I do not write this to be a “fear-monger” or to claim the world is ending tonight; but there are some things going on that if people do not wake up and make plans for, are going to cause great weeping and gnashing of teeth.  There is little anyone can do about situations happening in distant parts of this world, but it does behoove us to know what is taking place so as to plan accordingly.

FOOD SHORTAGES, ESPECIALLY RICE

There was a real problem with rice supply before the devastating cyclone tore through Myanmar.  Now, the 7^th biggest producer of rice has lost their entire crop.  This not only spells disaster for the citizens of that country, but it places even greater strain on world supplies.  Rice is the overwhelming basic food for almost half of the world’s population.  With supplies running out and prices increasing, the frustration level is boiling over in various poorer countries.

On the same day that a huge tropical cyclone basically wiped Myanmar off the map, a volcano that had not erupted in 9,000 years suddenly erupts in Chile.  Huge agricultural areas are at risk of being permanently ruined by volcanic ash.  Much of the fruit and vegetables eaten by those in the United States during the winter months are grown in regions of Chile that may or may not survive the eruption.

Perhaps most troubling of all was an announcement today that fully one third of the honeybee colonies in the United States have collapsed since last year.  At first glance this story means absolutely nothing to most people.  What difference does it make to the average American if the honeybees colonies collapse.  It should make a huge difference if people took the time to get educated. 

Honeybees are the great pollinator of most fruits and vegetables grown in this country.  Without honeybees the blooms are never pollinated and there is no fruit.  The honeybee is perhaps the most important component in keeping the insatiable hunger for fresh fruits and vegetables satisfied in this country.  If the honeybee colonies continue to collapse, it will spell the end of the very foods doing the most to keep us healthy.

SPIKE IN OIL PRICES AND PETROLEUM BASED PRODUCTS

In one day, some governmental agency states that gasoline prices might hit $3.75 per gallon this summer; oil sets yet another record trading for the outrageous price of $123 per barrel.  I go to town and see the price of gasoline went up to $3.69 per gallon.  Who is kidding whom?  With the price of oil setting records almost every day, the inevitable raising of gasoline prices comes a week or two later.  When some economist says oil may hit $200 per barrel and it immediately causes a jump of $3 in the price of oil; it is time to seriously take stock of the situation.

As the inevitable $4 per gallon gasoline gets closer and closer to reality; those driving huge SUVs that get woefully low gas mileage are trying to sell their albatrosses and not finding much of a market.  It has taken awhile, but the shock of spending close to a hundred dollars to fill up one’s Hummer is making even those who are wealthy think twice about driving all over the place in time they wish.

Among the products using petroleum are many of the fertilizers farmers use on their huge corn, wheat and soybean fields.  Suddenly, these farmers are being hit with the double whammy of sky high diesel fuel to run their equipment along with the bigger problem of fertilizer costs that have jumped so far so fast the farmers were not prepared.  Without the fertilizers they will never get the yield they would get otherwise.  It is a truly a catch 22 situation for hundreds of thousands of farmers.

There is no way fuel costs can be as high as they have been for as long as they have without pressures sooner or later being forced on producers to raise prices to make up the difference.  With shipping costs quickly going up and more and more businesses putting surcharges on their services to cover for fuel; inflation is going to go up whether the government’s figures say so or not. 

FUTURE PRESSURE POINTS

The cyclone that has destroyed Myanmar followed the scenario many meteorologists in this county are extremely nervous about when it comes to the upcoming hurricane season.  The cyclone that hit Myanmar as a strong category 4 was only a minimal cyclone two days before reaching land.  The storm “ramped up” at the last minute and because it did, the storm surge was worse than to be expected and and the resulting flooding proved as fatal as a tsunami.

Last summer, the United States coastlines from Texas to Maine were spared any direct hits from some of the largest hurricanes ever to form in the Atlantic basin.  Many of these category 4 and 5 storms slammed into Mexico as they stayed just south of not only the United States mainland but also the oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Remember that part of the reason Katrina caused such a dramatic spike in gasoline prices was that it shut down numerous oil refineries in Mississippi and Louisiana.  Remember also that Katrina was actually only a category 3 hurricane when it came ashore in Mississippi.  If a category 4 or higher storm followed Katrina’s path this year and shut down the oil rigs in the Gulf and the refineries on the coast; realistically we would be facing $7 per gallon gasoline or higher for weeks.

We get much of our oil from Mexico.  They are having major problems down there at the moment.  If a huge hurricane disrupted their oil production or transport systems there would be a dramatic spike in prices in this country.  Last year a “freak” cyclone struck the Persian Gulf for the first time in centuries.  If the same thing happened again and actually took out some oil facilities; the price or oil would jump in an instant.

We live in an age when data is transmitted instantaneously around the world.  When something happens in one part of the world, everyone knows about it immediately.   When a terrorist blows up a pipeline in Nigeria, the price of oil jumps that instant.  God Forbid a major conflict would break out among any of the nations producing major quantities of oil.  If one did, the price would shoot up to that $200 level so fast no one would have time to prepare.

CONCLUSION

We live in perilous times.  All that we hold so near and dear to us could change in a day or even an hour.  If there ever were a time to prepare for the worst while praying for and believing for the best, it is now.  If there ever were a time to plant a garden, this year is the year, before it is too late.  If there ever were a year to store a few 5 gallon containers of gasoline in a safe place in the garage it is this year.  If there ever were a time to cut back on frivolous expenses it is now.

Whether wet fields which have prevented farmers from planting much of the spring corn and rice crops in this country or the looming hurricane season which officially starts in a little over three weeks; there are ample reasons to feel a bit of apprehension about the upcoming summer.  God will provide and protect, but He needs His people to be smart and to be extremely circumspect.  If they are, then no matter what happens, there can be “corn in Egypt” just as there was in Joseph’s time and food in the pantry’s of God’s people.

Just as in the case of the tsunami in Indonesia, the horrible facts regarding the destruction from the cyclone in Myanmar (Burma) will take time to come to light.  This much is known for sure; the initial estimates of 400 casualties were just the tip of the iceberg.  If and when the true magnitude and scope of this disaster ever is known, the death toll could reach well into the tens of thousands and the number of homeless could be in the millions.

It would be very easy for those of us in the “civilized world” to brush aside this tragedy as something reserved for a backwards country, run by a repressive regime and that they more or less “had it coming” to them.  After all, if a similar hurricane hit the United States, the damage would be great but the loss of life would be small.  “These people should have taken care of themselves” is the temptation to justify a lack of compassion.

