The View From Here » Observations

Happy Endings

Brian — Fri, 28 May 2010 13:56:27 +0000

Imagine this: you walk into a theater and sit down to watch a movie. People are crunching popcorn as you wait anxiously for the previews to end and the movie to start. You have been looking forward to a good movie for a while and this is going to be it. The lights dim. People get quiet. The screen lights up. The story ensues. The characters go through so much. Action! Drama! Great joy and great sorrow! Heroics! Love! All the hallmarks of a good movie flash before your eyes but here comes the best part: the ending. You are so sure it is going to be the best ending ever full of problems solved, boy gets girl, and neatly tied up moments. Then everybody dies arbitrarily. Huh? Surely that wasn’t the end. The credits roll. That couldn’t be the end! But it is. Where is the happy ending?

As many of you know, I am an avid reader and watcher of movies. To be specific I am a story connoisseur. It really doesn’t matter what the genre, if it has a compelling story driven by well-rounded characters I will enjoy it. One thing I have noticed about stories is that most of them end happily. That movie mentioned above wouldn’t be made. We humans are hard-wired to want happy endings. We want to see the characters in our fiction end their story on a happy note.

In the same way we are looking for happy endings in our own lives. Do you remember being a kid and anticipating Christmas? There was that one thing that if you got it your life would be whole and complete. Then Christmas Day comes and you got it! Happy ending. We love to anticipate things and events and watch them come to pass. Our lives are full of little stories and we want them all to end happy. There’s nothing wrong with that. But some end up happy and some don’t. When they don’t we move on as best we can and look toward the next happy ending.

Here is the rub. Our lives can be full of small stories that end happily but when it comes to our life as a whole there is no other ending but a bad one. We will all die. Loved ones will be taken from us and we will all someday be taken from those we love on this earth. So, ultimately, every one of our stories here will have a sad or bad ending.

So how do we reconcile these two things? We all desire happy endings but all we will get is death on this earth. And even when death is a relief it is still a bad ending.

Could it be that we were made to desire happy endings and that they were meant to be fulfilled? But how is that when the only thing absolutely sure in life is death?

If we get a bad ending in life we look beyond that to our next story. There is something bigger than that one event. If all we did was focus on that one bad event we would be consumed with the fact that our life is pointless and not fulfilling. In the same way, if we look at the end of our life as the end of our story we could easily become depressed because we want the happy ending. There must be a bigger story going on.

The reconciliation point between these two things is Jesus Christ. If we try to solely fulfill ourselves here on this earth we will ultimately be dissatisfied. Everything we work for will be lost when we die. If instead we realize that our hope for a happy ending is with Christ then we have something glorious to look forward to. We will get our happy ending in Christ.

If we look at the end of our life as the end of the story we will be disappointed. If we look at the end of our life as just another ending in the bigger and better story of our eternity then our desire for a happy ending will be fulfilled. We will have an eternity to be happy in Christ.

Death is not the end of the story. If it is we have nothing to look forward to. If Christ is our treasure then we have everything to look forward to.

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Word-Action Disagreement

Brian — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:26:16 +0000

I came up with a phrase a while back that rang true with me. It has really changed the way I approach commitments, promises, goals, and life in general. I want to share it with you in hopes that it will help you as much as it did me. So here it is, a simple truth that has changed my life:

You will always do what is most important to you.

Seems simple on the surface. I am sure most would agree with that statement. Our actions match what is truly important to us. I realized that no matter what I said was important to me I always did what really was important to me even if what I said didn’t match what I did. This gave me something to compare what I said against.

If I said that my health was important to me but didn’t do much to make me a healthy person then I was lying, first to myself and also to others. Something else was more important to me than my health. This allowed me to take a step back and ask the question, “If health isn’t important to me, as my actions suggest, what is?” Self evaluation. Critically looking at me to find inconsistencies with what I say and what I do.

I might find that unhealthy foods were actually more important to me than eating right. Or that sitting in front of the TV all evening was more important to me than getting up and exercising. Then I could objectively analyze these things and decide if they really were more important to me. My actions said they were. Ok. If I say my health is important to me then I need to change what I do to match what I really want to be important in my life.

So it allowed me to compare what I said against what I did, identify the things that my actions said were more important, and then change my actions to match what I said was important. Only when my actions matched what I said was it truly something important to me.

Maybe you will find that something else really is more important to you than what you say is. That is fine. Just don’t sit there and lie to yourself about who you are.

Here is a simple but real world example. When I went home for my lunch break I would turn on the TV and sit there and watch. There really wasn’t anything I was particularly interested in, I was just passing time. I had said previously that reading was something very important in my life. And here I was with an hours time and I was vegging out in front of the TV when I could be reading. I had to decide which was really more important, watching TV or getting some reading time in. When I put it that way to myself the decision was easy. The TV went off and I read.

This can apply in any area of life. Do you say that family is important to you? Do you say that writing is important to you? Is being financial stable important to you? Do you say that [fill-in-the-blank] is important? Now take a step back and see if your actions support your words or if they are just empty things you say to impress yourself and others. You will always do what is important to you. Find out what those things are and make sure that those are the things you really want to be important.

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How Government Takes the Giving out of Giving

Brian — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:31:06 +0000

We live in a period of American history of increasing government involvement in our lives. The government takes care of the poor and needy in our society. They provide health care to people who need it, food to those who don’t have it, housing to the shelterless, and money to those who cannot make it for themselves. Some who receive these gifts really do need them; others do not.

Since the government provides such services, many people flock to the political party that supports government involvement in these areas thinking that they are doing something good. I would contend that they are not. We are a wealthy nation. We should provide to those who cannot provide for themselves. I agree with that statement. What I disagree with is that it is the government that should be the one giving these gifts (that is what they are).

It is not the government’s job to give generously. It is your job and mine.

When we give of ourselves freely (time, money, etc.) there is great satisfaction that comes with the giving. If you see someone in need and, out of your own caring, help them, there is a response in us that encourages us to even greater giving.

On the flip side, when we are personally given to, there is a great sense of gratitude that comes with the gift. What a feeling to know that someone genuinely cared enough to recognize a need and then to fill it.

