The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ~ James 5:16
Yesterday was yet another evidence of God’s amazing faithfulness. I am so grateful for the many of you who have told me of your prayers for me in the last few days; I want you to know that they were felt from the moment I woke up yesterday till the moment I went to sleep around 2:30 this morning.
The markup with extraordinarily well – under the political circumstances, I don’t think it could have gone better. So many stories I could share, but I’m not entirely sure just how to articulate some of them – partially because I am still so overwhelmed that this part of the process is over (at least in our Committee – one other House Committee will be continuing to mark until Wednesday).
Suffice to say for now that the markup lasted sixteen and a half hours, spanning a walkthrough, questions, and forty amendments – five of which were my boss’. He did an excellent job – those months of forcing him to learn healthcare paid off by God’s grace!
And speaking of that, isn’t it amazing that our prayers are heard because we are considered righteous because of what Christ did for us?
I am humbled and thankful in a new way today because of how God has encouraged me through so many of you. I hope I someday have the chance to encourage you as you have done for me.
Happy Friday, everyone – and more stories later. After some sleep.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Perfectly Weak, or, A Prayer Request
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ~ Paul, II Corinthians 12:8-12
When I poured over this passage one morning a few weeks ago, my curiosity was piqued anew. What are my infirmities? During college, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what they were – but in retrospect I see many of those “weaknesses” as, largely, lack of perspective. The question remained: in what infirmities can I bring God the most glory?
One answer (I’m sure there are many more) has been revealed in a very real way in recent weeks. It’s simply this:
My humanity.
As work has been ramping up in recent weeks, I have often found myself feeling wholly inadequate to the task. It’s not that I don’t feel well enough trained or haven’t kept up on the issues (though there were plenty of documents I should have read and didn’t). I’ve been wrestling with this sense of being one little player in this monolithic issue of healthcare reform. Because for as big as it is, policies are also very complex, and unexpected series of events can affect outcomes overnight. And I don’t want to mess up.
This intensely humbling experience has been very good. It’s driven me to the Word, to my knees, and to others. I have had many faithful friends praying for and with me, and for that I am immensely grateful. I can say with confidence that has made me literally a different person at work. Despite pretty intense stress, I have, by God’s grace, been able to laugh, smile, and be (I think) a good coworker. I’m feeling more myself at work than I have in quite some time.
So amid all this praise, I have a request to share with my fellow followers of the Way. Tomorrow will probably be one of the most important days of my professional career, from a worldly standpoint. Of course there is a nervous excitement that accompanies that reality. But more than anything, I want my weakness in this moment – the stress, the distraction, the nervousness, the desire to look good, the franticness – to be overshadowed by an extraordinary peace and joy that can only be explained by my trust in a Savior who transcends healthcare, political power, and the whole of this world. Also, say a pray for my boss, if you think of it. He will be speaking quite a bit, including some dialogue on some potentially controversial subjects – and this is his first honest-to-goodness markup. So we both will need grace, and lots of it, to get through a potentially 18+ hour day!
I am so blessed to have so many friends with whom I can share all this with the confidence that you will be praying for and with me. God has blessed me so far beyond what I deserve in the friend department alone, and for that I am eternally grateful to Him – and to you.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! ~ Paul, Ephesians 3:20-21
Amen, and amen.
When I poured over this passage one morning a few weeks ago, my curiosity was piqued anew. What are my infirmities? During college, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what they were – but in retrospect I see many of those “weaknesses” as, largely, lack of perspective. The question remained: in what infirmities can I bring God the most glory?
One answer (I’m sure there are many more) has been revealed in a very real way in recent weeks. It’s simply this:
My humanity.
As work has been ramping up in recent weeks, I have often found myself feeling wholly inadequate to the task. It’s not that I don’t feel well enough trained or haven’t kept up on the issues (though there were plenty of documents I should have read and didn’t). I’ve been wrestling with this sense of being one little player in this monolithic issue of healthcare reform. Because for as big as it is, policies are also very complex, and unexpected series of events can affect outcomes overnight. And I don’t want to mess up.
