Why I need an alarm system for my home

I was watching tv the other day and I saw an ad for a home alarm system.  The voiceover said, "This elaborate home safety system protects all that you hold dear; keeping your things safe 24/7."

This time of year always brings out the grouch in me- at least, that's what people say.  I love Christmas and I love Thanksgiving, and I hate the commercialization and materialism that marks what should be a religious holiday season.  Many times I find myself being more grouchy than thankful, more of a curmudgeon than a celebrant, and more of a clanging cymbal than a person expressing love. 

I watched this ad and something just sat wrong with me.  In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

So, number one, I'm not supposed to store up things that a thief would want to break in and steal.

However, this ad was telling me that I needed a security system to protect what Jesus said not to have in the first place.

How many of us will not only disobey Matthew 6:19, but also will buy a home security system to protect it?

Now, I'm not against home security systems.  There are people who live in neighborhoods where they do not feel safe and they need something if someone were to break in to try to hurt or kill them.  I get that.  I am not knocking home security systems.

I'm upset by the need for them.

I'm upset that Christians would live lives of such affluence that they feel the need to protect that which Jesus said not to have.

I'm upset that Christians place such a high premium on worldly goods.

I'm upset that there are some Christians whose attachment to "treasures on earth that can be stolen or destroyed" is identical to people who are non-Christians.

I'm upset that the celebration of the birthday of the Man who said, "Do not store up treasures here on earth" is marked by exactly what He said not to do- frenzied consumerism, gluttonous buying, sales goals, an onslaught of catalogs, and unbridled materialism rather than a sacrificial obedience to His command and sacrificial following of His lifestyle.

I'm upset that we have designed an entire industry around protecting the very things Jesus said not to have.

I love Christmas.  I truly do.  I love the traditions, the carols, the decorations, the time with family.  I love gathering as a family and lighting advent candles, singing Christmas hymns around a table with my family.  I love what Christmas represents- God's gift of His only Son to a world that would reject Him and crucify Him, not knowing what it was doing.  I love Jesus and what He taught.

I just wish we didn't have anything that a thief would want to steal, and therefore would have no need for security systems.  I wish we all had ALL of our treasure in heaven, where there is no need for a security system.  

This picture pretty much sums up my opinion of Black Friday and the ensuing holiday shopping season:

See why people call me a grouch?  I'm truly sorry- I don't mean to insult anyone or be a grouch.  It's just that when I read Matthew 6:19, and I look at the season coming upon us with all the buying and consuming and "storing up of treasures here," I just can't get them to coincide.  Could it be that Jesus would have us celebrate His birthday much differently than we celebrate it?
 

The Entitlement Culture Strikes Again

After my freshman year in college, I worked for Little Caesar's pizza.  I was a delivery boy.

It was a hard job.  I made minimum wage which was around $4.25/hour.  I got $.75 per delivery (I guess they figured that covered gas, wear and tear on the car, etc) and tips, which didn't amount to much at all.  I had to deal with people that didn't have the least amount of respect for the guy who showed up to deliver their pizza.  I had to deal with traffic.  I had to deal with all kinds of stuff.

I know that minimum-wage jobs are rough.  That's why most of us try to find other lines of work to do.  So, I'm not knocking the person working minimum-wage jobs.

I am, however, upset at the entitlement mentality I saw on the news yesterday.

The fast-food worker strike where workers were chanting, "We can't live on $7.25" was all over the news the other day.  Now, I agree.  It's tough to live on $7.25/hour.  I'm not disagreeing at all.

But here is the question:  who cares?

Before you get all angry at me for asking that question, let me back up and lay a foundation for what I mean.  Here in America, we are shifting more and more to an entitlement mentality.  For thirty years, we've been giving out participation trophies to kids who do little more than show up to practice and games.  We've been promoting kids from grade to grade even when they couldn't do the work.  We've been lavishing compliments and praise on kids and young adults for simply doing what they were supposed to do.

In other words, the word "earn" has been lost.  It has been replaced with the word "deserve."  Now, people don't earn things.  They deserve things.  And that was what was on display on the news.

These days, people don't earn a paycheck.  They deserve a paycheck.  And when that paycheck is less than what they "deserve", it is unjust.  Never mind what they have earned.  Now, it's simply all about what we deserve.

Nowhere in the news was there any discussion of workers doubling their workload, doubling their output, doubling their investment in their job so that they will EARN $15/hour.  Folks, here is how the business world works:

A business wants to increase its profit margin.  That's what good businesses do.  Therefore, they look for people who, by hiring them on, will bring in MORE income than they are taking.  For example, a worker that earns $7.25 an hour, after insurance, workers' comp, etc probably costs the business $12/hour.  So, in order for that business to need you, you have to bring in more than $12/hour in revenue for you to be worth them bringing you on.

If you are taking $12/hour from the company in wages, and by your work ethic and output are only bringing in $10/hour, you are a liability.  You are a bad hire.  You need to be fired.

If I were the manager of a McDonalds, I would ask the striking employees one question:  "If I double your pay to $15/hour, will you double your productivity so that we see double profits coming in here?"

Then I would ask a second question.  "If your productivity DOESN'T double, and therefore you are not earning $15/hour, will you consent to being fired?"

I would ask questions like, "In order to earn the $15/hour you are wanting me to pay you, are you going to provide such exceptional customer service that we see twice as many repeat customers in a given week?  Will you make phone calls to friends and relatives and acquaintances to come eat at our restaurant, translating into double the profits?  Will you double your efforts to clean the restrooms, clean the dining area, move twice as fast to get peoples' orders to them?  Will you show up early for your shift and leave only when the job is done, regardless of the time?  Will you go out and get customers, bringing in their dollars, so that I can be justified in paying you $15/hour?"