Unfortunately, when the government steps in and takes the role of the recipient and the giver (tax and redistribution) both the satisfaction from giving and the gratitude from receiving are removed from the equation.

Not only does it remove the satisfaction and gratitude of personal giving, it replaces them with something else. Most people will see the government’s involvement as a reason not to give of themselves. They are already surrendering their money in the form of taxes and the government is taking care of the problems. If people don’t see a need to give, they will spend their money in other ways. This type of mindset fosters greed. People hold on to what they have all the tighter to spend the way they want. Instead of seeing needs and taking care of them, they see things the government needs to take care of. Satisfaction is replaced with greed and disconnectedness.

On the other side of the equation, we see a loss of gratitude. When there is nothing personal about a gift and no one to attach gratitude to, the person on the receiving end can begin to think they deserve what they are getting. If their check from the government is late, they are on the phone demanding to know where it is. And when the feeling of entitlement comes in they inevitably want more. Gratitude is replaced with malcontent and demotivation.

Unfortunately, when the government first steps in it starts a cycle that is hard to break. People become more greedy, disconnected, and malcontent. In turn the government steps in to make up for the greed it perceives and to pacify the malcontents. This encourages nothing except more greed and discontentment. As a result we become a society that gives less and thinks we deserve more than we do.

What are the alternatives? It starts with you and me. Let’s look at some numbers. The government projects that it will spend 419 billion dollars in 2010 on welfare programs. That is quite a bit of cash. I wonder how much of that actually makes it to people. I have no idea. There will be an estimated 114 million households in the US in 2010 each with a median income of $50,233. If each household gave only 10% of their income to help others, that would be 577 billion dollars in 2010. This doesn’t even include the people that could afford to do much more. In 2008 307 billion dollars were given. We can do more.

If you saw that 10% figure and immediately thought, “Wait a minute, Brian. That is quite a bit of money” then you have proven my point about greed. That still leaves 90% for you. I know that it is possible to come up with that kind of money out of a budget (if you have one). I have done it. So we don’t get to get the newest gadget. So what? Instead we strengthen our society as a whole, making us a more gracious, thankful and satisfied nation.

And we cut out the need for the government to take up our slack. That is what it is. We are slacking as a nation, not taking care of those who need it. We, as individuals, are responsible for taking care of those who can’t take care of themselves.

There will always be those who need help but I think if we become a more giving nation we can drastically decrease the number of people who think they deserve help. The more gratitude one feels toward the giver, the more willing they will be to pay it forward. This would result in people who can help themselves beginning to do so and to help others.

Our government is not “promoting the general welfare” by helping to create a society that does not care for itself. Are we past the point of going back to people taking care of people? Not if we wake up and figure out that we deserve nothing but have everything to give.

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17 Again and Moral Double Standards

Brian — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:01:49 +0000

So I watched a movie that, under normal circumstances, I probably would not have watched. When I first saw previews of 17 Again I was pretty sure that it was a movie I wouldn’t watch. Ever. Well I did, and the very fact that I watched it is a testament to how Red Box is changing my movie-watching habits. For those of you who don’t know, Red Box is a vending style movie rental service. You walk up to a kiosk, pick out your movie from a screen, pay your $1, it dispenses your movie, and you take it home. Did I mention that it is only $1? This is the part that is changing the variety of movies I watch. What I wouldn’t pay movie ticket price or normal rental price (4 bucks?) I might pay a dollar for. But this isn’t a review of Red Box so I will move on. Just wanted you to know how this movie ended up in my DVD player. Well, this one was free, but again, that is beside the point.

So, when I first saw the previews I thought it looked like another movie glorifying being young and irresponsible. When some friends of ours heard a recommendation to the contrary we thought we (and our friends) would give it a shot. The main premise was actually very good and to top it off was thoroughly pro-family. At the point in his life when he is about to lose his family, the main character is given an opportunity to go back and figure out why his family is important to him. It doesn’t pull any punches taking a strong stance against pre-marital sex and the importance of the family in raising kids. Not only this, the movie is actually very funny and entertaining, with very few awkward moments.

While I was proud of the movie for taking a decidedly pro-family stance they just couldn’t be consistent. Note to movie makers: If you are going to preach a message, please be consistent. While the main character encourages his daughter not to have sex with her boyfriend (to avoid the circumstance he found himself in) he is actively trying to hook his son up with a girl. The movie doesn’t say it is for the reason of having sex but if a girl and a guy are making out when they first get together, there are bound to be problems.

The other problem was the main characters best friend (a nerd who can’t get a woman to save his life) Throughout the entire movie his goal is to get in bed with the principal of the school. He ultimately achieves this goal. So when it is our kids we want them to avoid becoming pregnant because of the effects it will have on their life, but when it is adults it’s ok? Felt like mixed signals. We will hold one group to one standard but not hold another to the same standard?

Like I said, I am glad for the pro-family stance our main character developed. It really painted marriage (and kids) as something worth fighting for. Even though all this was present, there seemed to be a moral double standard which spoiled some of the main message of the movie.

Brian

P.S. This one was for you, Matt!

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Bright Spots in the Gloomy Doom

Brian — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:08:29 +0000

What is with all of the junk going on these days? It isn’t enough that our economy is trying to tank. Now we have a potential pandemic of some pig virus. One party is about to have a free pass to do what they want in the Senate (please note that I don’t think it a good thing for either party to have this kind of weight to throw around). Our government is passing out money hand over fist to companies that have proven that they shouldn’t be in business and to banks who made bad loans (notice that both of these situations were encouraged by our beloved government, perhaps with good intentions but that is never enough). Everywhere we look there seems to be gloomy doom. Where are the bright spots?

Bright Spot #1: Time to Buy

The real solution to the economic problems we face is not the government. It is the people. The consumer. As prices drop opportunity develops. When housing prices fall, people will begin to buy. When stock prices fall, people will begin to buy. This encourages more investment so money will flow back into the system and things will turn around.

