I must confess my ignorance. Until a short time ago I never knew there was an HBO program called "Curb Your Enthusiasm." And now that I have heard of the program I still don't know much about it, other than it apparently tries to pass off vulgarity and moronically outrageous material of the "shock-jock" genre as humor. Fortunately for them, there is no current shortage of vulgar morons out there who like to tune into their particular kind of garbage.
Spare me the appeals to constitutionally guaranteed free speech, I won't argue with anyone about it. Yes, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and other similar vulgarians, you have a constitutional right to be as immature, vulgar, stupid, and offensive as you want to be. Why you are compelled to so abuse the right to free speech, well let me just say that your to your sin nature is quite evident.
As for the indignities directed at the Lord and his Church, well, it's not the first time is it? And, it won't be the last, will it? Several years ago there was a silly depiction of the Lord's Supper featuring, if I recall correctly, a black woman as Christ. Ding-dongs and nutcases called it "art," but we know better. Then there was the beaker full of with a Crucifix immersed in it, so you see the outrageous stupidity of the knuckleheads at "Curb Your Enthusiasm" isn't even all that original garbage; not only are they stupid, they aren't even all that creatively stupid. I mean, if you are compelled to be world-class fools, at least try to do something new, can't you? Well what should we expect from minds stuck in the anal stage?
So, what are we supposed to do when offended by such outrageous vulgarity and abuse? Well, Jesus instructed us to "turn the other cheek" when struck, and I would suppose the same holds for being mocked, spat upon and worse. In case you might not recall, Jesus silently endured terrible beating and mocking at the hands of his captors during his Passion. When he finally responded he had this to say, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." If the Lord's example was to forgive those crazy or stupid enough to abuse, mock, and ultimately nail him to a cross, I suggest that we try and find a way to similarly forgive the crazy and stupid of our day. I would also suggest that, if you are an HBO subscriber, you call and cancel your subscription immediately. I don't pretend to suggest that you will cause "Curb Your Enthusiasm" or other similar trash to go off the air anytime soon, much less threaten HBO's security, there are, after all, plenty of people who are happy to spend money on this junk, but at least you will have cleaned some real smelly stuff out of your house. And couldn't we all do with being a little cleaner before God?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Out of Better Ideas
My wife called and left me bad news this morning in a voicemail--the local Ford dealer shut their doors for good suddenly yesterday. While I don't have one in the driveway right now, and more on why that is shortly, I have driven and owned ten Fords in the 39 years since I first got my driver's license. And for the last several years there has been a running joke in our house about the Mustang I am going to get one day. But Fords, along with pretty much every other American born and bred automobile, are on the endangered list. Plymouths, Oldsmobiles, and Pontiacs have already suffered extinction in recent years, and the number of once proud and iconic nameplates that will be relegated forever to history is very likely to grow until a generation or so from now children will ask, "Grandpa, what's a Ford (Or Chevy)?"
And, just like the sad end of the Passenger Pigeon, no one would have imagined such a thing was possible when America's driveways were lined with what Detroit turned out year after year. Time was when Ford could honestly claim that they were committed to "better ideas" in automotives, but those days appear gone forever. The truth is, one of the reasons I used to always have at least one, and often two, Fords in my garage, was that they were affordable and dependable transportation for me and my family. But, with a new Taurus now costing about 37K, the chances one will ever make it to my home are slim and none. If anybody at Ford headquarters wanted to even try to come up with a better idea for today, they would do well to look at what made Ford Motor Company such a success in the first place--affordable, simple, and reliable wheels for the average American.
I'm not saying it is time to bring back the Model T, but when a family sedan costs nearly 40 thousand, well it doesn't work for my family. And judging by the dismal sales of American car makers pretty much across the board, the products they are manufacturing don't work for many other families as well. Yeah, Cash for Clunkers moved some cars over the summer, but that was a gimmick, not a solution for what ails Detroit's automakers. And gimmicks, like zero interest financing and cash back haven't succeeded over the last ten years in turning around the terminal direction of Chrysler, Ford, and GM. A better idea is more than a gimmick, it has staying power and traction, if you will excuse the expression, that can turn things around for the long-term as opposed to simply impacting month-end sales or quarterly reports.
