Heritage center to recall women pioneers: Museum will also have displays on 'unsung heroines'

"Maryland has museums devoted to African Americans, artists, war veterans and sports legends.

Starting this spring, it will have a center devoted to more than half the state's adult population: women."


For more on the new Maryland Women's Heritage Center and Museum, click here.

Twain fest starts this week with ‘Tom Sawyer’ events

"Pop quizzes can kill great literature. Avoid them.

That’s one of the messages Cindy Lovell, executive director of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, will convey at several events this week for two Big Reads."

Click here for more on the happenings celebrating the 100th anniversary of Mark Twain's death.

BookTrends: It Happened in Italy

"Meeting Walter Wolff was a bit of a miracle, for many rea­sons. First, he is a Holocaust survivor, and anyone who survived the Holocaust is, by definition, a miracle.

Second, he was in Dachau and was released when virtually no other prison­ers were. Finally, meeting Walter was a miracle because I actually opened my mail in a timely fashion! (I have been known to let what I call 'extra mail' pile up on my desk.)"

For more of the story, click here.

Miracle at Planned Parenthood

"People often ask me if I believe in miracles. Of course I do! I see them every day. Because a changed heart is nothing short of a miracle."


Click here for more of Chuck Colson's commentary.

A Caregiver's Prayer

"I'm fighting my share of battles these days as I watch my mother decline. Even when she is at her most hurtful and demanding, I must remind myself that I am not only caring for her; I am caring for Jesus through her. I don't always succeed as well as I desire.

For my fellow caregivers everywhere, as well as myself, I offer this prayer."


For "A Caregiver's Prayer," click here.

Conversation in a Body-Piercing Salon: Hurtful Language Picks at Tender Wounds, But There Is Another Way

"I nervously waited in the little room. My head swung around as a man in his mid-20s confidently strode in.

With his interesting ear piercings and tattoos that covered his arms and disappeared under his shirtsleeves, he fit right into the décor of the body-piercing salon."


For more on the conversation, click here.

Gum fight at the Chicago corral

"For a company used to peddling such slow-growing staples as coffee and cheese, Kraft Foods Inc. is looking to chewing gum to freshen its product line.

With British powerhouse Cadbury PLC agreeing last week to Northfield-based Kraft's more than $19 billion buyout bid, Kraft stands to suddenly be a strong No. 2 in one of the most attractive sectors of the global food industry — chewing gum. While gum is an age-old product, no part of Cadbury is growing as fast as its gum business."

Click here for a look at the gum industry and its players.

Resist the Spirit of the Age

"To their contemporaries, the first Christians were a most peculiar breed. They didn’t participate in the diversions and activities that everyone else did to satisfy certain lusts of the flesh (1 Pet. 4:1-4). They publicly and at no small cost repudiated cultural activities or artifacts that represented a worldview contrary to the teaching of Christ (Acts 19:18-20). They didn’t keep their religion to themselves, either; in fact, Jesus Christ was so much a part of their daily conversation that their unbelieving neighbors took to calling them the 'Christ-ones' (Acts 11:26)."


For more on T.M. Moore's perspective, click here.

A new show on State Street: Restored cast-iron at Louis Sullivan's former Carson Pirie Scott & Co. store dazzles anew

“'Jersey Boys' is no longer playing the Loop theater district, but there’s another show on State Street, and it lets you see one of Chicago’s architectural masterworks as you’ve never seen it before."


Click here for more on this stunning restoration.

For the Least of These: 2010 Wilberforce Award

"Each year, Prison Fellowship awards the William Wilberforce award to someone whose faith in Christ is making a real difference. Find out this year’s recipient, and what he can teach us."

Click here to learn who received this year's Wilberforce award.

Early telephone operator recalls party (line) days

"History speaks to the current generation at Northeast Louisiana Telephone Co. One speaker is former party line operator Dorothy Norsworthy George.

Back in 1947, when the company started up, she and other women operated the switchboard in a back room in an owner's home, connecting people in Collinston, Jones and Bonita to each other."

Click here for more on this generational conversation.

Truth, Love, and Endurance: Dr. King and Christian Activism

"From the abolition of slavery to woman's suffrage to the civil rights movement, America has a rich history of Christian activism. But what lies at the heart of true Christian activism?"

For Chuck Colson's answer to the question, click here.

Old Wives' Cures to Fight the Flu

"While nothing stops a cold in its tracks, some of Grandma's remedies really do have the power to make you feel better.

Doctors say tricks that Grandma brought from the old country or something Mom concocted in the kitchen may make that long slog to recovery a bit easier."

Click here for more on where science and Grandma meet.

National Marriage Week USA: February 7-14, 2010

"National Marriage Week USA—from February 7th to 14th every year — is a collaborative effort to encourage many diverse groups to strengthen individual marriages, reduce the divorce rate, and build a stronger marriage culture, which in turn helps curtail poverty and benefits children. Together we can make more impact than working alone. Please join with others to host special events, launch a marriage class or home group, or place local advertising or news stories during National Marriage Week USA."

Click here for the details of how to get involved in this national event.