This intensely humbling experience has been very good. It’s driven me to the Word, to my knees, and to others. I have had many faithful friends praying for and with me, and for that I am immensely grateful. I can say with confidence that has made me literally a different person at work. Despite pretty intense stress, I have, by God’s grace, been able to laugh, smile, and be (I think) a good coworker. I’m feeling more myself at work than I have in quite some time.
So amid all this praise, I have a request to share with my fellow followers of the Way. Tomorrow will probably be one of the most important days of my professional career, from a worldly standpoint. Of course there is a nervous excitement that accompanies that reality. But more than anything, I want my weakness in this moment – the stress, the distraction, the nervousness, the desire to look good, the franticness – to be overshadowed by an extraordinary peace and joy that can only be explained by my trust in a Savior who transcends healthcare, political power, and the whole of this world. Also, say a pray for my boss, if you think of it. He will be speaking quite a bit, including some dialogue on some potentially controversial subjects – and this is his first honest-to-goodness markup. So we both will need grace, and lots of it, to get through a potentially 18+ hour day!
I am so blessed to have so many friends with whom I can share all this with the confidence that you will be praying for and with me. God has blessed me so far beyond what I deserve in the friend department alone, and for that I am eternally grateful to Him – and to you.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! ~ Paul, Ephesians 3:20-21
Amen, and amen.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
"It is the Lord"
Because I needed this reminder today, and maybe it will encourage you, too.
The person who may appear to be blessed, having been untouched by sorrow, is typically not one who is strong and at peace. His qualities have never been tested and he does not know how he would handle even a mild setback. The safest sailor is certainly not one who has never weathered a storm. He may be right for fair-weather sailing, but when a storm arises, wouldn’t you want an experienced sailor at the critical post? Wouldn’t you want one at the helm who has fought through a gale and who knows the strength of the ship’s hull and rigging?
Oh, how everything gives way when affliction first comes upon us! The clinging stems of our hopes are quickly snapped, and our heart lies overwhelmed and prostrate, like a vine the windstorm has torn from its trellis. But once the initial shock is over and we are able to look up and say, ‘it is the Lord’ (John 21:7), faith begins to lift our shattered hopes once more and securely binds them to the feet of God. And the final result is confidence, safety, and peace.
Be strong, He has not failed you in all the past,
And will He go and leave you to sink at last?
No, He said He will hide you beneath His wing;
And sweetly there in safety you then may sing.
The person who may appear to be blessed, having been untouched by sorrow, is typically not one who is strong and at peace. His qualities have never been tested and he does not know how he would handle even a mild setback. The safest sailor is certainly not one who has never weathered a storm. He may be right for fair-weather sailing, but when a storm arises, wouldn’t you want an experienced sailor at the critical post? Wouldn’t you want one at the helm who has fought through a gale and who knows the strength of the ship’s hull and rigging?
Oh, how everything gives way when affliction first comes upon us! The clinging stems of our hopes are quickly snapped, and our heart lies overwhelmed and prostrate, like a vine the windstorm has torn from its trellis. But once the initial shock is over and we are able to look up and say, ‘it is the Lord’ (John 21:7), faith begins to lift our shattered hopes once more and securely binds them to the feet of God. And the final result is confidence, safety, and peace.
Be strong, He has not failed you in all the past,
And will He go and leave you to sink at last?
No, He said He will hide you beneath His wing;
And sweetly there in safety you then may sing.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Views of a Perfect Holiday Weekend: Dock-Sitting
With thanks, as always, to the Italian for the shutter-eye.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Remembering the Start
With gratitude to those who fought, both with the pen and the sword, and those who continue to fight on both fronts today.
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Friday, June 26, 2009
What happened today
Today was one of the rare days this blessed year that actually felt like summer in DC. Walking to work with Emily this morning, I noted the deadly duo of heat and humidity, the sudden onset of which made me wake up with a headache. I also observed that it probably would have been wise for me to bring an umbrella in case an afternoon thunderstorm arose. Emily pointed out that it one must get totally soaked through during a storm at least once a season; I recalled that one particular soaking before a long Metro/car ride back to Purcellville some six years ago with Ash and Beth had probably taken care of my completely soaked quota for a lifetime.
