Thanks Michael Franti~

Something for my man~

He knows who he is...

Yep!
~~~

The Cove, BGEA & the great shalom...

Hi friends~

'Been away for several days; my husband & I were out of town.

See, my brother & his wife gave us this gift certificate, like 2 years ago, for The Cove -- the BGEA Retreat Center in Asheville, NC. We tried to go last February, and had to cancel. But in August, we got an email about a "marriage retreat" featuring Chip Ingram , so we jumped on it! It was a weekend focusing on our age group (people under 45), so we would have lots in common with everyone there.

We'd never heard of The Cove prior to my brother's gift, & didn't know Chip Ingram either. But man-o-man do we know now!! 330 people were in attendance from 19 different states, & Canada.

It was a wonderful weekend, with a deeply refreshing spiritual message from the speaker. Also though, the fellowship with other Believers - some struggling in their marriages, some not - was priceless.

Mostly, what I'll 'take away' from the experience is how much I appreciate my husband, the blessing of knowing others are out there striving to live a Godly life - that we're not alone in the fight against our culture, & that God's design for marriage/family is part of His 'great shalom' :

“I will bring health and healing to it: I will heal My people and will let them enjoy abundant Shalom and safety...I will cleanse them from all the sins they have committed against me…Then this city will bring Me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations of the earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and Shalom I provide it,” -- Jeremiah 33: 6-9

And so, we're thankful to my brother & his wife for affording us the opportunity. But even more, thanks belongs to God for His ministry among His people, & His hand at work in our lives - leading us toward His Great Shalom.

Wow.

~~~

Smile, Mr. Susannah!

Okay, so I just discovered this song yesterday...

Posting it today for the one who always knows how to make me smile.

He knows who he is, & he's just the best!

~Enjoy~

"Don't know how I lived without you,

'cause every time that I get around you, I see the best of me inside your eyes.

You make me smile."

1hanks 4ev3r!

~~~

Primary Perspectives: 'do over'

Some things are important enough to repeat.

I've had discussions lately wherein it would've helped if the person with whom I was exchanging comments had known a little more about me & why I blog. These recent talks were w/ a pacifist who is naive enough to think that violence against women must be physical in order to be real, insidious & systemic. (Sounds like a blockhead kind of man, no?) Thus, this do-over of my very first blog piece - September 27th, 2008. (Pay close enough attention, & you'll even hear why this blog calls itself GTBI.)

“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.

~~

So thanks for indulging another do-over. Some things are just important enough to repeat.

~~~

"10 X 10"

So…considering my last post, I think it may be time to gain some perspective.

Have you ever done a spontaneous inventory of what’s most important to your life? Me either, until my friend Linda asked a favor the other day. (“Favor”: heh, heh.) She invited me to the rare privilege of contributing to a ‘pilot’ program of ministry to young girls/teens. Her project was conceived a year ago , has been in embryonic stages, & is now emerging more fully formed: “Read My Lip-gloss.” Linda has a faithful team of skilled people who are fully committed to nurturing girls & giving them practical tools to become Godly, courageous women, in spite of the culture that surrounds them. What a treasure to be even a small part of this operation!

The ‘favor’ which was asked of me? It’s a “10 x 10” rubric; a scenario in which I place myself, then share with Linda my written response:

You’re a woman on a bus, riding comfortably, when a young teen gets on, taking the empty seat beside you. She introduces herself & tells you where her stop is. You know that 10 minutes hence, she’ll get off & you won’t see her again. For whatever reason, you feel an urgency to impart the 10 most important things that you believe she’ll need to know, to carry her through the rest of her life. You don’t have time to plan & you don’t have time to poll your friends. When this girl gets off the bus, she’ll be gone forever. You will either have used the opportunity of 10 minutes, or you’ll have lost it.

As a woman, what will you tell her? What 10 essentials can you absolutely NOT let her get off that bus without hearing? What really matters, to you, in life?

After getting off the phone with Linda, I went to my living room w/ a scratch pad & my favorite pen (Paper-mate, Write Bros., blue). No kids around (amazing!). Otis was not barking (perfection). I gave myself 10 minutes. What follows is my spontaneous “10 x 10”:

1) Choosing a relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important decision you will ever make in your life, bar none. No exceptions.

