Can we believe in Change?

Posted on January 20, 2009 by Dave J.

I’m sitting at work unable to watch the Inauguration. I really feel like I’m missing out. Hopefully a full dose of TV news tonight will help (that I haven’t watched in years). I don’t think NPR is going to do the trick.

Why is that? What makes this the Inauguration? Race? Youth? Hope? Change?

Whatever the reason, President Obama has a great starting point, with a willing mood to listen and follow by the American people.

One of the things I’ve studied in the blogosphere is how to institute ‘change’. Its a huge undertaking, even for seemingly minor changes. Having the attention everyone involved is a huge, huge, step.

Especially when there is no cost to just ignore it all.

Do the people realize that the change has to start with themselves, with their involvement in the change process? Or will they get bored or frustrated and tune out?

That they/we have to commit to the process.

As I told my sunday-school constituents (4-6th grade boys) this week, commitment is a willing choice, but one that often doesn’t mean the easy road. And it’s easy to say ‘yes we can’–but so, so much harder to actually do it!

Not only does this apply to ‘the people’, but also the leader. He has to be part of this covenant and keep engaging us. Not get sucked into the beaucracy that he will now lead.

Yes We Can?

  • If the President gets to keep his Blackberry, change will be possible.
  • If he gives us a concrete change in our lives right away (the 80/20 rule), people will stay engaged.
  • If he gives us specific actions we can take to help him, change will be not far away.

I so want to believe that the promised change is possible … and it all rides on his symbolic Blackberry.

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  • Ted M. Gossard

    Dave, Interesting post.I like your point about commitment. So easy during a time of inspiration to commit, but so hard to follow through to the end.I just hope our country isn’t forced to follow through by an economic disaster. God forbid. Though maybe that’s the only way needed change will occur. We do need to pray daily for our President and governing leaders, as well as speak out with words of encouragement as well as correction, as needed- prophetically. And above all live out what we say we believe in Jesus.

  • Ted M. Gossard

    Dave, Interesting post.I like your point about commitment. So easy during a time of inspiration to commit, but so hard to follow through to the end.I just hope our country isn’t forced to follow through by an economic disaster. God forbid. Though maybe that’s the only way needed change will occur. We do need to pray daily for our President and governing leaders, as well as speak out with words of encouragement as well as correction, as needed- prophetically. And above all live out what we say we believe in Jesus.

  • jojo

    I hope it will come true because i have strong faith on him…

  • jojo

    I hope it will come true because i have strong faith on him…

  • Ed "Tip" Kilby

    Dave,I came here to read your thoughts about blogging, and then was happy to see your aside comments on your hopes for our new president. I feel much the same way. Unfortunately, there is so much that President Obama needs to do, and no matter how much he does, it won’t be enough in many people’s eyes. I fear that he is being held to some fairly impossible expectations.Interesting comment from Ted about being forced to follow through by economic disaster. Last night I heard (on NPR) an economist rebuking the new stimulus plan and saying it would be far better for us to just take our licks economically – even if it means depression! Yea, I guess that could be an alternative solution. Do nothing. And you can see where that has gotten us in the last eight years.P.S. I like your site!

  • Ed "Tip" Kilby

    Dave,I came here to read your thoughts about blogging, and then was happy to see your aside comments on your hopes for our new president. I feel much the same way. Unfortunately, there is so much that President Obama needs to do, and no matter how much he does, it won’t be enough in many people’s eyes. I fear that he is being held to some fairly impossible expectations.Interesting comment from Ted about being forced to follow through by economic disaster. Last night I heard (on NPR) an economist rebuking the new stimulus plan and saying it would be far better for us to just take our licks economically – even if it means depression! Yea, I guess that could be an alternative solution. Do nothing. And you can see where that has gotten us in the last eight years.P.S. I like your site!

  • Dave J.

    Ted–Praying for the president is certainly a commitment that will keep you involved. I’ve subscribed to the new whitehouse.gov RSS feed to keep me reminded daily of what he is doing. jojo–You’ve just opened the whole hope/wishful thinking can of worms. How can it be more than a dream?Ed–It’s not just my hopes for the president, but my reality-check in what needs to happen for him to lead, to achieve his goals. You are right there is so much to do, and ultimately right now looks really bad. I tend to think that we do need to take our licks, but boy it hurts!

  • Dave J.

    Ted–Praying for the president is certainly a commitment that will keep you involved. I’ve subscribed to the new whitehouse.gov RSS feed to keep me reminded daily of what he is doing. jojo–You’ve just opened the whole hope/wishful thinking can of worms. How can it be more than a dream?Ed–It’s not just my hopes for the president, but my reality-check in what needs to happen for him to lead, to achieve his goals. You are right there is so much to do, and ultimately right now looks really bad. I tend to think that we do need to take our licks, but boy it hurts!

  • Ed "Tip" Kilby

    Dave J.,“Taking our licks” could result in us re-experiencing the Great Depression in which our nation was saddled with an unemployment rate between 25 and 30%. That is 3 to 4 times greater than the pain we’re already experiencing. Families moved into cardboard camps and plenty of people starved to death. Fortunately it got no worse than that because FDR stepped in and put our nation back to work. I have been a registered investment advisor and financial planner for 10 years, and I truly believe that it **could** happen and **will** if we take our licks and don’t do anything. It would be a disaster, not only for the U.S. but the entire world. Taking our licks means we lie down like a dog and take what we feel we deserve. The alternative is to give it our best fight, put our best creative problem solving skills to work and all pull together to overcome this mess. That is the American way – not lying down and taking licks.Obama has the fortitude, the intellect, the energy and the vision to get us back on track – IF Congress doesn’t derail him. If they do, there will be heads rolling in the streets with the angry populous angered at the political BS that brought our nation down.Prayer will help, but God helps those that help themselves.

  • Ed "Tip" Kilby

    Dave J.,”Taking our licks” could result in us re-experiencing the Great Depression in which our nation was saddled with an unemployment rate between 25 and 30%. That is 3 to 4 times greater than the pain we’re already experiencing. Families moved into cardboard camps and plenty of people starved to death. Fortunately it got no worse than that because FDR stepped in and put our nation back to work. I have been a registered investment advisor and financial planner for 10 years, and I truly believe that it **could** happen and **will** if we take our licks and don’t do anything. It would be a disaster, not only for the U.S. but the entire world. Taking our licks means we lie down like a dog and take what we feel we deserve. The alternative is to give it our best fight, put our best creative problem solving skills to work and all pull together to overcome this mess. That is the American way – not lying down and taking licks.Obama has the fortitude, the intellect, the energy and the vision to get us back on track – IF Congress doesn’t derail him. If they do, there will be heads rolling in the streets with the angry populous angered at the political BS that brought our nation down.Prayer will help, but God helps those that help themselves.

  • Dave J.

    Ed, I hope you didn’t think that prayer and pain are the only solutions I see. The stimulus package is an amazing effort just keep everything from falling apart.See the post I just did about ‘ugliness’ to get a bit more commentary on things.

  • Dave J.

    Ed, I hope you didn’t think that prayer and pain are the only solutions I see. The stimulus package is an amazing effort just keep everything from falling apart.See the post I just did about ‘ugliness’ to get a bit more commentary on things.

  • ChanceOL

    hi, as a chinese, when i was seeing your newly elected president giving his inauguration speech, i was inspired. the financial crisis is a big blow for everyone in this world. but we have reason to believe that our future is promising.

  • ChanceOL

    hi, as a chinese, when i was seeing your newly elected president giving his inauguration speech, i was inspired. the financial crisis is a big blow for everyone in this world. but we have reason to believe that our future is promising.