Bright Spot #2: Scale Back

I am sure we have all heard the phrase “tighten your belt” these days. This is not necessarily a bad thing. What is wrong with at slimmer and trimmer nation? That is much better than a fat, slobby one We have let our consumerist behaviors get out of hand. Debt has become the way we do business. Look where that got us. Now is a great time to learn what it means to “live within your means”. Spend less than you bring in. Learn what things are most necessary and important to you and cut out the fat. Get into a healthier lifestyle.

Bright Spot #3: Reinvent Responsibility

With jobs disappearing and people having to turn from all the many things that distract we are in a position to face reality. If you are out of a job, don’t rely on the government to support you. Support yourself. Don’t wait for someone to do it for you. Innovate. Take that idea in the back of your head and turn it into reality. Pay attention to the world around you and figure out what you can do to make it better.

Bright Spot #4: Where is your Trust?

When the things that we trust the most fail it tends to make us question why we trusted them in the first place and reevaluate what we do trust. Who would have thought that the mighty American economy could tumble like it has? Who could have predicted the outbreak of a disease that would cause the panic it has? Panic is the response to a situation in which something we thought infallible fails. It shakes us to our core and causes us to look around and wonder what we can trust. It reminds us that we are indeed not in control. We need something to hold on to. And our economy should not be that thing, or our health. The only thing we can trust is the God who created this world and holds it together.

What are the bright spots that you see?

Brian

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AIG Bonuses

Brian — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:28:54 +0000

As one of the millions of witnesses to our economy’s collapse, I have been watching with great interest what is happening with the bailouts. The one I am referencing here is the original 800 billion that our government handed out (on the peoples behalf, because it is our money and our government) to various financial institutions including banks and insurance companies. Part of this money went to AIG and, if you have been watching headlines recently, you will note that AIG paid out some bonuses to certain employees.

I am going to be honest here. When I first heard this I was not very happy with AIG. These people are paying bonuses out of the money that we had to give them to stay afloat because they ran their business poorly. They shouldn’t be able to do this. They should be using that money to make sure their company stays in business because someone decided they were too much an important part of our system to fail. Wait a minute. Who decided that? Well, if I am going to give money out of my pocket to help a person who has a track record of being financially irresponsible….. Wait a minute. I wouldn’t do that. This is when my thinking changed on it.

It’s a good thing I had a third party (our beloved government) first, decide what companies are worthy to be bailed out, and second, give said obviously inept company (it needed to be bailed out) money for them to do the same thing they did before: be inept with it. I realized that who I was unhappy with was our government.

This brings me to the bonuses. One thing that is not getting covered by most media outlets is that these bonus payouts are a part of contracts that employees have with the company from before the bailouts. If the company did not pay it initially or took it back from the employee they could be sued and punitive damages could be assessed against the company. The short of it is that AIG is going about their business as normal. They are making sure their contracts are upheld. I am not arguing whether or not these contracts are good for the company or not. We bailed them out so that they could stay in business to do whatever is so vital to our system that we could not allow them to fail. That is what they are doing.

Why would we expect them to do something different with this money when it was given to them without any strings attached?

Now our government officials are making a show, saying that we need to get that money back by any legal means necessary because it’s the taxpayer’s money. I know, this sounds very good. But there is no legal means to get this money back. It was paid out by contract. So the governments call to “get the money back” is really meaningless. So here we are, going round and round in a never ending and pointless debate.

All of this brings me back to something I have been saying for a long time. If a company fails, it fails. If it can’t stay afloat because of mismanagement then it doesn’t deserve to stay afloat. By definition, when we bailout a company we are saying that it can’t sustain itself. And then, as a result, we get into the argument above. We bailed them out so that they could continue business. This is exactly what AIG is doing (payout out bonuses by contract) and the government and media, and thus the people are in a wad about it.

The government should not be in the business of deciding what companies should or should not exist in our system. By bailing some out, they are doing exactly that. Instead we should be letting the companies survive that are surviving and letting the companies die that are dying.

This may not be the most comfortable in the moment. It may hurt for a while but we will come out stronger for it. What we are doing now is essentially putting a Band-Aid on a gushing wound. It may appear to stop the bleeding but it is still bleeding underneath. That Band-Aid won’t stay on for long and when it comes off the wound will be infected and we will have more of a problem.

What we need to be doing is letting the market correct itself. We are living in an economy inflated by debt. It got too heavy for itself and is correcting. We need to let go of our immediate comfort and look toward a future that belongs to our children.

Update:

Well, our government acted before I could get this posted so here is a quick update.

The short of it is (if this passes the Senate – it will) that bonuses paid to any employees would be taxed at a 90% rate if that employee makes more than $250,000 per year and their company received 5 billion or more money from the TARP program (bailout money). Our president had this to say about it:

“Today’s vote rightly reflects the outrage that so many feel over the lavish bonuses that AIG provided its employees at the expense of the taxpayers who have kept this failed company afloat. I look forward to receiving a final product that will serve as a strong signal to the executives who run these firms that such compensation will not be tolerated.”

If they were a failed company what makes President Obama and our congress think that they would do something different than they did before? Personally I don’t want to save a failed company. But I didn’t get do decide what to do with the money. Obama also added this:

“But just as outrageous is the culture that these bonuses are a symptom of, that [has] existed for far too long; a situation where excess greed, excess compensation, excess risk-taking have all made us vulnerable and left us holding the bag.”

You might say that you don’t disagree with that last statement. I even agree with most of it. What I don’t agree with is their solution: more government. Mr. President, more government is not the solution to greed. In fact more government is part of what caused this whole mess. You cannot legislate morality. I can’t say that I agree with the pay scale that some people have. We do live in a greedy, selfish, and opulent society But I also can’t say that I agree with the way our government is handling it.

These “greedy” executives are a product and a part of the society that we all are. Everyone is on the look out for what they can get from whoever (hello entitlement system). So you could say that these people are a reflection of all of us, just with access to more money. So instead of pointing a finger look first at yourself. If our society as a whole changes (this starts with the individual) then maybe we have a shot at changing how those in leadership positions act.

