Thoughts upon the Inauguration of our 44th President

As I look ahead to next week's inauguration, I am reminded how truly historic it is. Being at Ole Miss during this last election cycle was very exciting because this small college town hosted one of the presidential debates, which made many remember the struggles of the past. This piece by CNN helps us look ahead to the future.

Post-Election Reflection

One of our hopes for Isaiah is that he becomes a lover of books. I was not much of a reader growing up, but I am trying to make up for it now. I am usually reading about 2-3 books at a time, and I always read at least a few pages of something before I go to sleep at night. So, our house is filled with books, and Isaiah has many of his own books to choose from as well. One of those books is this one:Last night, Isaiah chose this one to read and as I read it, I realized that this book now has a different ending. The book ends with the phrase, "Now anyone can go to any school, eat in any restaurant, or drink from any water fountain...and dream their dreams just like Martin Luther King, Jr." All these things are true, but there is one thing that African-Americans have never done...until Tuesday.

I watched the events unfold Tuesday night and knew I was witnessing history. I am excited for the day when I can tell Isaiah and his little brother about the night I saw the first African-American become the President. As a white man, though, my experience of that night is mostly cognitive, not emotional. I've been told my whole life that I can do whatever I want, and that is true because white men have ruled the world for over 2000 years, and America since its inception. I spoke with a friend of mine from Jackson on Wednesday night, he is African-American. He said, "Now I really believe I can be whatever I want. Not that I want to be president, because I don't, but I just believe it's possible now."

As I read The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. to Isaiah last night, something deep inside me clicked. I knew that history was different, and this little children's book somehow needs to be rewritten: "Now anyone can go to any school, eat in any restaurant, drink from any water fountain, or even be President of the United States..."

Dr. King once wrote, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."* I like to think one of the last great injustices of the American racial divide has been torn down, which means true justice and peace are close at hand.

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*from A Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963. If you have time, I highly recommend reading this letter. It's important to note that he is addressing clergy.

In other news...

Check out this article about college newspaper endorsements. So far, The DM, the daily student newspaper at Ole Miss, is the only one endorsing McCain. Really. I'm not kidding.

Election Reflection - I am not afraid

The buildup to the presidential election this year has been like riding a roller coaster about 100 times too many. With Election Day coming tomorrow, I think most people feel relieved that it's almost over. (As long as we don't have another 2000!!)

As we head to the polls tomorrow, I hope that everyone votes responsibly. What do I mean by 'responsibly'? I mean voting your conscience and not your fears. We need to vote based on what we believe in, not what we're afraid of. 

Both campaigns have resorted to fear tactics in order to swing voters their way. Of the four presidential elections that I remember, but I don't ever recall the rhetoric of fear being so strong and drowning out the real issues.

Here are some examples:

• On October 9, CNN found that 47 percent of likely voters feared McCain would not make it through one term in office because of his age.
• The Obama campaign has repeatedly invoked people's fears that McCain will be like having another President Bush.
• The McCain campaign ran this ad trying to invoke the fear that Obama is friends with terrorists.
• McCain has also called on people to fear Obama's inexperience, liberalism, and "socialist" tax plan.

Politics is politics, so I really expect nothing less from the two campaigns. But I do expect more from Christians.

Focus on the Family published a Letter from 2012, predicting what the future would be like if Obama is elected. The letter opens with a statement that says, "Many of our freedoms have been taken away by a liberal Supreme Court and a majority of Democrats in both the House and the Senate, and hardly any brave citizen dares to resist the new government policies any more."

Why is this so disturbing? Aside from the fact that it is exaggerated and makes America in four years look like old school communism - this is disturbing because an influential and important voice within the Christian church has lowered itself to the petty fear tactics of politicians.

As Christians, we have no reason to fear. Our hope is in something, actually someone, much greater than the office of the president. The church that Christ established will endure long after any 4 or 8-year term. As the Body of Christ, we are called to be in the world, but not of the world. So when we allow worldly politics to seep in to our faith, it is like putting orange juice on our cereal. The appearance of cereal remains, but it has been distorted, lost its unique flavor and lost its identity. We have a great privilege and a great responsibility to vote, but we need to remember that our ultimate hope and our ultimate future is in the hands of One much greater than the next president.

Let us also remember what the Bible says about fear.

Psalm 27:1 - The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 112:6-8 -  Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

Isaiah 41:10 - So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Luke 1:30 - But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God."

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**The picture at the top is REAL. This statue is in front of a church in Memphis, TN. I could go on about it...but that's a post for another day.

Breakfast of Candidates

I have a deep passion for cereal. I remember when I was little that I would actually take a bowl with me to restaurants and ask for milk because I was convinced I would not like whatever was on the menu. I've grown up a lot since then (I just eat cereal once I get home), and so has my taste in cereal.

This is my current favorite: Kashi Honey Sunshine, seven-whole-grain honey kissed cereal pillows.

BUT, these also look tempting. Notice the red and blue boxes. Very clever.

And all cereals have to have a good jingle....

(just click on them)