It is the government’s responsibility to warn the population of an impending weather related disaster.  The problem in a country such as Myanmar is the extreme poverty in which the population lives and thus the lack of modern conveniences such as radios and televisions.  How do you warn millions of people of an approaching storm with no means to broadcast instructions to them?  How do you move millions of people to safety who don’t own vehicles to get to safety in?

Stories surfaced immediately after this storm struck of people spending their last resources just to buy a candle at a highly inflated price to have any light.  It is truly beyond the ability of our “civilized” minds to grasp the idea of spending the last money you own to buy a candle.  Of course, it is beyond our ability to conceive that people live in “houses” made of cardboard and survive on a daily diet of perhaps 1000 calories (on a good day).

The United States of America has less than one twentieth of the world’s population but controls the vast majority of the world’s wealth.  The standard of living enjoyed by those in the United States and other “civilized” countries is impossible to compare to how the majority of this world lives.  Whereas many people in this world barely make enough to stay alive another day, those privileged few who were blessed to be born into and live in the “civilized world” make more in a day than many make in a year.

We can read accounts in the Bible of severe famines caused by droughts and wars.  We can read of times when mothers were forced to eat their own children due to lack of any other food.  History is full of accounts of pioneers and explorers who died of starvation as they found themselves in hostile environments with no source of food.  A fairly current movie chronicled such an account of a troubled young man in Alaska who faced running out of food.

As most of us lug around twenty to one hundred pounds of excess fat, there are literally billions of other humans living on this earth who don’t have one ounce of fat on their bodies.  Starvation is one of the cruelest forms of slow death possible.  Unless one has seen the people who have turned into literal skin and bones; no one has the right to say when they are hungry “I’m starving to death”.  Most of us do not have a clue what it means to really be “starving”.

Unless and until those who have lived the pampered and sheltered lives common to the “civilized world” go to places of extreme poverty and suffering and see for themselves how people are forced to live who have no way to make a living; there is no way a truly compassionate response to a disaster such as the one in Myanmar will ever be mounted.  Sure, there will be the typical few hundred millions of humanitarian relief offered, but it will be offered with no genuine sincerity.

I lay out a challenge to any and all who might read this that grew up in middle class America and have never actually seen up close the throes of abject poverty.  Next time you have some of your weeks of stored up vacation time come up; instead of using it to go sailing, on a nice cruise, visiting some exotic country full of palm trees and over priced drinks or playing golf everyday; why not volunteer to go to one of the multitude of places just in this country struggling to recover from floods, tornadoes and even the lingering effects of Katrina.

Nothing changes your life, your perspective and your ability to manifest true compassion quicker than having to live with and find ways to help people who had nothing, or have lost everything.  When one is forced to look into the eyes of a person who has nothing in this life of any value, then you can finally see the reason Jesus came to this earth to begin with.  See, He didn’t come to heal the whole, feed the full or befriend the popular. 

Jesus Christ came to heal the brokenhearted, to set the captives free and to bind up the wounds of the broken.  Those who glory in their own self-sufficiency do not need a Savior.  But those who have nothing and mean nothing to this world desperately need the love and compassion only our Savior can bring.  When one reads the account at the end of Matthew 25 there is no question as to what the proper response SHOULD be by a Christian when confronted by human suffering.  Please Respond with Love.

Somewhere in between the pompous arrogance of the ultra right wing Rush Limbaugh and the smug self-righteousness of the progressive left’s Bill Moyers lies people such as myself.  Somewhere in between the hard and rash attitude of most conservatives and the blatant hypocrisy of most liberals lies people such as myself.  I truly find myself in “no man’s land”, that spot in the middle of two extremes no one dares to tread.

Where and how the mistaken notion came about that fundamentalist theology translates into ultra conservative politics I do not know.  In fact, I am not quite sure where and how one’s attitude towards the Bible became synonymous with a particular political position.  The Bible is totally mute concerning politics since there was no such animal in Bible times.  All attempts to justify mixing the Bible and politics thus become a lesson in futility.

Since we live in a republic which holds elections, I find no fault in participating in them if there is a candidate worth voting for.  The problem comes in the ridiculous two party system of politics this country insists on having.  Sure there are other parties, but for the most part they matter little in most elections.  The only way to have a vote mean anything is to stick with the horrid choices the Democrats and Republicans come up with. 

Now, if people like Rush Limbaugh and Bill Moyers ran for President, then there could be some real excitement in the air.  Of course I would still have no one to vote for, but the rest of the country would sure be entertained.  Unfortunately, the Presidential job doesn’t pay enough to entice Rush to run and Bill has his own reasons for refusing to run.  That leaves us with the normal crop of lawyers and other professional politicians who know only how to seek votes and little else.

Many countries and even some states have general elections with a mandatory percentage needed to win the election.  If one candidate does not reach this percentage, there is a runoff election to select the winner.  Why does there have to be the endless primaries and conventions and all the other ridiculous elements of a two party system?  It was certainly not that way when this country first started electing Presidents.

I honestly wish that anyone who gained a set number of signatures could be on the ballot to run for President.  Even if there were 50 people running, so be it.  Let them conduct their campaign as they see fit wherever and whenever they choose.  Establish a date for the first round of voting and if no one candidate gets over 50% of the vote, the top two or three or four have a runoff election in November.  With so many people on the ballot, this runoff would be a necessity almost every four years.

I know this idea would never fly and never be considered any more than a National sales tax or other measures that are far too logical to ever happen.  No, we must continue to put up with absolute insanity every four years.  We must invest millions upon millions of dollars into an election which barely half of the country cares enough to vote in.  When it is all said and done and whoever ends up being elected finally gets to his or her office in the White House; nothing will have changed, no matter what they said during the campaign.

That is the stupidity of the whole process.  No matter who wins the election, there is still a Congress and a Supreme Court to deal with.  One person cannot change this whole country with their ideas and rhetoric.  Looking back, I can think of no candidate who has run for President since JFK who really was any different than the rest.  That is a sad commentary on the whole business of electing a President of this country.

Gangs run the inner cities today the way the Mafia did two generations ago.  Drug trafficking today is every bit as profitable and dangerous as the trafficking of alcoholic beverages was during Prohibition.  The main difference today is the level of firepower available for rival gangs to destroy one another.  The problems seen in Chicago recently and repeated in Tijuana, Mexico a few nights ago bear this out.  Gangs today have the weapons to literally annihilate its opposition in one night.  God help the poor police who are supposed to stop the equivalent of small militias from destroying one another.

