Cleaning Out the Garage

Today I found myself cleaning out our garage. This is something I have done probably once every couple of months on average. As I was moving some boxes and sweeping from behind some shelves, I realized that I am constantly moving the same stuff around each time, and my pile is never getting any smaller. It has actually been growing. Instead of saying that I have been cleaning out the garage, it would be more fitting to say that I have been reorganizing our stuff to make room for more stuff. I have really not been cleaning anything out, I have been preparing to accumulate further. Now, there's nothing wrong with having stuff, but much of what I have been moving around is stuff that I really don't need, probably will never use and wouldn't even miss it if it was gone. If you had come through my garage yesterday and threw much of it in the trash, I never would have known it was gone.

As this dawned on me today, I couldn't help but think about how this relates to so many of our lives. Instead of cleaning out and getting rid of stuff we don't need, many times we shuffle things around, buy more storage containers and make room for new stuff, all the while the old stuff is not benefiting us at all and is just collecting dust waiting for us to move it again. We all need to take an inventory from time to time, and then get rid of stuff that has just become a liability. In my garage, it's just stuff I don't need and will never use that is taking up space - no real harm done. However, in our lives, all too often it is habits or relationships that are harmful. As I look around my garage, I need to determine what I can throw in the trash or give to someone who can use it. In our lives, we need to determine what, or who, might need to go. Let's clean up!

A Lesson from our Founding Fathers

Recently I have been studying the lives of some of our founding fathers. Many people today are quick to quote one of these men, particularly when something they said conveniently seems to validate or invalidate something currently taking place in our government. Because so much is being said, I decided to study some of these men for myself to see straight from their lives what they believed. In my research I have discovered some really interesting things, and I want to share one of these in particular in this post. Nothing I am going to say today is at all political, nor is it intended to make any kind of political statement. This is simply a lesson that was learned the hard way by some of our founding fathers that I think is very relevant to our lives as Americans today.

Before the Revolutionary War, people had settled here on this land, but they were not yet known as Americans, at least not in the same sense that we are today. They were under British rule, and the land that would become known as America was more or less a British colony. The story of how we gained our independence is fascinating, but I want to discuss something else in this post. Before we became a free nation, during the time of British rule, many of our founding fathers were land owners and businessmen. Thomas Jefferson was a prominent land owner. Benjamin Franklin was a very astute businessman and inventor whose insights and breakthroughs still greatly impact us today. These men and others like them formed the ideas that led to the birth of this nation. History has recorded the words and works of these men, but a littler known idea is one that was realized by George Washington. In addition to being a great war hero, Washington was a wealthy land owner who raised crops and traded with England and other nations as far away as the Caribbean. Over the course of his life, he would own thousands of acres in a few different states. He was among the most respected men in this land that would become America, but at the time, he was still very much dependent upon England.

Washington, and others like him, relied upon companies in England for supplies and equipment. These companies loved having these customers, and the way they chose to do business is still the pattern in many instances today. This was obviously before the days of wire transfers, Pay Pal and other means of electronic payment. Instead, these companies would extend a line of credit to men like George Washington, and they would work out a payment plan at a significant enough interest rate that their customers were never likely to really pay off their debt. They companies would keep their shipments on their way, and often would not collect payment for another year, or growing season. This enabled the customers to continue working even when they couldn't pay at the moment, but it also gave the supplier the upper hand in their business relationship, as the debt never really went away.

George Washington was among the first to recognize this pattern, and he realized that his wealth was steadily dwindling because of interest payments on items that had often already been consumed and were no longer producing an income. He knew at that rate he would never really be free of the bondage gladly imposed upon him by his creditors. To break this pattern, Washington began paying cash for all that he purchased, and if he couldn't afford it, he wouldn't buy it. This undoubtedly required an enormous amount of discipline, and I'd imagine there were times he didn't have the "latest and the greatest" that his contemporaries had, but unlike many of them, he was died a very wealthy man and was able to leave a prosperous estate to his benefactors. Many others, including Thomas Jefferson, died leaving behind mountains of debt. For these men, the cycle of debt continued long after they were out of the picture, and their estates were never really able to enjoy the freedom that comes with financial independence.  

