A Word on Words; 4241; Joshua Dubois

from nashville public television's do a celebrated authors literature and ideas for more than three decades but this is a word on workers' jobs though it doesn't involve a welcome once again to award own words my guest today just went awol is a pentecostal minister and one abroad obama's longest serving september's and work and they've been signed obama's legislative office led the religious affairs department two thousand a presidential campaign later served as executive director white house office of faith based and neighborhood partnerships in the first presidential campaign joshua recognize vinnie jones is both ways and the toll it was taking on and so you sent him an emotional directly to president blackberry was warmly received and from then on i became a daily ritual heated day with his book the president's devotional a collection of the best of these encouraging messages offering a bit of scripture inspirational story quotes and prayers

joshua soloist it is it's wonderful really an honor to be with it as part of the review i let's begin with that like this is an embarrassing moment for the present and is both on because i think this is the way maybe came into this road ahead jeremiah wright that problem he was the prayer president's a spiritual advisor and there was that conflict and it blew wide open than everest and that some people thought they had defeated brock obama but they understood at what point after that did you come into the picture so i had been working for then senator obama for a couple years i was a junior staffer in his legislative office but i didn't know him that well how was it close personally with him and killed

around the the the height of the two thousand eight campaign around the time of the issue with reverend wright's in common a number of other crises or caffeinated we had economic crisis that was at reaching its its peak in attacks from the president's political opponents and so forth and i just thought one day has just a junior staffer doing outreach at the point that you know this is a guy who has all sorts of support around them is the policy advisers and political support but i wondered who was thinking about a sore spot i decided to dress up a brief email on the first one was a poem from wendell berry a reflection on the twenty third psalm i got his email addressed a no cows allowed to email senators but i shot him a note and them he wrote me back and said tougher this is exactly what i needed this morning when he said this every day and six years later i've been sending them every morning well you know when you listen to those first law because it includes scripture put includes little droplets for from a

whole variety of people and and some are entertainers and some more athletes and some are politicians and so our writers and summer intellectual teachers side of what you're going to send him every day what is that this world has produced such great wisdom there's so much wisdom and scripture to try to mind that that also of amplify the words of scripture with other people as well and so you know there's nina simone and what we can learn from her about fighting through tough times in british prime minister lloyd george and the terrorism that he has a reason to go away it could be it could be a bob dylan that's right it could be marked void that's right they're all woven throughout the devotionals you know i don't focus on what's at the top of the news on a given day i don't want the president to have the sensation that he's reading is news clip to reopen this devotional every year ago you don't take a crisis that's confronting him

and structure that emotional need is immediate needs that they now do you not directly related to an individual crisis that said i will look at ways going through and try to mine in his situation for an eternal principal so maybe about loving our neighbors are finding joy in tough times are really knowing who god is so some of these broader principles i try to weave in but i don't want it to feel as if it's an immediate response to what he's seen his face in a given day because i want to be a bit of an oasis from the political cycle now what did he say when you told him you had lucas well i didn't tell him i asked the great idea he thought i'd been doing them for years thousands of them before anyone ever knew about it and he over time had begun to talk about how meaningful they were to him and he thought that they've been so helpful to him maybe the same devotion is to help other people is how do you no idea how you structure your

writing about them what's so i mean what's your regimen on any given day ord might my wife will give me sat sunday afternoons to myself after church and i got to the stock that i live in washington and sit over some water and try to open up some books and you can see what inspires me say a few words of prayer an arm and start writing and sometimes i'll fish it will actually do let were casting less actually changing the solemn sobering a panic in the town along with me while i'm in the in a boat in the end and do a little reading there too so i don't do three or four the time on a given day and try to accumulate them for the week ahead and engage was in they include the thought of the scripture and it may include a thought from a famous person one infamous first that's right an unknown player noted it doesn't have to be some celebrity a song personality it so far ike take that's right in other cities see what we can

