5 days to kickoff

Geaux Tigers!!!

American youth, never forget

“Let the American youth never forget, that they possess a noble inheritance, bought by the toils, and sufferings, and blood of their ancestors; and capacity, if wisely improved, and faithfully guarded, of transmitting to their latest posterity all the substantial blessings of life, the peaceful enjoyment of liberty, property, religion, and independence.” — Joseph Story (Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833)

Less than 10 days to kickoff!

Geaux Tigers!!!

links for 2010-08-21

links for 2010-08-19

  • "Adoptees must attempt to make sense of a complex, deep matrix of circumstances, emotions and thoughts. It's not easy, not only because it's not easy, but also because most folks don't realize that it's not easy."

    (tags: adoption)

  • "Lucky? Lucky.
    Lucky to have been born on a continent terrorized by war, corruption and greed?
    Lucky to have been born in a country where 25,000 women and girls die each year due to pregnancy-related complications?
    Lucky to have been born in a country where more than half the population has ZERO access to basic medical care?
    Lucky to have been born in a region reliant upon rainfall and devastated by drought?
    […]
    Lucky to have been in a room with at least eight other needy babies at any given time?
    Lucky to have been taken outside for "fresh air" once a day (week?) into a concrete courtyard?
    Lucky to have been held for feedings… and sometimes only for feedings?
    Lucky to have been in a Bumbo chair instead of a mother's arms?
    Lucky to have been taken by complete strangers to another continent 7000 miles away?
    Lucky to have been physically removed from his people, culture, history, language, customs?"

    (tags: adoption)

  • "Sometimes as the parent of an adopted child you get a lot of comments that are spoken innocently but come from a place of ignorance. Education is part of our job, but sometimes it gets a little frustrating.

    […]

    "The rescue and lucky mentality people have with orphans so easily overlooks the very real pain and trauma inherent in it all. It engenders a need for gratefulness and payback among the children that’s just unhealthy. It turns a blind eye to the reality of their situation and turns adoptive parents into superheros that we’re definitely not."

    (tags: adoption)

  • "Adoption is not lucky. … It’s a very sticky point in adoption but it’s an important one for people to remember. Our children came to our family because there was a need. There is grief, loss, and sadness in their lives."

    (tags: adoption)

  • "[C]hildren playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why."

Failing to learn from history

“But ambitious encroachments of the federal government, on the authority of the State governments, would not excite the opposition of a single State, or of a few States only. They would be signals of general alarm… But what degree of madness could ever drive the federal government to such an extremity.” –James Madison, Federalist No. 46
I wonder what our fourth president, a strict constitutional constructionist, would think of us now.

links for 2010-08-16

links for 2010-08-15

  • "Twibbon is the easiest and most powerful way to promote awareness of your cause on Twitter and Facebook, engaging with users and increasing your Twitter followers and your Facebook fans."

    For future reference. Thanks, Dave!

Talking openly about our doubts

Jason Boyett:

[D]oubt is a necessary part of faith. We tend to think that faith and doubt are opposites, but they’re not. The opposite of faith isn’t doubt. The opposite of faith is certainty. If we are certain of something, we don’t need faith. Faith and doubt, then, exist side by side — and that plays itself out all over the Bible (“Lord I believe! Help me overcome my unbelief.”).

But — reason #2 — doubt is about as taboo a subject as you can bring up in church. When was the last time anyone in a small group or church service admitted to not knowing if he or she believed in God? Or wondering if God was really present at all, or good? I’ve honestly had readers tell me that they’d love to read my book, but worry about what their friends or family might think when they see them reading a book about doubt. It sounds flippant, but maybe they should hide my book behind a Playboy. It’s more acceptable to be a Christian with a porn problem than a Christian with a doubt problem. That’s horrible. I want doubters to know that they’re not alone in the journey, and that it’s OK. That they don’t have to pretend to have it all together. That they don’t have to fake it. I hope this book gives them the freedom to be honest, and the encouragement to continue pursuing God, however that might look.

links for 2010-08-03