Hi Friends
Well, the fanfare of the inauguration is over for the most part, and now we are settling back in to the reality of the current situation in our country. I've said this before and I'll say it again, I don't consider myself to be a political junkie. But I find with each day I get older that I am more aware and concerned about the climate of our nation and the decisions that are being made. I've gotten to the place where politics and patriotism aren't reserved for my parents. It's my responsibility as a citizen to be aware of what's going on and do my part to help the situation.
I'll admit that I watched a good deal of the inauguration and even found myself being caught up in all the celebrations and ceremonies that followed. I heard it reported that there were something like 11 official inaugural balls that night and the Obama's were attending every one! That's quite the marathon. As I watched the ceremonies and all of the events that transpired that day, I felt very proud of our country. Put politics, special interests, idealisms aside. It was a defining and positive moment for our nation. It's a moment that I'm probably going to remember the rest of my life. You could feel the dramatic shift of power take place during those moments, and I couldn't help but be in awe of the enourmous weight of responsibility now placed on our new President's shoulders. I said it several times during the election, but who in their right mind wants this job right now? A brave person.
Regardless of how you feel about the administration of the past 8 years, things have not gone particularly well for our country. Some at the fault of the administration, and some that were out of it's control. The amazing thing to me was it didn't really matter who it was, this country, and more amazingly this new generation needed someone to believe in. They chose the person they felt could best address the new challenges we now face and help get us out of a hole.
It's interesting to see what happened to the Republican Party and the religious right over the past year. Most people that I associate myself with would clasify themseleves as part of this group, so it's always interesting to hear their perspectives. Many are afraid, most are skeptical, and some are even taking it to a spiritual levels. Some say that this is a sign of the end times. I had a friend tell me not too long ago that he thought Barack Obama might be the person that God wants in this position at this moment in history. I'm not sure if I agree or disagree with that statement, but it's interesting to think about.
It would make sense that God would use someone who doesn't look like our traditional view of conservative leadership, and doesn't necessarily share the same moral convictions as many of us, to change our country for the better. We've put God into our Republican box to make us feel better because it's what we're used to. Maybe He wants to break open that box to show his power and ability to handle any situation. I think my generation is sick of the partisanship in our country. Guys, it doesn't matter if there's a D or R in front of the person's name we put into office, it matters that that person is committed to making this country a better place. It's not just about fighting terrorism, it's about fighting illiteracy and disease. It's not just about being pro-life, it's about being pro-environment. It's not just about gay marriage, it's about uniting our country no matter what sexual orientation you are. Don't get me wrong, we should stand for what we believe in. But we should also stand for what's right for our country and the world.
There are tremendous expectations being put on President Obama's plate, and I pray that he can have the strength to deal with the crisises we face. I also hope that we as a country can put aside our differences and pray for our president and all of our leaders. We're in tough times, and it's going to take all of us working together to get past it. The last thing we need right now are the Fox News and MSNBC talking heads throwing shots at the other side.
It's time to grow up, be civil, and realize we are all Americans seeking the same thing, even if we don't always agree on how to get there.
There's my hippie nonsense, blast me if you will :)
Tim
P.S. You should check out Michael Gungor's song
"White Man" if you want to know what's on the hearts of a lot of young believers today.
Are you like me and have a hard time reading books? Has this affected your desire to read the Bible regularly? For a long time I struggled with reading my Bible. It's always something I knew I should do as a Christian and I really wanted to develop the habit of doing it everyday, but it was really a struggle for me. I have never been much of a book reader. Only recently have I gotten better about it. In fact I think I've read more books in this last year than I have my whole life. I faked my way through school with the books I was supposed to read. It's just always been hard for me to concentrate on one concrete object that doesn't change or let me interact with it. I guess it's my generation that's used to being "entertained" by television and the internet. So sadly it spilled over into reading the Bible.