Brian

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Blessings of a Bloodless Change of Power

Brian — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:20:42 +0000

Another day gone and a new president in the White House. Despite all of the people out there praising or criticizing our new president he is in office and no one died to get him there. This is one of the most amazing things to me about the way our system of government works. For all of the things I think can and should change about our country, this is a beautiful moment that many of us take for granted. What a wonderful country we live in where blood is not required for the change of power.

On a related note I want to take a moment to encourage those of us who may not agree with our new president on every issue. It seems that there are many who will fight everything he does based solely on the fact that it is he who does it. On the other side of the coin, there are others who will get behind everything he does because he supports it. Please don’t be either of those people. You will never agree with everyone on everything and a president is just another part of that “everyone”.

As a Christian I am to honor my leaders and pray for them. That doesn’t mean that I will bow to our presidents every whim. That isn’t honoring at all. I am not going to back down on the things I believe are right but I will share them in a respectful and constructive way. If my view is not the one that is ultimately used I will move on to the next opportunity to influence my nation without bitterness about the past.

Also as a Christian, I believe that God has put our new president in office. If I do not honor him then ultimately I am not honoring Him. This might be a tough time for people who share my views but remember that your faith is in Jesus Christ, not in the president of a nation of sinful people or in the nation itself.

How blessed we are to live in a time and place that we can have dissenting views, vote what we believe, and change who is in power without the loss of life. I pray that it will stay this way.

Brian

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A Wonderful Problem

Brian — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:52:00 +0000

It is amazing how some of the most stressful problems in life, when thought about from a different angle, can also be some of the most wonderful. This holiday season has presented a couple such problems to my wife and I.

This will be our third Christmas as a married couple and the third Christmas that we have had decisions to make about where we will spend it. Both of our parents live in town so it would seem like a no-brainer to just see both. This is what we try to do every year. No big deal, right? The hard part is fitting everyone’s schedules together. Sometimes we have to give up some of the things we want to do.

Another problem we faced was figuring out what gifts to get everyone. We really like to put a lot of thought into the gifts we buy the people we love. We want the gifts to mean something and not just be stuff. This is a hard, time consuming thing to do sometimes.

The more we talked about our problems the more we realized how wonderful they actually were. We have so much family that we love, want to see, and they want to see us, that it is hard to fit it all in. This is a wonderful problem to have. I am so thankful that we have families that love us and want to be with us. Many people don’t have this. The same can be said about the gift buying. We have so many people that we want to give gifts to and can. The Lord has provided us with an abundance to give from. What wonderful problem to have!

So when you get stressed by something in your life, try to think about what it would be like without it. Granted, not everything stressful in life is like this but there are probably many things that are and we don’t even think about them this way. What are some of your wonderful problems?

Brian

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Dissemination of Information

Brian — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:38:10 +0000

“Thanks to TV and for the convenience of TV, you can only be one of two kinds of human beings, either a liberal or a conservative.”
- Kurt Vonnegut

Think with me for a moment. Before the television there was radio. Before the radio there was the newspaper. Before that how were we told what to think? Probably the clergy.

Recently I have had a large aversion to the TV news media. Most of it is because I can’t stand what they think is newsworthy. Many things that are discussed at length on most news stations will not be something that will impact you or me in one year much less ten. I get most of my news from multiple Internet sources which (hopefully) provides me with a little broader perspective than I would get watch CNN or Fox News.

The real point of this post is to remind you and me not to be lazy about our participation in the world. In order to participate effectively you need to know what is going on. There is a very limited view presented to us that can be almost summed up in the quote at the beginning of this post. Either you on this side or that. There are far more than two sides of a debate but all we get to see is right and left, conservative and liberal. Everything is reduced to sound bites. They cut away the meat and leave us the fat. No wonder many people are informationally malnourished. They get more about celebrities than things that will impact the world their children will live in.

The fewer people in control of the dissemination of information, the fewer viewpoints we get and the fewer choices seem evident. The more people a media like this can reach, I fear the fewer people will think for themselves. Don’t stop thinking critically. Challenge what you hear with what you know. If you don’t know, do a little research. Take the time to be informed.

It is said that knowledge is power, so it would seem that the more we know the better off we would be. A more accurate statement would be knowledge gained for yourself (not fed to you) is power.

How do you get your information?

Brian

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Oil Toil Shmoil

Brian — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 05:01:11 +0000

Big news today! Exxon has reported a huge profit numbers for the reporting period. It is somewhere around 11 billion. That is a lot of money. So bring out all of the people who don’t like the big oil companies. The questions are flying. “Is this too much?” Here is another number for you. That 11 billion is only an 8.47% profit margin. That is correct. For every dollar the company brings in 91.53% is spent to bring in the product they sell. They make a little over 8 cents on every dollar. Just so you know, 8.47% is on the low side of profit margins made by corporations in the United States or anywhere in the world.

On a side note, I do support finding more efficient alternative fuels and even ways of making oil more efficient. I just don’t like the way we are going about it. We don’t need a shove from the government. When there is a need in the market it will be filled. I am confident of that. Government needs to keep their fingers out of economics and let it work. They tend only to mess it up anyway. Ethanol is a great example. Prices of corn are sky high and they are now finding that this alternative fuel is less efficient and more polluting than gas. But our government got behind it because it was “alternative”. Sorry, back to the show.

Now 11 billion is a huge sum of money but their revenue of over 138 billion is an astronomical number. Consider with me where that other 127 billion goes. It is paid to contracting companies, to employees, to manufactures, and spent all kinds of ways to produce their product. In other words it goes into the economy. This is not a bad thing. Consider also with me why their revenues are so high. Maybe it is because the produce a product that everyone uses multiple times a day. From the gas in your car to the plastic bags you use to put your sandwich in and everywhere else in between, we use petroleum products all the time. Since their product is so widely used it would make sense that they have large numbers to show for it.

People all across the globe use petroleum products so it makes sense that they have large revenue and profit numbers. What else factors into this? Sure the high price of oil factors into it but we will get to that in a second. The business side also plays a large role. The way they run their business is key. How efficient a business are they? Do they make efforts to cut out the fat? Even with oil prices high if they ran their business inefficiently they could easily lose that 8.47% profit margin.

