What Americans Really, Really Want

photo © 2010 Dennis Hamilton | more info (via: Wylio)

This editorial is from the Baltimore Sun from November 3rd -- the day after the election.  It gets at some of the problems of putting what we want into the context of what we actually want to pay for or invest in.

After devoting long minutes to careful analysis of Tuesday night's election returns, I now know what Americans want:

• We want roads and bridges that are always in good condition but do not require tax money for upkeep.
• We want world class schools with teachers who are so dedicated that they will work for minimum wage. (Note: the best one should be in my neighborhood)
• We want 60-inch plasma TVs that cost $200 and are produced by workers in Ohio making at least $30 per hour.
• We want our military to win every war, every heart and every mind, everywhere, at no cost in lives or money.
• We want cheap, clean, efficient mass transit that goes through someone else's neighborhood.
• We want no-fat triple-decker hamburgers that are good for you and taste great.
• We want fast, efficient, friendly government services provided by clerks who work happily for free.
• We want "clean" coal and domestic crude that does not produce pollution or require digging or drilling.
• We want SUVs that get 100 miles per gallon and produce jobs in Detroit.
• We want Social Security benefits to go up and Social Security taxes to go down.
• We want cheap labor from legal citizens who don't mind living in poverty.
• We want clean drinking water and pristine parks and the right to dump anything, anywhere.
• We want colleges that are inexpensive and not too hard but produce world class leaders.
• We want football where every hit is brutal but no one gets hurt and baseball where everyone hits 40 home runs but no one uses steroids.
• We want government to deliver all these things — then cut taxes and then cut taxes some more. Mostly, we want what we want, and we want it now.
• Personally, I want leaders who will tell us frankly that all these things are not possible, that the blessings of infrastructure and education given us by our fathers are wearing out. I want thinkers who can paint a picture of a greater America that could exist in 50 or 100 years, and then unite us with a roadmap to get there. I want America to have a shared vision and an understanding that we all benefit when we all contribute, and that we all suffer when we demand only for ourselves. I want leaders who will tell the truth: that there is no free lunch.
• But then, I also want the World Series to end in early October, yet I know that some things are just too grand to even wish for.

Mac Nachlas, Baltimore

Talking About Stewardship This Sunday. Don't Think I'll Show This Video (Apologies to the Bee Gees)

Scripture for Sunday -- 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 (NIV)

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The Collection for the Lord’s People

 ¹ And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ² In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. ⁵ And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. ⁶ So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. ⁷ But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

 ⁸ I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

 ¹⁰ And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. ¹¹ Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. ¹² For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

 ¹³ Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. ¹⁴ At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, ¹⁵ as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”

"It Should Hurt When We Cease to Give" -- Quote from Ian Barclay

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Nearly half the parables Jesus told have the use of money as their main subject. It is sometimes said that we should give until it hurts. But Jesus teaches that it should hurt when we cease to give! —Ian Barclay

(Found over at Challies.com)

What We Can Learn About Money from the Third World?

Image by Stathis Stavrianos (Stathis_1980) via Flickr

Craig Ford wrote an article for Wise Bread, a blog subtitled "Living Large on a Small Budget."  Craig writes about personal finance for Money Help for Christians and Help Me Travel Cheap.  The article that caught my attention is "5 Money Lessons From the Third World" which was gleaned from the time since his family has moved to Papua New Guinea.  He claims that the time there has been ripe with money lessons learned from those who have a whole lot less than he did. 

Here he came from an environment where we amuse ourselves with gadgets galore and can't leave the house without iPods in ears and recreational equipment in the car to an environment where things from nature and the very simple things around homes become toys and entertainment.

Here he came from an environment that has throw-away appliances and clothes and...well...everything to one where they fix things.  He recounts the joy of being creative with a headlight repair in the US when he wasn't able to buy one in town and his creativity saved him some bucks.

Here are his 5 lessons learned from the Third World:

1)  TRY TO FIX IT BEFORE YOU BUY A NEW ONE -- You might be surprised what you can fix if you put a little time an elbow grease into it.

2)  BE CREATIVE AND USE WHAT YOU HAVE -- People in the Third World are resourceful and get multiple uses from the things they have.  They don't just throw it away.

3)  FOCUS ON FUNCTIONALITY -- We're too concerned with what looks good.   (I think this is a lesson I've learned from my father.  But I've also learned I have limitations on how bad I want things to look...even if they are still functional).

4)  FUN IS NOT A BYPRODUCT OF MONEY -- You can have a lot of fun for cheap and for free.  What are they where you are?

5)  DON'T BUY IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE CASH -- Third World folks don't have credit.  It's not an option for most of them.  What might it look like if you moved to a cash-based system in your household?

So...as a Christian...what can I learn here?  There's really not much more in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University or a basic budgeting course.  But our culture is such that we have difficulty with these.  But, perhaps if we paid attention to the living habits of our Third World brothers and sisters we'd learn a thing or two...or five.

