tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70022715759750539122024-03-12T17:47:45.891-07:00A Session of PrayerUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-33905751216101765662011-06-10T07:07:00.000-07:002011-06-10T07:27:58.207-07:00Still Going . . .<em>Grace to you and peace from God, the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen Galatians 1:3-5</em><br /><br />For those of you enjoying the lazy days of summer, just a note to let you know the Texas Legislature is still going. Like the pink EverReady bunny, the fun just never seems to end around here. After over 15 hours of debate on a bill yesterday, one of the final pieces of the budget puzzle was passed. It reminds me of the poster that hangs over my desk:<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center"><strong>GOVERNMENT</strong></p><br /><p style="text-align: center">If You Think the Problems we Create are Bad,</p><br /><p style="text-align: center">Just Wait Until You See Our Solutions</p><br /><br />My hope is not in man or government. <br /><br />So, this morning I return to my desk and remind myself what a joy it is that I live at a time such as this so that I may see the glory of the Lord worked out on a daily basis. <br /><br /><em>Lord, may Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-23116050054946221442011-06-06T05:49:00.000-07:002011-06-06T05:59:48.044-07:00Boldness<em>Now Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that will all boldness they may speak Your word, but stretching our Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus. Acts 4:29-30<br /><br /></em>Have you witnessed any miracles lately?<br /><br />Do you expect to?<br /><br />Would you recognize them if you did? <br /><br />One of the joys of working in a legislative office that goes against the flow is the ever present reminder that apart from God we can do nothing. We know we are not playing by earthly rules. Our expectation has to be that the Lord will have to get involved for us to have any victory. <br /><br />And He does. <br /><br />On a daily basis. <br /><br />He has blessed us with staff, with favor, with strategy and with boldness. He has intervened in the affairs of men on our behalf. <br /><br />It is humbling. <br /><br /><em>Lord, thank you for the boldness to proclaim Your word. Amen</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-42711788588463221592011-06-03T06:58:00.000-07:002011-06-03T07:42:10.372-07:00I AM<em>And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” Exodus 3:13</em><br /><br />My mind woke up before my body this morning. And with it, the words, ”I AM” were playing in my head.<br /><br />The words were meat to chew on about the Lord we serve. <br /><br />God says, “I AM WHO I AM.”<br /><br />And man tries to figure out what that means. <br /><br />It means, He is who He is. <br /><br />Before your brain gets totally tied in a knot trying to figure it all out, remember that it is not for man to ever fully understand God. If we could, He would be a very small God indeed. <br /><br />So, rather than figuring out who He is, reflect on who you are in Him. And then, rejoice in whose you are. <br /><br /><em>Lord, thank you for who You are and who I am in You. Amen.</em><br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-65072281424401519182011-05-31T06:32:00.000-07:002011-05-31T06:48:35.192-07:00Begin Again<em>Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the the desire comes, it is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12<br /><br /></em>Today was supposed to be the first day of my recovery period from a contentious legislative session. Instead, after completing the constitutionally required 140 days of meetings, the Governor has immediately called the legislators back into a special session to complete the work they did not finish. <br /><br />Special sessions can only be called by the Governor. The legislature can consider only the items the Governor states are eligible for consideration. And, they only last 30 days. Those are the good things. The bad thing is that the Governor can call as many special sessions as it takes to work out whatever needs to be worked out. <br /><br />So, rather than sleep until noon - which has been my fantasy for this day for the past four months - my alarm went off as usual and I find myself back in the office. It is an understatement to describe the feeling as disappointment or frustration. <br /><br />And yet, I find myself inexplicably content with the knowledge that this too shall pass. <br /><br /><em>Lord, You know our needs in this situation. I pray that Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in the Texas Legislature. Amen</em><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-54018102277011265222011-05-30T07:47:00.000-07:002011-05-30T08:56:30.724-07:00Life is Not Fair<em>Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world . . . Philippians 2:14-15<br /><br /></em>Driving in to work this morning, I was engaging in mental murmuring as I digested the news that short of a legislative miracle, we will be adjourning the Regular Session of the 82nd Legislature today and convening the 1st Called Session of the 82 Legislature tomorrow. In other words, instead of having a down time to catch up on sleep and the daily details of life that have been pushed aside for the past five months, we may be coming back tomorrow to complete the tasks we have not finished.<br /><br />It’s not fair! We have done our part. We passed the bills in the House (even the bad ones). Just because the Senate can’t get their act together we will all have to come back during time that should have been vacation time. <br /><br />It’s not fair - the three words I never allowed my children to use without reminding them “Mom’s Mantra.” Life is not fair and some people are stupid. That simple sentence explains about 98 percent of all otherwise inexplicable things in the world. <br /><br />“Can I stay out past my curfew?”<br /><br />“No.”<br /><br />“That’s not fair.”<br /><br />“Life is not fair.”<br /><br />Then, there are the arguments for “some people are stupid.” Just read the newspaper and for every instance you can not figure out why someone did something, just whisper to yourself, “Wow, some people really are stupid.” You will be amazed how much time you will save trying to figure things out.<br /><br />I was convicted in my thinking about fairness when I read Philippians 2. Even though my complaining and murmuring was mental, it was complaining and murmuring. <br /><br />So, I repent. <br /><br />And, will probably have to do it more than once. <br /><br /><em>Lord, thank You that life is not fair. If it were, we could not enjoy Your salvation. Amen</em><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-3983672762721926402011-05-27T06:40:00.000-07:002011-05-27T09:42:34.771-07:00Press On<em>Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 </em><br /><br />It’s Friday! And not just any Friday. It is the last <em><strong></strong></em>Friday in the legislative session. <br /><br />Last night our staff gathered in our office for a meal and some end of session fellowship. It was the final day for one of our interns and the last time we would all be together for a while. As we each discussed our plans, it reminded me of the last day of school when i was a kid. Nobody was concerned about homework or tests on the final day of school. They were looking forward to the lazy days of summer stretching out before them. It was not so much an ending of school as it was the beginning of summer. <br /><br />And, so it is with this legislative session. When the Speaker of the House and the Lt. Governor in the Senate gavel the final session closed, the legislators will go home, staff will all take a well needed rest, and . . . . <br /><br />And what? Is this an ending for you, or a beginning? Do you think you are you finished with what you have to do? Or, do you have a new appreciation for how much more the Lord has for you to do? <br /><br />Spend then next couple of days wrapping up the session and a couple of days catching up on sleep. Then, forget those things behind and press on to that upward call of God in Christ Jesus. <br /><br />You don’t get to stop doing good just because the session ends. <br /><br /><em>Lord, thank You that You equip us and empower us to do all we are called to do. Amen</em><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-91241549906107730652011-05-26T07:00:00.000-07:002011-05-26T12:33:42.635-07:00Hold Your Peace<em>The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. Exodus 14:14</em><br /><br />Like the end of the roller coaster ride, this legislative session is coming to an end. We experienced the slow climb up the tracks hearing the clanking of the chains, made a few loopy loops, and had a couple of gravity defying plunges ending in extreme turns that take you back the way you just came. Now, as the roller coaster is pulling into the station, you can feel those jerky stops as the vehicle slows down. It is time to think about prying your hands off the safety bar in front of you, taking a couple of deep breaths to get your stomach out of your throat, and stepping gingerly out of the car back onto solid ground. <br /><br />If you are in one of the offices that still has legislation in play, you are waiting to see if the months of work you have put in will prosper or, with the stroke of a gavel or the tick of the clock be yesterday’s news. <br /><br />Just a reminder. <br /><br />All you can do is all you can do. <br /><br />Duty is ours and results are God’s. <br /><br />Let the Lord fight for you. <br /><br />Hold your peace.<br /><br /><em>Lord, only by your grace can I hold my peace in this environment. Amen</em><br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-33887398784583324602011-05-24T05:03:00.000-07:002011-05-24T06:31:44.711-07:00Oopsy Doopsies<em>But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Psalm 115:3</em><br /><br />Leaving my office last night after a mere 17 hour day, my energy was flagging. Things only got worse upon my re-entry to the Capitol this morning, a mere seven hours after leaving. My eyeballs are threatening to evict my contact lenses. My brain needs a couple more cups of coffee to remove the haze. And, the really sad thing is, I may be one of the more rested individuals in the building. <br /><br />Yesterday one of the bills to be used as a key piece of the revenue puzzle to fund the budget was killed on a point of order - again. With tomorrow slated to be the last day the House can hear Senate bills, there is no time to resurrect the bill. So, while we have agreed (in theory) to a budget, we have not passed bills to generate the necessary revenue to fund the budget. <br /><br />Or, as we say around the office, “Oopsy doopsies.”<br /><br />The gossip buzz in the halls and around the building are all geared to, “Do you think we will have a special session?” Meaning, for those of you who are wise enough to stay arms length from this process, that the Governor could call the legislature back into session to deal with any issues they have failed to deal with during this regular session. <br /><br />My response to the question is to shrug my shoulders and murmur, “I dunno.” My brain will not even go there. But, it is comforting to remember that all those uncertainties for me are already known by God. As the scripture today says, “Our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.”<br /><br />He knows. He cares. And He will not lead us where He cannot keep us. <br /><br /><em>Lord, give us the peace and grace to rest in You. Amen</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-69968763942612972642011-05-19T05:14:00.000-07:002011-05-19T06:12:01.023-07:00Discretion<em>The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression. Proverbs 19:11</em><br /><br />Slow to anger and overlooking transgressions. If you have difficulty with either of those issues, have I got a training ground for you!<br /><br />We have 12 of the 140 days of the regular session of the 82nd Legislature left to go. Looking at the statistics for this session versus last session, it appears we have lost a tad bit of productivity. Now, don’t get me wrong, I rarely think passing more legislation is a good thing. But, it is an indicator of how relationships are on the House and Senate floors and how the two chambers are relating to each other. <br /><br />Coming into the session there were a couple of really, really need to get done things. The first and most important, of course, was the budget. No budget no state government. While I concede that many government programs fall into that “non-essential” category (my job included), there really are legitimate functions of government we have to fund. And, since the budget is the only constitutional requirement of a session, it would seem to be prudent to get to it before the last two weeks of session. <br /><br />But, alas, the fiscal matters bills that must be passed to fund the budget have been postponed on a daily basis each day for the past three weeks. Personally, I’m ready to get the six to eight inch stack of papers relating to those bills off of my desk and move on to something else.<br /><br />Meanwhile, behind the scenes (and sometimes out in public), the Republicans are arguing with the Democrats about budget priorities. The House is arguing with the Senate about budget numbers. And the Governor is telling everybody his criteria for signing a budget. When I count my blessings, being a witness and not a participant in the discussions is one I count twice.<br /><br />Then, to add fuel to the fire - because we really need more people to get more offended - a Senate committee took a House bill on immigration, removed all language on immigration and inserted controversial language on homeland security. The Senate is allegedly holding the House re-districting map hostage, waiting for the House to move on the budget (or something). The House is slow to move on Senate bills in retaliation. <br /><br />All in all, it reminds me of <em>The Three Stooges </em>where Larry, Curly and Mo poke each other in the eye, tweak noses and pull hair. Or, if you can’t picture that, just imagine a junior high group of girls. <br /><br />And, as if that was not enough, everybody has been working 80 plus hours a week with too little sleep and high stress. That makes it a great time to point out what Proverbs tells us: the discretion of a man makes him slow to anger. Discretion is defined as “the freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation.” Key words: freedom and decide. You can decide not to get angry at the actions of the other party. And glory is defined as “high renown or honor won by notable achievements.” <br /><br />Put simply, it is an honor for you to overlook a transgressions and decide to control your anger. <br /><br />Keep it in mind today. <br /><br /><em>Lord, it is one thing to know what we should do and another to actually do it. Help us today to walk this out. Amen. </em><br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-63410925603466004602011-05-16T06:24:00.000-07:002011-05-16T07:08:51.795-07:00Character and Hope<em>And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance character; and character, hope. Romans 5: 3-4</em><br /><br />Fourteen days and 15 hours (give or take a few) remaining in the regular session. <br /><br />If ever the Lord made a training ground to produce perseverance and instill character, it is the legislative process. Last Thursday was the final deadline for the hearing of House bills. Multitudes of bills languished on the calendar. Some issues which should have been debated were passed without comment, swept along in a frenzy to get to the next bill. Other bills which should have passed with no controversy were debated in minutia, trying to stall the next bill coming up. <br /><br />Exasperation led some members to engage in conduct that makes you wonder if their mothers know they act that way.<br /><br />Which brings me to my point today. Romans 5:3-4 tells us that perseverance develops character. It is easy to confuse perseverance with survival in this environment. Survival is continuing to live or exist in spite of an ordeal or difficulty. Perseverance is steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. <br /><br />We are all likely to survive the session. The question is, will we persevere? <br /><br />Will our efforts on the last day be as energetic, thorough, and principled as they were on the first day? Will we be able to stand for the same things in the waning hours as we stood for on opening day? If so, then our perseverance will have produced in us character. And, our character will produce hope. <br /><br />In these final days of the session, ask yourself where your hope lies. <br /><br />Is your hope in tacking your legislation onto some other measure; in the Senate taking an action; or the Calendars Committee setting a bill? If it is, you may be in survival mode.<br /><br />If, on the other hand, you recognize that nothing done in the Legislature gives you reason to hope, and that your only hope lies in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, you are probably persevering and not overly worried about the next two weeks. <br /><br /><em>Lord, it is a dangerous prayer to ask that you help us develop our character. But, that is what I ask today. Amen.</em><br /><br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-46093406634735933112011-05-12T06:08:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:32:04.476-07:00Good Word<em>Anxiety in the heart of a man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad. Proverbs 12:25<br /><br /></em>Things are a bit hectic for me this morning. Fifteen extra minutes of sleep, rain (praise God!) slowing traffic, House convening 30 minute earlier than usual - my first thought was to forego the devotional due to a lack of time. The the gentle reminder settled on me, if <br />I don’t have time for God this morning, chances are I will not have time to accomplish any of the other tasks on my schedule. First things first. <br /><br />Reading Proverbs reminded me that a good word makes the hear glad. So, here is my partial list of good words for the day. <br /><br />Yellow<br />Basset puppy<br />Grandchildren<br />Yarn shop<br />Sine Die<br /><br />You should keep a list of your own “good words,” but never lose sight of the best word of all. <br /><br /><em>In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. </em><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-57611200436256136562011-05-10T06:15:00.000-07:002011-05-10T07:42:47.391-07:00Breathe in . . . Let it Out<em>But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God. Psalm 40:17<br /><br /></em>Deep breath in. Let it out. Repeat. <br /><br />Keep it up and you will make it through the session. Just make it through today and you only have two more Tuesdays. But, if you are like me, you are no longer focused on the end of session, survival has become a day to day or hour to hour goal. With each major bill on the calendar I tick off yet another arduous task and praise God we can move on. <br /><br />But, isn’t it awesome to know that even when we are so busy, poor in spirit and needy, that the Lord thinks about us. Even when we forget to think about Him. Wow!<br /><br />Breathe in. Breathe out.<br /><br />We can do this.<br /><br /><em>Lord, thank you that we are ever present in Your thoughts. Don’t forget us today. Amen</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-62280632240540263072011-05-09T05:18:00.000-07:002011-05-09T06:02:45.681-07:00Rule of Law<em>Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still Psalm 4:4<br /><br /></em>The Texas Legislature worked on Saturday. Let me rephrase that. The Texas Legislature was in session on Saturday.<br /><br />We are at the time of session when people are operating with too much stress and too little sleep. Tempers are running high and patience is running low. Watching the activity on Saturday was painful.<br /><br />To put things in perspective, let’s start with a recap. The Republicans represent 101 of the House seats. The Democrats hold 49. For business to be conducted, 100 members have to be on the House floor. Technically, Republicans could pass anything they wanted to without any Democrat vote. There is an extensive book of House Rules which dictate how the game is to be played. One of the reasons the rules are provided is to establish a clear playing field which does not allow the majority to run rough shod over a minority.<br /><br />In practice, rules can be a frustrating thing. Just like in a game of baseball. If your team hits the winning run, but the ball goes out of bounds by a hair’s width, it is difficult to understand why the umpire doesn’t just give you the run. But, the solution is not to change the foul lines, it is to keep the ball in the field. <br /><br />Likewise, the House rules have specifications on every detail of how committees and the activity on the House floor will run. Some of them seem trivial and nitpicking. But, they are the rules everybody adopted at the start of session. The time to change them is when they are adopted, not when the ball is in play.<br /><br />So, we come to the Texas House. On one hand, Democrats have been frustrated by their lack of numbers to effectively block legislation. On the other hand, as bills have been stopped when a point of order (rule violation) has been called by the Democrats, frustrations for Republicans have mounted. There are some priority bills which are being delayed because of technicalities. But, that’s not just a Democrat tool. Anybody can use it. <br /><br />Things came to a head on Saturday.<br /><br />Working with only 116 members on the floor, the rumor all day was that we would drop below a quorum and not be able to continue business. Several times members made a motion for a “call on the House” to ensure enough people were there to conduct business. A call on the House is a procedure where the doors are locked and members who are not on the floor can be compelled to return. (Think nuclear option.) Each time the motion was withdrawn. <br /><br />A bill was brought to the floor for consideration. A point of order was called. It was overruled. Then, motions were made to suspend all rules. Tempers flared. <br /><br />It is a common motion to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider a particular bill. That motion means none of the rules of procedure apply, and it is generally made to bring up simple resolutions that do not need to go through the committee process. On Saturday, the motions were to suspend all rules for everything, meaning there could be no procedural points of order called on any bill on the calendar. <br /><br />Now, since a motion to suspend the rules is a legitimate motion, I suppose that means that one of the rules is that you can change the rules in the middle of the game. But, choosing to win by changing the rules in the middle of the game because you are frustrated does nothing to improve the climate on the House floor. After several hours of bickering and negotiations, the House adjourned until 10:am this morning.<br /><br />So, this morning my prayer is that:<br /><br />1) The players will show up to continue the game. We are not finished yet.<br />2) Tempers will be checked at the door. We can be angry, but we do not want to sin.<br />3) The business of the State of Texas will proceed. <br /><br /><em>Lord, by your grace and mercy our leaders can move forward an accomplish the purposes for which they have come to Austin. I pray that Your presence will be with them on the House floor today. Amen. </em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-79874580495792403412011-05-05T05:12:00.000-07:002011-05-05T05:29:19.685-07:00Number Your Days<em>So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12<br /><br /></em>In case you were wondering, it is 25 days, 16 hours, 45 minutes and 7 seconds until the end of session. But who is counting?<br /><br />Sometimes when I am too tired to think analytically about what scripture to read, it is my habit to just fall back to the old favorites. And so, I found myself reveling in Psalm 91 this morning. Always a picker-upper, I knew that meditation on the verses would encourage me and bring a smile to my face. I wasn’t disappointed. <br /><br />But while reading, my eyes wandered across the page and the verse “So teach us to number out days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” caught my eye. The verse is true in our lives and never more true than when you are involved in high stakes events that impact the lives of so many people. <br /><br />I tremble to think that life-changing decisions are being made by individuals who have had less sleep than I have this week. It is beyond human capacity to read and digest all the information a legislator comes in contact with in a single day. With hundreds of bills and thousands of pages of information, it is mind-numbing. Even after condensing the information into tidbits and factoids, there is often not time to verbally brief on each item up for consideration. We do the best we can. And pray for the Lord’s grace and mercy to equip us and to fill in the gaps. <br /><br />There are now 25 days, 16 hours, 31 minutes and 53 seconds. <br /><br /><em>Lord, I pray that You will go before me today, equip me to do all You have for me to do, and let me use my time wisely. Amen.</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-64577720431584996592011-04-29T07:18:00.000-07:002011-05-02T05:42:06.829-07:00Things You Can Learn<em>...His truth shall be your shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4<br /><br /><br /></em>Last Thursday there was a delightful respite from the cares of the office when Jerry and I joined Rep. Simpson and his family at an event held at the Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) Exotic Game Ranch. The weather was wonderful, the sun was still up ( a plus for those of us who have been working underground at the Capitol), and the tour of the animals was enlightening.<br /><br />With thousands of animals on the ranch, it would be difficult to describe them all. But there were two very different species that caught my attention at the end of the tour. The contrast between them brings home a strong spiritual truth.<br /><br />First, we met Rowdy. Rowdy is a 6,000 pound white rhinoceros. He came out of his enclosure when his name was called. That is about the extent of his desire to interact with humans. The rhinoceros, in the wild, is the “whats on the grill tonight” for crocodiles. Rowdy didn’t care that we were not a bus load of crocodiles. He snorted, kicked his back leg in the dirt like a bull ready to charge and generally double dog dared us to come any closer. We declined the offer. <br /><br />Then we met Stretch and Spot. Stretch is a 14 foot tall reticulated giraffe and Spot is his nine month old pal. It is a little known fact, but giraffes have no natural predators. They are too tall to tangle with and they have the ability to kick 360 degrees around them. Nothing in its right mind would come near those hooves. But Stretch knows he has a natural protection. He is the most gentle animal you could imagine. We hand fed him carrots (the little baby ones) and he would gently take them out of our hands and crunch them. Even if you allowed your hand to go into his mouth with the carrot, he would not bite. <br /><br />So, on the one hand, we have the 6,000 pound rhinoceros who you would think would be able to protect itself and then the long and lanky giraffe that you would think would be a sitting target (albeit a tall target). But, the one, knowing he had no predators was gentle.<br /><br />And, so it is in life.<br /><br />If you know that you sit in the palm of the Lord’s hand and trust that he is your shield, you can be as gentle as a lamb (or giraffe). The knowledge that you have no natural predators empowers you to view the world like Stretch, confident that you are safe.<br /><br />On the other hand, those who are in constant fear of losing something . . . power, position, influence, money, . . . whatever, tend to act more like Rowdy. They figure there is a reason they weigh 6,000 pounds and dare you to cross their path. <br /><br />I don’t recommend you take the dare, unless of course, you happen to be a giraffe. <br /><br /><em>Lord, thank you that you are our shield and our protector. Help us to walk in that knowledge with gentleness and mercy. Amen.</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-92196134244646190402011-04-28T06:35:00.000-07:002011-04-28T07:06:50.410-07:00Thought for the Day<em>Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes; but by a man of understanding and knowledge right will be prolonged. Proverbs 28:2<br /><br /></em>Thought for the day:<br /><br />        More sleep - Good.<br />        More traffic - Bad.<br /><br />And, that explains why it was after 8:00 when I got to the office this morning. But, it is so not the topic of this musing.<br /><br />Have you ever been reading Scripture and suddenly a bunch of random dots connect to show you something so obvious you wonder why you haven’t been preaching on it? <br /><br />Here is my sermon on limited government. <br /><br />When we fail to govern ourselves, the civil government feels compelled to come in and do he job for us. That isn’t new news. One of the frustrations of watching legislation is the myriad of overlapping governments we are putting on ourselves. We have the traditional federal, state, county and municipal entities. We have piled on school districts, municipal utility districts, special purpose districts, economic development districts, COGs (Council of Government), RMAs (regional mobility authority), the agencies with rule-making authority - the list goes on and on. To top it off, many of us live in areas governed by HOAs (homeowner associations). We think nothing of purchasing a piece of property and willing giving authority to another to tell us what we may and may not do on it. <br /><br />When reading Proverbs 28 this morning it jumped off the page at me. <em>Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes. </em>We have all these people in authority over us because of our transgressions. Until we learn to govern ourselves, civil government will feel compelled to govern everything from our toilets and light bulbs to the menus at restaurants. <br /><br />Tired of big government? Try a little self-government. <br /><br />Don’t know where to start? Just begin with God’s Ten Commandments. <br /><br />With knowledge and understanding, right will be prolonged. <br /><br /><em>Lord, have mercy on our nation. Make us men and women of understanding and knowledge so that right will be prolonged. Amen.</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-88426149253574320582011-04-27T04:50:00.000-07:002011-04-27T05:32:18.830-07:00While we are waiting<em>Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 27:14<br /><br /></em>Have you ever wondered why the psalmist would put the same thought twice in a single verse of scripture. Was he reminding himself or future readers of the importance of waiting on the Lord?