Good Early Morning from Nicole.
Ok, I admit I've got a lil' cabin fever as I've been in the house since Wednesday due to Fay. So, this has left me doing the following: consuming crazy amounts of Internet, staticky local news and Olympic competitions of every conceivable kind (who even knew dirt bike racing was an Olympic sport???...see how I digress?...), tinkering with syllabi, and bracing myself for the coming week of new students, Fay cleanup and the Democratic convention.
And yet, the looming Democratic convention in particular has brought me back to Matthew 4: 8-11. In this exchange the devil has taken Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. The devil then offers all the splendor and kingdoms of the world to Jesus if he would bow down and worship him.
Now I gotta just stop and say that for some reason Barack Obama's VP choice and the looming Democratic convention kept coming to mind as I have been turning over this scripture over the last few days.
Barack has indeed had the nation by the short ones this week---even I could see that through my 4 grainy channels. Who will Obama choose for VP? What will that choice do for him? Will it be enough? What then must that person and Barack himself do and achieve at the convention? This does indeed look like a mountain top week for Senator from Illinois---who is always under pressure to bow to the dictates of others--- much like Christ experienced in his exchange with the devil.
Now, what is interesting is the way that Christ's interaction with the devil on that fateful mountain top has some interesting parallels to Barack's convention-eve position. Like Christ who did not allow the devil to dictate to him how he should behave, act or worship in this scripture, Barack has not let external manipulation, pressure, temptation, or historical precedent dictate how he would notify the public on his VP decision---and in a host of other areas during this campaign.
Christ stood strong and resisted the devil's interference because he understood God's bigger plan for his ministry. And in a similar fashion, Barack seems to have shown that he too can stand strong, remain focused on his own process and grounded in the Lord's plan and timeline for this campaign.
What I offer is this: I pray that his VP choice is an individual that will move the nation forward to help Americans understand that we have to make some tough decisions about our future(s) in this country. So, come on Barack, give us an old fighter with credential who ain't scurr'ed (scared) to open up his mouth and say something. Give us a seasoned old dog who will walk with you through this process NOW; and who will be there to talk straight to you AND stand with you, Barack, during the best and the worst of times in the White House.
These are tough times in this country and a week of political party hobnobbing and confetti can't distract me from the fact that folks are hurting all across this nation. We gotta save; we gotta downsize; we gotta share; we gotta become neighbors again and stop preying on one another and killing each other; we gotta stop fighting folks to boost our economy; we gotta call on our industries to stop cutting Americans throats with predatory lending of all kinds (credit cards, payday loans, terrible mortgages, etc.,.); we gotta say no to our kids and stop buying them stuff to make them feel good; we gotta stop trying to fill our national ache with gadgets and material goods; we gotta humble ourselves, pray, turn and seek HIS face so we can get healed TOGETHER, yall.
And I love Bill Moyers assertion that if the party wanted to REALLY take radical action they could cancel the Democratic lovefest and use the money lavished on the convention to address the needs of hurting Americans. I am so wit' that. But with the argument being made that Obama is just "too "different, "too unorthodox", just still "too unfamiliar" for too many, i'd argue that he doesn't have the luxury of rejecting the party's convention and established political rituals right up in through here.
Senator Barack Obama ---from the great state of Illinois (smile)--- is poised to have the world's attention this week from his VP choice all the way through the convention. The question is: what will he do in the spotlight?
My prayer: May the Lord look upon him with favor and give him peace...and give him the courage to take the stage and REQUIRE US to reject greed, fear, selfishness and foolishness that the world so often presents to us---to become an even better nation.
Be well, Yall!
---Nicole
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