economic stimulus? take a hint!

It's raining outside, and I just got back from Best Buy. That's right, I went to Best Buy in the rain. Not only that, I waited in the rain for over an hour before the store opened. Why? Well, it is quite simple; I value my time less than a lot of people. I think my time is worth no more than $10 per hour. Becuase of this, I spent the last two hours waiting to get a piece of plastic valued at $20 (only at Best Buy). Best Buy advertised this week that they were officially opening a new store in my hometown. To stimulate some interest, and business, they made a calculated corporate decision to give the first 50 people in the store a free $20 gift card. I like to get free money, and since my time isn't worth more than $10 per hour, I decided (along with a couple of friends) to go for it. What does this have to do with anything? I am not entirely sure, but I will work an angle. I think Best Buy is a respectable, well established company. They seem to be doing well for themselves, and they are certainly concerned about growing their business. They weighed their options and decided that it would be a good investment to put money in the hands of their customers so that they would spend that money purchasing their inventory. I don't think this is difficult economics to understand: when people have money, they spend it. I do. Everyone I know does. There are people who don't but for the most part if I hand out $100 to everyone I meet it would be spent before the week is over. Here is my point, our government just decided to spend bukoos of money to "stimulate the economy." It is very likely that nobody is reading this blog, but of you who are, you may not ever see a dime of that something hundred billion dollars. How is that supposed to stimulate the economy? I think the Best Buy executives (and W. the former president) have it right. When people have money, they spend it. If we are borrowing a gagillion dollars, use it for productive purposes, not to organize larger government run agancies which may or may not be effective. It just doesn't make sense. I know that today, Best Buy is going to improve their economic situation (at least in my hometown). Our country may or may not. Businesses wouldn't do it if it didn't makes sense on paper; they have a lot more to lose than some elected official. If my business fails, I lose my job, my benefits, my income, and countless other things that I appreciate. If an elected official blows a large sum of money on an ineffective stimulus package, they run on a different platform for their next term. Who do you trust? I can't think of a way to make this conversation spiritual, but I would like to. I guess that will be for another day. There goes my political-economic rant. Enjoy, as I enjoy my free $20!

the Rock

I was confronted by my wife late last night with an interesting comment. She told me that she had read her Bible today. I congratulated her, and was wondering what was coming next. As it turns out, I misunderstood and interrupted her in mid-sentence. What she had said was, "when I read my Bible today..." Her thought continued in a sleep induced haze "...I came across a lot of passages where God is referred to as the Rock." Again came my response, "that's good," as I waited for the epoch revelation that she certainly had coming (besides, I didn't dare interrupt again). Nothing; no epoch revelation, no continued commentary, just the information I have graced you with... The Bible refers to God many times as the Rock. I was at a loss. I take my role as spiritual leader of my family seriously, so I genuinely wanted to use this as a teaching moment to give her some insight. I couldn't do it. I was completely unprepared, as I lay in bed, to tie this Biblical principal in with everything that has been going on in our lives. I am still unprepared to do that, but fortunately for us, I am better prepared to offer a reminder based on the truth that she shared with me late last night. Application: The world today is unsettled. Bank on this, what we are told today by the media, by the president, and by other politicians, is going to be debatable if not in an hour then certainly by tomorrow. We are in uncertain times. Our footing is unsettled. When is the last time you had a conversation about how "shaky" things are, how "up in the air" it all is? How long has it been since you sat down with someone over a meal and began discussing all the terrible things going on, about how there is no certainty in the economy, about how the government seems to be spending money they don't have in order to produce a stimulus they can't guarantee? My guess is that it hasn't been long. You certainly have your own complaints about how things are going, how unsure or uneasy everything is. Here is the reminder; God alone is our rock and our salvation, our fortress where we will never be shaken (Psalm 62). Our focus ought to be so fastened on Him that the troubles of the world all dim in comparison. "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace." The Gospel of Matthew says it best, "don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing...Your heavenly Father already knows your needs, and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern (6:31-33). Or for the traditionalist in you, "seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." The Lord is our Rock, He is our Stronghold to cling to, He is our Fortress to protect us. One last thing, if you believe it, DO IT!

The price of HOPE

Who has seen the red white and blue Barack Hussein Obama picture with the word Hope below it? (image search "obama hope") As it turns out, this popular picture is the cause of some controversy. The guy that rendered it into the popular picture that we are familiar with, the "Obama looking up, as to the future of hope," is being sued for copyright infringement or something. If you are interested in that story, there are other places to look. I am here to share a different story. Kerusso, a popular Christian t-shirt company has re-renderd the popular image to fit a Christian message of hope. Instead of Hussein Obama Kerusso has used a similar image of Jesus Christ wearing a crown of thorns. Instead of simply HOPE at the bottom, the shirt reads "Jesus is our greatest HOPE". Ah, now we are getting at something we can work with. I do find the story about the man being sued fascinating simply because his message was hope, and now he is recognizing that there is a cost associated with that message. There is always a cost associated with that message. Hussein Obama wasn't particularly clear about cost when he was campaigning, but we now are beggining to see a bit of the price with his new "economic stumulus" or "government growth" plan. My concern is that we are able to associate the true cost of hope with the true source of Hope: Jesus Christ. Yes, He is the cost (or the price that was paid) and He is the Hope. The message is clear, Hope has a price, He paid the price, we can have Hope. But how? I do not think there is a more important question that anyone can ask right now. How can I have hope? As you ask this question, the first step is complete; you must recognize your need for Hope, apart from Christ we are hopeless. If I do not have Christ, I do not have hope. If I need Hope, I need Christ. Having recognized your need, the next step is to turn from that hopeless life toward a life of Hope, to introduce yourself to the relational Christ who decided that He would pay the price for you so that you could have Hope. The Hope that He offers is the best Hope, because it is the most expensive Hope. It cost Him His life. Cherish this gift. Return the favor by entering into a relationship with the God who gives Hope. I pray that God would quicken your heart to the truth of His Word, the reality of His relationship, and the need of His Hope. In the Hopeful name of Jesus Christ, the Savior!