Saturday, January 31, 2009

Stimulus Package - I Think Not

Here's a recap of the first three weeks with President Obama.
  • HR1- First bill in office is an 80% increase in spending over last year's budget. $825 BILLION dollars more. (Of course this does not include the $700 BILLION already run through Congress last quarter.) Did you know 1 billion seconds ago it was 1959? Did you know that 1 billion minutes ago, Jesus was walking the earth? Did you know our government is spending $1 billion every 8 HOURS!? As Dean said, "That's crap."

    Yet more perspective: If I gave you $1 million dollars and told you to spend $1,000 every day, it would take you 3 years to spend it all. If I gave you $1 billion under the same conditions, it would take you 3,000 years to spend it! Enjoy your inheritance kids. You just inherited a huge tax burden. Incredible. Infuriating!
  • Promises to pass FOCA - Freedom of Choice Act which would overturn EVERY restriction on abortion including partial birth abortion (even Clinton signed the bill to outlaw partial birth abortion and the Supreme Court recently upheld it) and using tax dollars to do abortions here and overseas. Now your tax dollars would be used for murder.
  • Just signed the Equal Pay Amendment which gives employees unlimited time to sue their employer for what they perceive as unequal pay - used to be 6 months. Now it can be 60 years or more! That should motivate all those entrepreneurs to start new businesses in America!
  • Promises to pass a bill that would make it incredibly easy to form a union - no more secret ballot. (As a thank you to union contributors.) Now the union bosses come to your door, pen in hand, to "suggest" you sign (if you know what's good for you.) Or if you just sign the card asking for more information, that's a vote of yes! Yet another way to keep people from starting new business (or keeping existing business) in the good old USA.
  • A bill to create National Health care for children. It's estimated that 20-40% of people who can afford health care will enroll in this one. After all, our taxes are paying for it!
  • Closed Guantanemo - Might as well bring the terrorists onto American soil. Now we can be like the Europeans who have extra security in the towns where they are housed because their "friends" like to break them out. They win either way, either they go out as martyrs or they succeed. Is Leavenworth, Kansas ready for that?
  • Wants to raise the corporate tax rate, never mind that we have the second highest in the world right now. Yet another reason for corporations to move their businesses elsewhere. Goodbye American jobs.
  • Hired a tax evader to oversee our taxes and all these billions of dollars going into our economy. Reminds me of the verse, he who is not faithful in little, even what he has will be taken away. Evidently Obama doesn't know that truth.
  • He's printing money like Germany did before their economy collapsed, after which it took a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread. Take a minute to watch this video which shows the incredible increase in money being printed and put into circulation. This is completely valueless currency and will result in outrageous inflation.

Okay, so how stimulated do you feel to go spend some money? Me, I feel like hiding mine under the mattress! So, the addition we were planning for our house? No, don't think so. I am incredulous how fast we are heading to socialism. So much for inspiring confidence in the average American. Even those who believe the Obama bull must be thinking, "This is craziness! " If credit card debt doesn't work, how can congressional debt in the billions be the answer?

Should we be suprised? You can read all about it in Zephaniah:

"The great day of the LORD is near— near and coming quickly.
Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter,
the shouting of the warrior there.
That day will be a day of wrath,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of trouble and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness,
a day of trumpet and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the corner towers.
I will bring distress on the people
and they will walk like blind men,
because they have sinned against the LORD.
Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to save them

on the day of the LORD's wrath.
In the fire of his jealousy
the whole world will be consumed,
for he will make a sudden end
of all who live in the earth."

I have always wondered when I read prophecy how it could all possibly come to pass? How could we go from greatness to dispair so quickly? How could we be so gullible to let a liar and anti-truth follower lead us and follow him so willingly? How could we possibly so fully forget our heritage and follow the path of distruction that so many nations before us have. How could this happen? Now it is displayed for me to watch and see how. Americans with their heads in the sand who wouldn't recognize truth if it bit them on the rear. Truth? Do most Americans even believe in such a thing? Our constitution is being overturned with every court case. Obama has even stated that it is time for us to declare for ourselves a new independence - independence from the foundation laid by our forefathers.

So, that's all depressing if it meant that those against truth had the last word. But of course they do not. Our God is sovereign and He will have the final say.

Psalm 2:

Why the big noise, nations?
Why the mean plots, peoples?
Earth-leaders push for position,
Demagogues and delegates meet for summit talks,
The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers:
"Let's get free of God! Cast loose from Messiah!"
Heaven-throned God breaks out laughing.
At first he's amused at their presumption;
Then he gets good and angry.
Furiously, he shuts them up:
"Don't you know there's a King in Zion? A coronation banquet
Is spread for him on the holy summit."
Let me tell you what God said next.
He said, "You're my son, And today is your birthday.
What do you want? Name it:
Nations as a present? continents as a prize?
You can command them all to dance for you,
Or throw them out with tomorrow's trash."
So, rebel-kings, use your heads;
Upstart-judges, learn your lesson:
Worship God in adoring embrace,
Celebrate in trembling awe. Kiss Messiah!
Your very lives are in danger, you know;
His anger is about to explode,
But if you make a run for God—you won't regret it!

