Okay, I've read this article three times now, and I'm still not sure I understand. This senator is trying to make a point about frivolous lawsuits by filing one? If he was trying to make a point that we need to get rid of them, that would make sense. But it sounds like he's trying to make a point that anyone should be able to sue anyone, including God.

I don't understand, but I admit I am fascinated by the premise. The senator claims to have attempted to contact God several times and has been unable to do so. But being omniscient, he assumes God will know that He is being sued. Interesting point.

I'm thinking the senator may not be looking for God in the right places. Maybe he should step down off of this little pedestal he's built for himself and quit daring his Maker. Somehow I think He's more likely to answer a humble seeker than a threat.

No word on how the judge will respond. This could be interesting, to say the least.

First of all, I apologize for the lack of paragraph breaks. My past two entries have not had them for some reason. They show up in edit mode, but not when I post. Which is why I posted the entry before last about five times. My apologies if you receive an e-mail from Google reader when I post. I'm sure you didn't want to read about High School Musical on Ice five times. Hopefully they will magically reappear, but I wanted to apologize up front for the non-aesthetic nature just in case.

Now, the reason for the post is because I just realized something pretty interesting while doing my Bible study. This semester we are doing "Jesus, the One and Only" by Beth Moore. I did this study about six years ago, and really felt led to go back and do it again. This decision has already been confirmed many times, and I'm so excited to see what God has in store for us. There are almost 15 ladies coming to my house on Tuesday nights to study the Word together. What a blessing!

Anyway, I was doing my lesson a little while ago and it was talking about when Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple to present him to the Lord and make their sacrifice. If you are familiar with the story, there was a man there named Simeon who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ. So when Mary and Joseph came in to the temple, Simeon took him in his arms and said,

"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

What caught me about this was realizing that Mary and Joseph heard from the time Jesus was an infant that He would be a "light for revelation" to the Gentiles. The very next verse says that they "marveled at what was said about him."

I looked back through the proclamations made to both Mary and Joseph, and even Zechariah, to see if anything was said about Jesus having anything to do with Gentiles. There isn't anything. I know there are prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament that do mention Gentiles. And it's highly likely that Mary spent some of those months of pregnancy doing some research on what had been prophesied about her son. I'm sure Bible Gateway would have come in particularly handy for her.

But it just made me wonder if this was the first time they realized that their son was not just going to be the Jewish savior. I wonder if they understood at all the kind of eternal, world-wide impact their baby boy would have. How could they have ever gotten their sleep-deprived brains around that?

Imagine, being the earthly parents of the Christ child. It blows my mind to even try and grasp. I know I struggle with feelings of inadequacy as a mom. What must that have been like?

What a crazy plan God had. I'm so thankful for it.

Apparently Gidget put on quite a show last night.

From the Los Angeles News: Accepting her Emmy on Sunday night for lead actress in a drama series ("Brothers and Sisters"), Field stumbled halfway through, lost her train of thought, screeched at the audience to stop applauding so she could finish talking -- and then was bleeped by Fox censors as she stammered through an anti-war rant.

Why should I waste energy being disappointed?

Sally, next time just accept your award. When will you guys understand that you are not famous for your political opinions? Being a good actress does not make you a role model. In fact, it's more often than not just the opposite.

Now, Fred, on the other hand...

Downtown Nashville experienced that attack of the little girls on Friday night. What seemed like millions of them turned out for Disney's High School Musical on ice at the Sommet Center. I went with a group of six little ones and their moms, and we had a fabulous time.

The show was actually quite good, and worth the cash if it comes to your town and you're into that kind of thing. Watching a bunch of guys attempt to play a basketball game on ice was really impressive!

We already have tickets (although the kids don't know) to High School Musical when it comes to TPAC in January. I am really excited about going as a family, sans Bryant, of course. We've never been to the theater together, and I'm hoping it will begin to create a love in them for my favorite art form. At least I hope they stay awake.

I love this little girl.

My daughter got off the bus today someone's girlfriend. Yes, my 6-yr-old.

"Mommy, guess what! I'm a girlfriend now!"

"You're what?"

"I'm somebody's girlfriend. He asked me if I wanted him to be my boyfriend and I said yes!"

"Who IS this boy?"

"I don't know his name."