Spiritual Tourism

Image by Lawrence OP via Flickr

You know that nice little gift shop they have near the entrance to the fancy cathedral you went to in Europe...the one where you picked up the postcard to send back home to friends or to put in your scrapbook.  Perhaps you picked up some handmade craft items, knitted by the locals.  I, myself, recall the lengthy time I spent in the gift shop at Servants In Faith And Technology in Alabama after a very meaningful week with youth.   I picked up a couple of Christmas items for family and the altar Peruvian altar cloth that's even on the altar at Girdwood Chapel as I write this.

Religion has an industry around it.  I buy resources at Cokesbury.  I buy clergy shirts somewhere else.  And don't even get me started on the entire Contemporary Christian Music industry...  Persons have found that religion can pay well in a capitalistic sense.  There's money to be made.  We sold cookbooks and coffee cups to help with our building fund.

And, sometimes, the selling is connected to some great religious experiences.  I, for one, am very well aware of what size business is tied around getting clergy to take laypersons to the Holy Land or follow in Paul's footsteps or visit some of the sites of the early church.  $ $ $ $ $ $


Emer O'Kelly, writing predominantly about Ireland, talks about this phenomena of Spiritual Tourism in an article in The Independent of Dublin, Ireland.

The author recounts a visit to Lourdes and the shock at all the sales taking place around the cathedral:

....the entire town was a retail industry of revolting proportions, summed up by empty bottles in the shape of the Virgin being sold at exorbitant prices to be filled with water from the "miraculous spring".

I bought, I remember, a Rosary guaranteed as pure silver filigree; it turned brown within days. But at least I wasn't conned into one of those little plastic boxes with chips or shreds of cloth in them, labelled first, second and third class "relics" that conferred special grace, and which were guaranteed to have touched a holy corpse, or to be a bit of bone from it, or have been taken from its grave, and which, if fingered while saying a prayer, would provide extra first, second or third class spiritual grace.

And how was it back in England as the Catholic Church prepared for the coming of Pope Benedict?

...the Catholic Church has a special "merchandising website" for the forthcoming visit there of Pope Benedict. The "papal product lines" include baseball caps, sweat shirts, hoodies and fridge magnets, as well as a load of stuff, including mugs, commemorating John Henry Cardinal Newman who will be beatified during the Pope's visit to Britain.

Ireland was getting into the business as well...marketing to different categories of "spiritual tourists" -- the sacred tourists (really wanting a penitential experience), those into cultural spirituality (which is less rigorous), and those who are in it for spirituality and heritage (who want a better look at the country and its peoples).

The author holds no punches as to how he feels about the leadership of the country being in cahoots with the Church of Ireland as they "market" their spirtuality to bring in the tourism dollars.  He closes out his article:

So all aboard the holy marketing train to search for meaning, and buy your way to holiness.

And that the State, in the persons of its government tourism agency, is aiding and abetting this distasteful exploitation of one of the most personal elements of people's lives is truly nauseating.

Well, there you have it.

Show Me the Money!

Image by BenSpark via FlickrI have a lot of economic/consumerism/money ideas, bits of blogs, and quotes that have been floating around in my blog drafts...assuming that I was going to get to them someday.  Well, this week I hope to post some of them.  These are issues I struggle with.  These are issues on my mind.  Why?

• I want things.
• I'm a consumer.
• I'm a slave to advertising like others.  
• I like my money.  
• We're planning a Financial Peace University class for our church and community this fall.  
• I'm getting to an age where these are concerns for me. 
• I have a mortgage.  
• I wonder about kid's college costs.  
• I have a car I need to pay down.
• The church I pastor is trying to build and not sink in debt.
• My wallet's in my back pocket.
• And I'm a Christian, trying to navigate these muddy waters.

So be prepared for some economic thought over the next several days as I grapple with some of this and share some of what I've found.

Show Me The Money

If I Had and Extra $21 Million...

I'd buy a MARBLE JESUS.

Yup...for $21 Million I'd buy this marble Jesus that appeared in some tile work in a guy's bathroom.  This "Jesus" apparently has healing powers and the seller will even throw in his HOUSE along with Jesus.

This is an actual EBay Ad.  Here's what the ad says:

This magnificent blessing is made up of four individual 12 x 12 marble tiles and is found at eye level on the head of my shower wall.  I firmly believe that the image of  Jesus is in close proximity to the shower faucet in order to represent the Baptismal qualities of water, and the promises one makes in renewing and refreshing one’s spirit.  Since discovering this miracle and trying to bring it to market, I have had trials and tribulations, but I have persevered because of  God’s grace present in my life through this unexplainable occurrence.

In fairness, the seller says that a large percentage of the money will go to church causes. However, I can't help but think I could find better uses for my (still yet to be realized) $21 Million. 

