Too Close to Home

Mark 10:17-31

This week we start a new series of messages called, Lessons Learned in a Recession. Part of the plan was for me to intro each message with a short interview of someone who lived through the Great Depression and therefore has a wider view on what's happening in our world now. It seems to me we could use some of that perspective and their wisdom these days.

What I didn't count on was that these wonderful, humble old saints don't really want to be interviewed on video. Each one I've asked so far (maybe it's me!) has said, "Oh, I can tell you some things, but don't turn a camera on!" I need one of those 60 Minutes cameras hidden in a brief case button, but I don't carry a briefcase. I might try just audio interviews, but it's a little more fun to watch people. Anyway, all that is to say that I'll be starting the series off sans video interviews!

I started thinking about this series because everything I've been reading and hearing about the economy says that this "recession" may really be the start of a very long-term shift. We've all been looking at this economic situation as if it were a dislocated shoulder that economists can knock back into place with a few twists and pushes here and there. Painful, but things will be okay once it pops back. Now we're all waking up to the fact that it isn't going to be that way. Things have changed. There's a new normal ahead and it may not look like what we've been used to. We're nowhere near what it was like during the Great Depression, but we also don't know what's ahead.

When we start to realize that things have changed, it might feel discouraging. Dreams of security, college, travel, homes, retirement . . . are wavering and may vanish for many. But there are a lot of very good things that come out of such a shift away from our past experience of super-abundance. For instance we start to realize our interdependence and our dependence on God (hopefully). Along with new perspectives, we'll be studying some bible passages and stories that give us insight about better ways to live; what we can learn; what's important now. I hope you'll do more than just listen to these messages. Part of the lesson we're already learning is lean times mean we need each other more than ever. So share your thoughts and wisdom! And watch out, I may have a video camera rolling.

- Curtis

Thank God for the Recession!

The recession really sucks. Especially if you are a victim of a foreclosure, a job loss, a business failure. If you have a retirement account, you're lucky if it's worth 65% what it was a year ago. It's getting hard to not let the current situation impact the way we feel about daily living.

But if we trust God; if we believe he is sovereign (in control) then we have to also trust that he has a purpose - or many purposes - in what's happening. There's something absolutely wonderful that he's doing, right now, as we say, "This sucks!" That's where Hope comes in. This week we look at Abraham, the Father of our faith and a guy with an amazing ability to hope, no matter what came his way.
- Curtis

Deposits Insured

Psalm 90
You remember Chicken Little. Stupid chicken. She thought the sky was falling because an acorn fell on her head. She convinces every other critter she knows that the sky is falling and they all go to tell the King who, apparently, they think is too dumb to notice the imminent end of the world himself. Foxy Woxy (or Loxy, depending on the version of the story) comes along and nearly eats all of them (a metaphor for corporate takeover?). I sort of wish he had eaten CL. A tasty little fried chicken nugget. Is that wrong?

Well, anyway... it's more than an acorn that's been falling lately in the world economy. It has hit everyone and there is a sense that this might just be the beginning. A family member lost their home in California already. I have a friend who is on the verge of losing his formerly very successful business. He's laid off all of his employees, cut his own pay to bare-bones, and brought his daughter home from OSU to attend PSU and work to contribute to the family. In our neighborhood we've seen the calls for help with utility bills and rent go from one every couple of weeks to almost daily now.

Is the sky falling? Who knows. But a bit of perspective is in order. Most of us still have jobs, homes, cars, toasters and pop-tarts. Maybe even 401Ks and nest-eggs, though they've become significantly smaller. The truth is, we've lost some our abundance, while others are losing much more. [How rich are you? Find out here] We don't yet have a clear idea of how a global downturn will impact poor nations who rely on the American economic engine, money sent back to home countries, and richer governments who cease to provide aid and debt forgiveness.

So what's our response as Christians? Do we hunker down and protect? Do we look for ways to help? Do we temper our generosity with caution? I assume we help those who need help. Responsibly, of course. But what I've noticed just this month is that people who are hurting are not only looking for tangible help, they're looking for someone who will simply listen to them. I confess I don't always want to listen; I grow callous and suspicious; I wonder if I'm being manipulated; I ... have to stop and pray. Pray for wisdom, for the mind of Christ, and the compassion of Jesus. Then I can start to respond constructively.
How about it? What can we do for each other, for those who need our support and help? I don't think the sky is falling, but there aren't as many acorns on the tree as there used to be. That might be a good thing in the long run.
Check out this site - Mustard Seed Associates - for some creative ideas others have come up with.
- Curtis