Although we may have brought forth some fruit and have a joyful hope that we are abiding in the vine, yet there are times when we feel very barren. Prayer is lifeless, love is cold, faith is weak, each grace in the garden of our heart languishes and droops. We are like flowers in the hot sun, desperately needing the refreshing shower. In such a condition what are we to do? The text is addressed to us in just such a state. “Sing, O barren one…break forth into singing and cry aloud.” (Isaiah 54:1) But what can I sing about? I cannot talk about the present, and even the past looks full of barrenness. I can sing of Jesus Christ. I can talk of visits that the Redeemer has paid to me in the past; or if not of these, I can magnify the great love with which He loved His people when He came from the heights of heaven for their redemption. I will go to the cross again. Come, my soul, you were once heavy-laden, and you lost your burden there. Go to Calvary again. Perhaps that very cross that gave you life may give you fruitfulness. What is my barrenness? It is the platform for His fruit-creating power. What is my desolation? It is the dark setting for the sapphire of His everlasting love. I will go to Him in my poverty, I will go in my helplessness, I will go in all my shame and backsliding; I will tell Him that I am still His child, and finding confidence in His faithful heart, even I, the barren one, will sing and cry aloud.

~from Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

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We don’t have plans for the weekend. Some cleaning up tomorrow, maybe a trip to the pool. Church on Sunday, and then the Seahawks play their first official game of the season, so you’ll find me planted firmly in front of the television. Go, ‘Hawks!

~ You may not recognize Don LaFontaine by name, but I’m sure you would recognize his voice. If you’ve ever seen a movie trailer in which the voice over announcer says, “In a world….” - chances are that was Don LaFontaine. He passed away this week at age 68. Movie trailers just won’t be the same.

~ Remember the video I posted last week about the cell phones popping popcorn - the one that turned out to be a hoax? Here’s how - and why - they did it.

~ Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite reads from this year - and now you can read it for free!

~ Who caught the Bones premiere this week? We had to record it and watch it a day late, since the kids have to be picked up from Awana at 8 on Wednesdays. And, I loved it! Agent Booth and Great Britain - two of my favorite things - in one episode! So good. Spoiler alert - scroll down a couple lines if you don’t want it spoiled for you! Except for the Angela/Hodgins break-up. Why did they have to go and do that? Anyway, if you enjoy David Boreanaz, EW has him answering 17 pop culture questions.

~ Still bummed about the postponement of the film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? Here’s a video of Daniel Radcliffe appearing on Conan O’Brien to help tide you over.

~ My Friend Amy is hosting Book Blogger Appreciation Week - and that means some awards given out for favorite book blogs. Head over to this post and vote for your favorites. Get details on how to register for all the fun here.

~ The Dharma Initiative is looking for new recruits - click over to take their screening test.

~ Speaking of hit television shows (Yes, we were, honest. If you’re a little lost, let me know in the comments. ), Anthony Edwards is due to reprise his role as Dr. Mark Greene on ER in an episode this November - in flashbacks, of course.

Thank you so much for all your insightful comments on my previous post about the presidential election. I am at least convinced that I will definitely be voting in November. That said, I’m still not sure who I’ll be voting for! I’ll continue my research and reading and thinking and discussing and praying and make a decision before I mark my ballot. Along those lines, I’ll be including links every Friday that I have read and that are helping me make my decision.

~ FactCheck.org is a great place to check the facts on speeches, interviews, and campaign ads. You can subscribe to their RSS feed and get updates sent to your Bloglines, Google Reader, or other RSS reader account. Thanks to Sarah at The Mommylogues for pointing it out to me.

~ Speaking of facts, check this list of talking points in the Republican Convention speeches that misrepresented or stretched the truth. And, here’s the fact check list for the Democratic Convention. It’s kind of disheartening to see how much both sides of the political fence exaggerate or dissemble in order to gain poll points.

~ At VoteSmart.org, you can check each candidate’s voting record while they served in Congress. Here’s Barack Obama’s voting record. Here’s John McCain’s voting record.

~ Crunchy Con tells why one soldier, currently serving in Iraq, won’t be voting for John McCain.

~ According to the Presurfer, it’s not McCain/Palin, it’s Tigh/Roslin. (This is not a site I normally read, so please don’t hold me accountable for anything else you might find there.)

