Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. -Ephesians 5:15-16
It's been a while since I posted anything, longer than I had planned in fact. But the issue is that there is simply nothing new to speak of. Nothing important to speak of. Well, let's rephrase that. There is PLENTY of important things to speak of, but it's a rehash and repeat of things done. The government can't balance the budget, but only seems to keep spending. Obama issues executive orders like some kind of dictator. The European debt crisis continues to roil, suppressing markets worldwide. It's like the good news never comes.
BUT, There is some good news to speak of. Just when towns in Texas were on the verge of being abandoned due to drought, much needed rain fell for three days in a row across large portions of the state. Some places saw several inches. In fact, the National Weather Service office in Houston, Texas, stated in it's climate summary that their was measurable rainfall on three consecutive Tuesdays in a row. There were also reports of as much as 8 inches of rain in November in some areas of the state. According the the US Drought Monitor's Texas summary, the drought statewide has been improving, with the coverage and severity decreasing over the past month due to the rainfall. I have prayed for this, as I'm sure many people have, and it's good to see that God answers prayers.
Back in August, when I first really started paying attention, the situation seemed very dire, almost hopeless. While the weather fluctuates and we all know the drought would inevitably end, it's hard to be patient when virtually everyone feels the effects due to higher food and clothing prices. Cotton, wheat, corn, peanuts, and other crops have all failed because of the drought. But will the rain continue to come?
Well, many speculate that for some areas, no. This is because of a short term oscillation in the Pacific known as La Nina. The cooler waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean result in less moisture flowing up into southern portions of the United States, as large scale High and Low pressure systems are reversed in the Pacific. The La Nina has been present for at least two years now, with a brief neutral phase over the summer. This coming season, the La Nina is forecast to be weaker than last year's La Nina. This may allow for more wet storms to track over Texas, particularly in the central and northern portions of the state, causing the drought to shrink. However, many sections in the southern and western sections will stay drier than normal. This means beef prices will likely stay high, as cattle ranching is big in these areas.
What is the principle in all this? Honestly, I wasn't really aiming for one because I just wanted to lay out a few observations and the basic science behind what is happening. But we can't forget that there is actually good news for our Texas friends. It's good to see that something is falling from the sky and easing the uncertainty in a state battered by horrendous heat and lack of rain over the past year. Keep praying that rain keeps falling.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Christian living, or Christian living? Part 1
"Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." Jesus, Revelation 2:5
I'm a few days later than I would have like to have been on my blog, I know this. But for good reason. Our ISP filed for bankruptcy last week and as a result, a valuable lesson has been learned. Avoid a company that is dependent on government money to stay afloat. Now we have roadrunner internet so hopefully we should stay online for good. ANYWAYS....
This week, I'm going to try and stay observational but it will be hard. This is a topic that may need more attention later as it is a deep topic and has been on my mind for some time. As a Christian, it's painful to see Christians fall so far into a sinful act. It's normal for a Christian to screw up and do something "simple" like let a swear word slip or entertain negative thoughts about a co-worker, but it takes dwelling in continuous sinful acts to reach certain harmful acts or measures, like being a Christian and living together outside of marriage. To compare, it would be the difference between spilling a glass of milk and breaking the glass. It's easy to clean up milk. Not so easy fix a broken glass, and the damage lasts a lot longer.
As I browse my facebook friends list, I see many friends on the list who call themselves Christians and definitely live it, despite the hardships and temptations they faced growing up or even in their lives now. Some friends of mine just lost a loved one, yet they rejoice in the tears because this loved one, like them, was a sister in their faith and they will see her again after their days here on earth are done. There are also people on my friends list that have professed their faith in Christ, yet have experienced a difficult struggle or time in their lives and live in the depths of sin as a result. Don't worry, I won't name any names or tell any stories. This is all about demonstrating the contrast. It's kind of like grains of rice. A Christian who has consistently achieved victory over sin may be like white rice, and a Christian who stays in sin may be like brown rice. Both are the same grain, but on the outside, and inside to some extent, they clearly have different characteristics. But they are both still rice, i.e. Christians. Christians and non-Christians alike can see the difference between a victorious Christian and a despairing Christian.
