what do these guys have in common?

william wallace
barack obama
mlk jr.
jesus

they give me the chilly willies
& make my heart pound.

they make me want to "rise up"
& to be a better person.

they inspire me to change
& to seek truth and justice.



i'm giddy about B's inauguration. ;)
*and yes, i know that william wallace was not real, but talk about huh-ma-nah, huh-ma-nah!
**update: thank you to eleanor for correcting me that william wallace was indeed real. but...the real william wallace was not as "wow" looking as mel gibson's character in braveheart. ;-)

i asked my mom

"why did you vote for obama?"
she said (in korean), "b/c he's young and i think he can bring a different kind of change."

hahah, sweetness. i think that's right.

i love obama for his idealism, that's coupled with his realism.

and i hope that as we've entered a season of some major turmoil, that we would embrace the dissonance that offers us a chance to change and move toward hope. i suspect there will be quite a bit of growing pains with the values and ideals that obama brings to our table.

we're likely to say...
"huh?"
"is that what i signed up for?"
"i don't know about that.... that's too much for me"
"what is he doing? he's making things worse!"
"things were better before him"

i hope we remember the truth of our present reality and the hope of tomorrow when those times arise.

i believe that authentic and true lasting change only comes with suffering. it comes with our willingness to fully engage with that pain.
to really listen.
and hear.
and respond.
-- to be proactive and to trust.

i love hope because it keeps us -- it keeps me - looking to the source of that hope: jesus.