Wanderings – Page 33 – The Life and Times of Joe Suttle

It’s Your Money, But…

joe February 4, 2009 Political

I'd be asking some serious questions about this "bailout". Saw a news flash that said if they just took the bailout money and gave it to the unemployed…

Just think, there are 8.9 million people unemployed in the United States. The figures come directly from the U.S. Department of Labor. That's the average figure for 2008, but do a little math. They want $800 billion for a bailout. 800 billion divided by 8.9 million is somewhere near $90,000 per unemployed person.

Now let's be honest here folks. If you were unemployed and you got a check for $90,000 for no reason (other than the fact that you don't have a job and providing a roof over your head, and food for your family, etc.) I am sure as breathing that you would spend that on something. Something would be gas for your car, food for your family, some new shoes and clothes, contributions to charities, a couple of movies (with popcorn and drinks).

You probably see where this is going.

OR, the government (that's us (you and me) by the way) could hire you for $40,000 (the other $50,000 would cover the employer's contribution to your health benefits, Social Security and the 10% to run the program (ha! none of you would get the jobs to do that!). Then we could clear weeds, clean streets, mow lawns in parks and at schools (water it too), clean graffiti off walls and light poles, pull down old posters – in general, make our neighborhoods and parks better places. Maybe we could even have some wash BART trains, commuter busses, police cars.

There is a problem with this approach – those jobs would become permanent and probably Union, so they would never go away.

Just give'em $40,000 to tide them over (and then NO MORE) and send the balance to the rest of us – we'll either spend or invest it. None to any elected officials.

Wait a minute! Where's the money coming from in the first place? Isn't this how we got in this hole?

Flashing Images

joe February 4, 2009 Faith

Couldn't help but see things as I read the end of chapter two in First Peter.

[html]<ul><li>An insult contest with a big red "X" across the screen. Peter was trying to get us to imagine a person (Jesus) who was insulted and degraded, but did not respond "in kind." It takes a lot of God in a person to not respond.

<li>Marchers in Selma and other places in the South were abused, beaten and hosed, but did not turn and attack the perpetrators, set fires, destroy homes and businesses; rather, they endured the punishment, out of which came freedom for so many others. Some of these are very vivid because they happened in my lifetime.[more]

<li>Strong man contests on TV, with powerful legs and backs carrying barrels or pulling trucks. Even watching, my mind could sense the pain that they must be enduring – after all, when was the last time I pulled a car or truck; or how many boxes have I lifted lately. Yet, there was a man carrying a cross made of wood. At least an eight by eight and probably twelve feet long. That was one heavy hunk of wood.

<li>Sheep wandering all over the field – "la-de-da". No cares in the world. Nibbling their way to the next blade of grass. And all the time, a shepherd off to one side making sure they were safe from wolves and other dangers. We can come back to the safety of the Shepherd – if we want to.
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Maybe the big picture is this – there is Someone who cares deeply for us and wants to keep us safe. For that to happen, we have to let Him have control of our lives or we'll be like those wandering sheep.

One Of Four Tough Action Words

joe February 3, 2009 Faith

Honor. That's it! Peter is not the first one to use this word, but here in First Peter chapter 2, it follows another tough word, "submit". Finding a definition for honor that people will understand is not easy. It probably wasn't that hard in Peters day (~A.D. 60), but it still probably stuck in somebody's craw.

It kind of goes with "respect", which could be another of those four words. However, I am sort of combining honor and respect as one and the same. If you disagree, click on "Contact Me" to the right and let me hear from you. Mind you, this is not a normal blog where you can add your comments, but if you have something to say, it could appear here. You will be respected for your comment, good or bad, "yea" or "nay".

Back to "honor". Having told us in verse 13 to "submit" to the govermental authorities, he doesn't leave us much wiggle room. The thing that I have found here in First Peter, and in Romans doesn't leave us the option to "feel" like letting them rule, or their "deserving" our honor or respect. Even Jesus in John 19 says that Pilate "has authority because it is given from above."[more]

And then don't forget when Jesus said "Render (give) unto Caesar what is Caesar's." It was not prefaced with "If you feel like it" or "If you think he deserves it", it was a simple "do it" kind of like you are supposed to.

What strikes me about Peter are the three words in verse 17 – honor, love and fear. To me, these are the three of the hardest words in the Bible. "Honoring all people" is an exceedingly difficult thing to do, let alone try to do. Maybe this has more to do with humility than we want to give it credit. After all, honor is that characteristic of thinking more of others – putting them ahead.

What do you think? What's it mean to you to "honor all people?" How hard is it to envision that, and then, how hard is it to do? What if you or I don't feel like honoring them. Maybe we make it too difficult by trying to make it fit our reasoning when that is not what we are told to do. If you want to go back to the original greek, there is no being asked – by Jesus, Peter or Paul. They don't beg us to do this, nor do they seem to give us an option. The only option I see and hear is "do."

Now the question is "how/what am I doing?"