Nobody is likely to ever ask me what I would do, but since this is my blog I'll share with you what I'd do if I were running Ford. First, everyone with a seven-figure income would take a 50% pay cut immediately. Folks with six-figures coming in would say good-bye to 40%. And the people on assembly lines who are represented by their unions would have to face the choice of conceding to some reductions in pay or join the 10+ million other Americans who are now out of work. As Ford's CEO I would have to play hardball with all the companies who supply us. They'd have to drop their prices, or lose our business completely when we are forced to shut down and follow Oldsmobile, Plymouth, and Pontiac into extinction. With costs being cut we at Ford could then offer the American public something shocking, affordable cars and trucks! And I bet we'd start selling a lot more of them than we have in a long time.
And those cars and trucks we'd be selling, well they might not come in 30 different colors, but at least there would be a choice of something besides black (No offense, Henry). Affordability, along with emphasizing practicality, reliability, and safety, used to put a lot of Fords on the road. I don't know if it's possible that it could ever happen again. But why should Ford or GM even bother to try and come up with better ideas when the government is willing to bail out failure without any requisite improvement of performance?
Well, it was never likely that I would have ever seen that Mustang in my driveway anyway, so it won't hurt that much when, along with everyone else, I'll have to walk to a museum to see the sweet little "Pony Car."
Before anyone suggests that I have something against free-market economy, let me state that I'm not the one who has been destroying the free market. The truth is, the American free-market was shuttered a long time ago, replaced by the greed-market. And the most greedy got what they were after, obscene wealth for themselves, and unearned, unrealistic, and self-indulgent "prosperity" for many of the rest of us. And we stoked and rode the greed market as far as it could carry us all, until now it's coming crashing down on all of us. It's not like Jesus didn't warn us about greed; His Word tells us that the love of money results in a world of hurt (1Timothy 6.1), and so it has for our economy and nation.
Anyone have any better ideas?
And, just like the sad end of the Passenger Pigeon, no one would have imagined such a thing was possible when America's driveways were lined with what Detroit turned out year after year. Time was when Ford could honestly claim that they were committed to "better ideas" in automotives, but those days appear gone forever. The truth is, one of the reasons I used to always have at least one, and often two, Fords in my garage, was that they were affordable and dependable transportation for me and my family. But, with a new Taurus now costing about 37K, the chances one will ever make it to my home are slim and none. If anybody at Ford headquarters wanted to even try to come up with a better idea for today, they would do well to look at what made Ford Motor Company such a success in the first place--affordable, simple, and reliable wheels for the average American.
I'm not saying it is time to bring back the Model T, but when a family sedan costs nearly 40 thousand, well it doesn't work for my family. And judging by the dismal sales of American car makers pretty much across the board, the products they are manufacturing don't work for many other families as well. Yeah, Cash for Clunkers moved some cars over the summer, but that was a gimmick, not a solution for what ails Detroit's automakers. And gimmicks, like zero interest financing and cash back haven't succeeded over the last ten years in turning around the terminal direction of Chrysler, Ford, and GM. A better idea is more than a gimmick, it has staying power and traction, if you will excuse the expression, that can turn things around for the long-term as opposed to simply impacting month-end sales or quarterly reports.
Nobody is likely to ever ask me what I would do, but since this is my blog I'll share with you what I'd do if I were running Ford. First, everyone with a seven-figure income would take a 50% pay cut immediately. Folks with six-figures coming in would say good-bye to 40%. And the people on assembly lines who are represented by their unions would have to face the choice of conceding to some reductions in pay or join the 10+ million other Americans who are now out of work. As Ford's CEO I would have to play hardball with all the companies who supply us. They'd have to drop their prices, or lose our business completely when we are forced to shut down and follow Oldsmobile, Plymouth, and Pontiac into extinction. With costs being cut we at Ford could then offer the American public something shocking, affordable cars and trucks! And I bet we'd start selling a lot more of them than we have in a long time.
And those cars and trucks we'd be selling, well they might not come in 30 different colors, but at least there would be a choice of something besides black (No offense, Henry). Affordability, along with emphasizing practicality, reliability, and safety, used to put a lot of Fords on the road. I don't know if it's possible that it could ever happen again. But why should Ford or GM even bother to try and come up with better ideas when the government is willing to bail out failure without any requisite improvement of performance?
Well, it was never likely that I would have ever seen that Mustang in my driveway anyway, so it won't hurt that much when, along with everyone else, I'll have to walk to a museum to see the sweet little "Pony Car."
Before anyone suggests that I have something against free-market economy, let me state that I'm not the one who has been destroying the free market. The truth is, the American free-market was shuttered a long time ago, replaced by the greed-market. And the most greedy got what they were after, obscene wealth for themselves, and unearned, unrealistic, and self-indulgent "prosperity" for many of the rest of us. And we stoked and rode the greed market as far as it could carry us all, until now it's coming crashing down on all of us. It's not like Jesus didn't warn us about greed; His Word tells us that the love of money results in a world of hurt (1Timothy 6.1), and so it has for our economy and nation.