Ah, how foolish I can be.
It was a long day at work, and I stayed late, though I technically didn’t need to, to watch the cap and trade vote. I’m not going to discuss that – it’s not the point of my writing – but by the time I was getting ready to leave work, I was plenty exhausted and hungry. Since I wasn’t going home to a roommate and was struggling with the day’s fatigue, I decided to call in an order to the local sushi joint and pick up dinner on the way back to the apartment.
I was about halfway back (in front of the Supreme Court) when the first raindrops darkened the sidewalk. I quickened my pace. By the next block, the rain was steady. Within the next, it was torrential. There was no use seeking shelter under an overhang because the wind was driving the drain almost horizontal – which also made walking in a skirt interesting, until the linen got wet enough that it both laid down and stuck to me. When I walked by cars waiting at lights, I caught people looking at me piteously. I smiled at them to let them know they didn’t have to feel sorry for me; I didn’t have plans tonight anyway, and, according to Emily’s philosophy, I was getting my drenching experience out of the way for the season.
By the time I walked up the steps to collect my sushi, my hair, shirt, and skirt were completely soaked and unattractively clingy. My fellow patrons, some of whom hadn’t recognized the torrent outside, regarded me as something of a wonder. Once I got my food, I headed back out into the wet; waiting it out didn’t make sense at this point.
After fording the river once known as Massachusetts Avenue (I don’t think my brown flats will recover from that experience), I finally fell into my apartment and traded my wet work clothes for a dry t-shirt and pajama pants. Turned on the laptop, grabbed my chopsticks, popped in Thank You for Smoking, and let go of the last two weeks of an almost constant, oppressive stress… something I probably wouldn’t have gotten around to doing today absent getting caught in the rain.
And so, I thank God for thunderstorms and the unexpected.
Ah, how foolish I can be.
It was a long day at work, and I stayed late, though I technically didn’t need to, to watch the cap and trade vote. I’m not going to discuss that – it’s not the point of my writing – but by the time I was getting ready to leave work, I was plenty exhausted and hungry. Since I wasn’t going home to a roommate and was struggling with the day’s fatigue, I decided to call in an order to the local sushi joint and pick up dinner on the way back to the apartment.
I was about halfway back (in front of the Supreme Court) when the first raindrops darkened the sidewalk. I quickened my pace. By the next block, the rain was steady. Within the next, it was torrential. There was no use seeking shelter under an overhang because the wind was driving the drain almost horizontal – which also made walking in a skirt interesting, until the linen got wet enough that it both laid down and stuck to me. When I walked by cars waiting at lights, I caught people looking at me piteously. I smiled at them to let them know they didn’t have to feel sorry for me; I didn’t have plans tonight anyway, and, according to Emily’s philosophy, I was getting my drenching experience out of the way for the season.
By the time I walked up the steps to collect my sushi, my hair, shirt, and skirt were completely soaked and unattractively clingy. My fellow patrons, some of whom hadn’t recognized the torrent outside, regarded me as something of a wonder. Once I got my food, I headed back out into the wet; waiting it out didn’t make sense at this point.
After fording the river once known as Massachusetts Avenue (I don’t think my brown flats will recover from that experience), I finally fell into my apartment and traded my wet work clothes for a dry t-shirt and pajama pants. Turned on the laptop, grabbed my chopsticks, popped in Thank You for Smoking, and let go of the last two weeks of an almost constant, oppressive stress… something I probably wouldn’t have gotten around to doing today absent getting caught in the rain.
And so, I thank God for thunderstorms and the unexpected.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Domestic therapy
To be honest, dear reader, I have had a honey of a time trying to think of what to discuss on my blog that won’t include nonsensical references to new DRGs, fixing the SGR, preventing DSH cuts, guaranteed issue, and the like. When healthcare reform isn’t occupying my time, the belabored appropriations process is – which, to me, is even less interesting than healthcare, so I can only imagine what it would be like if I wrote about it here.
