My Water Fountain: A Word Concerning Segregation

How does a people group get over this? Do laws wipe away the pain, degradation and imposed inferiority away? Does time heal the wounds? Are parents and grandparents who had to drink from different fountains, who had to use different bathrooms, who were pointed to the back of the bus, and who were, in every sphere of social culture, reminded of their inferiority, able to suppress the natural reflexes of oppression so that their children don't see - so that their children aren't affected?

There are people we see every day who were taught from an early age that they are less than human. The above is just one example of a globe filled, from all ages, with image bearers who live and have lived to suppress that image in others. This type of degradation is not typical for must of us. Therefore, we are very sensitive to any hint of it in our own lives. But imagine if it was the norm - the acceptable way of life.

This post is an encouragement and admonition for us to recognize that people are more than mere actions. Our good works and our bad ones are so much more than superficial movements of the body. If we look at others with this mindset we reduce them to matter in time and space. And when we allow what people do to eclipse who people are we neglect their significance, dignity and intrinsic worth as brothers and sisters created in the image of God.

When I drive through the neighborhood I love so much and see a young man who is unemployed, with a criminal record, and who apparently has no belt, I must resist with all of my might the desire to make him less-than-me. I must resist my deep desire to see only his apparent irresponsibility. I must fight to see his history, family, culture and his heart. He was created like me. He was born into this world a sinner like me. He may do really stupid things...like me. And he really needs a Savior, like me.

I must damn segregation to hell where it belongs. And, I must die to myself and invite him to the Water Fountain who has so graciously quenched my thirst (John 4).

We Need Christ, Not China - My Thoughts On Our Current Debt "Crisis"

Imagine you are a banker.  Mr. and Mrs. America owe you a large sum of money.  Mr. America comes to your office to inform you that they don't presently have the money to pay what they owe.  You ask where Mrs. America is and soon find out that she has moved back to her mother's house.  Things aren't going so well in the America house.  They don't have enough money, and they don't have the ability to dwell peacefully in the same household with one another.

But they have a plan to pay you.  Mr. America informs you that there is another bank that he has talked to that is willing to loan them the money to pay you.  All he has to do is get Mrs. America to agree to sign the paperwork.  Hmmm.  Red flags go up in your head (as they should!)

You begin to think.  "So they are borrowing money to pay me.  That's not good."  And, "They don't even like each other right now.  How is he going to get her to agree to that?  That ain't good either."  Whether you like it or not, Mr. and Mrs. America were just downgraded in your book.  You are more worried about their ability to pay you than you were before.

I understand that analogies fall short at some point.  This one may very well fall short completely.  But it makes sense.  Reflecting on our nation's recent credit downgrade and our government's response to it, I'd like to mention four brief thoughts.

Reality.  If any individual were to conduct their finances in this manner, they would receive a downgrade on their credit report.  Raising a "debt ceiling" will cause anyone's score to go down. Credibility is not merely about if we have paid our debts.  Other factors, like ratios, inquiries and so on, inform lenders of the borrower's ability to pay in the future.  The reality of the situation is that we deserve a downgrade.

Repercussions.  If a child doesn't study for a test and performs poorly, he deserves a bad grade. A responsible parent will use this repercussion as an opportunity for repentance and reform. Repercussions are opportunities.  An irresponsible parent, however, will blame the teacher for giving a overly difficult test or will blame the child's inability to concentrate.  These excuses simply invalidate the repercussions. And repercussions that are merely pushed into the future only grow in size.

Responsibility.  People who take no responsibility for their actions hardly gain the trust of those around them.  Mr. Obama as well as other government officials may not be personally guilty for the downgrade.  But the President as well as the officials (and the people!) are responsible.  Blame-shifting has to stop. The reality of the situation, as well as the repercussions that have followed, are our responsibility.

Repentance.  Therefore, we must repent.  Using debt to pay obligations is not a responsible or repentant way for a household to operate.  When we do not repent of our sinful behavior, we communicate that it is a right way to do things.  We teach others that when we sin we should deny the reality of the situation and take no responsibility for our actions.  Others should repent, and until that happens, we will just borrow money to delay the repercussions.

This reality does not all begin from the top and work its way down.  It begins with the family unit and rises to the top. As families in America our tendency, when we selfishly overspend, is to deny the reality of the situation - that our selfishness has resulted in our inability to provide groceries.  We don't want to accept responsibility for the repercussion, so we blame others saying, "Its not our fault our pantry is empty.  Our jobs aren't paying enough and taxes are too high!"

Because it is someone else's fault, we don't feel the need to repent of our sinful behavior.  We are innocent victims of a debt crisis in our country.  And so the cycle goes...until we hit bottom. Bankruptcy.

Instead of entering this vicious cycle, we should accept the reality that we are in trouble.  Our selfish lifestyles have brought repercussions to our front door.  We should accept responsibility for these things and repent.  When our pantries are empty, we must go to the Lord in prayer and repentance.  Then we must resist the temptation to swipe the credit card, and go to our brother or sister in Christ and as ask for food.