This realization helped Washington gain a position of true wealth, and his lesson is a very timely one for us today. Well over 200 years have passed since George Washington learned this valuable lesson. His face now graces much of our currency, but most today have never come to the same realization he did. Many of us are trapped in patterns of debt that are much like the patterns our founding fathers faced. We are encouraged to take advantage of lines of credit to enable us to have pretty much whatever we want, even if we can't afford it. Because of compound interest, the payments continue long after the items have either been consumed or have depreciated to the point that they no longer have any value. If we continue to live this way, we will forever be behind the 8-ball. These patterns make it nearly impossible to ever get ahead financially, and over the course of time, whether it is a home, a car, electronics or clothing, we will have paid many more times what the item was originally worth if we purchase it this way. Unfortunately, these patterns are easy to get into and hard to escape. However, let us learn this lesson from our founding fathers and take steps to begin breaking these patterns.

I have no professional credentials that qualify me to offer financial advice, but many of the steps we must take are common sense. We have learned how to live well above our means, but we have to choose to conduct ourselves differently. We have to stop purchasing things we cannot afford. We need to get our priorities in order. We should all be regularly saving money for the future, not paying on the purchases of the past. There is an old saying that we can pay now and play later, or we can play now and pay later. We need to pay now so we can enjoy the freedom of financial independence later. There is much more to be said, and there are many quality resources available that can help us if we are serious about breaking these patterns. Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman, Larry Burkett and many others have great books and other helpful items available, and I would encourage you to take advantage of these proven financial strategies. If we are going to become the individuals and the nation we have the potential to be, we have to take the necessary steps to break these harmful patterns and learn the lesson George Washington learned a few centuries ago. Let's do it! 

The Kentucky Kause

If you have regularly followed my blog, you know I have typically encouraged us to become involved in our individual spheres of influence. We have discussed common reasons many of us haven't gotten involved and steps we can take to overcome these. We have talked about feeding the poor, visiting the lonely and others ways we can all reach out to make a difference. In this post, I want to share about a friend of mine who is reaching out and helping to meet needs in one of the poorest parts of the world.

We have all seen images of poor little children living in slums with little or no food or clothing. We have seen the effects of malnutrition and dehydration, and we have seen the faces that show no signs of hope that things will ever improve. We know these needs exist in far away places, like Ethiopia, Somalia and The Sudan, but many of us might not have been aware that poverty that is just as severe exists right here in the United States. One of the areas where this is the worst is in parts of Kentucky nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. 

Kentucky is a beautiful state with a rich heritage, but there are pockets of poverty so extreme that people actually freeze to death in the harsh winters because they don't even have a sweatshirt. Little children often don't eat regularly because of a lack of food, and families resort to living in tents, roughly constructed shacks or even old school buses because they cannot afford to live in a house. For some, this may come as no surprise, as there are many places that are dealing with this level of poverty. For others, however, it may be totally shocking to know that such conditions exist so close to home. 

I really believe that most people would gladly help the people living in these desperate situations, but many just don't know how or where to start. A friend of mine, Kevin Lepp, and his wife, Ashleigh, have taken this great need seriously, and they have set out to make a difference. They have determined to raise $50,000 to send to a reputable, established organization that is bringing true relief to many of the citizens of Kentucky who are enduring this terrible poverty. I could tell you more about it, but how about hear from Kevin himself. This video is less than 90 seconds long, and it gives a quick overview of his and Ashley's work, and tells us how we can get involved. Check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3huffd5W7I

If you missed the website address that Kevin shared at the end of his video, here it is:

www.thekentuckykause.com

I think what Kevin and Ashleigh are doing is so awesome, and they have made it so easy to join with them. If what you have read in this post or seen in Kevin's video has prompted you to help with this urgent need, I encourage you to take the next step. We can all make a difference, and this is a chance to partner with hundreds, or even thousands of others in making a lasting impact on some of our neighbors who need it the most. Let's get involved!