2) God has a perfect plan for your life. This doesn’t mean you will be perfect, but you can always rely on His perfection.

3) You are who God believes you are, not what media, peers, or Hollywood tries to tell you. God made you exactly as He wants you – for His purpose & His glory.

4) Rejoice then! Because you are His Masterpiece!

5) Sexual virtue is an immeasurable blessing to a future marriage. It provides a foundation of trust, respect & dignity like no other intangible can.

6) Release self-imposed guilt; allow shame to dissolve in His mercy. God can redeem anything, & is fully able to make all things new.

7) You can be a tough, strong woman without being harsh and shrill.

8) American Feminism lied. Though some of it brought progress for women, the “sexual revolution” has resulted in devaluation & degradation of femininity such that womanhood is hardly viewed as uniquely special, & has lost esteem in our society.

9) Womanhood is uniquely special & worthy of high esteem. Our marriages, children & entire culture suffer when we deny this fact.

10) God has created you with perfect giftedness. Be flexible & malleable to the embrace of the Holy Spirit, & God will surprise you with the ways your gifts are used, for His glory, across the measure of your life.

Good-bye, dear girl. God speed.

The times upon us are chaotic & frightening. Changes are advancing that threaten us with calamity. We feel impotent. We feel angry, strapped, crippled, helpless. We can’t seem to gain a grasp on the truth…

It’s time to take inventory, friends, because Truth is constant. Above, you have the Truth of my life. I believe it, & I stand firm in it. No “change” will shake me from it, so help me Lord Jesus. In the end, if that's all I have left, it’ll be enough. I will stand, waiting to be surprised by God’s use of my gifts, until the full measure of my life meets its end.

Thank you, dear Linda, for my 10 minutes. It was indeed a privilege.

~~~

Same-Sex 'Marriage' & Supreme Courts: II

My new friend Shaw asked me some interesting questions in her comment to 5-27-09's “Thanks CA Supreme Court”:

She says,
“I don't understand why you would label couples as ‘cheaters’ when they were married legally…before Prop 8 was passed. How do you reckon they ‘cheated’?”

My friend continues,
“And you [would] label the legal same-sex marriages in IA, MA, VT, NH, and ME as ‘cheaters’ too?”

These are very interesting questions, deserving of a sincere & thoughtful answer. So Shaw, this one’s for you & thanks for being a catalyst.

My use of “cheaters” in the 5-27 post is part euphemistic, part literal. “Cheaters” evokes images of games, the purpose of which was to simplify & illustrate a complex concept. In a literal sense the word “cheaters” does not apply, as Shaw points out, because those who got ‘married’ where same-sex ‘marriage’ is/was legal haven’t technically ‘cheated’.

My contention is, however, that same-sex ‘marriage’ itself cheats our culture in a most profound way. It has created a moral & spiritual crisis by attempting to redefine the most elemental, Sacred relationship in our society, thereby enfeebling our entire culture. The questions remind me of an editorial I wrote in 2004, just after the MA Supreme court circumvented the people of MA & made same-sex 'marriage' legal.

Defining Marriage

Marriage is a historical social & religious institution between one man & one woman. Its origin precedes our society & has universal global significance. It was not created by any branch of the American government, nor by our great Constitution. It crosses all cultures & has extended back through human existence for thousands of years.

Now, a Massachusetts courtroom has decided that this archetypal institution is ill defined, & has declared it invalid. The arrogance here is astounding. If it weren’t so audacious, it might even be comical. But it is not funny, & it is not okay. This court asserts that the historically rooted institution of marriage will not ‘pass Constitutional muster’ because it discriminates (like a clock salesman calling foul on the 24-hour day, saying it discriminates against the time-challenged).

For years, special interest groups & their lawyers have cited ‘separation of church & state’ to tease out Faith from the public arena at every turn. Now they’re using legal marriage – where State & Faith meet - to contort our society with their own prejudicial agenda. The State, which has pried out all things sacred, is now presuming authority to force civil “rites” into the sacred. The State, essentially, is assuming the power to define & override Sacrament.

It is time to speak up. The cultural movement represented in the Massachusetts courtroom accomplishes its work through the back door of the Constitution. No lawmaker or voter is ever consulted when law is created in a courtroom. In essence, we citizens are stripped of our representative and individual voices. We are left mute and powerless while outrageous counterculture ideas are made law. The good news is that the same Constitution that has been so egregiously manipulated is the same great document which guarantees each & every one of us a voice. It is now time to be heard.

So the voices of California were heard, finally. And their Court decided, this time, to abstain from silencing them. Hallelujah!

Our friend is right, though: other states have voiced differently. If we’re talking about legality, then gay ‘married’ people haven’t cheated the law in those states. But if we’re talking about morality & the spiritual health of our nation, then the ones we’re really cheating are ourselves.

And then there’s God.