<br /><br />The entire legislative process tends to create a hurry up and wait scenario. One minute you are rushing around with phones ringing, visitors interrupting, reading bills and trying to get everything in order. The next minute you are engaged in listening to debate on the House floor just waiting to see if anything is said requiring you to shoot information to the legislators to enable them to make a better informed vote. <br /><br />Watching the floor debate can be boring. But not for me. That is when I knit socks. <br /><br />I am pretty good at multi-tasking, but have never developed the ability to pay close attention to someone talking and reading something in detail at the same time. So, when my attention needs to be on floor debate, my hands are kept busy with my latest knitting project. Knitting is something that requires little thought, keeps my hands busy, and gives me a means to measure progress. For example, the debate on the House floor on the appropriations bill took 3/4 of a sock to complete. Frustration at the final outcome of the budget was dampened by the knowledge that the time had not been a total waste for me since there was a sock to show for it.<br /><br />Most of life is spent waiting for some event to happen. But most of life unfolds in the waiting, not in the events. Waiting should not be a passive event - especially when you are waiting on the Lord. The psalmist reminds us that it is a time of strengthening. <br /><br />So, for the next month or so as you find yourself just waiting for the next committee hearing, the floor debate to end, the session to be over . . . don’t be frustrated. Remember it is the time to be of good courage and look to see where the Lord is strengthening your heart. <br /><br />You could also take up knitting.<br /><br /><em>Lord, help me to see You in the ebbs and flows of my daily schedule. Remind me to be of good courage when I am waiting on You. Amen</em><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-10599833193699443742011-04-26T05:30:00.000-07:002011-04-26T05:58:28.166-07:00Praise the Lord!<em>Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! Psalm 146:1</em><br /><br />Our office was closed for four days over the Easter weekend. It seemed that Monday would be a good day to come in and catch up on work while things were quiet.I’m not sure what it says about our staff, our work load, or our sanity that virtually every other staff member in our office thought exactly the same thing and we had a full house for a while. <br /><br />Looking at the schedule for the coming week, I almost broke out in hives over the 202 bills that will be heard on the House floor today. With bad bills flying through with little or no debate, this 101 Republican majority is beginning to scare me a bit. There are so many bills that purport to do one thing while in reality they do the exact opposite. We have immigration bills that look good and do nothing. We have education bills to cut local mandates that only serve to cut teacher pay and increase teacher workloads, while leaving multitudes of unnecessary mandates in place. We have an appropriations bill for a two year biennium that only fund about 18 months of the period. And we have legislators who are like little boys whistling in the dark as they run past the woods, pretending they are not afraid and hoping the boogie man won’t jump out and get them. <br /><br />My job is to read the bills, analyze them and make recommendations about the content of the bill. I used to think my job was to stop the bad stuff and get the good stuff passed. That understanding of my job description left me a total failure and utterly frustrated. It is much easier to fulfill my duty to read, analyze recommend and then tell God on ‘em when they do the wrong thing. <br /><br />John Quincey Adam’s nailed it when he said, “Duty is our’s results are God’s.” <br /><br />And, I praise the Lord that the results are in His hands. <br /><br /><em>Lord, Do you see what is going on around here? Just checking. Thank you that nothing is happening around here today that is going to take you by surprise. Amen. </em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-6229114529579242452011-04-21T04:59:00.000-07:002011-04-21T05:50:46.075-07:00Dead Man<em>Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4<br /><br /></em>This is the week that we observe Good Friday in remembrance of the crucifixion of Christ and Easter in celebration of His resurrection. But for the man (or woman) who walks in the power of the risen Lord, the resurrection is not something that is celebrated once a year. They do it every day. Their lives are a personification of dead to sin, alive to God. <br /><br />And, so we come to today’s theme - political suicide. <br /><br />As many of you know, this session I am working in the office of a freshman legislator. He is an interesting fellow. He actually says what he believes and does what he says. He is a humble man - quiet and unassuming, but tenacious and persistent. And, those characteristics have the rest of the people around here completely confounded. <br /><br />Why would a freshman legislator cause a ruckus on the House floor during the debate on appropriations. He was credited with everything from grandstanding to trying to set up an unfavorable vote to be used in future elections. The truth was, he <em><strong>actually believed</strong></em> that we should not be funding the Commission on the Arts and corporate welfare programs when we were cutting funding to nursing homes by 40 percent. Nobody put him up to it. He actually (don’t laugh) read the Appropriations bill himself and found the anomalies. <br /><br />Then last week, he had the audacity to request that a bill on a Local and Consent calendar be put on the General State calendar so that it could be properly debated. The bill grows government by 14.5 employees at a cost of $1.3 million. It could not be debated or amended on the local calendar and under the House rules probably should never have been placed there in the first place. It was the principle of the matter.