282

Numbers are interesting things. They can often be solutions to mathematical problems or perhaps dollars on a financial statement. Sometimes they represent concepts with deeper meanings, like the numbers 12 or 7 in the Bible. However, occasionally they are no more than a tally of something. That’s what 282 is.

I have written 282 weekly emails since I began writing them in September of 2016. We get positive feedback from many of you on the emails, even if I sometimes wander into philosophical musings a bit too far. However, somebody recently noted that my emails have changed over time. That made me curious, so I went back through some of the earlier ones. He was right, they have changed. 

In some sense they’ve become more informed, now that I’ve been doing this for a few years. They’ve changed as different policy issues rise and fall in the public spotlight. I’d also like to think that my perspectives have matured and are a bit more refined today than they were a number of years ago. However, the one thing that hasn’t changed is precisely the attribute they were never intended to have: they are personal.

Weekly emails for most state Family Policy Councils (FPCs) give updates on key policy issues, ask constituents to get engaged in some specific manner, ask for donations, and so on. It was recommended to me when I started that they be between 250 and 300 words, since the thought was that people won’t read longer emails. Since I’m a stubborn Dutchman, I decided to ignore all this time-tested advice and do something different. To the credit of Family Policy Alliance, of which we were a part at that time, they never told me to change my approach (perhaps it was like watching an accident in slow motion).

From the beginning, I decided to instead write from my heart about the subjects that mean the most to me in the political world, and to speak as a husband, father, North Dakotan, and more. Not to sound like a political analyst you might watch on FOX. Not to write constant urgent emails that begin to sound like shouting after a while. You know what I’m talking about – we all get those emails.

Instead, I have all along simply wanted to have a conversation with you. People prefer being talked “with” rather than “at”. And in case you haven’t noticed, these emails are also far from 250-300 words long. 

But here’s the irony in all this. You have provided more positive feedback than most FPCs typically get. We know that you open these emails at amazing rates when they show up in your inbox. Basically, your interest in our weekly emails has scored off the charts. Whatever quirky, introspective, or humorous thoughts I may be relating, you seem to be willing to give them a listen, and I am deeply thankful to you for that.

North Dakotans are common-sense sorts of people. I’ve used that sentence many times in my testimony this session, because it’s true. It encourages folks to step back, take a breath, and say, “You know what, this is nonsense. We need to put a stop to this”. I have tried to speak to legislators in the same way I write these emails: as a father, husband, and fellow North Dakotan. 

I will continue to pen these weekly emails from the heart, with common sense perspectives, and try to keep them from devolving into narcissistic ramblings. That may mean you’ll have to read about hamsters, shadows, our dog Annie, or how to make a family soup recipe, but hopefully I can convey some deeper truth there as well. Something that reveals how we might live in this amazing world, politics and all, and glorify God as we do it. Thanks for listening.