You can listen to today's Breakpoint broadcast by Chuck Colson at this link:
www.breakpoint.org
The text:
Lost at Sea
Save Medicare Now, or Go Under Later
Medicare as we know it will change. The question is how. Because we sacrificed, or because we went bankrupt.
We really don’t get it, do we? A recent Associated Press poll reports that more than half of Americans believe we can balance the budget without cutting Medicare spending.
As the late great Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts.
And the facts are clear. By the year 2024, unless we make real changes, Medicare will go broke. Done. Kaputt.
This is not a doomsday prediction like Harold Camping. It’s reality. Go ahead and Google “Medicare 2024” and read the results.
Oh, and for the 6 out of 10 Americans who believe we don’t have to make any changes in social security, well, at least we have until 2036 before it runs out of cash.
The urgent question before the American people is this: Are we willing to restrain ourselves now in a reasonable way or wait until bankruptcy forces us to -- with disastrous consequences?
Given the recent congressional election in New York, if the political pundits are right, the answer is frightening. In fact, Democratic politicians seem emboldened to hammer Republicans on Medicare reform, while many Republicans are becoming contortionists trying to avoid the topic. They’re both dead wrong.
Even the liberal New York Times gets it. “Sooner or later,” it opined last Thursday, “Democrats will have to admit that Medicare cannot keep running as it is -- its medical costs are out of control.”
So, we fix things now, or we go under later.
It’s like the old mariner's tale of the ship lost in a storm. The captain and eight surviving crew members found themselves in a small lifeboat far out to sea. By the captain’s calculations, given their position and the currents, it would take 24 days to reach shore. But the boat only had enough food and water to last 12 days. So, if all aboard agreed to half rations, they might just make it.
But the crew refused. They demanded full rations, and they made it very clear to the captain that he had no choice in the matter.
The captain kept a diary of their perilous journey. By day 6 it became even more clear that they would run out of provisions before reaching safe harbor. Yet still the crew would not agree to reduce rations. Even though the sun beat down on them mercilessly, at least their bellies were full and they had yet to feel real thirst.
By day 12, the captain recorded that the food and water were gone. Yet shore was nowhere in sight. By day 13, panic set in among the crew. It took every ounce of leadership skill to keep order on that little boat, surrounded by the endless expanse of the sea.
On day 24, just as the captain had predicted the currents had dragged the boat ashore. At least that’s what the recovery crew surmised after they found the captain’s diary aboard. Along with eight dead sailors. The captain was nowhere to be found -- unless the gnawed bones found on board...well, that’s another story.
Folks, the moral of the story -- and of our predicament today -- is that we can make it to safety if we marshal our resources wisely.
Or we can starve to death later.
We must save Medicare and Social Security. But to do so, the American people will have to summon the courage to make sacrifices. And to do that, we’ll have to re-learn the what was once called the Protestant work ethic, and re-invigorate a nearly lost Christian virtue called delayed gratification.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Listen to Your Enemies
“Your nation exploits women like consumer products or advertising tools, calling upon customers to purchase them. . . . You plaster your naked daughters across billboards in order to sell a product without any shame. You have brainwashed your daughters into believing they are liberated by wearing revealing clothes, yet in reality all they have liberated is your sexual desire.” (Osama Bin Laden)
An interesting statement this is, from a man with three wives and a porn stash on his computer. Maybe he made this statement purely for propaganda and recruiting reasons, and maybe Bin Laden was the worst hypocrite north of the Indian Ocean in addition to being a mass murderer, but he makes a salient point that our own religious leaders could and should make.
Think of how America must look if all you know of it is what Madison Avenue and the entertainment industry portray. If you lived in a more traditional society, and a people who hold themselves out as the messengers of freedom ask you to become more like them, how would you react after seeing a Lady Gaga concert?
