Light-work

Should Obama Fight Terror Left Handed?

In the swashbuckling classic, The Princess Bride, kidnapping accomplice Inigo Montoya boasts before his sword duel with the man in black, "I'm going to do him left-handed." Alas, Inigo misjudges his mysterious opponent, whom we eventually learn is Westley, an accomplished sword master doing temp work as The Dread Pirate Roberts. He also happens to be the one true love of the kidnappee, Princess Buttercup. Inigo's pride makes it seem reasonable to hobble himself and grant his highly motivated opponent an advantage. Big mistake!

I cannot help but wonder if Obama is taking a cue from Inigo in his fight against terror. One of the many executive orders flying from the White House is this one calling for the closure of detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay. Will this measure handicap our efforts in the war on terror? Recidivism of combatants is not a purely academic or theoretical question: Here's a relevant Reuters report. Is Obama so sure of himself that he is willing to spot the terrorists a few points at the beginning of his term in office?

My concern, however, is not just about the potential of seeing some of the Gitmo detainees rejoin their comrades in arms. The war against terror is an asymmetric conflict. The terrorist is successful with but one spectacular act of destruction. It can be preceded by a thousand foiled plans and failed schemes. But getting it right ONE TIME is all he needs. It's a completely different story for those who fight terror. They can identify and infiltrate myriad terrorist cells; make a long string of successful arrests and seizures; prevent countless "acts of terror." But getting it wrong ONE TIME is sufficient to label them as failures. Of course, the defenders are not failures. They have a long string of prior accomplishments. But the PERCEPTION of failure is the yield the terrorist seeks. Terrorism is about harvesting the debilitating fears of a people. One blazing solitary act can yield a bumper crop of perceived defeat.

So what will happen should the minions of terror get it right ONE TIME in the next four years? How well will it play that Obama APPEARED to fight terror left handed? His executive order will be perceived as evidence that he took the threat too lightly. The President's failure and the terrorists' success will become grist for doubts about his ability. As we are consumed by thoughts of "what the terrorists will do next," they will have achieved their aim, for us to live in fear, with assistance from our own President.

By the way, this ought to put some perspective on the presidency of George W. Bush. After the attack on 9/11 began the war on terror, he got it right 100% of the time - the terrorists not once. This is no small accomplishment and I hope we are grateful for what we have enjoyed on his watch. Perhaps God will show us four more years of such grace - if Obama is "going to do them left-handed," we need God's grace now more than ever.

A Curious Case of Numb Worship

Last Monday, I did my usual morning routine at the gym. On the way home, some mild tingling in my arm became general numbness in my entire right side from the neck down. I went to the Collierville ER where I was disappointed that no one shouted "stat" or whisked me away on a careening gurney accompanied by a posse of alarmed staff. Alas, my experience would have made for pretty boring TV - two days of waiting occasionally punctuated by close encounters with machines. But I am grateful for the verdict - good heart, good arteries, good brain - good stuff.

I was awed as I watched the video monitor while they used ultrasound waves to examine my heart. Each valve spoke steadily in its own unique voice. The muscles surrounding the chambers of my heart flexed on cue without pomp and fanfare. Here was a window into something that happens over 85,000 times EVERY DAY and without the slightest conscious thought on my part. My heart rhythmically squeezes and relaxes and, in so doing, supplies the rest of my body with the essentials of LIFE. I could barely take in this symphony in motion without singing along with the Psalmist: I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well (Ps. 139:14). Very well, indeed!

Do We Really Want Another WPA?

According to the New York Times, President-elect Barack Obama is studying Franklin D. Rooseveldt. The incoming President wants to have a conversation with the American public, and thinks FDR is a pretty good role model of how to pull it off.

I wish Mr. Obama's FDR studies were limited to "how to be a better communicator" and didn't include emulating his method of getting American back to work. The largest new deal agency under FDR's administration was the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Alas, Rahm Emmanuel, the President-elect's chief of staff, hints that there may be a WPA in our future: "One course is do nothing and continue to shed millions of jobs and the other course is to begin to invest in creating 3.5 million jobs and American competitiveness. And to do it as quickly as possible.”

Is this a simple choice between "A" and "B?" Is "quickly" using tax dollars to pay wages for projects of questionable necessity the only alternative to "doing nothing?" There are more than two possibilities. The opposite of doing nothing is doing something. A certain something will either make things better or make things worse. So now we have three possibiities: Do nothing, do something that makes things better, and do something that makes things worse. According to a recent article from the Heritage Foundation, the "something" FDR did would fall in the latter category. Unemployment levels did not improve until the US became the producer of war materiel for her allies. Prior to WWII, FDR's WPA economic stimulus plan was a bust. Do we really want to head down this path?

The Real Prosperity Gospel

Who doesn't want to prosper? All men (with a few bizarre exceptions) share this basic desire. They differ, however, by the creative range of means they use to pursue this prosperity. Solomon knew a thing or two about prosperity, so his thoughts on the subject warrant our attention. Listen to this striking piece of counsel: He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion (Prov. 28:13).

The genuine prosperity of seeing your plans and desires come to fruition is put in jeopardy when your energies are dissipated in attempts to conceal your secret sins. The fear of being discovered, doing what you must to keep from being found out, is a terrible waste of your energies. The healthy alternative is both simple and scary. Honestly admit what you have done to those who need to hear your confession, God being the first name on your list. Then, make a clean break from your sin. As you do, you will find yourself on the receiving end of compassion, both from God as well as those who know what it means to be forgiven.

This is not just Solomon's idea. Peter echoes the same promise on the day that the church came into existence: “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

When Jesus died on the cross he made it POSSIBLE for men to have their sins wiped away. But they have their own part to play to turn what is possible into what is ACTUAL. To "repent" and "return" is something each man must choose for himself. Those who do unlock the power of the Gospel to make men rich. Inner refreshment, a sense of God's presence, compassion from God and others - I would call the recipient of such treasure a truly wealthy man.

The Preferred Way to Lose Stuff

Here's a recent snapshot from our ministry partners in central India. The people in this picture serve Jesus in a place where doing so can prove costly. But despite damage to property and time in jail, they are still smiling. Why? They understand the meaning of this passage: But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one (Heb. 10:32-34).

In the current economic crisis, lot's of folks have suffered losses, too. But they're not smiling. Why not? When your treasure is on earth, it's depressing when you take a big hit in the marketplace. But when your real treasure is safe and secure in heaven, and you're using all the disposable stuff here on earth for Jesus, then who cares when you lose some stuff! It's all going to burn up anyway! So here's a simple choice - EITHER accept the loss of earthly benefits for Jesus sake and you can keep smiling (because your real treasure is safe). OR, live for earthly treasure and fight depression when your portfolio takes a beating (because your hoard is vanishing). I join our Indian partners by choosing the former as my preferred method to lose stuff.

A Glimpse of the Forest and Lemming Dollars

Can't see the forest for the trees? The dramatic events in the current economic crisis have been blocking our view. But here are a few charts that take a long view and should help you get a sense of what the forest really looks like. These are very basic charts that give you forest view information. Take a look.

The first comes from James Turk, the founder of Gold-Money, in an article titled "Gold Climbs Eight Years in a Row." What it shows is that gold has posted double digit average annual gains against EVERY major currency over the last eight years. For example, if you took $100 dollars (USD) and bought some gold at the beginning of 2001 and then sold that gold for dollars at the end of 2008, you would receive $324 dollars for your original investment. In other currencies, the specific yield would vary. But regardless of the currency you used to make your original purchase, you would come out way ahead if you bought and held gold for the last eight years. The current crisis is starting to make people THINK about gold. For eight years already, it's been more than just a a good thought!

Here is a link to a series of charts prepared by Michael Maloney from GoldSilver.com. I consider his entire article required reading for any member of the Light-work fraternity of economic awareness. Let me show you just two of his charts to get your attention. (By the way, both of these charts are built on data from the Federal Reserve itself. )

The first one shows you the total amount of coins and paper dollars that have been created since 1919. I have noted in red and blue what ought to jump out at you: It has taken us 200 years to create the first 800 billion dollars - it has taken us only a few months to create the second! Have you noticed that the $100 bills the bank is giving out these days are all fresh and new? No surprise, according to the chart. There are tons of them looking for new homes. But you ain't seen nothin', yet. Take a look at a second chart presented by Mr. Maloney.

This one shows you how much of this money is circulating. If you want to seize some VERY SPECIAL INSIGHT, you need to compare this chart to the previous one. Ask yourself, "How much of the money that has been printed or coined (previous chart) is actually circulating (this chart)?" Notice the modest little up-tick at the very end that probably shows about a 50 billion dollar increase. That ain't peanuts, but it is a drop in the bucket compared to the 7-800 billion dollar vertical line at the end of the previous chart. Conclusion? While the amount of money that has been created in the last few months is staggering, comparatively little of it has entered the marketplace, YET! When those dollars show up, there will be twice as many of them chasing the same amount of goods and services. I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but it doesn't take that kind of insight to see what's coming. Those dollars will be like lemmings headed for the cliffs.