<br /><br />The author of the bill happened to be the chair of the Local and Consent calendar committee, a seasoned legislator who has the respect and fear of her peers. With the ability to kill a member’s bill by simply refusing to place it on a calendar, few members are willing to question anything done in the committee. Some love their legislation more than their principles. <br /><br />So, what is it that motivates or even empowers a freshman legislator to commit political suicide? It is the understanding that it is not difficult to commit suicide when you are already a dead man. When you know that the Lord has brought you here for a time such as this, you play to the Audience of One. When you come to this place to serve God, not man, the decisions you make can be different. And when you love the Lord and your home, the threat that you may not be chosen to return to this den of iniquity is not a credible threat when the other option is regular business hours and time with your family. <br /><br />The part of me that wants to protect this freshman legislator from political pitfalls battles with the part of me that rejoices in the answer to prayer that a principled legislator is. I count it a privilege to be able to watch it play out. In the words of one of my political hero’s, “I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.”<br /><br /><em>Lord, may Your hand of protection be upon those legislators You have brought here for a time such as this. Amen</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-9302242829483976172011-04-20T04:53:00.000-07:002011-04-20T05:10:16.819-07:00When in Doubt . . .My rule of thumb is that when in doubt about what to read in scripture and short on time, turn to the Psalms. They never fail to comfort, inspire, stir up or reproach me as the day’s needs merit. This morning Psalm 60 seemed to be pulled from the headlines of recent days.<br /><br /><em>O God, You have cast us off;<br />You have broken us down;<br />You have been displeased;<br />Oh, restore us again!<br />You have made the earth tremble;<br />You have broken it;<br />Heal its breaches, for it is shaking.<br />You have shown Your people hard things:<br />You have made us drink the wine of confusion.<br />You have given a banner to those who fear You,<br />That it may be displayed because of the truth.<br />That your beloved may be delivered,<br />Save with Your right hand, and hear me. Psalm 60:1-5</em><br /><br /><em>Lord, I praise You that you know both our past and our future and love us anyway. I pray for your empowering grace and your unending mercies to follow your people today. Amen</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-87359723981413361202011-04-19T05:27:00.000-07:002011-04-19T07:39:42.934-07:00Oh Joy!<em>...the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10<br /><br /></em>Whew! I don’t know about you, but it seems like life is happening in fast forward these days. <br /><br />Being a veteran of legislative sessions, this session has been a challenge to me as the information flying at me is maxing out my capacity to process. Add the melt down of the phone lines due to a particular vote, a bit of frustration over dropping the ball when I shouldn’t have, and lack of sleep and you are setting up the scenario for not good things to happen.<br /><br />After carefully considering the options, I decided to nix the idea of hiding under my desk until everybody goes away. There is too much under there for me to clean out for it to be comfortable. I decided against locking the office door, also. One time I locked the door and forgot about it and almost whacked my nose from the momentum as I tried to go through it anyway. It wasn’t pretty.<br /><br />So, my final option was to remember that the joy of the Lord is my strength, and I am fully equipped to handle anything that comes my way this day.<br /><br />Praise God!<br /><br /><em>Thank you, Lord, that you do not lead us where you cannot keep us. And, thank you for Your joy that you give us. Amen.</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-77857066675784107852011-04-14T04:41:00.000-07:002011-04-14T05:18:30.003-07:00Call to Action<em>But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they rolled a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. Exodus 17:12<br /><br /></em>Let me just preface this piece with the admission that, yes, I have repented. <br /><br />Whenever my schedule would get exceedingly hectic I used to tell my husband that if only my calendar had bigger squares on it I would be able to accomplish more. My philosophy was that if there was room to write an action on the calendar, there was time to do it. There is a flaw in that philosophy - which is not the topic of this missive. Back to the point, yesterday my calendar needed bigger squares. <br /><br />Naturally, my response was to get offended on someone else’s behalf - like I have time to pick up someone else’s issue. Justifying it to myself as a righteous indignation allowed me to carry it a few hours longer, lose some sleep, get discouraged and generally irritate myself and those around me. Whining to the Lord this morning, He gently reminded me (I’m sure the two by four is gentle compared to other means He has) to shut up and start praying.<br /><br />We have an incredible group of new legislators (and some seasoned ones) who are servants of the Lord Most High. You wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell that so far, but it is time to share the blame for their lethargy. A legislator who chooses to go against the grain in this process is setting him / herself up for a beating. There are a thousand ways that those who disagree with you can make life difficult. You are subject to ridicule. Your legislative package can be stalled. You are not invited to participate with the “in crowd.” You can be lied to and about. If that doesn’t help you envision what they are up against, think about the play ground in junior high. You have the counterparts to the cool kids, nerds and geeks around the Capitol - and they have been known to act accordingly.