In the Meantime - 2010

The Meantime Ends

2010-09-22T15:16:00.001-05:00

Surprise! Just when you think I have lost your email for good, I jump back into your inbox like I never missed a beat!

When I started writing the devotional In the Meantime, it was because there was a fork in the road before me in my life. The man I have worked for these past nine years chose not to run for re-election. There was a year to seek the Lord's will in my life and determine what the next phase would look like.

While it is always a good idea to seek the Lord's will in your life, if you are anything like me, you may have a tendency to explain to Him what that should look like. For example, while I said, "Lord, your will be done," I also made the statement that the one thing I would not do was to work for a freshman legislator. My comment was that training a freshman would be too much like house breaking a puppy. I consider myself too old and too wise to take that on.

I also voiced the opinion (in case God needed the advice) that I was through with the legislature and thought that my time might be better spent in a think tank environment. In a think tank, you get to come up with great ideas while the political reality of putting them into practice does not hamper the process. There I could be paid for having an opinion and wouldn't have to mess with those pesky legislators any longer. After all, I have been working in this environment for 18 years. And, in dog years (which many of them seemed like) that is a very long time.

Also, I said that I would not go looking for a job. If the Lord had something for me to do, He was going to have to bring the job to me. There would be no resumes, no fretting over interviews, no looking for opportunities. Just waiting. After the first couple of months, my husband was beginning to wonder if that were truly the best way to find a new position in this economy. He suggested I at least brush up my resume in case someone showed an interest.

The recommendation made some sense, so I began looking at what would need to go into a new resume. However, before getting very far in the process, a dear friend in a local think tank called and invited me to come talk. We caught up on old times, discussed some policy issues, and I was asked if I had any interest in a position with the organization. From my lips to God's ears! Was this great or what?! I was given the weekend to pray over the issue.

I left there delighting in the goodness of the Lord! Imagine that you are given exactly what you asked for. Is that good or what? Then, as I prayed, the revelation came to me. This was God's opportunity to do exactly what I wanted to do. I was free to take it. Or, I could turn it down and wait for the opportunity to do exactly what the Lord wanted me to do. Grateful for the insight before I made the wrong decision, I let the opportunity pass. It felt sort of like petting that perfect puppy in the pet store, and then turning around and walking away from it.

The next day - no kidding, the very next day - I received an email from a fellow staffer who had a candidate who has little opposition in the November general election in her office. She wanted to know if I would come down and meet him. I had received five separate emails from people telling me that this was the person who would be a perfect fit for me to work for. I told them all I had no interest in working for a freshman. I am never opposed, however, to meeting new legislators.

The man I met was about as different in demeanor from the current Marine Colonel, Italian I work for as you can get. In our office, you think somebody is mad if we are not all talking at once. Here was a man who agreed in principle and philosophy, but articulated it in a much quieter manner. He asked if he could bring his wife to meet me the next day. I met her and two of their delightful daughters. Before we even got to the point of discussing working together, I knew where the Lord was leading me.

However, I also knew the challenges that come with working with an employee as opinionated as I am. I insisted on the "New Guy" talking with my old boss. I told the old boss all the bad things I wanted him to share with the new guy. "Tell him I am opinionated and that I don't shut up until I see some glimmer in your eye that you understand what I am talking about. Tell him I annoy other legislators because I speak when they think staff should be quiet. Tell him that he will never have to doubt what I think because I will never be shy about telling him. Tell him…"

Talking it over with Jerry, he informed me that most people who actually want a job do not lead the interview with their shortcomings. He has a point. However, if this was where the Lord wanted me to be, I did not want there to be any of my shortcomings to come as a surprise. In spite of it all, New Guy did his due diligence on me and several months ago offered me the position as his chief of staff. I told him I had not planned on working for a freshman. He shared that he and his wife had agreed he would not hire a woman as chief of staff.

And, God laughed.

Anyway, that was when the Lord quit giving me material for In the Meantime and I fell out of your inboxes. The moral to the story is, do not ever be so intent on knowing what you want to do in your life that you miss out on what the Lord wants to do through you.

And, just so you will know, tomorrow I will begin a new devotional for those who want to stay tuned. It will be a forty day devotional leading up to the November election. Unlike most of the devotionals that the Lord has just imparted to me, He has actually been having me work for this one. I look forward to seeing what He has in store.

If you would like to unsubscribe to the emails, just let me know. If you would like to add anyone to the list, have them send me an email to ksdevotional@gmail.com .

If the Truth Hurts

2010-06-22T08:53:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite fairy tales is The Emperor's New Clothes. It is the story of a couple of weavers who convince the emperor that they can make him a suit of clothes that will be invisible to anyone who unworthy of honor or position. In reality, the "invisible clothes" were non-existent, but the vanity of the king and all of his advisors dictated that they pretend to admire the new suit. Unconcerned about honor or position, a young child saw the emperor and cried out, "But he is not wearing any clothes." Everyone realized they had been conned and the weavers were run out of town.

The difference in the fairy tale and current events is that the one who notices that the Emperor is naked is ridiculed, punished, fired or shamed while the naked rulers continue business as usual.

Two current events prompted my rant today.

First, Congressman Joe Barton apologized to BP for the government shakedown of their business.

Is the oil spill a horrible disaster? Yes.

Is BP responsible for the mess? Yes.

Has BP made some ill-advised public relation gaffs? Yes.

Should they be held responsible for damages? Yes.

Has the federal government executed a government shakedown of their business? You better believe it.

The federal government has the authority to enforce current regulatory law and the authority to prosecute any violations of criminal law. They do not have the authority to threaten or coerce a company to relinquish assets or control of a private company to the government.

Why should it matter to you if the evil oil company is brought to its knees by the government? It is a violation of the rule of law. Any government that can exert powers not granted to it by the Constitution or statute to break a $191 billion company can certainly take you or me out in a heartbeat.

Congressman Barton is taking a lot of grief over his comments. He may even lose his seniority on the Energy Committee as a result of his fellow legislators insisting that they love the Emperor's new clothes. It was not politically correct for Barton to apologize, but he wasn't wrong.

Meanwhile, the top general in Afghanistan is being called back to Washington to meet with the President over comments that he and aides made in an article in Rolling Stone. (Not the first publication I seek for news.) The article doesn't come out until Friday, but apparently everyone is getting called on the carpet prior to its availability at the news stands.

It is never a good thing for a commanding officer or his aides to make unflattering remarks about the commander in chief. The general in Afghanistan knows that. So, it has to make you wonder just how naked the emperor might be for a general to offer his career as a sacrifice to point out the obvious.

One of my first mentors when I was a baby Christian used to say, "If the truth hurts, it shouldn't be the truth." His point was that when the truth hurts (Barton apologizing to BP), then it shouldn't be the truth (the government was shaking down BP). It is time to quit shooting the messenger.

News

2010-06-21T08:44:00.001-05:00

Have you ever thought about what we consider to be news?

Many of you reading the headline might think there is something to share about our new grandson. That's not it. We haven't met him yet. The government red tape continues to slow progress to that of a bug on a fly strip. The current plan is that Stormi and David will meet with his case worker on Thursday and get to have their first visit with him on Friday. Now, that will be news!

Or, maybe you thought there was news about my boss who is on active duty with the Marines. Nope. He is in Okinawa interfacing with the new government about military base issues. The issue actually led to the resignation of the prime minister in early June. It's a hot topic in Japan, but rather ho-hum around the Capitol.

Then again, you might think there was something to share about the bomb scare at the Capitol on Friday. Still wrong. I was out of town visiting family in Houston. The bomb scare was a simple two hour diversion from business as usual in the building. And, since I wasn't here, even the inconvenience of the evacuation had no affect on me.

So, what's the really hot news topic for today?

Well, according to the news report on the radio, summer officially began at 6:28 this morning.

Thank you for that information. And, all this time I had been attributing the high heat levels to global warming.

It just served as a reminder to me that you have to be careful when you allow others to inform you of what is considered to be news worthy. Some things we should really be aware of are considered to be ho-hum. And, the incredibly obvious is being reported as news. It is always a good idea to maintain perspective when viewing the world through someone else's lenses.

When you have heard about as much of the "news" as you can stand, take off your secular, 3-D glasses and filter the day's happenings with your biblical world view lenses. Let the Holy Spirit explain what is happening around you. See God's goodness and grace, even in the midst of our ignorance and greed. It is amazing what a little perspective change can do for your attitude.

Romans 12: 2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and prefect will.

My Shoe Fashionista

2010-06-15T11:03:00.001-05:00

It is summer. My boss is out of the country - on active military duty in Okinawa. To say things are going slow at the office is an understatement. Or, at least I think it is. Since I have managed to be out of the office most of the month, that is just a guess on my part.

Last week we mixed business with pleasure as we took our granddaughter with us to Dallas to visit friends and attend the Republican Convention. The whole political convention process reminds me a lot of my mother. As a child, my mother made me eat cabbage every time it was served, even after we had clearly established that it was not on my list of top 5 million foods. The only reason the "at least try one bite" rule was ever lifted was because of my good fortune of developing a stomach virus on one of the days when cabbage was served. (Something about upchucking a detested food seems to seal the point that you are never going to develop a taste for it.)

Back to my point, I do not particularly like politics or political conventions. I attend them, not because there is a chance I will "develop a taste for them", so much as a feeling of responsibility that non-participation leaves the determination of the fate of my political party to those less qualified than myself. Or, in other words, government is run by those who show up. So, every two to four years, I take the time to show up.

But, the really great part of the trip was learning that our granddaughter, Hannah, at the ripe old age of six, is a full blown fashionista monster. I packed for three days, anticipating both business and casual meetings, including two pairs of shows. All Hannah was going to do was hang around with Pops for the three days. She came prepared with five pairs of shoes. At their trip to the zoo, the shoes she was wearing caused blisters on her feet. The following morning as I dressed her, I insisted that she wear tennis shoes with her dress to prevent worsening the blisters. (My motto: If shoes hurt your feet, throw them away.) She was reluctant to give up her fancy shoes and was quick to tell me that the other shoes did not match her dress. Common sense prevailed and she reluctantly donned the tennis shoes.

I thought my common sense had won the argument until we were all discussing the agenda for the day. Since attending business meetings would prevent me from accompanying Jerry and Hannah to the Heritage Park, I suggested that Pops take pictures to commemorate the day. Hannah insisted that her feet were not to be included in any of the pictures. So much for my common sense and her vanity.

Her mother says that traveling with 50 pairs of shoes is a trait she can live with. (She did not get that from me.) Who am I to complain?

But, just so you know, Pops did include her feet in one picture.

It's a Nine Year Old!!!!!!!

2010-06-04T12:19:00.001-05:00

Most birth announcements come with measurements in inches and ounces. But, that won't work with the new addition to our family. This announcement comes in feet and pounds.

Yesterday I got the long awaited phone call that I was once again a grandmother (this makes number four). He is a bouncing, not so babyish nine-year-old named Warren. We are awaiting pictures with the same glee and expectation of a mother's first ultra sound during pregnancy.

My daughter and son-in-law have been involved in the adoption process for well over a year. They have chosen to adopt out of the foster care system, because they are not seeking an infant, just a boy who needs a mom, a dad, and (in this case) a little sister. They have submitted on over thirty children - including multiple sibling groups - and, after waiting months in some cases, had heard nothing.

Then, they got the call. They were being considered as a finalist family for this little boy. It came suddenly. They had only submitted on Warren about a month ago. We knew the meeting was on Wednesday at 3:00. All through the afternoon and night the fear of getting our hopes up battled with the fear of losing our faith that God would place the perfect child for our family in His timing. Stormi's emotional roller coaster reminded me of an expectant father pacing in a waiting room, separated from his wife as she gives birth in the delivery room.

There was no word from the case worker on Wednesday afternoon or evening.

Thursday morning the phone rang at work. It was Stormi, cool as a cucumber. "Do you have a minute?"

"Of course, what have you heard?"

"Well, congratulations, you have a new grandson."

Just like that. Cool, collected, in control. Where did this woman come from? That is news that you shout from the roof tops! Or, in my case, I just went up and down the hall opening everybody's office door telling them I had a new grandson.

Then I had to smile to myself. That woman has discovered exactly what the Lord was reminding me of.

The Lord always answers a mother's prayers. Stormi has spiritually grown by leaps and bounds during this adoption process. She has learned to believe what she cannot see and to trust the Lord with all her heart - even when her emotions might not match up with her belief.

And, that just happens to be one of the prayers I have prayed over her since youth, believing He would answer even when I did not yet see the manifestation of the answer. God is good. All the time.

3 John : 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Arizona

2010-06-03T08:51:00.001-05:00

Being from Texas where everything is bigger and better, it is not easy to impress me. But let me tell you, the state of Arizona rose to the occasion.

Last week after flying to Colorado for the graduation of our goddaughter, we decided to swing by Arizona, visit with friends who are parents of some of my "grand conservatives," and spend a little money in protest of the protest that the City of Austin has against Arizona because of their immigration policy. We flew to Phoenix, rented a car and drove up to the Grand Canyon, over to Monument Valley, down to The Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, on down to Tucson, then back up to Phoenix.

As far as I can tell, that means we pretty much saw the whole state. Oh my gosh! Was God ever in a good mood when He was creating Arizona. The thought crossed my mind that Arizona was the canvas that the Lord used in creation to try out a few ideas. The mountain views and scenic drives are beautiful and watching Jerry's reaction to driving on the edge of a mountain with a substantial drop-off never ceases to amuse me. But, after all these miles of beautiful views, nothing prepares you for the moment you suddenly come upon the rim of the Grand Canyon.

Upon completion of His really big ditch diorama, the Lord moved east and dabbled in sculpture with the creation of His Monument Valley. Randomly, across the country side, huge rock formations sprout up out of the ground. And, in case you did not know it, the road that takes you through Monument Valley is not paved. This may, in fact, be the exact site of the original pothole.

By the time you get through Monument Valley every sense is overwhelmed. You begin to realize that things which would otherwise take your breath away have become almost common to you. So, like the wine taster who must clean their palate between wines, the Lord provided the landscape between Monument Valley and the Petrified Forest to get that feeling of awe and wonder out of your system. Well, at least that is what Jerry told me. Personally, I slept most of the way between the sites. Apparently, as a child I confused the terms "get in the car" with "let's take a nap." Much to Jerry's dismay, I've never straightened out the issue.

The Petrified Forest and Painted Desert were both impressive. Hot, but impressive. They tell you that, "it's a dry heat." But, then again, that's pretty much what I tell my turkey every Thanksgiving right before I put it in the oven. So, the desert loses a few points in my book for the extreme heat, but I suppose if it were beautiful and the perfect temperature I would then be complaining about the traffic jams.

But no scenery in Arizona tops the friends we have there. So, we received a guided tour of Tucson, enjoyed the hospitality of the parents of one of our Patriot Academy graduates, and proved that language is not a barrier to communication between me and a grand conservative. Hugs and kisses to Zoe.

We followed that up with a tour of Sedona, complete with time to spend catching up on current events and getting to watch Gaby (one of the children I have been known to feed ice cream to for breakfast) win first place in her race-walking track event. She even beat the state record for her age group. GO GABY!!!!! Hugs and kisses to Gaby and her brother, my very first grand conservative, Jose Arturo.

If you ever question the greatness of the mighty hand of God, just take a few days and look around Arizona.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise, His greatness no one can fathom.
Psalm 145:3

Not What I Intended to Say

2010-06-02T08:36:00.001-05:00

Having been on vacation all last week, I thought this morning's devotional would be about the beautiful state of Arizona. But, during my scripture reading I found something even better to share.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

That's it. No quips, or smart remarks. Just read over the verse a few times and enjoy the sense of peace and purpose it conveys.

Stay tuned for the Arizona message.

Ice Cream for Breakfast

2010-05-20T09:43:00.001-05:00

I started the week with my field trip to Houston and will end it up with a trip to Colorado and Arizona. It is graduation time for our god daughter. How quickly the years have passed since I held little Alyssa in my arms at her christening. Her family moved away to Colorado and we have had to make due with a long distance relationship.

One of the most difficult things in maintaining a relationship with young children is that they so easily forget who you are. If you only see each other every three to five years, how can they be expected to remember what you look like or why they are important to you.

The simple solution: feed them ice cream for breakfast.

It never fails. Once when Alyssa was quite young, ice cream on oatmeal was on the breakfast menu at our home. Several years later, Alyssa and her sisters told their younger brother that when they got to my house, they would get ice cream for breakfast. He didn't believe them, and when the ice cream came out of the freezer he ran in to wake up his parents to ask if it was OK to eat ice cream for breakfast.

Laughing, his mom replied, "Yes, but only at Kathi's."

She is a wise woman.

As Alyssa has gotten older, it has been a joy to watch her mature. Having homeschooled her entire life, she got to pick the theme for her graduation. Her choice - renaissance. She is truly a young woman who marches to a different drummer. Her love of books and book stores has ensured we have always had an interest we can share in common.