But that discussion will never take place.  Why?  Because America is an entitled nation.  The workers demanding $15/hour, most likely, aren't even thinking about doubling their productivity and therefore EARNING $15/hour.  The word "earn" isn't even on the table right now.  The only word on the table now is "deserve."

There is no discussion about the true nature of things- that businesses hire people who will help and advance their business.  They don't hire people in order to help them out.  They hire people who will help them do business, help grow their business, and help them increase profits.  If workers are taking more in payroll than they are generating in productivity, the business will go belly-up.  There will be no more jobs for anyone.  Businesses can only afford to hire people who will EXPAND their business.

So, again, I ask the question:  who cares?  If you can't live on $7.25/hour, work two jobs.  Live simply.  Find another job that pays more.  You don't DESERVE anything.  You EARN what you have.  If you don't like what you are earning, make arrangements to earn more.

Like I said before, I've worked minimum-wage jobs.  I hated them.  That's why I don't work them anymore.  But minimum-wage can't be based on what people need.  It can only be based on what people earn.  We have to slay this entitlement mentality that is growing like cancer in our society right now; it will destroy us as a culture and will rob us of the character-building first steps of employment that all of us have to take. 

And in the end . . . . it all stays here

I heard the news on Friday- R.J. Corman had died.

For those of you that aren't from this part of the world, R.J. Corman was a big name here in Central Kentucky.  He was a quiet man with a great mind for business who built up a great company, employing 1100 people and bringing economic prosperity to this area.  He was very generous- donating lots of money to various causes, establishing Nicholasville's first hospital among other things.

He had photos taken with high school students, high school athletes, and from what I can tell, was a very good man.

I drove over past his property the other day on my way to Wilmore.  It was still here.  Now, it belongs to someone else.

King Solomon realized this 4000 years ago.  He wrote about it in the book of Ecclesiastes- his masterpiece on the meaning of life.  He wrote "I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 2:8-9)

In the end, everything we work for simply becomes someone else's property.  Someone else will benefit from the work of our hands, from our amassing of wealth and property, from all of the stress and the shopping and the purchasing and all the other stuff that goes with it.  We die.  It all stays here.

I was sitting on my back porch, thinking how grateful I was to be the owner of my house and land.  Then it hit me, "I wonder how many people have owned this very piece of land?"  Probably quite a few.  They're gone.  The land is still here.  I'm the owner now, and when I'm gone, someone else will own it.

In the end . . . .  it all stays here.

Whether we are rich or poor, it all stays here.

All of Kim Kardashian's property and money will someday belong to someone else.  All of Bill Gates' property and money will someday belong to someone else.  And, like Solomon observes, who knows whether that person will be wise or a fool?   

So, the next question we must ask is, "Why do we knock ourselves out to acquire things that we can't keep?  Why do we hold property and money and possessions in such high regard?"  It's all meaningless, like Solomon observes.  It all goes to someone else.

In the end . . . . it all stays here.

If you want to get REALLY cynical about it, we are basically little fleas claiming ownership over parts of the dog they inhabit.  In reality, they don't own the dog.  They don't own anything.  They live, claim ownership, and then they die . . . . and another flea takes its place, claiming ownership, living, and then dying . . . .  and another flea takes its place, and the cycle continues.  

If we could truly gain this perspective, I believe we would live very differently.

We would be less impressed by someone's bank account.

We would be less impressed by someone's larger house.

We would be less impressed by the glitz and glam paraded in front of us by the media 24/7.

We would be less desirous of material gain, realizing that we are simply managers of God's property for a very little while.

We would be more aware of Who the owner truly is.  

See, there is not one thing on this planet that I can honestly call, "Mine."  Not one thing.  Not my house, not my car, not my money, not my clothes, not my cell phone . . . .  nothing.  Not one single solitary thing.  Because one day I will be gone.  It will still be here.

In the end . . . .  it all stays here.

God is the only one who can truly say "Mine."  He owns it all.  It's all His.  Every dollar, every square inch of real estate, every mountain, every molecule of water, every atom of hydrogen- EVERYTHING.  It's all His.  When we realize this, I truly believe we will live much simpler, humbler, generous lives.  

It really makes no difference what we believe on this subject.  We all live, we all die, and all our stuff just stays here.

So, knowing this fact, we can live wisely or we can live foolishly.  The choice is up to us.  The only things that we can carry with us into eternity are the things we've done to bring glory to Jesus Christ. The Bible calls this, "Storing up treasure in heaven."  That is the only thing we take with us.  That is the only thing that truly belongs to us.

Every generous gift to another human being is a treasure that will matter for eternity.

Every prayer said for a hurting person is a treasure that will matter for eternity.

Every time you share your faith with a non-Christian person is a treasure that will matter for eternity.

Every act of love done selflessly is a treasure that will matter for eternity.

Every worship song you truly sing to God, every uncool person you stand up for, every orphan you adopt, every widow you write a letter to, every time you open your home to provide hospitality to lonely people- it is a treasure that will matter for eternity.

Every welcoming smile on a Sunday morning at church is a treasure that will matter for eternity.

Every honest answer you give, even when it hurts, is a treasure that will matter for eternity.

There are multitudes more that I could list.  When I see those things, it grieves my soul to see so many people running after things that will simply stay here when they die, not realizing that they could have treasure that matters for eternity for a lot less.

Because in the end . . . . it all stays here.

