The Purpose of this Blog

(A JAM C) As I child of African-American descent, I dreamed of the day when there would be a black president.  I was confident that it would happen in my lifetime, and I knew it would be a huge step forward in overcoming the racial divide in the United States of America.  My father was a civil rights activist, and I know that if he were still alive today, that he would have joined Jesse Jackson with tears of joy at around 11pm on November 4th.  The day was a day for celebration, and rejoicing.

The first time I saw Barack Obama, something in my heart leapt.  It was at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and this State Senator from Illinois was given an opportunity to give the Keynote address.  Here was a man who was handsome, articulate, and "a rising star in the Democratic Party."  I remember thinking to myself on that day "I don't know where you have come from, or what you stand for, but I know one thing... I like you."  After the 2004 DNC, he emerged as a household name, and things haven't quite been the same since then.

Over the years though, the more I have learned about the man, the more I have become concerned.  As a Bible-believing Christian, there are certain stances that Obama has which are contrary to my beliefs. Coming into this presidency, I'm excited, but I'm also very nervous.  I didn't vote for Barack Obama.  He's inexperienced and very secular.  He's a wild card.  The man that we have elected as our 44th president has the potential to be one of the greatest presidents of all time, or one of the worst.  We'll just have to wait and see to find out.

As we start off this blog, there are certain aspects of Barack Obama's upcoming presidency that I think could definitely use some prayer.  Firstly, an article in Time Magazine mentioned the fact that presidential candidates seem to live in a dream world where they believe they have the power to do everything they are promising in their campaign.  Once they hit the White House though, they come to realize that they are actually the "tail" while the House and Senate are the "dog."  Pray that this transition will go well for Obama so that the beginning of his presidency isn't spent learning the ropes while the country falls further and further into a pit of desperation.  Pray that changes can be made quickly and effectively so that the ideal and real worlds can intersect.

Secondly, we all know about how he wants us to come together and unite once again.  This needs to start at the top, but our next president has a tough road ahead of him.  There are rumors of dissent even among his own party.  Some senators and congressmen alike are turned off by his meteoric rise to power.  It just seemed like it was too easy for him, and if any senator tells you that they have never thought about the possibility of running for president, they're lying to you.  Within the senate, there's an unquenchable lust for power due to the pride that is so strong in their hearts.  Obama probably had the same lust for power, but the only difference is that he got his wish, while everybody else is probably going to have to wait another four to eight years.  My prayer is that the leaders of our great country would overcome their envy, and have the interests of the 300,000,000 people they lead in mind so that we could truly be the United States of America.  Barack Obama has a long road ahead of him before that could possibly become a reality, but I think that the country would benefit greatly if those issues were resolved quickly.

Barack Obama is our president.  Love him or hate him, God has entrusted to him the leadership of our country, so please join me over these next four to eight years in prayer.  Prayer is powerful, because our God is powerful.  He's our true leader, but Barack Obama has been given the ability for true change in this country... for better or worse.