Gangs recruit disgruntled young people and entrap them in the gang mentality.  Quickly there becomes no way out and the only recourse is to attempt to rise through the ranks and stay alive.  The main avenue of business for gangs is drugs.  Drugs have crippled the inner city through the vicious cycle of addiction and the corresponding frantic everyday search of new money to feed the addictions.  Crack houses and meth labs along with old staples like heroine breed strung out people whose only reason for living is their next hit. 

Desperate people do desperate things.  Once addicted, there is no turning back from the lifestyle of stealing and killing to support the habit.  Crime rages unabated because of drugs.  The only winners are the gang leaders who rake in the money to keep the people addicted.  The two most profitable jobs in the inner city are drug dealer and pimp.  Next in line are the drug runners and the prostitutes.  When the money runs out in the city these “entrepreneurs” take their show on the road to the well-heeled suburbs ringing the big cities.

The American public is clueless as the extent of the drug and gang problem in their country.  Since most of middle class America lives in cozy suburbs far removed from the inner city violence, they have no concept  of how ugly life has become for those whose daily routine revolves around finding or trafficking drugs or impressing or running from gangs.  I am no fan of the Rev. Wright, but I understand the frustration and anger that has built up though years and years of living the American nightmare.

The American nightmare is as much a reality as the American dream.  While millions upon millions of predominantly white people work their jobs, live in their three bedroom/two bath tract house in a nice sub-division taking their kids to soccer, t ball and cheerleading practice; millions of predominantly black or Hispanic people cannot find any work other than minimum wage jobs, live in run down rat infested hellholes with either cheap rent or have been in the family for generations and watch their children either join gangs or get shot playing in the street.

The gulf between the lowest class in this country and every other class is staggering.  Those at the very bottom of the socio-economic ladder have nothing, will never have anything and survive through the anger and rage in their hearts towards all who “sold them out” and relegated them to their pitiful existence.  This holds true regardless of race or geographic location.  Those at the bottom have lived under the boot of oppressors so long they do not know any other way to live.

The complete breakdown of the family unit is the predominant reason the extreme poor have gone from being simply that to the dangerous simmering pot of rage that boils within most inner cities.  Considering the vast majority of extremely poor children grow up without a father, many times with their mother strung out on drugs and raised by grandparents; the entire perspective of these kids is skewed from the get go.  Throw in the miserable state of inner city schools and it is very apparent why the vast majority of extremely poor inner city kids run into trouble.

That which is important to those trapped within the prisons of America’s inner cities is far different than what the vast majority of American consider vital.  Those trying to survive the American nightmare find themselves in a situation worse than in many developing countries.  These people are interested in the bare essentials of survival such as food and money to pay the light bill and could care less about Iraq or 99% of the issues the rest of America is so passionate about.  When the predominant issue is survival, all else tends to quickly be forgotten.

Is the answer to this massive breakdown of society found in new and greater government programs?  Is the answer really going to come through flooding inner cities with even more money to be wasted on boondoggles such as “public housing” that turned into cesspools of every filthy and vile habit known to man?  Is the answer to ignore the problems and simply add more police to the force to deal with the ever increasing crime rates? 

I don’t have all the answers, but there are some who have dedicated their lives to finding ways to break the stranglehold currently gripping America’s inner cities.  In future posts, I will attempt to chronicle some of the groups and programs that are working and are making a difference in individual’s lives as well as neighborhoods and entire communities.  We desperately need to find long term solutions before the problems in the cities become the problems everywhere.

Can you see it?  It is everywhere and increasing rapidly.  Around every corner and atop every building the signs of an historic and thunderous change are appearing all over the world.  Every day, new stories are hitting the press exposing yet another problem so huge no one country can solve it.  Every day, someone of great international authority stands up and promotes the need for a true one-world governing body.

The United Nations has tried to portray itself as a world governing organization, but all its members know it has little influence with the major world powers.  The United States, Russia, China and Great Britain do not take orders from the U.N.  Smaller third world countries depend on the United Nations for everything from food to medicine to peace keepers and anything else they can get.  The influence of the U.N. had more or less diminished in recent years; that is until very recently.

The current food crisis following quickly upon the heels of the “climate change/global warming” crisis is allowing the United Nations to quickly become the premiere spokesman and leader for change and action.  Working with IMF, World Bank and various associations of countries; the U.N. has stepped out of the shadows and faster than anyone could have realized become the world’s spokesperson for the huge world problems exploding rapidly.

For as long as people have been reading Daniel and the book of Revelation, speculation has abounded as to the identity of the “beast” or THE Antichrist.  Everyone from Ronald Reagan to George Bush to Barak Obama has been accused of being the Antichrist.  Scholars have attempted to establish which countries are the ones mentioned in Daniel and many people have made big bucks writing books to promote their particular theory of the fulfillment of end time prophecies.

The Antichrist and the False Prophet will be revealed and be unquestionably recognized in due time.  Any attempts beforehand to figure out who they are will more than likely be automatically wrong.  What difference does it make anyway?   Even if the world knew who these two figures were, they would not believe they were evil people.  The point is that due to what is going on in the world, the framework is finally being put in place to accommodate a real one world government.

The cry of helpless masses is “somebody feed us”, the cry of multitudes caught in conflicts is “somebody save us”.  The cry of countless people who love this earth is “somebody help us save it”.  All around the world the cry of different people is for somebody to rise up and solve all the problems pressing upon so many poor people.  Somebody is bound to fulfill their wish.

The hunger situation is so far bigger than anyone realizes.  To the vast majority of Americans the only impact of the rice shortage is they are limited to 4 big bags of it at Sam’s Club.  Unless people keep meticulous account of how much they spend on groceries, they haven’t a clue that the price of everything made with grain has shot up recently.  They haven’t a clue the price of most dairy products is sky high.  They haven’t a clue that many meat items have gone up dramatically recently.

Americans are notorious for paying little or no attention to issues unless they directly affect or pertain to them, their family or job.  They can sit and listen to news talk of famine in Haiti and have no clue it is a country very close to Florida.  They can read the paper and see a headline about rice going to $25 and could care less.  In their mind why should they care, they only eat rice as a side dish once a week.

Americans are far more pre-occupied with who is winning NBA basketball games, who will be drafted where in the NFL draft on Saturday and who is still on American Idol to worry about starving people in some country they have never heard of.  For the most part, they do not even want to hear about anyone else’s problems in their own country.