All, except of course, the things that will matter for eternity.  That's where the true wealth and treasure is.     

You Should Hate Welfare

NewsFlash- 101 million Americans receive some kind of food assistance from the government.
NewsFlash- 97 million Americans are employed in the private sector.

You should hate welfare.  You should hate it with every fiber of your being.

If you need it, take it.  That's what it's there for.  If your children are starving and you have no other option, take it and use it.  Feed your family and make sure they are healthy.  But make sure you hate it.

Make sure that every time you receive a check from the government, you despise it.  Make sure that every time you receive that check, it burns you up and provides new motivation to better yourself and get off welfare as soon as possible.  Make sure that you feel embarrassed by that check, and vow to yourself that you will do everything to never need the government again.

Why? Dave, aren't you being mean?  Aren't you criticizing the poor?  Absolutely not.

If I were a sadistic parent wanting to control my kids, you know what I would do?  I would buy them everything they wanted.  I would shower them with money and gifts.  Why would I do this?

Because the very second I wanted them to do something, I would threaten to take it away.

See, when an authority such as a parent or a government gives you something for free, it automatically gives them leverage over you.  I want my kids to be in a 10 pm?  Take away their allowance.  They'll be in by 10.  Oh yes, they will.  They want the allowance too badly.

Government wants you to vote a certain way or stop being critical of it?  Take away the welfare.  Oh, yes, the people will shut up.  They need what the government provides too badly to fight it.

This is why you should hate welfare.  This is why you should hate food stamps.  This is why all the government freebies should be looked upon with disdain and suspicion and yes, hatred.  People who need something from the government are not free.

Not only this, but until people provide for themselves, they never actualize their full potential.  Look at what welfare does to people.  Does it provide more dignity?  Does it provide a higher self-esteem or greater sense of charity and generosity?  Does it make people more loving, kind, responsible, or self-motivated?  No.  It does none of these things.  People were designed to be independent- to only depend on God.

If the government were to come up to me and say, "We don't like your blogs or your ideas.  We want you to stop preaching on this or that or the other,"  I would tell them to get lost.  Why?  Because I don't need anything the government provides.  They have no leverage over me.  They can't take away my food stamps- I don't use food stamps.  They can't take away my welfare check- I don't get a welfare check.  They can't take away my subsidized health care- I don't get subsidized health care.  I suppose they could take away my freedom, but then again, they could take away anyone's freedom.

However, suppose I was on food stamps.  At first, I saw it as a benefit.  Then, after a while, I grow used to them and adjust my lifestyle to include them.  Then, I depend on them.  All of a sudden, the government comes to me and says, "We don't like your blog or your ideas.  We want you to stop preaching on this or that or the other.  If you don't, we're taking away your food stamps."  I go into alarm mode.  I've patterned my lifestyle around what the government gives me.  Now they have leverage over me.  Now they can tell me what to do- what to say, how to vote, what to think.  I humbly succumb to their wishes and start preaching watered-down messages that threaten no one in power.  See the problem?

Only when people don't need what others can provide are they free.  Yes, people- if you love freedom and liberty, you should hate welfare.  You should despise it.  Like I said earlier, if you need it- if you are faced with starvation, you should take it.  That's what it is there for.  But you should hate it.  You should vow to be on it as short a time as possible, because while you are receiving government assistance, you are its boy.  You are its slave.  It can control you, because you need what it can give you.

This news report that 101 million Americans receive some kind of food assistance from the government, including 48 million on food stamps, should alarm all of us.  That means there are 101 million Americans that need what the government provides.  101 million Americans that today are not free.  101 million Americans that can be told what to do by the government.  This statistic is a threat to liberty and freedom.

I've learned in life that nothing is free.  Everything comes with a price.  I wonder if the 101 million Americans that receive food benefits from the government know this.  You can bet the government does.

The Kibler Adventure: 2013

Most of you know that I have a strong burden on my shoulders to care for orphans.  I truly believe that people, and societies, show their true character in how they treat the most vulnerable people around them.  Orphans continue to be the most vulnerable (with the possible exception of the unborn, but that's another issue) people in our society.

My family moved to our current house in 2005.  Our house was built in 1987, and still had the original A/C units.  In 2007, my wife and I wisely decided that our A/C units were on borrowed time and we began to save money so that we could pay cash when the old A/C units flew south for the winter.

This summer, our upstairs unit finally died.  So, the immediate assumption was that we take the money we saved, which was enough to get a whole new upstairs unit, and make ourselves comfortable all summer long. 

The very day that I was going to call the A/C guy, I get an email from the director of the Catalyst Orphanage in India (for those of you that don't know, our church sponsors an orphanage in Dommeru, India that houses 42 orphans) asking for prayers for the children.  A venomous snake had gotten into one of the rooms during the night and was actually curled up around the pillow of on of the boys.  An adult happened to walk through, see the snake, and kill it before it hurt any of the children.

Needless to say, the children were terrified.  I don't know about you, but I would be very hesitant to fall back asleep after seeing a snake curled around my pillow.  Ravi, our orphanage director, simply asked for prayers so that the children would be safe and be able to go back to sleep without worrying.

I found out that the children were sleeping on the floor on little more than tarps.  I also found out that when it rains, two of the rooms in the orphanage leak, and the children have to crowd into two rooms, laying side by side. 

I asked Ravi how much beds would cost for the children.  He told me, and sent me a picture of beds that he hoped he could get for the children to sleep in.  These children had NEVER slept in a bed before, and by getting them up off the ground, they would be safer from insects and snakes that might endanger them.

