awaiting rain

Could Noah Build His Ark Today?

In the year 2008 the Lord came unto Noah and said, "Once again the earth has become wicked and over-populated, and I see the end of all flesh before me.  Build another ark and save two of every living thing along with a few good humans."

He gave Noah the CAD drawing, saying, "You have 6 months to build this ark before I will start the rain for 40 days and 40 nights."

Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his yard, but no ark.

"Noah!" He roared, "I'm about to start the rain.  Where is the ark?"

"Forgive me Lord," begged Noah.  "But things have changed.  I needed building regulations approval and I've been arguing with the fire department about the need for a sprinkler system.  My neighbors claim that I should have obtained planning permission for building the ark in my garden because it is considered development of the site, even though in my view it is a temporary structure.  We then had to go to appeal to the Secretary of state for a decision.

Then the Department of Transportation demanded a bond be posted for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstruction to clear the passage for the ark's move to the sea.  I told them that the sea woulod be coming to us, but they would hear nothing of it.

Getting the wood was another problem.  All of the decent trees have Tree Preservation Orders on them and we live in a Site of Special Scientific Interest set up in order to protect the spotted owl.  I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls, but no go.

When I started planning to gather the animals, the S.P.C.A. sued me.  They insisted that I would be confining wild animals against their will.  They argued the accommodation would be too restrictive, and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space.

Then the County Council, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Rivers Authority ruled that I couldn't  build the ark until they conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood.

I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Equal Opportunities Commission on how many disabled carpenters I'm supposed to hire for my building team.  The trade unions say I can't use my sons.  They insist I have to hire only accredited workers with ark-building experience.

To make matters worse, Customs seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species.

So, forgive me, Lord, but it would take at least 10 years for me to finish this ark."

Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow stretched across the sky.

Noah looked up in wonder and asked, "You mean you're not going to destroy the world?"

"No," said the Lord.  "The government beat me to it."

~Author Unknown

"Sharia Law Unavoidable" - Archbishop of Canterbury

There are many who look askance at those of us who believe that one of our greatest threats as a nation, as a civilization, is the Islamic goal of establishing a final global caliphate ruled by Sharia Law.  Consider the following story from the B.B.C. in which the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, states that Sharia Law is not only unavoidable, but suggests that adoption of some aspects of Sharia Law could "help maintain social cohesion."

Dr Rowan Williams told Radio 4's World at One that the UK has to "face up to the fact" that some of its citizens do not relate to the British legal system.

Dr Williams argues that adopting parts of Islamic Sharia law would help maintain social cohesion.

For example, Muslims could choose to have marital disputes or financial matters dealt with in a Sharia court.

He says Muslims should not have to choose between "the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty".

"There's a place for finding what would be a constructive accommodation with some aspects of Muslim law, as we already do with some other aspects of religious law."

What Mr. Williams doesn't seem to understand is that Islam isn't interested in co-existence and social cohesion.  World domination through either persuasion or sword is the goal.

You can go here to read the rest of the story.

Dumping Foreign Goods - A Kingdom Quandary

Yesterday afternoon I wrote a post entitled, "Tea in the Harbor - Dumping Foreign Goods."  After publishing the post I found myself thinking throughout the day how my thoughts in that post reconcile with the principles of the Kingdom of God.  That thinking was further fueled by a commentor on my Newsvine column.

"What's wrong with employees in foreign countries? They're people too who need to pay the bills and put food on their families tables."  ~ Adam Hobson

I wrote the following back to Adam today in a follow-up comment:

Hey Adam!

Thanks for the comment. You're very right in what you say. In fact, since writing this I've been trying to reconcile my nationalism with my belief in the principles of the Kingdom of God. It seems those things were more easily reconciled by many of our founding fathers than they are today in a much more complex world. I'll admit, I do wrestle with this tension. I was planning to write about this very thing on my blog today.

I appreciate your thoughts.

