Inflation

Maybe it’s just me…but amidst all the rhetoric concerning the current economic crisis, the one word that I am not hearing is inflation.  I don’t know about you, but my dollars don’t go as far primarily due to the fact that EVERYTHING costs more than it used to, and quite frankly, my wages have not kept up.  I have less money to spend.  Now, what strikes me as odd, is the government’s remedy for our ailing economy is to throw some money on top, the very thing, mind you, that causes inflation.  Once again, it would appear that this remedy is nothing more than a desperate attempt to delay the inevitable.  Not a cure, but rather a bandage. 

 

Which brings up the big question.  What is the cure?  How do you bring the costs down on everything?  How do you level the playing field?  Does anybody really know where to begin?  I sure don’t.  I keep hearing the S-word (socialism) mentioned.  Is that where we are heading?  Would that help in the long run?  I really don’t know.  I’ve never lived anywhere except here in America.  I have no way to compare life styles nor am I well educated in this area.  I think, though, that I would likely survive just fine under socialism primarily because I’ve never really been much of a capitalist.  I’ve never been motivated by a desire to be wealthy.  I suspect that the people that would object the most to socialism would be the people with the most to lose.  Would the majority of Americans benefit, though? 

Corporate America

These are interesting times.  It would appear that corporate America is holding all Americans hostage?  They’ve got their hands out asking for bailout money…but if the government doesn’t appease them, they threaten to close their doors.  Closing their doors would put many people out of work and puts the country at greater risk of falling into a depression.  Now, I wouldn’t necessarily be thinking that these huge corporations are trying to take advantage of us, but when I hear they are buying new jets, or giving out billions of dollars in bonuses, then I’m thinking….bonuses for what?  Running the company into the ground?  Either these companies are really, really, stupid (which could explain why they are failing)….or they are really, really, bold.  It appears to me to be the latter, and they are, in essence, extorting money from all of us.  If one of these large companies did fail, I imagine the CEOs still walk away filthy rich.  Therein lies their leverage.  They have little to lose personally, and are gambling with the fate of their employees and the economic welfare of the country at large.

Do you ever wonder why...

Do you ever ask yourself why? Why this…or why that? Why is my boss so challenging…why is my co-worker so challenging…why is my marriage so challenging…why is my job so challenging…why are my kids so challenging, why is life so challenging? The list could go on. Today, I’m considering that it is all about erosion. Huh? Yeah…environmental conditions that bring about some sort of wearing away of something or other. In time, even the most pointed peaks can be worn down to ground level. A sharp shard of glass tossed in a stream or the ocean ends up all rounded and smooth. Is that the reason for strife? Is it the shaping of our souls via abrasion, resistance, trial, conflict? It would seem likely. I think of Moses and the commentary about him…the meekest man in all the earth. Hmm. What makes a person meek? By trying, can you become meek, or is genuine meekness the result of environmental conditions, through experiences? I don’t believe it’s an accident that the majority of us start out young and strong and leave this life old and dependent. Surely, it’s part of the plan, true humility being the objective.

In the land of other people and things…

If Jesus pulled in right now, appeared right now, would you run right out to him…or would you be torn? Just imagine, Jesus is outside and waiting to take you away. What would you do? Would you just drop everything and run right out there, or would you be thinking about what you should grab to take with you? What about your stuff, your ‘cloak’, your wife, kids, dogs, cats, whatever? Would there be something inhibiting you from just running right out to Jesus? The question is, if you have those thoughts, are you really prepared for His coming, and if not, are you really fit for service in the kingdom of God? I don’t know the absolute answer to this. It seems to me that wanting to take your kids, wife, husband, ‘could’ be a show of love and how could love be a conflict with God? On the other hand, wanting to go back to get your ipod could point to a real problem.

What constitutes faithfulness...

I guess that's the question for all of us that claim the name of Christ.  What must we do, who must we be, to be considered faithful?  Jesus said many things that are relevant, but two things stand out for me.  First, in John 14:21, Jesus said "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me."  And then, in John 14:23, Jesus said  "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching."  If you had to sum up what Jesus's teaching was, my Christian Interpretation would be that it would come down to love (John 13:34  "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."  Matthew 22:37-40  Jesus replied: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."  Matthew 7:12  So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.)

If love is the commandment, how then are we doing?  If you took a survey of yourself, and in one column you noted acts of selfless love, how many entries would there be?  Are we making the most of every opportunity, or are we a bit like the person James describes (James 1:23-24  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.)?  Do we walk out the door and immediately forget who we are, who we want to be?  It's so easy to do that, and to be sure, satan doesn't miss an opportunity to attempt to derail the best of intentions.

You know, as I'm sitting here thinking about this blog entry, it just dawned on me that I have a heavy jacket in my closet that I rarely use and could live without.  The weather is getting colder here now, and we have many homeless people in this area.  Surely one of them could make better use of it.

