Prayer

The main reason for so much tragedy and turmoil in the world stems from the lack of acknowledging God on a daily basis for His guidance and direction in all things. There's no greater help we have. God has been taken out of schools, and now that Christmas is approaching we want to exclude God from that. How can we? We need a God who is omnipotent and omnipresent, too. Once we put God, the creator of all things, back in the world we may have fewer problems. Let us acknowledge God's goodness and mercy and his daily presence.

"In the name of my savior, I pray," is how one Carroll County commissioner concluded his prayer to open a recent meeting of the county's governing board. Now two county residents are asking a federal judge to end what they say is the board's regular practice of opening meetings with prayers that are "frequently Christian in nature. " In a lawsuit filed this week in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, Neil Ridgely of Finksburg and Bruce Hake of Union Bridge say invocations of "Jesus" and "the savior" by county commissioners during public meetings violate the constitutional separation of church and state.

As I ponder the state of our state and country I read a poem written years ago by Josiah Gilbert Holland (1819-1881) and I ask that wee extend these words to God in heaven. Make this your prayer each day until God answers. May we look at our founding fathers faith and return to it. God, give us men! A time like this demands Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands; Men whom the lust of office does not kill; Men who possess opinions and a will; Men who have honor; men who will not lie; Men who can stand before a demagogue And damm his treacherous flatteries without winking!

The silver lining in this cloud of controversy regarding Johns Hopkins University and Dr. Benjamin Carson may be that Dr. Carson's eloquence concerning the debacle of political correctness will get our undivided attention ("Dr. Ben Carson steps down as speaker at Hopkins graduation," April 11). "Someday in the future, it is my hope and prayer that the emphasis on political correctness will decrease and we will start emphasizing rational discussion of differences so we can actually resolve problems and chart a course that is inclusive of everyone," he wrote.

Pastors are charged with the heavy responsibility of leading His people to experience God's saving grace. We must fervently defend God's word with strength and humility. Our burden is light because we are powerless. All the power in this world derives from God's love. I am moved to pray to truly know God's law. In Leviticus 20:22 God teaches us to obey his law. Every pastor has read the Bible's 12 passages with terms commonly identified with homosexuality. I pray we learn to love to learn the contextual truths of the Bible.

A Carroll County commissioner has emailed an invitation to about 850 government employees to attend a monthly prayer session, which she will lead, raising concern among some residents and watchdog groups. Commissioner Robin Bartlett Frazier drafted the invitation and had a member of her staff send it May 3, to coincide with National Day of Prayer, a day on which the president traditionally calls on the nation to pray for peace and the country's welfare. Frazier's first "time for prayer" is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. June 7 in the basement of the County Office Building in Westminster.

It is imperative that people of faith speak up in support of a federal budget process that is true to the best moral traditions of our country. The federal budget is a document that reflects the values that we hold to be most important. Continuation of funding for programs that strengthen and enrich lives, support the most vulnerable among us, and serve the common good should be the foundation for decisions made in prioritizing budget choices. These are challenging financial times for our nation as Congress makes the difficult choices necessary to balance the concerns for reduction of a mounting debt with the financial commitment that a moral country must make to preserve the dignity and welfare of all people served by that government.

Baltimore principals' union president Jimmy Gittings recognizes that school prayer is unconstitutional but defends it anyway ("Prayers at city school before tests criticized," March 14). He blames the constitutional ban for a loss of respect for teachers and administrators over a 50 year period. There are many documented reasons for the problems of city schools, but Mr. Gittings adds a disregard for the rights of all students in order to advance a sectarian agenda. Prayer before tests may be common, but preparation and study should make it unnecessary.

As a 1960 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, I take grave exception to Talbot Manvel's op-ed page commentary on mealtime prayers at our military institutions ("Naval Academy tradition vs. Constitution," May 17). If he does not like to subject himself to the prayers, he is free to take a walk to another academic institution that has less respect for any sort of expression of feeling toward a Supreme Being. He could wear ear plugs to the mess hall, go into his muddled head, or simply tune out. No one is forcing him to stay at the Naval Academy.

Pastor Marcus Johnson of New Harvest Ministries stood outside Baltimore's City Hall on Thursday and asked a crowd of about 100 to pray out loud and unrestrained. A federal judge's ruling last month that the law that directs the president to proclaim a National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional did not diminish the enthusiasm of the faithful, who held Bibles, waved American flags and raised their hands to the heavens. "I have been called to pray," Johnson said. "If I am standing in line at the supermarket or the bank, I can pray.