~ If you’re reading this before midnight PST on Friday, September 5th, there’s still time to enter to win a copy of Guernica by Dave Boling.

Have a great weekend!

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Let’s start with a little background, and then I’ll get myself in trouble right off the bat. Sounds promising, huh?

I voted for President Bush in 2000. I voted for him again in 2004. And I feel like I was duped.

See, told ya! Some of you are probably already ready to hit that comment button and tell me how wrong I am. That’s okay - I’m just going to explain how I feel and why I feel that way and hope my visitor stats don’t drop into no-man’s land.

When I voted for President Bush in 2000, I thought I was voting for a man of integrity. I truly believed I was voting for the right man. When we were attacked on September 11th, I was sure I had voted for the right man. Bush seemed to come into his own after 9/11, showing himself to be resolved and strong and the kind of leader we needed to see us through a national tragedy.

I agreed with him when he decided to attack Afghanistan and the Taliban for sheltering Al Qaeda. That was the right course of action, since Al Qaeda attacked us first. I was angry. I was grieving. I wanted revenge. And when Bush announced that the next step in protecting our country and dealing with 9/11 was to go to war with Iraq, I believed him. When he said that there were weapons of mass destruction, I believed him. I even had arguments with my dad, a Vietnam veteran who was against going to war with Iraq, saying that Bush must be right, he must have access to intelligence we don’t know about, getting rid of Hussein would make our world a safer place, etc.

Looking back, I am angry - at the Bush administration for using my anger and grief over 9/11 to manipulate me into supporting a war against a country that had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks - and at myself for being so easily led. I wish I had shown better judgment and not let my emotions get the best of my thought processes.

We have since found out that there were not WMDs in Iraq - and that President Bush was aware that the intelligence he was basing his decisions on was iffy at best. There were no Al Qaeda bases in Iraq before the Iraq war. The number of incidences of terrorism has gone up since we began our war on terrorism, not down. Ron Paul was gutsy enough to say that we didn’t take into account how our presence on Arab soil would be received and that we should have considered their history and way of thinking - and the consequences of military action - before entering the war. Because of his honesty, he was accused of being unpatriotic. We have now even seen the government of Iraq call for a plan for US troops to withdraw - and at first, President Bush refused! In my opinion, at that point this becomes an occupation, not a liberation. President Bush has since admitted that we need a timeline of withdrawal - or event horizon, or whatever terminology he is using, but John McCain still resists the idea.

We have seen President Bush lie about how NFL star Pat Tillman died - even after being warned by top military officials that he was killed by friendly fire, not in action. We have seen him expose a CIA agent, and put her and her family in danger. We have seen him hire his political cronies for positions like head of FEMA - and then watched the ensuing chaos and devastation. One by one, members of his administration have been accused of unethical behavior. He has used semantics to deny the fact that the United States government is involved in torturing prisoners.

We have watched our men and women leave to fight the war in Iraq and Afghanistan without the body armor and armored vehicles they need to keep themselves safe. Our government is more than willing to send our military men and women out to fight in this war, while paying them so little that many of their families qualify for food stamps and other financial assistance. When they return, they are welcomed home with scads of paperwork and long waiting lists before they can get the medical and psychological help they need. The numbers of fatalities seems low compared to other wars, but this fact can be partially attributed to our more advanced medical technology. More men and women are living through military action, but many are coming home missing limbs, eyes, ears. Many are coming home permanently disabled - either physically or psychologically. Many are coming home to marriages that have disintegrated while they spent long deployments in the Middle East - sometimes coming home for a while and then being sent out again.

Please don’t think that I am in any way denigrating the men and women who fight and serve in our country’s military. I am pro-military. My dad is a veteran of the Vietnam War, and I am proud of him for that fact. I admire and honor those who go serve in this war because that is the job they have signed up for because they love their country. I think the best way we could honor them is to make sure they are prepared when we send them into battle. I think we should honor them by giving them wages that reflect the service they provide to our country. I think we should honor them by giving them the very best of medical and psychological treatment when they return - without wading through months of paperwork and waiting lists. And most of all, I think we should honor them by bringing them home.