What is amazing is the mercy He has displayed these last 40 years. This is also a time of mercy. A time when God will strip away the things we have relied on and considered safe and secure - our false gods. A time when our friends and neighbors and co-workers will be looking for answers and truth. They will not find the safety they are looking for in this world, that will become infinitely obvious. God's mercy will be abounding for those who will cry out to Him. And what an amazing opportunity to be ready for an answer for the hope that is within us.

So in the mean time, we will be held accountable for using our time well. So e-mail your Senator. Tell them to stop HR1 before it's too late! Sign the Fight FOCA petition. Let your voice be heard. Be a light in the darkness. We know that God uses darkness to make the light shine even brighter. So listen to His voice and follow it! Don't retreat!

If you don't have that hope - hope in a great God with a great plan to bring glory to His name and who has prepared an eternal place for you where the doom and gloom are gone - then come now to Him. If there is anything we are bound to learn in the coming months it is that we cannot save ourselves. We need a savior. And He stands ready and waiting to receive those who will humble themselves and receive Him. He promised to collect his chosen ones and gather them to Himself. We don't know when but we don't have to wonder "if." It will be just as He has said. Do not face the coming days without knowing your eternal hope is secure!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

My New Year's Resolutions

1. Get moving. Spend time every day, stretching, moving, exercising, something to get more limber and de-stress. Mark and I have a contest going. First one to not exercise/move (he has to do push ups and sit ups) 5 of 7 days, loses. If he loses, I get a 1 hour massage. If I lose, he hasn't told me what he gets yet. He's still thinking. :-0

2. Spend more time in focused prayer, especially to start my day, asking God to help me see what is important and what is not. And asking for help in letting go of what is not.

3. Looking carefully at my commitments and asking God to help me let loose of things that are crowding out what is really important.

4. Be in the moment. I will capture thoughts that are distracting me from being truly present and hand them over to God for their own time.

5. Turn off the electronics. I'm going to propose one week on, one week off. (I'll let you know how that goes over.) Spend more time playing games and talking.

6. Be more proactive about bugeting and expense tracking. I'm very excited about a new product the bank is releasing this spring that will make this so much easier! I get access early to test it so I've already played with it and I can't wait to really utilize it going forward this year. I really think it will make a huge difference to let us know as we go through the month, not after, how our spending is doing and where we need to reign in.


7. Stop worrying about the future and what I want to be when I grow up. God is plenty big enough to tell me when it's time for something new and in the mean time, I'll be at rest where I am.



8. Practice an attitude of gratitude. I am so blessed. Wonderful family, fabulous friends, great church, Mayberry-like town, good jobs, incredible kids, cozy home, working cars, enough money to pay the bills and still go on vacation, freedom, and a God who blesses abundantly!


9. Stake my claim. I have finally figured out a place in my home for MY OWN DESK. NO BOYS ALLOWED! I will not give an inch.

10. Find time to be still and know that He is God. Not easy to do in my busy life but oh so necessary.


My last challenge went over like a ton of bricks, but I'll try again. Anyone want to share one of their New Year's Resolutions?



Christmas Memories

I had the boys tell me their Top Ten Things They Loved About Christmas Break. Here they are in no particular order:


Drew:

  • Hanging out with cousins in McPherson Christmas afternoon
  • Hanging out with his grandparents
  • Hanging out with Beth and Jason
  • The College Basketball Experience in KC
  • Sharing a room with cousins (no adults) in KC
  • New Sonic video game
  • New Rock Bank II game
  • Time off and relaxing
  • His New Year's Eve Party with the juniors in youth group
  • His new iPod


Dean:

  • Spending time with grandparents
  • Spending time as a family
  • Being spoiled rotten
  • Going with the cousins, aunt, uncle and grandparents to KC
  • The new Wii
  • Rock Band II
  • Watching "The Office" for 4 1/2 hours with cousins on Christmas afternoon
  • Spending New Years with his band
  • Going to the gym and shooting baskets
  • Movie Day at Coach Woodward's house with the team
  • Number 11: New room since it happened after the first time I asked
Grant:

  • The College Basketball Experience in KC
  • Spending the night New Year's Eve at Daniel's
  • Being with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins
  • Ice skating
  • Changing rooms (having Micah move in - I know, can you believe it?)
  • Being at home and not at school
  • Relaxing
  • Christmas food
  • Presents - getting them
  • Presents - enjoying them

Micah:

  • The trains at the Tozier's and at Union Station
  • Having my brothers around
  • Lightning McQueen
  • No ball games
  • Santa Claus
  • Presents
  • Playing Wii - especially bowling, punching (boxing) and drums
  • Going swimming
  • Going ice skating
  • My new room (moving in with Grant)

Now Mine:

  • Having everyone home
  • Watching the boys open gifts Christmas Eve and morning
  • Being with family
  • The music
  • Watching the boys do snow angels by the pool in KC then jump in the pool
  • Ice Skating at Crown Center and actually being warm doing it
  • Sleeping in
  • Christmas movies on Hallmark which I could DVR and watch after Christmas
  • A lit Christmas tree next to a roaring fire
  • The reminders of just how blessed we are.

Now your turn, what's your top ten?