Light-work

Thank God for Presidential Audacity

On October 3rd, 1863, President Lincoln issued a proclamation that included these words:

The year that is drawing towards its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

A lot has changed in 145 years, including the choice by public leaders to use expressions like "dealing with us in anger for our sins," and "gracious gifts of the Most High God." The sentiments in this proclamation may be rarely expressed, but still ring true. Perhaps you would like to read Lincoln's proclamation before you enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner. Here's a link to the complete text.

By the way, there are some elements to President Lincoln's proclamation which have been overshadowed by "the big feast."

And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

President Lincoln proposed that we celebrate Thanksgiving by humbly confessing our failures, both personal and national, by requesting God's care for those facing the recent loss of loved ones, and by imploring God to show favor to our nation. What an audacious proposal by an American President - but a perfectly sensible one to those who know God.

The Adding Machine Says It Ain't Chump Change

Finally, someone has discovered how to use an adding machine as we herald the "bailout of the day." Here's the scoop from Bloomberg. If you want to see the research behind the article, click here. Bloomberg did what, to my knowledge, no one else has done. They simply added up all the commitments, lines of credit, and guarantees being put forward by the Fed, FDIC, Treasury, and FHA to "solve the economic crisis." The total is $7.7 trillion and counting!

Here's an illuminating quote: "The money that’s been pledged is equivalent to $24,000 for every man, woman and child in the country. It’s nine times what the U.S. has spent so far on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Congressional Budget Office figures. It could pay off more than half the country’s mortgages."

Oh, how my confidence soared at this inspiring gambit from Ben Bernanke:  “Some have asked us to reveal the names of the banks that are borrowing, how much they are borrowing, [and] what collateral they are posting,” Bernanke said Nov. 18 to the House Financial Services Committee. “We think that’s counterproductive.” Huh? It's counter to whose productivity? Certainly not mine. We, the taxpayers, are supposed to fork over $7 trillion but without knowing to whom and for what. This sounds like the kind of scam a Somalian pirate would drool over!

By the way, the largest share of this $7.7 trillion came from the New York Fed, where Timothy Geitner is President. Yup - He's Obama's appointee to be Secretary of the Treasury. So I guess that "change we can believe in" will involve more than chump change.

I am so glad that God's economy is never strapped for cash: And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed (2 Cor. 9:8). Credit may be tight, the market in turmoil, and main street in distress. But if you know Jesus as your Savior, you have a ready supply of grace, more than enough to do good to those around you. You are flush enough with grace to lavish good deeds on others. God's got you covered. Get out there and spread the wealth!

Are home-schoolers all that smart?

Okay, here's one more results box for those of you who took the ISI civic literacy exam. But this box is not for everyone. In a previous post, I raised some doubts about the capacity of the state to teach students about itself. So, let's see if my theory holds any water. I would like anyone who was home-school educated for a minimum of four years AND has completed the 9th grade to enter his/her score. I also want anyone who taught home school for four or more years to enter his/her score. I realize that this is not a proper sampling technique, but it will give us some insight into the civic literacy of those who have been less civically educated by the state. If you know students or teachers who meet our criteria, send them to this link to take the test, and then encourage them to enter their scores in the box below. What will it show? Does home-schooling make things better or worse?

Online Surveys & Market Research

Do L-W Readers Make the Grade?

Okay, in the previous post, I challenged you to take the ISI civic literacy test. How did you do? Would you please use the box below to enter your score? This will be anonymous, so don't worry about the civic literacy police tracking you down. If your scores are better than the ISI sample group, it may provide a convenient way for us to determine if reading L-W is good for your civic literacy. (Or perhaps it will suggest that the more civically literate among us come to L-W.) If your scores are below the average, I plan on redoubling my efforts to combat civic illiteracy.

Online Surveys & Market Research

How stupid are we?

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute has some bad news. Most people are civically illiterate. And elected officials know even less! Before you read further, why don't you check your civics knowledge? Click on this link to take the test - It will only take about 10 minutes. (I already have and we can compare grades at the end of this post.)

If you would like to read the full report of their findings, click this link. Here are some comments on their process: The "more than 2,500 random selected Americans," were interviewed by phone. So the results do not reflect the level of knowledge of "phone-less" Americans. I suspect that the results might be even more alarming if this group was included. Among those responding by telephone interview, there is a small margin of error (+/- 2% at 95% confidence level). I might have used a few different questions reflecting my personal quirks about civic literacy. But the list of questions was prepared from multiple reputable sources. The bottom line is that this survey is not producing merely anecdotal evidence. 