"Don't you think that would have been good information to get?"

"I don't know. But he kissed me right on the forehead when I got off the bus!"

I think I'm going to be sick. This is not cute. This is my daughter. I am very, very afraid.

I thought we had a few years before this hit. Bradley gave me a 10-minute litany tonight about who likes who in the 3rd grade. But they're 8 and 9. Not 6.

I'm seriously thinking about homeschooling again. Or at least carpooling. You may think I'm over-reacting, but I know how she thinks. I've been her. I'm getting nauseous just thinking about it.

Lord, teach me to pray.

I've had a revelation. I think that the reason you are not allowed to anonymously donate to a political campaign has very little to do with keeping dirty money from coming in. Obviously that doesn't work too well, right Hillary?

I think that the reason we are not allowed to give anonymously is so that if you EVER give to a party or candidate, they want to know exactly who you are. This way they can call you every other day for the rest of your life and ask for more.

Yesterday I got a call from what looked like a cell phone. Since Bible study was beginning and there were some people coming who have never been here before, I answered it. It was Friends of Fred with a "special message" for me.

Now, I had been planning on making a political contribution to the campaign of Fred Thompson, so I stayed on the line, figuring this was as good a time as any to do it. The girl on the line sounded so young and innocent, I didn't have the heart to tell her to skip to the part where she asks for a donation, so I let her ask me all of her silly little questions designed to manipulate me into wanting to give money.

When she finally got to the end, I said, "Here's the deal. I've been planning on giving money to Fred because I do support him in this run. But I do NOT want you to call me every week asking for more money, nor do I want to get a letter a day asking the same." She just kind of sat there in stunned silence. She asked, "So, would you like to be put on our no mail or limited mail list?" I said, "Yes, absolutely!"

As I am writing this, my caller ID is showing a call from Washington, D.C. They've been calling for months, at least once a day. Wonder who that could be?

I have such a love/hate relationship with politics. I love the thrill of the game. I detest most of the players. It's quite a conundrum I'm in.

Anyway, at least I'm getting a lapel pin for my trouble.
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Yesterday I saw something that blew my mind. It's still weighing on my heart.

I went to my church to drop off a friend's child at Mother's Day Out for her. In the parking lot was a Lexus SUV. Now, I go to church in a very affluent area. This is not an uncommon sight in this ZIP Code. But what caught my eye was the magnet on the back. It said, "Like what you see? Dial 1-800-YOU-WISH!"

Now, there is a very good chance that this person doesn't go to my church. There are people from all over the area that send their kids to our preschool program. But what if they do? What if this person claims to follow Christ and yet lives their life with such an attitude of superiority?

Jesus was all about being poor. Over and over he talked about how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven. I'm not saying that there aren't believers out there with a lot of money. I know a lot of them, and they are incredibly genuine people who give, give, give. That is using the gifts they have been given wisely. Driving around with a "bite me" bumper sticker? Not so much.

My heart is hurting for the owner of that vehicle this morning. What kind of void must you feel in your soul in order to find it so necessary to flaunt your wealth? I'm thinking it's not done much to make her happy so far.

"Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'" Matthew 5:1-10

There he is in the middle. Can you see him? That would be Nick Sabin, the new head coach of Alabama. I got to see him live and in living color yesterday. The man is like a rock star.

So, let's see. Alabama wins. Tennessee wins. Auburn loses. A good day all around. (Meanwhile, Appalachian State is 2-0 in case anyone cares. Lisa, when was the last time Lenoir Rhyne's score was posted on ESPN?) It's a crazy year for football.

I can tell you this. If Tennessee can't do anything but kick field goals, next week will not be pretty. I'm actually hoping for this, personally. I want them to have a bad enough year to put the nail in Fulmer's coffin. It's time for the man to go.

Bradley asked Jeff on Friday, "Daddy, when are you going to take me to a football game?"

"Well, let's see. When do you think you can sit still for about four hours?"

"On second thought, maybe I'll wait a while longer."

Okay. I didn't have a chance to actually watch the whole interview on Jay Leno until last night. I am now officially giddy.

If you didn't see it and you are wondering what all the hype about Senator Thompson is, I definitely recommend watching. He was awesome.

