Prayer for and from a desperate heart....

For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.

Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

In colorful black and white

I have just watched one of the most delightful films of my life, "March of the Penguins." If you didn't see this in the theater, please go rent it and see it with your children and your grandchildren and whomever you can get to watch. The scenery, the subject matter, the score, the narration--all are exquisitely beautiful. I am reminded tonight of what a marvelous Creator we have and just why He takes such delight in His handiwork...

The silence is deafening.

The State of Massachusetts has ruled that 11-year-old Haleigh Poutre can be taken off life support and "allowed" to die, agreeing with the Department of Social Services that she is in a "persistent vegetative state."

So where are the pro-life armies who were ubiquitous during the Schiavo tragedy? Where are the reams of op-ed pieces decrying the assumption that life in a "p.v.s" is not worth saving? Why is the President not rushing back from a vacation to sign legislation especially written and designed to save Haleigh?

Ah...because this case is more complicated. In Teri's case, there was a simple tug-of-war between parents who wanted her to live and a husband who wanted her to die so he could get on with his life. But in Haleigh's case, those who might otherwise be quick to jump in on the side of life have shied away from a righteous stand because to allow Haleigh to live is to save the stepfather who beat her with a baseball bat from being charged with her murder.

So now the muddiness actually makes the question more clear: is there a standard? Do we stand on the side of life at all costs? Or do we approach these matters on a case-by-case basis, coming down on the side of life only when there's no scumbag stepfather begging for his comatose victim to live?

If we argue for the sanctity of life, we'd better be sure that we don't shrink from our convictions when the circumstances surrounding the life are unpalatable. There's no way we can be taken seriously if we hide behind the bushes when the choice to respect life leaves some garbage in its wake.

Ad nauseam

Anybody watching the Alito hearings? Can we just fire all the senators? Sheesh!

A nice way to start the new year

Tonight we are blessed to have my cousin (and friend!) Johanna and her son Josiah in our home for the next few days. They live in southern California and are escaping the rare downpours there in favor of the freezing January weather here. Oh wait, this is south Texas. We already had our two-day winter and now our air conditioners are on! Anyway, we'll enjoy Johanna's company and we are thrilled to have a little one in the house while we're all trying to adjust to the new and slightly disquieting silence caused by the departure of the Slaughters. Too bad Henry and Warren aren't here to play with Josiah--he is enamored with the idea of having cousins. We'll steal the Russell boys a few times to make the experience authentic!

Johanna and Josiah arrived at our house just in time to see Texas edge out USC in the Rose Bowl...Johanna had used a Sharpie to write "USC!" on Josiah's jammies, and John Caleb asked me if I could give him a red Sharpie so he could "proofread" Josiah's shirt :-)

Welcome, Johanna and Josiah....welcome to the house where there's always a place at the table for you (even if that place is a dinner tray LOL).