Christians on the Job: Doing Well a Thing Well Worth Doing

"In the weekly prayer list handed out each Sunday at church, one regular item urges prayer for the 'Marketplace Servants of the Week,' that is, for church members in their careers.

Last week special pray was offered for those who work in publishing. Next week it may be politics, education, or health care."

Click here for an in-depth look at what it means to be a Christian in the workplace.

Unprotected and Unnoticed: Christians in Muslim Lands

"Why did the U.S. media breathlessly report the Swiss banning of minarets, but stayed largely mum on the murder of Egyptian Christians?

This past weekend, an estimated 1,000 Coptic Christians gathered in Los Angeles to protest the killings of fellow Copts in Egypt a few days earlier. According to one protester, 'there is no protection for Christians in Egypt.'”

Click here for more of Chuck Colson's commentary.

Rediscovering Our Roots: When Athens Met Jerusalem

"'What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?'

That famous question was asked by the church father Tertullian, some 20 centuries ago. He was trying to make the point that the philosophy of the Greeks and the theology of the Christians were incompatible."

For the discussion by Chuck Colson, click here.

In honor of Elvis: Peanut butter and banana sandwich eating contest

"View a photo gallery of contestants eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches during an eating contest at The Isle of Capris Casino on Saturday in honor of Elvis Presley's birthday."

Click here to join the fun.

The Winter of Discontent: Government and the Mood of the People

"The new year is normally a time of optimism. And after a rocky 2009, certainly hopes should be high for a better year ahead.

But that’s not the mood of the people as we begin 2010. Not since the dark days of Watergate and Vietnam do I recall a time when the American people were more pessimistic. And I’m not talking just about the economy and the state of the world in general."

For more of Chuck Colson's commentary, click here.

How Dare He? Brit Hume’s Advice for Tiger

"On Fox News this week, Brit Hume, respected journalist and one-time Fox anchor, was asked whether Tiger Woods would recover from the scandal that has cost him several lucrative endorsements. Brit Hume replied, 'Tiger Woods will recover as a golfer.'

But he didn’t stop there—and in the process ignited a controversy that says more about his critics than it does about Hume or what he had to say."

Click here to read more of Chuck Colson's commentary.

A Call for Moral Rearmament

"During one of his recent trips to Europe, Barack Obama was asked about American exceptionalism, the belief that the United States is a special nation.

The President replied that he believes in American exceptionalism in the same way that the British believe in British exceptionalism or Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism."

Click here for the rest of the commentary.

NASA Captures Comet Being Consumed By The Sun

"NASA scientists have spotted a comet in space being 'eaten' as it flies too close to the sun, Dailymail UK reported.

Footage captured by NASA’s solar-focused agency - Solar and Helioscopic Observatory (SOHO) - showed the Kreutz Sungrazer as it made its fateful approach."

For more on the story, including photos and video, click here.

Google's Nexus One smart phone helps push company's products

"Internet giant Google Inc. on Tuesday unveiled the Nexus One, a smart phone that it bills as the connection between the phone and the Web.

A company spokesman said the smart phone is the next step in Google's strategy to spread its dominance on personal computers to the emerging market of mobile advertising and products."

Click here for more on Google's Nexus One.

Kind act a breath of fresh air for family

"A simple act of charity has renewed Desiree Menchaca's belief in the kindness of her fellow Stocktonians.

The past year has been especially rough for the Stockton mom, dealing with the deaths of her father, a sister and two close friends; a traffic accident that injured her and her daughter, Jeanee, 19; spearheading a futile and very public campaign to keep Kaiser Permanente's after-hours clinics open; and the untimely death last month of the family's 12-year-old German shepherd."

Click here to learn how a small kindness made a big difference.

Warren: Donations plea brings in $2.4 million

"Evangelical pastor Rick Warren's plea for donations to fill a $900,000 deficit at his Southern California megachurch brought in $2.4 million, Warren announced to cheers during a sermon at the church on Saturday.

Warren said the amount raised after the appeal was posted online Wednesday included only money parishioners brought in person to Saddleback Church by New Year's Eve. More was arriving by hand and by mail, he said."

To read more about this amazing outpouring, click here.

The tallest building ever (Brought to you by Chicago)

"As a boy, growing up about two blocks from the beach in Southern California, Adrian Smith built towering sand castles -- only to watch the Pacific Ocean wash them away.

Now, the Chicago architect has designed a far more lasting legacy: the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai, which will have its grand opening Monday in the debt-ridden city-state of Dubai."

Click here for the story of the Burj Dubai.

Reasons to keep eyes on the skies: Lunar eclipse, meteor showers, Jupiter closeup are in the lineup

"It's been nearly two years since Marylanders had their last opportunity to watch a total eclipse of the moon from start to finish. But at the end of 2010, they'll finally get another chance.

The stargazers' calendar for 2010 shows the lunar eclipse on Dec. 21 - when the moon slides through the Earth's shadow - will be total from 2:40 a.m. until almost 4 a.m."

Click here for more on what's in store in 2010 in space.

Reflections for New Year's Day

"What better way to start the new year than by reflecting on God's amazing grace? And that's just what one hymn writer did in 1773. We've been singing about it ever since."

To read the rest of Chuck Colson's commentary, click here.