Then our little blog discussion happened this week, and it sparked an idea. I asked Peter if he cared if I ruffled some feathers. Be my guest, he said. So, go get your feathers ruffled, then come back and toss in your two cents.

I’m just going to dive right in and bring up a few specific questions that have been raised the past couple days. Some have been addressed by one or more commenters; some haven’t. Why don’t you just answer them yourself? you’d like to know. Because I’d like this to be a round table discussion, not a monologue. Someone told me a couple weeks ago that I talk about myself too much, and by golly, they were right. So, I’m passing the mic around for this one.

One little house rule before we get started. I won’t tolerate any mean-spirited comments directed at someone who asked a question. Answer the question; don’t attack the person. I probably didn’t need to say that, since you all have been so gracious so far, but who knows when one of us might snap, eh?

I’ve taken the liberty of paraphrasing your questions–hope that’s okay. And I’m making the main part of the question bold in case you want to skim. Just make sure if you answer a particular question, you read the entire thing. Capisci? (too bad Andrea’s on holiday and can’t appreciate my mastery of the Italian language)

Here we go!

Ginger is troubled that President Obama recently portrayed the U.S. as an Islam nation. What do you think about this?

Andrea says terrorism is not a real threat in America. What say you?

Ali says she’d like the people who are all fired-up about gay marriage to get fired-up about marriage period, to bring God back into marriage and stop letting Satan break up families. Any thoughts?

Colleen wants to know where Christians should draw the line between speaking out when they disagree with the President and giving honor and respect to his office. Any personal boundaries you’ve set for yourself?

Ashley wants to know–for those who consider themselves pro-life, what is your opinion on President Obama’s push to focus primarily on pregnancy prevention strategies?

Katie finds it scary that people try to follow the Bible literally. She says it’s a guide at most. Anyone else scared by Bible-thumpers?

Andrea disagrees that law-abiding Christians will face persecution, especially in America. He says a rational person will never be persecuted. All in favor, say aye. All opposed, same sign.

Marla is amused by those gushing over Andrea just because he’s from Italy. Whoopty-doopty. (hopefully he can’t translate that word)

KG is bothered by the impression given that President Obama is different than any other President. He can’t think of a single President who represented him well as a Christian. So, let me ask you, what’s the big deal about President Obama?

back door wants to know when exactly were we ever a Christian nation? When we displaced the Native Americans? When we owned slaves? When we complained about immigrants? Good question. Anyone?

And I’ve saved my favorite one for last.

Katie says that as science progresses and we learn more and more about past generations and happenings, much of the bible will ultimately be dispelled by scientific facts. Evolution will HAVE to be the only thing taught in the classroom, as it will be the scientific proof that we have. This might have to be a future blog post.

Try not to be overwhelmed by the plethora of questions. Just pick a favorite and have at it.

I appreciate you guys! Have a great weekend!

Y’all plumb wore me out yesterday. Whew. But it’s a good kind of worn out. And while I’m completely overwhelmed by all the insights you shared, questions you asked and issues you raised, I feel blessed.

As is very apparent by your comments, many of you are much more qualified to offer your opinions on this stuff than I am. You know what you’re talking about, and you know how to express it eloquently. Political discussion zaps me of energy in no time flat, but it clearly energizes many of you.

If you want to write related posts on your own blogs in the coming days/weeks, I would be more than happy to link to them.

Okay. I’m going to say 3 things and leave it at that for the day. But don’t worry–God isn’t going to let me drop this one. It’s an opportunity for Him to get mucho glory, and I’m convinced He wants me to snatch it right up.

1. I can’t possibly hope to change the minds and hearts of those who don’t accept Jesus Christ as the only Way, Truth and Life. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. If Christ is not your personal Savior, then most of what I say will seem like pure and utter foolishness to you. We’ll just go ’round and ’round and ’round. I’m talking mostly to my buddy, Andrea (Ahn-DRAY-uh), here. I so appreciate his thoughtful comments, and I’m thankful He doesn’t mind me praying for him. I have a hunch that many of you are joining me.