Sometimes we have to listen to truth wherever we might find it. God can work any way he wants to, sometimes even to the point of letting unsavory characters tell the truth. He did, after all, speak through Balaam’s ass, and not only that, he gave very accurate prophecies and blessings concerning Israel through that sleazy false prophet Balaam himself (Numbers 22 – 24).
He used a sorceress to condemn King Saul (I Samuel 28).
In Jesus’ day the high priest Caiaphas, no friend of the fledgling Jesus movement, said that is was expedient that one man should die for the people, that the whole nation not perish. John in his gospel points out that this remarkably accurate statement was from God, and that even Caiaphas didn’t know how profound the statement was (John 11:49 – 52).
Sometimes your worst enemies can provide the most uncomfortable truths. He was a wicked man, but he made a point worth considering.
Monday, May 16, 2011
God Makes the Lemonade
“If life hands you a lemon, make some lemonade”. I don’t know about you, but when I’m going through a rough spot in life, the last thing I want to hear is someone telling me to “take that ol’ lemon and make some lemonade.” Instead of proverbs, I would rather have comfort.
That’s what Job was hoping for when lemons entered his life. To his three erstwhile friends after they gave him their third degree treatment he said, “Miserable comforters are you all!” (Job 16:2). In fact one of the lines of argument from his “friend” Eliphaz was to just cheer up. Good things can come of this if you take these lemons and make some lemonade (Job 4:1-9).
Job was not comforted by such comments, and I doubt most of us would be.
And yet there is something to be said about having trials in life. We might not understand them, but as James says, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith works patience” (James 1:2,3). Tough times can build something that easy times cannot.
The adventures of Joseph in the Old Testament begins with a description of a rather arrogant young man, his Dad’s favorite kid, who likes to taunt his older brothers with revelations about his own greatness, while tattling to Dad about their antics.
The brothers seize the opportunity to get him out of their lives by selling him into slavery, but resourceful fellow that he is, Joseph does quite well for himself even in slavery, until one day he finds himself in the dungeon through no fault of his own.
Life handed him some verifiable lemons, and even though we are not told he was discouraged, we can certainly guess that he was.
But as the story unfolds, we learn that the events in Joseph’s life were in fact a part of a grand Divine plan. Joseph arises from prison and slavery with a new level of maturity and high responsibility. His wisdom and skills save Egypt from starvation, and along with it he saves other nations as well.
Even his own estranged family is saved from extinction through Joseph.
Joseph’s words to his brothers after their reconciliation tell us something about lemons and lemonade: “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20)
And this is the real question behind the lemons to lemonade story. Notice the way Joseph phrases his statement. “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” Put differently. “You thought you handed me a lemon, but God used it to make lemonade.”
Life hands you a lemon? You can try to make it into lemonade if you wish, but Joseph gives us a better alternative. Let God use the lemon to make lemonade. God loves making lemonade.
That’s what Job was hoping for when lemons entered his life. To his three erstwhile friends after they gave him their third degree treatment he said, “Miserable comforters are you all!” (Job 16:2). In fact one of the lines of argument from his “friend” Eliphaz was to just cheer up. Good things can come of this if you take these lemons and make some lemonade (Job 4:1-9).
Job was not comforted by such comments, and I doubt most of us would be.
And yet there is something to be said about having trials in life. We might not understand them, but as James says, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith works patience” (James 1:2,3). Tough times can build something that easy times cannot.
The adventures of Joseph in the Old Testament begins with a description of a rather arrogant young man, his Dad’s favorite kid, who likes to taunt his older brothers with revelations about his own greatness, while tattling to Dad about their antics.
The brothers seize the opportunity to get him out of their lives by selling him into slavery, but resourceful fellow that he is, Joseph does quite well for himself even in slavery, until one day he finds himself in the dungeon through no fault of his own.
Life handed him some verifiable lemons, and even though we are not told he was discouraged, we can certainly guess that he was.