What I like about this man is he is conservative and he is unashamed of that fact. He doesn't try to hide it. He comes across as being a very real, genuine, I-am-what-you-see kind of guy. And I like what I see.

I just can't imagine that in a one-on-one race against Shrillary Clinton that Americans would want to put her in office. I have been wrong before, I realize. But Bill got in because he came off as likeable, a good-ole-boy, somebody you would want to play golf with. Can this be said of his wife?

I'm so looking forward to the season now. I had very little to get excited about before. Now, I'm all in.

Watch your back, though, Senator. You have just become a moving target against a pretty threatening enemy. I hope you eat her alive.

It's about time, dude. Now maybe I can get one of those super-cool Fred '08 bumper stickers.

Please don't screw up.

last thoughts on larry craig

I agree with all of you about media bias. That is just a no-brainer. It is what it is.

What is bothering me much more about this story is the moral relativism. We have come so far down this partisan road that many of us are willing to overlook the fact that Larry Craig's character is just a little too questionable to belong in a place of leadership over our country. Yes, the same could have been and was said of Bill Clinton. He should have resigned too. But the fact that he didn't doesn't mean that our guy should get a pass.

Now I sound like a Republican who eats his own, I know. But it has blown my mind to hear people defending Mr. Craig on the basis that he wasn't caught in the act. They are making excuses for him based on the circumstantial nature of the evidence and the fact that the other side has screw-ups too. This has become about partisanship, not common decency.

Whether he was caught with his pants down or not, the fact is that Mr. Craig went out of his way to go to a restroom that was nowhere near either of his gates. A restroom that just happened to be listed on some whacked-out website listing a bunch of places you can find gay sex in this country. Upon arriving there, he just happened to follow a behavior pattern that is described on this same website as a way to signal your desire for gay sex. Call me crazy, but where there is smoke, there is usually fire.

Please don't hear me judging the former Senator. I know my earlier posts probably sounded like I was. That is not my place. My problem is with his judgement. If you are willing to engage in this kind of risky and reckless behavior in your personal life, I don't want you in a place of power where you potentially will make decisions that affect my life.

But watching this play out in the media as a Republican vs. Democrat fight for the moral high ground is very troublesome. There is a compelling argument to be made that the reason Democrats aren't accused of hyprocrisy when they are caught in scandals is because they never take a moral stance against anything. If you don't stand for anything, then you can't be accused of being a hyprocrite, I guess. How sad is that?

Anyway, I don't plan to talk about this anymore. The man has resigned, as he should. Yes, it frustrates me that Democrats don't do this. But it doesn't surprise me. And it doesn't make me think we shouldn't elect Republicans just in case one of them goes bad. The entire party is not tainted by the actions of a few.

Can we please try to remember this next election?

Happy Birthday, Bailey!

September 2, 2001

September 2, 2007
Happy birthday, baby. I could never have imagined how beautiful, smart and fun you would be. You may feel like you should be six, but I can't understand how fast the time has gone.

I can't wait to see you become the woman God made you to be. I love you so very much.

This is the difference between Democrats in Congress and Republicans in Congress.

If you have managed to remain blissfully ignorant as to who this man is, congratulations. However, I'm sure you'll see much more of him over the next few days as this story works its way into a frenzy, so it seemed worth talking about.

If you just want the highlights, this is Senator Larry Craig from Idaho. He's a Republican. He's also apparently a closet homosexual who enjoys seeking out sex partners in airport bathrooms.

Unfortunately for Senator Craig, he attempted to proposition an undercover officer back in June, for which he was arrested and fined. Hoping to keep it under the radar and avoid public humiliation (which obviously hasn't worked out for him) he pled guilty, paid the fine and went on.

So, here's the thing. Now that this story is out there, Mr. Craig is claiming that the entire thing was a misunderstanding and that he didn't do anything wrong. When did sanity in this country completely disappear? Wasn't there a time where just being associated with a story like this would have been enough to make a Senator resign? He should have quietly stepped down and accepted the fact that his actions had found him out.

Instead, he argues that the reason his foot was rubbing up against the officer's under the stall is because he has a wide stride. Give me a break. And he wasn't making hand signals under the door, just merely reaching for a non-existent piece of paper that had fallen. As if this undercover officer just graduated from Moron Academy.

