year. She plans to come home from college so that she can cast her first vote in person. My daughter has gone with me to Presidential inaugurations and nominating conventions. And she has watched her dad accumulate a closet full of presidential campaign memorabilia — some from back to the time of Abraham Lincoln.
89 days ago- In my April 12 column , “The fingerprints of God are never too far away,” I quite publicly acknowledged that I have a few problems with the “theory of evolution” — and suggested that those in the fields of theology and science need not be seen as enemies but as colleagues on a common path to seek the truth.
103 days ago- Close-minded. Accept their view by faith without questioning. Hostile. Angry. Willing to punish those who disagree — these are all charges that have been frequently laid at people of many faiths who believe that Charles Darwin got it wrong.
117 days ago- In more than 20 years of ministry, I have had the rare privilege to be with families in moments of joyous celebration: weddings, the birth of children, and the renewal of vows after many years of faithfulness. But my pastoral teammates and I also have been called on to be present when it seemed there was only darkness.
124 days ago- Sandwiched between the “puttin’ on the green” of St. Patrick’s Day last Monday, which honors the man who brought Christianity to Ireland, and the worldwide celebrations of Easter this weekend, is another day of festivity I think Jesus would have loved.
131 days ago- While the governor of New York — Eliot Spitzer — is probably not a reader of The Examiner, many readers have or will find themselves standing in his shoes, with the shame of an extra-marital relationship threatening to destroy their lives. Pastors are often given the solemn responsibility and the sacred privilege of walking with couples through this darkness. If your world has been shattered in this way, there is hope and the opportunity for reconciliation at the deepest level. If Spitzer were to ask me for some Biblical advice, here is what I would suggest: