reality check

so i posted on greed yesterday. some of you are wondering what happened, cause to be honest, that one wasn't the post that finishes with the warm fuzzies.

i had my wife read it before i posted it, because i was scared. mostly of being a hypocrite, since i drive an SUV (7 years old) and have a Macbook (actually church-owned).

Speaking about sin is kinda like sticking your head up out of your safe foxhole. When you do it, people start taking shots at you. This may mean I need to get some thicker skin, since I think about this so much. :)

All that being said, I really can't apologize. When I shared this blog, I put "we" in there for a reason. You wouldn't have to look very hard to find greed in me, in all honesty. I didn't write it because of any righteousness in me. I wrote it because it's something I wrestle with. My wife and I want to live within our means. Live debt free. Have some left over to bless others with, even above our tithe.

But our culture, everything around us, tells us something else. And I think we as believers should say so when the kingdom of this world comes against the Kingdom of God.

That's why I wrote about greed. I hope you were challenged, cause I was.

Andrew

Turning green, are we?

So often we see the effect and spend most of our time combating the symptom rather than the cause.  If we have pain, we say we need asprin.  If we are broke, we think we simply need to make more money.  If we are overweight, we need a pill to be invented to block the fat on the food we eat.

What if instead of fixing the byproduct, we instead addressed the root of the symptom?  What should actually happen when we have pain?  We need to fix the broken ankle that's causing it instead of covering it up with asprin temporarily.  If we are broke, we need to stop spending money on video games, cell phone bills and coffee shops instead of simply getting more work.  If we are overweight, most of us should begin to eat differently or exercise more often instead of hoping for a pill to fix the symptom.

You see, no matter what you do in response to the problem, if the action or attitude that caused the symptom never changes, the symptom will always return.

Today?

Bailouts, money, stuff.  These are the topics of politicians in Washington, anchors on the 6 pm news, employees at water coolers, and moms at soccer games.

Our problems are mostly symptoms.  We have been living in sin for far too long and because of that sin, our present lifestyles are impossible to maintain.

This sin is not isolated to a movement or religion.  For believers in the way of Christ, it's a problem of the emergent church and the mainline denominations, the megachurch and the little chapel down the road.  It's time we were honest with ourselves and each other and confronted this sin that hounds us at every turn.

Sin? You're saying that this can't be the result of sin, right?

I would submit that it is.  There is a sin that has put us in the economic crisis we find ourselves in today. This is the sin that makes us always want that next thing, that nicer outfit, the newer car.  It's the sin that made us buy the house we really couldn't afford, and the car that we shouldn't be driving.  It's the one that makes us justify the $400 cell phone with the $100+ bill every month.

And until we address the sin issue, we will continue to build an economy that only works if we keep consuming stuff.  One that only works if we constantly want new clothes, new computers, new......

You get the point.

And now what happens when we all get nervous and cut back on our spending?  Well, people that manufacture the stuff we buy now don't have anyone to consume it.  People lose their jobs-unable to pay their bills, they foreclose on the homes.  And instead of having savings for the rough times, we find ourselves with closets full of stuff.  With storage units, garages and attics full of stuff.  It's hard to get rid of your old stuff. Mostly because everyone likes new stuff.  It has that smell, you know.

And when it comes to having a bunch of stuff, this time around, everyone got in on the game-Christians and non-Christians alike.

We all wanted to buy more stuff. Not just iPhones and new clothes. Some tried to make a quick buck on a preconstruction investment property that now they can't unload.   Some took out equity lines on their home to pay off credit cards that had balances from buying stuff.  Others?  You can probably list a few examples that I haven't mentioned.

This sin has a simple name.  Greed.  And what happens when the church struggles with greed?  What happens when believers think it's ok to do what the good ol' King James Version calls coveting?  What happens when we forget to be salt and light to a bland and dark world?

This.

The Challenge to Change

Today, I'm sitting at home watching the festivities in Washington, DC wondering what the new administration will bring to the table.  Change is something that we all know takes discipline and commitment, and as we all know, those are two characteristics usually not found in politics.

There are many parts of our country that I hope will change.  I agree that we all must pitch in to be a part of the solution, rather than the problem.  How that happens?  Well, I suppose that's the part up for debate.