Sorry, Senator. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and this officer caught a really big fish. If you hadn't been doing anything wrong, you wouldn't have gotten arrested.

What sickens me is that because of the Clinton years, he'll be allowed to make his case and plead innocence. We were taught that sex is none of our business and has nothing to do with a man's professional life. Never mind that someone whose judgment is so cloudy as to find picking up strangers in a men's bathroom for some quality time a good idea, also has the power of a United States Senator. He has the power to make decisions that affect all of us, not just those poor potato growers in Idaho. Republican or Democrat means nothing in this case. The man should have resigned.

But we don't do that anymore in this country. We plead innocence and make up outlandish excuses for our behavior and it's everybody else's conspiracy to try to bring you down.

Up until now, I have refrained from talking about Michael Vick because the whole story has driven me crazy. Enough already, please. If he wasn't a famous quarterback, would anybody care about this? Yes, there are animal lovers everywhere who are disgusted by his conduct. But the point is that he was involved in illegal gambling and got busted for it. Sorry. Do the crime; pay the time.

But the reason I bring him up is that yesterday I finally cared about the story. I have no idea if Michael Vick found Jesus. That's none of my business. But I appreciate the fact that he didn't make excuses for himself. He didn't blame anyone else for his behavior. He owned up to the fact that he had screwed up, and he apologized for the hurt he had caused. There are so many people who could learn from this example. I REALLY hope this story is over now for a while. It's time to move on already.

It will be interesting to see how long the media allows Senator Craig to stay in office. I can't resist the obvious point that if he was a Democrat this story would go away much quicker. Why don't you spare us all, Senator, and do the right thing. It would do wonders for your image.

The Big Day

Today's the day my baby girl has been waiting for all summer. She finally got to ride the bus.

When I woke her up this morning, I said, "Bailey are you ready to ride the bus?" She sat straight up with a huge grin and said, "Yes!" I'm sure the novelty will wear off, but for now it's a great incentive to get her out of bed.

I didn't expect to cry, but as I was walking Bryant back to the house, somehow the tears just started to fall. Guess it's to be expected. A phase of her life is over as of today. So many phases to come.

I miss her already.

Look closely at the counter. This is what you get when you combine the stubborness of a 17-month old with a perception wise beyond his age and his mother's passion for Krispy Kreme. He can have a really long attention span when he wants to.

Best "Out of Office" Automatic E-mail Replies

My husband sent me these yesterday and I thought they were worth sharing. Have a great day! :)

1. I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Be prepared for my mood.
2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.
3. Sorry to have missed you, but I am at the doctor's having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to our management team.
4. I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless emails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
5. Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
6. The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection and is unable to deliver this message. Please restart your computer and try sending again. (The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see how many in-duh-viduals did this over and over.)
7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.
8. Hi, I'm thinking about what you've just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.
9. I've run away to join a different circus.
10. I will be out of the office for the next 2 weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as 'Loretta' instead of 'Steve'.

WARNING: This is not going to be a peppy post. If you are inclined to be depressed today, you should probably skip me and surf somewhere else.

I'm just not feeling all that peppy lately. Maybe it's the heat. Maybe it's the fact that next year this country is going to elect a new president, and if Senator Thompson doesn't get on the ball and throw his hat in the ring, I think we're going to be out of luck for a viable Republican candidate. If I think about having to say "President Clinton" again, I may get a bleeding ulcer, so I'm not going to think about that now.

It could be the fact that Iran is getting more and more dangerous by the day, and no one in our media wants to acknowledge it, therefore most people have no idea what a serious threat to our security they have become. I have very little doubt that President Bush is going to do something about this threat before leaving office, especially if it looks like he's going to be handing the reins over to Mrs. Clinton. And when he does, to most people it's going to look like it came out of nowhere.

But I think what is bringing me down the most is what I've been reading in my chronological Bible. I am so looking forward to September 24, because that's the day we finally get to the New Testament, the birth of Jesus, the hope of the world. All summer I have been spending time with the prophets, particularly Isaiah and Jeremiah. At least in Isaiah, he often alludes to the coming of Christ. But Jeremiah is just one depressing book. Over and over again, God is telling His people, I'm not going to let you continue in your wickedness. You are about to be punished beyond your wildest nightmares. And then it happens.