I’ve heard all the arguments. We can’t just leave without accomplishing our goals. What goals? To bring Hussein down? Done. To establish a coalition Iraqi government that can function on its own? I’m not sure how successful the government will be in the long-run, but they are saying they are ready to run their own country, so we should let them.

Yes, Iraq is better off without Saddam Hussein. He was a horrible, evil, wicked man who did unspeakable things to the people of Iraq. But, that was not our reason for going to war. That has been the justification in hindsight that everyone wants to bring up - Hussein was evil and committing acts against humanity. Fine. If that is the reason we should invade a country, then why have we not gone to war in the Sudan? Congo? Sierra Leone? Oh, that’s right, they don’t have oil. Instead of celebrating the Olympics in Beijing, why haven’t we gone to war with China over the persecution of Christians, the forced abortions, the unspeakable treatment of women? Oh, that’s right - they’re big and scary, so we appease them instead. Yes, Hussein was evil, and Iraq is better off without him, but don’t use that as your justification for war unless you plan on taking out every other evil dictator or regime in the world.

Okay, so that’s how I feel about President Bush and the war in Iraq. Anyone still like me? Or maybe you have all clicked away already. Might as well forge ahead.

I don’t trust myself to vote in November. I truly believed President Bush was an honorable man, and the best choice for president. I now believe I was wrong. How do I know that this won’t happen again this time? I could vote for McCain or Obama - firm in the belief that I am choosing the right man - and I could be horribly, terribly wrong.

I can find as many reasons to vote for each candidate as I can to not vote for each candidate.

McCain’s position on the war terrifies me. He has said that we will be in Iraq for 100 years if that is what it takes to win the war. Win the war? What does that even mean?

Let’s get personal. I have three sons. Noah is 10. In 8 years, he will be legally required to register for Selective Services. That’s right - I’m worried about a draft. If we are still at war in Iraq and Afghanistan and McCain decides to attack Iran - a not entirely unfeasible situation, given some of his words on the matter - where are the troops going to come from? What happens if this whole Russia situation escalates? We are stretched too, too thin. Because of that, I don’t know how I can bring myself to vote for John McCain, even if he does choose a Christian, pro-life veep.

So, where does that leave me? I had determined that I would not vote in this election on only one issue - that being abortion. I agreed with Al Mohler, Jr. when he said that many Republicans act as if life begins with conception and ends at birth. In other words, their policies regarding poverty, health care, and the war show that they don’t value lives post-birth as much as they do while they are in utero. So, I thought I could probably vote for Obama, since he said he was morally opposed to abortion, even though he wasn’t in favor of criminalizing it.

But - that is not the truth of Obama’s position on abortion. His position is much more extreme, as demonstrated by his vote against the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act when he was in the Illinois state senate. (For more info on this, put more succintly, check out this, this, this, this, and this.) Because of that, I don’t know how I can bring myself to vote for Obama.

See where that leaves me? And to be honest, I’m more than exhausted over the whole thing. Obama gives a great speech, McCain picks a surprising woman veep. And the political pundits and blogosphere crawl all over each other to see who can put out the most outrageous, partisan, slanted information on whomever they don’t like at the moment.

I turned on the Republican convention this evening while Rudy Giuliani happened to be speaking. And after five minutes, I turned it back off again - because it turned my stomach. Maybe some of the other speeches were good, but Giuliani just came across as the worst of politics: arrogant and self-satisfied, and having nothing whatsoever to say about our country and where it should be headed, and oodles to say about how horrible Obama is. I am just plain sick of it all.

So, there you have it. I’m afraid to vote. I’m sick of politics in general. Kevin feels the same way, and we’re left having conversations where we ponder what a Christian’s responsibility is in this situation. Does God want us to vote when we think each candidate is a bad choice? Should we write in another name as a protest vote? Should we abstain? Cast lots? I’m tempted to write across my ballot in black Sharpie, “I’ll vote when you give me someone worth voting for.”

Okay, I guess I’m done. I know this is long and rambling, and I haven’t taken the time to link to all of my sources. I may be - probably am - wrong about at least one thing in this post. Feel free to tell me about it in the comments - but please, please, let’s keep the discussion civil. It is possible to discuss politics and opposing views without taking personal potshots. It doesn’t happen very often, but it is possible.

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How long were your labors?