Right or wrong, like it or not; the vast majority of Americans simply want to be left alone to live their life, work their job, raise their family and watch television.  They want to light up the grill and eat burgers or ribs, drink a few brews and shoot the breeze for hours on end.  They want to complain about their boss, their spouse and the “stupid” people that cause all the problems for everyone else.  Yes, there are millions upon millions of Americans that have absolutely no interest in hearing about, reading about or getting involved in doing anything about the truckload of problems out there.

So, if no one wants to get involved and fix the problems, that pretty much leaves the government to do it.  For the government, any government, to fix all the hunger and other social ills costs money.  In America, since money grows in space, the government just prints some more of the green stuff to pay people to do nothing, pay people to get  sick, pay people to not work, pay people to get old, pay people to have babies and even pay people to go waste some money on a plasma television to “stimulate the economy”. 

America is good at just printing more money to pay for everything from ridiculous wars to the national debt.  Nine trillion dollars this country is in debt and every day more billions are promised to this cause or that group or this pork project or that war.  Meanwhile our money is the laughingstock of the world and the price of oil just goes up along with just about every other commodity.  When will it ever stop?  When enough people decide to get down off their deck and take one of their extra burgers to help feed a starving person who spent all their money to fill up their gastank.

Welcome to the Real World.

As the vast majority of Americans continue to sit back pretending nothing to terribly wrong is going on with the country, the lower echelons of society are feeling the first huge waves of the coming economic storm.  There are hundreds of thousands of upper middle class Americans who honestly can’t say it makes a bit of difference what gasoline is selling for since they never look at the bill; they have enough money to not be bothered.

On the other end of the spectrum are hundreds of thousands of lower income people, many trying to survive working minimum wage jobs, who are daily having to make choices between food and gas or medicine or electricity.  With more and more of their income being devoured by ever escalating prices for food staples and gasoline; there is no disposable income left for any emergency. 

In many of the bigger cities as well as along the Gulf coast, many food pantries and shelters have already closed and what few are left cannot find supplies.  As more and more of the last elements of the social safety net are withdrawn it leads to desperate people doing more and more desperate things.  Crime is dramatically rising in areas which only a few months ago had little or no crime.  Petty thefts as well as armed robberies are increasing at an alarming rate.

If the shelters, community outreach programs, food pantries and other services designed to help people get through the tough times until they can stand on their feet again collapse; who is left to cover the needs?  Fewer and fewer churches play an active role in helping the poor.  Fewer and fewer charities have the resources to offer more than a referral service to other agencies.  State and local governments are strapped for resources and do not have the means to step in and help.

If within a few days a mid-sized community has several bank robberies, numerous dollar stores held up and even the school cafeteria broken into to find food; is this not a pretty clear indication something is wrong?  The numbers of hurting people are climbing each day.  The numbers of homeless are increasing daily.  The numbers of frustrated people who are at their wits end and ready to snap is dramatically increasing every day.

Fuel Costs Make Transporting Food Difficult

One of the most frustrating situations to have arisen is that there is still food in the warehouses of major charities who send tons of food every year overseas and to outreach centers in this country.  The problem at the moment is finding the money to pay the sky high fuel costs to transport food from the warehouse to the destination it is needed.  With diesel prices well over $4.00 per gallon, even the truckers who want to help cannot afford to run an empty semi to a warehouse, pick up a load of food, take it to the outreach center needing it and then run an empty truck back home—all for free.

There used to be many truckers willing to pick up a load if it were on their way and their truck was empty.  It is even getting difficult to find those able to do this anymore.  Independent truckers are just barely making enough to stay in business running full loads all the time.  As much as they want to help, the cost of diesel is making it extremely difficult to provide “free hauls”.

A case in point is Tri Coastal Community Outreach in Grand Bay, Alabama.  They have a full semi of food available to them if they can pick it up in Nashville on April 24^th.  It is a one time and one day shot.  All attempts to find anyone to help have failed.  The best offer from a trucking company was close to $1,500 to transport the load less than 500 miles from Nashville to Mobile.  Where on earth does a small community outreach center find $1,500? 

For lack of any better way to do it.  Members of the group will drive to Nashville, rent two 26 foot trucks and one car tow bar, load the two trucks, and then drive them (with one towing the car) back to Alabama.  The estimated cost for all this will be $700-800.  But, being good stewards, this is the only way to get the food.  Or is it?

The Need for Fuel Sponsors

There is an urgent need for sponsors to step up and help with fuel costs to transport food and other supplies to destinations in need.  I see no reason why groups of professionals could not pool their charitable gifts together and make them available to groups such as Tri Coastal to provide for proper  transportation of goods instead of the kind of arrangement they must do this week.   Even doing it as they are, the cost is still staggering.  Transportation costs are quickly becoming a huge issue for not only non-profits but many charities doing construction and other services.

If you are a professional and desire to really see your charitable giving do the most good, consider making a special fund that is to be used strictly for the transportation costs of getting resources from supply houses to outreach centers.  Any group doing full scale community outreach is in desperate need of food and other supplies that many times are located all over the United States.  Any of these groups who are 501 (c) 3 charities should be able to develop a program where donations can be received specifically designated for transportation costs.

The Need for Consistent Resources

The directors of most community outreach/homeless shelters/food pantries and other service charities spend most of their time trying to locate money or resources.  Instead of being able to oversee case work or develop plans and programs to better serve the people in need; too much of their time has to be spent tracking down the means to meet the needs.  They all need consistent and reliable sources for food, clothing, furniture, building supplies and other vital resources. 

Church groups, service organizations, clubs and societies as well as schools and businesses can all do drives on a regular basis for some of these groups.  Many of these groups have programs in place for organizations or individuals to systematically give on a regular and set basis.  To stick around for the long haul, these groups need to know where supplies are coming from next.

The Need Will Only Get Worse

As the economic situation is this country continues to go downhill, the needs among the poor will only skyrocket, and this is due to a dramatic increase in numbers of people in need in addition to greater and greater need.  The first round of failures among care givers is staggering and quite discouraging.  Those left are handling far more case loads than they were expecting.  Budgets and resources are being stretched to the absolute limit. 

Before the situation gets much worse, please consider providing assistance where you can to those still involved with trying to help those in the lowest socio-economic levels.  If there is anyone who deserves a helping hand and someone to aid them in their times of intense personal and financial turmoil it is those who through no fault of their own have “fallen through the cracks” of our social welfare system.

As the great and mighty Titanic slowly sunk, evidently the band continued to play until their last breath.  Those people who spend their days buying and selling stocks strike me as much the same.  They grasp at any hint of a positive to somehow justify a one day “rally” in the stock market.  On a day when the economic news was predominantly bad; one CEO of one financial institution makes one positive statement and the market shoots up over 200 points.  This, ladies and gentlemen is called “delusion”.

