This last few months and no blogging. I know. Sounds terrible. Actually we have been to Ireland and to England on two separate trips, to visit family and friends.
We also had a linguistic “M.O.T.” with a noted phoneticist, (if there is such a word), who lives in Sussex. Joanna Benson is a linguistic expert who runs tailor made courses teaching the phonetic foundations for a number of southern European languages, Well worth a visit if you’re thinking of taking up Spanish, French or Portuguese (http://www.soundlanguage.co.uk/)
So we exchanged the brilliant light of Lisbon for the foaming north shores of County Antrim and the falling leaves in an autumn evening light in London and Sussex. Sitting on a late Saturday afternoon in Greenwich Park looking across the Thames toward the concrete and glass of Canary Wharf, the evening October light was just amazing. But seeing those glistening towers, and remembering how they were so recently caricatured on the cover of Time magazine, as sinking beneath of the waves of the global economic crisis, reminds me just how fragile a world we live in. How quickly banks and stock markets, and other institutions take on an altogether different perspective.
Anyway back to today, November 5th. It’s ironic in a way that this day celebrates on the one hand the triumph of American democracy, and on the other the historic near destruction of British democracy back in 1605 through the notorious Guy Fawkes (“Remember, Remember the fifth of November. Gunpowder, Treason and Plot!!! "- do kids still learn that stuff today?).
With the election of Barak Obama, I found myself this morning trying to explore a bit about the man through past reviews and speeches, especially his take on matters of faith. As with most political leaders, he’s notoriously hard to pin down, but I felt I did discover someone other than the standard issue democrat politician who, as the Washington Post put it “discovered God in the 2004 exit polls” (ie that they’d need to find some way of winning over the religious voters if they’re ever going to get back to the White House). Obama’s faith does seem to be deep rooted in his background, even if it does not fit the standard evangelical categories. It is worth taking a look at a June 2006 speech to evangelicals. (http://obama.senate.gov/speech/060628-call_to_renewal/ )
What I find meaningful is the way he would appear to be honestly grappling with how his faith in God needs to relate to issues of poverty, inequality, and ethics, even if it does lead him to different conclusions than you or I might hold. But let me quote here, a couple of sentences of this speech, in as much as they relate closely to where we are at, living as we do in a well to do neighbourhood of a European capital, trying to reaching out with God’s love and grace.
We also had a linguistic “M.O.T.” with a noted phoneticist, (if there is such a word), who lives in Sussex. Joanna Benson is a linguistic expert who runs tailor made courses teaching the phonetic foundations for a number of southern European languages, Well worth a visit if you’re thinking of taking up Spanish, French or Portuguese (http://www.soundlanguage.co.uk/)
So we exchanged the brilliant light of Lisbon for the foaming north shores of County Antrim and the falling leaves in an autumn evening light in London and Sussex. Sitting on a late Saturday afternoon in Greenwich Park looking across the Thames toward the concrete and glass of Canary Wharf, the evening October light was just amazing. But seeing those glistening towers, and remembering how they were so recently caricatured on the cover of Time magazine, as sinking beneath of the waves of the global economic crisis, reminds me just how fragile a world we live in. How quickly banks and stock markets, and other institutions take on an altogether different perspective.Anyway back to today, November 5th. It’s ironic in a way that this day celebrates on the one hand the triumph of American democracy, and on the other the historic near destruction of British democracy back in 1605 through the notorious Guy Fawkes (“Remember, Remember the fifth of November. Gunpowder, Treason and Plot!!! "- do kids still learn that stuff today?).
With the election of Barak Obama, I found myself this morning trying to explore a bit about the man through past reviews and speeches, especially his take on matters of faith. As with most political leaders, he’s notoriously hard to pin down, but I felt I did discover someone other than the standard issue democrat politician who, as the Washington Post put it “discovered God in the 2004 exit polls” (ie that they’d need to find some way of winning over the religious voters if they’re ever going to get back to the White House). Obama’s faith does seem to be deep rooted in his background, even if it does not fit the standard evangelical categories. It is worth taking a look at a June 2006 speech to evangelicals. (http://obama.senate.gov/speech/060628-call_to_renewal/ )
What I find meaningful is the way he would appear to be honestly grappling with how his faith in God needs to relate to issues of poverty, inequality, and ethics, even if it does lead him to different conclusions than you or I might hold. But let me quote here, a couple of sentences of this speech, in as much as they relate closely to where we are at, living as we do in a well to do neighbourhood of a European capital, trying to reaching out with God’s love and grace.
Each day, it seems, thousands of Americans are going about their daily rounds - dropping off the kids at school, driving to the office, flying to a business meeting, shopping at the mall, trying to stay on their diets - and they're coming to the realization that something is missing. They are deciding that their work, their possessions, their diversions, their sheer busyness, is not enough.
They want a sense of purpose, a narrative arc to their lives. They're looking to relieve a chronic loneliness, a feeling supported by a recent study that shows Americans have fewer close friends and confidants than ever before. And so they need an assurance that somebody out there cares about them, is listening to them - that they are not just destined to travel down that long highway towards nothingness.
I am convinced that many of the people living around us, busy in their lives and families, are just as he describes. They are looking for that meaning and purpose in all sorts of other things. Yet Christ gives so much meaning and purpose, provides an anchor to hang everything else on, gives a richer sense of perspective to everything we do. If only would look and see. That’s all I’m going to write about American politics this year, though, I might also recommend another Obama speech he made to a University Graduation in Chicago also in 2006 . you can watch on youtube if you want.
Here’s the link. http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=2MhMRYQ9Ez8 Inspirational and visionary leadership!!