House of cards

I find it interesting that one of the core issues at the heart of the credit crisis…ie relaxing the government regulations that would have determined if a person ‘qualified’ (had a reasonable chance of being able to pay it back) for a loan and instead giving loans to people who were really at high risk to default on the loans…is exactly what the government is doing to try to remedy the credit crisis. In other words, the government is, in essence, borrowing 700+ billion dollars that it can’t afford (wouldn’t qualify for) and is at high risk at never being able or willing to pay it back, and throwing it in the pot to try to restore confidence in the economy. Remember, our government was 9 trillion dollars in debt before the credit crisis. What kind of example is that? Does that build your confidence in our government? Sheesh.

Smoke and Mirrors...

Politics!  Once again it appears that the politicians have fooled us.  In an apparent effort to make an administration (or administrations) look successful, they (temporarily) stimulated the economy in a short-sighted and irresponsible manner.  Surprised?  I'm not.  The two party system is wrought with this type of behavior.  The politicians love to point to the stats.  Look at unemployment...look at the housing market...look at this and that.  But, so often, the numbers are deceptive because they are the result of, what amounts to, bad business decisions.  Decisions that are based strictly on the here and now...without considering the future implications.  Want to buy a house even if, in reality, you can't afford it?  We'll still give you a loan even if there is a good chance you will default on it.  One little hiccup along life's way and you will be over your head in debt.

The way I understand it, the government is at fault in all this, though business took advantage of the government's idiocy.  Since the government mandated that companies give loans to people who basically couldn't afford them, these companies did exactly that.  There were a lot of commissions on the sale of homes.  Capitalism would say...who cares if the home buyer can't afford the home?  What matters is that I get my commission.  If the home buyer made a bad decision, that's their problem and not my fault.  That's what capitalism breeds,  greed, and shortsightedness.  Who cares that the whole economy collapses later on...what matters is the money I can make right this minute.

imo, the USA needs a whole new government system, as the system we have now has it's origins in selfishness (me), and greed (me).  A system that is based on 'me', is doomed to self destruction.  

Certificate of deposit

CDs.  I found out a bit of information recently that seemed worthy of mentioning.  I had a CD that had matured and was in the grace period.  I needed to move around some of that money, so I went into the bank to accomplish what I needed.  When there, I asked what the new rates were and was given the appropriate information.  What I learned in addition, though, (for the very first time) was that if you just allow the CD to roll over without contacting the bank, the interest rate you receive is much lower.  In other words, if you trust the bank to treat you right, you are repaid with a lower rate.  THANK YOU!  If you call in and ask about rates without informing them that you have a CD already in their bank and get them to give you those rates...then (and only then) inform them that you have a CD coming due or in the grace period, you can request that the quoted rate be applied.

This information annoyed me, and caused me to lose all trust in banks.  I have been guilty of allowing CDs to roll over on occasion.  I now wonder how many $$$ I have lost because of these unethical business practices.

Msg

Monosodium glutamate.  It took me 30 years to figure out that I was allergic to it.  For 30 years I suffered from frequent headaches.  Headaches that didn't respond well to over the counter pain killers, caffeine, or much else, and lasted 12 hours or so.  One day I'd get a headache, the next maybe not.  Some weeks I'd have a headache almost every day.  I didn't know what to think.  A few months ago I was praying about this and MSG popped into my head.  I followed through on that and did some research and found that MSG was in some of the foods that I ate regularly.  Campbell's soups for one.  I had been eating Campbell's soups multiple times a week for those 30 years.  I also discovered it was in a lot of chicken products...and I was (I thought) healthily choosing chicken sandwiches etc over beef almost every time I went to a restaurant.

Long story short....I stopped the Campbell's soups and anything else I noted that had MSG in it and NO MORE HEADACHES!  How ridiculous is that?  30 years of headaches!

There is a lot of information about MSG online and I would recommend anyone and everyone do their own research on it, especially if you are also prone to headaches.  Don't rely on the labeling of the products to reveal that they have MSG in them, though, as the industry has found ways of concealing it.  Do your homework.

Aware of the devils schemes

1 Samuel 16:14-15 ¶ Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. Saul’s attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.

I find this to be an interesting scripture and one that many have pondered but few have agreed upon. Personally, I’m considering the possibility that Saul’s experience is not entirely unique…that even you and I may occasionally experience something similar. First, I think the stage has to be set. Something, or someone, has to really cause you grief. The more personal, the more painful, the more frequent, the more likely that you could fall prey….that a seed of bitterness could find root. If you water that seed, if you allow it to grow, it can create an opportunity for the devil to take advantage of you. For that matter, the devil can remind you of the injustices, he can stir the pot. The next thing you know, indeed the Spirit of God has left you (after all, God is love), and an evil spirit is left to torment you.

I believe it is likely that the above scenario is not uncommon. What is the cure? Faithfulness. We have to take control. We have to submit to God…to resist evil…to forgive…to pray. We not only have to read what the Bible says, we have to understand it so that we can be aware of the devil’s schemes, and we have to do what it says (put on the full armour etc Ephesians 6:11).

Something I think we have to remember is that evil can spread. If one person is taken captive to do the devils’ will…what do you think the devil would have that person do? Break someone else down? The person that has been taken captive needs our prayers, not retaliation (Romans 12:20). Retaliation only feeds the fire.

Was Jesus GOD?

  Here is what scripture says:   1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord...