I've been working with Chuck on an upcoming Christianity Today column that is, in part about sphere soverignity--the Reformed idea that there are aspects of life over which the government has no legitimate authority, and that each "sphere"--family, church, community, government--should carry out their own responsibility before God because they can do it best.

Unfortunately, even Christians (who should know better) now tend to look to the government to solve every social and family problem. While more often than not, Christians in the political realm are simply trying to play defense against those who are damaging society and destroying our freedoms, it's worth remembering (to give one example) that the thousands of crisis pregnancy centers have probably done much more to cut into the abortion rate than any law we got passed over the past 30 years--or will pass in the next 30. We shouldn't bow out of politics, of course (God forbid!), but as we work for change, we should remember that there is much we can do outside of politics to change society for the better.   

Another thing that occured to me, while working on the column, was how much more fun it is to write ANYTHING if one is holed up in a resort hotel, room service at the ready, and a pool available when one is ready for a break (and girly drinks with umbrellas). I spent this week in Tucson, Arizona, where my husband was attending meetings--breakfast meetings, lunch meetings, evening banquets, etc.--which left me with a lot of free time in which to complete writing projects and devour prickly pear crepes. I now understand why desperate publishers occasionally lock writers into such hotels in order to get them to finish overdue books....