Now it's to the point that I need to hold my tongue because this is where the observations end. In three weeks, this topic will be continued. First, I must hold true to my word and stick with my first five observational blogs. Jesus said "let your yes be yes and your no be no" so it is only appropriate I follow suit, lest I be a liar. When my thoughts are more collected and the upcoming two blogs are complete, I will explore this topic more and share my own thoughts and ideas on it then. Please check back weekly.
I'm a few days later than I would have like to have been on my blog, I know this. But for good reason. Our ISP filed for bankruptcy last week and as a result, a valuable lesson has been learned. Avoid a company that is dependent on government money to stay afloat. Now we have roadrunner internet so hopefully we should stay online for good. ANYWAYS....
This week, I'm going to try and stay observational but it will be hard. This is a topic that may need more attention later as it is a deep topic and has been on my mind for some time. As a Christian, it's painful to see Christians fall so far into a sinful act. It's normal for a Christian to screw up and do something "simple" like let a swear word slip or entertain negative thoughts about a co-worker, but it takes dwelling in continuous sinful acts to reach certain harmful acts or measures, like being a Christian and living together outside of marriage. To compare, it would be the difference between spilling a glass of milk and breaking the glass. It's easy to clean up milk. Not so easy fix a broken glass, and the damage lasts a lot longer.
As I browse my facebook friends list, I see many friends on the list who call themselves Christians and definitely live it, despite the hardships and temptations they faced growing up or even in their lives now. Some friends of mine just lost a loved one, yet they rejoice in the tears because this loved one, like them, was a sister in their faith and they will see her again after their days here on earth are done. There are also people on my friends list that have professed their faith in Christ, yet have experienced a difficult struggle or time in their lives and live in the depths of sin as a result. Don't worry, I won't name any names or tell any stories. This is all about demonstrating the contrast. It's kind of like grains of rice. A Christian who has consistently achieved victory over sin may be like white rice, and a Christian who stays in sin may be like brown rice. Both are the same grain, but on the outside, and inside to some extent, they clearly have different characteristics. But they are both still rice, i.e. Christians. Christians and non-Christians alike can see the difference between a victorious Christian and a despairing Christian.
Now it's to the point that I need to hold my tongue because this is where the observations end. In three weeks, this topic will be continued. First, I must hold true to my word and stick with my first five observational blogs. Jesus said "let your yes be yes and your no be no" so it is only appropriate I follow suit, lest I be a liar. When my thoughts are more collected and the upcoming two blogs are complete, I will explore this topic more and share my own thoughts and ideas on it then. Please check back weekly.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
A Greecy mess
Then (Jesus) said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” -Matthew 22:21
Watching the mess in Europe unfold is stunning and should be for anyone who knows what a budget is, and keeps one. Over the past week, the first, and by many claims just the initial, implosion of the Eurozone occurred, with the collapse of the Greek government. While this blog is my second of five strictly observational blogs, I would like to explore what this may mean for us, as our dollar is often compared and exchanged with the Euro in trading. This situation is having direct effects on trading of commodities, such as oil, and therefore is important.
The public debt is equal to about 312 billion dollars in Greece, which is the equivalent of each citizen owing over 27 thousand dollars. This amounts to 126 percent of GDP. Now, this may not seem like much of a problem because their public held debt is relatively small compared to the trillions in the U.S., but the problem comes from the fact that the government has been hogtied to do anything as a member of the European Union. When Greece joined the union, members of the European Parliament sound the alarm that Greece is not in a good enough order financially to become a member. The economy in Greece was very strong at the time, however, as they were riding high on a wave of exceptional growth. Their economy prior to 2009 was the fastest growing in Europe. This growth was taken advantage of by the ruling socialist party, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), who grew the government, inflated public benefits and pensions with shorter work days, and enjoyed healthy salaries on the wave of growth. As a result of the excessive growth, the PASOK party began to run deep debts, and keep the debt high throughout their period of beefy economic growth. But when the economy slowed down worldwide in late 2008, the economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism, began to slow in tandem with gradually decreasing tourism. Once this happened, the government couldn't take in the revenue it needed to maintain the interest in it's debt, and a ticking financial timebomb was initiated that may have just started to blow up over the past week with the resignation of prominent leaders.
