- Obama's speech to the NAACP: I couldn't help but experience a swell of emotion when he said to them, "Our kids can't all aspire to be LeBron or Lil Wayne. I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers, not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court justice. I want them aspiring to be the president of the United States of America."
The speech in its entirety:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
***
After the controversy with the police incident at the home of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. E was talking to an African American co-worker who came from a fairly privileged background. She shared about how biased perceptions were still an issue, like other patrons making patronizing comments when she and a group of girlfriends go out to eat together at a nice restaurant. She also shared about how when she was eight and somewhat nervous when entering restaurants with mostly white guests, her mother told her to always hold her head up high and never feel like she didn't belong. She also said to always make a point to talk to any African American workers in the restaurant.
***
A blog I follow posted a story from There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene, a book about adoption in Ethiopia...another thing that brought tears to my eyes:
About half-way through the story, Haregewoin, who is an older widow
that has taken orphans in from the streets finds herself overwhelmed
with children. Relief comes to her doorstep one day when a European
contact asks if she can begin arranging adoptions for the orphan
infants. Following this encounter, the cribs within her compound
becoming a revolving door as infants are quickly adopted by foreign
families.
One day as a Spanish agency rep loaded twin baby boys into his
backseat, Haregewoin watched as several older children peered out from
behind the tin walls at the departure of the infants.
At the beginning, the older children had run to comb their hair
and change their shirts when visitors came, hoping that a last-minute
excellent impression would make a difference. ...
"Doesn't anyone ever want to adopt an older child?" she asked the
Spanish agency rep ...
"No," said the agency rep. "People want babies. Sometimes
toddlers, but mostly babies and most of all, baby girls."
... "But won't someone adopt the older children?" Haregewoin
sighed as a Canadian-agency person prepared to depart with a baby
[another day].
"Try the Americans."
"What? Really?"
"The Americans will adopt anyone."
"What does [that] mean?"
"There was a boy at the Mother Teresa Home who lost both his legs ..."
"What?"
"I think he was herding his goats over train tracks and the train
came and caught the boy. But the Americans are adopting him. They'll
adopt school kids. They'll adopt kids with CP. They call them 'special
needs.' They'll adopt---"
"Boys?"
"Yes, boys! They adopt boys, they adopt siblings."
"But big boys? School-age boys?"
"Yes, I'm telling you!"
Haregewoin was off like a shot. She sprinted to her house to start
making phone calls to find the Americans.
***
Came across this article; I thought it gave a good portrait of the state of Christians in the States today. The section heading of "New Need for Apologetics" resonated with one of prayers for Simone's life - that she would really know the Bible. #6 about sharing faith I could be better at - good thing it's going to be a focus at our church this upcoming year.
5 Kinds of Christians
Understanding the disparity of those who call themselves Christian in America.
A new national survey co-sponsored by Leadership.
Sections:
Faith Yes, Church Maybe
Personal or Media Relationships?
New Need for Apologetics
What About Jesus?
Active Christians 19%
1. Believe salvation comes through Jesus Christ
2. Committed churchgoers
3. Bible readers
4. Accept leadership positions
5. Invest in personal faith development through the church
6. Feel obligated to share faith; 79% do so.
Professing Christians 20%
1. Believe salvation comes through Jesus Christ
2. Focus on personal relationship with God and Jesus
3. Similar beliefs to Active Christians, different actions
4. Less involved in church, both attending and serving
5. Less commitment to Bible reading or sharing faith
Liturgical Christians 16%
1. Predominantly Catholic and Lutheran
2. Regular churchgoers
3. High level of spiritual activity, mostly expressed by serving in church and/or community
4. Recognize authority of the church
Private Christians 24%
1. Largest and youngest segment
2. Believe in God and doing good things
3. Own a Bible, but don't read it
4. Spiritual interest, but not within church context
5. Only about a third attend church at all
6. Almost none are church leaders
Cultural Christians 21%
1. Little outward religious behavior or attitudes
2. God aware, but little personal involvement with God
3. Do not view Jesus as essential to salvation
4. Affirm many ways to God
5. Favor universality theology
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