This Fine Mess (A Simple Plan to Solve Our Nation's Debt Problem)

So the Republicans aren't interested in bringing in more revenue. The Democrats have caved a little on spending but it's not near enough. What are we going to do to get out of this mess? Well here's the answer. With the amount of money that we're in debt to the world we need to stop all unnecessary spending (and that means ALL) and raise taxes. We can get out of this hole but we need the kind of leadership that will make these changes and not care about which side they are on. When I say leadership I'm not talking about any one person in Washington, I'm talking about all leadership in Washington.

I think my plan is pretty simple. Stop spending. Bring in more money to pay off debt. Done. I think Dave Ramsey would like my strategy as well. ;)

G J 22960686 A

Anyone know what that is? Well it's the number off of a $20 bill. Yes, I know you're probably surprised that I have a whole $20 in my pocket, quite frankly, so am I. But I was thinking about that number and what it actually means? Why it's there? Then I started thinking that $20 is far less valuable then it used to be.

Thinking back a couple of weeks ago while I was giving out candy bars in Grape Day Park, $20 was actually quite a bit, relatively that is. A man laying on the ground offered me $.09 for a candy bar because that's all he had. I just gave him one, but $.09 is a very little amount of money. As a matter of fact $20 is 222 times the amount of money of $.09. Can you imagine having just $.09? Think about that and let it sink in. Now, can you imagine having just $.09 with no pay check on the way? Think about that and let THAT sink in.

The Most Important Thing

"Everyone is someone who will spend eternity somewhere."

This was a quote form Kris this week at the Branches. I am at a point in my life where I understand this. I'm also at a point where I sometimes have a hard time telling people about Jesus, not because I am scared, but because I know many are going to deny this message. And that makes me sad.

The most important thing you need to know in your life is that Jesus should be your most important thing. If you can think of things, or even a thing, that is more important than Jesus you are going the wrong direction. Repent, which means to turn around and go God's way. Nothing is more important than Jesus.

Sidney and Lucas' conversation in the back seat...

This week Sidney and Lucas were having a conversation in the back seat of our car that I overheard, it went something like this...

Sidney: "I thought that kids at Christian school would be a lot nicer than people at a public school."

Lucas: "Yeah, me too. Why do kids that call them selves Christian don't act Christian?!?"

Sidney: "I don't know, it's just really weird."

I wonder what that's all about? :(

God, Love, and Sushi

Today I realized how easy it is to just let God's Love pour out of me. This, for your information, has really nothing to do with me except for the part where I'm available.

When our upstairs neighbors moved in, about 6 months ago, I felt like we should take them a house warming gift. So my wife made some cookies, and with a little prodding, my whole family took them up to them. They said thank you, and that was that.

Fast forward about five months when my wife and kids were out back playing. Our neighbor, along with her new baby son, came outside and began a conversation with my wife. This turned into a time where my wife and this woman became friends.

Fast forward about one month. Our neighbors are moving and my wife asked if she needed help packing. The lady accepted and my wife helped and brought her and her son some enchiladas. They were going to pack but that ended up on the back burner while Tonya and her sat and talked for a couple of hours.

Fast forward to today. I got a knock at the door while Tonya and Sidney were gone, I was here alone with the boys, it was our neighbor. She asked if Tonya was home and I had to tell her no. She then handed me a plate of home made sushi. I thanked her because we LOVE sushi at our house and then we began to talk right there at the door.

She had some questions about some Bible stuff and I got to share with her about Jesus. She then told me that she would like for me and Tonya to get together with her and her husband when he gets back from his Navy Seal training. She told me she would like for him to spend some time with me because he could use "a mentor". I don't know about the "mentor" part but I'm hoping this works out.

Things come so naturally when we just love people with God's love. We don't even have to work at anything really. When you just start with a simple act of kindness and genuinely just want to build relationships with people, God takes that and runs with it. You don't have to be special just available.

Erasing Hell: What God said about eternity, and the things we've made up" By Francis Chan

Leave it to Francis Chan to rebut without technically rebutting. Anyone who has read "Love Wins" by Rob Bell would absolutely know that this book was a response to Bell's assertions. But at the same time anyone who hadn't read "Love Wins" will find a very Biblical and surprisingly academic yet easy to understand book in "Erasing Hell", that gives any Christian or non-Christian who was curious, what he/she would need to know in regards to hell.

What I liked most about the book is that it said things plainly but was backed up by very good research that anyone could read and say, "I totally get that!"

Chan was also not afraid to just be honest with Scripture and handle it very consistently. In other words he defined words from Greek to English and did it without just making the words be what he wanted them to be. He didn't try to back his argument with Scripture, he used the Scripture as his argument. And I like that.

I would recommend this book to ANYONE.

Everything is Chipping Away

I've long thought about what kind of damage certain things in our society do to us. For example most people say, "that music doesn't influence me, I just like the beat and sound of it", or "that video game won't cause me to go out and kill anyone". And I think in many ways these people are right. But today it kind of dawned on my while I was listening to Wilson Phillips...

Everything is chipping away. Picture an artist looking at a big block of stone. Eventually that stone will become something. Who knows what he has in mind. But eventually, after much time and effort, something will become of that stone after it meets the hammer and chisel enough times.

I think it is the same with us and influences in our lives. With everything that comes into our life we are being formed. The influences in our society may not have a profound impact on our lives ultimately, but after much time spent with things, it forms us into what it wants us to be. It doesn't happen over night. But it does happen.

And so it is with God. God wants to shape and form us. Do we let him chisel? Do we spend time with Him like we do with our music, our games, our friends, our phones, our computers...Do we invest in the good things that our needed to be formed by the Master. Some of these things include getting into the Bible, praying, getting with friends at a service once a week, being at a Bible Study, being like Jesus in our community, etc.

Make no mistake, you are being formed and shaped. The question is: What are you being formed into?