My wife and I sat down and discussed this need.  We had enough money to do either A/C for ourselves or beds for 42 children, but not both.  So, we were faced with a dilemma- do we spend the money on ourselves to make ourselves more comfortable, or do we spend the money on orphan children to keep them safe?

Now, believe me, this has been a difficult decision.  I hate hot weather.  It gets hot upstairs in our house, sometimes 90-plus degrees.  I hate falling asleep when it is hot.  I like a nice, cool breeze flowing over me, and I like to sleep under the covers even in July and August.  I don't think the temperature should ever get about 60 degrees . . . .  EVER.  The colder the better, in my opinion.

However, several thoughts ran through my mind.  First, the Bible says, "Do to others as you would have them do to you."  If I were an orphan sleeping on the floor, and I knew that a Christian man in America had the money to buy me a bed (we're not talking about an iPad or a video game console or designer jeans.  We're talking about a BED), what would I hope he would do?  I would certainly hope he would buy me a bed.

Second, Matthew 25 says that whatever we do for the "least of these"- the most vulnerable and helpless- we actually do for Jesus.  I realized that it wasn't just 42 children sleeping on the ground, fearful of snakes- it was Jesus sleeping on the floor fearful of snakes.  It was Jesus who, when it rains, went to sleep in a crowded room.  It was Jesus who needed a bed.  Has Jesus ever done anything for me?  Oh, just a few things- created me, sustained me, provided me with everything I have, saved me from an eternity in hell, forgiven me, led me, guided me, blessed me with more than I could ever need.  You know, little things like that.  What could I do to help Him?

Third, I realized that God was giving me and my family an opportunity for adventure.  Yes, an adventure.  We would sacrifice this summer, and then in November, when we go over to India as a family, see the results of our sacrifice.  My children will get to see 42 children sleeping safely in beds- beds made possible by their inconvenience and discomfort during the hot nights of a Kentucky summer.  I will be overjoyed to see the children, who have never slept in a bed before, hopefully jumping up and down on the beds and going to bed safe at night.

That would bring me more joy than making myself comfortable all summer long.  So, we chose to forego getting a new A/C unit and instead to send the money to get beds for the children.  I can't wait to see the orphanage in November, and see the children.  I know all the sweltering nights that are coming up will be more than worth it when we see the children this fall.

Even more beautiful, I have had so many people come up to me and offer to pay for our A/C unit themselves.  Isn't the church wonderful?  I've never seen a group of more wonderful, sacrificial, loving, earnest, forgiving, kind, and generous people.  Although the offer is tempting, I had to decline, because I wanted my family to go on an adventure.  I want my kids to be uncomfortable; I want them to know what it means to sacrifice, I want them to know that A/C is really not that big a deal.  I want this journey to be one that we take together. 

The sacrifice of this summer will make the reward in November that much sweeter.  The cool thing about it?  My wife and kids are completely on board.  There's been no bellyaching or whining or complaining at all.  They are entering the adventure willingly.  I am so blessed to be able to write about it.

After we had made this decision, the Lord woke me up at 4 am one morning and called me to prayer.  It was a beautiful time with God, and when I was done, I sent a text message to a friend of mine who is a strong believer in Christ.  We pray for one another quite often, and I wanted to share the prayer request of the orphanage with him.  He asked more about it, and I told him about our decision.  He said, "I'll split it with you."  At first, I said no.  I wanted this to be a thing that my family and I did.  However, in that moment, the Holy Spirit chided me, "Don't let pride enter the picture.  Don't make this about you.  This is about the children." 

So, I agreed.  It truly is amazing how the body of Christ works.  God brings in people from different skin colors, cultures, languages, and geographical locations and makes us into a family with one purpose.  My friend from New Jersey and my family from Kentucky are buying beds for orphans in India, simply because it's the will of God.  There is nothing more amazing than the body of Christ.  There is nothing better than His church.  How beautiful and amazing His church is.  And how beautiful is the adventure that God sends His children on.  There's nothing better.

It's getting less and less safe to be wealthy

I've been reading with alarm the news stories coming out of Cypress- the government is totally broke and is considering seizing privately earned money from citizens.  Unless I am wrong, the deal is that the government is taking from people that have accounts larger than 300,000 euros.

It's not safe to be wealthy anymore.

More and more people are feeling entitled to what wealthy people have earned.  Our president has stated again and again how wealthy people have to "pay their fair share."  Congress just raised the taxes on the wealthiest Americans from 36% to 39%.  France raised its highest tax bracket to 75%.  Now Cypress has taken the next step and has actually seized money that had already been taxed- money that was earned and deposited in a bank because the person believed his money would be safe there.

This bothers me for two reasons.

One, I hate the sense of entitlement that pervades our planet.  It is growing at an astronomical rate- people feeling like something they didn't earn is due them.  People thinking that the world owes them something.  People wanting things that others have worked for.  I hate the entitlement mentality, because it shows a complete and utter lack of character.  It caters to the least common denominator.  It's the "I haven't done a single blasted thing to better myself, but someone over there has more than me, and therefore I deserve it too" cesspool of thought that creates discontent, envy, jealousy, and covetousness.  It is pandered to and stoked by politicians who promise things to voters (I need your vote, so I'll take it from the "richies" who obviously stole it from you, even though you didn't work for it and didn't earn it, and give it to you) and has become almost a way of life here in America.

Two, I have never seen anything that started with the wealthy END with the wealthy.  The people who are cheering the sacking and pillaging of the "rich people's" wealth don't realize that they are next.  They are like sheep at the end of the line going into the slaughterhouse, cheering the slaughtering of the ones at the front of the line. They don't realize they are next.