2. Because I can’t change a non-believer’s heart on my own, any political posts I do are going to focus primarily on fellow Christians. Call it preaching to the choir, but truthfully, I’m more concerned with how we, as followers of Christ, conduct ourselves than with the conduct of those who don’t believe. If you fall into the latter category, I wholeheartedly encourage you to stick around and engage whenever you feel led. We want you here.

3. My focus is NOT going to be on President Obama and where/how I disagree with him. My focus is NOT going to be on which laws should be passed and which shouldn’t. My focus IS going to be on what the Bible says our responsibility as Christians is as both followers of Christ AND citizens of the United States of America.

Please feel free to continue yesterday’s discussion. I’m thrilled that some of you who might not have a big platform, so to speak, have the chance to express your views and share your heart. You’re some bright folks. And I was SO impressed with everyone’s respectful attitudes and willingness to engage in meaningful discussion without personal attacks. Well done, friends!

And now, some pics from our Whirlwind East Coast Tour.

Niagara Falls. Stunning. Breathtaking. Huge. “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?” (And the monks? I took many pictures of the monks.)

The Liberty Bell. (The monks were there too. I took more pics.)

The First Family (and friends). I’ll have Gabe blow it up for you later–or some of you computer whizzes can do it yourself.

The Lincoln Memorial. Pretty sweet place. I loved learning about President Lincoln when I was younger.

Feeding giraffes. One of my favorite things to do in all the world. Seriously. When I grow up, I want to work at a zoo and take care of giraffes. When I’m not working at the library. And writing books. And traveling the globe. And loving on my grandbabies. And discussing politics online.

And on that note, I’ll leave you with a teaser. Our Zoo Trip Plans have changed dramatically since we last talked. Before I get into that, we’re tentatively planning to be at the Binder Park Zoo (Battle Creek, MI), the Brookfield Zoo (Chicago) and the Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago) next week (next week!). Details soon if you’d like to meet up!

And my Zoo Party Posse has started working on name tags (and goody bags for the kiddos), so if you’re planning on coming to the Big Bash on August 1, RSVP ASAP!

And the dramatic change? I’ll tell you tomorrow. Let me just say that it involves this. Sigh.

Happy, Happy Birthday to my father-in-law, Rock Taviano! Love you, Rock-o!

Happy Wednesday, friends! And thanks in advance for keeping the discussion edifying!

I’ve sworn off talking about undergarments for the next five years (at least!), and I’ve shied away from talking politics ever since the election. If you were reading back then, you might remember a post or three where I spoke my mind about the candidates and what they stood for. Then I stepped over the edge of propriety and suggested that if the Republicans would have won, Election Day and Inauguration Day might not have been quite so peaceful.

And then I stopped talking about politics in the interest of getting along with everyone.

But I’m feeling a tug. A little nudge in my side, a little whisper in my ear that’s saying, “Are you afraid of losing friends? The gospel offends, you know.”

Here’s what I don’t ever want to be: a person who is such a people-pleaser that she’ll compromise her beliefs in order to gain/maintain popularity. Because you know what? That’s the very thing that’s bothering me about our President at the moment.

You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything (and for some reason, I’m hearing a twangy country tune in my ear as I type that).

And sorry about all the bunny-trailing, but I just realized that I have a “politics” category on my sidebar. Apparently, I’ve blogged about politics 14 times in the past 3+ years. And yes, my last post was January 21. Feel free to browse the archives for more background on my political leanings.

I meant to get my thoughts all in a row like little duckies before I opened Pandora’s box of Politics, but that’s not going to happen. Too much going on in my head, at my desk, in my life. So, I’m just going to take the plunge, throw a few things out there, and pray that my words will be more Spirit-inspired than flesh-incited.

I saw President Obama and his family on the lawn of the White House Saturday. We were pretty far away, but Gabe’s big camera lens + photoshop magnification confirmed that it was the First Family (and their dog). We took a walking tour of DC after the National Zoo and just happened to be at the White House when they came outside.

I felt warm and fuzzy and wanted to be their best friends.

At first glance–and even second and third glances–our President seems to embody many of the values I hold dear. Stomping out prejudice, loving the orphaned and oppressed, embracing people of every tribe and tongue, learning to get along peacefully with our neighbors, loving our enemies.