Now to the high oil prices which there is someone new to blame everyday for. Is it the oil company’s fault? Is it the speculators? Is it the Saudi’s? The list goes on. If oil companies are controlling the level of production then it could be their fault. But who put the restrictions on building new refineries? Congress. From the numbers I have seen our domestic refineries are running at capacity. Who is keeping the oil companies from drilling in places that would produce more supply? Congress maybe?

Now to the speculators. Very simply, speculators are like gamblers in a casino with slightly better odds because they have information to base the gambles they make on. Speculators look at the conditions around them and guess if a commodity will go up or down based on market conditions, supply, demand, laws. Right now, the congresses general treatment of oil companies has been hostile (one of the reasons we are even discussing this. Windfall profit tax anyone?) If the government is being hostile towards any industry I would say that it would be harder to produce this commodity so supply shrinks and prices go up. Basic economics. The speculators are not to blame.

Are other countries holding back on us to keep the prices high. Probably so which points to the fact that we need to be as energy independent as we can be (and not just in petroleum products by the way) In a free market prices will fluctuate based on market conditions. If the oil companies were controlling the price of oil don’t you think their profit margin would be a little better than 8.47%? I do.

Next topic: the windfall profits tax that is being discussed. This is ridiculous, plain and simple. Have we really swung that far toward socialism that we need to take from one (who earned the profit) and give to another (who did not)? I hope not. This scares me a bit. Why are we not talking like this when it comes to our entertainment industry? The Dark Knight (one of my favorite movies by the way) has pulled in close to 400 million while it only cost around 180 million to make. How high a profit margin is that? What about the millions we pay our professional athletes? Oh, and another news topic of the day. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have pictures of their new born to be featured in People magazine, that they sold for 14 million dollars. Why are we not talking about these items as well? Why do these people make so much money? Because that is what the market says that they be paid no matter what I think of it (I don’t like it, if you were wondering. I think good teachers should be paid more.).

If people are willing to pay 14 million for baby pictures that is their business. All of the profit margins mentioned above are all much higher than 8.47%. If Exxon cheated to make their meager profit percentage then take it away. That just means that they are bad cheaters and don’t deserve it anyway. But at least the oil companies are providing us with a product other than being distracted from real life long enough that we start criticizing blindly those who provide a large part of said life it to us. And they are making a much lower profit margin than the rest so maybe, just to be fair, we should give them some of The Dark Knights profits. (Please read the sarcasm in that last statement) I know that energy is a large topic these days and it needs to be talked about, so why can’t we talk about something that will actually make a difference? Finding new and inventive ways to sink the oil companies will not solve our problem.

In closing, I don’t think the government has a problem with people making money. I just think government has a problem if they aren’t in some kind of control of that money. So they do their best to be in control. Just a thought, and a scary one to boot. (Oh, and I don’t apologize for ranting. It felt good.)

Brian

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Let the Debate Begin

Brian — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:10:39 +0000

The Earth is warming, isn’t it? Our carbon emissions are causing this warming, right? As much as some would want us to think that there is a consensus on this topic there is not. More and more we see dissenters rise up only to be labeled and dismissed. There is no room for debate when that is exactly what should be happening. I am no scientist so I do not claim to have any definitive answers on this topic but what I would like to see is some actual debate. If you don’t agree with human caused global warming then you are labeled a world-hater. How about instead of labels we let people debate what is actually going on here. I don’t think anyone in their right mind would think or say, ” You know, I really don’t like this planet I live on. I want to destroy it.” No. I think everyone can agree with responsible conservation. The question then is what does that look like? Well, let the two sides talk about it, give us research and then we will go from there. Instead, people act like there is only one side despite growing opposition and research that doesn’t agree with the status quo.

If you are interested, here is an article that gives a view of the other side of the debate. I find news items like this one that would seem important to knowing the truth on this topic but it is largely ignored. Why?

Why is this important? It is important because world leaders are using information (that has never been verified and is now being taken apart) to base policies on. The two sides won’t even talk mostly because one side simply ignores the others existence. Let the debate begin! Take down the smoke and mirrors and give us a bit of truth.

Brian

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Another Day to Celebrate Something Most of Us Don't Understand

Brian — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:32:25 +0000

“In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.” -Bertrand Russell

I suppose most of us don’t truly understand the depth of meaning in the celebrations that are generations removed from the event that is celebrated. How do you keep it relevant to the people celebrating it years from when it happened? I can’t think of a way to do this. I don’t believe we are guilty of anything just because we didn’t experience the same things our fore fathers did, but it would make us negligent and unappreciative if we don’t try to at least attempt to understand what we are celebrating instead of just using it as an excuse to party and blow things up. On the Fourth of July we celebrate our independence from a government that would impose it’s will upon the people it governs without allowing them any real form of appeal. We celebrate the ability to make our own decisions about the laws of the land we inhabit. We celebrate our ability to disagree on certain issues while holding up the freedom of the individual.

These things we celebrate were deemed important enough by our founders that they were willing to shed their own blood to secure them. We are now some two hundred plus years away from the events that placed us where we are today. Do we understand the freedom that we have? Do I? If we don’t we will soon loose it to the powerful few, who history has shown to corrupt quickly and easily if not held to account. Take the time to consider the freedoms you have, at what price they were bought, and what we are still paying today for them. Marvel at the ability we have to voice our opinions without fear of retribution from those in power. Consider intently the freedoms we enjoy so that we do not forget where they came from.

Thinking on the freedoms I have as a citizen of the United States also made me start thinking about the freedoms I have in Christ. It is amazing to me how even though human events seem to loose their depth of meaning the further you get away from them, the importance of Christ’s death and resurrection seem to gain even more meaning the as time goes by. I am free from the sin that separated me from the God who created me. This is not because of something I did, but because of unmerited favor that was poured out on me by God. I deserve this as much as anyone else does: not at all. How much more should I not forget the freedom God has given me and how much more should I share it with those around me?

Brian

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Meaningless Meanings

Brian — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:09:52 +0000

“The word ‘meaningful’ when used today is nearly always meaningless.”

