A quick quiet moment

Stole away from a busy conference day (At the Internet Summit) to read this gem.

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” (‭Hebrews‬ ‭3‬:‭12-15‬ NIV)

When I grow up I want to be…a hard worker?

There is a new ad on TV that encourages parents to tell their little girls that they are awesome, that they are amazing and can do anything.

The ad ends leaving me with a warm and fuzzy feeling because I too have benefitted from a Father telling me I’m great. But the only difference is that he never told me that I could do anything I wanted to when I grew up. And you know what? I’m thankful he didn’t because that would have been a lie.

I can’t do anything I set my heart to nor should I. When I was a little girl I dreamed of being the next Amy Grant or Celine Dion. But there is one problem with this, I’m not a good singer.

I also wanted to be a fashion designer but I can’t draw. And an Olympian athlete..oh wait, that wasn’t me.

And so in the midst of all of this encouragement and cheerleader did we create an entitled generation? And has that entitlement affected our jobs, vocations, hard work and sacrifice?

Good Hair Color & A Bit Of Hope

My friend Pat died around Christmas a few years ago. She was 58 and died of cancer. She always knew that the cancer would be what took her but she never dreamed it would be so soon or so quick.

Our friendship started on the first day of my “political” job. I was the naive 25 year old making the transition from full time ministry to politics. She walked in while I was flustered and confused, filling out tax forms. She was composed, organized and sharply dressed with great hair. I was immediately intimidated. I later told her this story as she laughed at my ridiculousness.

Our friendship was not a traditional one. When we meet she was in her mid 50’s and I was just starting life. But over the countless hours of boring government employment we discovered how much we had in common. We both longed for adventure, could be quite sassy and shared a birthday, December 27th. She had traveled the world, never married and lucky for me had introduced me to my favorite hair stylist. And when she died 2 short years later I didn’t just lose a friend but a dear sister, a confidant and what I had needed most, a great cheerleader.

Tomorrow I turn 30. I’m single, starting my own business and sorting out what my next 30 years might look like. Truthfully, over the past few weeks I’ve entertained reasons to be panicked….Will I ever get married? Will anyone ever really know me or love me? Will I get to see my sweet parents with grandkids? Will my life be rich and full and abundant?

I can’t answer most of these questions but I can answer that last one. Pat showed me what it looks like to live a life of great adventure and hope and abundance. From the first day we met until her last few days in hospice she embraced life and all of its messiness with a grace and knowledge that could only be explained by her deep trust in the Lord. She shared heart breaks and hopes, dreams that never fully materialized, opportunities she’d missed and sweet surprises along the way. She spoke of His faithfulness often and it was this same mundane faithfulness that brought us both to tears on many occasions.

So tomorrow when I wake up and realize my twenties are gone I’ll think of all the beautiful, funny, smart women like Pat that I have been fortunate enough to walk beside. And I’ll be thankful that the adventure still beckons. Its an adventure that isn’t to Zimbabwe or Mongolia but to the depths of the human heart. Its the true adventure I was created for and its just getting started.

George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor – and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be – That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks – for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation – for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war – for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed – for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted – for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions – to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually – to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed – to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord – To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us – and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

-President Washington

Dear Sister

Dear Sister,
Today you graduate college. Today you enter into the great big scary world and discover who you really are, what you are really made off and what your calling is meant to be. Except, I think you already know who you are, know what you love, and how you want to change the world. I know that you know because you’ve been living it for years.

You don’t have to go and struggle to find your purpose like so many other grads because you already know what your purpose is. You know you were created to love and be loved. Allie, I’ve seen you do this with reckless abandon. I have seen you drive down the mountain to hug on your youth groups kids when you peers took much nicer internships. I’ve seen your heart break for the friend that is hurting and so you hurt along side them and I’ve seen you learn to stand up for yourself and others that have been left behind or overlooked. Dear sweet sister we need more women like you in this world.

My hope is that you will have the courage to live this purpose out, to boldly be who you were created to be regardless of rules or reputations. Dear sister. You were created to love and love people you do. I know this because you have loved me, your big sister more than I have ever deserved or could imagine. You go out of your way to be a friend and a confidant. You are gracious and kind, patient and tender. You feel deeply and hug tightly. You welcome the lonely and champion the hopeless. You forgive and encourage and are just really, really fun. You are this glorious blend of weeping with those who weep and karaoking with those who karaoke.

Years ago I started praying for a heart friend, a woman who could walk through life with me, who got me, who could be both incredibly silly and adventurous and yet dive into the depths of the human heart. Now I realize that that Lord had already answered my prayer. He answered it on my 7th birthday when he gave me you!

So Allie, graduate today with confidence and courage and hope; confidence that you have been given everything you need, courage that you will always look to act on what is good and right and true and hope, that your life will matter because He makes it matter and through you He really is changing the world.

Love you!
E

Sailors, Tattoos And A Lil’ Sister Act 2

I’ve wanted a tattoo for along time. My brother, the musician, the creative and the resident bad ass of the family has a lot of them. And yet every time I mention my desire to get one he laughs and says “you don’t need a tattoo”. But I insist that I do and then invariably get distracted and walk away. BUT if I was brave enough and brash enough (of which I’m neither) I would get an anchor. I know, I know, anchors are super trendy on Pinterest right now. Thanks Kate Spade.

But have you ever looked up the definition of an anchor? Wikipedia says an anchor can basically serve 1 of 3 purposes. It can secure something moving to an immovable location. It can keep something moving on the right course or it can firm up or strengthen something thought to be weak or brittle. Basically, anchors are awesome and if you have a strong one then you are in pretty good shape. BUT if you have a weak anchor; you’re pretty much screwed.

This seems a lot like life to me. If you’ve picked a good anchor then Hurricane Hugo can come and you’re still secure. Or the fiercest storm can stir up and you will find yourself still on course after the winds have died down. You aren’t on course because of your fabulous sailing skills but because the anchor forced the stress of that storm to rest on something stronger, the seabed.

Most days I think I’m a pretty phenomenal sailor. But then on a sunny winter day while having lunch with a good friend I realized “I’m a horrible sailor. And I think she might be too. We are both really bad sailors. In fact, we are both such bad sailors that we don’t even realize when storms come”.

And the storms won’t stop. They will come for the rest of your life. Life is really hard. Jobs end, bodies don’t work right, loved ones fail us; we fail them. And over chicken tortilla soup I realized life didn’t turn out like I thought it would. The big storms never do.

BUT we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. And if it’s a good anchor than it is buried deep in unchanging ground. A security of sorts that doesn’t come from good families, great jobs or perfect kids but from a God that is unchanging, that wants our good and even knows the sparrows by name. Yes, storms come and life happens but all the stress of this world can rest on that anchor. For it’s the strongest anchor of all. It’s permanent. Just like a good tattoo.
Speaking of sparrows…

Beyonce’s Economic Quick Fix (QE3)

Every time I hear QE3 I think it is a new luxury cruise liner NOT a monetary policy…eek don’t worry. I won’t say monetary policy again. But I do want to talk about QE3 and what it means for us every day.

QE3 stands for Quantitative Easing and this is the 3rd round. Still confused? You aren’t alone.

Basically, when an interest rate can’t be lowered any further (the US’s is at 0%) the government tries to find a way to lower it further. It can’t. So if the bottom can’t go lower than the top must go higher. Quantitative Easing essential gives permission to the FED to start printing more dollar bills. In college I would have called this a scam or “Fuzzy numbers” but Ben Bernanke (the Fed) calls it QE3.

More dollar bills floating around sounds like a great thing but it isn’t. More dollar bills makes all of them less valuable. Lets say you print twice as many dollar bills and throw them into the market, well now that Diet coke that you bought for $1 is now $2. That $10 pizza is now $20 and that rent is now all of your income instead of half…because your salary didn’t increase when all these new dollar bills were printed. Can you imagine your quality of life if EVERYTHING was twice as expensive.

This is the danger in Quantitative Easing. It undoubtedly causes inflation and inflation hurts EVERYONE’S quality of life. The economy might look like it’s on an upswing for a short period of time but in the long run it starts to dive again.

Quantitative Easing is like that weird Beyonce diet everyone tried a few years ago. You drink maple syrup and cayenne pepper for 2 weeks. Drop A BUNCH of weight. Woohoo! But then when you start eating again you gain even more weight than you lost…so in the long run, even thought the diet was successful you end up fatter than when you started.

Just like Beyonce’s diet leaves us worse off than when we started, QE3 will leave our dollar weaker and our economy much weaker than when it started. If you aren’t crazy enough to do Beyonce’s crash diet, why are you willing to tolerate the short term thinking of Quantitative Easing for a THIRD TIME?

Black Babies and Chick-Fil-A

Everybody has an opinion today…its funny how a good chicken sandwich will do that.

I tried and tried and tried to refrain from writing anything today as I know it is so charged but I can’t hold my tongue any longer. People both smart and stupid have made their cases today for why they are or aren’t eating chick-fil-a. Great, go for it.

But what really gets under my skin is when the “pastors in training” from pretty decent seminaries, some even RTS, come out with their “super relevant” arguments for how they can love everyone better by not going to Chick-Fil-A, taking the long way home etc etc.

So Im gonna say this once and then get off my soapbox. Either be properly educated to comment on things like job creation, business license and the appropriate role of government or don’t comment on them. The last thing we need is for a bunch of RTS grads to think that now with a seminary degree in hand they are geniuses in all things economic and political.

And if you must still make some sort of social justice, super relevant statement, go adopt a black baby from Africa and call it a day.

