It is
Thursday,
January 27, 2011 and I'm still here banging away on my keyboard, hoping that whatever ends up hitting the electronic page has a modicum of credibility. We can always hope. I know you didn't ask but I have talked with so many folks who didn't even bother to watch the State of the Union speech on Tuesday evening. Therefore, I wanted to give you my take. I listened to President Obama's State of the Union address. I listened to the official Republican response. I listened to the unofficial Republican Tea Party response. I listened to the pundits reflecting their own points of view. The speech itself was all over the map in promising control over spending while proposing all kinds of spending. It was not a rousing speech. It was not an exciting speech. There was a flatness about the delivery and the reception. There were plenty of applause lines but they seemed about as sincere as a laugh track used on a TV sitcom. For those who built up the expectations of this being a huge home run opportunity for the President, I would say he may have gotten to first base only. It was one of those that you come away saying there just wasn't any 'there' there. Even those who fanatically support any and all things related to the President had trouble promoting this as a moment of great impact to those listening. He did cleverly work into his speech many of the ideas being pursued by the Republican House but only in an almost condescending tone. Bottom line: When you attempt to have something for everyone, you typically end up having very little for anyone. I didn't see any game changers, therefore, I continue my prediction that his reelection will be tied directly to how well the economy does over the next two years. If it rebounds then he will most likely serve another term. If unemployment remains high and folks continue to struggle, he could face a formidable challenge, although I haven't really seen any challengers yet that knock my socks off . That's my recliner chair analysis and if you print it out and put it with a couple of dollars you might be able to purchase a small cup of coffee, somewhere.
The theme of the President's speech was about winning the future. Some believe this will be a huge emphasis in his reelection campaign. However, some dude owns the rights to that phrase out on the internet. He is a conservative that has registered "Win the future" for his website and connecting entities. That might prove problematic if the President uses that theme and someone Googles it and lands on this conservative guy's website, bingo, I love it when a plan comes together. Don't you? But we all have times when our plans go awry. It's like that old saying about how you knew you were in trouble when your mom yelled at you using your full name, first, middle, and last. We are studying the life of Joseph from the Bible in our Pastor's Sunday evening class. Last week we covered his restoration that saw him promoted from the prison to the palace. The Pharaoh appointed Joseph as Prime Minister over all of Egypt, second only to himself. I shared with the class about my picturing of an incident that wasn't included in the text. Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officers, perhaps responsible for the secret service including protection of the ruler himself, was likely there when all of this happened to Joseph. You will recall that Joseph first served in Potiphar's house as a slave and was very successful until Potiphar's wife falsely accused him of an attempted sexual assault. I am not attempting to add to The Scriptures but I've always believed it would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall when Potiphar arrived home that evening.
Potiphar's wife: "Greetings husband, any resolution to the king's rage over these strange dreams?" Potiphar: "Yes there has been a resolution but you will not believe what has happened today." Wife: "Really? You look almost pale, what in the world could it be?" Potiphar: "You remember that plot I uncovered that implicated the baker and the butler but since we could'nt be sure, I had them both thrown into prison?" Wife: "Sure, we used to dine with their families." Potiphar: "Well, it seems that while they were in the prison they made contact with a prisoner who was able to reveal to them the meaning of some dreams they had. It turned out exactly like he told them. The butler was restored to his position and the baker was executed." Wife: "I remember it well. It caused all of Pharaoh's court to be on edge." Potiphar: "That prisoner was sent for today to see if he could interpret the dreams of our king." Wife: "Well, was he able to or not?" Potiphar: "He was not only able to do so in great detail but he also laid out a plan of how to deal with the upcoming famine the dreams foretold." Wife: "That's a good thing Potiphar, why are you looking so anxious?" Potiphar: "Wife, I have something to tell you. That prisoner has now been given Pharaoh's signet ring and he has been made second in command over all Egypt. That prisoner is none other than Joseph, the Hebrew, who used to manage our affairs." Potiphar's wife was stunned. She looked like she had seen a ghost. Finally she spoke: "Potiphar, you remember that invitation for me to visit my cousin and how I told her I never would because it is in that forsaken place on the other side of the dessert? I have been feeling bad about the way I spoke of her home and I believe I should go there immediately and make it up to her." Potiphar: "Funny, but I was thinking exactly the same thing!" Okay. It's not in the text so don't go quoting me on it. It would have been interesting to see how that played out. Now you go out there today and with God's help, make the best of it, and may He bless you as you go.
Amen. ......More later.
The theme of the President's speech was about winning the future. Some believe this will be a huge emphasis in his reelection campaign. However, some dude owns the rights to that phrase out on the internet. He is a conservative that has registered "Win the future" for his website and connecting entities. That might prove problematic if the President uses that theme and someone Googles it and lands on this conservative guy's website, bingo, I love it when a plan comes together. Don't you? But we all have times when our plans go awry. It's like that old saying about how you knew you were in trouble when your mom yelled at you using your full name, first, middle, and last. We are studying the life of Joseph from the Bible in our Pastor's Sunday evening class. Last week we covered his restoration that saw him promoted from the prison to the palace. The Pharaoh appointed Joseph as Prime Minister over all of Egypt, second only to himself. I shared with the class about my picturing of an incident that wasn't included in the text. Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officers, perhaps responsible for the secret service including protection of the ruler himself, was likely there when all of this happened to Joseph. You will recall that Joseph first served in Potiphar's house as a slave and was very successful until Potiphar's wife falsely accused him of an attempted sexual assault. I am not attempting to add to The Scriptures but I've always believed it would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall when Potiphar arrived home that evening.
Potiphar's wife: "Greetings husband, any resolution to the king's rage over these strange dreams?" Potiphar: "Yes there has been a resolution but you will not believe what has happened today." Wife: "Really? You look almost pale, what in the world could it be?" Potiphar: "You remember that plot I uncovered that implicated the baker and the butler but since we could'nt be sure, I had them both thrown into prison?" Wife: "Sure, we used to dine with their families." Potiphar: "Well, it seems that while they were in the prison they made contact with a prisoner who was able to reveal to them the meaning of some dreams they had. It turned out exactly like he told them. The butler was restored to his position and the baker was executed." Wife: "I remember it well. It caused all of Pharaoh's court to be on edge." Potiphar: "That prisoner was sent for today to see if he could interpret the dreams of our king." Wife: "Well, was he able to or not?" Potiphar: "He was not only able to do so in great detail but he also laid out a plan of how to deal with the upcoming famine the dreams foretold." Wife: "That's a good thing Potiphar, why are you looking so anxious?" Potiphar: "Wife, I have something to tell you. That prisoner has now been given Pharaoh's signet ring and he has been made second in command over all Egypt. That prisoner is none other than Joseph, the Hebrew, who used to manage our affairs." Potiphar's wife was stunned. She looked like she had seen a ghost. Finally she spoke: "Potiphar, you remember that invitation for me to visit my cousin and how I told her I never would because it is in that forsaken place on the other side of the dessert? I have been feeling bad about the way I spoke of her home and I believe I should go there immediately and make it up to her." Potiphar: "Funny, but I was thinking exactly the same thing!" Okay. It's not in the text so don't go quoting me on it. It would have been interesting to see how that played out. Now you go out there today and with God's help, make the best of it, and may He bless you as you go. Amen. ......More later.
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