Anyone have any better ideas?
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Jesus and the Health Care Crisis
Having said in an earlier posting (9/3/09) that more than reforming the health care delivery system Americans would benefit from reforming ourselves and our lifestyles that feature bad diets, too little exercise, and too much stress, I want today to say that Jesus had a prescription for the crisis in health care which He encountered in His own time, and I believe it is still a good prescription for us.
When Jesus encountered people who suffered from illness or injury, regardless of what the illness or injury was, what did He do? He healed them! He never asked for proof of insurance. Was not deterred by anyone's inability to pay (See the case of the bankrupted woman whom Jesus healed in Mark 5.24-34). Jesus never turned away people because He already had too many patients. And, when the need for health care was greater than He could deal with personally, He trained and sent out others with authority and power to heal in His name. And it all worked!
There was a time, actually for the better part of two thousand years, that health care was largely the responsibility of the Body of Christ. Physicians and hospitals were ministries of the Church. Following the Lord's example, Christians undertook to help the sick and infirm not for fame or for profit, but because it was the right thing to do. There still are dedicated medical ministries and missionaries who go and meet the needs of people in all corners of the world. But, here in the U.S.A. the "system" has broken down. And the only fix we hear about these days is to put the whole thing in the hands of the government? That definitely was not what Jesus did, and I don't believe it is what He would have His Church do now.
Of course, trying to suggest to largely post-Christian, post-modern America that the Church should play a key role in anything concerning the general public is decried by the ACLU and attacked by atheists and other foolish people as unconstitutional. But what would help get the system back on track is not less privatization, but more. If the Body of Christ were to devote itself to lifting up and empowering Christians willing to dedicate themselves to the many healing sciences, I believe the Church, and much of the public would support it. And, if other private groups wanted to compete with Christians in the health care field let them. But please, don't let us put our health in the hands of the government!
It's like this. When Jesus was asked about what Jews should do with coins inscribed with the likeness of Caesar He responded by saying, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and give to God what is God's." Well you know what? Our lives and health are not the property of the state. We are God's, even fashioned in His own image. He has claimed us as His, promised to take care of us, and gone to extreme lengths (Think: The Cross) to not only redeem us and provide for our needs in this life, He's done everything necessary to assure us eternal life! It's about time that the Church get's back to doing the work of Jesus, and once again start to provide healing to all who need it.
How about opening a growing number of Christian health clinics open to all, regardless of ability to pay? Those who can, should of course pay, and insurers should honor payments to such clinics. As for those who can't pay, well the Church would minister to them in faith, and out of the love of, and for, the Savior. How about "bailing out" struggling hospitals and other health care facilities by the Church taking them over? If I was in the upper echelons of the Church, and I am about as far removed from the upper echelons of anything as you can get, but if I was, I would get real busy working on plans to step in and start caring for Americans. Who knows, it might even regain some of the credibility the Church has forfeited.
I do know that Jesus, when confronted with health care crises in His time, did not pass it on to anyone else but took care of the needs himself. Time His Church started doing what Jesus did.
When Jesus encountered people who suffered from illness or injury, regardless of what the illness or injury was, what did He do? He healed them! He never asked for proof of insurance. Was not deterred by anyone's inability to pay (See the case of the bankrupted woman whom Jesus healed in Mark 5.24-34). Jesus never turned away people because He already had too many patients. And, when the need for health care was greater than He could deal with personally, He trained and sent out others with authority and power to heal in His name. And it all worked!
There was a time, actually for the better part of two thousand years, that health care was largely the responsibility of the Body of Christ. Physicians and hospitals were ministries of the Church. Following the Lord's example, Christians undertook to help the sick and infirm not for fame or for profit, but because it was the right thing to do. There still are dedicated medical ministries and missionaries who go and meet the needs of people in all corners of the world. But, here in the U.S.A. the "system" has broken down. And the only fix we hear about these days is to put the whole thing in the hands of the government? That definitely was not what Jesus did, and I don't believe it is what He would have His Church do now.
