A little wisdom, please.

A little wisdom couldn’t hurt in times like ours:

from Epictetus, Greek philosopher, AD 55:

“Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich,
for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant.”

“Unless we place our religion & our treasure in the same thing,
religion will always be sacrificed.”


and from Proverbs 3:1-6

“My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
then you will win favor & a good name with God & man.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him & He will make your paths straight.”

and from Epictetus: “If you wish to be a writer, write.”

~~~

"Which one would you save"

Books are essential. Reading is one of the best expanders of the mind, of the soul.

But what if some catastrophe occurs, and only one book could be saved? Faced with that notion, which book would you be sure to rescue? Which one would you save?

It's legal and it's literary. It’s historical and poetic. It's sophisticated narrative and children’s delight. It's sexy and smoldering; compellingly real and enigmatic. Come to it as a scholar, or scientist, an objective observer or a hostile assailant. It's confounding, perplexing, nearly implausible. It yields to antagonism, ignites debate and inspires awe. By it, through it, one can be moved to a depth of intimacy that defies understanding. When a catastrophe strikes, when all books will vanish and I can save just one, this one will be clutched under my arm, shielded from the mayhem of falling, crashing, burning. When I rush out of the flaming building and my family is safe, I’ll have pressed against me this one, my Bible.

I’ll save it, because it first saved me.

~~~

Primary Perspectives

“I admit it! I’m a conservative republican evangelical Christian – unashamedly so…”

Such was my ‘coming out’ to some precious liberal friends recently. This, my official debut, came after doing a bit of personal inventory with the changing political winds at my face. Later, I reiterated my proclamation to some of my closest friends (who were probably thinking, “This is news?”), just because it felt so good to say. These aren’t words that I would have so emphatically written or said before. But now, somehow candor is essential. It's time to speak some things.

It started with a discussion that led into a bit of politico-speak wherein the Governor of Alaska & the Republican nominee for Vice President, Sarah Palin, was being derided. I listened with interest, but didn’t tip my hand, and later left the conversation with gnawing unfinished business. After I screwed up my courage, because there is no coming back from such things, I composed a crisp email, detailing my ‘outage’ to the original conversants, who I trusted enough to not deride me too. Below is a bit of what I wrote them that next day:

Girls, I know we're coming from different places, but let me tell you what she represents to me...Sarah Palin is a woman who - for the first time ever on the national stage - represents me. She's not an angry woman trying to be a man; not a woman who claims to champion my views, but who is so far out of step w/ me that she may as well be on Pluto. She is a woman who loves & respects her man, loves her children, loves being a mother. She is not afraid to be smart & savvy, but won't beat you about-the-head-neck-&-face w/ it. She is unapologetically committed to her faith, & she is conservative politically...

So, why start a web log over this? Because I was watching the day her candidacy was announced - and was absolutely stunned. An eerie déjà vu draped itself over my shoulders, and I felt like I was looking in a mirror. Finally - a real woman (who could actually be me), with the potential of being Vice President of the country. A real woman who cares about the things I do - not someone who screams far-left hyperfeminist propaganda & then swears she's speaking for me.

Why write here & now? Because I’ve been writing for some time with a sense of discovery and anticipation, and with a notion that perhaps I have something to say. And because that day, I experienced a shift in perspective.

I'm not sure who'll win this thing, but the pundits are right. Governor Palin’s candidacy is a 'game-changer,’ -- for me, anyway. Primarily, she gives me real hope that conservative women now have a voice in the Women's Conversation of our time; that the left no longer has a monopoly on "issues that women care about." She is a role model for thousands of women - who now see & know that you don't have to be abrasive & shrill in order to be tough & strong.

That's why they've been trying to kill her voice, kill her reputation, kill her credibility - literally kill it, before (shhhhhh!) any other women get the Big Idea that the feminist agenda has challengers...The media part of it has been beastly, and yes, quite personal. Because when the media tear her apart, they're tearing apart women like me.

So, there you go. Many thanks to Governor Palin for the shift in perspective. And thanks to the other Sarah Palins in my life, some who’ve helped me chart a course since before I have memory. Thanks to those who abrade my conscience, encourage my struggles, cheer my victories, and give me opportunities to serve in kind. You’re helping me live fully, helping me hone our voice and perhaps discover some big ideas.

~~~