Natalie - 9 hours
Noah - 11 hours
Jonathan - I can’t remember. I was induced in the morning, went in for an emergency c-section in the afternoon. I’d have to look in his babybook for the exact time.
Josiah - 0 hours - C-section

How did you know you were in labor?

Natalie: When the nurse had cranked the pitocin up high enough that I started having contractions. I went from no contractions to minute-long transition labor contractions every two minutes. Not fun.

Noah: When I woke up with contractions. I was able to sleep in between them for a couple hours, then I was up.

Jonathan: When the pitocin kicked in - pretty much same deal as with Natalie. Only I knew what to expect. Shudder.

Josiah: Scheduled c-section.

Where did you deliver?

At the hospital. Natalie was in Vancouver, Washington, the rest here in Colville.

Drugs?

Oh, yeah. As much as they would give me.

C-section?

Two. Jonathan was an emergency c-section. He had the cord wrapped around his neck twice. I labored all the way to 10 centimeters, then when I started pushing, his heartbeat disappeared. Very scary. Josiah was a repeat c-section. Since I had a history of pre-eclampsia, my doctor didn’t want to try a VBAC.

Who delivered?

Dr. Ahern, an OB/GYN in Vancouver delivered Natalie. Dr. Bacon, our doctor here in Colville - and pretty much the best doctor in the world - delivered the other three.

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It’s the ultimate race to the finish line as the Tortoise and the Hare face off once again in this entertaining tale from the storied Jim Henson Company. Once upon a time, “sure and steady” Mr. Tortoise won the race…and speedy Mr. Hare is determined to make sure it doesn’t happen again in the rematch of the century. Join Danny Glover, Jay Leno, Vivca A. Fox, Drake Bell, and Keke Palmer as they lend their voice talent to this animated hit that runs circles around the classic tale!

Tortoise vs. Hare is the second Unstable Fable we’ve reviewed at our house. Three Pigs and a Baby was our first exposure to the series, and the kids absolutely loved it. Tortoise vs. Hare lived up to its predecessor. It has a new witty take on the old tortoise and hare fable, and includes some good life lessons along with the humor. The voices are great, and the sports announcers following the race are hilarious. The boys have watched it three times since it arrived earlier this week.

Noah’s review: It was very, very funny. It shows that you shouldn’t be so competitive against anyone, just have a good race. If you’ve seen Three Pigs and a Baby, you might see some of the same characters. 5 stars.

Josiah’s review: Butch’s dad is very funny. His name is Mr. Hare. I like when they roll up in the giant snowball. 5 stars.

Unstable Fables: Tortoise vs. Hare will be available on DVD on September 9th. The DVD special features include “How to Draw a Character” with director Howard E. Baker, the making of Tortoise vs. Hare, and a sneak peek at the next unstable fable.

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Join Pooh, Tigger, Darby and all your pals from the Hundred Acre Wood for this delightful treat full of fantas-terrific fun!

It’s fall, the time of year filled with surprises, and the gang needs YOU to use your super-sleuthing skills to answer a few tricky questions and solve some spooky-fun mysteries. Can Piglet’s friends help him overcome his fear of thunder and lightning by playing the Flashidy Freeze game? And when a piece of the moon “breaks off,” will Eeyore really take a rocket-ship trip to fix it?! There’s much more excitement in store, so get ready to laugh, play and sing along as you and your friends celebrate the harvest season and proudly proclaim, “This mystery is history!”

Yes, that says “Darby.” Christopher Robin is absent from this installment of the Winnie the Pooh franchise, which I find slightly blasphemous. It didn’t bother my 6-year-old Josiah, though, who enjoyed this DVD very much.

My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Hundred Acre Wood Haunt will be available on DVD on September 2nd. The DVD special features include a special Halloween episode of Handy Manny and the “Super Sleuth Fall Harvest Festival” game.

The only thing more fun than listening to a story is actually being part of it. So just say the magic words, “Meeska Mooska, Mickey Mouse” - and let the enchantment begin!

When Donald Duck turns into a frog after drinking Professor Von Drake’s new potion, only a kiss from Princess Daisy can change him back. But she’s locked away in the Tallest Tower! Will you help Mickey choose the right Mouseketools to rescue Daisy and de-frog Donald? There’s nonstop fun, excitement and new challenges around every corner as you help solve a Goldilocks-style mystery, wake Sleeping Minnie from a hundred-year-nap, outsmart pesky Pete on a race through the woods and more!