–Paul Johnson

Words and their meanings are something I have thought about at length and written about here as well. It seems that the more a word is used the less weight it has. They become commonplace and meaningless. Why does this happen, you ask? A good place to start looking is economics of all places.

Basic economic theory states that the more a commodity is available, the less it will be worth. Why are diamonds worth so much? They are a beautiful and desirable item but their worth comes from their rarity. If the handful of companies that controlled diamond production in the world released their stock you would see the price of diamonds plummet. Apply this to words and you have the same outcome. The more a word is used, the less value it has. It is not that the meaning has changed but that, many times, people don’t think about the meaning when using it because it is so readily available to them. Wait for the new “in” word to hit the streets and in short while it will have lost some of it’s value because everyone is saying it often.

The reason I started thinking about this originally was because of common Christian words; words uncommon in their meaning but common in their usage. We use words like sin, grace, repentance, and even the name of Jesus so often that we often don’t take the time to think about what they mean.

I think we can apply this concept in more ways than just that. Look at a society that is thriving and opulent. Happiness abounds (at least temporary happiness). Contentedness is expected and when it is not around people are dissatisfied. What about all the happiness that they have that they are taking for granted? Does that mean anything to them? Not nearly as much as it does to a society that happiness is not the normal way of life. When pain and grief are the norm, a respite from that or a small comfort is treasured beyond anything that the people in the first society can even dream about.

When something exists in excess it tends to be devalued. Does any of this even matter? What does this mean for you? You go find the answers.

Brian

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The More Frightening Option

Brian — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:20:25 +0000

The popular theory of global warming that is being latched onto espouses human responsibility and, therefore, human control. We have the ability, through various means, to correct this. We have a choice. The idea suggests that the choices we made in the past have led us to where we are today and we must make additional choices to fix it. We are in control.

Knowledge that one is in control of a situation has the affect of being soothing. We recognize a problem and we fix it. Why? Because we exert control over that problem. So embracing the popular theory of global warming is actually the more tranquil option. We are humans. We made this mess and we are going to clean it up. But they also act as if this is the worst option. We are in a horrible situation and the peril to our future is great. Let me present you with the more frightening option: what if we aren’t in control. What if there is nothing we can do.

What if we are subject to the sun or the tilt of the earth or the currents in the oceans. What if we can’t control the rate at which the polar ice caps are melting by driving a smaller car? What if there is nothing we can do to change it? Then the earth will warm or cool at whatever rate happens.

Let’s say you are driving down the road in a car. You are in control of that car. You can steer it and tell it how fast or slow to go. Not very scary. Now lets take away your ability to steer the car, stop it, or make it go faster. Now you are in an object hurtling through time and space and whatever happens, happens. Which of these two scenarios is more frightening? I think it is pretty obvious.

So if the global-warmians are right then fear not. The Earth is in good hands. We can all buy our carbon credits and live happily ever after. We are the human race, after all, and we will come up with some great plan to save ourselves. That is what happens in the movies all the time.

If they aren’t, and I am right, then heaven help us. But it is times like this, when I feel the most helpless, that my trust in Jesus can shine the most. I believe that even when I am not in control, my God is! What better to hold onto when the world is (possibly) falling apart than the God who created and is in control of it? Suddenly the more frightening option is the one where I find the most comfort and peace. Standing on the Rock that is Christ is infinitely more stable than a pile of carbon credits.

Brian

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Weekend Reminders

Brian — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:00:04 +0000

photo credit: abardwell

I spent this past weekend in the metroplex area. Two of our good friends were getting married and Lacey was singing in the wedding so we had to go down on Saturday for her to practice. A nice, relaxing weekend in Dallas. Yeah right! A weekend in Dallas is almost never relaxing (especially attending a wedding) unless you spend the whole time in a jacuzzi. That would have been nice. Even though it was a busy weekend there were a few things that I was reminded of.

1. The first thing, and probably most trivial, is that the iPhone I purchased was worth what it cost. We used the maps feature on it constantly to find our way around an unfamiliar area. We made it straight to where we needed to be because of the detailed directions it gives. Sunday morning we wanted to find an IHOP at which to eat so I typed in “IHOP Dallas, TX” and it showed us the locations of all the IHOPs in the area. We picked the closest one and headed straight to it. The iPhone is very handy on the road.

2. Thing number two: I am very, very happy that my wedding is over! This does not mean that I didn’t enjoy my wedding. I really did, but I don’t want to do it again……Ever! Seeing what these people were going through to pull this event together made me feel very sorry for them. I remember what I went through during this time. My wife and I could both agree on this one. Weddings are stressful. Once is enough.

3. The last thing I was reminded of this weekend is that I am very thankful for the woman I married. The speed that normal life seems to take puts us into a routine. Routines are not all bad but they can take something out of a marriage. Every now and again you need something to take you out of that routine. A trip will do just that. It puts the two of you in a car for an extended period of time which is a great time to talk about topics that normally you don’t have time for. It makes you have to work together to get where you need to be. It takes the normal life and gives it a twist. There is no house to be cleaned, no work to worry about, no plans with family or friends, and nothing familiar. It is during times these times that God really helps me really see the woman I married and makes me feel very blessed because of who she is. It makes me realize how much I love her.

This trip has made it very clear that our marriage needs times like these. If you are married, do your marriage a favor and get out of the routine that life sets. Go a little beyond what you feel comfortable with together and I am sure you will see amazing things.

Brian

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Thinking Too Much

Brian — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:07:25 +0000

photo credit: Okko Pyykkö

“Daydreaming about something in order to do it properly is right, but daydreaming about it when we should be doing it is wrong.”

–Oswald Chambers

I believe that there are three basic categories of commands that we as Christians receive. They are explicit, implicit, and situational. The first two come from scripture and the last comes from our daily lives. Let’s start at the end of the list and work our way to the beginning.