learn from johnny cash and from abraham lincoln and other people as well in addition to the devotionals every month also begins with an essay on describing a lesson that i learned in the white house working at the intersection of faith and politics at rice that's theirs well i'm going to talk for a couple minutes about about her for a few seconds here about the word i like to cheer a couple reading that to happen to it if you look at the view you pick out maybe two or three of your favorites because it seems to me that we have an audience out there i know from feedback we get that many of the loan would enjoy the sort of devotional sure i'd be happy to this one is i'm about finding moments of joy and laughter even in tough times it's called he danced it from january six starts with a quote yes to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving for a silhouetted by the sea circled by the circumstance with

all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves let me forget about today until tomorrow that's bob dylan mr tambourine man nearby and then i'm a passage of scripture wearing a lebanon that was then and the basses richard goes along with bob dylan that's right that says that david was dancing before the lord with all his might and second samuel six fourteen and in the meditation goes on to briefly say david the king of israel a man on whom the mantle of god rested david and wild abandon danced he danced because of lower than good you didn't because despite unspeakable trials he was still alive he danced because the weight of cinnamon lifted off of him he danced and danced a more dense with all he had with all his might let's pray for some of that joyful abandon today but seek out the moment when the seriousness of life melts away in the heat of god's glory and we're free to let loose shout glorify god and dance so here we get our scripture dylan knew that's what happened that last who for emotional is and you created that thats right yes i'd try

to wrap up on the quote and that the scripture together in an imitation so how long does it take i mean these are homes that the two of you sit down on a sunday and it up yep be and yet you fishing on a divide literate bought plots a kid during that time there are certain intellectual dwight macdonald yeah you know i just i try to clear my mind a little bit and say a word of korean ask either you know give me a bit of inspiration and sometimes i'll put on my headphones in and press play on something that will inspire me or i have heard about a book from a friend over the course of a week and i will brought that along with me to the boat in an open up and see what's there honestly i walk my way all the way through bartlett's book of book of quotations and so much of the fines and some layout popular anecdotes and

stories to believe in as well so that's the idea i think we should mention that you're a native son that's right before risser was born of the way but race right here in asheville i am with a town join elementary school in nags middle school and my mom and dad are both the nashville years my dad's a pastor here and my mom worked at vanderbilt and words you know the person is actually presiding elder and amy church he pastored say johnny emmy and then was promoted so now oversees a number of churches line or there let's talk about your own religious background and about how that evolution from what i grew up in the church surrounded by the bureaucracy of the church announced a grown up as a preacher's kid i'm actually didn't come to my own personal faith until i went to college i went to boston university and thought i knew everything about auburn had no personal relationship with god himself a young man invited me to a tiny little pentecostal church in cambridge yes there are believers in cambridge

was a nieman fellow harvard though they are indeed there are to end and at that point i am he came to oppose him personally since ship with with my faith and with with guidance of the wonderful journey ever since saddam and in ft and so i was often interested in how faith in politics collided i grew up hearing about the tremendous stories of people like kelly miller smith concedes even in others whose faith motivated them to act for justice in the world and right here in asheville and that always inspired me to work involved and i remember dr king came to town immediately after the bombing of the home of the alexander move inventory african warriors and the syrian kids then after his home was bombed it wasn't really i think the whole town suddenly became spiritually move opposed to being wouldn't search

doesn't bother you that only what happens when they do winners for the movie is set not there with a fishing pole and that fish are biting and and the carbon this idea of a million you're struggling with it and you think about it and the news is not sitting on you know whispering in your ear it gets rid of all those you're well what we learned a way he learned to wait on god wait on wisdom is devotional about that in the book that is from oxford to do that the other thing is that i learn in this episode is from the great writers that i've known over the years people who are much better at this than i sometimes got in the paper and start writing and in the notion that was him an inspiration will come later but it's the discipline of actually opening up the computer or strengthen them down even when you don't have the interest in and even one year when your inspiration is not in the perfect place just beginning to put the words down and oftentimes inspiration flows after that at least it

has for me and so how much of this comes from your upbringing as a preacher's son yeah a fair amount i would say you know i again i was sort of surrounded by this idea that i guess is the very protein well yeah i'm proud of them too surrounded by this idea that your face is not something that you just dropped to keep in your own sobered something that should motivate you to do good things in the world and on behalf those people are well one who need some help him and that's a big part of what this book is about you think the president had any idea that this we gonna happen after this at a blow open tomorrow it on which made an awful lot of people and that was a real concern i think about that so much about the election but about whether this would drive them away yeah you did it didn't you know i think i'm the president practices a