But something keeps nagging me.

See, I believe the whole Bible to be true. And not only true but the inspired Word of the one true God. A God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. A God who does not lower His eternally holy standards no matter how much we, His creation, “progress.”

Things that weren’t okay back then aren’t okay now. (And I’m not talking about Leviticus and the like–once Jesus died, we were under the new covenant.)

I’m talking about things like–it’s not okay to murder, even if you do while the person is still inside his mother’s body. And that sex outside of marriage is not okay–and that marriage is for one man and one woman, not 2 men or 2 women. And that when the God of the Bible says He created the world, that’s what He meant.

I’m talking about Jesus saying that He is the way, the truth and the life. And that no one can get to God–or heaven–except through Him. All other roads, no matter how sweet-sounding or sensible, lead to hell.

I know a lot of you cringe when you hear the word “prophecy.” Another P word! It conjures up images of hairspray-plastered weirdos declaring that the end of the world is upon us, that Obama is the anti-Christ, that Jesus is coming back on March 2, 2010.

But there sure are a lot of things happening in the world today that match right up with what Bible prophets of old said would happen when the end draws near. And we’ve been warned that peace will be a buzzword that’s actually a pre-cursor to much bloodshed and violence (But that’s a post or two in and of itself, and honestly, I don’t even know if that last sentence made sense.).

This post is already longer than licorice, and what have I even said? Maybe this first post will just ease us into a healthy, God-honoring discussion. Apparently, I do better when I enter the proverbial political pool one toe at a time, rather than cannon-balling right in.

I don’t know much, but I do know that I want to follow hard after Christ. And that a time is coming (or has already come) when we’re going to have to take a real stand. When choosing to follow Christ (and Him alone) isn’t going to be popular.

And while I’m tempted to walk around with my head in the clouds, feeding giraffes and leaving the poli-talk to the zealots, I feel a sense of responsibility.

To stand up for my God who laid down His life for me.

If you have (respectfully-phrased) questions or comments, I’d love to try to respond to some of them. I can’t abandon the Zoo Track obviously, and I did mention that this would be Dad Month (where has the month gone??), but I can intersperse political convo here and there.

Thanks for reading. Blessings on your Tuesday!

Sooo… I’m sorry. I should not have said what I did about Democrats. It wasn’t fair. I can’t assume there would have been rioting if the Republicans would have won. They didn’t. Do I still believe that rioting would have happened? I have to be honest–I do. (some of you are going to think this nullifies my apology, but I’m just being honest) But there are lots of thoughts in my head that don’t need to come out because they aren’t edifying to others. This was one of them.

I do want this blog to be edifying, to build people up, not tear them down. I’m sure I’ll still step on toes (especially if I insist on talking politics), but I can do it without being mean-spirited. And when I do offend people, I’ll pray that it’s because I’m being Christ-like, which Christ himself said would be offensive to many. And not because I’m being too Marla-like.

I’m sorry. Please forgive me. And tomorrow’s post will be picture-filled and wordless to give me time to collect my thoughts and ruminate on them a bit before I throw them out into the universe.

And I don’t think Satan wants me to apologize, because I’ve had 10 interruptions since I started typing this… Make that 11.

Thanks for reading! Love and hugs!

BUT I just need to make a point (or two). You already know how I voted in the election (van sticker). And I’m not in the mood to start drawing party lines, but you’ve got to admit something–the lovely and peaceful inauguration ceremony yesterday was a tribute to REPUBLICANS everywhere. Seriously. Now, I have some great, godly friends who are Democrats, and I’m sure they would have accepted a John McCain presidency with grace. But you can’t tell me that if McCain/Palin had been standing up there yesterday, there wouldn’t have been some (or a lot of) rioting. No way would it have been calm and peaceful and happy. No way. People would’ve been burning stuff and yelling profanities and knocking stuff over.

Case in point: the loser who vandalized the statue of George H. W. Bush in Houston yesterday. Come on, people. Are you serious? Get over it.