I was listening to an “expert” who advises other “experts” on what to expect on commodities.   The interviewer asked him to please explain the current run up of the price of oil.  There was a lot of hemming and hawing and finally the guy said he had no explanation.  He then went on to say that no one can account for huge quantities of missing oil and gasoline.  There was a long pause and finally the host simply said “huh”.

It seems that all the experts were expecting a jump in the supply of oil and gasoline supplies.  Thus, they were advising everyone that the price of oil was going to go down.  Lo and behold oil just keeps going up to new records every day and instead of the supplies of oil and gasoline going up they went dramatically down.  What is very interesting is that no one has a clue as to where all this oil and gasoline went.

Now, pardon me for being a little sarcastic here, but how on God’s green earth do you “lose” oil and gasoline?  Did someone forget where they placed a few tankers full of oil and a few hundred trucks full of gasoline?  I am sorry, but I cannot believe you can simply “lose” large quantities of oil and gasoline.  Evidently not only naïve common citizens, but also “experts” do, for no one is asking any questions.

Meanwhile, the price for a gallon of gasoline just keeps going up and up and up.  Today, I had the unfortunate job of having to fill four 5 gallon cans with diesel fuel for my lawnmower.  I also had to fill up my minivan with unleaded gasoline.  The final bill for 20 gallons of diesel and 15 gallons of gasoline was almost $130.  Last year it would have cost about $75.

1 Thessalonians 5 says that people will be saying “peace and safety” all the way up to the end.  Jesus said that, just as in the days of Noah, people will be living as they always have up until the end.  It is not surprising at all to hear various “experts” keep telling people that “the worst is over” or “all will be well financially by summertime” in this country.  Anyone willing to entrust their life’s savings to people who can’t even tell you how huge quantities of oil and gasoline managed to disappear may deeply regret it.

We are one major event away from $6 or even $7 per gallon gasoline.  If a major political leader were assassinated or any kind of war broke out in the Middle East or a major earthquake hit California or in a few months if a hurricane hit the Gulf Coast or a major refinery closed down; the immediate spike in the price of gasoline and diesel would push the prices to near $5 per gallon.  Many believe if a hurricane like Katrina hit again this summer, gasoline could hit $7 per gallon.

I do not tell you these things to be a “fear monger” or an “alarmist”; I share them so that we all can seek to prepare ourselves for what could be a very difficult time ahead.  If I were at liberty to share even half of what I know is going on or soon will be; I would either be hauled away to “facility” or you would not be able to sleep for a week.   Since I do not want either of those things, I will for now simply speak of “what ifs” and in vague terms.

The missing gasoline and oil had to go somewhere.  Either the oil companies aren’t being honest in their reporting of supplies thus causing prices to keep going up (along with profits); or massive amounts of petroleum products have been diverted secretly to another location.  Keep in mind it takes a lot of gasoline and diesel to conduct a war. 

Something to keep in mind today and for the next four or five days; one year ago yesterday was the shootings at Virginia Tech University.  In 1999 at this time were the shootings at Columbine.  In 1995 was the Oklahoma City bombing.  In 1993 was the invasion at Waco.  Many profound events have taken place during this period of April for it is a high and holy time for witchcraft.  Lest anyone think otherwise, much of what goes on in this country is directly or indirectly related to things being practiced by the many people in high positions of leadership who are involved with various forms of witchcraft.

Something of profound importance is going to happen either within the next few days or weeks.  Neither I nor anyone else knows exactly what is “coming down”; all anyone knows is that something is scheduled to take place which will dramatically change the landscape of the world.  Whether natural, economic, political or military related; do not be surprised or alarmed to hear or see something take place very soon that will truly alter your life.

Looking back to the morning of September 11, 2001 the reason the events that day were so profound was because they were totally unexpected.  The shock value was magnified by those who planned and carried out the attack perfectly.  Since no one expected what happened; no one was prepared to handle the mental, financial and other repercussions that followed.  Always remember the object of a terrorist attack is to produce terror.  Also remember that terrorist don’t just have to be from a foreign country.

The secret to the devil’s success is the secrecy of his moves.  Once exposed, he has no choice but to retreat and plan a new strategy.  Please look upon the information in this post as simply vital information that is being given to expose ahead of time certain things the enemy may or may not be up to.  We live in perilous times 2 Timothy 3 tells us.  Because we do, we CANNOT allow ourselves to either become deluded into thinking all is well when it is not, or to become afraid and act irrationally out of fear.

These are times to think things through and make plans and provisions for various scenarios.  As very wise people have said many times; “Believe for the best but prepare for the worst.”  Those who live and make their plans by this motto will not be caught off guard or cast into a panic by anything that might arise in the days ahead.  Those who invest a little now to be prepared are the ones who will have much to share with others who didn’t prepare.  After all, wasn’t this the exact thing God had Joseph do in Egypt which allowed ultimately his very family to reunite with him? 

I pray that regardless of what may or may not transpire in the coming days and weeks that we, as God’s people are ready for anything and equal to everything through Him who infuses us with power and strength.  I pray that we remain vigilant, watchful and ever on our guard so as to never get be caught by surprise and thus become vulnerable.  I pray that as end times events unfold, we are rejoicing in the realization that we know what is happening and where we are going.

As the great and mighty Titanic slowly sunk, evidently the band continued to play until their last breath.  Those people who spend their days buying and selling stocks strike me as much the same.  They grasp at any hint of a positive to somehow justify a one day “rally” in the stock market.  On a day when the economic news was predominantly bad; one CEO of one financial institution makes one positive statement and the market shoots up over 200 points.  This, ladies and gentlemen is called “delusion”.

I was listening to an “expert” who advises other “experts” on what to expect on commodities.   The interviewer asked him to please explain the current run up of the price of oil.  There was a lot of hemming and hawing and finally the guy said he had no explanation.  He then went on to say that no one can account for huge quantities of missing oil and gasoline.  There was a long pause and finally the host simply said “huh”.

It seems that all the experts were expecting a jump in the supply of oil and gasoline supplies.  Thus, they were advising everyone that the price of oil was going to go down.  Lo and behold oil just keeps going up to new records every day and instead of the supplies of oil and gasoline going up they went dramatically down.  What is very interesting is that no one has a clue as to where all this oil and gasoline went.