Now, I know that my citizenship in the Kingdom of God trumps all other allegiances.  Before I am an American, I am a citizen of Christ's Kingdom.  But as a citizen of Christ's Kingdom, how should I think about my role as an American ?  To what degree should I be concerned about the American ideal and be willing to participate in the protection of that ideal?  And at what point does my defense of the American ideal contribute to the poverty and oppression of people around the world who are just as important to the heart of God?  When I cross that line, my American nationalism becomes opposition to the principles of God's Kingdom.

I wonder if our founding fathers (the ones who were followers of Christ) wrestled with these same issues?  If so, I wonder how they reconciled them and lived righteously in the tension of dual allegiance - allegiance to the Kingdom of God and allegiance to the American ideal of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I want to live well in that tension.  I don't think being a Christian means that I disengage from the things of this world when those worldly things - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - are expressions of righteousness.

I stand by my first post about moving more of our spending to companies that are committed to the American worker.  But I want to also discover ways to care for others around the world who have an equal inalienable right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness and may be attempting to realize those rights under the oppression of governments who don't believe in such freedoms.

Here's the dividing line for me.  I don't think these people are best cared for by monolithic, global corporations who exploit them for the sake of cheap labor.  I think a better ideal is that people around the world are empowered to create their own income streams, form their own companies, and spend their time and sweat to enrich themselves instead of contributing to the multi-million dollar compensation package of some C.E.O. 

Let me introduce you to Kiva.  Here is the introductory paragraph from their "about" page:

We let you loan to the working poor

Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world.  By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence.  Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored.  As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.

   

Perhaps American patriotism and Kingdom compassion doesn't have to be an either/or proposition.  Perhaps we can work to protect the American ideal of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness both here and abroad by supporting the hard-working men and woman here through buying American AND giving out of our abundance to help the world's working poor realize that same ideal without becoming enslaved to corporate exploitation.

Tea In The Harbor - Dumping Foreign Goods

A couple of weeks ago it became official.  I work for one of those companies that is terminating American employees and sending the work they used to do to third-world countries where people will do the job for pennies on the dollar.

I left the meeting where the announcement was made feeling frustrated, and a little helpless.  I remember wondering to myself if there are any companies out there who will take a stand on principle and refuse to take jobs away from American workers, even it means a lower profit margin.  Are there any companies out there who can see the bigger picture, beyond their own P&L.  Are there any C.E.O.s who understand the ways in which they are contributing to the irrelevancy of the United States in the bigger picture of global economics when they do such things?  I began thinking about what we, the people of this great country can do, to turn this scenario around.

On December 16, 1773 American colonists stormed British merchant ships docked in Boston Harbor and destroyed many crates of tea by dumping it into the harbor.  This act was carried out by individuals who were finally taking a stand against government and corporate abuse. 

The British government passed the Tea Act, which allowed the East India Company to sell tea to the colonies directly and without "payment of any customs or duties whatsoever" in Britain, instead paying the much lower American duty. This tax break allowed the East India Company to sell tea for half the old price and cheaper than the price of tea in England, enabling them to undercut the prices offered by the colonial merchants.  American colonists resented this favored treatment of a major company, which employed lobbyists and wielded great influence in Parliament.  (Wikipedia)

Sound familiar?  Our own companies here in America are burdened with the largest corporate tax in the world.  This heavy taxation stifles innovation, discourages investment in new technology and equipment, and eventually causes corporate leaders to look overseas where they can have the same work performed with lower wages.  Meanwhile, our economy is dependent upon foreign goods.  In November, 2007 we exported $142 billion in goods and services and imported $205 billion in goods and services from other countries (where many American jobs are going).  This is a trade deficit of $63 billion dollars.

So what can we do?  Well, first I believe we need to elect people into the legislative and executive branches of government who will lower the corporate tax and provide incentives to American companies with 100% of their operation located in America.

Secondly, I believe it's time for another Tea Party.  It's time to start dumping foreign goods and buying American.  Consider what would happen if just one percent of our population would make a commitment to transfer $100 of their spending from foreign goods to American goods each month.  That's a little over three million Americans.  With just one percent of the population moving a mere $100 per month, we would put $3.6 billion per year back into our commercial sector.