And I know for a fact that there would have been many Democrats praying for a President McCain and Vice-President Palin. But I daresay there wouldn’t have been millions. And I’m pretty sure there would have been more and more and more of the same whining and complaining we’ve heard for the last eight years.

I, for one, am glad to have a President that celebrities and liberals adore. Because the complaining is officially over. Because no one will dare say one negative word about him. You do, and you’re facing the wrath of the most influential people in the universe.

I’m a little worried for our President actually. He’s expected to save the world. And keep his little daughters grounded all the while. Oh, the pressure.

In other NON-POLITICAL NEWS…

1. We have a Caption Contest Winner! Except we don’t know who you are! Whoever signed in as Twitter Follower and thought that the camouflaged giraffe was saying, “I can see Russia from my house!” you get a prize! Please identify yourself. Gabe and I were both rolling when we read it. (Okay, so even that comment was a little political. No more politics!)

2. Gabe drove the girls to the bus stop this morning, and when they got out of the van, Livi accidentally slammed Ava’s hand in the door. Three of her fingers are pretty beat up. She came back home with Gabe for tylenol and ice, then he drove her to school. When I was younger, I shut my brother’s head in the car door. On purpose. I’m so sorry, Josh.

3. I’m looking for some sweet folks to join my informal/impromptu Promo Team for Expecting. If you’re sitting around the house all bored and stuff and wish you could help someone promote their new book, I have the perfect assignment for you! Let me know–or wait to hear more details.

Happy Wednesday, all! Hope your day is filled with beauty and excitement!

So, there are five really loud hooligans running around my house right now. They’re playing the 21st century version of hide-and-seek. Gabe hides with his iPhone. He types in words and phrases, and his iMac (on his desk) speaks to the kids.”Look upstairs.” “Not in there.” “My bedroom.” They’re running around and squealing. “Garage.” “Look outside.” “You’re getting closer.” Right now, he’s behind the TV stand. No one can find him. “In trash can.” “You guys are not good finders.”

“AAAAHHH! He’s behind the TV!!!!” Livi found him. That was fun.

So, I was talking a lot about skin color earlier, and I forgot to tell about my Inauguration Picnic with Nina. We ate our lunch on the living room floor and watched the festivities. Nina’s always saying, “Look at that black guy.” “Who’s that black girl?” But what she means is, the guy with black hair. Or the girl wearing a black shirt. Because she also talks about the orange girl, the yellow guy, the pink girl, the blond girl. So, when she asked, “Who’s the black guy?” and she was talking about George W. Bush, I had to laugh. And “who’s that white guy?” which would be an older black gentleman with white hair. Love it.

It’s a universal thing with kids. I wonder when they start identifying people by their skin color. I also wonder if our new President ever gets tired of people talking about him being black. I wonder if he’d just like to say, “You know what? I’m also really smart and talented and good at what I do. I think I’d make a marvelous President even if both my parents were white.”

So, I’m going to stop talking about color. In a minute. The girls came home from school asking if their friends could play. We said sure. Doorbell rings. It’s a boy and a girl. (not siblings) I’m out in the kitchen, and I hear Gabe say to the boy, “You can’t wear that coat in here. Leave it outside.” I know, without looking, what coat he’s talking about. It’s black and yellow with a certain NFL logo on it. If we don NFL gear in this house, it’s orange and brown. Color matters.

Our neighbor boy laughs and takes off his coat. Inside. I hear Gabe say, “Wow, I like your shirt. That’s cool.” I smile, because I think I know what’s on his shirt. He comes around the corner. Black shirt, 4 multi-colored paintings of Barack Obama–Hope, Change, etc. “I like your shirt,” I tell him. He tells me he got to go see Obama in person. [Neighbor Girl] was there too. “Very cool,” I say, smiling.

Neighbor boy is 7, short, and absolutely adorable. His mom is white, his dad is black. Neighbor girl is 8, tall, absolutely adorable. Her mom is black, her dad is black. The other 3 girlies in the house are tall too, and absolutely adorable. Their mom is white, their dad is white. They’re all playing a Ms. PacMan marathon at the moment and cracking me up. They all squeal the same, laugh the same, and yell the same.

