In my latest reading of Tim Pawlenty's Courage to Stand,
Pawlenty talks about his difficult 2006 bid for re-election as Governor
of Minnesota (in a time when Republicans were particularly unpopular
nationwide), and how he and others dealt with the tragedies of a
collapsing bridge and a flood.
I especially liked something that
Pawlenty said on page 215 about when his race for Governor got tough:
"And we went to Holy Trinity in South St. Paul, to sit still for a while
and to pray. We know that God is happy to meet us anywhere, but on
that day I felt like I needed that connection to my roots. The church
was quiet, and someone turned on a few soft lights. As we left the
church, we were fully prepared for any outcome."
Pawlenty was
raised a Catholic, but he later went to an evangelical church with his
wife Mary. But, when he was experiencing a difficult race for Governor,
he felt a need to re-connect with his Catholic roots, not so much
because he thought God would help him to win if he prayed, but more
because he wanted God to be with him, whatever the outcome might be.
There's
something special about re-connecting with one's roots. I currently do
not really observe the seventh-day Sabbath and the annual holy days,
for I do on those days what I do on other days: I read, I study, and I
blog. But there may come a time when I will re-connect more with my
roots----a time when things were simpler (or so they seemed).