My prayer for Alyssa:

May He give you the desire of your heart, and make all your plans succeed.
Psalm 20:4

And, on a totally different note. After the graduation in Colorado we are going to drive to Arizona for sightseeing and to touch base with friends in Phoenix and Tucson. Since the city of Austin is boycotting Arizona over their decision to actually enforce immigration laws, we thought it would be a good time to go spend our money in Arizona.

Field Trip!

2010-05-19T11:05:00.001-05:00

One of the things I love about my job is the opportunity to learn about things I would otherwise never give a second thought. This month's training came from a "fieldtrip" to Houston where a group of legislative staff were introduced to natural gas drilling rigs. We stopped off and toured a rig in the field and then spent half a day at the Schlumberger facility in Sugarland where they have a drill for training purposes.

The technology and process used in recovering natural gas is fascinating in itself. The engineers at Schlumberger were able to explain the complex process in language even I could understand. But, perhaps the most interesting time for me was not so much learning about the process, as being reminded (once again) that different people looking at the same things do not actually see the same thing.

One of the lobbyists who was with the group also represents BP, the company who is the not so proud owner of the oil spill in the Gulf. Naturally, that was a discussion on several occasions. BP is currently spending money at the rate of the federal government to get the spill contained. They have blown past the billion dollar mark and estimate the cleanup cost will run as high as $12 billion. The difference in BP and the federal government is that BP is good for it.

But, the discussion at dinner one night ran to punitive damages to the oil company for allowing the spill. The purpose of punitive damages is to provide an incentive so that the behavior does not reoccur. With BP's stock dropping like a rock, my question was when your stock value is dropping like a rock and you are paying to clean up after yourself, why do they think BP needs incentives to not let this happen again?

And, on a note that has nothing to do with my point, let me tell you about oil and gas companies and their commitment to safety. This is not my first experience with "field trips" with the industry. Each stop we make we are given detailed safety instructions, issued safety equipment (hard hats, eye protection, and ear plugs) and notified the evacuation route to take and the muster point in the event of an emergency. When we were at the rig in the field, we were more closely chaperoned than a kindergartener's field trip. Even when we were sitting in corporate offices in Houston, the first presentation was on evacuation routes and muster points. Safety is not a second thought with these companies. It is a culture. I digress.

At lunch the next day, the issue of the impact of the health care bill came up. Schlumberger took a $40 million hit in the first quarter. They are concerned about the future impact the legislation will have. On the bus, several of us were discussing the issue. One person said, "You know what I wanted to know when he complained about the $40 million? Just how much does he make?"

My response, "What difference does it make how much he makes?"

"They can afford the $40 million."

My head almost exploded. I had forgotten that some people believe government policies should be dictated by people's perceived ability to pay rather than controlled by the principles of the appropriate role and scope of government. Can any of us really afford for our government to do the wrong thing?

But, the reason the exchange of ideas was important to me was that I felt no overwhelming urge to attempt to change their minds. We were in a fellowship environment, not a policy debate. And, at the end of the day, my new found friends were probably as confounded by my thinking as I was by theirs. There was a time (maybe as recently as last
year
month
week earlier in the day) when insisting someone understand (i.e. agree with) my position would be more important than developing a relationship.

So, in humility, I'm celebrating my tiny little victory, hoping the unusual becomes habit for me.

May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance. 2 Thessalonians 3:5

Immigration Issues

2010-05-13T13:07:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite parts of working at the Capitol is the number of young people who come through my office seeking counsel on career choices and job opportunities. Recent college grads can get all the way through a degree program without having someone ask them the most basic of questions that I pop in the first fifteen minutes of a meeting.

Are you a Republican, Democrat, conservative or liberal?

Why?

What is your passion?

What do you do better than anything else?

What do you see yourself doing in this environment?

It is interesting to me how many people (not just young people) identify with a political party or philosophy with no understanding of the principles underlying their decision. This morning my meeting was with a young, Hispanic - a first generation citizen, a mother, the first in her family to graduate from college. She is bright, articulate and identified herself as leaning more Democrat than Republican.

Wanting to explore that identification, I asked for clarification on issues about which we might differ. Her dad is originally from Mexico, a hard-working man who worked tirelessly to provide for his wife and six children. She has inherited her dad's work ethic. We seemed to agree on many social issues, so I asked about the big white elephant in the room. How do you feel about the Arizona immigration law?

The question was both to explore her thoughts and to help to clarify my own. The hoopla over the issue never ceases to amaze me. The fact that other states should choose to boycott Arizona because they have chosen to allow law enforcement officers to enforce laws already in place leaves me totally perplexed. There does not appear to be objection to the laws, just the enforcement of them. In a nation whose strength is its rule of law, that is a dangerous precedent.

Emotions are driving the immigration on all sides. Those in favor of stronger enforcement of immigration laws see illegal immigration as a threat to our nation because of low wage workers who are benefiting from our social services and taking jobs from American citizens.

Illegal immigrants are often here for the very things that have made our nation great - the opportunity to work hard and prosper. They are fleeing their native country because they cannot afford to support their families. Many people have or know people who have come into the country illegally and can easily identify and empathize with those who are here.

Both sides are correct to some degree. But, the bigger issue is that the very thing that makes it possible for a poor farm worker from Mexico to cross the border also makes it possible for a foreign terrorist to enter the country. Illegal immigration is a national security issue. The border must be secured. Illegal immigrants should be swiftly deported.

At the same time, both the United States and Mexico benefit from the self-sustaining workers who come to the United States as productive workers. Federal immigration laws should be changed to enable those who come for economic purposes to do so legally and easily.

Such a two-prong approach embraces both the rule of law and the biblical concept of welcoming the alien. (And, no, I don't care if Speaker Pelosi tells the Catholic Church they should instruct from the pulpit that immigration reform is necessary as long as she doesn't mind them also mentioning that the sanctity of life should be protected by government. But, I digress.).

The argument over who gets what benefits and social services should be re-examined and removed from the immigration debate. The same thing that makes illegal immigrants seek government benefits makes citizens seek them. It is not an immigration issue, it is a "nanny state" issue. The government should not be paying for the medical costs of illegal immigrants. But, then again, the government shouldn't be paying for the medical costs of its citizens, either. Solve that problem and, to the degree that it may be enticing illegal immigration, the problem will go away.

The protests and boycotts going on throughout our nation indicate a lack of understanding of the boycotters on the motivation of the real issues facing the Arizona lawmakers. Their citizens are being attacked, kidnapped and killed. It is the first role of government to offer protection to its citizens. In the nation's failure to do so, Arizona has stepped up to the plate. On the other hand, a failure to understand the boycotters indicates a lack of understanding of the fear of minorities that the power of government will be used to intimidate and punish even those who are here legally.

Each side is partially right and partially wrong and they must come together. Both sides of this issue could profit from the advice in Proverbs 4:7. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

It may actually cost you your opinion to gain wisdom in the area of immigration. But, failure to do so may cost you the very principles that have made our nation the success it is.

Perspective

2010-05-11T09:40:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was spent in a variety of meetings, one of which was also attended by a parade of lobbyists, legislators, the Speaker of the House, and the Governor. Hands were shaken, small talk was made. Yes, the Governor really did shoot a coyote on one of his morning jogs as reported. Long before the meet and greet was over, my feet hurt from standing and keeping a smile on my face was getting a little tedious. All this, and I still had a dinner to sit through. Such is my job.

The good news is that today some really important people are coming to the Capitol, and I get to meet with them, too. It is my granddaughter's kindergarten class. Hannah and 95 other kindergarteners will stop by the Capitol grounds to have lunch on their way to the Austin Children's Museum. Pops is one of the chaperones, and Migi (that's me) gets to come out and visit with them while they eat.

The chatter of the 95 little voices, the trips to the bathrooms, the dirty little hands, and the noses that need to be blown will not cause me to be bored. My feet will not hurt as I walk around with them. It will not be difficult to find things to discuss, because with a kindergartener, the most mundane things can be fascinating topics of conversation. The squirrels on the Capitol grounds, the ants crawling across a picnic blanket or the pecans on the trees all provide great teachable moments for young people. And, the smile on my face when I return to my office will not be one put there by duty, but by joy.

It is easy for adults to misjudge their own importance and that of the people around them. It is a particularly difficult task for many in the political realm due to the prevailing perception that election to public office somehow sets a person apart for special attention. The misconception is validated as people fawn over the elected officials, falsely believing that their own worth increases with the proximity of those elected to power. Elected officials deserve our prayers and our respect. They are not due our worship.

Look around today and consider who the most important people in your life are. Do they know it? Does your schedule reflect their importance to you? If not, what are you going to do about that?

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them.
Matthew 18: 1-2

Gotta run! The bus will be here any minute . . .

Hobo Visits

2010-05-10T10:39:00.001-05:00

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Psalm 100:3

Normally a two basset hound family, we currently have a third hound visiting for the week. His name is Hobo and his people are visiting Disney World this week. While they visit Mickey Mouse he is getting to spend the week with Sam and Tilly.

The first time I saw Hobo he was half-starved and scavenging for food out in the country. We were visiting my mother-in-law who is not a fan of dogs. Ignoring her raised eyebrows, I slipped Hobo some of the leftovers from our Thanksgiving meal. When I mentioned that he obviously needed a forever home with someone who would take care of him, there was no ignoring my husband's raised eyebrows.

As indulgent as Jerry is with me, he does have his limits. Two basset hounds seems to be one of them.

But alas, basset rule number one: don't touch the puppy and basset rule number two: don't name the dog had already both been violated. So, I snapped a couple of pictures of him with the camera on my cell phone, and began to contemplate how to find Hobo a home. Waiting for a meeting to begin at work one day, a conversation on dogs came up and offered the opportunity for Hobo's story to be told.

A friend of mine was hooked at the first glimpse of his cute little face. She agreed to give him a home if we could still find him. Jerry was all too willing to transport the dog to Austin to go home with anybody else but me. He was just delighted that Hobo had found a home before he had to do more than raise his eyebrows to keep the basset census at two.

Hobo loves his forever home. And, well he should. He has his own crate, his own food bowl, and his own dog bed. He also is given doggie door privileges and gets to sleep with his new owner. What's not to love? He knows that he has been saved and is one of the most loyal and affectionate dogs I have ever seen.

So this week I am delighting in looking out in the yard and seeing my thundering herd of bassets race to the back steps when I call. Each of them obviously a basset and yet uniquely different, just watching them brings me great joy until they actually reach me - the smell somewhat sooner than the slobber on my feet . But, they are mine (except for the visiting Hobo), and somehow I overlook those frivolous flaws just because I can.

And, every so often, I reflect on how like a basset hound we are in our relationship with the Lord. It is He who made us and we are His. Aren't you delighted He overlooks your smell and slobber?

National Day of Prayer

2010-05-06T10:21:00.001-05:00

I erroneously stated that last Tuesday was the National Day of Prayer. If, in fact, you prayed for our nation on that day, please know that it was OK. God knew I was wrong when I wrote it, but He was willing to listen to your prayers anyway. And, just in case you didn't know it. Today actually is the National Day of Prayer, and even if you prayed on Tuesday, you can still pray today. God allows do overs.

There is a huge controversy over The National Day of Prayer this year. A judge from Wisconsin has ruled it unconstitutional, but has stayed the decision until the appeal process is over. The President has ordered that the case be appealed. It will work its way up to the Supreme Court, and in a few years we will find out whether or not our judicial system will agree or disagree on the constitutionality of the U. S. Congress declaring a national day of prayer.

I have not yet digested the court decision (66 pages) or the arguments in favor of keeping the national day of prayer (79 pages). But, like the majority of my fellow Americans, I see no reason that my failure to do so should prevent me from commenting on the issue.

It is extremely easy for something like this to get everyone's emotions running high. But, let's consider the worst case scenario - the Supreme Court rules that the National Day of Prayer constitutes the establishment of religion and Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion , or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Such a ruling will result in a large mob of people, most who do not pray in the first place, wringing their hands and crying, "What will we do? What will we do?"

My suggestion: Drop in your tracks, fall on your face, and begin to pray as if you actually mean it.

Government cannot take prayer out of schools, public places, or anywhere as long as God's people take Him with them wherever they go. There would be no need for a call for a national day of prayer by government if our churches were making the call instead. Instead of having a government recognition of God and inviting church people, why can't we have a church recognition of God and invite the government people?

This is not a government problem. It is a church problem.

In my humble opinion.

"If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. " 2 Chronicles 7:14

… but our eyes are upon you.

2010-05-05T11:04:00.001-05:00

During the past two legislative sessions the Lord has prompted me to write a daily devotional. Initially that seemed like a strange directive since it is during a session that every waking moment is consumed by my work schedule. How could I possibly add yet another task onto my already overloaded calendar? But, on reflection, it seemed a prompting from the Lord would not come without the means to fulfill it.

So, on the mornings when I had nothing in mind for the devotional I would pull up a new document on the computer, carefully title and date it and tell the Lord I had done my part, it was now His problem. He never let me down. My writing of the devotional during the interim (like the rest of my life) is not nearly as disciplined as it is during session. Hence the creation of the "dailyish" devotional. It takes the pressure off of me and my "ghost writer."

This morning, after my quiet time I had no idea what to write for the devotional. But, I got to wondering about how could you possibly spend time in fellowship with the Lord and not come away with something to say. I pulled up a new document, titled it, and waited.

"The battle belongs to the Lord." That's it. The only clue He gave me. But, I can go a long way with a clue.

Two places that discuss the subject in scripture are the story of David and Goliath and then in 2 Chronicles 20 where King Jehoshaphat prays to God about an impending battle. In his prayer, King Jehoshaphat says, "… We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." 2 Chronicles 20:12

Look at that. My tactic to putting the ball in God's court is nothing new. And, it is highly successful - for Jehoshaphat, for David, and for me. He just turned nothing to say into six paragraphs of text. Once again, I am awed by my Lord.

Doggie Doors

2010-05-04T09:37:00.001-05:00

There are times when writing a devotional that I am as surprised at the end results as some of the people who are reading it for the first time. Those are the times when a brief idea has come to me and as my fingers engage with the keyboard some profoundly simple concept leaps off the page at me. Other times, an idea develops over hours, days, weeks - in today's case - years.

I turn again to the spiritual training the Lord has accomplished through basset hounds. Today's subject is free will.

Coming into our home as a precious little bundle of ears and feet, Sam had our constant attention. That was partially because he was so cute and partially to protect the carpet from puppy puddles. As he grew, we intensified our attention for the daily/hourly search and rescue missions to extract whatever it was he was chewing on that was never intended to engage with a puppy digestive system.

As difficult as bassets are to train, Sam was remarkably quick to be house broken. Thinking that our lives would be easier we installed a doggie door, giving Sam the freedom to come and go on his own schedule. Perhaps that was what God was thinking when he gave man free will.

It wasn't long before the doggie door became a source of irritation for me. At night Sam would let himself out to survey his kingdom. But, not content to just sniff around the yard, he would find a frog, and I would find myself out in my nightgown trying to end his incessant barking at the poor thing.

When Sam wanted to play, he would grab whatever was closest to him that he was not supposed to have and, looking to make sure I knew he had it, would then run out the dog door to see if I would chase him. Usually, I did. A skein of yarn, a half-knit sweater, my reading glasses, Jerry's cell phone - they all made the journey out the dog door. I would race after Sam, threatening to kill him if I ever caught up to him.

One night, as Jerry and I were getting ready for bed, we heard a tremendous racket coming from the living room. Sam was taking his dog bed out the dog door. Not imagining that he would accomplish the feat, we laughed and left him to his task. After a couple of minutes and some really loud noises, things quieted down. As a mother, I know that when things are quiet you need to go check on the situation. Sam had accomplished his mission. His dog bed was now in the middle of the back yard and he was contentedly sitting on it. I suppose it was the basset equivalent of a first camp out.

Growing in wisdom, one day it dawned on me that we had given the dog door and we could take it away. Sam could only disturb my sleep if I permitted him to do so. The doggie door was closed and a crate was purchased. Sam now sleeps in his crate at night and is allowed access to the doggie door if and when it is OK with me. His free will is gone, but my good night's sleep is back.

Looking at the way man has abused free will in our relationship with the Lord, it is amazing that God has not taken it back. Still, sin has established a "dog door" between us and God. Without Christ, the door is closed and we are sleeping in the crate.

Today is the National Day of Prayer. Remember 2 Chronicles 7:14
"If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. "

Whale Barf

2010-05-03T13:01:00.001-05:00

Our sermon in church (http://www.celebrationchurchtx.com/multimedia/index/sermons) on Sunday was on the book of Jonah. Jonah is one of those bible characters that I just don't understand, but I am eternally grateful for the inclusion of his story in the Old Testament. Just the visual picture of disobedience = whale barf is sufficient to keep me on the straight and narrow.

But, it wasn't a whale barf scripture that got my attention yesterday. It was Jonah 2:8
"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."