1. Situational

Situational commands are the hardest to discern out of the three. There are situations in our lives that come up where there is no prescribed correct way to handle them. The Bible does not speak directly to these situations. What are we supposed to do? In this case we have to determine what God would have us do based on what we know of Him as revealed in scripture. For example, we are told in scripture that is is good not to marry but that marriage does have a purpose. Both ways of life are spoken of highly by God. So, which is it? And then on top of that, who, if anyone, are we supposed to marry? Is it this person or that one? How do we know?

This is a situation where we have to be in a close relationship with God and trust that He will lead us. We have to take these situation by situation and it requires a daily walk with Him to do so. As my pastor said it, “Obey what you know, and you will know what to obey.” We know that we are supposed to have a deep and close relationship with out Lord and Savior and if we do that we will know what to do in situations like these.

2. Implicit

Implicit commands are not directly spoken in scripture but they can be implied. We are told in 1 Cor. 6:9 that people who practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God. It is easy to imply from this scripture that we are commanded not to practice homosexuality.

Another example of this can be found in 1 Cor. 10:31. The only two explicit things we are told to do for God’s glory is eat and drink but then we are also told “…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” We have to take this and imply that it means that we have to watch movies to the glory of God, or discipline our children to the glory of God. Implied commands can take some extensive study to understand.

3. Explicit

Explicit commands are the most visible and easy to discern because they come very directly from scripture. A great example of these can be found in the ten commandments. Do not steal is pretty easy to understand. The only way to interpret this is, don’t steal. That’s it. There are no two ways about it.

This brings me to the explicit command that I want to talk about. Jesus says in Mat 28:19-20 to:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

We are explicitly commanded to “make disciples”. That means sharing the gospel with people. Our witness before everyone is paramount. Many times I find myself thinking too much on whether I should share with this person or that person. There is no question in my mind that I should. I am over-thinking whereby putting off what God has commanded of me. There shouldn’t be a time in my life when I am not actively or passively pursuing people for God’s kingdom. We cannot use the excuse that we don’t know if we should or not. It is explicit in scripture that we share with everyone. That is why we are here.

There are things that should take a lot of thought and preparation but this in not one of them. Don’t think too much. Obey God. By doing this we show that we trust Him.

“(Contemplating) after God has spoken is an indication that we do not trust Him.”

–Oswald Chambers

Brian

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Sunshine

Brian — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:15:39 +0000

I watched this movie the other night at a friend’s house. The premise was that the sun is dying and earth has launched a mission to give it a jump start by launching a nuclear weapon the size of Manhattan into the center of it. The idea itself is fairly ludicrous and the movie would have fallen on its face if they had relied on that gimmick but they didn’t. The movie was watchable thanks to the motivation this situation gave to its characters. They were on a mission to save themselves, their loved ones, and earth itself. That is what made the first two-thirds of the move very interesting and promising.

The last third of the movie was a disaster. They introduced an antagonist that was not believable at all which served to underscore the impossibleness of the already impossible premise. It felt like switching a car from first all the way to fifth gear. It practically ruined the first part of the movie.

All of that aside, I want to talk about something the movie did wonderfully. If you haven’t seen it and want to then read no further. Sunshine showed sacrifice in a very compelling way. It put the characters in a situation where they had to choose to go on. Most movies these days have happy endings. The main character succeeds in their quest, having to put it all on the line but surviving despite the odds. Most movies show humanity overcoming. We like to see this. I know I do. Very rarely does the main character put everything on the line and then lose everything. This is what happened in this movie. Everyone dies. I suppose the ending could be seen as bittersweet since they save earth in the process of dying but the movie did so little to tie us back to earth that when they finally did it didn’t work for me. I was emotionally tied to the characters, not to earth. They succeeded but they had to give everything to do so.

This idea is actually what made the movie worth watching for me. I am captured by the idea of sacrifice and having to go to the ends of myself for a purpose. I guess many people who work in a cubicle wish for this. We live such sheltered, safe, and happy lives in the U.S. that the “hard thing” is hanging a shelf on the wall or mowing the yard. Where is the adventure in that? Granted I have to sacrifice my time to do these things but that is small in comparison to what I could be called to give. What if we were put in a situation where we had to choose to put everything on the line knowing that we would not make it? What would we do?

Brian

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Revolutions

Brian — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:39:07 +0000

The more I look back at history the more I see many common threads that seem to keep repeating. The most recent one I have observed is a tendency for the new generation on the planet to have some kind of “revolution”. They look at the way their parents or the past generation did things and think, “There must be a better way!”. A very visible example of this was the hippie movement that preached that peace is better than conflict among other things. This was a reaction to how the generations before had handled international relations and conflicts. While that mindset still exists in a great number of people, there are those who do not agree and when a big enough group decides that they are tired of this world view, there will be a change, they hope, for the better.

The truth is, everyone is looking for change or a fresh look at the world and its systems. We see the flaws that exist in the current system and look across the proverbial fence toward greener pastures. “If only this would change I would be happy”, we say. People join groups that they feel are moving in the direction away from the flaws they find so distasteful. But keep in mind that if a revolution wins out it soon becomes the very establishment that people want to overthrow.

I want everyone to understand very clearly that I am not suggesting just accepting the world the way it is. There are always improvements that can be made and we should all strive to make those changes. What I am saying is that we should not expect the changes we make to be perfect in any way. We will never arrive at a time when we have ironed out all the wrinkles because of changes we have made. Do not ever assume that your way is the best way or that joining this revolution or that one will ultimately fix anything. Every institution of man is fallen. Sin corrupts even the best intentions. If you think you have found a better way, great, but don’t look with scorn at the old way when your way is subject to the same sin that ruined the old way. By all means, keep trying to improve the world we live in but recognize that the best world will only come when Jesus does.

Brian

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We are as babes in the womb

Brian — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:29:02 +0000

We as humans are very quick to judge. I find it interesting how quick we are to write off anything we can’t understand. We cannot explain God so He must not exist. We also are quick to judge the actions of God. It is not uncommon at all to find someone asking God why He did something a certain way. Why did he decide before Jacob and Esau were born that he would love Jacob and hate Esau? Why does it seem that there are inconsistencies in His Word? Why did He create man only to put evil into the world? Why does He hold us responsible for sins we are predisposed to?

