The economic mess as told by Dick and Jane

Many ask what is really going on with the stock market, banks failing, and big corporations and mutual funds losing billions of dollars. Here is a simple explanation in terms that we can all relate to:
Let's say you buy a house for $100,000 and get the largest loan that you can find for that pruchase, say a $95,000 loan. You make your payments on time, but you learn that real estate values had gone down since you bought your home and now your property is only valued at $75,000. The bank writes you a letter and says they want you to reduce the blalnce on your loan from about $92,000 to $71,250.......RIGHT NOW. most of us would not be able to do that, and would be declared in default and be forced into bankruptcy, or make some other emergencty plan. This is basically what has happened to the investment banks, mutual funds, and other companies investing in mortgage backed securities. Becasue variable rates on many mortgages increased, values went down, and the economy began to slow, a higher percentage of mortgages went into foreclosure. Still well over 90% of theses mortgages are performing, yet the holders of the securities are being forced to write down the value of the securities, by large amounts. The accountants, using the mark to market rules make the banks or holders of the securities take the loss now, thus causing the problems.

The economy is in crisis- Who's in charge?

I have watched with great interest, the ups and downs of the stock market, prices of oil, and vast fluctuations in the US and world economy along with the predictions of what bank will be the next to fall. I also think it’s interesting to watch the politicians, the presidential race, and all that regalia as they point fingers at the opposite party, in an attempt to “fix blame” for the financial mess that the US is in, along with pretty much the rest of the world, excluding most of the OPEC alliance.
The world just doesn’t “get it”. Since recorded history, including the biblical accounts of man, our world runs in cycles. There are good times, There are bad times. They have been around always. In the biblical times, they called them “famines or droughts” instead of recession or depression. But the effect was about the same. Bad times. God always had a plan to see his people through the famine.
Today, our society and culture think we are smart enough to control everything. So when the economy isn’t great, we look for someone to blame. We refuse to acknowledge that we aren’t in control. As I write this, some of the (supposedly) smartest economic people in the world are furiously trying to craft an economic bail out plan that will work to solve the financial issues our country and the world faces right now. God may bring our economy down to it’s knees or He may not, but whatever happens, he is in control.
Not Wall Street.
Not Washington.
Not Warren Buffett
Not Senators Obama or McCain.
In September 2001, when our nation was reeling from the 9/11 attacks, our churches were filled, and the US congress prayed together, publicly. How soon those pleas to our God fell by the wayside. Maybe God is once again wanting our Nation’s attention and using this, yet another crisis to call out to our nation and even to the world, “I am in control”
God teach us to rely on you for everything in our lives, including our finances. Teach our leaders to be your servants, first. Give us wisdom as a nation to make choices that will honor you and that are wise.

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a human heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

Last week I attended a leadership conference from Willow Creek. Good speakers, and great materials. One of the guys at the conference (the Rwanda Investigator) told a story about growing up when he was about 10. His dad took him and his 2 brothers to Mt. Rainier. They were at the visitor center and were planning to climb to the base camp level. Pretty strenuous and a little scary. The guy, (Craig) was a little scared. Then he saw the sign that warned about the danger of going further, etc. and he really got scared. What if he couldn’t make it? What if he fell? His brothers would laugh and ridicule him. It was cold, and would get colder as they climbed. So he, told his dad, that he thought it would be “boring” (he couldn’t say he was scared) and he stayed at the visitor center while they made the climb. He sat around the visitor center for a few hours, it was nice and warm, but after a while it became stuffy; the loop videos got old, and he found himself wishing he had gone on the adventure, even though it was a little scary. When his dad and brothers got back, they were “flushed” with the excitement and thrill of making the climb, seeing the views, etc. Craig knew he had “missed out” and regretted not taking the chance and getting in a “cowboy up” stance, getting past the fear and going for it.
He told that story to relate to us, how we should not “do the safe thing” all the time. That we should make bold moves as God leads us, take chances and go for the gold!
So that as we reach the end of our life here, we don’t look back with regret about the things we never did, and the chances we never took for God.
I hope I always have an adventurous attitude and never get into a “prevent defense”.
I know how those prevent defenses always work out for the RedSkins!

Stories and Adventures of my life

I hope to use this blog to record my life as it progresses, lessons that God uses people and circumstances to teach me, and thoughts and ideals of how we can best "do life" for these 60 or 80 short years. I'm not sure when I will make this post public, if ever.