serious but quite fit the faith that the key trends tries to cultivate his christian faith in not necessarily in front of everyone we're ortiz years ago no way to know that well but you know he raises of bushels every morning he spends time in prayer with passes in the oval office on folks like bishop vashti mckenzie used to be amy bishop is your area visit with him in the oval office and pray for him every year on his birthday this is a wonderful tradition that not to make people know that he had to convene a prayer call with pastors around the country would say a word of prayer for him for the year to come and so it's a it's an intimate thing it's a private thing but it's a very serious thing for him say a word to your heroes and you give this another emotional overload you're just tuning in and dog and the judge would've walked about the president's devotional unless helena with wonderful this is from march first it's called slowly but the concept of waiting for wisdom brief passage of scripture proverbs fifteen twenty at the heart of the righteous studies how to answer first but the mouth of the wicked poor's

for people not to quote talk low talk slow and don't say too much with john wayne and then uncle john wei veteran and a brief meditation as a child i always wondered why my grandfather homer roberson from nashville tennessee spoke so slowly it seemed that by the time he answered my first question i had five more ready for four frequently impatient eight year old it was almost too much to bear so when they asked him grinding over what you talk so slow it was until i read proverbs fifteen twenty eight years later that his answer made much sense to me he said just why i speak slowly because i don't want my mouth to run laps around my brain i read a migraine finish first what he was saying was that a problem ever went unsolved or dispute unresolved because of an answer delivered to slowly solid study how to answer before we speak so that our replies will be godly and what's the nearest you whether they've given day

factors into what use in the pros like a shrine or a new label food but but but there's this idea is there a special devotional purposes they are easier our thanksgiving in all veterans day is how much how often do you let that factor into what you're writing for him it does factor and so time around christmas people will find in the book they're devotionals about christmas the same around easter but also on some other days as well i did one end april actually made this notation in the book i am on april fifteenth about jackie robinson because i was the anniversary of him breaking into the major rivals for that one okay all this is om is actually just a prayer excerpt from the eulogy for jackie robinson that was given by jesse jackson is not that says on the day we must balance the tears of

sorrow with tears of joy mix the bitter with the sweet in death than life jackie is a figure in history was a rock in the water creating concentric circles and ripples of new possibility of that he was medicine he was as by god from catching the diseases that before the lords armed protection enabled him to go to a dangerous seen and unseen and he had the capacity to wear glory with grace techies bottled body was a temple of god an instrument of peace we would watch them disappear into nothingness and stand back as spectators and watch the suffering from afar the mercy of god intercepted this process tuesday intel's when jack and i am permitted him to steal away home or referees are out of place in only the supreme judge of the universe speaks they conclude with a prayer dear lord give us a jackie robinson spirit lettuce blaze new trails with dignity determination and grace and god like jackie immunize us from catching the very disease is that wi fi indies says name amen now lets them years to have fun

events in the world influence what you put down the system for a moment that this is the day after nelson mandela died and learning and so and does that factor into question from time to time there is a for example the president went to the holy land he was in israel and i wrote a devotional about what would like that was like to walk around where jesus walked in and the magnitude of that that moment or as a devotional i make this imitation the book and then delivered to him on the morning of the state of the union address last year about being hurt and being clear and so there are times that it intersects with events but they're mostly most of the time so i try to focus on internal principle it's not dependent upon the news cycle and you drive to avoid the news cycle that's right but sometimes i take it to events of the day maybe so overwhelming and the crisis that's

compounded use not easy to escape that's right yeah that there's one that since it's in the book it's december fourteenth actually sent a few days after that it was after newtown and the horrible tragedy of those children being killed at that school bus or you tell me just let's take that one drive on my grandson lives in connecticut he a play based on the same baseball game in the summer with the big to the students at the school are when it happens you sit in cause and word comes only audio all peaches new children to be an aunt or less my grandson jack bauer don't they get the auditorium in the sky it's a cell phone out and you know what the crisis isn't spread the only good snow but it's very tough for them and so your there and you

