A welcome, but unpaid, friend of the blogger, but not necessarily the blog, Wichi, gives us his take on Obama’s inauguration:

I am always moved by this day. To see the greatest, most powerful Nation on Earth performing a smooth, peaceful transition of power, with political rivals on the same stage, together, for the public to see, is amazing. Especially as a person born in a foreign land who is here precisely because my country of birth does not allow for free voting, peaceful transition and respect of law. I will never, ever cease to view inauguration day as anything less than special. I am proudest of being an American on this day.

Pastor Rick Warren’s invocation speech was remarkable. He spoke with passion, mercy, and humility. His sincere wishes for the Obama family was powerful. If you have the chance, please check out the 5 minute video by clicking here. He closed with the Lord’s prayer. Wow.

President Obama’s speech was equally powerful. He spoke clearly about our problems and confidently about our ability, as Americans, to face and defeat those challenges. I thought he too was humble, sincere, confident, and eager to work together as a nation going forward. He even quoted St. Paul’s passage about the need to set childish things aside (from 1 Corinthians 13:11).

We should all pray today for the President Bush and his family and thank him for his service.

We should also all pray today for President Obama and his administration, that they lead us with honor, grace and humility.

Luis N. Perez

See the entire 1 Corinthians Chapter [13] reading and the transcript of Rick Warren’s Inaugural invocation at the end of post by clicking on Read more!

———————————————————————————–
1 Corinthians Chapter 13

1 – If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.

2 – And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.

3 – If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 – Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated,

5 – it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,

6 – it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

7 – It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 – Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.

9 – For we know partially and we prophesy partially,

10 – but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

11 – When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.

12 – At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.

13 – So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
———————————————————————————-
Transcript of Rick Warren’s Inaugural Invocation

January 20, 2009

Almighty God, Our Father, everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of You alone. It all comes from You, it all belongs to You, it all exists for Your glory. History is your story. The Scripture tells us, ‘Hear, oh Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one’ and You are the compassionate and merciful one and You are loving to everyone You have made.

Now today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 43rd time, we celebrate a hinge-point of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the united states. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where a a son of an African Immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new president, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, oh God, to remember that we are Americans. United not by race or religion or by blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us.

When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches and civility in our attitudes—even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all. May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day, all nations, all people will stand accountable before You. We now commit our new president and his wife Michelle and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life—Yeshua, Esa, Jesus, Jesus—who taught us to pray:

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jan/09012003.html
—————————————————————————–