If the wealth of "rich people" is now something the government is entitled to, you can be sure that the wealth of the "poor people" will be something the government is entitled to next.  You can mark my words.

People often ask me why I speak up on issues like this.  They point out that I am not a millionaire, I am not wealthy (by American standards, that is) and none of this affects me.  They are right- none of this affects me RIGHT NOW.  However, I believe "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."  I don't want my private hard-earned dollars seized by the government.  It's wrong.  Therefore, it's wrong for the government to do it to others.  I don't care how much money they make.  I wouldn't want a bunch of third-world people cheering that my wealth was being confiscated (because I am as rich compared to them as the "wealthy" are compared to me).

Wake up, America.  You do not deserve a single thing you didn't work for.  You do not deserve a single thing that someone else has worked for.  If you want it, work for it.  Taking something you didn't earn is known as theft.  Right now, it's being re-branded as "fairness."  And if you don't wake up, you'll find a whole lot of "fairness" in your bank account where your hard-earned dollars used to be.

What we don't need is more important than what we do need

A friend called me today to tell me the great news.  His wife had gotten a job!  To this family, this was a dream come true, and I was very happy for them.

Then he began telling me all the things that this new job would do to their family.

-Kids would go to daycare.  Nothing wrong with daycare- some of my best friends use daycare and the kids are doing great.

-Between his and his wife's schedules, there would probably be only one family meal per night:  previously, they ate together about five nights per week.

-Would have to stop going to their small group (which they loved) at church because they were going to be too busy.


Now, I have no problem with both husbands and wives working.  My wife works three days a week as a nurse, is very good at it, blesses people with her wit, work ethic, and tremendous competence, and her office would suffer if she ever left.  However, the question that each American family must ask is:  why?

Why do both parents work?

Some people say, "We both have to work to pay the bills."  That may be so, and that is up to each individual family.  However, I would argue that parents are both working because they are convinced that the things they don't need are more important than the things they do need.

Say what?

I'll say it again- I believe that Americans are convinced that the things they DON'T need are more important than the things they DO need.

Look at the things that the above couple sacrificed in order to have a higher standard of living.  They sacrificed time with children- time that allows the transmission of values, morals, faith, and love from one generation to the other.  They sacrificed family meals and togetherness.  They sacrificed Christian fellowship with people they really care about and really care about them.

We as Americans have become convinced that the things we DON'T need are more important than the things we DO need.  I asked my small group last night to estimate the percentage of things in their houses that would be considered "necessities" and "luxuries."  By necessities, I mean things that are essential to survival- things that are true needs.  As a guiding criteria, I mentioned that anything that people didn't have 20 years ago, and survived just fine without, would not be considered a "necessity."

Of all the people in the room, no one had a ratio smaller than 10/90.  90% of all that we owned would be considered non-essential.  Now, luxuries are not evil in and of themselves.  I enjoy air conditioning in the summer and like my microwave oven; I like my bed that I sleep in and my hot running water; I like having two cars and enjoy having a cell phone.  However, I would be a fool to think of those as necessities, because 90% of humans on this planet live every day without them and they do just fine.  I like them, but I don't need them.

So, if these things are not inherently evil, what's the big deal?

The big deal is that in the pursuit of things we don't need, we've sacrificed the things we do need.

A Pew research study that came out several years ago showed that fathers spent an average of 5 minutes speaking with their children on a daily basis.  Couples spent an average of 11 minutes per day talking.  That is not enough time to convey love.  That is not enough time to transmit values to the next generation.  The average American work week has increased steadily since 1970, with all of us knocking ourselves out so that we will have enough money to buy the things we don't need.

There is nothing wrong with both parents working . . . .  as long as you don't sacrifice the things your family needs most.  Your family will do just fine without the newest gadget that didn't exist five years ago but now your kids desperately need.  Your family will do just fine without more house than you need, or more car than you need, or more decorations than you need.  Your family will do just fine without eating out every night or taking expensive weekend vacations every month.

Your family WON'T do fine without time, love, patience, and the transmission of values from one generation to the next.

It's time for Americans to start realizing and prioritizing what we actually need.  If that means a lower standard of living, so that you give your family what they truly need, you've made a good decision.  You will be someone's ancestor- what will your descendants say about you?  I certainly don't remember things that my parents bought for me, but I certainly remember the morals and values that were passed on to me.  Those are the things that matter for eternity.

Don't be deceived into thinking that the things you don't need are more important than the things you DO need.

Government is an addicted child; taxpayers are enabling parents.

**Disclaimer** The following post is not a comment on Christianity, nor do you have to agree with me to be a devoted Christ-follower.  I am writing from the standpoint of an American citizen, not as a minister who is preaching God's word.  This is my specific commentary and is not a commentary on Scripture nor does it have anything to do with following Christ.

As a minister, I am very often approached by people who want something from me.  They know I'm a minister and therefore have a decent chance of getting what they want. After all, that's my job, right?  Give people what they want?

I remember one guy who was in desperate financial straits.  He had lost his apartment, had his car repossessed, and all the stuff that goes along with it.  I hated it for the guy.  I really did.  I felt for him and I would never want to be in his position.  But something happened that changed my mind towards him.

He demanded that I help him.

He didn't ask.  He flat-out told me that I was supposed to give him money.  He implied that if I didn't take care of him, that I was not a Christian.

In further discussion, I found out that he didn't have a job, not because he couldn't get one, but because he had quit because the boss "was a jerk."  He also had been driving a car that was much nicer than what he could afford, and his credit cards were maxed out on dining out, movies, expensive entertainment systems, and vacations.