<br /><br />So, what is the solution? When Moses sent Joshua into battle over the Amalekites, he stood on top of the hill overlooking the battle and raised the rod of God in his hand. As long as his hand was up, Joshua was winning. When he became too tired to stand there any longer, Aaron and Moses brought him a rock to sit on and held his hands up for him. <br /><br />By virtue of our vote for these godly men and women, we have sent them into battle on our behalf. We have to be constantly raising our hands over them and covering them in prayer as they do battle. When we drop that coverage, they will lose. <br /><br />There are a lot of bills that will be considered on the House floor today. I challenge each of you who are in the Capitol to take a few minutes out of your day to walk to the House gallery and pray over the Texas Legislature. Ask the Lord to give the members the courage of their conviction. Pray for divine wisdom and discernment as they are debating the bills. Pray that they will fear the Lord more than any man or constituency group. <br /><br />God is not restrained by time or distance. For those of you who are not in the Capitol, accept your responsibility to help solve our state’s problems. Add your prayers to the chorus coming from here. Most importantly, remember that this is not a one time call to prayer. <br /><br /><em>Lord, stir up your prayer warriors. Bring them into the battle. Amen</em><br /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-18531897820715585422011-04-12T05:31:00.000-07:002011-04-12T05:53:38.360-07:00Forty Days<em>But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Gen. 6:8<br /><br /></em>Have you ever tried to imagine yourself in the place of some of the great characters of the Bible? When God got fed up with all creation, He decided to destroy them with the flood. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He was the one whom God trusted to make the ark, collect all the animals, and literally bridge the gap between the flooded desolation and the new beginning. <br /><br />It was no small task. His wife probably thought he was crazy. It had never rained before. Her neighbors had no idea what Noah and his sons were thinking with their new T-shirts advertising “We Scoop Poop.” And now be honest, if God had asked you to do the task, would you have been faithful to bring along the skunks, spiders, and mosquitoes? Or, with so much confusion and so many animals, would you just figure God would never miss a few of His “lesser” creations?<br /><br />Yep, just thinking about Noah’s assignment makes me much happier that my next forty days will be spent here in the Capitol and not on that ark. Sure, it will rain legislation and my desk will continue to look like it has thrown up. My office is oozing reports, correspondence, resolutions and amendments. The poop we scoop is metaphorical. There is probably as much of it as was on the ark, but the stench is not so overwhelming. <br /><br />With that, I have probably carried this analogy further than it needs to go. All to make two points. <br /><br /><ol style="list-style-type: decimal"><li><em>Noah found grace in the eyes of God</em>. And so can you.</li><li>There are only forty days left in session!!!!!!!</li></ol><em>Lord, I do pray that You will continue to cover us with Your amazing grace. Amen</em><br /><br /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-31413739827189060042011-04-11T05:26:00.000-07:002011-04-11T05:40:29.186-07:00A Pig's Nose Ring<em>As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is lovely woman who lacks discretion. Proverbs 11:22<br /><br /></em>What is the first thing you think of when you read the above scripture about “...a ring of gold in a swine’s snout”? Did you get a visual on that? Was the pig also wearing pearls and a fancy hat? (Think Miss Piggy in <em>The Muppet Movie</em>.) Do you get the comparison between the pig’s nose ring and a woman sure to do the wrong thing at just the right time? Could you explain all that to me?<br /><br />Actually, I just picked the scripture this morning because it made me chuckle. And it delights my soul that scripture has such enjoyable nuggets of treasure hidden from cover to cover. Who, if you told told them you were reading a book where the practice of giving a pig a nose ring, would ever guess you were referring to the Word of God? <br /><br />No kidding. It is like a treasure hunt to read the Bible. I found my treasure for the day. Now, you go find you own. And don’t stop reading until you do!<br /><br /><em>Lord, thank you that Your Word has such precious nuggets to make us chuckle and the power to change lives. Open my eyes and my ears to receive the message You have for me.</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002271575975053912.post-70031365739839015452011-04-06T04:57:00.000-07:002011-04-06T05:20:20.557-07:00Ever Been the Cat?<em>I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. Psalm 9:1<br /><br /></em>Have you ever walked into a dark room and stepped on a cat? Immediately the silence is broken by the screech of the cat as it leaps into the air. It lands three feet away from where it started, with its back hunched, hair bristling and claws unsheathed. Have you ever been the cat?<br /><br />For those who are unaccustomed to the pace at the State Capitol, the cat analogy is as close as it gets to explaining how a day goes around here. Things can be perfectly quiet and going along well until that phone call comes in or the visitor arrives that steps on your tail and you find yourself doing, if not physical at least mental, gymnastics that leave you with hair bristling and claws unsheathed. I will even confess to an occasional screech or two. <br /><br />Then, there are those days when you feel like a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs. You are just waiting for the inevitable. <br /><br />I can’t tell you how to stop being the cat. But, I can tell you how to stop worrying about the rocking chairs. <br /><br />Just look up and praise the Lord. One of the marvelous things He does is to give peace in the midst of chaos. <br /><br /><em>Lord, I will praise you with my whole heart and tell of Your marvelous works. Amen</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0