I put our flag out today because I am happy for our country and proud of our work in Iraq. I voted for President Bush, personally. But there is something very great going on here. His actions have a lot to do with how it looks, but he would be the first to point out that God is doing what he wills in Iraq. He is willing to accept that the results of his action will be the will of God, whether they are what he intends or not. The fact that our actions are apparently working for a leap forward for peace in the Middle East is wonderful. I'm very happy for us all. God is good...and things are going to my liking. That's a double.

I'm also very grateful today for the sacrifices given by our service men and women in Iraq. I prayed for them this morning. Our class read the 32nd and 33rd chapters of Genesis which finds Jacob wrestling with God in the dark before his hip is displaced. We all felt that the symbolism of this story was profound. We all wrestle in the dark with a God we cannot see. We are all wounded by it in some way. We are all blessed by it in some way, also.