Love, Dad

Parade Magazine has an open letter Barack Obama has written to his daughters - friend or foe - these are the kind of words a daughter would love to hear her father speak to her:

'What I Want for You — and Every Child in America'

Alice Walker's words of wisdom

I just read an essay posted on a blog I frequent: Useful Perhaps: From Alice Walker, with Love, to the President-elect and it is rich and beautiful in the wholeness of leadership it represents. I pray that the president elect reads these words of wisdom and lives them for all of us to see. What a world this could be.

Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, poet and activist. In 1983, she won the Pulitzer Prize for her book The Color Purple. She has written many other bestselling books, including In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens and Possessing the Secret of Joy. Her most recent is We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Inner Light in a Time of Darkness. She recently wrote an open letter to Barack Obama posted online at TheRoot.com.

My favorite part:

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.

Bueller?... Bueller?... Bueller?

Can't help wonder

Tea for new

God made poor

Jesus is God made poor. His coming was prophesied to bring social revolution, and his kingdom would turn things upside down: The mighty would be brought low, the rich sent away empty, the poor exalted, the hungry satisfied (Luke 1:52-53). Jesus identified himself with the weak, the outcast, the downtrodden. His kingdom undermines all economic systems that reward the rich and punish the poor.

The early Christians shared their goods with one another and with the poor. The Jubilee redistribution was fulfilled among them, no longer just at periodic intervals, but as a way of life. The apostles taught that one could not profess love for God while ignoring the needs of hungry neighbors.

Jim Wallis, The Call to Conversion

via

A place at the table

Charity is commendable; everyone should be charitable. But justice aims to create a social order in which if individuals choose not to be charitable, people will not go hungry, unschooled or sick without care. Charity depends on the vicissitudes of whim and personal wealth; justice depends on commitment instead of circumstance. Faith-based charity provides crumbs from the table; faith-based justice offers a place at the table.

Source: Bill Moyers, Foreword, Faith Works, Jim Wallis

inward/outward

Even the British are praying

thank you ASBO!

What puts the "ape" in apricot?

The Obamas' Tender Moments

I read a great article the other day about how the Obamas' marriage is a great example to us all. Keith and I just celebrated our 21st anniversary and I must admit - the Obamas' marriage is a true encouragement to me.

"For Americans, one of the most important aspects of an Obama presidency is being overlooked: the model of a healthy relationship....For example, Michelle and Barack do something we've never seen before in a presidential couple: they actually look directly at each other when they're speaking to each other. They also laugh at each other's humor, and they allow their sexual attraction for each other to be visible. Contrast that with other presidential marriages, in which the sexual attraction to each other was not visible but their sexual attraction to others became highly visible. Michelle and Barack talk openly about their feelings for each other. They're real."

Today there is a wonderful slide-show of some of their most tender moments on the trail - I highly encourage you to see the real affection this family has for each other, it's truly inspirational.

The Obamas' Greatest PDA Moments - Slideshow

The Obama Relationship: A Major Benefit Nobody's Talking About

Happy Anniversary Michelle & Barack!

Campaign to BAN Torture

One of the best things to come from the debate the other night was the fact that BOTH candidates actually took a stand against torture.

I participated in a campaign to bring this issue before both McCain & Obama previous to the debates and it worked:

“--we’ve got to--make sure that we--don’t ever torture a prisoner ever again.”

“--the torture issue--is something that undermines our long-term security--”

This surprised and thrilled me as this has been an issue close to my heart. We must all learn to have a consistent ethic of life.

(Image from Ban Torture)

Here is the Declaration of Principles:

The “Golden Rule”
We will not authorize or use any methods of interrogation that we would not find acceptable if used against Americans, be they civilians or soldiers.

One National Standard
We will have one national standard for all US personnel and agencies for the interrogation and treatment of prisoners. Currently, the best expression of that standard is the US Army Field Manual, which will be used until any other interrogation technique has been approved based on the Golden Rule principle.

The Rule of Law
We will acknowledge all prisoners to our courts or the International Red Cross. We will in no circumstance hold persons in secret prisons or engage in disappearances. In all cases, prisoners will have the opportunity to prove their innocence in ways that fully conform to American principles of fairness.

Duty to Protect
We acknowledge our historical commitment to end the use of torture and cruelty in the world. The US will not transfer any person to countries that use torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Checks and Balances
Congress and the courts play an invaluable role in protecting the values and institutions of our nation and must have and will have access to the information they need to be fully informed about our detention and interrogation policies.

Clarity and Accountability
All US personnel—whether soldiers or intelligence staff—deserve the certainty that they are implementing policy that complies fully with the law. Henceforth all US officials who authorize, implement, or fail in their duty to prevent the use of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners will be held accountable, regardless of rank or position.

Please, add your voice to this campaign to encourage our future president to ban torture:

Campaign to Ban Torture: Sign the Declaration of Principles

Cast my absentee vote for Obama today

I know, no surprise here - but it feels good to participate in democracy - even if it was only at my kitchen table and will conclude with a drive over the bridge to the post office today.