Of course, trying to suggest to largely post-Christian, post-modern America that the Church should play a key role in anything concerning the general public is decried by the ACLU and attacked by atheists and other foolish people as unconstitutional. But what would help get the system back on track is not less privatization, but more. If the Body of Christ were to devote itself to lifting up and empowering Christians willing to dedicate themselves to the many healing sciences, I believe the Church, and much of the public would support it. And, if other private groups wanted to compete with Christians in the health care field let them. But please, don't let us put our health in the hands of the government!
It's like this. When Jesus was asked about what Jews should do with coins inscribed with the likeness of Caesar He responded by saying, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and give to God what is God's." Well you know what? Our lives and health are not the property of the state. We are God's, even fashioned in His own image. He has claimed us as His, promised to take care of us, and gone to extreme lengths (Think: The Cross) to not only redeem us and provide for our needs in this life, He's done everything necessary to assure us eternal life! It's about time that the Church get's back to doing the work of Jesus, and once again start to provide healing to all who need it.
How about opening a growing number of Christian health clinics open to all, regardless of ability to pay? Those who can, should of course pay, and insurers should honor payments to such clinics. As for those who can't pay, well the Church would minister to them in faith, and out of the love of, and for, the Savior. How about "bailing out" struggling hospitals and other health care facilities by the Church taking them over? If I was in the upper echelons of the Church, and I am about as far removed from the upper echelons of anything as you can get, but if I was, I would get real busy working on plans to step in and start caring for Americans. Who knows, it might even regain some of the credibility the Church has forfeited.
I do know that Jesus, when confronted with health care crises in His time, did not pass it on to anyone else but took care of the needs himself. Time His Church started doing what Jesus did.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
If Jesus Were Commissioner
Not to sound blasphemous, but I think I'd like to see Jesus serve as Commissioner for Major League Baseball. Actually, I think it would be a good idea if He headed up the NFL, NBA, and NHL to boot. He would, I am sure, make some needed changes in each of the leagues, the first being the reining in of rampant greed that has so corrupted what once was sport.
Take the seasons, they all run over into each other so that we have baseball playoffs postponed because of snow, and football players succumbing to heat stroke, while the finalists in the basketball playoffs just manage to finish before football training camps open. Jesus would get the league schedules straightened out because He knows, better than anyone, that "to everything there is a season," and it simply runs against nature for the World Series to finish in November, upsets the order of things for football to start around the 4th of July and not conclude until it is nearly Valentine's Day, and for basketball to get started just days after the football season has barely begun and then only crown its champion as the MLB All-Star game is about to be played.
Of course, to get all these seasons back where they belong would mean Jesus would have to shorten them all, which means fewer games, which means fewer dollars. But no one will go out of business if baseball were to hold the "Fall Classic" the first week of October rather than the last. And no NFL owner will go belly up if the playoffs were scheduled for December and the Super Bowl was held right around New Years. Not one NBA franchise would sink if the whole season, from training camp to Championship was made to fit between the beginning of October and the beginning of May. As for hockey, its a WINTER sport! Winter doesn't last from September to June in most places, and neither does interest in the NHL.
Of course, it is pure greed that has driven things to this point, and I realize it is un-American to suggest there is something wrong with greed, but hey, this blog is "What Would Jesus Do?' and He is not American. So, please Jesus, come and stop the proliferation of seasons that don't know when to begin, and refuse to know when to end.
While I'm on the bandwagon, I'll offer one other thing that Commissioner Jesus would do soon after taking office. He would get rid of all the pornography (Read "cheerleaders") whose presence and purpose has nothing to do with sport, unless lasciviousness and lechery are now competitive. Scantily clad women shaking their pom-poms, and whatever else they can shake, are intended to appeal to nothing remotely connected with any of the games they appear at. Their sole purpose is to lure in viewers-spectators through, if you will excuse the expression, their titillating routines. Of course, several generations of "Sportsmen" who have grown up on the pornography of SI's annual swimsuit edition will settle for nothing less than all the flesh that can be exposed, even cheering "wardrobe malfunctions" at Super Bowl halftimes.
Yep, if Jesus were Commissioner things would definitely change. As things are now, pretty much every professional sports venue falls into the category of idolatrous and lascivious temple to "gods" of greed and sex. Anyone else smell fire and brimstone in the air?
Take the seasons, they all run over into each other so that we have baseball playoffs postponed because of snow, and football players succumbing to heat stroke, while the finalists in the basketball playoffs just manage to finish before football training camps open. Jesus would get the league schedules straightened out because He knows, better than anyone, that "to everything there is a season," and it simply runs against nature for the World Series to finish in November, upsets the order of things for football to start around the 4th of July and not conclude until it is nearly Valentine's Day, and for basketball to get started just days after the football season has barely begun and then only crown its champion as the MLB All-Star game is about to be played.