I have said it before and I will say it again.  We cannot borrow enough money to purchase our redemption.  Repercussions are painful and are designed to bring us to our knees in prayer. Repentance and faith alone will do. For in these humble actions, Someone Else suffers the penalty we are due.  And that same Someone Else purchases our freedom to live fulfilled lives.  His Name is Jesus Christ, not China.

How Money Cannot Pay Our Nation's Debt

As talk of our nation's financial position continues to flood the public square, we must be aware of a few critical truths.  Like a meticulous and caring physician, it is our obligation to assess the situation accurately and offer a diagnosis that faithfully represents the truth.  While I don't pretend to be an economist, I feel that  our Christian presuppositions empower us to offer an objective, deeper-than-economics, perspective.

Here are a few of my thoughts in this regard.

First, that we must cease to exalt money as God.  One of the greatest injustices our nation has ever seen and/or committed is the active promotion and exaltation of the worthiness, sovereignty and satisfaction of money.  Money is all-powerful and can fix the foundations that, by any other means, are unfixable.  This is simply a lie.

As I mentioned in a previous post, America (or any other nation for that matter) cannot buy redemption.  And if we continue to trust money for that end, we will continue to acquire debts beyond our ability to repay.  This is the financial equivalent of total depravity - being personally responsible beyond personal ability. This is why bankruptcy is just over the horizon.

Second, that money, without a gospel-centered life accompanying it, will serve to deceive rather than deliver the person receiving it.  By giving money alone, we exalt the power of money alone to solve all of life's problems.  We therefore pay more attention to the stories of how money has done this or that, rather than cherishing the Word of God the testimony of how the Lord does whatsoever He pleases (Ps 115; Matt 13:22).

Third, by giving money alone, we affirm our own trust in money.  If my second point says something about money, this point says something about us.  Instead of fighting for justice on behalf of the marginalized, we try and purchase it.  In other words, we send money to work for us.  Writing a check is less of a sacrifice than bearing a burden.  Instead of showing how the Lord loves through us, we send the message that money works instead of us.

Finally, as money is shown in the coming days to be powerless, we must spend our lives sharing the All-Powerful One.  This is done by repenting for the times when we have not trusted in Christ alone and then actively clinging by faith to Christ alone for our righteousness.

It is quite possible that the days to come will bring great hunger and thirst.  As Christians, however, we should not reject this; but rather wholeheartedly welcome it.  Hunger and thirst, while physically tragic, often accompany the spiritual redemption of the Lord (Exodus 15-17; Numbers 10-11).  For stubborn sinners such as ourselves, it takes great hunger and thirst to shake us from our idols.  But our gracious God uses such times to save stubborn sinners by giving them Manna from heaven and water from the Rock.

Our debt is not ultimately financial.  It is moral.  We don't need a loan.  We need redemption.  For this Christ alone is sufficient.

Great Comparison of Federal Budget vs. Household Budget

Here is a great article from Dave Ramsey where he puts the federal budget numbers into "practical terms" that we can understand.  It's hard to believe that the solution can be so simple; but after he gives his comparative analysis, it's hard to believe that it's not.

He writes:

Whenever the talking heads on TV start talking about the national economy, most of our eyes start to glaze over. The gigantic numbers that they throw out there are ridiculous; most Americans have no idea what those numbers mean in practical terms. So, I thought it’d be fun to turn those figures into something we can understand a little better—like a household budget.

The federal government will take in $2.173 trillion in 2011. That’s their income, and it sounds pretty good. Until, that is, you factor in that the federal government will spend $3.818 trillion during the year. So, just like many families, the government’s outgo exceeds their income—to the tune of $1.645 trillion in overspending. That’s called the deficit. Altogether, the government has $14.2 trillion in debt.

What would happen if John Q. Public and his wife called my show with these kinds of numbers? Here’s how their financial situation would stack up:

If their household income was $55,000 per year, they’d actually be spending $96,500—$41,500 more than they made! That means they’re spending 175% of their annual income! So, in 2011 they’d add $41,500 of debt to their current credit card debt of $366,000!

What’s the first step to get out of debt? Stop overspending! But that means a family that is used to spending $96,500 a year has to learn how to live on $55,000. That’s a tough pill to swallow. Those kinds of spending cuts seriously hurt, but it’s the only way out of debt for John Q. Public.

If I ever got a call from a family that was spending $41,500 more than they made every year, you would definitely expect me to yell at them for their dumb behavior, right? Kids, no more McDonald’s four times a week. Snacks come from the grocery store now. And we’re not going to the movies for a while, so break out the board games and TV Guide. This family has a problem, so it’s time to amputate the lifestyle!

It works the same way for the government. You can’t borrow your way out of debt, whether you’re a typical American family or the entire U.S. government. At some point, you’ve got to say, “Enough is enough!” and make the hard cuts necessary to win over the long haul.

(HT: Z)