Not too many years ago, there wasn’t any such thing as video games. Or iPhones. Or televisions. And not too many years ago, there wasn’t any such thing as kids with brown skin playing in white kids’ homes.

Praise You, Lord, for how far we’ve come. Forgive us, Father, for our sordid past. Praise Your Name that you love all your children the same. (and that Jesus wasn’t white, but that’s another post..)

Thank you for this monumental day. And thank you for our neighbors. And thank you in advance for helping the Steelers lose the Super Bowl. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I went out for a bit with Nina this morning–the bank, Staples and Target. There was a noticeable festive spirit in the air. People were smiling, laughing. The sun is shining, the cold isn’t too terribly biting. This is a good day.

A girl pulled up beside me in the bank drive-thru. Her car was filled to the point of driving hazard with red and blue balloons. It made me smile. The drivers of 5 of the 6 cars in the drive-thru (and the bank teller) were black, and then there was me. It made me smile.

Skin color and nationality and all of that is very intriguing to me. I’m fascinated by different cultures and colors, and I love living surrounded by it every day. It makes me smile. I’d like to think I’m not racist or prejudiced in any way–against people of different colors, sizes, points of view, economic backgrounds. But I’m afraid it’s not true. I can say I embrace everyone everywhere. But I still get nervous when I drive in certain parts of my town. And I’m often quick to judge people–usually because of something besides their color. And I can say I have black (and latino/asian/russian) friends and neighbors, but do I really understand what it’s like to be anything but white? No, I don’t. In Japan, I got a small taste. But I was more of a celebrity there with my back-then blond hair, not opressed in any way.

But I digress.

Nina and I were comparing prices of boxes of granola cereal in Target when I hear someone yelling. It’s an older (white) guy. “I swear! Isn’t there anyone working in this d*** store? I’ve been in here 10 minutes, and I haven’t seen a single person working! Where are the %*#%$* appliances? There aren’t even any signs!” And blah, blah, blah, blah. He finally cornered the Pepsi guy who helped him track down a Target employee.

Nina just stared. I passed by another customer and rolled my eyes (in a nice way). As I was walking to the check-out, I went right past a HUGE red sign hanging from the ceiling. HUGE. It said, “SMALL ELECTRICS.” Um, I know there wasn’t room to put the word APPLIANCES on the sign, but most of us can figure out that small electrics = small electric appliances. And well, if we’re looking for BIG appliances, maybe we should be next door at Lowe’s. But what do I know? I kind of felt like yelling, “WHY ISN’T THERE A SIGN THAT SAYS “GRANOLA?” HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO FIND THE GRANOLA IN THIS STUPID STORE?!”

And now I’ve really digressed. So, we go to check out, and I get in my favorite cashier’s line–sweet, middle-aged (older than me, I mean) black woman. She’s chatting about the inauguration and “What will Michelle Obama be wearing?” She hopes it’s not like that red/black number she wore before. She loves red and black, but that outfit just didn’t work. And she hopes she doesn’t wear a bunch of sequins and stuff, because that’s just not her. She’s just so classy.”

We talked about this big day and how exciting it was, and when I heard my total and realized I had just enough cash with 7 cents to spare, I had to chuckle. “Don’t spend it all in one place!” the older guy behind me said. We all laughed. I smiled at people in the parking lot. I suddenly felt VERY self-conscious about the McCain/Palin sticker on my mini-van. I really don’t want to be one of those people who has a faded GORE/LIEBERMAN sticker on their van 43 years later. Or someone who wears a Cleveland Browns jersey to the Super Bowl. Thought about scraping it off in the parking lot but didn’t want to cause a scene.

And this blog really hasn’t been about the Inauguration at all. We have a new President. I enjoy listening to him speak, and I love watching his beautiful family. I loved seeing thousands of people all happy and patriotic and being nice to each other in D.C. today. I’m excited to see what’s in store for us as a nation. I’m excited to see what role God has for me and my family to play in the whole scheme of things in the months and years to come.