Greece could be working through this problem more effectively if it had greater financial freedom, at least that is what many voices are saying. The "Ron Paul of Europe," Nigel Farage, has been grilling this on the European Parliament for some time. Now he's actually making sense to many of his fellow members because the measures implemented by the rest of parliament are not working. Mr. Farage brazenly pointed out that Greece is still going to default, because even if the holders if Greece's debt give them a 50 percent break, the public debt will still be at 120 percent of GDP. That's still a MOUNTAIN that could easily keep growing as interest rates on debt will jump in 2014.
The entire financial and economic system in Greece is controlled like the rest of the members of the Eurozone. It is controlled through joint policy handed down by the European Parliament, The European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (of which the U.S. is heavily invested in). This control essentially hogties Greece and the rest of Europe, minimizing the options that the leadership of Greece actually has when dealing with it's own debt.
Big government in Greece started the mess, now an even bigger government is limiting it's options to fix it. The problem is, as a member of the Eurozone, everyone that participates in the Euro will have to carry the baggage of Greece, as the economic issues in Greece will and have been dragging down the value of the Euro and ultimately the entire European Economy. So many people are losing confidence in Greece to balance it's books and for the Parliament to make a wise decision that Iran is now providing most (and by some accounts all) oil to Greece because other oil providers have backed out. And now since Italy may soon join the ranks of Greece, this can only be expected to spread.
So now exactly what does this mean for us? As the Euro loses value, the dollar tends to be stronger, which drives our prices of commodities down as they are traded in dollars. The exchange rates fluctuate daily as one strengthens and the other weakens. Almost always this means cheaper gas at the pumps for us in America. If oil companies cease to do dealings with countries in Europe, then this could play in our favor as well, but only time will tell if it would be enough to have a significant effect on prices, as emerging economies have been notorious for gobbling up oil in growing amounts over the past several years.
The mess in Greece is a lesson that many leaders from around the world should look on and try to avoid at all costs. While Governments work substantially different than businesses, making contractual obligations that they can't fulfill to third party sources or other governments is never a good idea. I'm glad some leaders in the United States see this as well and want to reduce our debts before they explode on us.
Watching the mess in Europe unfold is stunning and should be for anyone who knows what a budget is, and keeps one. Over the past week, the first, and by many claims just the initial, implosion of the Eurozone occurred, with the collapse of the Greek government. While this blog is my second of five strictly observational blogs, I would like to explore what this may mean for us, as our dollar is often compared and exchanged with the Euro in trading. This situation is having direct effects on trading of commodities, such as oil, and therefore is important.
The public debt is equal to about 312 billion dollars in Greece, which is the equivalent of each citizen owing over 27 thousand dollars. This amounts to 126 percent of GDP. Now, this may not seem like much of a problem because their public held debt is relatively small compared to the trillions in the U.S., but the problem comes from the fact that the government has been hogtied to do anything as a member of the European Union. When Greece joined the union, members of the European Parliament sound the alarm that Greece is not in a good enough order financially to become a member. The economy in Greece was very strong at the time, however, as they were riding high on a wave of exceptional growth. Their economy prior to 2009 was the fastest growing in Europe. This growth was taken advantage of by the ruling socialist party, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), who grew the government, inflated public benefits and pensions with shorter work days, and enjoyed healthy salaries on the wave of growth. As a result of the excessive growth, the PASOK party began to run deep debts, and keep the debt high throughout their period of beefy economic growth. But when the economy slowed down worldwide in late 2008, the economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism, began to slow in tandem with gradually decreasing tourism. Once this happened, the government couldn't take in the revenue it needed to maintain the interest in it's debt, and a ticking financial timebomb was initiated that may have just started to blow up over the past week with the resignation of prominent leaders.
Greece could be working through this problem more effectively if it had greater financial freedom, at least that is what many voices are saying. The "Ron Paul of Europe," Nigel Farage, has been grilling this on the European Parliament for some time. Now he's actually making sense to many of his fellow members because the measures implemented by the rest of parliament are not working. Mr. Farage brazenly pointed out that Greece is still going to default, because even if the holders if Greece's debt give them a 50 percent break, the public debt will still be at 120 percent of GDP. That's still a MOUNTAIN that could easily keep growing as interest rates on debt will jump in 2014.