Lynn and I began doing some research and found this site.  When you go there you'll find a list of products, from daily household to big ticket, that are made in American.  There's also a book in my Amazon book store called, How Americans Can Buy American that is a more thorough treatment of what you'll find on the site.

So, anyone out there willing to join me in dumping some foreign goods?  You don't even have to dress up like an Indian...excuse me...Native American.  If you're willing to join me, post a comment here to declare your solidarity.

Why Do I Have Problems?

Monday evening I was driving home from school listening to NPR on the radio.  I don't know the name of the particular program, but the conversation was with African American women discussing their dilemma of choosing between Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama.  What I heard them saying reminded me that one of the most significant problems we have in this country is a sense of entitlement arising out of a victim mentality.

I listened to one of the women say something like this (I'm paraphrasing).  "I'm really in a dilemma here.  I have to ask myself where my problems come from.  Do my problems come from the fact that I'm a woman?  Or do my problems come from the fact that I'm African American?  If the problems in my life are the result of being a woman so I vote for a woman, how do I tell my children that I didn't vote for a president of my race when I had the opportunity.  If the problems in my life are the result of being African American so I vote for a black president, then how do I explain not voting for someone of my gender when I had the opportunity."

Notice that her statements all centered around "her problems" and the two causes of those problems that she mentioned both rested outside of the realm of personal responsibility.  I hear this a lot.  People who spend a lot of time talking about their own problems tend to always push the blame for those problems onto others setting themselves up as helpless victims who are then entitled to some kind of rescue.  In the case of this particular woman she was essentially saying that if her problems are because of her gender, it's the result of society not giving women equal opportunities.  Or, if her problems are because of her race, it's the result of being an oppressed minority.

Now, let me interject right here that I understand that there remains a degree of inequality in the workplace when it comes to gender.  And I also understand that prejudice does still exist in this country.  Therefore I'm sure that there are legitimate cases of people experiencing loss of opportunity because of those things.  But, I wonder if we should ask ourselves some more probing questions?

If a young girl allows some loser to get her pregnant at age 16, and then drops out of high school, and then continues to latch on to other losers who just want her in bed, and six years later is trying to raise two children alone while working two minimum wage jobs, are her problems the result of being a woman?  Or could it be that her life sucks because she couldn't keep her pants on, dropped out of school, and is attracted to loser men?

If a 15 year old black boy pulls a carjacking to sell the car to fund his crack addiction, gets caught, does time, gets arrested two or three more times, and then  20 years later still can't move past the convenience store cash register in his career path, are his problems the result of being black?  Or could it be that his life sucks as a direct result of his pattern of crime?

If a white guy goes to college with the motivation of getting drunk at frat parties and just doing enough work to get by and keep his parents off his back, ends up dropping out in two years, and 15 years later finds himself supporting a wife and kids with an insufficient paycheck supplemented by credit card debt, are his problems the result of a government that doesn't care about "the working man?"  Or could it be that his life is difficult because of his own laziness and lack of ambition?

Today America is filled with these three examples multiplied millions of times over.  They are all "victims."  They all want the government to come to their aid and make their life more comfortable at the expense of responsible taxpayers who have actually taken advantage of this land of opportunity and made a good life for themselves.

I know the issues are more complex than I've presented here.  I know that there ARE victims.  There are people who are stuck in a cycle of difficulty because of the dysfunction of their parents, disability, and environments that seem inescapable.  These people require our love, compassion, and care.  We have the responsibility of coming alongside, taking them by the hand, and offering to walk with them into more pleasant places.

But after spending many years in many different locations, workplaces, ministry roles, and schools I've come to the conclusion that the overwhelming majority of problems that we face are the direct or indirect results of our own laziness, carelessness, wrong choices, and lack of ambition.