Of course, to get all these seasons back where they belong would mean Jesus would have to shorten them all, which means fewer games, which means fewer dollars. But no one will go out of business if baseball were to hold the "Fall Classic" the first week of October rather than the last. And no NFL owner will go belly up if the playoffs were scheduled for December and the Super Bowl was held right around New Years. Not one NBA franchise would sink if the whole season, from training camp to Championship was made to fit between the beginning of October and the beginning of May. As for hockey, its a WINTER sport! Winter doesn't last from September to June in most places, and neither does interest in the NHL.
Of course, it is pure greed that has driven things to this point, and I realize it is un-American to suggest there is something wrong with greed, but hey, this blog is "What Would Jesus Do?' and He is not American. So, please Jesus, come and stop the proliferation of seasons that don't know when to begin, and refuse to know when to end.
While I'm on the bandwagon, I'll offer one other thing that Commissioner Jesus would do soon after taking office. He would get rid of all the pornography (Read "cheerleaders") whose presence and purpose has nothing to do with sport, unless lasciviousness and lechery are now competitive. Scantily clad women shaking their pom-poms, and whatever else they can shake, are intended to appeal to nothing remotely connected with any of the games they appear at. Their sole purpose is to lure in viewers-spectators through, if you will excuse the expression, their titillating routines. Of course, several generations of "Sportsmen" who have grown up on the pornography of SI's annual swimsuit edition will settle for nothing less than all the flesh that can be exposed, even cheering "wardrobe malfunctions" at Super Bowl halftimes.
Yep, if Jesus were Commissioner things would definitely change. As things are now, pretty much every professional sports venue falls into the category of idolatrous and lascivious temple to "gods" of greed and sex. Anyone else smell fire and brimstone in the air?
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
I Need A Job, But I Need Something More
I do not have a job. This puts me in good company with millions of other Americans. The last job I had was six days a week for the princely wage of $225 per week. I loved the work, was not thrilled about the pay. Now my unemployment check is about the same size as my last paycheck. Not thrilled about the check, or the lack of work. Again, I suspect there are no few others out there in similar circumstances.
For a variety of reasons I have had the opportunity to investigate some business opportunities, as well as simply look for a job. The funny thing about the business opportunities is that I can't help feeling that someone is trying to give me what we used to call, "the business." It seems the current economic climate is very friendly to things that rhyme with "spam" but have a 'c' in place of the 'p'. Every week I get several invitation to attend a meeting, or call an 800 number to find out how I can get rid of my timeshare. They promise they'll save me money by giving me the opportunity to make them money upfront. Well money is tight, so I think I'll hold onto the little I have for now.
No few of the businesses have the old familiar ring of the multi-level-marketing schemes that I have always loathed. Every time I hear about one of them they talk about putting me in a place where I'll be able to help other people, and make myself fabulously rich at the same time. Hmm, it has always seemed to me that the people MLM systems are designed to help are the ones in the system being helped by taking money from others lower in the system than they are.
And, while I wouldn't mind owning a new boat, a car less than 11 years old, and have the money to go on a cruise, I actually believe I can live happy and fulfilled without any of those things. Oh, there's some temptation there, but I am really on my guard not to push the "greed" button. And cut through all the talk about being in control of your own time and money, being your own boss, enjoying the "lifestyle you've always wanted" and it comes down to playing on our love of money. Now I forget a lot of things, but I do remember the Bible's caution that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Nothing wrong with money in itself, it is pretty useful. But making the making of money the focus of your life is a bad choice, and I don't care how happy the people in all the glossy pictures look on their yachts!
Actually, I believe one of the greatest, probably the greatest, certainly more important than financial security, reason to work is the sense of self-worth it gives you. Regardless of what you earn for your work, that fact that you earn anything says something about your worth. Not working, not having a job, can make you feel pretty worthless. Of course, given the state of the economy, there are a lot more unpaid and underpaid jobs out there than before. The bad thing about being a volunteer who is valued, or an underpaid worker who is valued, is that you might get to do something worthwhile and still lose your house, or not have health insurance.
