I was tickled by an unexpected gift from above. That’s how it started. Out in the garden, the sun on my back, the early morning warmed the day as it began. Bees happily worked around me, and from above a blue jay feather floated down, touching my arm and landing at my feet. ... read more

"I don’t care.” This is how Jim* responds to most questions. After more than a dozen failed out-of-home placements, almost 30 different schools and one failed potential adoption, he’s convinced no one else cares, either. He’s 13 years old. ... read more

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice admitted more than 12,000 women into jail, prison or substance abuse programs in 2006. Society increasingly doesn’t discriminate between genders as it gets tough on crime, and children are left victims of their mothers’ poor decisions. ... read more

Mohamad Islam, the Muslim preacher, and Al Saddiq, the president of the Islamic Center of Waco, pray in a white building surrounded by a tall white fence. It would seem members were trying to stay inconspicuous, with the center displaying no signs and tucked two blocks from the LaSalle Street circle. ... read more

A recent Bush-Cheney campaign tactic targeting "conservative" churches and their members has triggered disapproval among church-state watchdog groups, including the Southern Baptist Convention and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. ... read more

High-priced malpractice insurance, which is prompting many physicians across the country to reduce their practices or leave the field, is also limiting health care for patients who use free and Christian-operated clinics. ... read more