"You need to be doing now what others won't do so you'll have opportunities in the future that others won't have."  ~Frank Futyma

Why Bhutto's Assassination Matters

Joel Rosenberg is the author of, among other titles, Epicenter.  This book offers an understanding of what is happening in current world events from the context of prophetic passages in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel.  He is amazingly accurate in his predictions.  He frequently sends out "flash traffic" e-mails as events unfold.  Today he sent one with the same title as this post.  Here is an excerpt:

"To be blunt: Pakistan and her nuclear weapons are in danger of falling into the hands of Islamic radicals. Such radicals have attempted to assassinate Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf multiple times in the last few years, hoping to seize control of the government and impose sharia law. Today's attack is a sobering reminder that Pakistan is just one coup d'etat away from Osama bin Laden or one of his fanatical, murderous allies suddenly gaining control. It is difficult to imagine a more nightmarish scenario than al-Qaeda in possession of Pakistan's nuclear arsensal, but this is not an impossibility."

Go here to read the full post.

Go here for more information about Rosenberg's book, Epicenter.

Leading a World on Fire

"The news of Bhotto's assassination was a surprise, even though something wrong was totally expected to happen today. Sitting in Pakistan, I am fully aware of the situation in our cities...roads are blocked, traffic has jammed, cellular networks are over-loaded, and most sadly, agitated supporters of PPP (Benazir's political party) are putting on fire many shops and cars, and I'm afraid I don't expect them to calm down sometime soon. I, and most of other people are too afraid to step out of their houses, and life in our cities has almost come to a halt.

All, I can pray for now is for God to help my country and its people and to save it from further turmoil."  ~ Hassaan in Pakistan, December 27th, 2007 at 10:30 am Eastern Time

The man or woman who will preside over our country into the next decade must be someone with the wisdom to know how to lead the one global superpower in the midst of a wold that is burning out of control.  How will he or she lead?  Will it be through military intervention?  Will it be through diplomacy?  Perhaps a delicate blend of both?  Or will he or she draw us back into a neutral stance allowing nations to either resolve their own internal conflicts or fan their flames into a global conflagration?

As you look in their faces and listen to their speeches, be sure to ask youself, "Is this person really ready for the world he or she is about to step into as the most powerful leader on earth?"

The assasination of the Archduke Ferdinand in 1914 was the spark to ignite World War I.  Today it seems the sky is ablaze with glowing, drifing embers.  I think 2008 will be a tipping point in human history.

Sweet Land of Liberty

For  nearly four centuries men, women, and children have sailed, flown, and walked to America driven by one primary impulse: the pursuit of liberty.

For much of the first three centuries these dreaming, idealist pioneers knew that in this sweet land of liberty they would have an amazing opportunity to succeed in life beyond the wildest dreams of their ancestors in their motherlands.  They also understood the other reality, that liberty afforded just as much opportunity to fail in life as it did to succeed.  These pioneers knew that any success, prosperity, and happiness they would realize in this new land would be fully their responsibility.  They understood that their quality of life here would be closely proportionate to the degree that they assumed responsibility for that quality of life.  There would be no king to ride in and rescue them.  And they were willing to take that risk because they also understood that unquestioning allegiance and subservience is the price one pays for a king's protection.

Our sweet land of liberty has changed.  Our government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" has become a rescuing king riding in under the guise of compassion and concern while quietly stripping us of our liberties...for our own good, of course.  I believe that if the current governmental scenario was playing out 200 years ago (1807) people would be loading their weapons, lighting their torches, and marching into Washington to take their country back.

I want to live in a land of liberty.  I want to be able to educate myself, work hard, and prosper.  But I also want to have the liberty to fail, because I understand that the pain of failure tends to push us toward success.  I want to have the liberty to eat well, be warm, and enjoy life.  But I also want to have the liberty to starve, be cold, and despair because that risk drives me to take responsibility for my life and do what is necessary to enjoy food, warmth, and life.

I want to live in a land of liberty where men and women are free to create, innovate, build corporations, and prosper.  America was built with the strong backs and sharp minds of men and women who dreamed of a preferred future for themselves and their neighbors, and then risked everything to create it without governmental interference.

