About a month ago, two visitors appeared at my door. You know the ones I’m talking about. Baby-faced, slightly post-adolescent men in suits and ties. Their name tags begin with the title “Elder”, but they aren’t fooling anybody.

I don’t really know why I answered the door. I was in the middle of eating lunch and watching Fox News. In the past, whenever these missionaries came to our house, I would pretend I wasn’t home. They weren’t going to convert me, and I was afraid to try to talk with them. But this day was different, and the difference was that I listened to the Holy Spirit. I opened the door and engaged in a weighty dialogue for the next two hours.

I didn’t convince my Mormon friends that Jesus is enough. In fact, I’m sure they left feeling sorry for me. I pray that maybe someday it will just click for them, but it might not.

I’ve thought a lot about theology and evangelism in the days since. I’ve read a lot of commentaries and listened to a lot of sermons. What is the difference between Christianity and Mormonism? I’m not really asking that question: I know the answers and I am confident that I know the Truth. But it’s hard to explain that to someone who tells you that you’re not allowed to use the Bible in defense of your argument (only the King James Version insofar as it is accurately translated – that’s crap). Really, it makes for a rather unlevel playing field…

The reason I bring this up now is because today at church Bill gave a very simple but profound answer to the question. What makes our religion different from the rest, be it Mormonism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or Catholicism (and before you get angry and stop reading, I am NOT saying that all Catholics are going to hell)? The aforementioned religions all have different definitions of “the good life”, they have this in common: the good life is difficult, and not everyone will live it. We, however, do not think that the Christian life is difficult. Nope. Not difficult at all. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!!!! No matter what I do, I can never live a life that pleases God, that fully satisfies the standards He requires. I simply cannot.

I can’t… “There is no one righteous, not even one.”

…BUT HE CAN! Peter writes, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” Paul tells us that this power “is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.” And if those two men don’t have enough credibility for you, hear the words of Christ himself. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

This is the difference. I can’t but He can, for I am in Him, and He is in me.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!”

Amen and Amen.

On this Veteran’s Day, I am remembering this man: Houston B. Couch. Fought in World War II. Married his love after knowing her only 10 days and still looked at her with wonder and tenderness over fifty years later. Became the world expert on diseases of turfgrass. His lawn was impeccable. Pastored a church. Started a school. Played a huge role in making my father the man he is today.

And did I mention that he loved me?

Four years since he went to be with Jesus. I can’t wait to see him again in the presence of the King he showed me how to love. I love you, Granddad.

To the President-Elect: Democracy is fragile. Please protect it. Especially our liberty. I realize that by voting for you the American people essentially declared that they’d rather the state take care of them. We voted against personal responsibility and therefore against personal freedom.

But for the sake of the 47% of us who kind of like rights such as keeping the money we earn, owning guns, and just overall being able to take care of ourselves, please don’t take the majority seriously.

I thought I’d start off November by sharing one of the things I am thankful for.

That would be happy hour at Sonic.

My current favorite is Diet Coke with Diet Cherry Syrup and Real Cherries.

44oz for less than $1.50 – that’s better than a 20oz bottle in the grocery store. AND they now have “chewable ice”, which is one of the greatest things God ever allowed man to create.

This quote is from a March interview, but I didn’t here about it until today.

“I’ve got two daughters – nine years old and six years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.” (Barack Obama)

I am hopping mad.

What a world we live in. Just the other day a friend told me about a conversation he had with a foreign national. “I think people just value life way too much over here.”

I had a lot to say about this, but now, as I type, none of it matters.

This world is a dark place without the Light of the Truth. It grieves me.

I was in a wedding this weekend. My former suitemate, Megan McFall, became Mrs. Joseph Riddell in the most beautiful wedding I have ever attended. That’s saying a lot, considering I’ve been to more weddings than I can count.

It wasn’t because of the dress, it wasn’t because of the flowers. It wasn’t even because it was the most perfect fall day ever to grace the “armpit of Ohio.” It was because of the Lord and His abundant love. He brought Joe and Megan together – and Joe and Megan together is a beautiful thing. As the Psalmist said, “The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

There was so much rejoicing on Saturday, both with laughter and with tears (mostly my own). Watching Megan waiting patiently, peacefully, in the bridal suite for the time to finally arrive (she was so beautiful)! Watching Joe gaze at Megan as she walked down the aisle on her father’s arm. Every minute of the day was blessed by the Lord and overflowing with His goodness, love, and beauty.

So much love. And so much joy. Joy for two people who are better together than they are apart (even though they are both amazing on their own). Joy because their relationship with each other has clearly deepened their relationships with the Father. Joy because as they learned to love each other more they began to love everyone else around them even more richly. Mr. and Mrs. Riddell are one of those rare treasures – a couple that you (that’s a single you, not a couple you) are practically begging to be around (a rarity when talking about Grover relationships). I don’t have to look any farther than these two to show you what I hope for in a relationship.

This was quite possibly one of the best weekends of my whole life.

“When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”

JOY!

I am going to see these wonderful people on THURSDAY!

Apparently “freedom of speech” does not apply to students in public schools.

