Entering the Kingdom, leaving behind the stuff that you thought was very important and gave you meaning is very hard – like a camel going through the eye of a needle.
The United States could be having just such a moment right now. Wealth and privilege and a continuous increase in those things (such as the value of a house) seem to be the only things that held importance to us over the last 16 years. And I mean that 16 years. Two terms of Clinton (it is the economy stupid!) where we overlooked the rot at our center and betrayed our better visions to protext sex with an intern becuase times were good. Two terms of Bush where we overlooked the rot at our center and betrayed our better visions to condone captivity and butality instead of justice because we had to keep the world safe for good times.
Re-read President Obama’s Yes We Can speach.
The core quote…
But there are real differences between the candidates. We are looking for more than just a change of party in the White House. We’re looking to fundamentally change the status quo in Washington.
It’s a status quo that extends beyond any particular party and right now that status quo is fighting back with everything it’s got, with the same old tactics that divide and distract us from solving the problems people face, whether those problems are health care that folks can’t afford or a mortgage they cannot pay…
We’re up against the conventional thinking that says your ability to lead as president comes from longevity in Washington or proximity to the White House. But we know that real leadership is about candor and judgment and the ability to rally Americans from all walks of life around a common purpose, a higher purpose.
But right now istead of candor and judgement – i.e. we partied like it was 1999 for 16 years and now the bill is due, times will be economically tough but this is a chance to re-examine and re-align ourselves with our values – instead of candor and judgement we have stimulus and TARP and TARP II and all the programs telling us we can continue to live as we did from 1992 – 2007. All of these things telling us not to think about what we could be, but focus on the material only, that the only thing that really matters is the good times. All these programs without a thought of – “Americans from all walks of life around a common purpose, a higher purpose.”
Don’t look to princes for your higher purpose. They are but human and soon blow away. Instead, look to Jesus Christ. God is giving us an opportunity. Jesus has a better vision of what we can be, do and accomplish in Him. With God, nothing is impossible. Truly, he says, we will receive a hundred fold now…and eternal life in the age to come.