But a passage I read a couple of nights ago has really gotten me thinking. It's in Ezekiel 16. I'm not going to write it out because it's long, but click here and you can read it for yourself.

I have never heard God speak about Israel this way before. I am not reading it with a commentary, so I could be completely wrong in my understanding. But it seems like he's talking about pulling His people out of Egypt, where they were enslaved. Then He took her as His bride, dressing her like a queen. And then she turned around and prostituted herself by following the gods of surrounding nations. God sounds so heartbroken and righteously indignant throughout these passages. A few chapters later He is basically saying, "Don't come to me after you've been worshipping your idols. How dare you ask me anything!"

Now, I've been thinking a lot about God's character throughout the prophets. Over and over the refrain is, "I, the LORD, have spoken!" Reading these books, one could get the idea that God is a frustrated parent who has no control over His children. His emotions are so raw, he seems almost... human. But I have to remind myself that I have no concept or understanding of the depths of my God. I am created in his image, not the other way around.

As my pastor preached on a few weeks ago, I think most of us have lost all concept of fearing God. We focus on grace, which is a fantastic message. I am all about grace. Without it, I would be lost with no hope. But I think we often go so far towards grace that we forget how truly vile sin is to our Father. It repulses Him. And yet, because I think I can get away with it, I often choose to sin and ask forgiveness, completely taking advantage of the free gift He has bestowed upon me.

I'm not saying that we should all walk around with our heads ducked, fearing that God is going to strike us with lightening at the slightest whim. But I think if I saw my sin through His eyes, I would think a little bit harder before I chose to go there.

It depresses me to think that I could disappoint Him in the same way the Israelites did. But I have something they didn't have. Christ in me, the hope of Glory. I'm overwhelmed by my need for Him, and His incredible compassion and patience with me.

One major change this week that I forgot to mention was that there are no more b-o-t-t-l-e-s in the Swords house anymore. Sorry, spelling it has become a habit this week.

It was past time, but we wanted to wait until all of our traveling was over this summer and we could settle into a new routine. He's not happy about it AT ALL. This look is one of the nicer ones he's given over the past two days.

Yesterday was rough. Today's been much better. It's hard to break a habit you have literally had your whole life!

Big changes this week. I'm holding it together because it still kind of feels like Mother's Day Out. Bailey only goes to kindergarten Tuesday and Thursday this week from 8:30 to 1. However, when she gets on the bus next Monday and is gone from 7:50 to 4:00, it's going to be a different story.

Everyone is growing up. Bryant's haircut makes him look at least 6 months older. Bailey is in big girl school. Bradley - I don't even want to talk about how much he's growing up. How can I have a third grader? I have to go to a different open house for him because he's an older elementary student. This completely caught me off guard.

I know Bailey is going to thrive in kindergarten. She's very, very excited about it. Since I homeschooled Bradley in kindergarten, this is my first experience with it. But I love where we are. I already love her teacher. I know it's going to be a great year. But it's a big adjustment.

If it weren't for Bryant, I might not be handling this quite so well! Four more years before I become a complete basket case. :)

bye bye curls :(

There is a fascinating article in the The Washington Times today about one of their headlines from 1922: "Arctic Ocean Getting Warm; Seals Vanish and Icebergs Melt." It discusses the fact that four of the ten hottest years on record in the U.S. were in the 1930s, with 1934 being the hottest.

With global warming being such a hot topic these days (no pun intended), it's always good to try and look for perspective. Here's my favorite quote of the article, from Marcus Aurelius:

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."

In fact, this might be my new favorite quote, period. I think I'll use it.

Those Romans were pretty smart dudes.

Beach Pics 2007

Never fun to take, but a joy to have!

Getting to take a goofy picture is a great reward for a job well done. These are a few of my favorites...

Apparently in 3rd grade, it's no longer cool for your mom to take your picture on the first day of school. Oh, well. Bailey starts next week.

Yesterday was also my parents' anniversary. It was their 40th!

Congratulations, Mom and Dad. You two showed me how it's done, and I'm forever grateful for the example. Love you bunches!

Twelve years ago...

... today, I married the man of my dreams.

I love you, Babe.

Please, God, let this be the last time he sports this hairdo.

Check this out. Great job, Tyler!