Now, pardon me for being a little sarcastic here, but how on God’s green earth do you “lose” oil and gasoline?  Did someone forget where they placed a few tankers full of oil and a few hundred trucks full of gasoline?  I am sorry, but I cannot believe you can simply “lose” large quantities of oil and gasoline.  Evidently not only naïve common citizens, but also “experts” do, for no one is asking any questions.

Meanwhile, the price for a gallon of gasoline just keeps going up and up and up.  Today, I had the unfortunate job of having to fill four 5 gallon cans with diesel fuel for my lawnmower.  I also had to fill up my minivan with unleaded gasoline.  The final bill for 20 gallons of diesel and 15 gallons of gasoline was almost $130.  Last year it would have cost about $75.

1 Thessalonians 5 says that people will be saying “peace and safety” all the way up to the end.  Jesus said that, just as in the days of Noah, people will be living as they always have up until the end.  It is not surprising at all to hear various “experts” keep telling people that “the worst is over” or “all will be well financially by summertime” in this country.  Anyone willing to entrust their life’s savings to people who can’t even tell you how huge quantities of oil and gasoline managed to disappear may deeply regret it.

We are one major event away from $6 or even $7 per gallon gasoline.  If a major political leader were assassinated or any kind of war broke out in the Middle East or a major earthquake hit California or in a few months if a hurricane hit the Gulf Coast or a major refinery closed down; the immediate spike in the price of gasoline and diesel would push the prices to near $5 per gallon.  Many believe if a hurricane like Katrina hit again this summer, gasoline could hit $7 per gallon.

I do not tell you these things to be a “fear monger” or an “alarmist”; I share them so that we all can seek to prepare ourselves for what could be a very difficult time ahead.  If I were at liberty to share even half of what I know is going on or soon will be; I would either be hauled away to “facility” or you would not be able to sleep for a week.   Since I do not want either of those things, I will for now simply speak of “what ifs” and in vague terms.

The missing gasoline and oil had to go somewhere.  Either the oil companies aren’t being honest in their reporting of supplies thus causing prices to keep going up (along with profits); or massive amounts of petroleum products have been diverted secretly to another location.  Keep in mind it takes a lot of gasoline and diesel to conduct a war. 

Something to keep in mind today and for the next four or five days; one year ago yesterday was the shootings at Virginia Tech University.  In 1999 at this time were the shootings at Columbine.  In 1995 was the Oklahoma City bombing.  In 1993 was the invasion at Waco.  Many profound events have taken place during this period of April for it is a high and holy time for witchcraft.  Lest anyone think otherwise, much of what goes on in this country is directly or indirectly related to things being practiced by the many people in high positions of leadership who are involved with various forms of witchcraft.

Something of profound importance is going to happen either within the next few days or weeks.  Neither I nor anyone else knows exactly what is “coming down”; all anyone knows is that something is scheduled to take place which will dramatically change the landscape of the world.  Whether natural, economic, political or military related; do not be surprised or alarmed to hear or see something take place very soon that will truly alter your life.

Looking back to the morning of September 11, 2001 the reason the events that day were so profound was because they were totally unexpected.  The shock value was magnified by those who planned and carried out the attack perfectly.  Since no one expected what happened; no one was prepared to handle the mental, financial and other repercussions that followed.  Always remember the object of a terrorist attack is to produce terror.  Also remember that terrorist don’t just have to be from a foreign country.

The secret to the devil’s success is the secrecy of his moves.  Once exposed, he has no choice but to retreat and plan a new strategy.  Please look upon the information in this post as simply vital information that is being given to expose ahead of time certain things the enemy may or may not be up to.  We live in perilous times 2 Timothy 3 tells us.  Because we do, we CANNOT allow ourselves to either become deluded into thinking all is well when it is not, or to become afraid and act irrationally out of fear.

These are times to think things through and make plans and provisions for various scenarios.  As very wise people have said many times; “Believe for the best but prepare for the worst.”  Those who live and make their plans by this motto will not be caught off guard or cast into a panic by anything that might arise in the days ahead.  Those who invest a little now to be prepared are the ones who will have much to share with others who didn’t prepare.  After all, wasn’t this the exact thing God had Joseph do in Egypt which allowed ultimately his very family to reunite with him? 

I pray that regardless of what may or may not transpire in the coming days and weeks that we, as God’s people are ready for anything and equal to everything through Him who infuses us with power and strength.  I pray that we remain vigilant, watchful and ever on our guard so as to never get be caught by surprise and thus become vulnerable.  I pray that as end times events unfold, we are rejoicing in the realization that we know what is happening and where we are going.

Let me make a bold declaration:  I am a Christian and I am NOT a Republican or a Democrat.  In fact, I do not choose to vote because there is no one running for higher office that even remotely reflects my views.  Oh, people say, you must exercise your “God given right to vote”.  Where in God’s Word is there anything about voting?  Jesus said to render unto Caesar the things that are his.  That is about the extent of any discussion of “politics” in the Bible.

Politicians are professional liars and even if they were telling the truth, I do not agree with much of anything they say.  I have major underlying problems with the basic philosophy of both major parties as well as most independent ones.  It really doesn’t matter anyway because nowhere do I see any instructions in the Bible for believers to be involved in politics.

1 Timothy says to pray for kings and those in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty.  It does not say to run for the office of King.  1 Timothy also says that if a man desire the office of a bishop (overseer in the church), he desires a good thing.  Nowhere are there any statements to the effect of “he who desires to be President desires a good thing”.  There are no statements for it is NOT a good thing.

The political system in America is nothing but a steaming pot of filthy corruption and over inflated egos vying for positions that will allow the person to make the most money and hold the reigns to the most power.  It is funny how few professional athletes, rock stars, actors and actresses seek elective office.  Why should they?  They already make millions of dollars and have adorning multitudes who bow down and worship the very ground they walk on.  What on earth could they gain by actually doing something constructive like run a country?

I talked with an old acquaintance yesterday that whenever we talk, the conversation turns to politics and then ends with him saying “I am a Republican and that’s just the way things should be”.  Since there is no room for debate the call always ends shortly thereafter.  This always comes up in regard to one subject and one subject only.

I direct a small charity.  I have had to basically close it down due to lack of donations.  This is due to the fact that most of the people I knew well enough to ask for donations were from an ancient time in my life when I was a conservative Republican.  Conservative Republicans don’t like throwing money at poor people who in their minds should take care of themselves.  Where exactly these people DO throw their money is a mystery to me, for most of them have far more money than I would ever dream of having in ten lifetimes.

