Why I love President Carter
Honesty, honesty, honesty for a change

FROM THE AP: Carter came down hard on the Iraq war.
“We now have endorsed the concept of pre-emptive war where we go to war with another nation militarily, even though our own security is not directly threatened, if we want to change the regime there or if we fear that some time in the future our security might be endangered,” he said. “But that’s been a radical departure from all previous administration policies.”
Carter, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, criticized Bush for having “zero peace talks” in Israel. Carter also said the administration “abandoned or directly refuted” every negotiated nuclear arms agreement, as well as environmental efforts by other presidents.
Carter also offered a harsh assessment for the White House’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, which helped religious charities receive $2.15 billion in federal grants in fiscal year 2005 alone.
“The policy from the White House has been to allocate funds to religious institutions, even those that channel those funds exclusively to their own particular group of believers in a particular religion,” Carter said. “As a traditional Baptist, I’ve always believed in separation of church and state and honored that premise when I was president, and so have all other presidents, I might say, except this one.”
Douglas Brinkley, a Tulane University presidential historian and Carter biographer, described Carter’s comments as unprecedented.
“This is the most forceful denunciation President Carter has ever made about an American president,” Brinkley said. “When you call somebody the worst president, that’s volatile. Those are fighting words.”
Carter also lashed out Saturday at British prime minister Tony Blair. Asked how he would judge Blair’s support of Bush, the former president said: “Abominable. Loyal. Blind. Apparently subservient.”“And I think the almost undeviating support by Great Britain for the ill-advised policies of President Bush in Iraq have been a major tragedy for the world,” Carter told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.

and the famous:

"I've looked on many women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times. God knows I will do this and forgives me."
JIMMY CARTER, interview in Playboy magazine, 1976

Simplicity

Dr. Karl Barth was one of the most brilliant and complex intellectuals of the twentieth century who also graced the cover of Time magazine. He wrote volume after massive volume on the meaning of life and faith. A reporter once asked Dr. Barth if he could summarize what he had said in all those volumes. Dr. Barth thought for a moment and then said: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. " CS Lewis

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” CS Lewis

Freedom

Knowing couples who are suffering through infidelity, I know I have freedom when my cellphone rings and I don't have to worry if my husband answers. Or when he reads my email.

I had freedom before we were married: I didn't think twice about my period being late because we were waiting to have sex until we got married.

I remember freedom when I reached my goal weight in college and I thought "what will I think about all of the time now that I don't need to think about my weight."

"...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Cor. 3:17

Links I love

I check some of these like three times a day hoping for an update, others I check once a week. I enjoy all of them for different reasons.

http://www.rosie.com/
the home movies are fun and I LOVE the q&a

http://www.myspace.com/glen8p
my sister-in-laws brother. He is very funny and smart.

http://www.myspace.com/pambeesley
jenna fischer from The Office!

http://watcheronline.blogspot.com/
the registers tv columnist. If you love TV...

http://lisamertins.blogspot.com/
http://blogs.ocregister.com/sketchlife/
my fantastic, talented, wonderful artist friend from work. I love that she is one of the smartest, politically savvy people I know and never went to college. Huge vocab too! She has come to UP a couple times...

Mother's Day

My pastor asked me to do the "communion meditation" at church today. A couple people asked for a copy of what I said, so here it is:

Its almost cliché to talk about the sacrifice mothers make: pregnancy, labor, breastfeeding, sleepless nights with a newborn or sick kid, listening to kids music over and over and over in the car, changing diapers, constantly talking, correcting and answering questions. Its cliché because its true and we do it because it’s worth every minute. Nothing beats an “I love you mommy” or a hug for no reason at all.

It’s a humbling time for me right now as mom of young kids because every time I correct my kids for not listening and they cry and beg and plead I am reminded of my time with God. He wanting the best, and me wanting the “right now”. Being a mom has taught me a little bit of what it must be like for God to parent us:

When my child runs into the street without looking to get a toy, I have learned the fear and disappointment of God watching me make dangerous and costly decisions about my health, relationships and my life over temporary and small things.

When my child is cruel or mean to another child, I learn the sadness of God watching me be envious or jealous or gossip.

When my child ignores pleas or commands for them to “come here,” I learn how God watches and waits to hear from me all day and how I can be distracted by lesser things.

When my child obeys or laughs or jokes or prays, I learn about the joy and pride of a God who calls me his “beloved child.”

And when I prepare a meal and call my children to the table to enjoy it, and maybe think of the one who prepared it, I remember communion. I remember how Jesus asked us to come and remember the blood he shed on the cross by drinking the juice and the body that was broken by eating the bread. I think about how He wants us to come and join Him and remember Him. Not when you are clean and perfect, He will take care of that, but now just as you are He wants to be with you.

Let’s pray: God thank you for the countless and endless lessons you teach us everyday, especially when we become parents. Thank you for the sacrifice and the love you have displayed vividly on the cross. Help us to remember daily the love you have for us. Amen.

What I think of as luxuries

Coming from poverty -- and brief homelessness -- growing up, today I felt very rich because of a couple recent, seemingly simple purchases:

1. Always having milk or affording to buy it.

2. Being able to buy bras and underwear more than once every other year...before they are full of holes and the color is faded and dull.

3. A white purse because it has always seemed too limited to one or two seasons: spring and summer. I always get tan, black, navy or maybe red to wear year round. I bought my first WHITE one last week and I smile every time I use it. The best part: it was on sale and it was only $20 at Target and I still paused before I bought it.

4. Fresh expensive fruit like cherries, purple grapes, raspberries and blackberries.

5. Soft, white bread.

6. Lunch meat from the deli

7. Barrets

8. Gas in my car

9. For some reason, I feel like a provider (and I don't even work) when I buy a huge box of diapers.

10. Pajamas. I grew up sleeping in sweats or a t-shirt and underwear. Buying matching, cute PJs seems like a unneeded expense.

The best part about buying all of these is my husband sees them as necessities and doesn't blink when I make a purchase. As a matter of fact, he doesn't understand my hesitation. I love that about him and his normal childhood.