If you were tracking with me in the previous post, then you already know I have doubts about the effectiveness of "education by the state." The ISI report only elevates my level of doubt. Here's my reason: Since the state has appointed itself to be the educator of our children, you would think that there is one topic about which it is an expert. Surely the state ought to be able to teach students about ITSELF! Alas, 68% of all respondents (9 out of 10, presumably, coming from public education) failed the test! If the state won't be honest about itself or cannot teach children about itself, how successful will it be in other subjects?

If you have not already done so, please take the test. I missed four of the questions (two were stupid mistakes, two were clear markers of my ignorance) and received a "B." Tomorrow, I will give you an opportunity to log your results (anonymously) at L-W. Will doing so reveal something astonishing about those in the L-W clubhouse or betray us as unremarkable? Don't wonder about it - Click this link to take the test, have it scored, and come back tomorrow.

What the Government's Track Record Shows

Current economic trends are fueling a socialist drive for greater regulation. Thanks to Despair, Inc. for capturing (at left) my sentiments about how well things will turn out as government is unleashed to "do more for us."

There is one domain where government has been in the center of things for some time, education. We are afraid of socialized health care and nationalized financial institutions. But we already have socialized education, and nine out of ten children are committed to the state for their "indoctrination."

Joel Belz has written an editorial titled Children of the State that you MUST read. Mr. Belz believes we have already yielded the high ground. By allowing education to be ordered by the state, we grant it a platform from which to shape the hearts and minds of our children. Just look at what government has done at school to get an idea of how well other socialist initiatives will play out. Government's track record in education gives us every reason to be concerned about socialist trends in other domains.

An analysis of what the Bible says about how children are to be educated will emphasize the centrality of mothers and fathers. Here is one of many passages that lays the responsibility for the education of children squarely at the feet of parents: Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). Government is missing in such mandates. But government is only too happy to expand its power by stepping into the vacuum created by parental passivity. So do your part to fill the void and join the fight against Big Government. Ask yourself this simple question: "What does Jesus think my children most need to learn and understand?" Then take the necessary steps to make sure they get it. The state isn't going to do THAT. But you can!

A Bazillion Leaves Too Many

Lean times are in the wind. But the trees that surround Light-Work HQ have a plan.  They have weighed the cost of maintaining their myriad photosynthesis units and it is time to close their factories. Liquidation is in full swing as they prepare to conserve their energies for winter. Smart move! Sometimes the best way to beat the hard times is to hunker down for a season and make a fresh start when things brighten up.

Alas, the tree's scheme has created some fallout for others, in this case, me! Don't get me wrong. I am grateful for the big show they host while going into maintenance mode, and the colors really are quite stunning. But when it's all over, I am staring at a bazillion leaves too many. Sure, I leave most of them where the trees and wind have put them. I'm sure they will do some future good there. But lawns (if you can call mine that), patios, and driveways are not the best place to inventory these discards.

What's a guy to do? In the past, I would get very well-acquainted with a leaf blower and lawn rake. Spare time in the Fall was spent with them. Despite all that time spent together, ours was not a happy relationship. Blisters, a twisted back, sore muscles, and the sense of time lost were my most vivid memories of days with Mr. Lawn Rake.

A couple of years ago, I doled out the cash for a Cyclone Rake - my weapon of choice for fall yard cleanup. It's like a vacuum cleaner that you attach to your riding lawn mower. Combined with the cutting deck, this baby sucks up leaves like a baleen whale in a school of krill. When it's full, it tips up like a dump-truck to dispatch its cache.

Some of the product testimonials gush overmuch. I wouldn't call this rite of Fall "fun" - but it is very satisfying. I can now accomplish in a few hours what previously took days. So now, when the trees are closing up shop for the year, I can enjoy the color, do my bit without fanfare, and move on to others things. Just like the trees.

Trashy Cash

As any L-W wonk knows, I am into econ. I came across something that I would put on everyone's "must read" list. It's an article by Judy Shelton titled Stable Money is the Key to Recovery that appeared in The Wall Street Journal on Nov. 14, 2008. It's clear, straight-forward, and on target - clink the link and read the whole thing! Sometimes you can be staring straight at all the data but be blind to the logical conclusion. When it smacks you in the face, you reel from your own obtuseness in the face of the obvious.

Ms. Shelton has definitely slapped me good. I have thought along similar lines before - here's a recent post as proof. But I did not see that the newly discovered "strength" of the dollar argues against its suitability as an instrument of economic recovery. As long as we cling to our fickle paper, we CANNOT restore health to the market.