A dear friend told me today that she’s praying for me and hopes God blesses my socks off today. He already has. But I got to thinking–instead of always wanting God to bless me, I wanted to be looking for ways to bless God’s socks off. What can I do that will just bless Him and glorify Him like crazy? I have some ideas. Some are easy and fun. Some involve dying more to self.

Nina reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally wants to do her big states floor puzzle. In the name of patriotism and all things inaugural, I must comply. Then she’s going to bed.

Happy Inauguration Day, friends! Congratulations to President Barack H. Obama! Here’s to the next four years!

Nina: (very loudly, all the way from our house to the polls) John Muh-CAIN! John Muh-CAIN! John Muh-CAIN!

Ava (as we pull into the parking lot to vote): So, are Barack Obama and John McCain going to be here?

Ava (after we sign in and get in line for a voting booth): Is this the John McCain line?

Off we go to Chick-Fil-A for some free sandwiches! Hope they have two left!

I do wish that some of my friends/acquaintances would understand the absurdity of trying to be pro-life and pro-Obama all at one time. 

For some way-better thoughts than mine on the topic, check out this blog.

For a beautiful expression of many of the thoughts that have been piling up in my brain lately, check out this blog.

For a cute picture of an adorable pregnant woman, check out this blog.

Personally, I’ve got some things tugging at my heart, some decisions to make that aren’t much fun, some wisdom needed for direction for my (and our family’s) future. But I’ll ask for prayer for that later.

Right now, let’s pray for God’s will to be done tomorrow on Election Day. And lets pray that He’ll get heaps and mounds of glory–some way, somehow–through it all. And let’s pray that we, His people, will surrender our lives completely to Him from this day forward.

Kidding. I just like using the word “lieu.” And really, how often does it come up in conversation? Not often enough.

Seriously, though, if you want to get me something for my birthday, you can pray for our country and this election. Not that a certain candidate will win but that we will be in tune with the very heart of God, that we will love what He loves and hate what He hates, that blind eyes will be opened, that lost souls will find Christ and accept His sacrifice, that God will be glorified in each of us in the days and months ahead.

Thank you.

You can also pray for me. That I’ll completely surrender every bit of my life to Him. That His will would be my will. That I would bring glory to Him in everything I do. Specifically, that He would show me what He wants me to do with a project near and dear to my heart. I chatted with a gal about it yesterday and desperately seek God’s guidance.

Thank you.

I’m 33 today. The age Jesus was when He died. Kind of adds some perspective to His sacrifice. He was so young. I feel so young. (My MIL just told me that 33 was Gabe’s grandma’s favorite birthday. “It was as long as Jesus lived. Everything else is just a ‘plus.’”)

It won’t be long before I’m older than Jesus. This is weird.

You know, growing up, how you would watch college basketball, and all the guys are older than you? So grown up. And now they’re just kids. Crazy.

Or better yet, I remember being a 6th grader and having a crush on Denny Lehmer, a senior on the high school basketball team. I was a child. And to me, Denny was a full-grown man (ha!). With spiky blond hair, a big smile, and the #33 across his chest. (or was it #30? 25? hmmm…) I saw him at Applebees one night after I was in college. Somehow he knew who I was, and we chatted for a second. He was sitting alone at the bar, and all of that mystique from days past had fizzled out.

Anyway. That’s not my point with Jesus. My point is that I’ve always thought of him as a man older than me. Soon, he’ll be a young man I might have patted on the shoulder had I known him when he was on earth.

Except He’s God. Not just some nice, helpful guy who loved the poor. I hate that people reduce my God to that. I would almost rather people hate Jesus than think he was just a nice guy. If you don’t believe that Jesus is the only way to God, if you don’t believe He gave his life on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for us wretched sinners, then it’s best that you think of him as the enemy. He’s not a nice guy. He’s an intolerant, jealous God who claims to be the only way you can get to heaven. If that’s not true, then He’s a liar. I hate that people go on and on about all Jesus did for the poor (which is absolutely great and true) BUT then stop there. They look at his life but ignore His death, the very reason He came to earth.

Wow, my girls need to get to school, and I have to pack their lunches. All I meant to do was remind you about my birthday in case you wanted to sing. Happy Pumpkin Day! And happy birthday, Jamie!