Here is the argument; if a person is poor, it is always their fault.  They brought it on because of laziness usually.  Thus, the way out of poverty is to work three or four jobs and live in a tent and eat grass.  Once a person does this long enough, he will accumulate enough money to live the American Dream.  The Democratic response is for the government to levy excessive taxes on anyone making money so as to take that money and give it to the poor person with no strings attached.  Both of these arguments are not only silly but inherently flawed.

I am fat.  I cannot deny this reality.  My whole family is/was fat.  My mom spent her entire 87 years of life either obese or grossly obese.  She also spent thousands of dollars on every diet known to man trying NOT to be fat.  She died very fat.  My sister, my brother and myself are all fat and have fought to keep our weight under control our whole lives.  We have all failed, just as our mother and her mother and all her aunts.  Only recently has the medical field reluctantly acknowledged that there are “fat genes” that predispose certain people to being fat.

Medical science has also discovered there are genes that make a person susceptible to various forms of cancer and many diseases.  If these things are in the genes, there is little a person can do except be extra vigilant and careful to not feed the monster lurking within their bodies.  Those with strong family histories of everything from heart disease to Alzheimer’s usually end up fighting the same battles as those who came before them.  Science now even thinks the same is true of alcoholism, depression and other things.

The problem is that fat people are automatically labeled as lazy, undisciplined, selfish and generally bad people to be around.  Many deserve such a label for they are all these things.  But, if judgment is made purely on how a person looks without delving into the WHYs of their situation, there is no difference between calling all fat people lazy jerks than calling all black people lazy jerks or all poor people lazy jerks.  In all cases it is flat out wrong to categorize a group of people and self-righteously declare them lazy worthless excuses for humans just because of how they look, the color of their skin or their economic condition.

The “fat” battle many times comes down to metabolism and the older a person gets the more weight they put on.  I have known hundreds, if not thousands, of people who were skinny as a bean pole until they reached 40 or 50 years old.  Many of these people were champions of the “all fat people are lazy” movement.  Suddenly one day they wake up and look in the mirror to discover their worst nightmare came to pass.  They are getting fat.

They proceed to purchase memberships in spas and go on every exotic diet regardless of the price.  Many still cannot get the weight off due to a slowing metabolism.  I can think of many people who ended up dying grossly overweight who spent the first part of their life skinny.  I can think of many people who had tons of money early in life and have none by the time they are fifty because of spending it all and more on excesses early in life. 

I know of countless elderly people who have to live in poverty due to “running out” of money.  Many of these people saved their entire lives to retire and live comfortably.  Then sickness or other things come up and they run out of money.  Are these “poor” people lazy?  Should we require every seventy year old to go bag groceries and greet people at Wal Mart?  Many do, but many more can’t.

Making blanket statements regarding classes of people is a sin and is the mark of a self-righteous egotist.  Just because you are skinny, healthy, rich and young does not give you the right to consider everyone who is fat, sick, poor and old either lazy or worthless.  Yet, in our culture this is the way it is portrayed on television commercials and promoted by young, skinny, healthy and filthy rich actors and actresses who look down their noses at all the poor, fat and ugly people who could be like them if they just tried.

Every person is different and the reasons for their situation are as varied as the stars in heaven.  Unless people climb down off their high horse and take the time to find out WHY a person is poor, fat, sick, homeless, hungry or troubled; they have NO right to pass judgment.  To simply say that the “Republican Way” is to not give a dime to anyone poor because they brought it on themselves and deserve to be poor because they won’t go work five jobs is utter stupidity and is worse to me than racism.

Yes, the Republican way depends on the “trickle down” of resources from those with to those without.  But, if arrogance and pride get in the way, there is no trickle and then what?  Then the answer becomes one of the government giving hand outs to everyone which breeds laziness and prolongs and amplifies the problems and make them worse.  Thus, I am left as an independent in my thinking and politics.

There is within all of us the yearning to please someone.  God initially placed this in us in relation to Him.  During those times we are not in His will, the desire to please switches to either ourselves or someone else.  We have all known people who spend all of their time trying to please the boss or someone of authority.  There are many names given to people who do this, none are proper to post on this site.

We all know what these people are doing, yet many times the one they are doing it to is clueless.  This is because people enjoy being pleased.  Most everyone, if they were honest, would have to admit to feeling good when someone lavishes them with praise and seeks to do whatever it takes to bless them.  Also built into us is the desire to be pleased.

I must admit that I am partial to “man’s best friend” (no offence to cat lovers), but there is something about a dog that makes this subject come alive.  A dog is actually quite easily pleased.  A dog will readily show his pleasure at something by means of a wagging tail.  Oh if it were so easy to know if we have succeeded in blessing people.

I cannot begin to remember all the times over the years when I have felt badly, either physically or emotionally and immediately felt better and been uplifted by the wagging tail of one of our dogs.  I have stumbled home at times over the years beaten up and beaten down by vicious attacks from various sources and within an instant had all the pain and turmoil relieved by the very obvious delight expressed by one or more dogs at seeing me come home.

There is nothing that heals one’s heart up quicker than being wanted and needed.  A dog has the incredible ability to provide this in unmistakable ways.  Whether friendly barks, wagging tails, licks to the face or intense rubbing up against one’s leg or body; a dog lets you know right away that he is the happiest creature on earth to see you home.  Perhaps we should learn a few lessons from our dogs when it comes to how we view our spouses and children or parents.

Awhile back , we started watching ancient episodes of “Leave It To Beaver” from the late 1950’s that run constantly on various cable networks.  Among the many things I love about the first two seasons of that show is the innocence of the family unit.  Every day when Ward comes home from work, he opens the door and announces “I’m home”.  Every day, when Ward comes home, June is there to welcome him home with a kiss.  Every day, the first question is “where are the boys”, for that was the most important thing to him (besides reading the paper).

Of course the show did not portray the real life of any family, but it did represent a bit of 1958 life in America.  Back before the days of constant electronic distractions, life was much simpler and much more emphasis was placed on the family than even a decade later.  Families were genuinely happy to see each other instead of making excuses to avoid each other.

When I was around ten, my parents worked either the afternoon or night shifts to make enough money to support us.  There were many days that my older brother had take care of me from the time we came home from school till we went to bed.  He was 7 ½ years older than I was and to me he was the coolest guy on earth.  I was thrilled whenever we were told he would be “the father” on a particular evening.  Why?  Because that meant it was a “Dog and Shake” night.

