Refreshed

I love springtime. It's always a time of renewed energy and optimism, and with the coming of warm weather and fresh flowers I always seem to feel better about the future. My outlook on life and society seems brighter this month, after several months of "funk." Maybe it's that my new practice seems to be going well and I've developed a sense of comfort in my new medical practice, and maybe I've gotten over the disappointment of last fall's election results.

Another positive is that the two bedroom beach condo we co-own with friends in Orange Beach, Alabama, is almost ready for habitation again after a two-and-a-half year hiatus due to damage from Hurricane Ivan. Mary Kaye went down last week to oversee some repairs, and she returned encouraged about our building and about our unit and about Orange Beach in general. We had only owned the unit for three months before Ivan struck, and I'm so excited about having a place where we can build memories over time with our kids. We hope to have a family vacation down there (for only the second time ever) in about six weeks. The kids are beside themselves with anticipation: "How many nights will we stay there, Daddy?" I can't wait to share the experience with them.

I've been watching the presidential primary process from a distance, but the critical summer fund-raising season is coming like a freight train, and my interest level is picking up. I view the primary process as really the time when I'm most free to examine candidates and their positions. Practically speaking, with the national Democrats in bed with the pro-abortion lobby, as well as for a multitude of other reasons, the result is that I'll likely vote for whoever is the Republican nominee. There is no GOP candidate with whom I have full concordance of views, but I'm most impressed with Mike Huckabee, the recent governor of Arkansas. Amazingly, he is a former Southern Baptist pastor who entered politics, and came to the governorship after the previous governor resigned when he was convicted of a felony in the wake of the Whitewater scandal.

Huckabee is socially conservative, as I would hope and expect him to be. I'm slightly concerned that he might not fully share my views on the desirability of a smaller and less intrusive government, and I'm afraid he might increase government spending under the false assumption that such spending equates with "compassion." In my experience, government represents the ultimate in depersonalized bureaucracy, and is the antithesis of "compassionate." Unfortunately, it's very difficult to promote that viewpoint in today's society without being personally vilified, and it is the rare politician who can withstand a charge of being intolerant, mean-spirited, or lacking in compassion. Nonetheless, Huckabee is an excellent speaker, a given with his pulpit experience, and he has an engaging and dynamic personality. I'm also impressed that, after being diagnosed as a Type II diabetic a few years ago, Huckabee implemented dramatic lifestyle changes, lost over 100 lbs, and has taken control of his own health. Most folks aren't that disciplined. None of the top tier candidates are true conservatives, and Giuliani has squandered the tolerance of conservatives to his candidacy with his recent comments on public funding of abortion. A Fred Thompson candidacy would be attractive, but Fred is a former trial lawyer and not really a true believer regarding the pro-life cause.

Having wandered through the topics above, I now come to the most important topic of all, and the real reason I'm refreshed. This weekend comes the most important holiday of the year for Christians, when we celebrate the miraculous resurrection of Jesus and His triumph over sin and death. I am refreshed anew as I contemplate His sacrifice for me, and I take comfort in His words in John 16:33: "Take heart. I have overcome the world." If you've been out of church for a while, this Sunday is a great time to get back in the habit. You won't find a perfect church, and if you're inclined you'll be able to find fault wherever you go, but you'll be blessed if you allow yourself to fellowship in a Bible-believing, Jesus-proclaiming church. I'll be going to West Jackson Baptist Church Saturday night for their first ever Saturday night worship service, and you're invited to join me there. Have a wonderful Easter!