If you're in the mood for some snark, see what "Jesus Needs New PR" says.

Money Quote from Bo Diddley

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"Don’t let your mouth write no check that your tail can’t cash."

 

Interesting words for individuals AND the Church.

Riches on Earth

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Yeah, I know. More stuff about money. It keeps coming at me, doesn't it? This was from Pete Wilson's blog, Without Wax. It's a quote from G. Cambell Morgan that puts a good spiritual perspective on our propensity to store up riches on earth.   The Biblical background is Matthew 6:19-21:

  ¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Here's the good quote:

G. Campbell Morgan says, “You are to remember with the passion burning within you, that you are not the child of today, you are not of the earth, you are more than dust; you are the child of tomorrow, you are of the eternities, you are the offspring of Deity.

The measurements of your lives cannot be circumscribed by the point where blue sky kisses green earth. All the fact of your life cannot be encompassed in the one small sphere upon which you live. You belong to the infinite. If you make your fortune on the earth,– poor, sorry, silly soul,– you have made a fortune and stored it, in a place where you cannot hold it.

Make your fortune, but store it where it will greet you in the dawning of the new morning…. We cannot lay up our treasure on earth, it is not characteristic of those in His Kingdom. It was characteristic of the Pharisees. In a sense He was saying to them, “This is just another indication that you are not in My Kingdom no matter what you claim. People in My Kingdom don’t lay up treasure on earth.”

Good stuff. 

Change Your Perspective of Wealth

Change your perspective of wealth: its not how much you have that matters, its how little you need.

Money and Peace

Thinking about finances...for both family and church and for the people around us.

I Found this over at Pete Wilson's "Without Wax."

Andy Stanley once asked, “Do you have money in the bank, but no peace in your heart?”

There is no correlation between money and peace.

Zip.

Zero.

Nada.

Get, earn, save, and invest all of it you want… but you’ll never squeeze an ounce of peace out of it.

God and Money....Part II

This church is giving away cash at the end of services.  Does this make church a game of chance?

Posted via email from The Prodigal Blog

God and Money -- the Consumer Church

Was at our bimonthly clergy gathering in Anchorage for lunch today.  It's always nice, whether we have a book study or some soul-searching or, like today, shoot the breeze.  Our conversation shifted to tithing via credit cards.  Now, I'm well aware of the benefits of this procedure--it's easy for folks who are used to paying with credit card for everything, it can lead to more regular givers as they set up automatic payments, and there's a good paper trail for the church.  And, I'm well aware of the problem that many churches have with the whole thing--namely about 3% of the gift gets taken as a finance charge.  You can do the math.  If someone gives $100, only $97 goes to the church or the particular ministry within the church that the giver wanted to give to.  I brought up that I wasn't too concerned about the 3% charge because I think that's more than made up for by the more regular giving that can be encouraged.  My problem is, perhaps, 21% finance charge that will be put on any unpaid balance on that credit card.  We have too many people in our churches in too much debt.  Does the church really want to enter into that?

Our God had some choice words to say about this interplay between faith and finances.  After The Parable of the Shrewd Manager in Luke 16, he says:

"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

But we sure try to serve both....

And the relationship between these two, God and money, comes up again.   One of our United Methodist Churches in Anchorage has been doing a very successful Wednesday Night Dinner.  They've been very clear.  It's a time for fellowship and to welcome persons into the church in a non-threatening way.  It's for community-building.  It's not for study.  It's not for worship.  And it's not a money-maker.  It's free.  The church didn't want funding to get in the way of ministry.  So, a free meal is given.  The burden is shared.  The community is blessed because of this.  I would argue that this gift is a good thing.

Then, however, I find this picture over at Michael Toy's Blog.

According to the author, this is a picture of:  a church, somewhere in America (not important where) which has asked their members to donate stuff, and then on Easter they are giving it all away.  The hope is, the lure of stuff will cause people to come hear a sermon about the free gift of salvation.  And, if only one person accepts Jesus, it will all be worthwhile.  The picture is of the lobby in their church.
Michael Toy has two reactions to this:

1. Cripes, are you kidding me?  Did anyone ask "wwjd" before they scheduled an orgiastic celebration of consumerism on Easter?  Did they read what Jesus did in the temple?
2. This is so us, so American, so perfect.  No matter what the problem is, the answer is always contained in consumption. 
   

Americans, maybe more than anyone else in the world, are "CONSUMERS."  We consume everything.  We consume more than our "fair share."  We consume when we're depressed or happy or bored.  We consume food just because it's there (I say with latte in front of me at the coffee shop!).  Even after our country was attacked on 9/11 we were directed to the malls to keep American businesses going strong. 



As I go out on a limb and say that providing a free meal on Wednesday nights is "good," I want to say that that giving away cars is probably "bad."



We need to find ways to protect ourselves from serving God and Money.  They both demand our allegiance.

Posted via email from The Prodigal Blog