Disclaimer: I don’t say these things to be critical of pastors that address current events but rather because they address current events. Their influence is big and so should make sure to be thoroughly educated before making a strongly influential statement. And for the record, most of the pastors I know or have sat under do a GREAT job at this. Thank You Men.

Give Me A Great Physician

Quick Lunchtime thoughts.

I’ve been guilty all morning of getting caught up in the SCOTUS decision. But as I stepped away from the TV and Twitter I thought a bit more about the underlying issues. I propose that there are far more important questions to be asking ourselves.

In a nut shell this is what happened. Obamacare is a federal mandate for each individual to have healthcare. The Supreme Court heard arguments months ago about whether this mandate was a tax or a law forcing you to buy something. If it was argued as a law forcing you to buy something then it would have been deemed unconstitutional under the “commerce clause”. Basically, as Americans long ago we, through the constitution, gave some powers to the federal government, some powers to the states and retained some for ourselves. We did not give the federal government the power to tell us what to buy, broccoli or healthcare. But, we have given them the right to tax us. And Obamacare was argued before the Supreme Court as a tax. If Obamacare is a tax then it is constitutional.

And if you don’t like this tax then you have every right as an American to vote someone into congress on your behalf that can change things come November. Basically, if you aren’t voting for your leaders then you don’t get to complain about them, the country or Obamacare.

The heart of Obamacare is a good thing. The desire for people to be cared for is a good thing, We should all want healthcare for the sick and the marginalized. And it should grieve us when people don’t have access to medical care that could not only save their lives but increase their quality of life ( Isn’t this what aid to Africa is all about?). For years the best healthcare wasn’t through insurance companies it was through Churches, religious institutions that believed “to love God is to love one another”. This healthcare was provided by places like Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, but as the church’s giving has subsided and priorities changed this care has declined. Picture a seesaw with the church on one side and government on the other. When the church is actively engaged in the world caring for the poor and the sick, the homeless and orphaned then there is very little need for government aid. But when the church aid declines, the government aid steps in and grows. I’m not here to argue which source provides better care. I’m simply saying this; The fact that there is a need for Obamacare is far more revealing about the state of American Christianity than the fact that the law stands as constitutional.

So before you hop on either bandwagon please remember the beauty and terror of our American system of checks and balances; We get exactly what we deserve.

And at the end of the day don’t we all just need access to a Great Physician?

Africa, Kony And Our False Sense Of Good.

Everyone’s looking for a quick way to make an impact: Why I’m not a fan of #Kony2012.

When I was in college I wanted to make a difference, I wanted to leave a legacy, I wanted to change the world. So I dove into classes like the Geography of International Conflict and Think Globally, Act Locally. I learned as much as I could about Africa and U2, HIV and Bono. I even took a class solely about the African Union. I watched Hotel Rwanda and spent numerous hours journaling about the conflicts of Africa and the desires of my heart. How could I help? How should I help? How would the Lord have me intervene on behalf of the widow and orphan? Am I not called to speak up for the voiceless? (Proverbs 31:8)

I share all of this with you so you know I’m not heartless, so that you know that I care about the children of Gulu deeply. I care about what happens to the women that have lost everything to HIV and the 12 year old orphan that is now raising her 6 siblings all alone. I care about Uganda, but I also care about Zimbabwe and South Africa. I care about the US too. Because I care about individuals having the opportunity to thrive and not just merely survive.

Did you know that over the past 20 years we have sent millions upon millions upon millions of dollars in aid to Africa? We have sent it in the form of mosquito nets, school programs, medical assistance, time, services and most of all cold, hard cash. And yet here we are and what difference has it made? Is Africa no longer considered an underdeveloped continent? Is Uganda marked by it’s economic freedom and opportunity? No, it’s not. It is still a breading ground for crime, brutality, and dictatorships of oppressed people.

I’m not going to spend my time updating you on the Joseph Kony Story; Invisible Children has done a great job of that. Instead ask yourself why Kony has been able to exist for this long. It isn’t because of inaction by the US Gov’t (as the KONY2012 would have you believe). It’s because environments have been created for these men and their evil to thrive, environments where the rule of law is not present and economic opportunity is scarce. As long as these conditions continue, and entitlements are ENCOURAGED by massive aid coming from our country men like Dada, Seko, Mugabe and Kony will continue to exist.

If you don’t like Kony, and you want the madness of this to stop then don’t just settle for getting rid of Kony. Ask yourself why 20 years of Aid hasn’t change the political landscape of this country. Ask yourself why there are no parents to protect these children and ask yourself if by trying to be the solution you may have become part of the problem.

Stop Kony, but don’t settle there. Don’t be so easily satisfied. Stop Mugabe too. Stop governments that insist on enslaving their people to state aid and stop government leadership that’s afraid to acknowledge the individuals God given ability to create, produce and thrive apart from aid.