~~~

Thanks CA Supreme Court; I think.

Congratulations are in order for California! (I think.)

Their state Supreme Court actually held to the people’s will, sort of.

On Tuesday, May 26th, The Foundry reports, “the California Supreme Court disappointed advocates of same-sex marriage by concluding that Proposition 8 was a valid exercise by California voters of their right to amend their constitution. Today’s decision means Prop. 8 stands as an important victory for the 7 million Californians who worked hard to protect marriage as the union of husband & wife..."

Don’t remember Proposition 8? A little history then…See, one of the best Unintended Consequences of November’s election was that a “ban on gay marriage [aka Proposition 8] passed in CA, AZ & FL.” The delicious irony is that the Left’s insatiable drive to elect Mr. Obama led to the success of Prop. 8. It won “largely due to the turnout of African Americans -yes, Obama voters largely- who are not up for any kind of massive shift to the left, it seems.”

The price of the measure's success, however, has been high. The Foundry reminds us: “many individuals and institutions that supported Proposition 8 have been targeted for reprisals and intimidation. Some Prop 8 supporters have been pressured out of their jobs; some have had their businesses targeted…churches have been vandalized…and suspicious white powder was sent to certain Mormon temples. [Also] some individuals who supported Prop 8 have even received death threats.”

Which brings me to Unintended Consequence of November’s election #2 & the “I think” part of the Court’s decision: “The election of Mr. Obama has sewn up a seam between the Far Left fringe & the left-of-center. The Far Left has…poured in torrents onto the Culture War battlefield…Their actions have been worse than vandalism & protesting, friends. It's domestic terrorism…Do they believe they're entitled, because they identify w/ the most left-wing presidential candidate we've ever seen?” It’s a question that at least bears some thought, if not outright endorsement.

Meanwhile back at the Court, while the Justices were magnanimous enough to yield to the will of the people from hence forward, they ruled as valid “the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed before Prop 8 passed.” So, while the will of the people was heard in part, it seems that the Court has left some cards on the table. With the world watching, they were forced to play by the rules of the game (We won!), but then allowed cheaters to win anyway (I think).

Where does that leave us, folks? Still on the battlefield; with a war for the essence of our culture – the very soul of our dear nation - in front of us.

But today, let’s say a big THANKS to the California Supreme Court! As for the “I think;” we’ll just address that tomorrow…

~~~

Memo to DCCC: I don't want Obama to succeed either...

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched an assault against Free Speech. Make no mistake, their current 'online petition' against Rush Limbaugh is nothing but an effort to lay groundwork for resurrecting the Fairness Doctrine. But my friends, I'll say it here - and run no risk of Big Brother stifling my political speech (yet...) - I'm with Rush. I don't want President Obama to succeed. That may seem rather unpatriotic. Trust me, I'm one of the more patriotic people that I know (& I know some real red-white-&-blues). However, at this point, I believe I'm taking the most patriotic position.

Hear me...I'm not saying that I want our government to come crashing down. I'm not saying I want Mr. Obama to fail as a President in the eyes of the world, or even in the eyes of our people. What I am saying (& what Mr. Limbaugh was saying, too) is that I want his agenda to fail. Oh, how I want his agenda to fail...

I want his anti-capitialist, income-redistribution-socialist, pro-abortion, dismantle-traditional-marriage, environment-before-common-sense, foreign appeasement , terrorist-assuaging agenda to fail...and fail miserably. That would be best for our country. I desperately want what's best for our country.

There, I've said it . Enjoy your afternoon.

~~~