Stimulus Plan

It seems to be the topic everyone is talking about; the topic that everyone has an opinion on. Over these last couple of weeks, our nation has debated over whether to do a stimulus plan for the economy or not. They’ve debated how much we should do and what should be included. Should it include increased spending or decreased taxation? They’ve debated on the effect of the outcome and the consequences of such a plan. They’ve debated on what has caused this crisis and who’s at fault. They’ve considered who should be helped and who shouldn’t be based on who they think caused this crisis.

It’s tiring listening to the conversations going on; the opinions that are broadcast to the masses. So, here’s my opinion, my two cents. Get to the root of the problem and focus only on that!
Here’s the thing I don’t hear much about. Our economy is much like a see-saw kids play on. There’s a balance to it and if the kids weigh the same you could actually have the see-saw stay level. But what happens when one is heavier? They drop to the ground and would have to give a push off the ground to be able to keep moving. If they get off and just let go as they do, the other end drops to the ground and the child on that end can get seriously hurt.

The same can be said of our economy. An 800 pound guerilla got off the see-saw. Home values dropped dramatically; in Arizona some places have dropped more than 50%, most of that is in debt (aka someone else’s money). I’m not an economist and I may be oversimplifying the situation. In my opinion, when that much money has been pulled out of the economy in a relatively short period of time, people will get hurt and they won’t jump back in very quickly; it will take time to rebalance and trust who’s on the other end of the see-saw. In the mean time, there is substantially less money circulating in the economy causing fewer jobs and lower pay.

There are a few ways to off set that cycle whether it’s families, businesses, or government; currently we’re focusing on the government doing it. The entity that can produce more money (i.e. the government) can either spend their way out (increase government debt putting money into the economy now to be paid back later), increase the money flow (print more money which lowers the value of that currency which leads to inflation) or they can reduce taxes (leave more money in the economy and reduce government spending to match). Keep in mind, there still is a balance and each one has a consequence. And with each one of these, we’re trying to fix our money problems with money.

I personally don’t think our government should be fixing the problem in our economy by spending money or printing money. In doing so, they are simply getting on the see-saw. They shouldn’t be on it but govern the way it’s played on to maintain some sort of balance and fairness and to maintain the core values of the founding fathers of our nation. Had it been governed properly before, I don’t believe they would need to get on now.

But we still haven’t got to the root of the problem that we should be focusing on. You can’t buy your way out of a problem, whether it’s our economy, our relationships with others, marriages, etc. Only submitting to God’s plan will fix the problem. God has given us His Word to solve this crisis.

He tells us in Deuteronomy 8:17-20 -
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God.

It is God that gives us the ability to produce wealth when we seek Him. When our nation starts to seek God and His ways, then our nation will be healed and revived; we’ll have new inventions and discoveries develop wealth in our nation that will benefit others first. In the process of discovery and development of new inventions, we’ll increase our national production and cure our financial problems. When we return to our roots and be a nation under God called to be lenders not borrowers, we’ll reduce our personal and national debts and increase our influence in the world.

A Time for Change

We are embarking on a season of change. That has been the mantra for quite some time now. We the people (though not me specifically) voted into the office of the President of the United States, a man who proclaimed he will bring about change. Of course, anytime there is a new Administration, there is change – it sort of goes with the territory.


I hope and pray that the change that comes with Barack Obama will be mostly for good, though I’m not overly optimistic that will happen. He and I appear to see certain things very differently, so I am a bit skeptical. But hey, I would love to be proven wrong. There are many people though who are putting their trust, their faith, and their hope in him. They are looking to him for guidance and direction to get them through this dark time. And he will offer it, because that’s what a President does.


Like others though, I won’t be looking to him. Yes, he will generally be considered to be the most powerful man in the world, but he is still just a man. These are difficult times that we are in, with war, terrorism, the economy, unemployment, etc. but in these times, God is doing something.


God is in control. And I believe with all my heart, that He has not turned His back on America. So things may not be as comfortable as we are accustomed too, so what? Does that mean we are doomed? Of course not! God is still on the throne and He can still make a way where there is no way. He can turn things around, He can take care of His children and He can bring about change.


We are all going through the storm right now, one way or another. But our storm doesn’t scare God, and we should stop making the storm to be more powerful than God. We don’t know what is coming next, but He does. If we know God, know His character, then we need not fear. We can, and should, put all our trust in Him.


Even when things don’t make sense to us, we can trust Him because He does things that don’t make sense to us (forgiveness, walking on water, raising the dead, etc). Our understanding comes from what we see and what we know, both of which is limited. But God sees and knows everything, so His understanding is infinitely greater than ours.


The time we are in is crucial to the Kingdom of God. Will we give Him our prayers, our worship, and our words? Will we give Him the honor and glory He deserves? Will we point others to Him, to help them find salvation? If we do, He will not disappoint us. Though the journey may be uncertain and maybe even a little dark, He will guide us along our path. We may stumble and even fall off the path, but He will hold us up or pick us up and will continue leading us always, patiently and lovingly.


Right now, everyone is clamoring for change. Right now, everyone is looking forward to a savior. But how many are missing the Savior? This is the time to be let His light shine through us to push back the darkness. After all, He is the only one who can really change and correct whatever difficulties we are going through.