In other words, he had lived beyond his means, and when it went south, expected me to pay for it.  No mention of changing his habits, no mention of wrongdoing, no mention of mistakes, no mention of doing anything different.  Just wanted money.  What person in their right mind would help out a guy like that?  The answer:  no one . . . .  in their right mind.

I see the same thing with our government.  You and I didn't rack up $16 trillion in debt.  The government did that.  They spent it.  The government is the one who has lived beyond its means, spending money like a drunken sailor, throwing away tax money on irresponsible projects like Solyndra, and now that reality hits, they come to the American taxpayer demanding that we pay for it.

Just like the guy that approached me.

Why did I refuse to help the guy?  Had I given him money, it would have been wasted.  He would be back the next day, demanding more.  His lack of money wasn't the problem- it was his lifestyle.  And he wanted, no not wanted- DEMANDED- that I pay for it so he could do what he wanted to do.

Same is true of government.  Do any of us think that more money to the government will solve anything?  The government has never once admitted that its "lifestyle" is out of control.  Our politicians truly believe, like this guy, that it is my responsibility to solve the problems they have created.

Are any of us stupid enough to believe that raising taxes on Americans will change the government debt situation?  Let's use an example from daily life- all people who have ever gotten a raise at work will know the answer to this question.  After you got your raise, did you have more money left over at the end of the month?  Of course you didn't.  Unless you were serious about saving and budgeting, that money disappeared and was GONE.  More money doesn't mean more responsibility.  More money means more spending.

This is why I am against raising taxes.  The government is like an immature child without financial sense who spends without any sense of discipline, overdraws his account, and comes to the parents demanding more and more.  We are the enabling parents who keep subsidizing him.  Has any parent, who has enabled a child's addiction to spending or drugs or anything else, ever had the child come to them and say, "You know, I think you are giving me enough.  I don't need any more?"  No!  The child who is addicted to spending, or drugs, or anything else will ALWAYS want more.  He will always DEMAND more.

So, the more we give the government, the more it will demand.  It will never stop wanting more and more.  We need to stop feeding the addiction and we need to stop enabling our government's irresponsibility.  The best thing a parent can do to an addicted child is to cut them off completely.  Let them hit rock bottom.  Refuse to enable their out-of-control lifestyle.

The same thing has to happen to the government.  We, as the taxpayers, have to refuse to give any more in taxes to the government.  It already taxes everything we do.  We pay taxes on the houses we live in, the cars we drive, the water we use, the phones we use, the natural gas we use, the gasoline we use, the electricity we use, and everything we buy.  Then, the government takes a third of our paycheck.  Then the state takes a percentage.  Then the city takes a percentage.  Then, if you send what's left to the stock market, the government takes a portion of already-taxed money out of that.  Then, when you die, it wants to take fifty percent of your estate that you would leave to your children.  And now, the government wants more.

Right now, there is a dysfunctional relationship between taxpayer and government, like the dysfunctional relationship between enabling parent and addicted child.  Only when we start thinking in terms like these will we see the folly in calling for higher taxes to solve our problems.

Just like the guy who approached me demanding that I pay for his lifestyle, the government is approaching us demanding that we pay for its lifestyle.  I didn't create the problems for this guy: he is the one who lived extravagantly beyond his means.  You and I didn't create $16 trillion in debt: the government is the one who has lived extravagantly beyond its means.  He created the problems and they were his responsibility.  The government has created its problems and it is the government's job to fix it, without demanding any more from you and me. 

Deciding to Need God

It is extremely difficult to be a Christian in America.

You say, "Why?"  Christians in other countries are persecuted- we have religious freedom.  We aren't arrested, tortured, denied jobs, doubly taxed, ostracized, or anything else for being believers in Christ.  So why would I make such an erroneous statement?

Answer: Because American Christians have to actively seek out ways to depend on God.

First-century Christians devoted themselves to prayer, because the mission they had been given was far too big for them to handle.  They were a ragtag bunch of misfits, whose leader had just been killed, and were given the task of converting the entire world.  They HAD to pray.  They had no other option.  They had to depend on God- it was right in front of their faces.

Christians in Nigeria, where churches have been bombed and numbers of Christians killed, don't make Sunday afternoon plans.  They don't know if they are coming home from church- so they pray for God's protection.  Unless God protects them, they die.  They have to depend on God- it is right in front of their faces.

I have never had to depend on God for my safety on a Sunday morning.  On one level I am thankful, but on another level I see how that moves me further away from a living breathing relationship with Him.  I can go to church with or without God's help or protection.  Therefore, I don't depend on Him.

I have never had to depend on God to "give me this day my daily bread."  I have more food in my refrigerator and pantry than 90% of the world's population sees in a week.  Therefore, I don't depend on Him.

Because American Christians don't HAVE to depend on God for things, the conscious need for God diminishes more and more.  We have all of our needs supplied by the supermarket, the power plant, and the paycheck.  The average American doesn't need God for anything pressing.  Before you disagree, how many of you lead lives that if God doesn't provide food for you today, you starve?  How many of you lead lives that if God doesn't provide shelter, you sleep on the street?  This is the story of believers all over the world and all throughout history, but it is not the story of the American Christian.

Therefore, the American Christian is in a unique place.  I believe we are the first people to have to make a conscious decision to NEED God.  We have to seek out areas where we will be lost without Him.  Instead of finding ourselves in circumstances where we have no other option other than to depend on God, we have to actively seek out ways to trust Him and depend on Him because it is possible, in America, to go through life with all our needs taken care of, never needing a supernatural provision by God.

