Faith.

I was browsing through some photos today and saw this- it was from my bro's wedding. It's so weird, 'cause my sister-in-law's wedding gown looks like a ghost. lol! I'm so happy I have the perfect sister-in-law! She and my brother are devout born-again Christians: They do a lot of volunteer work for their church and community and I really find that inspiring. Their optimism and generosity drives me to do little good deeds of my own. I'm so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life!
Finding my way back to God was a difficult journey, but because I had the love and support of my brother and sister-in-law, I became a believer once more. I guess this is also one of the reasons why I like George W Bush- I can totally relate to him when it comes to issues of faith. Here's a great quote from him:

"It took me a while to understand that religion is not a course in self-improvement. Religion is a surrender – that you allow a living God into your life by surrendering to that living God. And then you improve to please God, not please yourself."

Wise words. Here's a great article on President Bush and his faith from Beliefnet:

There have been many very committed Christians in the White House in the 228 years of our nation's history. Some presidents, like Lincoln, appear to have come to faith under the enormous pressures of the office. Others, like Jefferson, were probably not Christians by belief--they may have been Unitarians, like Taft--but nevertheless held the conviction that the person who occupies the Oval Office should be not only a man of profoundly honorable personal ethics and preferably a person of deep personal faith, but also aware of this nation's unwritten covenant with the Almighty.

George W. Bush fits all three of Jefferson's requirements for the presidency. He also fits a fourth, that Jefferson did not allude to. He personally would never have been elected had not faith profoundly altered his character and prepared him morally for the task.

Bush is unusual in that he came to faith, or as he chooses to term it, a renewal of his faith, as an adult. He became closely involved in a church from a denomination, the Methodists, that has traditionally been deeply involved in social action. His effort to introduce faith-based programs more deeply into the social reform life of the nation was based on a simple observation: in general, they work better than secular programs when it comes to changing personal behavior in matters like drug and alcohol dependency or prisoner rehabilitation. As governor of Texas, he was courageous in introducing the InnerChange program pioneered by Prison Fellowship into the state's penal system.

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