The dollar had been in a multi-year pattern of erosion. In March of 2008, that trend hit bottom. Then in late summer, the dollar took off, reclaiming lost ground with a vengeance. "Why?" is not the issue. Volatility is. From April, 2006, to April, 2008, the dollar lost over twenty percent of its value. Since July of this year, it has regained almost all of the ground it had lost. Here's Ms. Shelton's point, but in my words: Markets don't work when you can't read the price tags. When currencies are moving all over the map, especially when they are doing so at high velocity, you do not know whether you have made a smart or stupid trade. How efficiently will a market work when every purchase is a pig in a poke? Now I am quoting the writer: "Price signals in the global marketplace are hopelessly distorted."

There is a simple solution - reconnect currencies to a stable store of value. I say again: Solomon was no slouch economist. He viewed the importance of standardized weights and measures as a matter of utmost concern. A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight (Prov. 11:1). Money, which is a measure of value, serves us ill when it becomes a sliding scale. An "inflating dollar" or "deflating dollar" is simply another way to describe a balance that reads false, a weight that keeps changing its heft.

Now more than ever - we need a scale that reads true and weights that are fixed. Without them, the economy cannot be fixed.

Join the Fight Against Praise Team Chaos

Musicians have guts. They pull something out of their hearts, showcase it under a spotlight, and then allow others to decide its  merits. It's a simple two way deal struck between the band and those catching their act, and it takes courage. For the praise team at your church, this dynamic is more complicated. There's a third party involved and what He thinks matters more than the band's satisfaction with their offering or the audience's approval.

At Collierville Bible Church, we recognize that there's a lot at stake when leading a congregation to praise God. Things can run amok in a hurry. To fight the chaos, we have prepared a pamphlet that is given to everyone with an interest in serving on the team. We ask them to voice their agreement with the handbook BEFORE joining. I have attached a copy of our Praise Team Handbook for your reference. If you don't have something like this, feel free to borrow some content from ours. Anything we can do to keep our praise on track is mission critical. Join the fight against praise team chaos.

Is it a good idea to be good for goodness sake?

Are you sick of all the positive thinking blather frothed up in motivational posters? If so, you might have the right stuff to do some Christmas shopping at Despair, Inc. The sample above captures their take on the whole inspirational poster scene:

AT DESPAIR, INC., we believe motivational products create unrealistic expectations, raising hopes only to dash them. That's why we created our soul-crushingly depressing Demotivators® designs, so you can skip the delusions that motivational products induce and head straight for the disappointments that follow!

There is optimism and then there is blind optimism - and I appreciate Despair's attempts to put the latter in it's place. It is comforting to know that at least someone can see through a positive outlook that lacks a foundation in fact.

Alas, the latest unChristmas campaign sponsored by the American Humanist Association doesn't seem to be headed in the same direction as Despair. This is the organization that is using a controversial campaign of bus signs to create some buzz and identify prospects. (See the sample at right - "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake.")

Who are these guys? Click this link to get it in context, but here's what they have to say about themselves: 

Many people imagine that the only way to be good in this world is through belief in a god. But is that really necessary? Must we be bound by moral dictates set down in “sacred” texts written hundreds, if not thousands of years ago? Must we accept the authority and judgments of “spiritual” leaders and religious hierarchy? Does religious faith offer the only lens through which to judge life’s events?

The answer to these questions is no! There is another way for us to approach life. We can have ethics and values that aren't set in stone. Our ideals and principles can evolve over time to reflect our ever-changing and increasingly complex world. Yet, we can be confident of the decisions that we make, not because someone told us what to do but because we relied on our own careful reasoning and emotional reflection. We can live a life that accepts and appreciates the world as it is, without needing to see supernatural explanations behind every event. This is a positive and uplifting way to live.

Okay, L-W crowd, what's your assessment? Is this an attempt to gin up a sunny outlook without the sun? Is this the kind of fluff that Despair, Inc., would lampoon? Are the above two paragraphs populated by straw men? Is this a viable candidate for a "positive and uplifting way to live?" Some of you have been reading Light-Work for too long without comment. It's time to weigh in and test your reflexes. How would you respond to someone who espouses this view? Just in case you're procrastinating with this project, here's another motivating poster from Despair, Inc.