I don't want our land of liberty to become a land of lazy, uneducated, unmotivated infantile grown-ups sucking at the breast of a government that has decided that it knows what's best for them.  Therefore, here is what I would like for my next president and congress to do:

1.  Abolish the IRS (let people keep their hard-earned money, there are other ways to fund the government).
2.  Abolish the welfare system (people work then eat, while churches care for widows, orphans, and the handicapped).
3.  Abolish the social security system (Let people invest what they pay into SS into their own IRA's).
4.  Abolish the Department of Education (return this authority to families, communities, and states).
5.  Abolish the Environmental Protection Agency.
6.  Pull out of the United Nations.
7.  End all federal budget earmarks (let corporations, communities & states pay for their own projects)
8. Outlaw lobbying by corporations and special interest groups (listen to the voice of the citizens, nobody else).
9.  Operate on a balanced federal budget (no excuses).
10.  Reduce the role of government to it's constitutional mandate which is to provide for the common defense and protect my rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Is there anyone out there who is up for the job?

Click here for more on the miracle of liberty.

My President

Holidays around my parent's house are always a great time for us to enjoy one another's company, eat good food, exchange gifts, play games, and debate politics.  That's right.  It doesn't take long at all for my father and me to get into an intense debate over the state of things in our country and the political forces behind it.

My parents have always been Democrats, as were their ancestors before them.  Upon reaching voting age, I began voting Republican and have done so every year since, much to the chagrine of my parental units.  My voting Republican was always driven by two issues: abortion and religion.  I believed that Jesus was a Republican and he hated abortion.

I will be 40 years old the next time I vote for a president and though I'm still convinced that Jesus hates abortion, I've also become convinced that he isn't a Republican.  Nor is he a Democrat.  And the same can now be said of me.  I am neither Democrat or Republican, I am American.  For me, it's no longer about left and right, it's about right and wrong.

So how do I determine whom I believe is worthy to sit in the Oval Office and make decisions that impact my life and future?  It's not as easy as it used to be for me.  My dad talks a lot about the economy and how the 90's were economically prosperous and since Bill Clinton was in office at the time, he was a great president.  I'm not so sure that the 90's were truly economically prosperous (I'll talk about the artificial prosperity of the 90's in a future "money" post) and I'm certain that Bill Clinton was not a great president.

There are a lot of big issues that folks are discussing as we near election time.  Some want a president who will oppress Corporate America and redistribute it's wealth to the poor and middle class.  Some want a president who will continue the war to wipe terrorist groups and their supporting nations off the face of the earth.  Some want a president who will protect the environment.  Some want a president who will establish a Christian theocracy in the land.  Some want a particular candidate in the Oval Office for the simple reason that she has a vagina,  (Can I say that here?  Oh yeah, it's my blog.), while others are just interested in having a black person in office.  Then there's the whole immigration issue.  Some want a president who will secure the borders and shut down immigration while others want a president who will dissolve the borders all together.

I'm not making light of these concerns (except the vagina issue).  I think they are all important deciding factors that we must consider.  But I think there is a larger issue at hand and the weight of this issue will determine the ways in which the other issues are addressed and managed.

For me, I want a president who will simply walk humbly with God regardless of what party that person belongs to.  That's it.  The Kingdom of God holds all of the wisdom we need to address the complicated and dire situations that our nation - our world - faces.  According to 1st Peter 5:5 all of us, particularly those who lead us, must clothe ourselves with humility toward one another because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

I want a President who knows the right things to do about our environment, immigration, military and terror threats, the economy, abortion, and national sovereignty because he or she is a person who walks humbly with the God of our nation's founding and leads out of the Grace that God gives them to lead.

In our current pool of candidates, I'm not entirely sure who that person is.  The closest I've seen is Mike Huckabee.  But I will continue to watch and listen very closely, not to hear their carefully crafted speeches, but to hear the unmasked rythmn of their hearts.