#25 Faith and Family

Barack Obama walks the walk of his talk on faith and family. He is a faithful husband with a strong wife. It always amazes me how McCain supporters revile Senator Obama. They speak of fearing him and accuse him of not being a "real Christian" yet their own candidate left the woman who was faithful to him during the years of his imprisonment. He abandoned her after she was disfigured in a car accident for his current wife who has funded his many campaigns. His own leadership of his family was so weak that he did not notice his wife was addicted to pain killers and stealing drugs from her own charity. Imagine how the Obama family would be treated if Barak was in his second marriage, had left a faithful and wounded wife for Michelle and if Michelle had been a drug addict who admitted stealing drugs.

But I have devoted too much space in this post to the reasons I think the McCain supporters are hypocrites in the area of faith and family values. There are so many authentically positive things to say about Barak Obama. He has a deep understanding of what it means to be a fatherless boy and young man who was seen as "too white" by some African-Americans and black by most of the white community. He is not afraid to address the tough subject of fatherless children to African-American audiences and he admits his own failures. Here is a link to his Fathers Day speech this past June.


Throughout his life he has had high expectations for himself and he holds his own children to high standards.His life experiences have given him the wisdom and empathy to be a remarkable leader in a country that needs racial healing and support for families. Throughout his life he has had high expectations for himself and he holds his own children to high standards.


In August the Obama family took a vacation in Hawaii and we saw several newspaper photos of the senator and his daughters walking along Kailua Beach. Our family has enjoyed a small cottage at Kailua Beach and I have enjoyed many walks with my own children along those peaceful shores not often discovered by tourists. The picture brought tears to my eyes and it reminded me of how important this election is to me. I think the outcome is critical for the future of my children. Here is a long quote from Obama Father's Days 08 speech. It expresses my hopes for my own children:

"But now, my life revolves around my two little girls. And what I think about is what kind of world I'm leaving them. Are they living in a county where there's a huge gap between a few who are wealthy and a whole bunch of people who are struggling every day? Are they living in a county that is still divided by race? A country where, because they're girls, they don't have as much opportunity as boys do? Are they living in a country where we are hated around the world because we don't cooperate effectively with other nations? Are they living a world that is in grave danger because of what we've done to its climate?

And what I've realized is that life doesn't count for much unless you're willing to do your small part to leave our children - all of our children - a better world. Even if it's difficult. Even if the work seems great. Even if we don't get very far in our lifetime.

That is our ultimate responsibility as fathers and parents. We try. We hope. We do what we can to build our house upon the sturdiest rock. And when the winds come, and the rains fall, and they beat upon that house, we keep faith that our Father will be there to guide us, and watch over us, and protect us, and lead His children through the darkest of storms into light of a better day. That is my prayer for all of us on this Father's Day, and that is my hope for this country in the years ahead. May God Bless you and your children. Thank you."