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Scot McKnight super graciously invited me to share some thoughts on my trip to Washington DC for the Presidential Inauguration.  He’s posted my article today on his Beliefnet blog, Jesus Creed .

Finally had time to post photos.

Presidential Inauguration

“The fact that early believers followed a “crucified Messiah” (the ultimate oxymoron for both Jew and Greek) meant they aligned themselves with a religious sect whose founder had experienced ultimate shame (hence Paul’s saying to the basically Gentile congregations at the heart of the empire that the gospel is not a matter of shame for him [Rom 1.16]).

To follow Christ and thus experience cultural shame and isolation were not negotiables for Paul; this is the way God had chosen…”

Page 181, Gordon Fee writing on Gal 3 in Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy

I’m sure there are a variety of better thoughts in queue ready for me to post, but I liked the Daily Herald ’s direct and wry take on Blagojevich’s latest press conference explaining why he will refuse to attend his own impeachment in Springfield. (They add the little “Note:” parts, not me).

Watch the actual press conference below, which our favorite Governor . Rod Blagojevich compared himself Friday to an honest, hardworking (wait for it…) cowboy. Also the part where he says that if the state government can treat him this way, they can do it to any Illinois citizen–watch out! Too bad the “impeachment” part of the state constitution maybe doesn’t apply to, say, all of us.

Blagojevich’s talking points
Published: 1/24/2009 12:01 AM
Embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich talked for more than an hour at a news conference and during a morning radio program, Don Wade & Roma on WLS 890AM. Here are some key points:

On how some of his closest advisers and friends are now cooperating with federal investigators:

“I’m deeply hurt by some friends.”

Blagojevich has been accused of being crazy. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has called him ‘cuckoo’ twice.

“I feel my mental state is where it always has been … and you can judge whether or not that is a good place or a bad place.”

Federal investigators have been probing Blagojevich’s administration for six years. Didn’t he expect them to tap his phone as they did?

“I think anyone who comes out of Chicago politics should assume things like that … while it is shocking in so many ways that your home phone is tapped.”

On the profanity in the transcripts of the tapped phone conversations:

“I apologize for some of the profanity, but if I would have known they were listening, I wouldn’t have used those words.”

Any regrets?

“Knowing what I know now after the presidential election, I would have taken a two-month vacation and not talked to anybody.”

(Note: Two months was about the time span his phones were tapped)

On his haggling over the Senate appointment, which he was ultimately arrested for:

“At the end of the day, it was all about trying to do the right thing for the people of Illinois.”

(Note: Prosecutors say Blagojevich was taped telling his chief of staff the pick would be based on “the following order of importance: ‘our legal situation, our personal situation, my political situation. This decision, like every other one, needs to be based upon that. Legal. Personal. Political.’ “)

Blagojevich said he is “calling on the major newspapers in Illinois” to write about how the impeachment trial is unfair. He noted how journalism can’t be gagged by the government.

(Note: Prosecutors say they have Blagojevich on tape trying to get editors of the Chicago Tribune fired for writing editorials calling for his impeachment even before his arrest on criminal charges.)

Photos and thoughts will have to come later, but we had the kind of day that you couldn’t have made better.  Incredible opportunity and views of Inauguration Day.  For now… on this overhead photo of the Mall, taken pretty early in the day by Geo-Eye , I’ve marked about where we got to watch the swearing in ceremony.

You”ll prolly have a better view from here than I will, standing in front of the capital steps with 200,000 others (and 4 million others on the Mall). Thought they’ve warned that cell coverage could be spotty, I’ll be trying to live Tweet there on the right –>

So you can tell I’m still on break because I’m not posting three times a week, which is my typical goal.

I’m packing this morning to head off to my sister’s place in Washington DC.  There’s a little event on Tuesday that I plan to attend.  I was hoping to slip and out with nobody noticing, but then my sister mentioned on the phone that they’re already setting up a security perimeter.  One of my aides must have leaked my travel plans.  Oh well, I’m glad they want to make sure I’m safe.

I’ll hope to grab good pictures (there’ll only be about 90,000 people seated in front of me–and I’ve got a good ticket!), as well as live Tweet from the swearing-in ceremony, which also shows up as my Facebook status.

I just spent an hour digging a car out of 1.5 feet of snow, so it’s a relief to come back upstairs and post photos from my sun-drenched vacation! A five day cruise sponsored by one of our GCM network churches—it was the first I’d ever been on. Days at sea were a blast, but from the first port (Progreso, Mexico ) I got to visit on of the seven new wonders of the world—the incredible Mayan ruins of ChiChen Itza.  My only regret: we only were able to spend two hours, meaning I still missed significant portions of the national park. Our second port at Cozumel, an island very near Cancun, was a day relaxing on the beach… I got a sweet tan.  I would definitely enjoy doing this again!

Mexico Carnival Cruise Jan 2009

ChiChen Itza Mayan Ruins

I’m going on a cruise. Really. Like with a boat and the dancing singers at sunset and everything. Or something like that—I’ve never been on one of these before. It’s with one of our campus churches from Missouri with students and staff, and they get a really cheap deal and advertise it as good for rest. I hope so! I’ll be getting up at 5am tomorrow morning to start the journey towards the ocean.

I won’t have internet, so I won’t be posting here for a while. But let’s hope I get a good picture or two for later.