How Much and How Well?

If you have read some of my recent posts, you may remember one called "Finding Your Place" and another entitled "The Work of the Ministry." These both stemmed out of something that has been on my heart for a while, and I want to continue with that same theme in this post. No matter who we are and what our background happens to be, all of us are born with the desire to find where we fit and to be involved with something that matters. Most of us feel like there is something bigger than ourselves that is worth pursuing, and we want what we do to matter. Nobody, if they are really honest, wants to live their lives in mediocrity and just pass the time. I believe these desires were put inside us by the Lord. He created every one of us and fashioned us very uniquely and specifically. He has given us all special talents and abilities, and it is important that we utilize those in our lives.

However, many of us never really know where to start, or maybe we don't know what we are supposed to do, so we never really engaging in anything. I attended a ministry school for three years right out of high school, and I have seen this challenge arise in my own life and in the lives of many people I know and have been able to observe. Many of us, particularly when we graduated from the school, were kind of left reeling not knowing what was next. Where do we go from here? I think many of us felt that we had been prepared for something, but we weren't sure what it was. I think some of us might have even come face to face with it, but when we did, it didn't look like we thought it would look. This kept us from really applying ourselves, so nothing ever happened. I think there were others of us who felt pressure to be involved with or start something big and we couldn't commit ourselves to something that seemed small, particularly if it didn't seem as important as what someone else may have been involved doing. Whatever the reason for us individually, many of us have never really gotten engaged in moving toward our purpose, although we have really wanted to do so.  

I don't want to sound like I have this all figured out, because I surely don't. Additionally, the specific steps each individual must take will vary, and no two people's journeys with the Lord will look exactly the same. I am just trying to shed some light on a general principle that applies to all of us and that can hopefully help us get moving in the right direction. As I mentioned before, we all want to be involved in something significant and feel like what we're doing really matters. As we pursue these things, it is important to bear in mind that the way the Lord measures significance and the way we measure it are not always the same.

That being the case, sometimes our desire to be a part of something we feel is significant can cause us to miss opportunities that truly are significant. In natural terms, we tend to think of something as significant if it is big. If it reaches a lot of people, or at least if a lot of people take notice, we feel like it may be of more importance than something that does not seem to be as far reaching. We might feel like a church of 500 people is more significant than one with 25 members, or that an organization that feeds the homeless everyday is more important than the family who pulls together to buy some groceries for the under-privileged widow down the street. However, the fact is that we can never truly measure significance in natural terms. Something that we might feel to be super important in the natural may carry an entirely different weight with the Lord. This is not to say that He deems a large church as insignificant, but neither does He view a small church as insignificant. He obviously wants all the hungry to be fed, but it is no less significant that you and I feed the hungry individual who may cross our path today.

Wade Taylor once made an astute observation that explains this principle really well. He said: "The important thing is that the will of God is being done in our lives. When we stand before the Lord, He doesn't want to say "much done," but "well done." I think many of us tend to judge how well we are doing by how much we are doing. However, let's look at it this way: which is more likely to be significant: a person who attempts to start 12 different projects, but never really completes any of them, or the person who truly applies himself in a couple of areas and really builds them into an established, lasting work? Sometimes the old adage "quality and not quantity" is a good guidepost.

This reminds me of a story that I have heard many times, but it is worth repeating now. During the first half of the 20th century, there was a Christian evangelist named Mordecai Ham. Mr. Ham was fairly well known and held evangelistic crusades in many different states. A few hundred thousand people are said to have met the Lord in his meetings, and at times thousands would be converted in one crusade. During the early 1930's, he held a crusade in Charlotte, NC. When Mr. Ham gave the invitation to accept the Lord, comparatively speaking, a smaller number of people came forward. By natural terms this crusade could have been deemed less significant than many of his others. However, one of the converts was a young man named Billy Graham. Since that time, it has been documented that over 2 billion people have been presented with the Gospel because of the ministry of Billy Graham. This particular crusade could have been thought to have had less of an impact, but it actually helped to birth one of the most significant evangelistic ministries in human history!