Imagine the setting. Jonah has run away from a directive of the Lord, and as a result of his disobedience he has been thrown overboard as a last ditch effort to protect the safety of his fellow sailors. But, God wasn't done with Jonah; He was just trying to get his attention. So, as the story goes, the Lord provide a great fish to swallow Jonah and gave him three days to think about things. Talk about a God ordained time out.

And, during that dark, smelly time out, as Jonah thought about the consequences of his actions, he cried out to the Lord, including the observation that "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."

Whoa! That scripture got my attention. Having my recent revelation that I lack grace for others because I fail to love them has caused the word "grace" to catch my attention in any context in scripture. "Grace" is defined as "a capacity to tolerate, accommodate, or forgive people." "Forfeit" is a word that is used to describe a penalty for wrongdoing.

Jonah is acknowledging to God that losing the grace they would otherwise have was the penalty for hanging on to worthless idols (FYI - all idols besides God are worthless). Jonah was not talking about his grace toward others, but others' grace toward him. In recognition of Jonah's "ah ha" moment, God showed tremendous grace toward Jonah and had the whale barf him up on the beach.

Things to ponder:

Grace can look and smell like whale barf. Sometimes when we find ourselves in a sticky, stinky situation, it may actually be a whole lot better than what we deserve.

On the other hand, what are the idols in your life? It can be anything from TV to a sense of security. It can be a job or a relationship. It can be a video game or a football game. Idols are anything that has a higher priority in your life than God.

There is a stiff penalty for clinging to idols. Considering Jonah's experience, I think I'll consider the consequences of those idols (and remove them from my life) before God has to show me how much he loves me by turning me into whale barf.

Amazing Grace

2010-04-30T10:03:00.001-05:00

Yesterday afternoon was spent at a funeral of a gentleman I did not know. The brother of a co-worker, my presence was merely a means of showing my respect and love for the co-worker. For that reason, the event was not overly emotional for me. But, as funerals always do, the event brought back memories.

Two things in particular ignited those memories. The song Amazing Grace and the 23rd Psalm. After my step-dad's funeral over 30 years ago, it took almost ten years before I could listen to Amazing Grace. Generally, before the first chords of the first verse were complete, I would be reduced to a sniveling pile of emotions. As I grew in grace in my relationship with the Lord, the words of the song became less a reminder of my dad's funeral and more a reminder of the character of God. Today, there hangs above the fireplace in my living room a large plaque with the words "Amazing Grace" for all the world to see. It is my testimony of the Lord's hand in my life.

The 23rd Psalm is one of those verses of scripture that even non-believers can quote. It its most basic level it promises a shepherd's provision and protection for his flock. Read and meditated on at a deeper level, it reflects the nature and character of God and how we can expect to see Him manifest in our lives.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet water, he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Even though I will walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies,

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Read that scripture and picture yourself as the sheep. Your shepherd will make sure you are fed and taken care of. He will make (not let) you rest. Quiet waters can run deep, but you have nothing to fear when He is your guide. He will restore your soul. You will walk through the valley of the shadow of death. But, there is nothing to fear when you have the Shepherd with you. He will feed you and comfort you, even in the midst of your pain and sorrow. Whatever or whoever your enemies might be, the Lord has His hand upon you and is blessing you with goodness and love.

Preachers have a captive audience at a funeral. That makes them a perfect place to share the wonderful attributes of a loving God. May he who has ears hear the message before it is preached at his own funeral.

I do believe . . .

2010-04-27T09:29:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite quotes when faced with a difficult situation is from the Wizard of Oz movie. The cowardly lion, when facing the Wizard, is wringing his tail and saying, "I do believe, I do, I do. I do believe."

Like the cowardly lion, I have used the phrase to buck up my own courage from time to time. And, I have found that sometimes faith is as simple as reminding myself that my circumstances are not taking the Lord by surprise.

Just reading the results of a word search of the word "faith" makes me feel confident. The 232 references to faith in Christ found in scripture show that it is a powerful thing . It comes by hearing. It can move mountains, justify and sanctify us, leads to healing, strengthen us.

But, faith is a funny thing. You will always be disappointed if you put your faith in the wrong things. Yourself, your momma, your best friend, your elected officials - even your basset hounds - will let you down. If you allow your faith to be in anything other than Jesus Christ, you will be disappointed.

But, when you have faith in Jesus, even the morning news is not all that depressing.

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 27:13

Just do it

2010-04-23T10:30:00.001-05:00

You know, we really make life a lot more complicated than it has to be. My little tidbit for this morning is:

Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

Just reading or hearing the word of God does not make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. It is how you use what you take in that matters.

Not a lot to say about the issue. Just do it.

Thanks, Bud!

2010-04-22T14:00:00.001-05:00

Just for the record, God has gone from preaching to meddling in my life this week. First, that whole revelation that there is love lacking in my attitude toward others. And now, building on that one, a reminder of a lesson my dear mentor taught me.

My step-dad, the man who raised me, died when I was 22 years old. His loss in my life left a dad-sized hole that I never expected to close. Fast forward 25 years, and I met Bud and Clauda Orrell. Bud, a retired pastor has a shepherd's heart and tremendous love of people. At my first appearance in his home, he told me I needed to repent for what I was saying about someone. The spirit of conviction zapped me on the spot, and our mentor/mentee relationship began.

Since that day, Bud has taught me a number of lessons - the greatest of which is to love other people. He always teaches by example. When I am wrong, he tells me so. When I am happy he laughs with me. When I am sad he consoles me. And, he always tells me how much I am loved. The Lord has used him to fill that dad-sized hole in my heart - he is a perfect fit.

Perhaps the most important lesson Bud taught me was that you cannot offend a dead man. Well, I begged to differ with him. Since I happened to know the scriptures about dying to sin and alive in God and I am a believer, (therefore) a dead man. and there are still a whole lot of things that upset me. I have never tolerated liberalism or stupidity well - they offend me.

Bud and I argued over the issue for a period of several weeks. I gave all my rational thinking about things that could and should offend us.

He said, "You can't offend a dead man."

I explained and gave examples of ignorant things people do, mistreatment of children, abuse of animals, people cutting you off in traffic. (I almost had him with the traffic example.)

He said, "You can't offend a dead man."

I told him how I felt, which naturally must be the truth, because it was truthfully how I was feeling.

He said, "You can't offend a dead man."

I gave it my best to prove him wrong, then prayed about it and finally came back to acknowledge (as if it were a truth I had just discovered all by myself) that you cannot offend a dead man. We just may need to die a little more completely or in a new area.

It was a revolutionary discovery for me. Each time I would feel myself picking up an offense, my first reaction was to seek out what it was that needed to die in me. Slowly, I began to allow all those things in me that kept getting offended to die. And, since that happened in my life, I have found that there is a whole lot more room for the lesson from yesterday (it is all a labor of love) to take hold.

Sure, there is still a struggle in me from time to time. But I know I am making progress as liberals and people making ill-advised statements cause my eyebrows to raise, but not my blood pressure.

You should give it a try.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:11

Cupcakes in Heaven

2010-04-21T15:42:00.001-05:00

My experiences at the Texas Capitol have equipped me to multi-task and to take most things in stride. That means that things that get me really frustrated are generally handed over to the Lord by the end of the day so that I will be free to be frustrated by something entirely new the next day. That is one of the reasons my topics for devotionals jump around like popcorn in a popcorn popper.

But, for a change today's devotional was actually motivated by yesterday's discussion of my lack of grace and mercy for others. Just in case you think the devotionals are for your benefit, please know that both the Lord and I know they are His way of speaking to me.

A friend responded to the devotional yesterday to tell me that her experience was that I had shown much grace and mercy toward her. I responded that in her case it was, "a labor of love."

Boom! (Have you ever noticed how you can remember EXACTLY where you were and what you were doing when the Holy Spirit speaks to you? All the way down to what you were wearing and which side your hair was parted on.)

No sooner had I written the words than the Lord said, "Exactly My point."

And, the angels had a party in Heaven, complete with cupcakes and fizzy water. Kathi finally broke the code and realized that grace and mercy is a labor of love.

Have problem granting others mercy? Do you love them?

Not feeling particularly full of grace? How's your love tank?

I have blamed it on not having the spiritual gift. The trouble isn't a lack of mercy or grace. It is a lack of love. Wait, come to think of it, didn't Jesus say something about that?

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37 -40

Mercy and Grace

2010-04-20T10:12:00.001-05:00

One Sunday I was asked to share about my work with the pro-life movement at our church. During the presentation I mentioned that, "Those of you who know me, know that mercy is not one of my spiritual gifts." The rousing round of applause surprised even me.

But, knowing my limitations prevents me from taking on tasks which could lead to disaster. For example, there is no sensitive side of me when it comes to counseling. If you are doing something stupid I ask, "So, how's that working for you?" You have a complaint about your spouse? My advice is almost always, "Well, suck it up and get over it." I avoid the pastoral care ministry. The church appreciates that about me.

Though personally lacking much of the grace and mercy Christ has so graciously given me, even I cringe thinking about the implications of the psalmist's prayer in my daily reading today. "Let the heads of those who surround me be covered with the trouble their lips have caused."
Psalm 140:9

While mercy and grace may not be my top attributes, I am always thankful that the Lord does not give us what we deserve. Even I would hesitate to pray that our nation be covered with the trouble our lips have caused. Instead, my prayer is, "Lord have mercy on us." He is our only hope.

What's New?

2010-04-19T10:38:00.001-05:00

Did you miss me? Or, did you just assume the devotionals were going to your junk email folder? It has been over two weeks since I sat down to write a devotional. So, what's new?

Congress. Still on track to bankrupt the nation. Not new.

National deficit. Not new.

Volcano in Iceland erupted. New.

Blamed on global warming. Not new.

Democrats don't like Republicans. Not new.

Republicans don't like Democrats. Not new.

There are a whole lot of things going on in the world that are not good and not new. And, if we allowed ourselves to go there, the bad things could easily eclipse all the wonderful things that are going on around us. The quick antidote to an overdose of cable news and the circumstances in which we find ourselves is to take inventory and count our blessings.

My grandchildren. Hannah. Kaden. Hunter. Brother (grandson TBA in the foster system). Not new, but always guaranteed to bring a smile to my face.

Warm spring days. (Also known as global warming.) Good. Not new.

A new book and a hammock in the sun. Good. Not new.

Goofy basset hounds. Not new. Rarely well behaved. Good for my soul.

Jesus loves you and me. Not new. Really, really good.

So, what's the best way to deal with the depressing news of our times? Not new.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Philippians 4:8

It's a Fact

2010-04-01T11:19:00.000-05:00

Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the Lord your God, when He led you in the way? Jeremiah 2:17

The workshop on media bias was an eye-opener for me. The object was to explain that different people process information differently. Some people make decisions based entirely on emotion. Others make decisions based entirely on facts. Of course, the majority of people can be swayed by a combination of the two. And, with the success of marketing, my guess would be that there are a lot more "feelers" than "facters" in the world.

I was not surprised to find on the accompanying assessment that my emotion processing skills were so low that I rarely allow emotions to affect my decisions. (Except where basset hounds are involved, and then my reason goes to mush.) It was, however, an eye-opening experience for me.

Suddenly, I understood why so many policy issues were black and white for me. When others saw poor little sick children and thought government should do something, I saw dollars and cents and knew it was not government's job to intervene. Don't get me wrong. If I see a poor little sick child, I am even more likely to get personally involved in the situation than I am to pick up a stray basset hound. But, I don't confuse my responsibility to take action with the role of government.

So, naturally, verses such as the one in Jeremiah today make sense to me. God had chosen Israel and they were in a situation where there was absolutely nothing good left to say about them. The facts were in, and Isreal deserved to be abandoned by God and left to ruin.

Actually, forget Israel, the facts are in and we all fall short. Left to our own devices, we deserve damnation. Praise God who so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

And, praise Jesus who acted on the fact (in the face of conflicting emotions) that there was no way humanity could reconcile with God apart from His sacrifice.

It's Easter week - a good time to be thinking about the facts.

The Puppy in the Dog

2010-03-29T11:22:00.000-05:00

It was a glorious weekend to be a basset hound. Sam and Matilda took up residence on the deck. Sam sunning his belly, and Tillie looking for all the world like bloated road kill. Truly, her girlish figure is a thing of the past. But, as long as she raids the pantry and eats entire bags of marshmallows and sneaks tootsie pops for treats when our backs are turned, things are not likely to change.

Sam is getting on in basset years. He will turn eight in May. As a puppy, Sam was "an only pup." As such, he was incredibly high maintenance. Before learning to channel his enthusiasm we lost a couch, two cell phones, a couple of heirloom keepsakes, many nights of sleep, and much of my sanity. After learning that a tired basset puppy is a good basset puppy, we made evening swims part of his daily ritual. I would put his harness on him, connect a leash and carry him into the river to swim against the current. I could stand there while he paddled feverishly, making little progress, but expending great amounts of effort to do so.

We went through countless dog toys. His sense of delight apparent when he successfully gutted a brand new toy in less than ten minutes. But, his very favorite toy was a blue peacock. He particularly liked the sound the unique sound that the squeaker in the peacock made. The peacock has been gone for years. But, on Sunday, while shopping for new collars and tags for the dogs, we ran across a duck that made the same unique sound. Thinking it might be a treat for Sam, we purchased it and brought it home.

At the first quacking sound, Sam's ears perked up and it was apparent that the sound had struck a chord with him. He came running up in anticipation of a great treat, knowing it had to be for him. Then for the next two hours, Sam carried the toy around in his mouth. He was not letting go, and he was not sharing. Every so often he would bite down so he could hear the quack, then he would go back to just carrying it around. When he finally decided it would be safe to lay it down, he would come back periodically to make it quack and carry it around some more. You could just see the puppy in the dog.

Oftentimes I ask young people what they want to be when they grow up. As some struggle with the answer, I tell them it is OK, to not have an immediate answer. As for me, all I know for sure is that I want to be really, really old and in good health when I finally grow up. "Growing up" implies reaching an end in the growing process. Personally, I never want to reach the place where growing ends. Regardless of the gray hair and the slower movement, I always want others to be able to see the "puppy in the dog."

Joshua and Caleb received the blessing of God when they went into the promised land and brought back a good report. In reward for their faithfulness, the Lord gave them long life after all the naysayers had passed away. You could still see that puppy in the dog when Caleb said to Joshua at the age of 85, "I am still as strong to this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war, and for going and coming." Joshua 14:11

This I Know

2010-03-26T09:34:00.000-05:00

Contemplating the changes that will occur in the coming year, I could be concerned about a number of things. Personally, with a boss who is retiring, my employment situation is a question mark. Who wants an opinionated policy advisor? Is there another position for me at the Capitol? Is it time to move to another arena? What about salary? What about benefits? Can I walk away? Should I walk away?

This I know, that God is for me.

What about the condition of our nation? Can the torch of freedom be passed to the next generation? Have we ever been so close to the edge of falling into ruin? Do any men and women of virtue remain in leadership? Can we survive the damage done in the attacks on our freedom? Can our children afford the consequences of the policies that are being heaped upon us?

This I know, that God is for me.

What about my children? Do they have the moral fortitude to sustain the coming difficulties? Will they raise their children to love and serve the Lord? Are they equipped to step up to the plate in leadership as my generation faces its sunset years? Have I, am I doing everything I can to prepare them for the future?

This I know, that God is for me.

Those are all things I could worry about. But, I don't. All I can do is all I can do. Having done it, the results are up to God. For . . .

This I know, that God is for me. Psalm 56:9

The Desires of My Heart

2010-03-25T11:28:00.001-05:00

Hannah, my granddaughter, has never experienced lack in her life. When she was born she had enough clothes, toys and stuff to provide for at least three children. At the ripe old age of six, she has more high tech gadgets than I had in my first forty years of life. So, the last thing I expected to see upon opening the garage door to get her "bicycle" so she could accompany me on a walk was a good old-fashioned red tricycle, just like the one I had when I was her age.

The memory of my red tricycle is precious to me. I was five. My mom and step-dad had just gotten married and moved our family to Houston. The preceding few years had been rough on my mom, and my step-dad wanted to give her the gift of not having to work outside the home. At the time, kindergarten was not mandatory. So, my step-dad asked me if I would rather go to kindergarten or stay home with my mom with a puppy and a new tricycle.

Yes, it is true. I skipped kindergarten.

The puppy's name was Puddles, and watching Hannah, elbows flying and knees pumping up and down, I remembered the joy of riding my tricycle in endless circles on the driveway in front of our home. It was particularly exhilarating to get up enough speed to take the turns on two wheels, especially since a failure to appropriately negotiate the curve usually resulted in a new band-aide.

My step-dad raised me, and often gave me similarly difficult decisions to make. Would I rather clean the kitchen or go out and work on the car with him? Would I prefer to stay home with my siblings or go to work with him? (I know he made this offer to my siblings also, but I like to think that I am the only one who knew "going to work with Dad" meant a stop at the malt shop.) As a teenager it was, would I rather do [ insert anything here] or take the boat out and go skiing on the river?