Those Nicer Evangelicals

When we started Collierville Bible Church almost twenty years ago, one of our first challenges was finding an appropriate name for the new work. The church was sponsored by First Evangelical Church of Memphis and the assumption was that the new work would have the word "evangelical" in its name as a hallmark of this lineage. But we ran into a snag. We discovered that the meaning of the word "evangelical" was fuzzy. When we tested out "Collierville Evangelical Church," it left most people wondering, "So what are you?" They couldn't tell you what an "evangelical" is - but they did understand the word "Bible." We figured, "Honoring, learning, and applying the Bible is what we're about - why not make it our middle name?"

This name choice was not a departure from being evangelical, however. Here's an excerpt from the notes for the CBC New Members class:

Collierville Bible Church could be described as an evangelical, doctrinally conservative church.  CBC is an independent congregation – it is not part of a larger organization nor a representative of a particular denomination. When we say it’s “evangelical,” that word describes lots of different kinds of churches who share a common vision: They proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and believe it is essential to do so. To say that CBC is doctrinally conservative means that we’re not interested in innovation, novelty, or creativity when it comes to interpreting the Bible. We strive to be faithful to the timeless truths taught in God’s word.

The words in bold capture our basic summary of what it means to be evangelical. It seems fairly straight-forward. But cultural and political trends have messed with my tidy definition. The meaning of "Evangelical" has become even fuzzier than it was twenty years ago. The term has come to be bandied about, often as a slam against those who are attempting to rally Christians toward political conservatism. Evangelicals are depicted as those who coerce or impose their beliefs on others. Here's what happened at a church in Michigan last weekend - just to give you some appreciation for the problem.

In an attempt to deflect some of the criticism, a group of evangelical heavyweights has drafted An Evangelical Manifesto. Here is a very handy summary that is also available at their website. I can commend both documents but I am not sure if their strategy will prove effective. Here is the logic behind it - these are my words, not theirs:

People are mad at evangelicals. But they are mad for reasons that are unfounded. If they just understood what we believe, they would see that much of their criticism is based on misrepresentations. If they would just read our manifesto and get to know us, we could all be friends.

I am glad for their efforts to jettison some baggage and clarify what we believe. And I will be delighted with whatever benefits this effort imparts to the debate in the public square. But even if we were called "those nice evangelicals," the clash between world-views will remain both real and fierce.

Getting Mad at the Wrong Guy

Here's a handy prescription for those who want to conquer anger. When you find yourself getting steamed, ask yourself, "Is my anger directed at the wrong guy?" Proverbs 19:3 describes a condition that can lead to anger: The foolishness of man ruins his way, and his heart rages against the Lord (Prov. 19:3). This Proverb has two phrases, the first describes a situation, the second outlines what follows.

Here's the situation. A man has made a foolish choice with serious consequences. It could have been an unwise business decision, an inappropriate relationship, a knee-jerk response, or a course involving moral compromise. Whatever he did, it was fueled by foolishness and, not surprisingly, has turned out badly. The second phrase describes the result and it is ironic. Instead of admitting, "I did something foolish," he gets mad at God. What's God got to do with it? God doesn't resort to "bailouts" for foolishness. As a good parent, He allows us to experience the consequences of our poor choices. God is not responsible for the ruin a man reaps when he sows foolishness.

So when you feel yourself getting angry, do a quick diagnostic. Try to identify ways in which the outcome that is prompting you to anger is the result of your own actions. Make a list of ways you could have done things differently to reap a different outcome. If you come up with just one item on your list, then you're getting mad at the wrong person. Go look in a mirror and counsel the person you see to use all that energy to make some changes. Repeat as necessary.

The Hungry Man Advantage

Campbell Soup hit the advertising jackpot in the late 60's with it's jingle, "How do you handle a hungry man? The Manhandlers." (If you are older than 50 and were raised in America, you know the melody that goes with the lyrics.) Embedded in the slogan is the assumption that a hungry man is a force to be reckoned with. One of the world's wisest economists and an ancient King of Israel understood the concept that lies behind this ad.

During Solomon's 40 year reign, he unleashed an unprecedented season of national prosperity. My suspicion that Solomon could help us out of our current economic crisis led me into a 60 day study of his opus, the book of Proverbs. In its pages, I have discovered a collection of bedrock principles for a nation that wants to put it's financial house in order. One of those principle's could be called the "Hungry Man Advantage." It's found in Prov. 16:26: A worker’s appetite works for him, for his hunger urges him on (Prov. 16:26). Hunger is a worker's ally. It drives him to engage in pursuits that promise the satisfaction of his need. But Solomon is not just talking about "what's for dinner;" When compensation and performance are connected, a lack of results serves a beneficial purpose. 