The consequences of NOT seeking out ways to trust God and to need God are being seen in our churches.  Church attendance is declining in every state.  Why?  The answer is clear- why do we need God?  We have food, shelter, cars, internet, phones- everything.  We have all we need, and we also have most of what we want.  So church attendance, and the entire Christian faith, becomes something that is an option as opposed to a necessity.

Christians need to stop structuring their lives in such a manner that faith is not necessary.  Most of us could get rid of all faith that we have and life wouldn't be all that different except for being able to sleep in on Sunday mornings.  We wouldn't be missing any major blessings from God, because we haven't been depending on His blessings anyway.  We wouldn't be missing any major supernatural provisions, we probably wouldn't be going hungry, we probably wouldn't be out on the street . . .  because we haven't needed God to provide those things.

I am thankful for the blessings of living in America.  I truly am.  I love A/C in the summertime and heat in the winter.  I love being able to eat what I want when I want, I love the internet and I love electricity. I love knowing that if I get sick that I have health insurance to pay for a doctors' visit.  I truly love all those things.

But what has all that done to my faith in God?  Have those things moved me closer to God or drawn me away?  Is God essential to me?  Do I realize my human weakness and my absolute dependence on Him as my Lord, Savior, and Provider?  Or have I relegated Him to a sideshow on Sunday morning and the guy who can only handle the forgiveness of my sins?  Do I even have a concept of what the Bible says, that "the righteous will LIVE by faith?"

That is why I am calling all Christians to actively seek out ways to depend on God.  Try these on for size: Tithe 80% of your income, so that you can't pay your bills unless God provides.  Get rid of health insurance and trust in God's healing power.  Leave your job and go serve in a third-world country with nothing but faith in God to provide.

See what I mean?  Who in their right mind would do those kinds of things?  See, in America, those are choices.  We can CHOOSE to give 80% of our income and not pay bills unless God provides, whereas believers in other countries don't have that luxury.  God provides or they are out on the street.  We can CHOOSE to cancel health insurance and trust that God will heal.  Believers in other countries don't have that option- God heals them or they die.  Dependence on God is not an option for those believers, and therefore their relationship with God is so much stronger, so much more powerful, so much more . . . . . . REAL.

So, the inevitable question is- is having that kind of relationship with God worth getting rid of all the things that make my life comfortable?  What am I willing to sacrifice in order to live a life of faith and total dependence on God?

Take seriously the Black Friday/Thanksgiving Issue

I read an article entitled, "Is Black Friday Edging Out Thanksgiving?"  With stores moving to open their doors on Thanksgiving and offering fantastic deals early, there is expected to be a large retail day this Thanksgiving.

I believe that this is more than just good capitalism (btw, I believe in capitalism and believe in free market competition as the best economic system we have to offer).  I believe this is a spiritual battle.

Abraham Lincoln, when speaking of Thanksgiving, said this:

"To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. . . .They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.

"I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."

Thanksgiving is a day to remember, with humility and with joy, all of the things that our Heavenly Father has blessed us with- to realize the prosperity that we have compared with the rest of the world.  It is a time to be set aside to be grateful.  It is a day of worship and remembrance of Who provides all the things we enjoy.

What could possibly make Americans want to skip such a day?  What driving force could make America forget its blessings and forget to give thanks?

The answer is greed.  Greed and gratitude cannot coexist.  They are mutually exclusive.  Greed says, "I need more!"  Gratitude says, "I'm thankful for what I have."  It is no coincidence that the desire for more is the one thing that is edging out Thanksgiving in our national identity.  It is a spiritual battle, because Satan knows the power of the idol of materialism in America.  How can Satan get America to stop giving thanks to God?  Distract them with their greed.  Promise them more and more and more stuff (to the most prosperous nation in the history of the world, mind you) and . . . . . .  get them thinking about MORE on the day when they are supposed to be grateful for all they HAVE.

It is bad enough that the holiday that marks the birth of Jesus Christ is more known for angry crowds at malls than it is for the birth of the Prince of Peace.  Now Thanksgiving, which is one day set aside for gratitude, will see the angry crowds screaming for deals at malls too.  If I were Satan, I could not have come up with a better strategy for distracting the American people from the gratitude they should have towards God on this special holiday. 

Today, Christians, realize that much more is at stake than a deal or a bargain.  This is a spiritual battle- not fought over life or death or a terrorist attack, but fought over the thing that Jesus said would cause us to walk away from God more than any other thing. 

The question is whether or not people who have more stuff than any other people in the history of the world will stop the frenzied acquisition for one day to reflect, remember, and be grateful for all they have.  Or, will people, in order to save a few bucks on something that will be in a yard sale in a few years, forego the day devoted to remembering the faithfulness of God?

Spend this Thanksgiving gathered around a table with your family with heads down in prayer.  Thank God for all you have.  Thank Him for His provision and His goodness to you.  Don't run off to the mall and see what you can get, as if you really needed more.  Spend the day in rest and joyful praise of the God who has given you more than you could ever ask for. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Why Living Within Your Means Leads To Opportunities

Right now, everyone is concerned with debt.  National debt, personal debt- everyone knows who Dave Ramsey is and everyone is constantly hearing about the burden of student loan and credit card debt that is destroying, literally, and entire generation of young people.

The average college student graduates with more than $8000 of credit card debt alone, and depending on which state you live in, somewhere between $25k to $50k of student loan debt.  They will be well into their late 30s before they pay that off.

Many of us think that going into debt leads to opportunities.  When it comes to education, that may be so- you go into debt to get a degree that will pay off over time.  However, the old ancient way of life, called "living within your means," leads to far more opportunity than debt does.

