Reality

Reality is usually a lot messier than our categories.

Boil

Rod Blagojevich was the boil on the Illinois body politic. Yes, he has finally been lanced, but it's going to take a lot more surgery to deal with all the remaining pus.

House Money

If you're playing with house money, don't be afraid to roll the dice.

Minority View

Voting for this "stimulus" plan, which is short on things that actually stimulate the economy, create jobs, and revitalize the housing sector and long on pet Democratic projects that expand the size of government and reward key interest groups, would be an unmistakable sign that the Republicans have run out of ideas and have no convictions. Such a party would deserve to be in the minority.

Green Obama

Team Obama keeps talking about creating "green jobs." I think the color of the jobs is irrelevant to most Americans, as long as they pay in green.

Raising Children

When raising children, understand the difference between expectations, desires, and goals.

Board Games

Wondering about the spiritual state of your kids? Beat them in a board game.

Chore Time

Want to know how your kids are doing spiritually? Tell them it's chore time.

Opportunities

Opportunities ignored are worse than having no opportunities at all.

Gitmo

President Obama says he will close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. That's all well and good, I suppose. But where is he going to put the terrorists?

Leftists

The leftists must be scratching their heads today. Obama promised to oppose the dictators and terrorists, and the BushCheney coup never happened. Not only that, but Bill Ayers was kicked out of Canada.

Worth It

Jesus is worth it (whatever it is).

Dreams

If one of your dreams dies, go back to sleep.

Strategic Redirection

Quitting is not an option. But strategic redirecion may be perfectly acceptable.

Children

Children, my wife says, are a public acknowledgement of a sexual relationship.

Thank You

President Bush, who delivered his farewell address last night even as his public approval rating hovers around 30 percent, helped keep this nation safe from further terror attacks for seven years. For that he deserves our thanks. We can only pray Mr. Obama does as well.

Trib Trouble

This morning the Chicago Tribune has a headline, "Key to battling cold: Dress warmly, experts say." Do we need to dig any deeper to discover why a once-great newspaper is in financial trouble?

Hot and Cool

Don't act immediately when you become angry. Let your emotions cool whenever possible. You'll probably be glad you did.

D-Day

D-Day is coming. No, not the invasion of Normandy, but the conversion of most television broadcasts to digital format. Though D-Day is set for February 17, the broadcasters are already bombarding us with warnings about the dire consequences of not having digital televisions, cable, or government-subsidized set-top converters.

What, are they afraid we might go without TV for a few days and discover that there's more to life than Oprah, American Idol, and AFV? They are like pushers who want to keep people hooked. Lay off.

The Phone Will Ring

Be thankful for each good day, hour, minute, and second. You never know when the phone will ring.

Rules for Living

No. 22: Don't wait to be asked. Volunteer.

Obama's Stimulus/Tax Plan

Barack Obama's proposed $775 billion stimulus plan aims to inject massive amounts of cash into the sick economy. What the incoming administration hasn't told us is that the money has to come from somewhere, and it isn't "the government." In fact, this stimulus plan is actually a (disguised) tax plan that will cost every man, woman, and child an average of $2,500. For a family of five, that's $12,500. I know a lot of things I could do with that kind of money, and sending it to D.C. is not high on my list.

Tebow

Tim Tebow seems too good to be true. But I still like him.

Deficit Deception

Remember when Bill Clinton's main claims to fame were his balanced budgets? And remember when Democrats bemoaned $200 billion Republican deficits for "as far as the eye can see"? Democrats apparently hope you don't.

Now they don't even blink when one of their guys announces that trllion-dollar deficits are ahead for years to come. A cynic might say that Democrats are concerned about deficits only when the other guy is running them up.

Forgiveness

Believing in God's forgiveness is sometimes harder than believing in your own. But if he can forgive you because of Christ, surely you can forgive yourself.

Defining "Abortion Reduction"

Abortion reduction is not synonymous with pregnancy reduction. Something for pro-lifers to keep in mind when talking with the Obama administration.

Political Mulligans

First Rahm Emmanuel, now Bill Richardson. Who among the Friends of Barack will be the next one of whom the president-elect will be forced to say, "That's not the person I knew"? Is all this really the "change we can believe in"? Obama is by all accounts a poor golfer, and he keeps getting political mulligans. It would be nice if the next mulliagan came after the inauguration.

Calculated Risk

Life isn't worth living without some calculated risk.

It Isn't Easy Being Green

Green experts say you can save 10,000 gallons of water a year by brushing your teeth without water, 20,000 by using a pit toilet, and 100,000 kilowatts by living in a cave.

Start Today

If you knew 2009 was going to be your final year on earth, how would you spend it, and what kind of person would you be? Do those things. Start today.

Resolutions

As you make your resolutions for 2009, remember that it's not all up to you.