So, I thought I would address the question I am asked somewhat frequently: “how do you survive living in that city?” The answer is God’s grace, of course, but that is exercised in numerous tangible ways, some of which I will share with you here. Specifically, I find my best and favorite stress release in domestic undertakings, starting with cooking. A lot of cooking. Especially in the polka-dot apron my Mom sent me recently.
This shot was from Buffalo chicken pizza night, one of our many new favorite dinners at D Pasta. Another new culinary discovery is what I can only refer to as pasta perfection, developed after a few months of trial and error:
Toss this over pasta of your choice, and trust me, you will be delighted.
Another new culinary endeavor was undertaken for Felicity’s baby shower. This quiche recipe was passed on by a dear friend, and it is very easy, very tasty, and quite aesthetically pleasing if I may say so myself:
Speaking of the baby shower, the impending arrival of the Holtlet recently drew me back to what used to be a pretty common hobby: crocheting. Here is the product of my most recent undertaking:
Now I get to start working on the Fendrich’s afghan. Hoping to get it to them before their 5th anniversary…
All told, I think my proudest domestic venture has been my garden: tomatoes, chili peppers, herbs, and a few flowers. Inconstant gardener as I am, the extremely rainy late spring has been very good to my plants. Here are my tomatoes (raised from seed!) in late May:
And here they are today, with the very first blooms that will hopefully become giant, juicy, sun-kissed beefsteak tomatoes:
(Clearly, my photography is not nearly as good as my shutter-happy roomie, who took most of these shots. Shout out to Em for being a brilliant photographer!)
Last, but certainly not least, I was rather startled to see this picture of myself and the devastatingly cute Nate, who came to visit us last weekend:
Now that is a level of domesticity I have not yet achieved, and am not likely to for some time yet…
But there you have it: the regime that maintains my sanity, my tether to the real world. It’s finding joy in the simple things – the wonderful scent of a home-cooked meal, the feeling of rain-dampened dirt under your fingernails, a baby’s giggle. That’s the stuff even more real than legislating, and as long as I can remember that, I think I’ll be able to get by in this city.
For a few more years, at least.
So, I thought I would address the question I am asked somewhat frequently: “how do you survive living in that city?” The answer is God’s grace, of course, but that is exercised in numerous tangible ways, some of which I will share with you here. Specifically, I find my best and favorite stress release in domestic undertakings, starting with cooking. A lot of cooking. Especially in the polka-dot apron my Mom sent me recently.
This shot was from Buffalo chicken pizza night, one of our many new favorite dinners at D Pasta. Another new culinary discovery is what I can only refer to as pasta perfection, developed after a few months of trial and error:
Toss this over pasta of your choice, and trust me, you will be delighted.
Another new culinary endeavor was undertaken for Felicity’s baby shower. This quiche recipe was passed on by a dear friend, and it is very easy, very tasty, and quite aesthetically pleasing if I may say so myself:
Speaking of the baby shower, the impending arrival of the Holtlet recently drew me back to what used to be a pretty common hobby: crocheting. Here is the product of my most recent undertaking:
Now I get to start working on the Fendrich’s afghan. Hoping to get it to them before their 5th anniversary…
All told, I think my proudest domestic venture has been my garden: tomatoes, chili peppers, herbs, and a few flowers. Inconstant gardener as I am, the extremely rainy late spring has been very good to my plants. Here are my tomatoes (raised from seed!) in late May:
And here they are today, with the very first blooms that will hopefully become giant, juicy, sun-kissed beefsteak tomatoes:
(Clearly, my photography is not nearly as good as my shutter-happy roomie, who took most of these shots. Shout out to Em for being a brilliant photographer!)
Last, but certainly not least, I was rather startled to see this picture of myself and the devastatingly cute Nate, who came to visit us last weekend:
Now that is a level of domesticity I have not yet achieved, and am not likely to for some time yet…
But there you have it: the regime that maintains my sanity, my tether to the real world. It’s finding joy in the simple things – the wonderful scent of a home-cooked meal, the feeling of rain-dampened dirt under your fingernails, a baby’s giggle. That’s the stuff even more real than legislating, and as long as I can remember that, I think I’ll be able to get by in this city.
For a few more years, at least.
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