Politics & Religion

I found a link a while back that I fell in love with... it discussed 7 things Christians need to remember about politics.  I found it well written and full of truth... heck, I WANTED to print it out and mail it to quite a few people we know who love bashing the candidates or who refuse to fact check anything (but I refrained ;).  The more I thought about it, I really wanted to add my own thoughts to it... so here goes... I'm using their 7 points and adding to them... PLEASE click the link above.  I'd post their article and just add mine in italics, but I'm sure that would lead to copyright infridgement of some sort...

1. Both political parties go to church. This is 100% true.  Voting republican doesn't make you more Christian and voting democrat doesn't make you less Christian.  Both parties can appeal to aspects of religion.  The republicans are typically against abortion and same-sex marriage... the democrats tend to support more charity in terms of helping the poor and the struggling.  In reality, the "perfect" Christian political party is a blend of them both and doesn't exist.  Don't make the assumption based on someone's religion that they should vote a certain way... it's insulting.

2. Political talk radio and cable “news” only want ratings.  If you watch any of the news channels and take what they say as fact, you're fooling yourself.  Just because Fox said Obama is Muslim and MSNBC said Romney is going to ban divorce doesn't make it true.  Not only do they contridict themselves all the time, they are known for reporting things that are flat out wrong.  Anyone remember the supreme court decision where they only read the first page and spend half an hour reporting the wrong verdict?  I'm not saying don't watch the news... I'm saying watch it knowing that their goal is to get you to keep watching to make them money.  I've turned to watching Jon Stewart for political entertainment and turning to international news sources for everything else (though they are, of course, also flawed).

3. Those who argue over politics don’t love their country more than others.  On the same note... please stop looking at "tokens" and deciding who is "patriotic" based on that.  I'm so tired of hearing about things like who wears a flag pin...

4. Thinking your party’s platform is unflawed is a mistake.  This is so true.  Heck, Romney doesn't even agree with all of the Republican platform as presented at their convention.  Platforms are maleable... they change every year and, over time, can even change drastically.  The democratic platform of 50 years ago looks absolutely nothing like it does now.  If Regan were running for office today, his views would align more than with democrats than the current republican party.  Platforms are just like the men who write them, imperfect.

5. Scripture tells us to pray for our governing leaders (2 Timothy 2:1-4) and to respect those in authority (Romans 13:1-7).   I love that they listed the scripture references here.  All of those memes calling Obama a Muslim or making fun of Romney for his religion?  That isn't Biblical.  The Bible tells us a few things regarding politics, and what stood out to me most is that it says that ALL leaders are put in place by God and that we are to respect and honor them.  Does that mean they're perfect?  No... but it does mean that we have to trust that God knows what He's doing when HE allows them to be voted into office or gain the influence to run for office.  When you bash either candidate, calling them names, spewing hate, reposting untruthful posters/pictures/memes... you're dishonoring God.  He wants you to pray for them, whether you wanted them in office or not... he wants you to listen to what they have to say, whether you agree with it or not... I'm not saying you don't do something about it.  If I disagree with a piece of legislation, especially if on religious grounds, then I should go through the proper channels to make my respectful voice heard.

6. Don’t be paranoid. Seriously... The US has had many Presidents over the years... I believe 43... (you have to consider that Grover Cleveland is #22 and 24)... some have made great decisions, some have made bad decisions.  Some have taken us into wars where we saved and liberated people, others have taken us into wars where we pretty much destroyed a country and left.  But that's the beauty of our system... worse case scenario they get 8 years... trust that if God wants America to stand, then it will withstand whichever man takes the oath of office in January.  If God doesn't want America to stand, then it really doesn't matter which guy wins anyway.

7. Teach your children the beauty of our democracy (this one is mine).  On election night, one man is going to stand before a huge TV audience and accept the Presidency, while another conceeds respectfully.  Especially if your guy looses, try to refrain from making disrespectful comments about the new President.  Try to avoid doomsday comments that are exaggerations like "Well, the whole country is going to fall apart now" or "We're all going to hell now..."  Your children are watching, listening, and learning from you.  Remind your kids that, while you thought the other candidate was better suited to run the country, in a democracy everyone gets to vote and we need to respect that.  Remind your kids that God wants us to pray for our President, even if he isn't the man we would have picked, and that if the other man won, then it was God's will.  If your guy wins, remind your kids that even though this time the man we liked won, it doesn't always happen that way and we shouldn't be arrogant or brag.  Most of all, take time to pray with your kids for BOTH men on election night... that God would give wisdom to them both... to help the winner be humble and the looser find comfort.

Camping with an infant...

A few weeks ago we started to pack for a camping trip with some very good friends.  We were super excited about it... we haven't been able to spend time with these friends in a while and we were looking forward to it.  Because this would be the first time I camped with a child under 3, I thought I'd search for advice.  The problem?  Most of the advice I found consisted of "Don't do it!!!!"  That didn't help me... we were camping as a family, whether it was a good idea or not!  We promised ourselves that we wouldn't let Nicholas miss out on things because he had a new little brother. 

I decided that after our trip, I'd post a POSITIVE post about camping with a 6 month old, to encourage other families to just do it!

1.  BRING THE PACK N PLAY!  This was something my husband and I kind of argued over... space was tight in his truck beacuse we were putting a lot of the gear for 7 people in there and the truck isn't all that big.  But I insisted and in a VERY rare moment, he was forced to say "I told you so."  Don't get me wrong... Ryan slept in our sleeping bags with us.  It wasn't too cold for him to be in the pack n play, but it was a different environment with weird sounds and he just slept better with us.  That being said, the pack n play was absolutely essential for his naps and for times when we just both needed to be occupied.  When I was making dinner and Jon was helping Nicholas, Ryan could be in the pack n play. 

2.  BRING A HALF TENT!  We didn't do this, but our friends did and it SAVED us on the beach!!  He was able to stay in the shade and even nap in the half tent!  It was awesome!

3.  BRING A BABY CARRIER!  We didn't bring the stroller but we did bring the carrier and for the longer walks, it was SO nice!  The stroller didn't lend itself well to camping because we were at the beach and strollers + sand = messy and a pain (we learned last beach trip). 

4.  PLAN SUPER EASY MEALS!  We try to eat healthy at home with as little processed foods as possible.  When we were camping, I didn't stress over it.  I did bring grapes, carrots, yogurt, raisins, nuts, and corn... but I also brought sausage, hot dogs, etc... Our friends made delicious and healthy food, and our next trip I'll likely bring healthier options, but for camping with an infant you want meals that are quick, easy, and can be easily made while multi-tasking.  I also got things I don't usually get because they'd be easy to pass out... Gogurt, which my 5 year old begs for regularly but I don't usually buy because it's more expensive than just a carton of yogurt... Cheese sticks, which I don't usually buy because it's easy enough to just cut a few slices and because if they're available he'll eat the whole package in one sitting. 

5.  BRING COFFEE!  Our friends brought Starbucks via.  We brought a coffee press.  Whatever you bring... BRING COFFEE!  If you don't drink coffee, you'll start when camping with an infant :P

6.  Lastly... BE FLEXIBLE!  Ryan napped for maybe an hour all day... he normally takes 2-3 long naps.  He ate randomly, he normally eats on a solid schedule.  He ate no solids while we were on the trip, he normally has a big dinner.  I was a little worried that when we got home it'd take forever to get him back to normal.  It didn't... it took no time at all.  Also, it helped that I was nursing, but that I also don't stress over a little formula.  In that regard, everyone do whatever you're most comfortable with... but it was nice to be able to mix a bottle of formula here and there... it didn't impact my supply or his nursing schedule when we got home.