109094922799321120 July 27, 2004

hmm…thinking about politics today. i saw bill clinton’s speech last night, and i have to say that the guy knows how to work a crowd and inspire one to work to change the world through the democratic party.

there’s this dilemma i find myself in regarding the extent to which christians should be engaged in the political process. on one hand, i believe that my primary allegiance should be to the kingdom of God, and not to america. really, i think it’s the role of the church to meet the needs of families and the poor. but the church hasn’t been able to fully do that. in the meantime, i essentially work for the government, and have worked for government-funded programs my entire career so far. and, quite frankly, my families can’t wait around for the church to meet all of their needs. my kids need medical care and food, and my families need efficient, affordable access to counseling, parenting classes, offender treatment, etc. i have a lot of relative caregivers who want to care for the children in their family, but can’t because they can’t afford to. i have kids who are stuck in limbo, going from one place to another because housing assistance has a wait of over a year. that’s too long for my families. honestly, i want a government that is going to try to do something about it. this is a big issue and i’m not trying to address all of the sides today. i just have a hard time seeing kingdom-ideals manifested in the real world sometimes…

talk back to me!

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109085610767301764 July 26, 2004

happy, happy birthday daniel christopher fox!!

indulge me while i make a shameless plug for my intended.

things i love about daniel:
he is always looking for ways to serve me.
he loves God a lot.
he wants to be holy.
he’s very funny.
he’s hot in that rock-star kind of way.
he loves astrophysics.
he is very smart.
he’s on of the most genuinely creative people i know.
he is kind to strangers.
he’s willing to travel the universe with me.
he makes me laugh.
he’s a good kisser.
he loves to learn.
he loves my dog.

tell him happy birthday, today.

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my brother needs to blog soon. like today.

but julie gross finally got back to it!

109080693246393789 July 25, 2004

it’s sunday night, and i just got back from sending palmer off to europe. good stuff. now daniel is playing poker with the boys.
tomorrow (monday) is daniel’s birthday. happy birthday, love! the man is amazing, always trying to learn how to love god and me more. he’s so patient with all of my ideas and abstract thoughts. i can’t wait to spend my life with him! also, he has an interview on his birthday for a job that could go a long way in getting out of the country in a few years…daniel fox is my hero!

i’m really getting into anna karenina – i’m far enough along that i think i might actually finish it this time. the book, the fact that i’m about to get married, and situations around me have me thinking about the whole idea of faithfulness…everyone always says that love is hard work, and i expect it to be at times. what i don’t get, though, is how it can seem so effortless for some, and so much harder for others, who have just as much integrity and respect for the sacredness of commitment. it’s kind of like faith – it seems so easy for some people to just live in god’s presence, while i know others who really want to know god, but feel like they’re shouting out into a void. how does that work? why do i keep trying to make sense of it?

no new questions here.

daniel and i went to a birthday party in cincinnati last night. it was the best kind of homecoming – lots of people who speak love and wisdom into my life – the kind of people i want to keep around for a long time. but it was good, too, to be with my columbus community tonight and not find myself comparing them to cincinnati, and knowing that i belong here…

ok. this whole post is getting a bit self-absorbed. i will go now. good night.

109051886442867233 July 22, 2004

my oldest friend in the world and her husband have entered the land of blogdom.  hooplah!  deb and her husband, nate, just moved to portland, oregon, and they do a great job of sharing it with their readers…

 

109001159437428605 July 16, 2004

been thinking lately about how impossible it is to truly know someone – no matter how tightly bound we are to another, they will never cease to surprise us – often, to disappoint us.  but we each have that capacity for disappointing others as well.  thus, the need for grace….
 
“…love is not a victory march.  it’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah…” (leonard cohen?)
 
don’t worry – everything is going great.  but i’ve just been thinking a lot about c.s. lewis’ assertion that joy and grief are all part of the same thing…
 
thoughts, anyone?

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i wrote such a long, lovely post last night, and it disappeared when i published it.  this is my test post.