But as the story unfolds, we learn that the events in Joseph’s life were in fact a part of a grand Divine plan. Joseph arises from prison and slavery with a new level of maturity and high responsibility. His wisdom and skills save Egypt from starvation, and along with it he saves other nations as well.
Even his own estranged family is saved from extinction through Joseph.
Joseph’s words to his brothers after their reconciliation tell us something about lemons and lemonade: “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20)
And this is the real question behind the lemons to lemonade story. Notice the way Joseph phrases his statement. “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” Put differently. “You thought you handed me a lemon, but God used it to make lemonade.”
Life hands you a lemon? You can try to make it into lemonade if you wish, but Joseph gives us a better alternative. Let God use the lemon to make lemonade. God loves making lemonade.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
New Blog: Prophecy Panic Button
End time prophecy pundits have long used tales of Armageddon to rally followers and tally receipts. Some of these prophets really do believe their own tales of woe, but predicted dates come and go, and in their wake we find not the Kingdom of God but disappointed and sometimes destitute victims.
So what does a would-be prophet do when prophecies fail? Make more prophecies, of course!
Here’s a link to a thought-provoking article in the wonderful new blog Prophecy Panic Button, produced by my friend Pam Dewey: Prophecy Panic Button. Pam addresses both the psychology and theology of would-be end time prophets and their followers. That’s important given Jesus’ warnings about false christs and false prophets, even in the last days. “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert;’ or ‘Look, he is in the outer rooms!’ do not believe it” (Matthew 24:26). Jesus did, after all, warn us that we will not "know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:13).
Read all of Matthew 24 and 25 and you’ll see warning after warning about religious charlatans who would do the world a favor by selling shoes instead of religion. There is honor in honest work, after all. What part of "No man knows" do they not understand?
Pam’s piece on a specific current “prophet” is: http://prophecypanicbutton.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/when-prophecy-fails/
So what does a would-be prophet do when prophecies fail? Make more prophecies, of course!
Here’s a link to a thought-provoking article in the wonderful new blog Prophecy Panic Button, produced by my friend Pam Dewey: Prophecy Panic Button. Pam addresses both the psychology and theology of would-be end time prophets and their followers. That’s important given Jesus’ warnings about false christs and false prophets, even in the last days. “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert;’ or ‘Look, he is in the outer rooms!’ do not believe it” (Matthew 24:26). Jesus did, after all, warn us that we will not "know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:13).
Read all of Matthew 24 and 25 and you’ll see warning after warning about religious charlatans who would do the world a favor by selling shoes instead of religion. There is honor in honest work, after all. What part of "No man knows" do they not understand?
Pam’s piece on a specific current “prophet” is: http://prophecypanicbutton.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/when-prophecy-fails/
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Reprise: Dancing in the Streets - Expanded Version
Here’s something I noticed about the dancing in the streets at the demise of Osama Bin Laden. By and large the participants looked like twenty-somethings. Ten years ago, when Bin Laden seared himself into the national consciousness, these celebrants would have been teens or younger. We know those attacks and the subsequent threats from Al-Qaeda had a profound impact on their formative years. But maybe we didn’t realize how much.
This jubilation in the streets was in one sense heartwarming to watch, but in another sense it provoked some troubling thoughts. When my peers were in their twenties and gathered in the streets, they were burning their draft cards and the flag. This generation of twenty-somethings is waving the flag and pledging allegiance to it. My generation said not to trust anyone over 30. This generation is singing the national anthem. We spat on the military when they came home. This generation is honoring them with thanks.
I would say there is quite a contrast here.
It’s a fair statement to say that Bin Laden had it coming, and it is a normal reaction to rejoice at the elimination of evil. When the nation of Israel watched the destruction of the Egyptian army, they rejoiced in song and dance (Exodus 15:1-15, 20, 21). Centuries later they still celebrated this deliverance by composing and singing more psalms of praise (Psalms 105 & 106).