My husband tells me that my step-dad spoiled me rotten. But, in reality, he just knew the desires of my heart, and over the years, he offered them to me on many occasions. And, isn't that just like our heavenly father?

Take delight in the Lord; and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

In Case you Were Wondering

2010-03-24T11:02:00.000-05:00

Just in case you wondering, an executive order from the president does not trump statutory law established by Congress. Of course, most people with even a rudimentary level of civic literacy knows that, but it seemed to confuse some of our elected officials on Sunday when a deal was brokered for the president to issue an executive order to prohibit the funding of abortions with tax payer dollars in exchange for several votes for the health care bill.

It isn't rocket science, or even brain surgery. It is the simple separation of powers provided for in our Constitution. If an executive order could override statutes, there would be no need for Congress, the president would be able to establish, at will, any policy he wanted. In fact, if an executive order would trump statute, I'm pretty sure as important as the issue is to this president, he would have already instituted a national takeover of health care by executive order. But, he didn't, because he couldn't. And, he couldn't for the same reason that the executive order being signed today to prohibit the spending of tax dollars for abortion is not worth the paper on which it is written.

Throughout the debates on the health care bill, I have listened to the congressman leading the group of holdouts on the principled stand of the sanctity of life and the belief that tax dollars should not fund abortion. He and his small band of followers held out until just hours before the vote. As his press conference was announced, I prayed it would be to announce that since there was no suitable compromise, he would be voting no. But, that wasn't his announcement. He announced, instead, the sham of the executive order, and acted as if he actually believed what he was saying. Nothing in this process is quite as disappointing as watching a man of principle capitulate on those principles.

It is not yet out in the open how much his district will benefit in the coming days - grants for airports and money for a hospital have been mentioned. But, the fact remains that once a legislator has agreed to exchange his vote and principles for something else, he has established his profession, and all that remains is negotiation on price. I just cannot fathom what might be worth trading your reputation and the lives of the unborn for.

Do not misunderstand me. I do not think it was easy for Rep. Stupak to hold out as long as he did. He was under extreme pressure by his friends to switch his vote. And, I do not necessarily believe it was easy for him to surrender. But, the point is, he did. And that only added to the perception that the men and women who lead us are lacking in moral virtue.

Join me in praying for moral strength for our elected leaders. It is not always easy to do the right thing.

Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked. Proverbs 25:26

God Answers Prayers

2010-03-23T09:27:00.000-05:00

God answers all prayers. Sometimes we get exactly what we want. Sometimes we get exactly what we asked for. Always, we get exactly what we need.

Our family moved to Ft. Worth the week of an historic ice storm. From the window of the breakfast nook, the back yard resembled a frozen tundra, the skeletons of the trees weighed down under the burden of ice. As winter turned to spring, one tree stood out from the others. At the first sign of warm weather, it literally burst into bloom, a promise of things to come. As spring turned to summer, the tree began to droop under its heavy burden of apples.

As summer was winding down and moving into fall, we received the news that my husband's company which had moved us had been sold and his position would be eliminated. We began to prepare, once again, to move. My prayer was that we would be able to stay in the house until the apples turned red. Having watched the tree with delight for most of the year, reaping the harvest was one small way of relieving the grief of another move.

Working in the yard one afternoon Jerry picked an apple. He came into the house and asked me if I wanted red apples or ripe apples. The apple tree was a green variety, and they were ready for the picking. I got what I wanted, not what I asked for.

A friend and I were on our way to a women's retreat at Camp Allen, hopelessly lost in the country side. As we pulled to an intersection I prayed, "Lord, show me a sign to Camp Allen."

We turned right, traveled about 8 miles and came upon the sign I had prayed to receive. "Camp Allen - 10 Miles." It pointed us back in the direction from which we had just come. It would have been better to ask God for Camp Allen, rather than a sign. I got what I asked for, not what I wanted.

Praying over our nation and the health care debate for the past few years, I often reduce my request to, "No, no, no. Please don't let it pass."

But, as I watched the coverage of the issue on TV on Sunday and listened to the live debates on the radio, the realization that another long-term prayer of mine was being answered. People are engaged on this issue. Tens of thousands of people protested passage on the bill in Washington on Saturday. The phone lines to the U.S. Congress were continually busy on a Sunday afternoon when we were enjoying incredibly beautiful weather. People are beginning to stir. Could this be the awakening of the American people for which I have prayed for so long? And, what did I expect that answered prayer to look like?

Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Honest, I Tried to Let it Go

2010-03-19T10:43:00.000-05:00

Honest. I tried to let it go.

It is spring break. But, old habits die hard. Coming into my craft room with that first cup of coffee, I switched on my computer and flipped the TV over to Fox news. The first news was of the "yes" votes that have switched to "no" votes and the "no" votes who have switched to "yes" votes on the health care bill. The hair on the back of my neck began to tickle. Call me a cynic, but at this point in the game, if you are changing your vote short of a visitation from an angel of the Lord, I have to question what is in it for you.

But, having written about health care several times, I let it pass.

Then, President Obama came on giving a speech to George Mason University. Initially, I muted the TV, not wishing to raise my blood pressure. My desire is to respect the office of the presidency and the person who holds it, so I generally attempt to avoid those situations where I know that my respect is likely to be undermined. But, the speech continued for an extended period of time, so I began to listen.

For those of you who are not involved in public policy, let me tell you a secret. You do not have to understand legislation, the legislative process or politics to understand what is being proposed in the health care bill. All you have to know is a little bit about money and government.

There is very little that government can do better than the free market (think national defense).
When government is responsible for paying, they then have a reason to regulate EVERYTHING that is covered by those payments.
Health care is a commodity - the services you receive costs money.

So, here is what the proponents of the health care reform before them would have you believe.

Mandating insurance companies to provide free preventive care will lower your insurance costs. (They actually tried that once before - remember HMO's?)
Increasing the number of people on Medicaid (socialized system) will lower the cost of health care. (The bill for the State of Texas will be about $2 billion a year. They get that money out of your pocket.)
Increasing the number of people on government programs will lower the deficit. (Deserves no explanation. If you believe that, I have ocean front property in Arizona for you.)
You will be able to keep your current insurance. (Of course, that doesn't take into account the fact that your insurance company is likely to go out of business.)
You can keep your own doctor. (Unless they are one of the 30 percent of doctors who say they will retire immediately or early if the health care reform passes.

Perhaps the most interesting thing to watch has been the switch in the debate from the merits (or lack thereof) of the bill to the politics of it. In my 18 years at the Texas Capitol, "it's for the little, sick children" has always been a trump argument. We are now hearing that the reason for passing the legislation is because it is critical for President Obama's presidency. If the legislation fails, there is a fear that the liberal arm of the party will be alienated. Well, isn't that a special reason to take control of 1/6 of the nation's economy.

It is not political rhetoric to believe that the outcome of this particular debate is going to leave a mark on our history that will be discussed for years. This week will be remembered as the time when our nation tottered on a precipice. Will we slide into the abyss of socialism and the resulting slavery? Or, will peeking over the edge and just seeing the abyss, shock us into pulling back?

Only God knows. And my prayer goes out to Him to hear our cry and save our land.

Blessed be the Lord , who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation. Psalm 68:19

Springtime and Pumpkins

2010-03-18T10:01:00.000-05:00

Last fall "Mom's house" was designated as the place for my daughters and granddaughter to carve a pumpkin. While the idea that they wanted to make sure "Migi" could enjoy the festivities of the occasion sounds sweet, the deciding factor was probably who would be responsible for clean-up. Knowing all that, I sent them out on the front sidewalk with their pumpkin and carving tools. It wasn't too long before Hannah came in and said, "Migi, I need some kid spoons."

She was referring to my demitasse spoons, reserved for special guests and children. And, she was wanting to use them in scraping out a pumpkin.

"How many do you need?"

"Two."

"Okay, Migi will loan you two kid spoons, but you are responsible for returning them to me when you are finished. Mama is not going to return them and Aunt Kristi is not going to return them. OK?"

"OK"

And off my good spoons went to carve the pumpkin.

Hannah quickly lost interest in the carving - probably because her mother does not allow her to play with knives. But, she was very interested in the pumpkin seeds and asked her mother if she could plant one. Moms tend to be very practical, so the explanation of why you do not plant pumpkins in the fall was given. Aunt Kristi concurred that pumpkin seeds planted in the fall were not likely to survive. So, when all else fails, ask Migi.

Yes, I know that pumpkins are a fall crop, that the chances of a pumpkin sprouting after a freezing winter are unlikely. I also know that planting a pumpkin seed can be fun even if you don't get a pumpkin. So, we picked a spot in the front herb garden, as far from the edge as Hannah could reach from the sidewalk, dug a small hole with the kid spoons and put the pumpkin seed into the ground. While Hannah was covering it up with dirt, I went inside to get her a glass of water to pour on it. We talked about the fact that it might not come up, but that all we could do was put it in the ground, water it and let God do the rest.

Hannah returned the kid spoons to me and all the adults forgot about the pumpkin seed except for the times when she would ask how her seed was doing. Each time we would prepare her for the eventuality that the pumpkin was not going to sprout. Imagine my surprise this week as I perused the herb garden and recognized that the new "weed" sprouting was a pumpkin plant! The recognition was quickly followed by the realization that my herb garden would be co-opted for the season by Mr. Pumpkin.

I immediately sent a picture of the plant to Hannah, via her Mom. Hannah's response was, "I'm so excited. Kiss me."

Lessons learned:

We should all have the faith of a child.
We should all sow, regardless of expectations of reaping.
Migi should think about what a pumpkin plant growing only feet away from the front door would look like before she plants a seed.

For in this case the saying is true, "One sows and another reaps." John 4:37

Spring Break and Health Care

2010-03-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

Spring has sprung! My plans for spending the week in Houston with my sister changed suddenly when she was unable to make the trip. So, I find myself with the week off and no plans. Wow!!! Life is good.

Unfortunately, there is way too much policy wonk in me to turn off the news reports of the health care debate. But, more than the actual policy issues, it is the procedures being suggested that are captivating me. Like a train wreck about to happen, I just can't draw my eyes away from it.

One of the great disappointments of the American public is the perception that special interests and lobbyists are controlling what is happening in Washington. If only that were the case. At least I understand the motives of special interest groups. But what we are now seeing is procedural maneuvers which circumvent the Constitution and pork projects which are using our taxpayer dollars to bribe legislators to vote favorably for the legislation.

The House, under Speaker Pelosi, is proposing to use a rule to specify that the Senate health care bill is "deemed" to have passed. That means, that even though there has been no vote on the bill, they are going to pass the items to "reconcile" that not yet passed bill and in doing so, both the bill and the "fix" will be passed at the same time. Why would they do that? Because they do not have the votes to pass the legislation on a heads up vote. The process violates the constitutional requirement that a measure pass both chambers of the legislature to be sent to the president for his signature.

No one has a clue what is in the bill that is being considered. Speaker Pelosi even said that they need to pass the bill so they can see what is in it "without the fog of controversy." No. The legislative process should be a deliberative process where there is clarity on what is being passed and what the future ramifications may be. There has been no scoring on the fiscal implications of the legislation because NOBODY KNOWS WHAT IS IN IT!

Frederick Bastiat explained exactly the situation we find ourselves in when he wrote his essay The Law in the 1800's. "When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law."

It is apparent that our medical system as we know it will not survive the radical changes proposed to give the government control of that sector of the economy. However, as more and more citizens are rising up in protest over the health care bill, the even larger question may be whether our Republic and the constitutional rule of law will survive the current environment in Washington.

Now is the time to stand in the gap in prayer for our leaders. Pray that they will not lose sight of the bigger picture as they are in the trenches on this particular policy issue. Pray for wisdom in all of their decisions. And, pray that anything that is being done in the dark will be brought to light.

"But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops." Luke 12:2-3

Things I Can't Talk About

2010-03-15T09:48:00.000-05:00

The idiocy of the government "borrowing" an hour of my sleep time and holding it in reserve for me until the fall is generally my topic of discussion on the Monday after daylight savings time goes into effect. However, on Sunday we heard a sermon on "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Therefore, I hope you will understand why I have nothing to say about daylight savings time this morning.

But, that's not the only thing I can't talk about. For the life of me, I cannot find anything positive to say about the manipulations of the U.S House rules to pass the health care bill. They are not suggesting changing rules at the beginning of a session, or even at what might be perceived to be half-time. The changes they are considering making would affect a bill where the game is actually in the last two minutes of the final quarter. The political maneuver flies in the face of the rule of law. But, since I can't say anything nice about it, I have nothing to say at all.

Then, there was the story on the news this morning about a math teacher who wrote across the top of a student's paper, "20 points off because you are a loser!" What is there nice to say about that, other than the fact that the teacher is blessed it was not my child's paper?

But, disagreeing on public policy issues is not the same as saying harmful, hurtful things, so long as disagreements are on policy, not personal. There are a number of people with whom I disagree on policy, but find to be fine individuals of character on a personal level. We generally understand each others' positions and rarely take offense at the disagreement. Learning to disagree agreeably in this environment is crucial to staying in the battle for the long haul.

As you can see, some of my comments this morning are rather tongue-in-cheek.But, that one about the teacher, I am dead serious about. Scripture explains why words are so powerful. God spoke and the world came into being. In the same way, the words we speak can shape and form our world. Words spoken over young or vulnerable people (loser... stupid...ugly...) can literally shape how they see themselves. The parent or teacher who is a role model for a child should take those phrases totally out of their vocabulary, choosing to correct behavior, rather than to attack self-esteem. Putting the words in writing is even more egregious. To not say something in defense of the child who received that note would be a worse travesty than to say something "unnice" about the teacher.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

The Pink Dome

2010-03-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

There are a lot of special treats that go along with working at the Texas Capitol. Yesterday the perk was a tour of the Dome. A representative from the Preservation Board hosted the group of six up into areas of the Capitol not generally open to the public, giving us information on the history and the architecture of the building.

Taking the elevator from the basement level to the fourth floor of the Capitol, we began our stair climbing trek up -- and up -- and up. At its pinnacle, the Dome looms 22 stories above the ground. Our upwards journey was interrupted on numerous occasions as we stopped at first one level and then another to venture outside to see the majestic views. A storm line moved through shortly before our tour, washing the air clean, and leaving a brisk wind in its wake. But the temperature was in the low seventies and it was a near perfect day to see for twenty plus miles in all directions.

A shot of the star that is the focal point of the dome taken from the center of the rotunda on the ground floor is a must take picture for most visitors to the Capitol. What appears to be a small star from the bottom is actually eight feet across. Looking up is impressive. But, leaning over the edge and looking down is not for the faint hearted.

Each time I take the tour of the Dome, I learn something new. This time it was about how the weight of the dome is actually designed to hold the walls of the Capitol in place. The tons of granite are supported on steel buttresses which push in against the walls, using the weight to counter the natural tendency for the walls to collapse under a flat roof. So, what looks like only a decoration on top of the pink granite building is actually integral to holding the entire building together.

And, isn't that just like God? Oftentimes in our lives, we have heavy burdens. We miss the fact that sometimes the weight is to counter balance the otherwise natural tendency for our lives to collapse.

Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

Wisdom

2010-03-10T09:35:00.000-06:00

Mark your calendars. I have had nothing to say for the last two days. For someone with a response to everything, it is an unusual state of events. Part of it is that the continual news about the debate on national health care reform has worn me down. Could having to live under a system of nationalized health care actually be any worse than having to listen to the politicians and pundits continually talking about it? (Uh, that was a rhetorical question and the answer is, "yes.")

The other part of having nothing to say is that we are hosting a couple of young people in our home who are interning at the Capitol this week. Most of my attention has been on them. Being several years beyond having teenagers in residence at my home allows me to thoroughly enjoy the company of the "young folks." There is nothing like seeing their passion and enthusiasm to rekindle my hope for our nation.

One of the topics we have focused on this week is wisdom. Wisdom is a trait that is spoken of often and greatly respected in scripture, however it is not an attribute that seems to be prized in our society. It is a gift that is available for the asking, yet who remembers to ask for it? Wisdom is necessary to understand righetousness and justice, but we argue the issues without understanding. We call evil good and good evil and expect the Lord to bless us anyway.

Where is the wisdom in passing legislation where one generation will enjoy the benefit and the next generation will pay the bill? Where is the wisdom in using tax dollars to prop up companies or banks which have made poor financial decisions? Where is the wisdom in passing entitlement programs with no hope of sustainability?

Think about it. When you voted in the primary last week, was the wisdom of the candidate you cast your vote for a major factor in your decision? Or, are you in the majority of people who did not even bother to cast a vote? Was that because a lack of wisdom on the part of the candidates running made you decide to just sit the race out? Or, was it a lack of wisdom on your part not to even weigh in?

Proverbs 9:10 tells us that The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

He freely gives us wisdom. Do we freely use it?

What's in a Word?