I know this confuses so many of my dear friends - how in the world can they not see what I see and how in the world can I not see what they see? If you love me and are confused please read this, it says it better than even my own words can:

Reframing the Story - why I'm voting for Obama

Just ONE question

The ONE Campaign is asking Jim Lehrer, host of the debate on Friday night to squeeze a question in about global poverty:

Only two questions about global poverty have been asked in the history of modern presidential debates - a shockingly low figure. In 2008, voters need to know what Barack Obama and John McCain will do to end the most extreme suffering in our increasingly interconnected world.

You can help make sure that changes, by signing our petition to debate moderator Jim Lehrer urging him to ask "Just ONE Question" on global poverty at the first presidential debate, September 26th in Oxford, Mississippi.

Sign here:

Just ONE Question Petition

Caring for the least of these

Help get this ad on the radio in Ohio:

Matthew 25 Network

Obama: The Moral Choice

My good friend Will Samson has written a well-seasoned piece that gives voice to much of what I am feeling today:

Obama: The Moral Choice

"Lying is a sin. So is greed. So is unprovoked violence. So is arrogance.

In our highly sexualized world, we have forgotten that the bulk of moral instruction that comes from scripture does not relate to who you sleep with or what happens in the event of an unwanted pregnancy. Instead, the depths and breadths of lessons on how to act that come from the Bible deal with questions of how to form a moral community. These include instructions like don't provoke violence (Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God, Matthew 5:9), don't lie (Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment, Proverbs 12:19), and don't be arrogant (To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech, Proverbs 8:13)."

Continue reading: Obama: The Moral Choice

Les Misbarack

Governor Palin, Put Away Falsehood

As Americans and people of faith from around the country, we were extremely disappointed in Sarah Palin's divisive, sarcastic, and often deceptive address last night at the Republican National Convention. We call on her not only as a political figure, but also as a prominent Christian, to recommit herself to campaigning in good faith, with a strong commitment to truth-telling.

As Christians, we are called to be respectful and loving toward our neighbors, honoring their intentions even if we disagree with their plans. We are also called to "put away falsehood" (Eph 4:25) and to refrain from slandering, belittling, or speaking out of contempt for anyone.

If these are the standards God has set for us in our personal lives, our church communities, and our neighborhoods, how much more so should they be the standards of those Christians who choose to be in the public eye? Shouldn't we also expect our brothers and sisters in politics to speak the truth in love and to extend respect and goodwill even to those with whom they disagree?

Sarah Palin has shaped much of her life around her Christian faith [1]. Indeed, it has been continually suggested that one of the major reasons John McCain chose Palin as his running-mate was her Christian faith and her ability to energize evangelical Christian voters. Thus, it is no stretch to say that Palin has suddenly become one of the most visible faces of Christianity in today’s political scene.

As such, we believe she has a calling even higher than her responsibility to her party's victory in November - a calling to represent Jesus to the rest of the world. This is why her speech at the Republican National Convention last night was so disappointing to us at the Matthew 25 Network.

In questioning not only Senator Obama’s policies but also his motivations, and mocking his career, Palin went far beyond what could be considered acceptable disagreement and into what seemed like open contempt for a political opponent.

To be blunt, we saw very little of Jesus’ love in Sarah Palin's speech last night, as she heaped contempt on those who disagree with her politically, while offering no vision for how to resolve the critical issues facing Americans today like job loss, health care, growing child poverty rates and the war in Iraq.

Moreover, as has been documented by major media sources including the Associated Press [2], Palin spoke falsehoods not only about her own record, but about Barack Obama's record as a State Senator and as a U.S. Senator. As Christians, we are called throughout Scripture to speak the whole truth, to put away falsehood, to bear true witness even when it hurts our own interests. The name of Jesus should never be associated with falsehoods or deception, but last night, in Sarah Palin’s speech, we believe it was.

Therefore, we in the Matthew 25 Network call on Gov. Palin to repudiate her attitude of contempt towards her political opponents and to tell the whole truth, not only for the sake of a more honorable politics, but also for the sake of our Christian witness in the world.

Senator McCain is no less responsible because he selected Gov. Palin and praised her speech, and he claims to be a Christian as well. It is ill-fitting to use Christian identity and language for one's political advantage without seeking to live up to that high calling. Ultimately, as the Presidential candidate, Governor Palin's tone and infidelity to truth reflect negatively on Senator McCain as well.

Brian McLaren
Author and Pastor

Douglas W. Kmiec
Caruso Family Chair & Professor of Constitutional Law
Pepperdine University School of Law

Rev. Dr. Susan B. Thistlethwaite
Professor of Theology, Chicago Theological Seminary

Vince Miller
Georgetown University

Peter Vander Meulen
Coordinator, Office of Social Justice, Christian Reformed Church

Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins
Nineteenth Street Baptist Church

Bart Campolo
Urban minister, Founder of Mission Year

Sharon Daly
Former Vice-President of Catholic Charities

Rev. Wilfredo De Jesus
Vice-President for Social Justice, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

Delores Leckey
Senior Fellow, Woodstock Theological Center
Former Director of the Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Thank you Community Organizers!

Joe Klein: What a Community Organizer Does

Families

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Thank you Scot!

Jesus Creed - Dobson on Obama