And let's face it, financial security, if that's all you have, is no security. It doesn't matter how rich you are, you can lose it all, or have it stolen from you, and then where are you? In the end, the poorest refugee in Darfur can be infinitely far more secure than the world's richest man. Because, while money is important, the one thing we all need isn't a thing at all, but a person--Jesus Christ. Health, wealth, even life itself can be gone in an instant, without there being anything we can do about it. Doesn't sound like security to me. But with Jesus Christ, there can be the assurance that, whether you are down to your last dollar or have a couple of million of them in the bank, whether you are fit as a fiddle or sick as a dog, whether you have many long years ahead of you or your next breath turns out to be your last, He's got you safe in His arms now and forever.
Actually, admitting your lack of real security and great need of Him is the big step we all need to take. One of the worst things I can imagine happening to someone who buys into one of the scams currently preying upon the desperate unemployed is that they work out and someone does make a lot of money, and starts enjoying the lifestyles of the rich and famous, because they will very likely arrive at the opinion that they don't need Jesus at all.
You know, the Bible doesn't teach us that Jesus ever earned even so much as one shekel. And His apostles all walked away from their former lives, some of them relatively poor some of them quite comfortable, to embrace a life full of sacrifice and worldly risks. But, with the exception of Judas Iscariot, they all received eternal security.
Well, I just pray I'll be able to stifle the impulse to grab for some high-sounding "life-changing opportunities" that are out there, and hang in with the Lord come what may. I've got to tell you, the Revelation 22.14 lifestyle can't be beat!
For a variety of reasons I have had the opportunity to investigate some business opportunities, as well as simply look for a job. The funny thing about the business opportunities is that I can't help feeling that someone is trying to give me what we used to call, "the business." It seems the current economic climate is very friendly to things that rhyme with "spam" but have a 'c' in place of the 'p'. Every week I get several invitation to attend a meeting, or call an 800 number to find out how I can get rid of my timeshare. They promise they'll save me money by giving me the opportunity to make them money upfront. Well money is tight, so I think I'll hold onto the little I have for now.
No few of the businesses have the old familiar ring of the multi-level-marketing schemes that I have always loathed. Every time I hear about one of them they talk about putting me in a place where I'll be able to help other people, and make myself fabulously rich at the same time. Hmm, it has always seemed to me that the people MLM systems are designed to help are the ones in the system being helped by taking money from others lower in the system than they are.
And, while I wouldn't mind owning a new boat, a car less than 11 years old, and have the money to go on a cruise, I actually believe I can live happy and fulfilled without any of those things. Oh, there's some temptation there, but I am really on my guard not to push the "greed" button. And cut through all the talk about being in control of your own time and money, being your own boss, enjoying the "lifestyle you've always wanted" and it comes down to playing on our love of money. Now I forget a lot of things, but I do remember the Bible's caution that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Nothing wrong with money in itself, it is pretty useful. But making the making of money the focus of your life is a bad choice, and I don't care how happy the people in all the glossy pictures look on their yachts!
Actually, I believe one of the greatest, probably the greatest, certainly more important than financial security, reason to work is the sense of self-worth it gives you. Regardless of what you earn for your work, that fact that you earn anything says something about your worth. Not working, not having a job, can make you feel pretty worthless. Of course, given the state of the economy, there are a lot more unpaid and underpaid jobs out there than before. The bad thing about being a volunteer who is valued, or an underpaid worker who is valued, is that you might get to do something worthwhile and still lose your house, or not have health insurance.
And let's face it, financial security, if that's all you have, is no security. It doesn't matter how rich you are, you can lose it all, or have it stolen from you, and then where are you? In the end, the poorest refugee in Darfur can be infinitely far more secure than the world's richest man. Because, while money is important, the one thing we all need isn't a thing at all, but a person--Jesus Christ. Health, wealth, even life itself can be gone in an instant, without there being anything we can do about it. Doesn't sound like security to me. But with Jesus Christ, there can be the assurance that, whether you are down to your last dollar or have a couple of million of them in the bank, whether you are fit as a fiddle or sick as a dog, whether you have many long years ahead of you or your next breath turns out to be your last, He's got you safe in His arms now and forever.
Actually, admitting your lack of real security and great need of Him is the big step we all need to take. One of the worst things I can imagine happening to someone who buys into one of the scams currently preying upon the desperate unemployed is that they work out and someone does make a lot of money, and starts enjoying the lifestyles of the rich and famous, because they will very likely arrive at the opinion that they don't need Jesus at all.
You know, the Bible doesn't teach us that Jesus ever earned even so much as one shekel. And His apostles all walked away from their former lives, some of them relatively poor some of them quite comfortable, to embrace a life full of sacrifice and worldly risks. But, with the exception of Judas Iscariot, they all received eternal security.