2010-03-05T10:00:00.000-06:00

Those of you who have known me for a while, either personally or through my writing, know my love of words. Equipped from childhood with a vocabulary sufficient to keep me in trouble, my logic, sarcasm, analogies and puns have moved me from the frying pan into the fire on more occasions than one.

And, while making plays on words delight me, I detest when people involved in policy attempt to change the meanings of words to suit their situation. Case in point: A news item on talk radio this morning was discussing the City of Austin's move to implement a "no kill" policy for their animal shelter. They wanted to specify that the policy to euthanize animals would continue in the case of vicious or ill animals. Just to clarify their position, "euthanizing" animals is not the same as "killing" animals.

Perhaps the limited amount of time dedicated to the news story detracted from my full understanding of the point. Yes, I know that there is a difference between killing healthy animals and killing ones who are ill or vicious. But, the point is, they are still being killed. And, the dog that is killed is just as dead as the dog that is euthanized.

Why does it matter what you call things? It matters because when the debate turns from euthanizing or killing dogs turns to the debate of euthanizing or killing people, you really don't want to be confused about the definition or the outcome.

"How did she get to that point on this issue?" you ask.

Well, the city that wants not to kill animals is the only one in the state that uses tax payer dollars to fund abortions - the killing of unborn babies. They call it a woman's choice. Just as the animal that is euthanized or killed is just as dead, the baby that is prematurely evicted from the womb is just as dead if it is called a choice or an abortion.

The war of words is one of the most important ones we play in the policy and political arena. And the one who controls the definitions of words is the one most likely to win the argument. But, you have no animals and are past childbearing age, so what's it to you how life and death terms are defined.

It's simple. As we move further and further into the national health care debate, there is the real possibility that medical decisions are going to be made based on financial, not health grounds. What health care is cost effective for an elderly person? Since euthanasia is not killing (in their minds) would it be more humane than causing someone to suffer from the aches and pains that accompany old age? It would certainly be less expensive and would allow the precious resources to be used for younger patients.

When you are old, advanced in years, don't you hope the policy makers are not confused by definitions?

There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12

The Day After

2010-03-03T11:37:00.000-06:00

Well, there was no devotional yesterday because I spent a 15 hour day working as a clerk in a polling place. As far as polling places are concerned, we had a pretty sweet spot. We were set up inside a retirement residence in an area with frequent visits by the elderly residents and entertained by the banjo club which came in for an hour in the afternoon.

Voting was steady, but not particularly brisk. That left time and opportunity to speak with some of the residents. One, a woman who is 87 years old shared her story. She is from Germany and spoke with a heavy accent. Since earning her citizenship in 1956 she has not missed a single election. If the polls open, she makes the effort to vote. She was in Germany when the privilege of voting did not include actually having a choice, so she understands what is at stake.

As in all elections, there were winners and losers. In my experience, winning and losing can be a lot like pulling a band-aid off a wound. It can hurt fast or you can prolong the pain. Sometimes, winning just prolongs the pain. In one statewide race yesterday, the best qualified, most experienced candidate actually lost in the Republican primary because of his Hispanic surname. If the candidates' resumes had been presented as Candidate A and Candidate B and the choices been based on qualifications, integrity, or any other issue other than race, the Hispanic in this seat would have won. Those who cast their votes without knowing the qualifications of the candidates and allowed race to be the determining decision should be ashamed. The Lord will continue to use this godly man, but the State of Texas will no longer benefit from his faithful service.

In other races, it is not yet certain what the political landscape will look like in the next session. The State Board of Education had mixed results with some incumbents winning and some losing. The net result remains to be seen until after the general election. The Texas House had a few incumbent changes. Those incumbents who lost in a primary did so for various reasons. Some lost because of political positions they have taken. Some lost because of changing demographics - the growth in their district make up has switched their core constituency base. Some are out because of integrity issues. And who knows what happened with others.

But, just to demonstrate that you can rarely understand all that you know, there was a proposition on the Republican ballot concerning whether or not voters believe that they should have to show identification to cast their vote. Statewide, 93 percent of primary voters agreed that it is important to show identification. However, in the local elections, the representative who sponsored the measure to require ID lost in the primary and the legislator who was key in blocking the measure won. Both were Republicans. Go figure.

For any incumbent who lost, today must be a difficult day. People like to complain about their elected leaders, but the voters seem to be rather fickle at times, also. Those elected officials who will change their core principles for the expediency of the next election probably should not be in office in the first place. While those who stood by their core principles and lost anyway, can take comfort in standing by what they believe in.

But thou, O Lord, art a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head. Psalm 3

P.S. Yes, in a rather weird way, I do understand the Democrats wanting to push socialized medicine while they have a majority. They ran on that principle, and the ones who truly believe that is the right thing to do, should not change unless they have a revelation of why that principle is wrong. We should all be praying for revelation.

Vote Early! Vote Twice

2010-03-01T06:42:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow, March 2 is both Texas Independence Day (independence from Mexico in 1836) and the day of the primary elections for state and local races. Voting in a primary election is for the purpose of selecting the candidate for each office who will represent a particular party in the general election in November. Usually - but not always- democrats vote for democrats in their primary and republicans vote for republicans in their primary. Occasionally, you get members from the other party attempting to sway the outcome of a primary by voting for someone they believe would be easier for the candidate of their party to beat in the general election. But, that's higher order electioneering and a rabbit trail that really isn't necessary to follow today.

But, did you know that after you vote tomorrow (or even if you voted early) there is a chance to vote a second time? At each precinct voting location the parties will be holding a precinct convention after the polls close. Among other things, participation in the conventions allow you to be chosen to participate in the party's county or senatorial convention, where delegates are chosen for the state convention. And, did you ever wonder how those people get to the national conventions to choose the presidential candidates? They are elected from their state conventions. Theyall started out by participating at the precinct conventions after the polls closed on primary election night.

In addition to choosing who (maybe even you) will represent them at future conventions, precinct conventions offer an opportunity to provide resolutions to be taken forward for consideration of the party platform committee. If you think that you have a great idea that nobody has considered before, take it to your primary convention and pitch the idea to your friends and neighbors who are there. If they agree with your brilliance, they can vote to send your idea to the next level of consideration. And, that is how you affect your party platform.

Before you decide that precinct conventions and party politics are not for you, consider this. Texas has an estimated voting age population of 17,886,333. During the last non-presidential primary, just under 1,128,000 voted in the primary. That is correct. A stunning 6.3 percent of the population got a say in who would be representing them in the general election. And, in the non-presidential general election in 2008 only 25 percent of the population bothered to vote. Only slightly better, but still a dismal reflection on our society, voter participation in the presidential election in 2008, arguably one of the most contested races in years, reached only 45 percent in Texas.

If less than 10 percent of the eligible population vote in a primary election, think of the power your vote carries if you happen to be one of them. And, if you are not one of them, think of how much that candidate you oppose benefited by your staying home. It really does matter whether or not you engage in the process.

One side note. While the rate of voting in the presidential campaign was only 45 percent, the rate of complaining about the outcome appears to be reaching much higher than that. My new rule is going to be that if you have not exercised your right to vote, do not bother complaining to me about the policies of the people elected. If you really cared, you would do something about it.

So, if you have not yet voted in the primary, tomorrow is your day to do so. But don't just vote once. Make the effort to go out and vote that second time at your precinct convention. And, if you early voted, you are still eligible for and should participate, also. Government is run, not by the most qualified, but by those who show up.

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. Proverbs 21:31

In God I Trust

2010-02-26T08:53:00.000-06:00

After watching some of the discussion in the health care summit yesterday the real truth of the matter sank in. There is not a partisan disagreement over how health care should be handled in our nation. There is a sharp philosophical divide between those who believe that the solution lies in government and those who believe the solution lies in the marketplace. It is such times as these that I fondly remember the days that I knew little and cared less about what government was doing around me. The saying goes that "ignorance is bliss," and I was the biggest blister on the block.

My concerns began when government impeded my rights and responsibility as a parent. The more time spent on that rabbit trail, the more my eyes were opened to other government usurpations of personal responsibilities. Zealous to address the issues, it appeared that my trust could be put in conservative Republicans to present the answers. Wrong. The lesson learned was painful, personal, and spiritual. You can never put your trust in man - it is idolatry.

My view changed, not to one that there was no hope this side of Heaven, but to understand that God's ways are not our ways. The ability for the people to directly control the destiny of our government through the constitutional rule of law is a gift the Lord has given to Americans that is not equally enjoyed by all nations. The model envisioned by our founders has served us well for well over 200 years. But, watching yesterday I understood that whether the torch of freedom in America is passed to the next generation could well be determined in the next decade.

The Book of Genesis tells the story or Joseph. Disliked by his brothers, he was sold into slavery to Egyptians where he found great favor with the Pharoah. Through a series of circumstances, and an interpretation of a dream, he was the instrument to strategically place Egypt as a land of plenty when a famine occurred. Acting on behalf of the Pharoah, Joseph traded the people's money for food. Then he traded their cattle for food. And, finally, he traded their land and their labor for food and so enslaved a nation. The enslavement lasted 400 years. (Until the Lord heard their cries.)

The path of government provision of services that are not a legitimate government role leads to enslavement. Slavery is nothing more, nor less than when the product of one's labor belongs to another. In the case of the Egyptians and Israelites who sold themselves and their posterity for food, at least there was a reasoning that the alternative was starvation.

In the case of health care reform, the debate is not even over the delivery of health care services, but the provision of health care insurance and who will pay for that. And, the bad news is that increased health insurance does not necessarily increase access to health care services. Everybody in rural Texas can have health insurance, but there are still more cows than people in many of the counties and there are no doctors or hospitals in the areas. And, in the urban areas, the current socialized systems of health care that we have experimented with - Medicaid and Medicare - the reimbursement rates are so low that many patients cannot find a doctor who is filling to provide the services for the government rate of return. The result is long waits for a doctor's appointment and increased use of the emergency room. Yes, the government solution is exacerbating the problem it was intended to solve.

Do you trust your elected officials to solve this problem for you? Was personal virtue a factor in your last voting decision? Do you believe that the men and women whom you have elected have the personal virtue and courage necessary to stand strong in favor of your personal rights and responsibilities? Do you trust your fellow Americans to rise to the occasion of fulfilling their personal responsibilties?

Or, have you so lost trust in those who do not do the right thing that you are willing to give up your own rights and responsibilities to make sure that "everybody" is provided by government what you have worked and sacrificed to obtain? Do you believe that there is still a constitutional right to be an idiot (as one of my readers pointed out yesterday), or do you believe that the role of government is to protects its citizens from themselves?

I no longer know for certain whether or not our citizens have the personal virtue and political will to pay our debts and restore our nation. But:

This I know, that God is for me. In God whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust without a fear. What can man do to me? Psalm 56:9-11

2010-02-25T11:16:00.000-06:00

It is random thought time again. Fasten your seat belt and be prepared for quick changes.

The news this morning is about a killer whale which killed a trainer at Sea World in Orlando. It was a whale with a history of killing two other people - one a trainer and the other an ill-advised individual who jumped into the tank to go swimming. The trainer's family understood the risk the trainer was taking in working with the whale. Think about it. The species has "killer" in its name. As tame as my basset hound is, when we go to the vet he has a star on his chart that dictates that the vet hands me the muzzle and I put it on. Sam doesn't like vets and my vet is wise enough to not trust him. You should never be surprised when a dog acts like a dog or a killer whale acts like a killer whale. Having said that, you should also never put yourself in a position to pet a killer whale that has a history of killing people.

President Obama had a novel idea. Hold a health care meeting with the democrats and republicans to discuss how to go about health care reform. The meeting is going on as I type. The first quote that got my attention was, "Health care is a right, not a privilege." Wrong. Health care is a commodity. A right is something that you may exercise without infringing upon someone else's rights. You cannot provide health care for everyone without implementing a confiscatory taxing system and government control of benefits.

My second quote to hear from the health care meeting was that people are "Entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts." That is an awesome quote. The legislator then went on to give an anecdotal story about a person who was denied benefits because of pre-existing conditions. The story was a fact, but anecdotes are a terrible basis for making policy. Generally, laws made based on anecdotes tend to not work well in practice. While an insurance market needs to be provided for people with pre-existing conditions, the issue does not warrant a government take over of 1/6th of the nation's economy. There are much less intrusive and less expensive solutions than those being proposed.

And finally, a staffer in our district office called to tell me of a constituent whose son attends UTSA in San Antonio. Apparently, there are signs on campus promoting an event coming up sponsored by some atheist organization that instructs students to bring their Bibles, Korans, and other holy scriptures and they will exchange them for pornography. When the constituent called the university, he was told that it was a freedom of speech issue. (Don't explode. We are working on it.)

So, the thought for the day is, Proverb 18:17 He who states his case first seem right, until the other comes and examines him.

Hey! Who Shook my Snow Globe?

2010-02-23T08:43:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning to discover that someone was shaking my snow globe. My first clue was when the forecaster on the weather channel shared that there was a 100 percent chance of snow today. (I don't know about you, but I always listen to the weather to see what things are like outside before I actually look out the window for myself. )

By the time I looked out into the back yard, the snow was seriously falling. And, it was not the wimpy little snow flakes of a few weeks ago. These were the big, fat, fluffy snowflakes that seem to float down before plopping into their final destination. In this case, the destination was the back deck.

When Sam (the basset) joined me at the back door for his morning excursion, he had second thoughts about venturing out. His last experience with snow was six years ago and he didn't like it any better then than he did this morning. But, all bassets and people are now happy and content as we sit in front of a roaring fire and watch the snow fall outside.

It is a warm and safe place to ponder the glimpse that weather gives us of the Creator of the Universe. The same God who gives us the gentle spring rain allows the torrential downpour. The extreme heat of summer is replaced with the cold of winter. Droughts and floods are all at the hand of God. Come to think of it, it may actually be rather presumptuous for man to take credit for global warming - as if God has not been handling the thermostat since the creation of the world.

The earth is the Lord's and all it contain, the world and those who dwell in it. Psalm 24:1

Curling

2010-02-22T09:41:00.000-06:00

OK, fine. It is true. I enjoy watching the Olympic curling matches. My lack of understanding of what is happening is enhanced when neither of the teams speak English and the excited comments and gestures the players make are totally incomprehensible.

For those of you who have not yet discovered this sport, it combines the strategy of chess with the mechanics of pool, a delivery reminiscent of bowling and scoring similar to horse shoes - played by throwing granite stones down a sheet of ice. Oh, and there are people with brooms sweeping the ice to direct the path of the stone, adding a component of housekeeping to the sport. Not exactly a run faster, jump higher, hurl further sport that is indicative of traditional Olympic sports, but entertaining nonetheless.

There is something about watching Olympic sports. For the most part, these are athletes who have trained for the better part of their young lives for one thing - an Olympic medal. All, have competed in their own countries and around the world to qualify for the opportunity to participate in the games. And, of the thousands of atheletes who qualify to compete precious few take home a medal.

While watching a qualifying round yesteday for men's speed skating, the difference between going into the medal round and just going home was only 6/1000 of a second. Train your entire life and when it really matters, less time than a blink of an eye moves you from contention to defeat. And, no one but you and your mother will ever remember how close you got.

Most of us will never commit to the training and sacrifice that an olympic bid entails. But, we are all called to a race of our own. And, while most of our successes and failures will not be televised for the world to see (and then reshown in slow motion), we ,too, live our lives before a great cloud of witnesses. When we complete the race of our lives, the victory we are promised is not momentary, but eternal.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

The Illusion of Security

2010-02-19T09:36:00.000-06:00

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

Yesterday it was the non-stop coverage of the plane crashing into the building in Austin. Prior to that it was the lock-down of the Capitol due to the man firing a gun on the south steps of the Capitol. Before that it was the underwear bomber, the shoe bomber, 9-11, Timothy McVeigh, the attack on the USS Cole and the list goes on and on and on.

Horrible, terrible no good things happen and people try to make sense of them. In an effort to create the illusion of security, the government generally intervenes to "close the barn door" on a particular situation so that it will not recur. So, we have long lines at airport security. Barefoot and beltless, we walk through the check points. Our finger nail clippers, nail files, and bottles of water are confiscated. We are subject to metal detectors, pat downs and searches of our luggage.

Does having the government employee search you make you any safer? It doesn't me. But then I don't generally carry anything other than my knitting needles that could be used as a weapon in the first place. And, oddly enough, airport security does not care that I have knitting needles, somehow thinking that ten inch long, pointed, metal rods do not pose the threat of something more sinister like nail clippers.

At work, I swipe my security card to get in the parking garage, use it again to get into the building, and yet again to get out of the building, and again to exit the parking garage. My every move in the halls of the Capitol are watched by DPS officers or security cameras. Great time and expense is gone to to ensure that I and my fellow employees are not a security risk. Meanwhile, the general public usually has unfettered access to the Capitol without question. Hence, the gunman on the front steps.