And in the book of Revelation, when evil is finally expunged from the earth, the call is to “rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you in her.” (Revelation 18:20)
The destruction of evil appears to be something to celebrate, but at the same time I come back to Ezekiel 33:11 and the nature of the God we serve: “As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”
This is what God really wants, not to avenge, but to forgive. It’s what we all should want. But if doesn’t happen that way, then the evil needs to be eliminated, and it needs to be eliminated in God’s way. The Apostle Paul tells us one way God uses to avenge evil, and it might surprise some.
In Romans 12, Paul reminds the Christians at Rome that they are not to take vengeance into their own hands. “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine. I will repay,’ says the Lord. "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty give him a drink, for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:19-21 NASB)
This is a popular passage among those of a strict pacifist background. But if we read on, into chapter 13, we see that Paul is not a strict pacifist at all. In the same context of those previous comments to us as individual Christians and citizens, he comments on the role of the governing authorities, and one of those roles is found in verse 4 of chapter 13.
“For it [the governing authority] is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. (13:4)
So in matters such as that of Osama Bin Laden, we as individuals do not have the authority to avenge such wrongs, but the civil authorities do. In fact we could go so far as to say that they not only have the authority but also the obligation and duty to protect their citizens, even using force when necessary.
So I’m not offended at all when I see young people celebrating in the streets. I confess to rejoicing with them. But I’ll rejoice even more if the sinner repents.
This jubilation in the streets was in one sense heartwarming to watch, but in another sense it provoked some troubling thoughts. When my peers were in their twenties and gathered in the streets, they were burning their draft cards and the flag. This generation of twenty-somethings is waving the flag and pledging allegiance to it. My generation said not to trust anyone over 30. This generation is singing the national anthem. We spat on the military when they came home. This generation is honoring them with thanks.
I would say there is quite a contrast here.
It’s a fair statement to say that Bin Laden had it coming, and it is a normal reaction to rejoice at the elimination of evil. When the nation of Israel watched the destruction of the Egyptian army, they rejoiced in song and dance (Exodus 15:1-15, 20, 21). Centuries later they still celebrated this deliverance by composing and singing more psalms of praise (Psalms 105 & 106).
And in the book of Revelation, when evil is finally expunged from the earth, the call is to “rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you in her.” (Revelation 18:20)
The destruction of evil appears to be something to celebrate, but at the same time I come back to Ezekiel 33:11 and the nature of the God we serve: “As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”
This is what God really wants, not to avenge, but to forgive. It’s what we all should want. But if doesn’t happen that way, then the evil needs to be eliminated, and it needs to be eliminated in God’s way. The Apostle Paul tells us one way God uses to avenge evil, and it might surprise some.
In Romans 12, Paul reminds the Christians at Rome that they are not to take vengeance into their own hands. “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine. I will repay,’ says the Lord. "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty give him a drink, for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:19-21 NASB)
This is a popular passage among those of a strict pacifist background. But if we read on, into chapter 13, we see that Paul is not a strict pacifist at all. In the same context of those previous comments to us as individual Christians and citizens, he comments on the role of the governing authorities, and one of those roles is found in verse 4 of chapter 13.
“For it [the governing authority] is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. (13:4)
So in matters such as that of Osama Bin Laden, we as individuals do not have the authority to avenge such wrongs, but the civil authorities do. In fact we could go so far as to say that they not only have the authority but also the obligation and duty to protect their citizens, even using force when necessary.
So I’m not offended at all when I see young people celebrating in the streets. I confess to rejoicing with them. But I’ll rejoice even more if the sinner repents.
Monday, May 2, 2011
About Those Celebrations in the Streets
Something I noticed about the dancing in the streets at the demise of Osama Bin Laden. By and large the participants looked like twenty-somethings. Ten years ago, when Bin Laden seared himself into the national consciousness, these celebrants would have been teens or younger. We know those attacks and the subsequent threatentings from Al-Qaeda had a profound impact on their formative years. But maybe we didn’t realize how much.
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