“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

The Times They Are A Changin'

The word change has been swirling around like desert dust devil. It has been spoken, expanded on, and has caused near hysteria. Change is coming, that’s for sure. But not all change is a good thing. And not all change is a bad thing. This month, we the people of the United States of America, voted into our highest public office, the presidency, our first African American man. This is a change that is good – very good. But I’m not so sure about the change he said he’d bring. When speaking to Planned Parenthood, he assured those in attendance, “The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do.” (Senator Barack Obama, speaking to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, July 17, 2007) This is a change that is not good, it’s horrifying actually.

I have said that I will pray for and support to the best of my ability, our new President. And I will, I am compelled to do so. After the election, I was crushed at the outcome, because of what it looked like for a couple of issues I am passionate about. But then God gave me peace and comforted me. He showed me that He is still God and He is still on the Throne. The changes in our country and specifically in our politics do not change Him, because throughout all eternity, He changes not. When I got this revelation, it felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of me.

It wasn’t that I became a Pollyanna about the situation, but rather, I realized that while I was surprised by the results, God was not. And it occurred to me, that I do not have the mind of God. I don’t know what God intends to do through this. Obama claims to be a Christian, and he may be. I don’t know his heart and I am not his judge. But I do know this. God is not conventional and He doesn’t fit into all the neat little boxes that we try to put Him in.

So I started thinking more like this. What if? What if there was a radical conversion? Or what if there was a change of character? Or what if Barack Obama was actually a conservative in a liberal’s clothing? What if every penny spent, ounce of energy given, and hate-spewing word spoken by the radical liberals, actually went into electing a man who was not what they thought? Now that would be change I could believe in! I don’t know that any of that is true, but it wouldn’t surprise me too much, because God is not conventional. What if God…?

The point of all this though, is not about who our new President is. The point is actually about who our God is. Our country has always been built up on change. It has always grown and developed through change. Change happens all the time. Economies change, jobs change, people change, fads change, Presidents change, seasons change, and thank goodness, hair styles change! But God does not change. His character and His word are for always.

God is eternal. God is the foundation of our Nation. He always has been, and I believe He always will be. The roots of Christianity run deep and wide in the United States of America. It is like a Palm tree that sways in fiercest of winds, but which very rarely gets uprooted. I believe that God has not and will not turn His back on America, because He cares about America and He knows there is a remnant who are passionate for Him. Do not despair of the times ahead. We may not know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future, and God is good, always.

Yes we are facing some challenging times ahead of us as a Nation. We have the opportunity to choose of overcome the challenges we face, by relying on God instead of a lame-duck President and Congress, or a President-Elect and new Congress. As Christians, out foundation should be built on Him, and He should be our Source – not the government. As Christians, we should worship Him, spend time with Him in prayer, and continue to point others to Him. As Christians we should stand for righteousness, and be sanctified – actually set apart from the rest of society, so that they see Him through us. As Christians, we should choose to do and say what is right, and fight to prevent our great Nation from being taken over by the enemy. With God, we can do all of this and more.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” ~ Isaiah 40:28

Choices, Changes and Challenges

This last couple of weeks I’ve been preoccupied with my work. I’ve had several long days during a six day work week. It’s kept me from getting much written, but certainly not from contemplating my next post. And with the elections recently passed, there has been quite a bit of time in reflection regarding the state of our nation, what the next four years will bring, what is God doing in the midst of this, and what will it look like when we get to the other side?

I believe we as a country are in for a time of radical transition that our generation has generally not witnessed. Anytime there is change, it’s a bit intimidating. I think it’s how God has made us though. Through our closeness with God, we grow more secure in knowing that he will see us through to the other side and it brings a calm to the challenges the world throws at us. Christians or not, some people will face extraordinary turmoil, seemingly more than they can bear and others will experience a minor bump in the road to their daily living.

And this brings me to the central thing I’ve reflected on the most over the last few months. What is the source of your foundation? What principles and values guide the decisions that you make each and every day? For many people it’s their weekly paychecks and trying to have some money left over after the bills are paid. For others, it’s the relationships with family and friends that they have. And yet others, it’s “living the good life” so they say or “do whatever makes you happy” or “let people do what they want as long as it doesn’t hurt someone else.”

Americans across the nation cast their vote last Tuesday and determined what our country should stand for over the next four years and beyond. And I can’t help but wonder, “Did we just birth an Ishmael?” Only time will tell what will come out of this election and the impact it will make on our nation over the next several years. And oftentimes, we don’t know for some time down the road that the decisions we made were Ishmael’s instead of Isaac’s.

The one thing I rest assured in is that God is in control. His Word tells us that He works things out for our good, not to harm us. He tells us that we have a future and a hope. He can turn a nation in a day; what can stop Him from turning the hearts of our government leaders? And who am I to tell God that one should be our nation’s leader over another? Is it God that has the plan that I should come into agreement with or my plan that He should agree with?

The one thing we as Christians can do is continue to seek Him – in worship and in prayer. God can change a nation in a day or over four years. But only through His sons and daughters that continue to choose Him first!