In all honesty, the security risks do not bother me as much as the loss of liberty in the name of security. The only way government can make our environment totally secure is by taking away all liberty. I would rather not see that happen. I prefer the approach of Todd Beamer, the great American who, after praying the Lord's Prayer and reciting Psalm 23, led his fellow passengers to take back control of the fourth hijacked plane on September 11, 2001. It was the only hijacked flight that day that failed to reach its intended destination.

Your security lies in your relationship with your Lord and Savior. Once you establish that, you do not have to spend much time fretting over the news of the day.

Brother - Where are You?

2010-02-18T10:05:00.000-06:00

For any of you who believe that this devotional is carefully thought out and planned in advance, please know I walked into my office this morning and asked our administrative assistant to give me a topic for my writing this morning. Her immediate response, "Patience."

Technically, patience is an easy topic to suggest for a devotional. It is an issue with which everyone struggles. But it just so happens that our family is currently dealing with a specific lesson in patience and we could use your prayers.

In addition to our granddaughter, Hannah, we have two grandsons who live in Missouri (Kaden and Hunter). Being a huge fan of grandchildren, my desire is to have as many as my children are willing to provide me. Stormi and David (Hannah's parents) have decided to once again contribute to my grandchild pool, but they are choosing to do so through adoption.

Almost a year ago they finished the rather lengthy process to be licensed to adopt a child out of the foster care system. Their criteria is pretty broad. They are willing to take a boy between the ages of three and ten and are even willing to negotiate on the ages. They are willing to consider siblings . (I vote for that!) They have no preference on race or combination of races. And they are willing to take a child with moderate emotional or learning issues.

We refer to him as Brother.

Jerry and I took CPR classes during session last year, along with other extended family, expecting Brother to be in the family by summertime. Then Labor Day passed and Halloween. We were certain Brother would celebrate Thanksgiving and then Christmas with us. But, still no Brother. My patience is wearing thin, but it is in great shape compared to Stormi's.

There are over 13,000 children waiting for adoption in the Texas foster care system. We only want one - maybe two. Just what is the holdup?

Well, there are all kinds of answers to that question. Many of them have to do with the efficiency of government systems. But, we are comforted by the fact that all things work in God's perfect timing. And, as James 1:2 reminds us to count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces patience.

So, while we are standing around counting our joy over this delay in getting Brother, please pray with us that we learn everything we are supposed to learn while we wait. Also, pray that Brother is in a safe environment, loved and cared for in his current foster care situation.

In my humble opinion . . .

2010-02-17T08:09:00.000-06:00

It was probably inevitable in today's society. The push for same-sex marriages in Texas led to first statutory and then constitutional prohibition of legal recognition of the unions. As other states began to confer the benefits and privileges of marriage on same-sex couples the battleground has shifted to recognition in divorce courts.

In a recent case in Travis County (40 square miles surrounded by reality), a judge required the parties seeking a divorce to offer briefs on the constitutionality of whether he could legally grant a divorce of their relationship based on the full faith and credit clause of the United States Constitution. In other words, he is asking for legal cover to recognize the marriage relationship that is unconstitutional under the Texas Constitution by declaring failure to do so unconstitutional under the U.S. Constitution.

The full faith and credit clause of the U.S. Constitution states that "Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And the Congress may by general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceeding shall be proved, and the effect thereof."

The purpose of the clause was to give some continuity across states. Contracts and agreements from one state would be recognized in other states. It was to prevent a person dissatisfied with a legal decision in one state from going to another state and having the issue re-litigated for a different outcome. But notice that Congress was given the authority to establish the rules for how the clause was to be implemented.

In 1996 the Congress statutorily defined marriage for federal purposes as a union of a man and a woman and expressly granted states the right to refuse to recognize marriages performed in other states. That definition means that for the purposes of any federal benefits, same-sex marriages are not recognized. It also means that Texas has the right to not recognize a same-sex union - both the creation of such a union and the dissolution of the union.

But that does not stop the legal battles from raging. In this case, the Attorney General of Texas has interceded to prevent the judge from going forward with his ruling.

There is a part of me (the part that has no mercy) that could care less about this situation other than to hope the rule of law continues to prevail in the state and that the legal system is not used to attempt an overthrow of a provison of our constitution.

The other part of me mourns for the women and the adopted child in this situation. Regardless of how or why the state defines marriage or family, a four-year-old little boy is caught in the battle not of his own making. And, he is not alone. There is a struggle going on beyond just the personal relationships, driven by an agenda that would rip the fabric of our society apart. Marriage, a relationship called to be held in honor among all, has become a political football and a subject of ridicule.

In only one generation we have gone from the TV depiction of Ward and June Cleaver as the model family to the point where an intact, healthy family is rarely shown. There is no longer any social stigma attached to divorce. An unwillingness for couples to reconcile their differences and behave like adults has resulted in simplifying the divorce procedure. The resulting divorce rate plus the increased number of out of wedlock births has escalated the break-up of the family. And, while adults may actually deserve the consequences of their behavior (no mercy, again) the children and our society certainly do not.

An appaling and horrible thing has happened in the land; the prohets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes? Jermiah 5:30-31

Be Still and Know

2010-02-16T10:37:00.000-06:00

Sleeping later than wisdom dictated and hitting the snooze button resulted in my getting into the office only thirty minutes before my first appointment this morning. I rushed through my emails, attended a training class and hurried back to the office for a few minutes of quiet to write the devotional.

And, as God would have it, when reading in Psalms the Lord led me to one of my life scriptures as yet another reminder that I should, Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

This is one of the verses in scripture that I am pretty sure God was thinking of me when He had the psalmist include it in his writings. The jolt it gives me every time I come across it is like the someone slapping me upside the head and saying, "Duh."

When was the last time you sat still before the Lord? No TV. No phone. No computer game. No email. No making a grocery shopping list in your head. No interruptions. Just you and God.

The Creator of the Universe has you penciled in for some time today. Don't miss the appointment.

Vive le Difference

2010-02-15T10:17:00.000-06:00

During a conversation with my mother over the concept that "opposites attract," she wisely informed me that being male and female was opposite enough for any relationship. My husband is a outgoing, well-organized, people-loving, neatnik. He doesn't understand how (or why) I lose my keys, store everything of importance on my desk, or need a shower after working in the kitchen. (That last one is generally caused by a dust cloud of flour or some other explosion of ingredients that attack me.) When he gets particularly frustrated, it always helps to remind him that among my other talents, I take only 20 minutes from wake-up to out the door, know how to work on cars, and am fairly handy with tools.

Yesterday at my grand daughter's birthday party the difference in male and female was evident even among the six year-olds. Hannah has a passel of girl friends and two young men who are her "best friends." The best friends have to be invited to the party, even when it is a party for little girls and their dolls.

As the girls arrived, there was the hugging, whispering, giggling that is so little girlish. Then they would move to the arts and craft table to make their projects and giggle some more. The boys, on the other hand, came in, said hello (when prompted to do so) and went straight to the game room where the TV was on. Both boys spent the entire time lounging on bean bag chairs, not speaking to each other (as far as could be seen) and ignoring the whispering and giggling in the other room.

When it was time to open gifts, the boys joined the rest of the party for the oohing and ahhing of each gift opened and passed around. They did not giggle once. While the girls were all wanting to see each gift, they merely rolled their eyes when a big deal was made over a particular doll or stuffed toy. Neither of them had a single word to say about the entire event.

Then, the final gift was presented. As if on cue, both of them moved out of their seats (for the first time) and went to help Hannah unwrap it. They could tell that the end of this ordeal was over and the cake had to be the next event on the agenda. They were ready for that.

[Rabbit trail: that final gift was an American Doll. For those of you who are not up on the current trends, American Dolls can be accessorized with anything a kid can get. There are doll houses (for which you need a mortgage), doll clothes, strollers, backpacks, computers . . . you name it. I suggested to my son-in-law that he consider taking the doll as a deduction on his income tax.]

Anyway, the boys ate their cake and went back to the play room until time to leave. They dutifully told Hannah "Happy Birthday" when their mom's reminded them as they were leaving with their army camouflage bucket of party gifts as rewards for their endurance. The girls left, still not finished talking, with their pink heart party bags.

Every parent who has raised both a boy and a girl knows the innate differences between the two begins at birth. It isn't societal. It isn't environmental. It is hard-wired. And, it is for a reason. When it comes time for Hannah to marry, she is likely to choose a man who will balance her chattiness with his silence. She will look for someone who complements, rather than duplicates her gifts. And then she and her husband will spend their entire married life (like her parents and grandparents) trying to understand how two people who are so different can enjoy being together so much.

The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18

Random Thoughts

2010-02-11T09:43:00.000-06:00

Those who know me well know that my brain often takes turns onto random trains of thought without warning. That has led to a rule in our family that if I expect Jerry to follow me in a conversation, I have to raise my hand when changing subjects. It is a lot like using a turn signal to let the traffic around you know what is happening. Consider yourself warned.

Six years ago today my granddaughter, Hannah, made her debut into the world on Jerry's 50th birthday. Since then we have been completely blown away by the joys of grand parenting. Sharing a birthday with your Pops means a number of things. First, she has him completely wrapped around her little finger. Second, Jerry will be celebrating his birthday at Chuckie Cheese until Hannah is old enough for Dave and Busters. Third, Stormi (Hannah's mom) has totally shown us all up on birthday gifts. Since I can't top that one, I'm just not buying anymore birthday presents for Jerry. Happy Birthday, Hannah and Pops!

I heard on the news last night that the federal government has been shut down due to weather for four days now. Did you notice? Think about that. There may be a budget cutting idea coming into focus. How long would it take us to notice if most of them never went back to work? Is this a picture of the proverbial "hell freezing over?" And, when you say, "when hell freezes over," do you anticipate that it will stay frozen or that it will thaw at some point?

Friends are one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. Today the devotional is going out for the first time to a long time friend of mine to whom I recently got re-connected. This friend was privy to the very first series of devotionals I wrote, long before my involvement in state government. We both had young children, attended the same church and were cohorts in crime for a number of years. Those devotionals, entitled Meditations from the Compost Heap, were thoughts on some of my first experiences of really trying to do what scripture says when you find yourself having an issue with a fellow believer who happens to be in leadership over you at a church. It was a painfully profitable learning experience, to say the least. Welcome, Karen!

So, you may wonder, just how is she going to try all these random thoughts together with a great big bow and make it into a devotional? Piece of cake. Regardless of the randomness of the events in your life, God tells us:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6.

Google God

2010-02-09T09:40:00.000-06:00

Awakened at 2:00 am by a restless basset, the issue I had been pondering when I fell asleep returned to my mind. A writing project has me stumped. While shivering at the back door waiting for Sam to finish his survey of the yard, the thought hit me. Call God. You have His number.

Long before the advent of phones, cell phones, emails, the internet, texting or social networking God inserted His contact information into scripture.

His number is Jeremiah 33:3 - Call on me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things which you have not known.

As a baby Christian I was taught to remember that this was God's phone number. At the time, we were not too far removed from when phone numbers began with letters followed by numbers. The first two letters in a word were the pre-fix for the phone number. For example, Mission 3-0123 would be dialed as MI3-0123. (OK, having to explain this makes me feel really, really dated.)

The modern day equivalent of God's phone number would be the internet search engine. Perhaps the concept would be better understood if you just imagined "googling" God.

It makes no difference which generation of technology is most familiar. The eternal truth is that if you call upon the Lord, He will answer you. And, He will tell you great and hidden things which you have not known if you will take the time to listen.

Paw Prints and Nose Smudges

2010-02-08T10:23:00.000-06:00

Spurred on by preparations for a Super Bowl party and a beautiful sunny day, we were in a spring cleaning frenzy around the house on Saturday. Fortunately, my disdain for housework (obviously my mother scared me with a broom in my youth) is covered by having a husband who not only doesn't mind cleaning, he actually says he enjoys it. (There is no need to understand that to appreciate it.)

Since we are many years past having all our children move away from home, we can only blame the dirt, dust and hair balls on the floor on the basset hounds. And, they deserve the blame. Sam has paws the size of the palm of my hand. For some reason, he has never learned to wipe them before coming through the dog door. When it is raining, the dog door is always closed. Still, it is a two man project to catch the beasts as they run through the door and make sure that each paw actually lands on the towel set down to dry their feet. Even with two of us, we only have about a 75 percent success rate.

All that to say, the tile floor in the living room was in dire need of mopping. And, since Jerry is thorough in any job he does, he started the project by moving all of our living room furniture out to the deck. My project was to remove the winter's accumulation of muddy paw and wet nose prints off the glass in the french doors opening out to the deck.

One good thing about basset hounds is that they are only knee high. Their nose and paw prints are generally confined to the lower panes on the french doors. So, for the most part, the upper panes don't look all that dirty. I cleaned the outside first, spraying each pane individually and wiping it with a dry cloth to ensure that all the streaks were removed. Then I repeated the process on the inside, only to discover as I looked through the glass to the job I had done on the outside that the streaks left behind were more distracting that the original dirt had been. The battle was on as I would clean on the inside, go back to the outside, come back in and notice yet another streak and go back out.

It reminded me of the scripture James 4:8 that says "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." A couple of times each year - either out of pride or humility (sometimes it is tough to tell the difference) - I will write in my journal something along the line of "Dear Lord, show me those things in my life that are unpleasing to you." Generally, at the time it is written, I think I am repented up and in good standing with the Lord. Invariably, the entry in my journal a few days later is, "Thank you, Lord, for all those suggestions. Please let me work on those 2o or so suggestions before you share others."

My point is, when we are standing away from God, like my glass doors, we don't see the dirt. When we get really close to God (or the door) our vision becomes much better. And, generally, after an effort has been made to correct our faults, we find there are streaks left behind. As I stand back and look at my solutions, I have often found yet another wrong way to do the right thing. And so, the process continues.

On the bright side, my floor and doors were both clean at the same time at 3:45 Saturday afternoon. At 4:00 there were dog nose prints on the doors again. Where are the muddy paw prints and nose smudges in your life?

God can show them to you.

You Can't Offend a Dead Man

2010-02-03T08:33:00.000-06:00

How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? Romans 6:2

The buzz on talk radio this morning is an ill-advised comment made by President Obama's chief of staff when he referred to something as "(expletive deleted) retarded." Sarah Palin, mother of a child with Down's Syndrome has called for his head for the insensitive comment. Supporters are coming to his defense, saying that he meant no offense and that expecting someone to take the word out of their vocabulary is unreasonable.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Was the chief of staff intending to offend the parents of special needs children when he made the comment? Probably not. Was he using the dictionary definition of the word to describe a situation? Prefacing it with the strong expletive indicates that he probably was not. His ill-advised comment likely indicates a blast from his past when such comments were used to refer to special needs individuals without consideration for their feelings. Chances are he does not know anyone with special needs (his loss) and the uproar over the comment has taken him by surprise.

While there is no excuse for someone in his position to make such an insensitive remark, the political realm is quickly getting to the point where anything you say is like manuvering through a field of land mines. For example, the candidate for governor in South Carolina made a comment about government assistance being like "feeding stray animals." His point is that the more government assistance you give, the more it will be requested. And, it is true, that government gets the behavior it subsidizes. People immediately tried to spin the comment to mean that he wanted to euthanize people in order to lower government costs. Not his position at all.

One of my triggers is when someone makes the comment that a situation is like "having a gun pointed at your head." People who say it in my presence generally do not know that my mother was murdered, shot in the head. But, the concept they are attempting to convey is lost on me as my personal experiences color the reaction I have to the phrase.

Over the years, I have learned that I am not going to stop everybody from saying the phrases that set me off. However, my response to them is my choice.

Several years ago my mentor advised me to repent (again) because I was carrying an offense over something. His point was that you cannot offend a dead man. If we have died to sin, insults and attacks should not offend us. I, of course, debated the issue for a while since I was feeling particularly offended and felt entitled to my feelings.

Let me save you some time. You can't logic yourself out of it. If you have died, you can't be offended. If you are feeling offended, you probably have something else that needs to die.

Groundhog Day

2010-02-02T09:29:00.000-06:00

Proving that there is little in this world that can happen without offending somebody, People for the Ethical Ttreatment of Animals (PETA) thinks Punxsutawney Phil, the Pennsylvania groundhog who has been predicting the weather for years, should be replaced by a robot.

Betcha didn't know that Groundhog Day was originally a blend of ancient Christian and Roman customs. (You just have to love the internet.) The Christian clergy distributed blessed candles in honor of Candlemas to celebrate the Virgin Mary's presentation of Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem on February 2. That date coincided with the pagen Celtic festival of Imbolc which falls on February 1. Tradition held that clear skies on Candlemas meant an extended winter.

Romans also believed that conditions during the first days of February were good predictors of future weather, but the empire looked to hedgehogs for their forecasts. When German immigrants came to Pennsylvannia, there were no hedgehogs, so they substituted groundhogs to make their weather predictions. And, so we have Groundhog Day.

FYI, opponents to Punxsutawney Phil's use as a weather predictor do not seem to be gaining much traction. Recognizing Phil as the goose that laid the golden egg, one spokeperson's comments referred to his living arrangements as "better than most children's in Pennsylvannia."

