Tim Tebow Joins Obama at Prayer Breakfast

Senator wrote letter delivered by Obama

(NEWSER) - In the months before he died, Ted Kennedy penned a letter to Pope Benedict beseeching the pontiff's prayers—and enlisted no less a messenger than the leader of the free world to deliver it, reports CNN. “I am writing with deep humility to ask that you pray for me as my own health declines,” Kennedy wrote in the letter Barack Obama hand-delivered in July. “I know that I have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith I have tried to right my path.” More»

But Tim Tebow is still a 'great story,' says Fran Tarkenton

(NEWSER) - All the hoopla over prayerful Denver quarterback Tim Tebow and his "miraculous" pass against the Steelers comes down to a key issue: There's no way God really cares about who wins football games. There are "far more important things going on in the world," former star Vikings and Giants quarterback Fran Tarkenton writes in the Wall Street Journal . Every football team prays—then proceeds to try to annihilate rivals, often with bloody, bone-crunching results. "As a player, I never understood why God would care who won a game between my team and another," Tarkenton notes. "There were religious guys on both teams. If God gets credit for the win, does he also take blame for defeat?" More»

We need a leader who can lift us up: Matthew Dowd

(NEWSER) - With America struggling, we need "a leader who can raise us all up to a level we didn’t know we had in us, give us confidence in ourselves, give us a common goal to work toward, and make us believe in and have faith in ourselves again." We need … Tim Tebow, concludes Matthew Dowd in the National Journal . Dowd watched both Tebow (in a post-game appearance) and President Obama ( on 60 Minutes ) Sunday night, and found that Tebow, not Obama, is the one "offering his team (and the country actually) the leadership they need." More»

Prays for him to wake up, smell the coffee; will headline prayer rally today

(NEWSER) - President Obama may have a dented credit rating, lousy approval ratings, and China carping at him, but at least he's got Rick Perry pulling for him—sort of. The Texas governor and possible White House contender tells CBN that he keeps the president in his prayers: "Frankly I pray for the president every day. I pray for his wisdom, I pray that God will open his eyes. I wish this president would turn back the health care law that's been passed, ask that his EPA back down these regulations that are causing businesses to hesitate to spend money." More»

Mark Kelly, Chilean miner in attendance at National Prayer Breakfast

(AP) - Barack Obama said his faith has deepened during his two years in the White House, and directly addressed questions about his religion, saying his Christianity has been a "sustaining force" during times when he and his family's faith has been questioned. More highlights from today's National Prayer Breakfast in Washington:

• "We are with them for the long haul, and God is with them for the long haul," Obama said of Gabrielle Giffords and husband Mark Kelly.
• Kelly, who was in attendance, said "I hadn't been a big believer in faith until just recently," and that he hopes "this event, horrible and tragic, was not merely random, that maybe something good can come from this."
• Looking east, Obama said, "We pray that violence in Egypt will end, and the rights and aspirations of the Egyptian people will be realized."