Let your imagination soar as you join Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and the whole Clubhouse gang of classic characters as they set off on amazing, music-filled storybook adventures inspired by your favorite fairy tales. No matter what your age, Mickey’s Storybook Surprises will make you believe in Mousekemagic!

We haven’t had time to watch this one yet, but Josiah loves the other Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD we have, so I’m sure it will be a hit, too.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Storybook Surprises will be available on DVD on September 2nd. The DVD special features include the “Tales from Toodles” Game.

Now, the fun part. I have one copy of each of these DVDs to give away to my readers. Here are the specifics:

1. Leave a comment on this post before 11:59 pm PST, Sunday, September 7th.

2. In your comment, please tell me which DVD is your first choice, which is your second choice.

3. On Monday, September 8th, I will use Random.org to generate two random numbers. If both winners prefer the same DVD, the first number chosen will get their first choice.

4. This giveaway is open to readers in the US and Canada only. (I’m paying shipping myself.)

5. Normally I say one comment per reader. However, this time I have a way for you to earn one more chance to win. Click over to my other blog, Books and Movies. Look around and find one book that I’ve reviewed that you would like to read, then come back here and tell me about it. Your comment must include a book that you saw me review at Books and Movies, or it won’t qualify for a second entry. While you’re there, you can also enter to win a copy of the novel Guernica.

Good luck!

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1. Sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
Kevin’s favorites are Battlestar Galactica, Psych, Firefly, or Band of Brothers

2. You’re out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
Thousand Island

3. What’s one food he doesn’t like?
Peas. Neither of us like peas, so you won’t see them in our house.

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order?
Well, we’ve never gone to a bar together, but at New Year’s he likes to have a Kahlua and Cream.

5. Where did he go to high school?
Rex Putnam High School in Milwaukie, Oregon.

6. What size shoe does he wear?
Six.

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
He already does - he collects computers.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
Turkey wrap: sundried tomato wrap, smoked turkey, havarti cheese, lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing.

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?
Steak.

10. What is his favourite cereal?
He hardly ever eats cereal, so I have no idea.

11. What would he never wear?
A speedo. I would say a tuxedo, but since our 11-year-old daughter is already planning her wedding and Kevin would do pretty much anything for her…

12. What is his favourite sports team?
He doesn’t really follow sports, but he’ll cheer for the Seahawks with me. Or else.

13. Who will he vote for?
Oh, what a loaded question. We’ve had so many conversations, and neither of us have decided yet. I really do need to write that post that’s rambling around my head.

14. Who is his best friend?
I am!

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do?
He hates it when we’re arguing and I get sarcastic. Not that I do it very often…

16. How many states has he lived in?
Two - Oregon and Washington.

17. What is his heritage?
Our last name is Austrian - that’s all I really know.

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?
Chocolate Crazy Cake with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting.

19. Did he play sports in high school?
Not at school - I think he played on his church’s teams, though. Maybe softball and basketball?

20. What could he spend hours doing?
Playing Call of Duty online.

Let me know if you play along.

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Summer isn’t quite over, I know, but for the purpose of the Summer Reading Challenge, it is. Here’s what I managed to get read during June, July, and August.

Continued reading (these are ongoing):

~ The Oxford Book of American Poetry

~ The Intellectual Devotional by David S. Kidder & Noah D. Oppenheim

Finished:

~ An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn’t by Judy Jones & William Wilson (finished 7/2) - 4 stars - related post

~ She Always Wore Red by Angela Hunt (finished 6/3) - 5 stars

A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 by James Shapiro (finished 8/22) - 3 stars - related post

~ Belong to Me by Marisa De Los Santos (finished 6/9) - 5 stars - related post

~ The Host by Stephenie Meyer (finished 6/29) - 5 stars - related post

~ Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) by Stephenie Meyer (finished 6/6) - 4 stars

~ Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) by Stephenie Meyer (finished 8/9) - 4 stars - related post

~ Kristin Lavransdatter III: The Cross by Sigrid Undset (finished 7/18) - 4 stars - related post

Gave up on:

~ Petite Anglaise (ARC) by Catherine Sanderson

Didn’t get to:

~ Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

~ Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears

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