Perhaps PETA should take Proverb's 26:17 to heart. He who, passing by, stops to meddle with strife that is none of his business is like one who takes a dog [goundhog] by the ears.

Nothing to Say

2010-02-01T07:57:00.000-06:00

Have you ever pondered why people who have nothing to say take so long to say it?

He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from troubles. Proverbs 21:23

Watch for the Backlash

2010-01-28T06:56:00.000-06:00

Rain was forecast for today, so I left my house early, postponing my first cup of coffee, to avoid traffic on the morning commute. Arriving without incident, I put on a pot of coffee and reached for my coffee cup. There are a variety of coffee cups in the office cupboard displaying appropriate sentiments for almost any kind of day. There is even a blank coffee cup to write whatever sentiment you want on it with chalk. Sometimes I like to write "Go Away" or "I don't Care" just to see if anybody notices.

During session, I frequently reach for my Davy Crockett cup which states, "You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas."

But not this morning. This morning I reached for the cup that says:

Good morning, this is God! I will be handling all your problems today. I
will not need your help- so, have a good day. I love you!

It is based on the scripture 1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care upon him; for He cares for you.

Do you cast all your cares on Jesus? The thought made me remember my experiences as a kid in learning to cast a fishing rod. While I was growing up my grandparents had a fishing camp on the bay in the lovely metropolis of Smith Point, Texas. The area consisted of a few year 'round residents, a couple of fishing boats, a convenience store and mostly seasonal beach houses for the fisherman who wanted to get away. That was where, with my siblings and cousins, I learned how to hotwire a boat, that three determined youngsters with a fishing net could catch an armadillo, and how to fish.

Before continuing, I want to mention that I do not like to eat fish. I do not like to smell fish. Don't try to help me by telling me to try the fish you have because it doesn't taste fishy or it tastes like chicken. I'm not all that fond of chicken, either. And, besides, I like not liking fish. So there.

But, I did enjoy fishing as a kid.

Several times each summer, my dad would pack us all up and take us fishing. When we were younger, he would take us out in the boat, give us each a cane pole with a line on it and we would throw it over the side. We gradually graduated to a rod and reel with Dad casting for us and handing us the rod to reel it in. With three kids, by the time he got all the rods casted, kid number one was ready for another throw.

Then came the summer where we were each given our own rod and reel and instructed to go to the pier and fish from there. It necessitated our learning to cast by ourselves. I can remember like it was yesterday the first day out with our new found freedom. Carefully baiting my own hook, I pulled the rod back, made my best imitation of flicking my wrist as my dad had done so many times and watched as my bait went flying through the air to thunk in the water while the hook and sinker wrapped themselves around the end of my rod. Note to self: take the brake off before you cast the reel.

Once again, I baited the hook, made sure the brake was off, pulled back my arm, flicked my wrist and heard the satisfying whir of the line feeding out. Progress had been made. Of course, I had the snarliest backlash you have ever seen. Unraveling it was rather time intensive, so I sat down on the pier to start the process. Now, while I was doing all this, my brother was having problems of his own. Not knowing that I was now in the path of his cast, he flung his line out to sea. Looking up, I saw the lead sinker and the slimy-baited hook on course to hit me in the head. As I reached up my hand to protect my face, my brother was rewarded with the first catch of the day - the palm of my hand.

My fishing trip was over. But, I learned a lot of valuable life lessons out there. First, life isn't as easy as it looks. Second, sometimes we become victims of other people's casting.

Think about that in light of the scripture to cast our burdens on the Lord. Really, Lord I try to do that, but, sometimes I forget to take the brake off and the problem just wraps around me. Other times, I end up with a snarly backlash. While I am trying to unravel it, somebody else's casting of burdens seems to whack me upside the head.

Like fishing, with time and practice, casting your cares on the Lord gets easier. He doesn't care if you are not accomplished at casting. You can always return to basics. Just take the cane pole, drop it over the side and let gravity do the rest.

Whining and Dining

2010-01-27T10:12:00.000-06:00

There are few things over which I lose sleep. Last night it was one of my basset hounds.

Samuel, an eight-year-old lemon basset who was given to me as a puppy by my daughter when my beloved dog died generally delights my soul. His antics over the years have cracked me up as we have learned really important lessons about co-habitating with hounds.

For one, basset hounds generally do not use their ears and their noses at the same time. Created by God to be a scent hound, they are not what you would consider to be good listeners. It was a beautiful day when I arrived at home yesterday. Sam was enjoying the weather and feeling his oats. Sometimes when a basset hound begins to bark, they forget to start. Our neighbor swears that Sam is deaf and just can't hear himself barking. If only the rest of us could be so blessed.

So, Sam commenced to barking. Wanting to stay in as good standing as possible with my neighbors, I stepped out on the back deck and called his name. He quit barking (quite unusual) and turned and looked at me. That is my clue that he has heard me. I called for him to come into the house. He just stood and looked at me. I started to count, as if he would respond to, "You better get here before I count to three." Realizing that negotiating with a dog is only slightly more ridiculous than with a kid, I stepped off the deck to go corral him. He immediately crouched down in his "time to play" stance, barking at me and running around the trees inviting me to give chase. That used to work, because as a puppy, he generally had something that belonged to me and not in a puppy's mouth to egg me on. It had been a while since he has been so puppyish, so I joined in the game for a few minutes and then herded him into the house.

Sitting back down to continue quilting, my peace was once more disturbed by Sam's incessant whining. In addition to barking, Sam has a massive vocabulary in whines, grunts, groans, and murmurings. This particular whining was his reminder to us that he thought it was dinner time. It wasn't, but it didn't take long to bust out the feed bowls to shut him up. He and his sidekick, Tillie, both agree that dinner time is their favorite time of day. With the beasts fed and happy, there were a few hours of peace.

While Sam is the larger and older of the two bassets, he tends to be somewhat of a wimp. We have had problems in the past with Tillie taking his food away from him and growling at him when he wants to get up on their chaise lounge with her. Not a dumb dog by any means, Sam has learned that he can "tattle" on Tillie if she does not give him what he wants. Last night in the middle of the night, what he wanted was to be able to lie on the chaise lounge in the spot that was closet to the back of the chair. It is a lot like the kids arguing about who sits where in the car. He whined at my bedroom door until I came into the living room, causing Tillie to give up her position to see what was going on. As soon as she moved, he jumped into his preferred spot and we were all happy again.

What's the moral of this story? Well, first, my husband loves me very much. That is why I still have basset hounds. Second, it is probably getting close to time to remind the dogs who the boss is. They seem to be forgetting. Third, just think how much like basset hounds we are in our relationship with God. How often do we whine, groan, moan, and complain about where we are in comparison to where we want to be? How often do we get into circumstances where we have no business? How often do we "tattle" to God to report that someone is in a position we think we should be in?

The most amazing thing is that God loves us anyway. Think about that next time you are howling at the moon.

As for the basset hounds, they will sleep in their crates tonight so that I do not have to mediate their differences in lieu of sleep. I'm not sure what God is going to do about you.

The Logic of Choice

2010-01-26T11:20:00.000-06:00

There are two things for which I have a low tolerance - incompetence and a lack of logic. Having worked in retail sales for years, incompetence in employees who meet and greet the public grates on my nerves. It is generally caused by a lack of training, and therefore the fault of management. Presumably, if an individual is properly trained and continues to be incompetent, he moves to the status of former employee. He should never be the first impression a customer receives about a company.

But, that is not my point for this missive. The news on talk radio this morning is about the National Organization for Women's (NOW) objection to a proposed commercial to be aired during the Super Bowl. "Is their objection about the scantily clad females portrayed in beer commercials?" you might ask. Or, have they risen up in objection to the abuse of frogs in Budweiser commercials?Of course not. They are opposed to an ad featuring Tim Tebow and his mother. For those of you who live in closets and don't know, Tim Tebow is a Heisman trophy winning college football player for the Florida Gators. (Yes, he is going to make a lot of money when he goes pro.) Why does NOW object to an ad with this young man? Because the ad talks about the fact that when pregnant with Tim, his mother was seriously ill and doctors recommended that she abort the pregnancy for her health's sake. She chose not to, and, as they say, the rest is history.

NOW is petitioning CBS to pull the ad, saying that it is divisive and could cause some women to not take the advice of their physician. Once again, the logic of my gender disappoints me. NOW is pro-choice. Tim's mom made a choice. However, NOW doesn't like her choice, so they don't want anybody to hear about it. What kind of logic is that?

The truth is, NOW is a group of women who are misguided and blind to the truth of God's purpose and plans for their lives. Lord, forgive them. They know not what they do. And, Lord, forgive me for my judgmentalism (about NOW and incompetence). I know better.

Craft from the Past

2010-01-25T14:54:00.000-06:00

Quilting is a lot like life. Random pits of material all pieced together can result in a glorious finished project. And, it can take a really long time to get all those little pieces in their proper places.

Over the past year my daughter and I have spent a considerable amount of time piecing a double wedding ring quilt top. On Saturday, we finished the quilt top and managed to get the quilt on the frame where I will spend the next year (or more) quilting it.

Quilting is actually a craft from my past. With the exception of a few baby quilts for really special babies, the last quilt I made was for my then 5-year-old daughter, Kristi, some 20 plus years ago. Early last year she brought that blanket to me to make the case for a new one. It has been well-loved, having covered her almost every night since she was five. As a result, much of the quilt top is thread bare. Parts of it are just no longer existent. She made her point that it was time for a new one.

When we moved to Austin 18 years ago, I came with a slightly poor attitude about yet another move. Finally, grudgingly consenting to the move, I vowed that all I was going to do when we got settled was quilt and knit. (God chuckled.) I had no intentions of getting to know anybody or getting involved in anything, because if I did we would just move again. (God probably laughed out loud.)

When we had lived here about two months, I developed a pinched nerve in my neck. Sitting down to quilt or knit would cause my arms to go numb. During my prayer time one day I cried out to the Lord and said, "Surely Lord, you can use me for something." And, that was the day when my life as I had known it up to that time totally changed. That was 18 years ago and the partially quilted quilt that was on the frame that day remains unfinished.

It was refreshing to discover that getting back to quilting was a lot like riding a bicycle. There is still a little girl who likes to help and a dog at my feet. But, the little girl is my granddaughter, rather than my daughter. The snoring dog is Samuel, rather than Fritz. The rhythm of guiding the needle through the layers of material came back in a flash. I continue to bleed when a misguided needle pricks my finger.

What has really changed is my attitude. No longer would I presume to tell God how I intend to spend my time. That is an excellent reminder for me during this year of transition and once again I lift up my prayer, "Surely Lord, you can use me for something."

Praying that prayer now with my eyes wide open to what the answers could be remind me that it is time to fasten my seat belt and get ready for the ride!

Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand. Proverbs 19:21

Whoville

2010-01-20T09:54:00.000-06:00

The special election in Massachusetts yesterday to fill the senatorial seat left open by Ted Kennedy's death had pundits, partisans and the president all sitting on the edge of their seats awaiting the outcome. When the results came in, it was not even nail-bitingly close. The republican swept the seat that had been held by a democrat for the past 45 years with 52 percent of the vote.

I woke up this morning with the thought that it is a good day not to be a democrat. Keep in mind that in this environment, I am frequently glad not to be somebody else. For instance, every time there is a hearing with legislators and the TxDOT, it is always a good time not be be TxDOT. Even when my opinions and beliefs differ, I can appreciate that what others are going through may be painful.

Reflecting on the news reports of the Massachusetts race made me wonder about how the win would be interpreted. For example, all things considered, it may not be a great day to be a republican, either. The independents and democrats in Massachusetts just elected a pro-choice republican to go to Washington. While that may be as good as we can get in Massachusetts, it is not as if the man is a strict conservative constitutionalist.

The good news about the outcome is that the people should now have the attention of the elected officials. But, can we agree on the message we are trying to send?

Many democrats believe that the failure to pass health care and carbon cap legislation is the reason they are vulnerable. They feel the democrats have the presidency and majorities in both the senate and the house. If they would just do what they were elected to do, then they would not be losing seats. Of course, the other side of the coin is that the people have realized exactly what the president means by "hope and change" and they are now hoping they can change their minds about who they elected.

Having watched the arena for the better part of 20 years, it seems to me that there is more of a disconnect between those elected to office and those who elect them than ever before. I have spent most of those years in the bowels of the Texas Capitol attempting to to get legislators to turn the tide of a large and intrusive government. While Texas has always had a strong core group of conservative legislators, we have only slowed the erosion of our constitutional rights, not stopped them.

The events going on around us today with the surge of the Tea Party movement remind me of the Dr. Seuss book Horton Hears a Who. Horton, an elephant, hears a speck of dust calling to him. It turns out that the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to Who-ville. Horton clearly hears the Whos and wants to help protect them. However, the other animals in the jungle think that Horton is crazy. It finally takes every single Who in Who-ville, even the shirker known as JoJo shouting out in unison "We are here! We are here! We are here!" for all the animals to be able to hear and respond to the Whos.

There is no question that America's citizens have been shirking their responsibility to elect men and women of virtue for years. And the fault is one of both omission and commission. When given the opportunity to make the critically important decision of who will lead our country, a majority of citizens do not even make the effort to register a vote. Others, more interested in what a politician can for "for them" rather than in who will best protect their inalienable rights, have elected people who allow their constituents to become enslaved to the government for entitlement and special interest perks.

The bottom line is that everybody should check their spirit about their reaction to the Massachusetts win. Make sure you are not a shirker and add your voice to the others in Who-ville shouting out, "We are here!" to the elected officials who are trampling on the Constitution.

Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles or is overthrown lest the Lord see it and it be evil in His eyes and displease Him and He turn away His wrath from him. Proverbs 24:17-18

Civic Literacy

2010-01-19T09:43:00.000-06:00

At the age of 75 Thomas Jefferson was engaged, with his friend James Madison, in the creation of a public university in Virginia. The curriculum to be offered would "expound the principles and structure of government; the laws which regulate the intercourse of nations, those formed municipally for our own government; and a sound spirit of legislation, which banishing all arbitrary and unnecessary restraint on individual action, shall leave us free to do whatever does not violate the equal rights of another."

Wow! What a difference a few centuries can make. From our founding fathers understanding that a well-educated populace being necessary for self-governance to civic understanding today where the overall average score of a civics test given to a random sample of 2,508 Americans was a dismal 49 percent. This sample was conducted by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) in their American Civic Literacy Program.

ISI made five major findings and one note of interest in their study.

Finding 1: Seventy one percent of Americans failed the test. While virtually everyone did poorly, the worst demographics were in the age of 25 to 34; females vs males; Asian vs other races; divorced or separated; with children; less than $30,000 income; affiliated with the Democrat party rather than any other; conservative political ideology rather than liberal or moderate; never served in the military; and attended church weekly or more often. Less than half those questioned could name all three branches of the government.
Only 53 percent knew that the power to declare war belongs to Congress.

Finding 2: Americans agree that colleges should teach America's heritage through instruction in history, key texts and institutions.

Finding 3: Higher education adds little to civic knowledge. Most colleges add civic knowledge value to an individual. And, in some cases, college graduates score more poorly on civics exams after leaving the institution than they did upon entry.

Finding 4: Television - including TV news - makes Americans lest civic literate. According to the ISI report, "… a person's test score drops in proportion to the time he or she spends using certain types of passive electronic media. Talking on the phone, watching owned or rented movies, and monitoring TV news broadcasts and documentaries diminish a respondent's civic literacy."

Finding 5: An American with a bachelor's degree is unlikely to have a solid understanding of the founding or Civil War eras, core constitutional principles or market economics. Only 54 percent of respondents could correctly identify a basic description of the free enterprise system.

Note of interest: Officeholders typically have less civic knowledge than the general public. Thirty percent of elected officials do not know that "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are the inalienable rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence.

And, we wonder why we are losing our way. The loss of civic knowledge and understanding has lead to the decline of our nation. However, the information and resources are available for us to correct that deficit. Take responsibility to raise your own knowledge and understanding about what has made America exceptional. And, if you are an elected official, please consider some remedial education.

To read more results about the ISI survey and to test your own civics knowledge, go to http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/ .

Lord, help me today to remember all the things you taught me yesterday.

Dumb Luck and Good Timing

2010-01-14T17:39:00.000-06:00

My devotional is late getting out today. It is almost 6 p.m. My entire day has been spent in a conference listening to a variety of perspectives on the issues which are currently facing our local and state policy makers. In other words, I have been having a blast.

Oftentimes people who visit my office ask me how I came to be in this position. My off the cuff answer is, "dumb luck and good timing." The truth is, and I am always mindful of it, is that the Lord orchestrated my steps to bring me to this time and this position. He did it long before I recognized or understood His purposes for me in this realm.

In the beginning . . . I was just a mom. The schools were giving my children a test and would not let me see a copy of it. That offended every sensibility in me, so the quest was on to find out why. It also triggered my first attendance at a school board meeting.

