White Liar

Up-and-coming country sensation Miranda Labert's latest song chronicles the perils of mendacity in a small town, in the end revealing that she's a liar, too. I like Miranda Lambert OK, and the tune's kind of catchy, but I can't really say I like the song. Nonetheless, it's getting strong airplay, and will probably result in some kind of awards.

About 3 weeks back I took my kids to a funeral for a man in my church. A strong, gentle man, and a gifted singer. In the eulogy, one of his daughters said that, growing up, he wouldn't tell a "white lie", not even to a door-to-door salesman or telephone solicitor, because he didn't want to teach his children to lie.

In yesterday's sermon, on the subject of betrayal and adultery, the pastor cautioned against living our lives according to 'the Gospel of Grey's Anatomy', referring to the ABC-TV drama in which all the beautiful and handsome doctors and nurses have sex with one another, all the while lying to conceal their actions. It was one of the best sermons, at many times you could hear a pin drop.

Lest you think I sat there complacently, judging the adulterers, he also expanded the definition of betrayal to include any activities (not just affairs) that prevent the full devotion that God intended for husbands and wives. So, yeah, there were plenty of things that I could've done better, to show my love for my wife, and I could feel those arrows piercing my heart.

Not to sound like Kanye here, but, while I wish Ms. Lambert well on her new song, I really think there's a better 'soundtrack' for the way we should live our lives.

It's called the truth.