When facing questions like these and trying to understand them with our created, human mind it would be easy to write God off. I know that this is one of the reasons so many people ignore Him. They look and see too many unanswerable questions. I get frustrated trying to comprehend His unfathomableness too. At one point in my life I believed that there was no unanswerable questions; that I could answer any question given enough time and information. More recently I have decided that there are some questions that we humans won’t be able to answer.

This can be seen many places in scripture and, for context, I will point you to a couple large portions of scripture and then narrow it down a bit. The first place to look is the book of Job. I would recommend reading the entire book but the following verses capture the issue very well.

Job 26:7-14

He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing. He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not split open under them. He covers the face of the full moon and spreads over it his cloud. He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness. The pillars of heaven tremble and are astounded at His rebuke. By His power He stilled the sea; by his understanding he shattered Rahab. By his wind the heavens were made fair; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Behold, these are but the outskirts of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of his power who can understand.

The other portion of scripture I would recommend is Romans 9. This is a very disputed part of God’s word as many people struggle with its implications. Verses 19-23 is the part I will focus in on.

Rom. 9:19-23

You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist His will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show His wrath and make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessel of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory…

One more:

Isiah 55:8-9

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your way My ways”, declares the lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

A couple that is close to us had a baby recently. Anytime I hold a baby I always wonder what is going through their mind. What are they thinking about? It would be amazing to see the mind of a baby developing and learning. Then I thought of something else. What a change it must have been going from the world he knew in the womb to the world he is experiencing now.

Since God is infinite (and we are not) in his attributes His mind must be infinitely greater than ours. How then are we supposed to attempt to explain what God is doing in our lives, other’s lives, and in the universe? Trying to explain everything that God is doing would be like a baby in the womb trying to explain the world outside its confines, except on an infinite scale. It has absolutely no ability to do this. It might have a little insight as sounds make it into its world but it could not form an accurate view of the outside world.

It is the same with us as we try to explain God and His work. We do not have the capacity to comprehend everything that He is doing. We have much insight in the Bible and the world around us and we are encouraged to seek out knowledge of our Lord, but we do not have the ability to understand it all. Even though we may gain what seems to us to be great knowledge of God, it is actually only an infinitesimally small amount compared to who He is.

This is one of the great paradoxes of being in Christ. We are encouraged to do something that we cannot fully accomplish. Even though this is something we cannot fully complete while we are here we have to keep in mind that when we pass from this life to the next we will continue to grow in the knowledge of our Lord.

When we are birthed from this womb into the bigger world that is the dwelling of our Savior we will still be babes but we will have a greater picture from which to draw our understanding from. We will be with our God in a way we can’t begin to imagine. Until that time, we shouldn’t be frustrated with all the things we can’t explain. We should instead press on to know Him as best we can here, knowing that He will continue to grow us and use the knowledge He does give us to draw others to Him.

Brian

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Escape Artists

Brian — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 01:16:32 +0000

This is something that I have, just recently, begun to think about extensively. As frustrated with our current political system as I am, I have started wondering what one person (me) can do to change things or at least to help. I took a couple steps back from my life and really tried to see who I am and what I might offer to encourage change in our nation. I have begun writing several essays for my site dealing with the problem of “self” in our society; the need to, above all else, fulfill my wants. I want to be constantly entertained; I want to reach my full happiness (whatever that is), and all at the expense of everyone else around me. We are fed this mentality on a daily basis. Just look at what is advertised on our media outlets. “Fulfill yourself; find yourself; do what you want to do; be whatever you want to be.” Some of these aren’t even that bad until you mix in the “at all costs” bit. Fill your little heart up with whatever it is you desire with no thought to how it will effect those around you and all under the guise of “the American dream”.

Society works when people work together to achieve a common goal not when each individual works independently to achieve his or her own personal fulfillment. When people selfishly attempt to bring about their best with no thought to how it will affect the people around them it will eventually bring a breakdown in society. A big part of being socially responsible is being aware of what is going on in the world. Being informed. Taking the time to thoughtfully examine world events and being able to respond to them in a positive way. This is the part I want to talk about today.

We are becoming a society of escape artists. What I mean by this is we are a society that finds any way possible to escape from reality. There are so many ways to escape these days. You can wrap yourself up with video games, movies, TV shows, fashion, friends, sports; the list can go on and on. Don’t get me wrong, I can and do enjoy a relaxing movie or sporting event. The problem comes when we dominate our time with these things that distract us from important things that are happening on the world stage so much that we cannot intelligently respond when a situation arises. The numbers of people actively participating in our political system is dwindling. There are still many people who vote but the percentage of those people who really spent time researching the topics discussed and intelligently thinking about them is not very large. I am worried that this is a trend that will continue as my generation becomes the ones responsible for our future. There are so many people that spend hours and hours playing a video game or watching sporting events and then managing their own fantasy league that they don’t have time enough to be informed. If you try to bring up current events with people they will know about them and usually have an opinion about them (thank you drama-news networks) but if you ask for a solution to a problem they will get out of that conversation quickly or avoid it altogether. I would wager that there are a good number of people who know more about what is going on in a soap opera or in a celebrity’s life than they do about real issues. We don’t want to critically think about problems and come up with solutions. We are content to sit on our couches in our TV playland while the world goes on. We think that someone else will take care of it, they always have in the past. There will always be those who will take care of it, but the question is how. How are they dealing with the problems that effect us all? Do we care enough to know? If we are not careful we will become so complacent and wrapped up in our play-worlds that those in power can do whatever they please knowing that we will do nothing. We will be mindless idiots at the mercy of power hungry politicians. The less people in a society think, the easier it is for them to be manipulated and used.

Do I really think it will come to this? It could, but if we as a society stop trying to escape the reality presented to us and really take on the hard issues that face us this can be avoided. Do some research. Listen to a debate and then, instead of listening to people tell you what you should think about it, turn the TV off and figure it out yourself. Do some critical thinking. Stop using the majority of your time doing pointless things and do something that really matters: take your future into your own hands. There are so many distractions around us. Can we see through them and focus on what really matters?

Brian