Having left the issue unresolved, the Lord moved our family from Houston to Austin. The education problem was a state issue, not a local issue. Not knowing anybody else, I joined a group of like-minded parents to try to change the issue. They convinced me to run for the school board. Meeting residency requirements by only 10 days and running against the incumbent board president guaranteed my certain loss. Except for that God thing. No one was more surprised than I when, after the votes were counted, I found I had won the election. Praise the Lord!

During the same period of time, still having time on my hands, I volunteered for the Texas Conservative Coalition, the conservative caucus in the Texas House of Representatives. In the beginning, my forte was making the coffee. But, our executive director was caffeine driven, so that was a critical skill set. As time went on, my passion for parental rights, individual liberties, and conservative principles in general surfaced. To my surprise, I discovered the Lord had naturally wired me with some pretty special policy skills. For one, issues to me are black and white. (No that is not a racial slur.) It is just that on principled issues, it is not difficult for me to sort through all the extraneous information and identify the particular principle in play. I can read legislation and it is as if my eyes will immediately go to the problem areas. It took a while for me to understand that this is just a gift.

Fast forward a few years and my volunteer time turned into a part-time then full-time job. I went from making coffee to reading legislation and writing reports and eventually ended up as executive director of the organization. It was the coolest job I ever had.

But, there came a time when God's grace for that position was removed and it was time to leave. That's when Rep. Corte suggested I work for him as his policy advisor. He tells me I am not paid to agree with him, but to advise him. My husband says that's a good thing because I would be so unemployed if I were paid to just agree with someone.

And, that pretty much brings me up to the policy conference today. I count it all joy that the Lord allows me to come to an office and do exactly what I love to do and call it work. They even pay me! What more could I ask for?

Oh, and by the way, in 1995 we amended the Texas Education Code so that parents could see those tests.

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; thy steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever. Psalms 135:8

God's Promises

2010-01-13T09:20:00.000-06:00

News recently reached me about a situation which has been the subject of my prayers for years. It was not the answer for which I had been praying.

Now what?

Honestly, my first reaction felt much like being kicked in the stomach. "But, God...," I said. "What about your promises? This is an issue you have put on my heart to pray over."

After a while reason overtook my emotions as my mind went through all the promises God has given me over the situation. The things of this world are not the final answer. The game is not over. God's resurrection power remains. Nothing I see negates the assurances the Lord provides. My lack of understanding does not make God's promises invalid. And, the current events did not take the Lord by surprise. Acknowledging the situation as God's problem not mine, enabled me to begin to lift it up in prayer again.

The promises of God are not bound by our time here on earth. They are designed for eternity. My concept of how those promises will be fulfilled do not limit the Lord in His ability to work great things in the lives of those around me. I trust in Him to fulfill those promises, and I resist the temptation to tell Him how He should do it.

And, I thank God for His promises and for answered prayer.

The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. Psalm 12:6

Note to Self

2010-01-12T08:22:00.000-06:00

Note to self: do not say or do anything stupid today.

"Stupid" is a censored word in our household. In the world of five-year-olds, "stupid" is not a nice word. Hannah reminds me of that if I happen to forget and blurt it out. But, since this is just a note to myself, I can go ahead and say it.

Our church has embarked upon a 21 day fast. When praying about what to give up, I decided that cutting out all television would probably make the most significant impact on my prayer life. While not a particularly avid watcher of most shows, my number one weakness is the news. I confess I am a news junkie. There is probably a 12-step program for that, but going cold turkey with a prayer fast should sustain me.

And, truth be known, now is a great time to take a break. After 21 days, the daily coverage is likely to continue to be health care and the fact that Democrats and Republicans do not play well together. So, how much could I miss? Since being current on the news is actually a part of my job, I continue to listen to the radio and read newspaper accounts of what the reporters consider significant in the world. And, that is why the note to self today.

Senator Harry Reid made an ill-advised (that's the politically correct version of "stupid") statement about President Obama during the campaign that has just become public due to release of a book. There is a huge public outcry, not because of what he said, but because of the way the media and political left is treating him compared to the time that Senator Trent Lott made a similar ill-advised comment.

There is an obvious double standard. Why is that news? The number one life lesson I attempt to impart to my children and all the young people I mentor is that life is not fair, and some people are stupid. Once again, the media makes my point for me.

While impartation of that principle is to explain about 4/5th of everything you read in the news, it can also serve as a caution in our own lives. Politically, as a conservative Christian without a lot of restraint on calling things as they are, I recognize the big red target painted on my chest. Should something ill-advised slip from my lips there will be negative consequences. It will be unpleasant. And, it will be my own fault.

So, today as I pray, I will thank God that he orchestrated my fast so that I don't have to watch all the hoopla about Reid's comments. And, I will ask that He help me to set a guard about my mouth. For those things that we say can be as powerful (and painful) as those things that we do.

He who keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. Proverbs 21:23

Blessings From the Lord

2010-01-11T09:54:00.000-06:00

When my three children were young, I had a sign in my house that said, "Lord, give me the patience to endure my blessings." I was reminded of it this weekend as we had the pleasure of our granddaughter staying with us. Hannah is five. She made her debut into the world on her Pops' fiftieth birthday. They have a relationship that cannot be invaded by mere mortals such as Migi (my grandma name).

I don't remember parenting being as exhausting as grandparenting can be. Maybe that is because being a parent is what you do while you are doing everything else. Grandparenting is what you do instead of everything else.

We started out Saturday morning on a quest for yarn for a new sweater for Hannah. The green sweater she has had for years is now too small, but she refuses to give it up until she gets a new one. After resorting to calling the manufacturer of the sweater to see if they still make it, my daughter decided to punt to Migi. She told Hannah to bring the sweater to my house and I could make one like it. In order to nail things down a bit, I asked Hannah what it was about the sweater she liked.

"The sparkly green. The zipper. The hoodie."

"What about the cable design?"

"Yes. And the pockets."

The quest was on. Designing the sweater would not be too tough. But, that sparkly green yarn was going to be a challenge. Fortunately, in a moment of compromise, when we found the EXACT color (thanks be to God) she decided she could settle without sparkles as long as there were pockets, a hood and a zipper.

When she stands next to my chair to watch me knit and tells me the things she loves most about me is that I make her things, she guarantees that I will be designing whatever she wants for as long as she wants.

Then, there is bedtime. Hannah hates to sleep alone. When she comes into our room in the middle of the night and I return her to her own bed, she is like a boomerang. Before I can get settled in, she is back again. Last night, I resolved that she was going to have to sleep in her own bed so that we could all get some rest. She countered my comment with a suggestion that Pops sleep on the couch so we wouldn't be so crowded. The third time I returned her to her bed, I told her to stay there. After about twenty minutes (a good faith effort on the part of a five year old to get to sleep) she returned to my side of the bed.

"Migi, I just don't like to sleep by myself."

I caved. I figure she will get over this stage before she goes off to college (her mother did). This age is all too fleeting to worry about little knees in the middle of my back for another night. She climbed in bed and snuggled up, drifting off to sleep almost immediately.

So this morning, as I attempt to drink enough coffee to compensate for a lack of sleep, and stretch to work out the kinks in my back caused by sharing our bed with the little one, I am reminded to pray for the patience to endure my blessings.

A hug and a kiss when she gets home from school today will be more than sufficient to compensate me for any of my troubles. And, by the time her daddy comes to pick her up this evening I am sure I will be sorry to see her leave. I assume I will get over that about bedtime.

Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him. Psalm 127:3

BRRRRRRRRRRRR!

2010-01-08T09:07:00.000-06:00

I am a blessed woman indeed. The temperature outside is 23 degrees with a forecast that it will get into the teens tonight. Rather than face the cold and drive to the office, I decided to work from the comfort of my easy chair in front of the fireplace. I love the technology (and the boss) that makes that possible.

One of the few things my husband and I do not see eye to eye on is the weather. If the temperature falls below 75 degrees he starts to moan about possible frost bite. That same temperature is nearing my threshold for concern about heat exhaustion. Since he is the one responsible for shoveling the snow, he won the battle on living in a climate where snow is a once in a decade (if God must) scenario.

It wasn't always so. Back in the early '80's the company Jerry worked for transferred us from our lifetime home of Houston, Texas to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (One of the perks of living there was that I learned how to spell "Milwaukee".) We arrived in November.

My first observation about weather in Wisconsin was that the sun does not shine in November. We could not contain the excitement when it began to snow on Thanksgiving. We reveled in our first ever white Christmas, went sledding in January, ice skaing in February, began to whine about the cold in March and were positively mortified that there was still snow on the ground at Memorial Day. Jerry contends there are three seasons in Wisconsin: July, August and winter.

But, the real lesson on cold weather came that Christmas as our entire country was in a weather pattern much like we are seeing today. The record breaking cold front has the temperature on Christmas Eve hovering around the negative teens, with a north wind dropping the wind chill factor to 80 below zero. It was unlike anything we had ever experienced. The opportunity allowed us warm weather fiends to learn a few significant lessons:

Our new definition of cold would be when you could make ice cube in the garage faster than in the freezer. (We tested the theory.)
You cannot breathe air that cold. That's why all those people have scarves and hats that cover their entire faces and make them look like mummies.
Your car actually can freeze to the ground. The tires have a flat spot on them until they warm up. That was the "thud, thud, thud" sound we heard for the first few miles.
Nothing wards off the cold like a cheery fire.

The weather in Texas never quite matches what we saw in Wisconsin. But, this week it is cold enough to annoy Jerry and delight me. And, as is often true, I am reminded how fortunate I am to be married to a man with the good sense to not listen when I tell him how wonderful it would be to live in Wisconsin again.

Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? Ecclesiastes 4:11

Say Something Nice

2010-01-07T09:57:00.000-06:00

There would be nothing for me to write about if not for drive time radio.

Yesterday morning the news flash was that France has passed legislation making it illegal to insult your spouse. Talk about the solution not addressing the actual problem. The marriage rate in France has fallen 30 percent in the last generation. There are only 50 marriages performed each year per 10,000 citizens. Currently 59 percent of children are born out of wedlock. Do they think it is because couples insult each other?

Healthy marriages has been a passion of mine for most of my adult life. Having married when we were too young to know better, my husband and I had no idea what "until death do us part" actually meant. Not being a Christian at the time, we settled on the plan that the only escape from our marriage would be in a "pine box." And, while I did commit to never divorce my husband, justifiable homicide has always been an option. Salvation and age have matured me a bit since our marriage. Even so, the image of Tiger Wood's wife with a golf club seems perfectly reasonable to me.

News reports indicate that the French law is intended to stop "psychological violence" in marriage relationships and it also applies to cohabitating couples. Prohibited actions include rude remarks about a person's appearance, false allegations of infidelity and threats of physical abuse. Does the person making the comment have to intend it to be rude? Or, is the offense committed because the person who hears it perceives it to be rude? Is it one person's word against another or does the offense need to be witnessed by a third party? Wouldn't you love to be the police officer responding to that call?

So, I guess my question for France is, "What are you trying to achieve with that legislation?" Is this supposed to strengthen marriages? Or, is this yet another indicator that France has surrendered any hope of being a civilized nation? When the lessons you should learn in kindergarten - be nice to others - has to be codified in order for people to treat their spouse with respect, you may be too far down the slippery slope to recover.

Meanwhile, back in America . . . don't start feeling too self-righteous. We have problems of our own and can't blame it on the fact that we are France. The good news is that our divorce rates are declining. The bad news is that the decline is due to a 50 percent reduction in the marriage rate since 1970. Thirty-eight percent of our children are born out of wedlock. Our divorce rate (like most statistics this is sort of a made up number), is around 50 percent.

So, why does it matter? It matters because marriage and healthy families are the model God intended as the building blocks of society. In-tact families offer love, protection, and instruction for children. It matters because children who are not raised in intact families have a higher rate of school drop-out, criminal activity, and drug use. Just about every negative societal marker has a correlation to whether or not a child was raised in an in-tact family.

It matters because the marriage relationship is reflective of the relationship between Christ and His church. Like the person who does not have a loving father on earth has difficulty relating to God as father, a society which does not understand the joy and benefit of marriage can never fully understand the relationship of Christ and the Church. I understand Christ's sacrifice for the church, in part because I have a husband who has laid down his life for me. I understand submission to God - even when I don't understand (or agree) - because I have tried the model of submission to my husband in my marriage and it works.

So, France, I have news for you. Passing a law making it illegal to insult your spouse is not going to help your marriages (or cohabitations). You might want to try what the writer of scripture suggested: Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous. Hebrews 13:5

Meanwhile, say something nice to your spouse today. They really like it when you do that.

Get Over It

2010-01-06T08:52:00.000-06:00

On my drive into work yesterday morning I heard results to yet another poll that had been conducted. People were asked whether or not they like their jobs. Apparently, only 45 percent of the people polled actually like the job they are doing.

That little factoid made my brain burn. First, at a time of massive unemployment, what a bunch of whiners we are to complain about the jobs we do have. I was raised with the work ethic that there was no job that was beneath me as long as it was legal and would pay the bills. The focus was on whether or not I was qualified to find and keep a job, and I don’t remember there being any prerequisite that I actually have to like it.

Second, if people hate their jobs so much, why don’t they do something about it? Surely they could find one of the other 55 percent of discontented employees and swap jobs with them for a day. They would probably discover that the grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but it still needs to be mowed. Anyway, then they could be discontented with someone else’s job instead of their own.

Finally, I wonder how many of the 55 percent of people who hate their jobs really just hate having to work for a living. Perhaps they would hate any job that requires effort on their part. It is quite possible that we have reached the point where our work ethic has deteriorated to the point that it isn’t the job that is the problem, but the sense of entitlement to which we have become accustomed.

God doesn’t call us to be a bunch of ungrateful whiners. In fact, His word tells us Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” So, we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6

If you are a Christian who hates your job, you really have only two choices:

Change your job or change your attitude.

The Least of These

2010-01-05T09:06:00.000-06:00

In church on Sunday, our congregation was blessed with the guest appearance of the Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda. Their stories and their love of the Lord captured my heart. Last night, my husband and I were privileged to eat dinner and spend some time with two of these children and their chaperone who were staying with some friends of ours.

Uganda is a nation that is so poverty stricken we cannot even begin to imagine the condition. The country has been ravaged by war and the AIDs epidemic. With a population of 32 million people, half of whom are under the age of 15, the hope of the nation lies in its youth.

The Watoto ministry rescues babies and children off the streets and places them in a home in one of their three villages. Each home will house a mother and up to eight children. The members of the household function as a family. The children are fed, clothed and educated. Each child has medical insurance. I asked how long the children are allowed to stay in the homes, and it was explained to me that those homes are their families. They can stay until they are self-sufficient. A family does not kick a member out when they reach a certain age.

The fruit of the ministry is already evident. Some of the chaperones of the tour are former children of the ministry. They have graduated from university level and are working. Another graduate is a member of parliament in Uganda.

What struck me the most in our conversation was the things we each noted about the others' circumstances and environment. Michael, the 33 year-old chaperone of the two boys expressed that this trip was fulfilling a lifelong desire to see America. He says that it is evident that the Lord has greatly blessed this nation. Michael is a member of the church that sponsors the Watoto Villages. He has a degree in journalism and human resources. He shared with us that he has never made more than $75 in a single month in his entire life. He described the huts that many people in Uganda live in. It was quite a contrast to the home where we were sitting and enjoying his company.

Michael commented on our roads and infrastructure. The children are fascinated by our highway interchanges. Many of their homes have no running water or electricity. Contrast that to the fact that the majority of those living in "poverty" in our nation have color televisions and mobile phones.

I cautioned him not to be deceived by our wealth. Our materialism masks our spiritual poverty. I explained that we were living in a country where the ornate facade on the exterior hides the emptiness that lives inside. We are a nation in decay due to our turning away from God.

Uganda and the United States have little in common, except for the fact that the hope of both nations is in the Lord.

If you are interested in learning more about the Watoto children's ministry, you can check out their website at http://www.watoto.com/ .

And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. Matthew 10:42

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T09:26:00.000-06:00

The Monday after Christmas I received a call from my boss to notify me that, after 18 years of service in the Texas Legislature, he was not going to file for re-election. That day and the next were spent in a whirlwind of events preparing a news conference and fielding phone calls from the press and friends who were hearing the news for the first time.

Though the news was unexpected, it was not a surprise. The job of state representative pays $600 a month and requires extended time away from family with constant scrutiny and criticism from the press. The only surprise is that anyone can be as faithful to the job as some of our elected officials are.

The announcement means that the staffers in our office have one year to discern where we will be after December 2010.

A new position will be a major change for me. I have worked in the Capitol for the past 18 years, in Rep. Corte's office since 2000. But, as significant as the change may be, my eye is not on that milestone, but on what happens in the meantime. Life is marked by milestones, but lived in the meantime.

Join me this year as you enjoy your own "mean time."

... forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies aheas, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus Philippians 3:13-14