Greetings from Panama City Beach, FL! We've been here since Saturday afternoon and we're having a wonderful time. The beach has to be one of number one favorite things that God created. There is just something about sitting by the ocean and watching the waves roll that rejuvenates my spirit like few things can. I simply love it.

So far, Bryant seems to be enjoying it too. He's not so sure about the sand, and particularly doesn't like the way it tastes. But after a tutorial by Daddy and Poppa G, he has learned to like the waves. He likes to sit on the sand right at the water's edge and let the waves rush over his legs. It's been so fun to listen to him squeal each time.

This year Bradley has learned how to boogy board. He had a ton of fun and spent over an hour doing it a few days ago. His Aunt Gigi was out there with him for part of the time. I was impressed! The problem is that the sand and salt between his belly and the board rubbed his little stomach raw. He tried doing it the next day with a shirt on, but it didn't help much. It's apparently a rougher sport than it looks. But he really loved riding the waves and I'm sure he'll be back at it before the week's over.

Yesterday the men rented a pontoon boat for the day and spent the morning fishing. We met them at St. Andrew's Park around 11:30 and rode out to Shell Island. The guys grilled some amazing kabobs, and the kids had fun searching for shells and feeding the seagulls. It was a pretty fun way to spend my 34th birthday!

Bryant LOVED his life jacket. Whenever we tried to take it off of him he would start screaming and running away from us. Who knew?

On the way back to the park, we stopped in the bay so the kids could fish. Brad and Bailey caught something right off the bat. Here Bradley is using Carrie Beth's princess fishing pole. He ended up staying the rest of the afternoon with his daddy, uncle and granddaddy and got to use a more manly pole. He told me that at one point they were almost out of bait, and he saved the day by catching a sandcat. He felt like the king of the world!

Last night Jeff took me to Bonefish with my brother and sister-in-law and we had a great time. Bryant is such a pill to take out to dinner these days, getting to eat out with only adults is heaven! The waiter bought me dessert since it was my birthday. (So, Cheryl, I DID have some key lime pie for you!) We topped off the evening with a trip to Alvin's Island, the big one with the alligators and sharks.

After we got home, Jeff and I walked down to the beach and spent some time talking by the water's edge. It was a really great day. If I have to turn 34, I guess the beach is a pretty good consolation prize. :)

Hear it's pretty hot at home. Sorry friends! I'd have brought you all with me if I could have, really!

I received my Mandisa CD in the mail this week. It is AWESOME!! I love it, and I think my children do too. I just heard Bailey singing "Only the World" in her room this afternoon. There are some very hip-hop type tunes on there, as well as two beautiful slower songs with amazing lyrics. All of them in complete praise to the Father. I highly recommend the purchase.

It's funny, because a few weeks ago I got the Katherine McPhee CD. If you aren't a fan of American Idol (which I can't really claim to be anymore) you may not know that these two were both contestants last year. Both lost to Taylor Hicks, which is completely unexplainable.

Anyway, I enjoy Katherine McPhee's CD, but in a much different way. Her songs all reflect her search to find happiness, mostly through relationships with men. There are some really fun tunes, but some really empty ones as well. Bailey loves "Open Toes" because it has a fantastic beat and is fun to sing and dance to. But it's all about stuff. It's about her fascination with open-toed shoes (Never too many open toes; a girl needs plenty open toes.) The bridge says, "Nothing feels better than spending my treasure on me. Finally, I'm where I want to be." That's just a pretty hollow sentiment. (I must admit, though, I totally dig the second track, "Over It." It's a great song, even if it is about breaking up.)

But when you compare the two CDs, Mandisa's is way ahead in my book. She also sings about seeking happiness and fullfillment. But she's looking in a different place. And she's found it. She is a true beauty.

Reflecting that, her second track is called "True Beauty." It's about the difference in the way God sees beauty versus man. Part of the chorus goes, "What's inside of you; what's inside of me; The hands that made the moon and stars, the mountains and the seas; made you wonderful, beautiful, marvelously..."

Bradley is in the backseat playing his gameboy. He says, ever so nonchalantly, "I don't want to see what's inside either one of us."

The kid makes me LAUGH!!!

As many of you know, when I was in Thailand back in June, I "bumped" into someone that I used to teach school with back in the '90s in Birmingham, AL. She lives in South Korea, but is assigned to the whole Pacific Rim as an education specialist. She travels around and visits with the Ms and offers any assistance she can with their children's schooling.

