"God has placed eternity in the hearts of men..." is one of those mysterious verses in the Bible that is best explained through illustration, by pointing at something and saying, "that's what it means". Now that Obama's been awarded a the Nobel Peace Prize before actually doing much of anything substantive to contribute to world peace, I think we have an example of Ecclesiastes 3:11.

Don't get all "Rush" on me, and scream about liberal conspiracies. Your tirade will cause you to miss something valuable.

Don't preach, either, about how Obama deserves this award, and how his presence at the table as someone who tries negotiating before bombs is enough of a cause for him to triumph over these candidates. He doesn't (deserve this award, not even by his own admission), and it isn't.

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On Tuesday, President Obama—following the precedent of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush—delivered a “Back to School” speech to American students, beamed live via the Internet and C-SPAN into thousands of classrooms across the country.

It was a fantastic speech. Read it here.

I always love a good Obama speech. He’s a great, inspiring orator, and in recent years he’s delivered some of the best American speeches of the 21st century (such as this race speech from the campaign trail).

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There’s no perfect plan – there I said it. At least some people though are trying to find a plan. I’m sick to death of politics and even more tired of one sentence Facebook comments that start debates where people say things they would never say face to face or don’t understand.

Congress and Facebook have a lot in common.  There is a lot of time spent on things that should not occupy that much of our attention and not enough time spent on issues that need our utmost commitment, awareness, and dedication. We have all but forgotten to work together.

One politician took to his blog this week rallying the Republicans to bring Obama down with his healthcare plan: “Go for the kill,” he said.  Enough already. Why not invest your energy into a bipartisan plan instead of spewing venomous words that further cut into an already deeply divided nation? Why don’t we write letters to our representatives asking them to put down their paper and electronic swords and start working together – aren’t we on the same team? Maybe then our nation could stand firm on something again that is meaningful because right now all of the pundit and bobblehead chatter are cracking the foundation.   

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I woke up this morning craving toast.  I’m not sure what it was about, but I started ransacking my kitchen looking for the loaf of sourdough I just purchased from the bakery.  The bread is usually right next to the toaster, but it had taken a walk today.  I have been known to misplace various items, so I went about tearing into cupboards and looking on every countertop in our house.  Finally, as I stared at the lonely apricot jam sitting on the counter, I picked up the phone and called my husband.  “Do you know where the bread went? I swear we had a ½ of a loaf left.”  He started laughing and explained that he was feeling lazy so he stuffed the rest of the bread into his work bag and the huge tub of chicken salad and thought that he would just make sandwiches at work.  I cracked up, “Are you making 12 sandwiches?”

Maybe it was one of those you-had-to-be there moments, but I was reminded that sometimes in our laziness and insecurity we take a lot for granted.  (Thanks honey).  It’s our assumption that we are doing the right thing and our unintentional actions become just that – lacking intentionality.  I recently returned from a trip where we visited one of the Japanese Internment Camps in California from WWII.  In stark contrast to the concentration camps I saw in Germany, the US has dismantled the entire thing, only leaving a couple of buildings.  As President Obama toured the Cape Coast Castle this week in Ghana, I too wondered in California, what the walls and ground would say if they could talk.

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While my first passion (and formal training) is in theology and philosophy, I do love following politics. For balance, I regularly read the HuffingtonPost.com (liberal) Townhall.com (conservative) and watch CNN and Fox News to try and get multiple sides of every issue. For the past couple weeks, I’ve decided to pay even closer attention to the words of President Obama. In doing so, I’m amazed at how many times he directly contradicts himself. Yet what’s more amazing is that the mainstream media doesn’t pick up on these. Consider a few…

President Obama: Can we emphasize your Muslim roots or not? During the presidential campaign you strongly downplayed your Islamic background (strong criticism was leveled at those who included your middle name “Hussein.”) Yet in your recent speech in Cairo you emphasized your background and sympathy for Islam. In fact, you boasted of having “known Islam on three continents.” Which is it? And how far does your sympathy for Islam go? Why did you speak out immediately against the killing of Dr. Tiller, but were very slow in response to the murder at the recruiting office by an American Muslim?

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I'm not very good at prayer.  I would bet that almost every Christian would say that and mention that they wish they did one of two things better: 1) prayed more frequently or 2) prayed more passionately.  

I have a hard time when I'm put on the spot; almost as though someone is handing me a mic and saying, "Alright now, Nick, talk to your Creator."  I mumbled like an idiot when I got the courage to talk to Britney Spears one night - it can be even worse sometimes when I pray and really picture who I'm talking to (see verse 12 below).  

That's why I like to pray with the Bible open.  They're God's words, use them!  It's like Obama's teleprompter x 3,000,000,000.  I especially like to pray with the Psalms because they're worship-directed and use language that exalts God and humbles men.

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There is no doubt that America has fallen on hard times. Unemployment rates are high, stock values have plummeted, and Americans are frequenting food banks in numbers we haven't seen since the Great Depression. 

Sorry it's been so long.  I've been teaching a lot the last couple weeks so my free time has been taken up with preparation.  Things are back to normal though so I'll try to be more diligent with writing here.

To lead off, a funny story.

Former Clinton Press Secretary Dee Dee Meyers wrote an article for Vanity Fair in January claiming that President Obama is the "Most Famous Living Person Ever".  It's the usual unrestrained media gushing about how we can thank him for 'making America cool again'.