The entire financial and economic system in Greece is controlled like the rest of the members of the Eurozone. It is controlled through joint policy handed down by the European Parliament, The European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (of which the U.S. is heavily invested in). This control essentially hogties Greece and the rest of Europe, minimizing the options that the leadership of Greece actually has when dealing with it's own debt.
Big government in Greece started the mess, now an even bigger government is limiting it's options to fix it. The problem is, as a member of the Eurozone, everyone that participates in the Euro will have to carry the baggage of Greece, as the economic issues in Greece will and have been dragging down the value of the Euro and ultimately the entire European Economy. So many people are losing confidence in Greece to balance it's books and for the Parliament to make a wise decision that Iran is now providing most (and by some accounts all) oil to Greece because other oil providers have backed out. And now since Italy may soon join the ranks of Greece, this can only be expected to spread.
So now exactly what does this mean for us? As the Euro loses value, the dollar tends to be stronger, which drives our prices of commodities down as they are traded in dollars. The exchange rates fluctuate daily as one strengthens and the other weakens. Almost always this means cheaper gas at the pumps for us in America. If oil companies cease to do dealings with countries in Europe, then this could play in our favor as well, but only time will tell if it would be enough to have a significant effect on prices, as emerging economies have been notorious for gobbling up oil in growing amounts over the past several years.
The mess in Greece is a lesson that many leaders from around the world should look on and try to avoid at all costs. While Governments work substantially different than businesses, making contractual obligations that they can't fulfill to third party sources or other governments is never a good idea. I'm glad some leaders in the United States see this as well and want to reduce our debts before they explode on us.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
The Herman Cain harassment Train
"For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light." Jesus in Mark 4:22, New Living Translation.
Herman Cain is the latest and most mysterious success story out of the GOP presidential candidates. Starting with his Florida straw poll upset over Rick Perry and Mitt Romney on September 24, he launched to the top of the GOP candidates and has remained there. His 9-9-9 tax plan, despite it's need for work, has been a major attraction to many Conservative voters. Even a few Independents like myself have taken notice. But lately, an onslaught of media attention has occurred due to some accusations of sexual harassment made towards Mr. Cain.
Let's review the facts about the Cain harassment issue, in chronological order:
1. Conservative are throwing support behind Cain in droves.
2. Liberals don't consider Cain a threat.
3. The victims will probably remain silent (in fact, two out of three have to this point)
4. The events in question occurred over a decade ago.
Will Cain survive? only time will tell. Bill Clinton survived impeachment proceedings during his presidency in the 90's for events that occurred while in office, and he has survived to be a notable, albeit somewhat quiet voice in the media today. But the circumstances were different, so your guess is as good as mine.
Herman Cain is the latest and most mysterious success story out of the GOP presidential candidates. Starting with his Florida straw poll upset over Rick Perry and Mitt Romney on September 24, he launched to the top of the GOP candidates and has remained there. His 9-9-9 tax plan, despite it's need for work, has been a major attraction to many Conservative voters. Even a few Independents like myself have taken notice. But lately, an onslaught of media attention has occurred due to some accusations of sexual harassment made towards Mr. Cain.
Let's review the facts about the Cain harassment issue, in chronological order:
- Politico breaks the news that two female employees under Cain were sexually harassed in the 1990's. (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/67194.html)
- Cain responds, claims that the reports are "baseless and totally false." (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/67203.html)
- Cain, in an effort to maintain and save face, appears on multiple news and talk programs, on several networks early in the week.
- The Washington Post suggests Cain should be quiet on the issue, suggests he may be making matters worse by appearing on shows to defend himself after stating on Monday that there was "enough said" on the issue. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/why-herman-cain-needs-to-stop-talking--immediately/2011/11/01/gIQAJoW0dM_blog.html)
- Cain then blames Perry for the claims and the media for beefing them up.