Well, I just pray I'll be able to stifle the impulse to grab for some high-sounding "life-changing opportunities" that are out there, and hang in with the Lord come what may. I've got to tell you, the Revelation 22.14 lifestyle can't be beat!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Well, they've been hinting at it for some time now. You know, "experts" in business and government have been telling us they've been seeing signs that the recession was coming to an end. Now I read that Benjamin Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, has declared the recession is "very likely over." What a relief! Of course, I do wonder what indicators Bernanke was using to make his pronouncement that "happy days are here again," so to speak?
Last time I checked, which was just a few minutes ago actually, the U.S. unemployment figures for August 2009 showed nearly a 1/4 of a million Americans lost their jobs, and that nearly 1 out of every 10 American workers is, well, out of work. I hope Mr. Bernanke drops a note to those 216,000 families telling them to cheer up--the recession's over!
Actually, Bernanke better get real busy writing notes to encourage a lot more Americans about his declaration of the end of the recession. By the end of 2009 it is expected 3.4 million households will be in the process of losing their homes due to foreclosures. In August of 2009 alone the rate of foreclosures had jumped 18% compared to the same month last year. Yes sir, this end of the recession is really swell.
I'll tell you what would really worry me--if Bernanke went to work for the CDC and declared an end to the Swine Flu threat. That would be scary!
I suppose what Mr. Bernanke meant when he said the recession was at an end was that the Chinese firms high rolling American tycoons have invested in are doing well (see my blog from 9/15). That makes sense, because U.S. retailers, who mostly sell goods from China these days, reported an upturn in sales in August.
Not that I know very much, but I think a sign that the recession is over would look something like what Jesus described in Matthew 20.1-16. There a landowner (Think "wealthy businessman") could not hire enough people to get all the work done, and went out into the streets and had what amounted to a job fair four times in one day. THAT's an end to recession!
Unfortunately, there appear to be very few job fairs out there for the 10% of Americans out of work. I wonder if Mr. Bernanke, or anyone else in Washington, might do something about that?
Last time I checked, which was just a few minutes ago actually, the U.S. unemployment figures for August 2009 showed nearly a 1/4 of a million Americans lost their jobs, and that nearly 1 out of every 10 American workers is, well, out of work. I hope Mr. Bernanke drops a note to those 216,000 families telling them to cheer up--the recession's over!
Actually, Bernanke better get real busy writing notes to encourage a lot more Americans about his declaration of the end of the recession. By the end of 2009 it is expected 3.4 million households will be in the process of losing their homes due to foreclosures. In August of 2009 alone the rate of foreclosures had jumped 18% compared to the same month last year. Yes sir, this end of the recession is really swell.
I'll tell you what would really worry me--if Bernanke went to work for the CDC and declared an end to the Swine Flu threat. That would be scary!
I suppose what Mr. Bernanke meant when he said the recession was at an end was that the Chinese firms high rolling American tycoons have invested in are doing well (see my blog from 9/15). That makes sense, because U.S. retailers, who mostly sell goods from China these days, reported an upturn in sales in August.
Not that I know very much, but I think a sign that the recession is over would look something like what Jesus described in Matthew 20.1-16. There a landowner (Think "wealthy businessman") could not hire enough people to get all the work done, and went out into the streets and had what amounted to a job fair four times in one day. THAT's an end to recession!
Unfortunately, there appear to be very few job fairs out there for the 10% of Americans out of work. I wonder if Mr. Bernanke, or anyone else in Washington, might do something about that?
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Let's Reform Ourselves First
I won't insult your intelligence by pretending to have sufficient insight into the nation's health care delivery system to offer my suggestions on fixing it. Actually, even more important than reforming health care delivery is the need for Americans to do something about health care demand. The best way to deal with illness and injury is to do all you can to avoid them in the first place! This means that the real critical need is to reform Americans first, then worry about reforming our health care systems.
Reports of Americans' increasing life-span belie the fact of America's growing lack of fitness. Super-sized portions of fast-food combined with sedentary life-styles adds up to a lot of needless illness that costs everyone too much to treat. Any medical person will tell you that primary prevention is by far the "best medicine." But every day millions of Americans do, not to put too fine a point on it, dumb things that invite all manner of acute and chronic illnesses and injuries.
Here's one example that we all see pretty much every day: the driver in the vehicle in the lane next to us with a cigarette in one hand, a cell phone in the other, and the steering wheel in...well it's being juggled. An accident waiting to happen, chronic, and likely terminal illness, being sown in the lungs and heart! Like I said, dumb.
