Thursday, November 11, 2010

You might not want to hear this

As I sit here inside my big picture window, I can see the American flag flapping majestically in the wind across the street in my neighbors' yard. And I feel a surge of pride and emotion right now. There's no one singing the National Anthem, or God Bless America, but so what? That's my flag. The flag that belongs to the greatest nation on earth; by God's grace.

Men (and women) have fought relentlessly to defend her and that which she represents: freedom and liberty. The freedom which allows some of my fellow citizens to burn that very symbol of freedom and hope. The freedom to vote. The freedom to speak out against things with which we disagree. And yes, the freedom to take a tax payer funded trip around the world and declare that America isn't the super power she once was. I warned you that you might not want to hear this.

I disagree with my president on that one. This is America. We love our baseball and apple pie, but we love those things because we love something greater. We love our country and her people, and we have overflowing compassion for other countries that are in need. Our status as a super power is used far and wide to be that shining city on a hill. Our men and women in uniform, past and present, have given the greatest sacrifice they could to ensure that. My grandfather was a witness to what happened on D-Day. He never had much to say about it. He didn't care to relive it, but it doesn't do anything to dampen my gratitude and sense of pride. What he did there continued the swell of what we get to do here. Are we sinful and depraved? Yes. We murder the unborn. God, forgive us. Are we self serving? God, forgive us. But we have the freedom to worship as we see fit. We are truly a blessed people, and may God see fit to continue to display His mercy to us.

Thank you, our veterans, for what you do for us. The American spirit is strong, and will not be snuffed out. I love this country, and I thank God that I can call it home.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

I Could use a Starbucks Run

My mind often wonders over to that difficult topic of home schooling and legalism. Well, topics, I guess. One doesn't have to affect or influence the other, but often they get horribly tangled in the same web.

I spent years of my life just taking it from people; advice, criticism, discipline, even. Ah, the joys of Daddy's being a preacher man. And there are; but there's a lot of other stuff too.

I'm reading Charlott's Web to Jack again right now, which I love. What a wonderful book. And what an interesting way to look at my life as that web that Charlotte weaves, writes descriptive Wilbur words in, and then watches the wind and other elements of nature tear her web to shredded strands. A thing of former beauty. That's me. I can try with all my might to appear as something other than what I am, but inside I'm that torn web flapping in the wind. God has a plan specifically tailored for my life, as He has one perfectly tailored for yours. Will life be bump free? No. We are being sanctified and made whole, but we won't be what we were completely created to be until we rest in Jesus' arms.

Part of the struggle for us as those fallen creates who, I remind you, were created just "a little lower than the angels," Psalm 8:5, is our desire to tell those around us how to live, how to raise our families, and whether we should buy organic. But our lives should be about how we can best glorify God in our day to day. But I fail at that, as do we all. Jesus is our Gospel; our choices should not be.

My hat's off to those moms who homeschool, soak their whole grains, and make their own mascara. Yes, I said mascara. I'll just go buy that at Walmart, send my kids to school, feed them mac and cheese (with broccoli), and hum "Jesus Loves Me."