While I think maybe this kid should have thought a little more before wearing this on a day meant to show patriotism, and also wonder how much he was encouraged by his parents, he definitely should not have gotten suspended. As a future school counselor, I would have LOVED to have a “how do you feel about this”/”tell me more” conversation with this boy.

I just had another thought though. Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised that free speech has its limits. Freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of assemnly have also been redefined when in a government funded public school setting.

Current Conclusion (subject to change upon further introspective reflection and collaboration – that’s all I hear about these days): A person is not protected under the First Amendment at least until they finish high school. After that, well, it’s a case by case thing.

Great song from Shane and Shane.

The father of lies
Coming to steal, kill, and destroy
All my hopes of being good enough
I hear him saying, “cursed are the ones who can’t abide”
He’s right
Hallelujah, he’s right

The devil is preaching
The song of the redeemed
That I am cursed and gone astray
I cannot gain salvation
Embracing accusation

Could the father of lies
Be telling the truth of God to me tonight?
If the penalty of sin is death
Then death is mine
I hear him saying, “cursed are the ones who can’t abide”
He’s right
Hallelujah, he’s right

The devil is preaching
The song of the redeemed
That I am cursed and gone astray
I cannot gain salvation
Embracing accusation

Oh, the devil’s singing over me
An age-old song
That I am cursed and gone astray
Singing the first verse so conveniently over me
He’s forgotten the refrain – Jesus Saves!

This is going to be another long-winded one. I apologize. The problem is that I sat in my office at work for 7 hours today and only had 15 minutes of work to do. After writing the two papers I had to do for my classes on Monday, I had a lot of time to think and this is what I thought about (part of the time, anyway). Hopefully this will be my last “political” blog, because I would like to prove that I am more interested in other things.

I am annoyed by the way many have reacted to Sarah Palin’s VP nomination. And I am especially frustrated that so many of these objections have come from the those who pride themselvess on being pro-woman.

I thought women’s rights meant that a woman can do whatever she wants. If she wants a career, she has every right to pursue any career she desires. This does not guarantee that she will achieve every goal she sets for herself, but men don’t have that promise either. But, like men, women are allowed to become whatever they want to be.

Therefore, it should follow that if a woman chooses to devote her life to raising a family instaed of entering the workforce, her choice is also valid. This is the choice I hope I am able to make one day. While I enjoy my grad program, I sincerely hope that I do not have to work as a school counselor for the next 45 or 50 years. I’m hoping for no more than five. Unfortunately this choice is often seen as a lesser one. The message I think I hear is, “You’ve been given a choice but you’ll only be respected if you choose the option we think is acceptable.”

However, it seems to me that proponents of women’s rights (NOW, et. al.) should at least acknowledge Gov. Palin’s achievements as something to be admired. I don’t expect them to endorse the Republican ticket – Palin has a far more conservative view on virtually every social issue – but they shouldn’t attack her as they have. Instead of choosing career over family or family over career, Sarah Palin chose to have both a family and a career. I believe this option is more or less the norm. More than 75% of the employees at the school board office are female, and the vast majority of them have children at home.

So what is all the fuss about? The way I see it, Sarah is a great example of the typical American woman. I believe American women find it much easier to identify with her than with Hillary Clinton. Yes, Senator Clinton has a daught, but raising one is quite a bit different from raising five, and, by the time she entered political sphere as an elected official, Chelsea was an adult. And, frankly, Sarah comes across as a person whereas Hillary seems more like a machine. She would never be mistaken for a hockey mom…

I think another reason for my frustration relates to what Rudy Guiliani said in his speech at the Convention: “How dare they question whether Sarah Palin has enough time to spend with her children and be vice president. How dare they do that. When do they ever ask a man that question?”

When DID they ever ask a man is juggling the pressure of a career in Washington and the responsbility of caring for children? I’ll tell you when they didn’t. When a young man in Delaware was elected as US Senator in 1972. When his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident a few weeks after the election, he found himself raising two boys (ages 2 and 3) on his own. He seriously considered resigning before ever beginning the job. If there were ever a time to ask a man that question, this was it. He apparently had doubts in his own ability to do it. But his colleagues in the Senate had no reservations. They convinced him he could do both, and do both well, and so Senator Joe Biden was sworn in at his son’s bedside.

I have nothing but respect and admiration for what Joe Biden did during what I am sure was a difficult time. (Side Note: my mom met him as a kid and she said he’s a very nice man.) Biden took the train from Wilmington to Washington every morning and returned in time to put his boys to bed every night. Nobody ever suggested that he was failing as a father and should resign to properly care for his boys.

As a sociology major I learned a lot about the impact of family life on the development of the individual. I can’t recall specific statistics anymore but I do remember this: children with an absent father are a lot worse off than those whose mother isn’t around. It can be argued that the father’s role in his children’s lives is a more powerful indicator of their future success than the mother’s. So maybe…just maybe…it would be a fair question to ask.

And on September 11, I just want to say that I am thankful to live in a country where we are even able to have this discussion. As a woman, I am thrilled that what I do with my life is up to me, and if that means, being the vice president of the United States, I might not even be the first one.

God Bless America.