I am not giving out financial counsel, but a stroll through the above forest shows me something quite plainly: Gold good, dollar bad. I cannot tell when all those newly printed dollars will "come to market," but when they do, escalating prices cannot be far behind.

Ta-dah: The Beavers

Okay, the holidays are behind us, so the risk of influencing your Christmas shopping should be negligible. Here they are, the 2009 winners of Light-Work Beaver Awards. These are the product offerings that capture the spirit of consumption and acquisition that is so integral to modern life. Just in case someone doesn't understand the literary style called "tongue in cheek," I refuse to offer links to sites where you can purchase this stuff. If you feel the urge to buy something, I will not be an accessory to your crimes against humanity.

 The Flush with Cash Beaver goes to Renova for their "super premium brand" of black toilet paper. Nothing says "you've arrived" like TP that goes for about THREE DOLLARS A ROLL. Here's some sensible sales talk from the producer: Elegant, sophisticated, rebellious and eternally fashionable. Black has become virtually synonymous with chic and style but whilst it is often present in avant-garde creative work, no one has ever dared to use it for toilet paper until now! The idea is definitely different, yet there's something appealingly startling about it. Today's homes are becoming more open, less compartmentalized, more exposed to public view, and considered as places for social contact, sharing and interaction. People now view their houses or apartments as an area in which they can fully express their distinct, individual personalities. Now what could be distinctly more personal than a sign of differentiation in the lavatory? What a great idea! Now I can "express my distinct personality" with black TP! And who knows how much it will improve "sharing and interaction" at home. This is so exciting!

What would you think of someone selling you an air guitar? If you're asking where you can get one, you'll appreciate this year's winner of the Only In Your Dreams Beaver. For sixty bucks plus shipping and handling you can jump rope without, um, jumping rope! It's such a bother when I jump rope with rope - the rope tangles on my foot and stops twirling. If I could eliminate the rope, things would go so much more smoothly. Sure, I could just count while I hop and twirl my wrists. But this device allows me to do the same thing without the counting - ingenious! And there's no misses. It reminds me of a committee report I once heard in a board meeting: "The challenges presented by our calendars prevented my esteemed colleagues and I from meeting to discuss this important issue. But had we met, here is what we would have decided..." The Ropeless Jump Rope offers the same economy: "The challenge of rope jumping has proven greater than my reserves of vigor. But if I had jumped rope, here's how much rope I would have jumped..." Isn't there a story about a woodchuck that sounds kind of familiar?

Consider the lowly staple. I cannot think of anything so important to modern life that is, at the same time, so humble in monetary worth. It takes over thirty basic 1/4" staples to equal the worth of a penny. But I have reams of important documents that would dissemble into clutter without them. So let's give the straight-laced little wires some respect. Easily done with the Morgan Stapler, this year's winner of the You're Worth It Beaver. Let's say you're trailer trash but have just won the lottery. How do you plan to arrive to collect your winnings? Chauffeur driven limousine, baby! For a mere $68, you can do likewise and deliver every staple in style. The smooth full-grain leather will remind you with each document assembly to respect the lowly staple like it made the scene in a Lexus.

Here's my personal favorite, this year's winner of the It's About Time Beaver, the Runaway alarm clock that sells for $59.95 (for the special edition silver). This is so amazing! Before the Runaway you had to choose between two compromises. Put it on the night-stand, and you can enjoy the convenience of setting your alarm clock from your bed. But in the morning, that location might prove to be dangerous. It makes it easy and convenient to silence the alarm and miss an appointment. So, let's say you choose to defy that downside by relocating the alarm clock to a more distant location. Better for your morning, not so nice at night.  Now you have to live with the inconvenience of setting the alarm BEFORE you get in bed. Why, oh why, can't we set our alarms on our nightstands and wake up to find them inconveniently elsewhere. The Runaway has solved this age long conundrum! Here's some advertising hype that explains how: Runaway literally jumps off your nightstand and sprints away - forcing you to get out of bed to silence the alarm. All-terrain wheels let Runaway roam throughout your bedroom on carpet or hardwood - actually changes course if it runs into an obstacle! Lets you choose your snooze time from 0-9 minutes, giving you one last chance to snooze before it makes its move! It's about time someone solved this dilemma.

So, which of our four winners deserves the Grand Beaver? You decide!

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