I don't know how Mr. Ham viewed his crusade in Charlotte, but if I had been in his shoes, I might have thought to myself: "What am I doing preaching to just a few converts? My message needs to be heard by thousands!" Well, as will be the case with many of us, Mr. Ham's crusade turned out to be a clear example of the importance of doing well rather than doing much! Let's go do the same!

Welcome to the World, South Sudan

Something happened in the world last week that I think is truly remarkable. As economic pressures continue to increase in the west, and politicians play politics, something of great historic significance is taking place in Africa. As many people (though, not nearly enough) are aware, one of the worst humanitarian tragedies in modern history is taking place in Darfur, which is the western region of the Sudan. Influenced largely by the Muammar al-Gadaffi of Libya, the Sudanese government adopted a policy of "Arab supremacy." For several years, they have worked in cooperation with Arab armies called "Janjaweed" to kill and displace the non-Arab citizens of Darfur.

The only reason for these attacks is that these particular citizens are not Arabs. Since the violence began, nearly 3 million citizens of Darfur have been driven from their homes and have either become nomads or are else living in refugee camps in the neighboring country of Chad. Additionally, nearly half a million people have been murdered and countless women and girls have been abused and mistreated by the pillaging Janjaweed armies. Thousands of families have been left homeless and children have watched their parents butchered before their young eyes. Thankfully, some developed nations are working to attempt to end this crisis, and much international attention has been brought to it by some celebrities, most notably, George Clooney.

Although a lasting resolution has not been reached between Darfur and the government of the Sudan, there was a major development with this nation in general just a few days ago. Because of the genocide and overall tyranny exerted by the Sudanese government, the southern portion of the nation has withdrawn and formed an independent country. It took numerous civil wars and much travail, but as of last week, the Republic of South Sudan is now a nation free of Sudanese rule. This momentous event did not directly liberate the people of Darfur, but it has dealt a major blow to the corrupt system that as prolonged the intolerance and senseless brutality of a horrible government. This new nation's motto is "Justice, Liberty and Prosperity." By God's grace, they will have those as their reality, and our prayer should be that they spread like wildfire to the rest of the Sudan and surround the victims of the Darfur Conflict.

There is no way to separate the Lord from justice. According to Micah 6:8, there are three things God requires of us: justice, mercy and a walk with Him that is based in humility. We should seek to manifest these three things in all that we do, and as Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." I hope this new nation of South Sudan is a worldwide inspiration for people to capture a renewed passion for justice and freedom. Many thousands died in our great nation some 200 years ago to make justice and freedom possible here in America. May their same zeal possess our hearts today anytime we see justice and freedom threatened.

I watched a documentary recently about the Darfur Conflict, and it was heart breaking, but inspiring, all at once. It contained numerous interviews from some of the victims of this tragedy, and one particular gentleman especially stood out to me. He had finished what would be the equivalent of our high school, but because of the ongoing conflict, he was unable to go on to the University. His home village had been displaced by the Janjaweed and many of the men were either killed or were actively fighting against the Arab attack. He joined his village in the middle of the desert in a makeshift settlement and took it upon himself to start a school to teach the children of that village. He taught the children for years in a one room hut without ever making a penny, all for the sake of those children and their future. Even though there has been no end in sight to the conflict, he is sacrificing for the hope that the next generation might know something different and better.

That man's remarkable story should inspire us all. Although he was not on the front lines of the battle, he faithfully filled his role right where he was. He saw in those children something worth fighting for, and fight he did. We are living in a time unlike no other, and here in America, we are at a point where our nation's future is being determined. What happens from here on might have less to do with the decisions made by our government and more to do with what you and I do in our individual spheres of influence. What do you and I have that is worth fighting for? Let us never let it slip away. All are called to pray; some are called to fight; others are called to speak or write and teach our children. No matter what our office, let us carry it out faithfully in the service of the true King. In all that we do, let us act justly, show mercy and walk with our King humbly.