In the grand scheme of things, most of the issues that seem important to a particular generation fade with time, even as the things that are truly important remain so throughout the ages. Thus, it isn't much of a surprise that people in Harford County feel strongly enough to turn out in substantial numbers in Bel Air to talk about a decision being made half a world away by people over whom they hold no sway. The decision being considered that drew a crowd over the weekend at St. Margaret Catholic Church in Bel Air is that of who will be the next pope.

Dr. Benjamin Carson, the eminent Johns Hopkins pediatric neurosurgeon, has received much attention over the years not only for his skills in the operating room but for what he has achieved beyond it. For many Baltimoreans, his story is a familiar one - born in Detroit, raised in poverty by a single mother, he overcame much to not only become a Medal of Freedom winner but a benefactor to thousands of young people through his scholarship program....

One of my favorite views of Charm City right now is entering into the downtown area from the 395 off-ramp. Our city is painted with Ravens spirit - purple lights dancing on skyscrapers, "Go Ravens!" posters taped to city windows, and my favorite: the billboard that simply said "WOW" after the Ravens' win Sunday over the Patriots. In fact, as I sit down to write this at the Towson Public Library, a woman just pointed out that the bookshelf next to me contains an entire collection of books with purple covers, complete with a border of purple stars cut out of construction paper.

The main reason for so much tragedy and turmoil in the world stems from the lack of acknowledging God on a daily basis for His guidance and direction in all things. There's no greater help we have. God has been taken out of schools, and now that Christmas is approaching we want to exclude God from that. How can we? We need a God who is omnipotent and omnipresent, too. Once we put God, the creator of all things, back in the world we may have fewer problems. Let us acknowledge God's goodness and mercy and his daily presence.

Dear God, Americans have it all wrong. We work too hard, so much so that when we do speak about pleasure - "élan," "gourmand," "joie de vivre" - our own language is not always up to the task. Even the productivity-crazed Germans have a special term for a stroll in the open air: " Spaziergang . " Bless them. They have a long word for everything. But we, too, slow down for the holidays. Driving home through North Baltimore, I remember that the pine trees have been there all this time - months, millennia - after outlasting the fall leaves.

I am writing as a pastor to express my support for Question 6, which allows gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to be married in Maryland. Biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan explains that the concept of justice in the Bible is not punitive but distributive. Justice is not about punishment but about making sure everyone on earth gets a fair share. No one should be left out. No one short changed. Everyone should have equal access to food, shelter and clothing for sure.

WASHINGTON - Hi, God, it's me, the Rev. Pat Robertson. How's everything in heaven? Clear skies, warm sun and a gentle breeze, eh? Well, it's been raining cats and dogs here in Virginia. But I guess you already knew that, didn't you? Listen, God, the reason I'm calling: I'm sure you saw in the paper where I've asked the viewers of my TV show, The 700 Club, to join me in a "prayer offensive." You've probably heard from them already; they're more responsive than Pavlov's dogs. Little joke there, Lord.

February 11, 2000 was just another day in my second semester of my second year at Cardinal Gibbons High School. I was not a particularly good student, but I usually held my own (i.e., I usually passed my classes with 3-5 points to spare). A lack of a solid work ethic and maturity placed me right in the middle of the dozen or so honors students I sat with in Mr. Jauquet's religion class. Roughly thirty minutes into Mr. J's religion class is when the following announcement was made: "All students, faculty and staff are to remain in their current classroom or area until further notice."

Last month, like many other hopeful parents, I had the wonderful pleasure of taking my two daughters back to school. In doing so, I dream about their potential and about what the future year holds for them, evoking the power and opportunity that springs from education. And while all students settle into their classrooms, many juniors and seniors are beginning to dream about life after high school. Unfortunately, it is the children of illegal immigrants who are weighed down by the fate that awaits them upon graduation.

Fortunately for us, we did not lose electricity during the freak storm. Yet I was saddened by the response of many of those who did lose electricity. Nobody and no company is prepared for all unexpected emergencies. The responses of those who lost electricity were understandable but off track. How many of them would have been willing to work from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. wearing protective gear in sweltering heat while handling live wires that could kill them in seconds? Had the customers called upon their spiritual resources and prayed and praised continually with grateful hearts, perhaps good things would have happened sooner.