Let me tell you about one of our friends.  Chrissy and I met Gina almost two years ago.  Gina was living on the streets and during our friendship she found an apartment and got off the streets.  This, of course, was a fantastic step and we were so happy for her!  

The interesting part came later as we were talking to her about getting a job (thinking that would be the next step to getting on her feet).  As we spoke, she surprisingly didn't want to get a job because she said that she would then make less money.  As crazy as that sounds, I found out through questioning her that it was true.

Gina gets a housing allowance, health care and food stamps courtesy of the good taxpayers of our country.  She can live without ever getting a job for a long time.  For her to get a job and pay taxes to help someone else doesn't cross her mind, because if she gets a job then she must work and she will actually show income, making her lose all her benefits.  

For the new administration to ask us all to pitch in sounds fantastic.  But Gina probably won't ever pitch in because once she does, she will have a harder time with life.  And there are tens of thousands more just like Gina, caught in this weird spot where they aren't going to get a job because they will make less money than if they just don't work at all.

Change we can all believe in?  Let's find a way to get everyone to pitch in.  Let's find a way to create jobs.  Let's find a way to push people to continue to grow and take personal responsibility, rather than rely on the government for their income and benefits.  Let's find a way to fix the situation that Gina and so many more find themselves in, helping them to find work so that their taxes help the next guy or girl get back on their feet.

Change take discipline and commitment.  Let's hope we all can become greater in our discipline and commitment, first and foremost to Christ and His teachings.  At that point, He creates change in us, by the power of His Spirit.  And that is change that we can truly believe in.  That is where our hope must lie-in the power and person of Christ.   

Take Care of Yo' Money

One of the things I truly believe is that no one else will take care of my money better than myself. Most people just want some of it. I can't really think of very many people who want to help me keep it/keep track of it/reduce debt/etc. And I can't think of anyone who would want to do all of that for free.

The last couple years I've been using Mvelopes, which is budgeting software originally put out by Crown Financial Ministries. The problem is that this software costs somewhere around 8-12 bucks a month. Then I discovered Mint.

Voila!

An incredible web-based software program that will keep all your accounts together and help you see all of them in one place. I have all my accounts, credit cards, loans, mortgages, and retirement accounts in one place. I can now categorize my expenditures easily to see how much I'm actually spending and where I can save the most money. I can see my retirement account grow (or shrink!) easily, and I can watch my debt go down.

And it's free.

And no, I'm not getting paid to write this, but it's so helpful at watching your money that I had to tell my friends. During these economic times a free program that helps you do this is a treasure.

Maybe Mint.com won't change your life. But like a mirror, it will reveal your (financial) countenance to you in one place, allowing you to respond and get your house in order.

Check it out-let me know what you think!

Good Music

It's always so cool to see one of my friends who does music come out with a new project, especially when the new record is super good. That's why I have to recommend an EP to you by my friend Jake Holman.

You may not have heard of him, but over the past 6 years he's been leading worship at Liberty University and Hume Lake Camps in California. He also is a worship leader as well as at his home church in Cincinnati, OH. I love his musical creativity so much that we doing a couple of his arrangements of well-known worship songs at Calvary Fort Lauderdale, where I lead worship.

Please check out his new EP on iTunes. It's called "I'm"-you'll love it!

An Atheist on why Africa needs Jesus

Here's an amazing article you have to read. (Apologies for questionable ads on the page)

Written by an athiest in a London paper, it's his mindset as to why Africa needs Christian missionaries to keep coming and share the way to God with the people.

Just a sample quote:

"Christianity, post-Reformation and post-Luther, with its teaching of a direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God, unmediated by the collective, and unsubordinate to any other human being, smashes straight through the philosphical/spiritual framework I've just described. It offers something to hold on to to those anxious to cast off a crushing tribal groupthink. That is why and how it liberates."

Jesus has a way of crashing in, bringing salvation and hope even in the darkest of places, doesn't He?

quit or die trying...

as a musician, sometimes you discover people with such pure natural talent that it makes you want to quit playing music altogether. OR practice your brains out until you annoy your wife, neighbors, family, friends, and perhaps your dog.

this guy blew my mind today. i don't even understand it, but it's amazing.



And yes, I realize that 8.6 million people discovered this before me......

:)