About two blocks from our house was the original Pizza Hut.  It was a tiny little building no bigger than most storage sheds people put lawn mowers in.  In the same parking lot as the Pizza Hut was an equally small little building that housed the illustrious “Dog and Shake” fast food place.  They specialized in hot dogs and milkshakes, but also had very good hamburgers.  This was before the days of McDonalds and Burger Kings everywhere. 

On these special days, we would head up the place around 5:30 and to me, it was the most exciting trip I ever got to make.  Nothing beat walking those few blocks with my big brother.  It made me feel special, and honored to be in his presence, for to me, he was best big brother on earth.  He even let me place the order sometimes.  That made me feel like a grown up. 

We would get the bag with whatever we chose to eat that night (which was always the same thing) and make the return trip home smelling the aroma of our highly anticipated evening meal the whole way.  We would then settle down in front of the television and watch what was usually the news at that time of night while eating our feast fit for two kings.  Oh those were the days.

It didn’t take much to make me feel like the most important kid in Kansas back in 1963.  All it took was the genuine love of a brother whom I looked up to as Beaver Cleaver looked up to Wally.  I can recall many years of my life when I received the greatest pleasure a kid could ever experience from times with my brother, my dad and my dog.  What has happened to our culture that it takes movies, electronic games, computers and high priced toys of every type to amuse us and bring us pleasure in life?

Looking back, I thank God for Dad, dogs and my brother more than anything else in life back 45 years ago.

Please think about this for a moment.  You go to school for 12 years to earn a high school degree.  Then you (or your parents) spend thousands of dollars to send you to college.  You find a prestigious job and start climbing the ladder of success.  You reach a point where your salary allows you to live a comfortable lifestyle, which in turn allows you to purchase a nice big house in the suburbs.  Your kids attend a nice school, are on every sports team in existence and regularly are on the honor roll.  You sit back in your family room, with ribs grilling out on the deck and think; “I am living the American Dream, I am prosperous, I am rich, I am well known and respected, I have it all and am so thankful”.

This scenario provides the definition of “the more abundant life”for most people.  I personally know many people who fit this description perfectly.  They sit down on Thanksgiving and enjoy a day of fellowship with family and friends, watch some football and eat way too much.  They enjoy the fruits of THEIR labor and all THEY have through all THEIR hard work.  Somehow in THEIR self gratitude, they  feebly offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God before they carve the turkey.

Now let us allow this story to take a dark twist.  Just after the meal, when everyone is sitting around in the state of gluttony induced intoxification; the host suddenly drops dead of a heart attack.  What happened to the picture perfect Thanksgiving celebration?  Suddenly, instead of “thanksgiving” there are wild accusations flying as to that unfair god in heaven who took someone at the wrong time and a general sense of panic and doom.  See, true thanksgiving cannot be dependent on outward circumstances, for they may change in an instant. 

Here is an immutable principle which is as true as God Himself:  If you want to live in a state of perpetual thanksgiving, you must abide in humility.  Humility is the state of mind wherein pride, ego and haughty self-sufficiency have been crucified with Christ.  Humility is found in the profound realization that you are nothing but a walking pile of dust without the life of God flowing through you.  Humility is taking all the great things YOU accomplished in this life and burning them up in a great bonfire.  Humility is the understanding that without God, His Son Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit; YOU ARE NOTHING.

I do not believe it is possible to walk in a state of genuine thanksgiving without being in a state of absolute humility.  Without humility, what is called thankfulness is merely gratitude.  Genuine thankfulness comes from the depths of the heart and soul.  Gratitude is simply an outward expression acknowledging the receipt of something.  It is equivalent to saying “thank you”.  There is a huge difference between saying “thank you” and walking in a state of genuine thanksgiving.

When looking at the men Jesus called to be his disciples, one of the common denominators among them was that in order to follow him, they had to forsake all.  James and John were partners with Simon Peter in a commercial fishing business.  Luke 5:11 says that; “they forsook all, and followed him”.  These men simply dropped what they were doing, which was their livelihood, and started following Jesus.  Can you imagine the scorn and ridicule these men faced by family and friends?  “Irresponsible, selfish, and deplorable”; this is what these men heard as they forsook their nets to become “fishers of men”.

Jesus demanded the forsaking of all this world deems important to follow him.  There was no negotiation and there were no exceptions.  Jesus demanded the men who were to become his apostles be “humiliated” according to the world’s view, in order to be exalted by him and His Father.  That’s right; each one of Jesus disciples had to turn his back on his education, family, profession and accomplishments if they were to follow him.  When reading Philippians chapter 3, you see that the last disciple Jesus personally called, Paul, had to do the same thing.  Humility is an absolute prerequisite for discipleship, service and ultimately; thanksgiving in this life and rewards for eternity.

Some might think this an odd time to bring up the subject of humility, but to me, it is the very best time.  While those in and of this world pause to express gratitude for all their accomplishments, we who are children of God and servants of Jesus Christ should stop and give thanks, not so much for what we have, but for who we are. 

Romans 10:9 demanded the utmost of humility.  We had to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord.  When we bent our knees in humble adoration and confessed with our tongues that God made the same Jesus who was humiliated and crucified both Lord and Christ; we received the miracle of the new birth.  At that moment we got “born again” we received sonship into the family of God.  We became heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.  We received the gift of eternal life.  These are the things to be thankful for, not just at Thanksgiving, but every moment of our lives.  We were dead in our trespasses and sins, but He has made us alive with Christ and seated us in the heavenly places with Him.

Through our humility, and the agreement to “follow him”, we received the awesome opportunity to be a doulos, a bonded and branded slave for our Master, our Lord Jesus Christ.  If service is viewed as a privilege and honor, than there is no greater honor than being “sold out” to Jesus Christ as his “dog soldier”, staked to Him and His cause.  With this awesome honor, comes thankfulness to be so chosen.  Truly we are blessed beyond measure through the grace of God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

We should  be thankful for the unbelievable privilege we have to “forsake all and follow Jesus”.  It truly is the height of irony to be thankful for losing things instead of gaining them.  The true heart of thanksgiving is manifested in the humility of self-sacrifice.  The willingness to “surrender all” is not something to dread but something to be extremely thankful for.  I know of nothing that brings my heart more joy than to stand in God’s presence, having thrown off all my dirty rags, and allow Him to bathe my soul with His light, love and glory. 

As Paul said in Philippians 4:11-13:

“Not that I speak in respect of want; for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound; everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”

Our thankfulness is not in “things”, but in Christ who enables us to be content regardless of our material state.  I leave you with Paul’s words to Timothy in 1Timothy 6:6-8:

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content”.

God richly bless you and stay thankful.