- One of Cain's accusers speaks out through her lawyer, who claims that she doesn't want to revisit the matter. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/03/herman-cain-sexual-harassment-accuser_n_1073413.html)
- Despite the allegations, several polls have indicated Cain has maintained his momentum, and his flow of donations. (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/04/cain-tries-to-get-back-to-business-as-usual-amid-harassment-allegations/?test=latestnews)
1. Conservative are throwing support behind Cain in droves.
2. Liberals don't consider Cain a threat.
3. The victims will probably remain silent (in fact, two out of three have to this point)
4. The events in question occurred over a decade ago.
Will Cain survive? only time will tell. Bill Clinton survived impeachment proceedings during his presidency in the 90's for events that occurred while in office, and he has survived to be a notable, albeit somewhat quiet voice in the media today. But the circumstances were different, so your guess is as good as mine.
Monday, October 31, 2011
This is just the beginning...
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. -James 3:2
Well, I took the plunge and finally started a blog. It never occurred to me that a matter such as the topic of this blog would become so dear to my heart, but it seems necessary that someone sounds a siren before it's too late. This siren is not meant to ring out to the leaders of this nation, political or religious, but to Christians like me and hopefully a few people of other faiths along the way.
First and foremost, let's lay out the point of this blog. The point of this is to direct Christians who have fallen in love with a certain political party or group, even idolized it to the point that it is their god, back to what the Bible really says we should be doing as Christians in the political arena. We all know the truth hurts, and we have all been offended or even angered because someone spoke the truth to us. Some of you who I call brothers and sisters in the faith will almost certainly be offended or angered at some point with some of the things that I may say here.
My goal at first then will be to gain your trust. To be honest with you, I'm not exactly sure how to do this. But it will be made a priority to keep at least my first five blogs as observational as possible. This means that as I read the news and faith literature of any kind, there will be no serious time dedicated to expounding on what it means for you and I in our daily lives. Just simple observations on the literature and any observed end results.
Only once I have gained your trust as a reader can I safely begin to point out how Christians are getting it wrong in the political arena. Having your trust means you'll listen and consider what I have to say. Since politics is an extremely touchy matter, even among Christians, trust is the most critical element that I must earn from you.
My goal is to do one blog post a week. If there is ever a particular topic or event you think I should cover, don't hesitate to ask. Or any comments on how to improve the nature of this blog, please share them. I would appreciate this or any comment period.
My goal here is to encourage a revival in the political behavior of Christians. Many Christians, myself included, have got it wrong many times and will continue to do so at times, as we are all human. But we can be steered back on course and earn the trust of our fellow Americans again as a freedom loving and compassionate people who view things through a lens of Christ-given peace. Happy reading.
Well, I took the plunge and finally started a blog. It never occurred to me that a matter such as the topic of this blog would become so dear to my heart, but it seems necessary that someone sounds a siren before it's too late. This siren is not meant to ring out to the leaders of this nation, political or religious, but to Christians like me and hopefully a few people of other faiths along the way.
First and foremost, let's lay out the point of this blog. The point of this is to direct Christians who have fallen in love with a certain political party or group, even idolized it to the point that it is their god, back to what the Bible really says we should be doing as Christians in the political arena. We all know the truth hurts, and we have all been offended or even angered because someone spoke the truth to us. Some of you who I call brothers and sisters in the faith will almost certainly be offended or angered at some point with some of the things that I may say here.
My goal at first then will be to gain your trust. To be honest with you, I'm not exactly sure how to do this. But it will be made a priority to keep at least my first five blogs as observational as possible. This means that as I read the news and faith literature of any kind, there will be no serious time dedicated to expounding on what it means for you and I in our daily lives. Just simple observations on the literature and any observed end results.
Only once I have gained your trust as a reader can I safely begin to point out how Christians are getting it wrong in the political arena. Having your trust means you'll listen and consider what I have to say. Since politics is an extremely touchy matter, even among Christians, trust is the most critical element that I must earn from you.
My goal is to do one blog post a week. If there is ever a particular topic or event you think I should cover, don't hesitate to ask. Or any comments on how to improve the nature of this blog, please share them. I would appreciate this or any comment period.
My goal here is to encourage a revival in the political behavior of Christians. Many Christians, myself included, have got it wrong many times and will continue to do so at times, as we are all human. But we can be steered back on course and earn the trust of our fellow Americans again as a freedom loving and compassionate people who view things through a lens of Christ-given peace. Happy reading.
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