Anyway, she put me on her newsletter distribution. This morning I got an e-mail from her that I wanted to pass on because it's very thought-provoking. Please say a special prayer for our sister serving on the front lines today.
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Dear Family and Friends,

As most of you know, twenty-three South Koreans were taken hostage recently in Afghanistan. These were people in their 20s and 30s from a Christian church here in Korea. They went to Afghanistan on a medical project to help the Afghani people, but the Taliban stopped their bus and took all 23 of them hostage. When this first happened, I said to a friend, “Oh, the Taliban will not kill any of them. It’s just a tactic.” The very next day the pastor accompanying the group was killed. I was shocked. I had been naïve to believe that they would not be killed, but I continued to believe that the crisis would be over quickly. Then they killed another male hostage and left his body on the side of the road to be found, and once again I was shocked. It’s an on-going crisis with no end in sight, and I have watched the family members of the hostages on Korean television begging for anyone and everyone to help…the Korean government, the Afghani government, the US government, the Taliban. It is heart wrenching to watch.

I have wondered if the hostages are able to be brave – reportedly, eighteen of them are women. I have wondered if they are scared or if they are resting in God’s amazing peace. I have wondered why?

I have given this a lot of thought. I’m not sure why this particular incident has given me so much to think about. I’m not sure what I am supposed to be learning thru this, but one thing keeps coming to mind…Do we count the costs? Do we think going on a short-term, one-week project just costs us a few vacation days and the costs of a plane ticket? When I went on those five one-week medical and dental mission trips to Honduras between 1987 and 1990, did I count the costs? Did I have a clue? How do we count the costs when we may not even know what it will cost us? What if it costs everything?

Lesson learned – I’m not sure what it is…still thinking…and pondering.

Have a blessed day!

P

For those of you living in the area, there is a brand new restaurant we found last night I have to tell you about. I'm going to refrain from using names or giving precise locations because I try to be a little cautious about putting information on here that would make it easy for a cyberpsycho to pinpoint where we live, since I do frequently post pics of my adorable kids. So think of it as an adventure. But if you know me and want to shoot me an e-mail, I'll tell you its name. ;)

Anyway, there is a new meat and three at the end of the strip mall that is anchored on the other end by a new Japanese steakhouse. (Right behind Walgreen's) Meat and 1 is $6.99, 2 is $7.99 and 3 is $8.99. This includes your bread and drink, so it's a great deal. But the super best part is that kids' meals are only 99 cents! That includes a drink, roll, 1/2 portion of meat and one side. Bailey got a chicken leg and mashed potatoes, roll and chocolate milk, and it was only a buck. You can't beat that unless you go to Applebee's on kids eat free night. And this was MUCH easier to get in and out of, and the food was delicious. We will definitely be frequenting this place.

As for the rest of you, if you are wondering why I haven't been writing about politics lately, it's because I've decided to ignore them for a while and see if they'll quit acting like a bunch of babies. Sometimes that works with my kids.

I'm disgusted by the whole entire thing, from the Congress to the White House to the media machine. I'm nauseated by the panting wolves outside John Roberts' hospital waiting with gleeful anticipation as to what could have caused him to have a seizure this week. How does it feel, Justice Roberts, to have hundreds of thousands of people, if they are generous, hoping that you will have a disease just debilitating enough to remove you from the Court? It reminds me of last year when Senator Tim Johnson had brain surgery and the Hill was abuzz with speculation over whether this would cause him to leave his Senate seat and upset the delicate Rep/Dem balance. There is nothing delicate about anything in Congress. Carnivores drooling at the mouth over any crumb of power they can snatch from anyone else's fingers.

While we constantly hear of President Bush's low approval ratings, currently hovering in the 30s, and we are led to believe that this should somehow make him bend over and do whatever Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid demand of him, we almost never hear that the approval rating of Congress is no better, equal to, if not lower, than that of the President's. Americans are fed up with all of them. At least this American is.

So this is me ignoring politics for a little while. Although the cat fight going on between Clinton, Obama and Edwards can be somewhat entertaining. But if they ever do another story about Hillary's cleavage, I may have to quit the news altogether.