Then there's the parade of young school-children coming in to my wife's school nurse office on a daily schedule with their asthma and diabetes. Hmm, the fact that as infants and toddlers these kids were a few feet, often a few inches, from a constant stream of tobacco smoke couldn't have something to do with their asthma, could it? The poor diet, obesity, and all but total lack of exercise doesn't contribute to the diabetes, does it? Multiply what my wife sees each week by all the school nurse offices across the county and, well, as I said, the problem we need to fix is health care demand more than health care delivery. It's our brokenness that should be more of a concern to the nation than the health care industry.
I don't mean to pick on my wife, and I don't need to. Working at a Scout camp this summer I saw plenty of boys, 1/5 my age, who I could run circles around. And I'm not the most active guy on the block. But when I take a simple 5-mile hike and leave a bunch of 11-12 year-olds in the dust, something's wrong, and reforming health care delivery won't fix it. And it's not just the boys in Scouting who are out of shape. Scout leaders like to say, "Scouting rounds a boy out." Well, judging by the belt-lines of no few leaders, we're a little too round! And it was, to put it plainly, revolting, to visit the leaders' arbor and choke on all the cigarette smoke there. So, much a Scout's promise to keep himself "physically strong." If they keep on smoking they'll make themselves a physical wreck, and it doesn't do me any good to be around their "exhaust."
All this is not to say that health care delivery couldn't and shouldn't be improved. But I, for one, would much prefer all the concern to be directed where it could do the most immediate good. If we all improved our health, health care would be a lot less on our minds. From the perspective of faith, well, believing what St. Paul said about our bodies being God's temple (1Corinthians 3.16-17; 6.19-20), tells me that all the abuse and neglect of Americans' bodies is an affront to God. Not that Congress would concern itself with honoring God as an incentive to encourage Americans to reform our lives, rather than waiting for our leaders to reform a system that isn't the real problem.
Enough of this, I going for a jog.
Reports of Americans' increasing life-span belie the fact of America's growing lack of fitness. Super-sized portions of fast-food combined with sedentary life-styles adds up to a lot of needless illness that costs everyone too much to treat. Any medical person will tell you that primary prevention is by far the "best medicine." But every day millions of Americans do, not to put too fine a point on it, dumb things that invite all manner of acute and chronic illnesses and injuries.
Here's one example that we all see pretty much every day: the driver in the vehicle in the lane next to us with a cigarette in one hand, a cell phone in the other, and the steering wheel in...well it's being juggled. An accident waiting to happen, chronic, and likely terminal illness, being sown in the lungs and heart! Like I said, dumb.
Then there's the parade of young school-children coming in to my wife's school nurse office on a daily schedule with their asthma and diabetes. Hmm, the fact that as infants and toddlers these kids were a few feet, often a few inches, from a constant stream of tobacco smoke couldn't have something to do with their asthma, could it? The poor diet, obesity, and all but total lack of exercise doesn't contribute to the diabetes, does it? Multiply what my wife sees each week by all the school nurse offices across the county and, well, as I said, the problem we need to fix is health care demand more than health care delivery. It's our brokenness that should be more of a concern to the nation than the health care industry.
I don't mean to pick on my wife, and I don't need to. Working at a Scout camp this summer I saw plenty of boys, 1/5 my age, who I could run circles around. And I'm not the most active guy on the block. But when I take a simple 5-mile hike and leave a bunch of 11-12 year-olds in the dust, something's wrong, and reforming health care delivery won't fix it. And it's not just the boys in Scouting who are out of shape. Scout leaders like to say, "Scouting rounds a boy out." Well, judging by the belt-lines of no few leaders, we're a little too round! And it was, to put it plainly, revolting, to visit the leaders' arbor and choke on all the cigarette smoke there. So, much a Scout's promise to keep himself "physically strong." If they keep on smoking they'll make themselves a physical wreck, and it doesn't do me any good to be around their "exhaust."
All this is not to say that health care delivery couldn't and shouldn't be improved. But I, for one, would much prefer all the concern to be directed where it could do the most immediate good. If we all improved our health, health care would be a lot less on our minds. From the perspective of faith, well, believing what St. Paul said about our bodies being God's temple (1Corinthians 3.16-17; 6.19-20), tells me that all the abuse and neglect of Americans' bodies is an affront to God. Not that Congress would concern itself with honoring God as an incentive to encourage Americans to reform our lives, rather than waiting for our leaders to reform a system that isn't the real problem.
Enough of this, I going for a jog.
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