know this is a real interest tragedy and the devastation that people look at what goes on in your head in here now thinking about what you know so the procession <unk> sexy interesting i actually traveling with the president to newtown after that and i was with him as he met with the families saddam and tried to comfort them behind the scenes in just a mind bending tragedy of a day and i just okay i can hardly but rabbi moran mind around that is not much you can say at that point all you can do is be that you can look father's european night and hold bombs as close as possible and allow them to sensitive to mourn with you and to weep with you and and try to hold on to the notion that even though evil hazards our morning at some point will follow behind the mask so when i reflected on in the devotional that over the course of our history whether it's newtown or auschwitz or the antebellum south we have faced an unimaginable evil and yet our

morning will eventually come and that's what we're trying to reflect on and i think crises other moments when it needs it needs to get his head square for what's ahead and i will meet you were leaders for example and with some of them in a state's is not always as popular as it might be he let any of those ideas to direct what we are preparing for and we'll certainly will reflect on the notion of perspective in and that's the devotionals are encouraging the president to take the long view in in terms of relationships in life and so forth i should say though he is an extraordinarily you know composed individual in which is that there is a sense of calmness

and peace about it doesn't get riled up sometimes and upsets down people because they want and medicaid that sometime but the good thing is that when crises come each year that same level of composure and of pieces there as well he does not get rattled by difficult situations and so it's an area where i don't think he needs much guidance for me is he's pretty good on that front well on the gridlock is soaked up there is another human say to him to get into this attack well you know there's a lot of the boast about loving our enemies and our entire savers even those who are difficult to love there's always one about abraham lincoln and how he approached this notion of the people who believe things are dramatically different than what he believed and how often times building bridges toward him is a much more effective pathway to peace rather than trying to defeat them in seoul and there that is that is a subject matter for the devotionals and somebody has to tap into all time so you know thousands of the threat they do have a single favorite along

i don't have a single favorite the one i just read about my grandfather's that is a personally was one of my favorites because he'd he meant a lot to me how that's where few years ago but i just remember some of being on his knee often in actually running a lot from him there's one about nina simone that i really enjoy about how we can learn from that zero one you know so that was you know i think that they're really argues would be bested by nina simone whispering in brought obama's ear as a result of so you know most of the abolitionists once the september twenty nine two just called nina simone starts off with a quote of meanness birds flying high you know how i feel the sun in the sky you know how i feel alone singing breeze dripping on by you know how i feel it's a new dawn it's a new day it's a new life for me and i'm feeling good but for me this song feeling good devotional continues the great american jazz singer nina simone has a funny song called feelin good as a driving

ominous be think the feverish the dark rhythm of hit the road jack or something like that one could imagine the baseline playing a movie a mafia flip right before they hit job when the main character in a moment of despair is contemplating a leap from the golden gate bridge and that rhythmic concepts that dark context is exactly why the upbeat lyrics of soldier with dark music surrounding her words why isn't enough feeling good contrast remind me of david and psalm fifty nine the diverse right fearfully of stalkers invaders camps around him this is from the song see how the line wait for me a fierce men conspire against me for no offense or senate minority they return it evening snarling like dogs and prowl about the city but counter intuitively david concludes i will sing of your strength in the morning that i will sing of your love for your mud fortress my refuge in terms of trouble you are my strength and i sing praise to you nina simone and david remind us of one unimpeachable fact whatever situations we face the lyrics we sing today are completely up to

us we can choose to shout above the din outside our window and sing louder than the ominous noise approaching our lives we can worship god today we can love today even when it's tough we can take control of our songs are saul and that's the solution it's beautiful thing here we have just about a minute left their you've done this book your car you know i'm not sure that that was a quite a task and i'm enjoying sharing the song with the world and so you know i got some of the things on my plate some other writing down the rip the condom during an awesome portray just got married or start a family something similar pitches you write another because you write so well lengthen and the president know that better than any of us with a solo that is coming just was like that year and thank all of you for watching on john singing going forward on words you create