When I felt moved by the Lord to do an intense 18-day mission trip to teach church planting and preach in countries not favorable to the gospel, a friend of mine discerned a clear call from the Holy Spirit to go with me. 

He took me out for coffee and we talked about it.  He was excited for me, and wanted to go with me.
But he couldn't.  He was $20k in credit card debt and couldn't afford it.

He said, "I know without a doubt that God wants me to take this trip with you.  You're going by yourself and that's not good.  But when I said, "God, I can't afford this trip," He said, "Why?"

My friend told me that it hit him in that moment that his debt was keeping him from following the Lord.

Now, to some Christians, that wouldn't matter.  They wouldn't really follow the Lord even if they weren't in debt.  Their love for the things that this world provides, as well as their affluent standard of living, is way more important that anything God would call them to do.  But, to other Christians that truly want to live their faith, this is a devastating realization.

If you live within your means, and therefore have no debt, you are able to move whenever the Holy Spirit calls you to move.  You are literally sitting on "go."  There is nothing holding you back.  The Holy Spirit wants you to start a business?  You can.  The Holy Spirit wants you to take a different job with less pay so you can spend more time with your kids?  You can.  The Holy Spirit wants you to go on a mission trip?  You can.

Living within your means leads to freedom.  You aren't a slave to a number- a dollar number that you have to earn each month that determines your work schedule, your family life, your giving, your generosity, and your flexibility.  I wonder how many Christians would truly love to do more to help the elderly, the orphans, the poor- but can't because they have spent themselves into such high levels of debt that all their resources go to pay it off?

I wonder how many Christians truly want to participate in the spreading of the gospel and the building up of the church, but can't because of massive debt.  I wonder how many Christians would love to change careers to a job where they can actually do something for the Lord, but can't, because they have to earn a certain amount of money to pay what they owe.  I wonder how many Christians' lives are totally determined by debt.

Living within your means is laughed at.  I know- I've been laughed at constantly.  I couldn't watch the UK game last night because my family and I don't have cable TV.  I couldn't watch it online because my family and I got rid of the internet at home.  All my broke friends laugh at me when I make those decisions.  

But last week when the pictures and stories of 11 orphans came across my desk, and the Holy Spirit challenged me and my family to sponsor three of them, we were able to.  The money that would have gone to internet ($40) and cable ($50) is now going to feed and care for orphans who can put all their worldly possessions in a shoe box.  By living within our means, we were ready to move when the Holy Spirit told us to.

We hear tons of criticism of the church- it's not doing enough, it doesn't care, etc.  I truly don't think Christians don't care.  I've been around Christians all my life, and believe me, they DO care.  They care more than any other group of people I know.  They aren't evil or neglectful of what their faith tells them to do.  They're just simply in debt and not able to do what God wants them to do.

This is why getting out of debt is so very important.  Christians who are in debt because of unwise financial choices, or a lifestyle they cannot afford, are going to hear some very bad news from God on the day of their judgment.  If you don't believe me, read Matthew 25:31-46.  I challenge Christians today to make getting out of debt their VERY FIRST PRIORITY and stop missing the opportunities that God wants you to take. 

Live within your means and experience the freedom and joy that comes as a result of it.  Yes, your broke friends will laugh at you.  Get over it.  Commit your finances to the Lord and do things His way, then watch the way that He uses you to accomplish His will in this world. 

5 Hard Financial Truths

1.  It all boils down to how much you spend.  The number one determiner of your financial situation is not how much you make.  It is how much you spend.  You will always be able to spend more than you make.  Instead of lamenting your lack of income, get a hold on your spending.  There are people who make less than $30,000 per year that are in better financial shape than other who make over $100,000 per year. 

2.  Your spending habits are a great indicator of the condition of your heart.  This doesn't mean your physical condition- this means the spiritual condition of your heart.  Where you devote your two most precious resources- your time and your money- reveal what is most important to you.  Many Christian people would be astounded to find out that they are actually idolaters, because the trail of money and their spending habits would lead to something other than God as their number one priority.

3.  Whoever you owe owns you.  The Bible tells us that the borrower is slave to the lender.  Never before in human history have we seen such voluntary slavery, with credit card and student loan debt skyrocketing.  Until you are debt-free, you are a slave to whoever you owe money to.  You will go to work for 40 hours a week just to hand over the fruits of your labor to someone else.  You don't get to enjoy what you have earned.  The person or bank who holds your debt gets to enjoy what you have worked for.  Sounds like slavery to me.

4.  It's not your money- it never has been.  Nothing in this world belongs to us.  We use it for a short time, then we die, and someone else uses it for a while, then they die, and someone else uses it, and so on and so forth.  We don't own anything.  The question isn't, "What will I do with my money?"  The question is, "What will I do with God's money?"

The major financial question facing the Christian isn't, "How much of my money do I give to God?"  It is "How much of God's money do I get to keep for myself?"  When you make this mindset shift, you begin to understand how far we have drifted from what God wants us to do with the resources He's given us. 

5.  What you need and what you want are two completely different things.   My grandmother had a framed picture with the motto from the 20's- "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."  That was the statement of what has been called the Greatest Generation.  I doubt very seriously that motto would be very popular today.  The concept of "doing without" is so reprehensible in this culture, because we have confused "wants" with "needs."  We can scarcely differentiate between the two.  The wise person realizes that wants and needs are different.  He or she prioritizes needs, takes care of them, and only then takes care of the "wants."  The fool only sees what he wants, and then expects someone else to take care of his needs.