Solomon discerns a vital connection between need and motivation. When you satisfy needs irrespective of labor to meet those needs, you remove a man's reason to work. When compensation is disconnected from performance, you destroy initiative. This is what makes handouts dangerous. And this is what makes our resort to "bailouts" a reminder of medical ads on TV. You know the ones I'm talking about, where they market a drug to relieve some malady and then cite a list of "possible side effects." The side effects sound worse than the original condition!

Here's an illustration. Assume you are a college teacher and in the first day of class you announce that you will give everyone who remains enrolled in the class an "A," regardless of attendance and performance. Now ask yourself these three questions: How many will drop the class? How many will attend the class? How many will work at mastering the material? If you answered "none" to all three, you see what Solomon sees: Everyone (perhaps with one or two exceptions) will do the minimum: They will stay on the roll expecting to do nothing beyond this and to receive an "A" for their "effort."

There is a place for compassion when it is informed by wisdom and extended to those who encounter hardship not of their own making. But handouts and bailouts have dangerous "side-effects" when extended to those reaping what they have sown. Wise up! Allow the lack of compensation resulting from poor performance to be an asset. Allow it to lock in some vital lessons on "things I should do differently." Handouts and bailouts might answer an immediate need but will diminish the reason for men and women to be productive and make wise choices. We will never get out of the hole if our "solutions" teach men and women to do less while expecting more. Pay people to be stupid and stupidity will start popping up everywhere. Won't this be fun.

Will Obama Make A Believer Out of You?

Check out the map at left and you get a sense of just one of the problems facing President Elect Obama. A majority in the heartland of America do not believe "Yes, we can." In his victory speech (click here for a copy of the complete text), he addressed those who would disagree with his decisions and policies: "But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you [to] join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand."

I am not trying to be cynical (Ok, maybe just a little - but I AM trying to make a reasonable comparison). This sounds like something Pharaoh could have honestly said to his Israelite work force. When the Israelites filed a labor protest, Pharaoh listened, went ballistic, and swiftly cut off their supplies of a vital raw material. He was honest about the new challenge the Israelites now faced and unrelenting in his requirement that the Israelites meet their production quotas and remake Egypt "brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand." At face value, Obama offers me little more: The hope of registering complaints with fat chance of changing anything.

I am trying NOT to go negative here. I have declared my intention to respect the laws and leaders of our nation and I detest the "he's-not-my-president" bumper sticker bologna that showed up after the election of President Bush. But I think it's important to make a fair assessment of the environment in which that response must be worked out "brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand."

The map above is somewhat misleading. It shows a greater geographical area in red than in blue. If we adjust the size of each state according to its electoral vote, we get a different picture. The area in blue now dominates the map and makes the red states much less of a force to be reckoned with. How much value will Obama attach to listening to the red states?

I think he is going to have his hands more than full placating the blue monster. "It's the economy, stupid," was a key campaign slogan in Bill Clinton's defeat of George H. W. Bush. The slogan was missing but not the sentiment in Obama's victory. Pundits and exit polls are calling economic concerns the engines driving his victory. People want Obama to make everything all better, and the blue monster thinks he's the man to do it.

I have heard folks talking about Obama as the leader we "deserve." I find Sam Mathid's sentiment more to the point: “People do not get what they 'deserve', they get precisely what it is that they are prepared to put up with.” If the blue monster becomes disappointed with President Obama's economic progress, they might not put up with him for long.

I think Mr. Obama gets this. In his victory speech, He cautioned, "We may not get there in one year or even one term." He is trying to buy time in the knowledge that the blue monster is fully expecting those changes-we-can-believe-in to arrive, if not on inauguration day, shortly thereafter.

Light-Work Announces Use of Improved Electrons

Talk about a major pain! For the last several weeks, the local utility (MLGW) has been "improving our electrical service" - see "improvement in action" pictured at left. It's been an odd way to make things better. Every weekday (with a few exceptions) they cut the power between 9 and 10 AM and turn it on sometime in the afternoon. When I call the MLGW hotline (I now have it on speed-dial.), I don't get much information other than the day's projected time to restore power. So I tracked down the utility crew to get a first hand report. They informed me that yesterday was their last day on the project. Really? Wow!

So, today, I am using my new and improved electricity - doesn't it look better? Hopefully, we can meet our L-W word quotas now that a steady stream of more robust electrons is headed our way.