Thanksgiving

I was going to write a Thanksgiving blog, but time is short so instead I am posting a link to a good article on the subject.  “What Every Child Should Know About Thanksgiving” by Newt Gingrich. I hope you have more than just a  “Happy Thanksgiving.”  I hope you experience the deep joy and peace that comes to a grateful person.

“What Me Worry?”

Alfred E Neuman is famous for saying, “what me worry?”   With today’s economic circumstances a lot of people might be feeling a little Neumanesque.  While I realize that it is not sufficient just to tell someone, “stop worrying,” I do want to point out what is wrong with worry.

Worry is one of Satan’s strategies to attack God.  He seeks to embarrass our Heavenly Father by provoking us to doubt His intentions or His abilities to take care of His children.  Worry is not a failure to trust.  It isn’t a lack of faith.  Worry is misplaced faith.  Worry is faith in the devil.  It places more trust in the enemies threats than it does in our Father’s promises.

Worry also sabotages our praying.  Doubt-filled prayers are ineffective.  God honors faith and trust.

So what to do?  Well, don’t start worrying about being a worrier.  Begin by constantly reminding yourself of God’s promises to His children.  Read the Sermon on the Mount and meditate on what Jesus taught about the Father’s care and love for His children.

Then, reflect back on all the times that God has taken care of you.  Remember and be thankful.

Finally, take Peter’s advice and “cast all you worries on Him, because He cares for you,” and heed Paul’s admonition in Philippians 4 to think on the good things of life and pray with thanksgiving and let God guard your heart.

Here’s hoping you have a joyful day in Jesus.

Automakers Bailout

I have mixed feelings about a bailout for the automakers – GM, Ford, Chrysler.  These companies are a huge part of the American economy.  If they go under it will be disasterous for an already weak economy.  At the same time it seems that just handing them billions of tax-payer dollars only puts off the inevitable.

Incredibly, they came to Washington seeking money without really having a plan to turn things around.  I am missing something. 

Bankruptcy under chapter 11 is looking like the only viable option.  At least then they have to develop a reorganization plan.  They have to work out some kind of concessions with the Unions and their suppliers.  While not an ideal situation it may be the only way they can come out of this crisis alive and well.

My wife drives a GM product and I drive a Ford.  We have never owned any but a GM or Ford product.  They make a good product.  I want to see them survive and thrive.  I hope a solution can be arrived at.

Why Buy Used Cars?

We Americans love our cars.  Most of us can tell you fondly about our first car and our favorite car.  A lot of us our thinking about our next car before we drive the present one off the lot. 

With tough financial times ahead what is the best use of our money when it comes to automobiles?

First off, cars are bad investments.  On average, a vehicle will lose 65% of its value in the first five years of its use.  That means if you pay $20,000 for a new car it will be worth $7,000 five years later.  If you finance it you will have paid $25,000 to $30,000 for something that is worth $7,000 when you make the final payment.  Like I said, cars can’t be thought of as a good investment.

Therefore, buy a good quality used car.  You can buy after the greatest amount of depreciation has already happened.  Sure it will still go down in value, but not at the same rate or percentage as a new car would.

Buying used also means you buy less expensively.  Hopefully this means you can pay cash.  Thus you also won’t be losing all that money you would have been paying in interests costs.

You may not be able to pay cash right now, but at least have a plan to be able to do so down the road.  Here is a simple plan you can adopt to get there.

1.  Buy a cheap used car you can get by on for a few years with cash or by financing a year or two.

2.  Once you pay it off keep driving it as long as possible.  Don’t fall into the trap of running out and buying another one and continuing the debt cycle. 

3.  Take the money you would be making on a car payment and put it in a safe savings type account.  A money market account or an account with ING Bank will yield you 2 – 3 % interest.  Not much but better than nothing. 

4.  When your car just won’t go anymore take that money you have been saving and buy your next vehicle.  You have probably saved enough that you can buy something a little newer and nicer.  Repeat the process.  You should have even more saved up the next time.

5.  Make it a lifestyle to pay yourself that car payment.  Over a lifetime the amount you will have saved yourself on interest payments alone would be astounding. 

One argument against this idea is what to do if you have to travel a long distance occasionally and don’t want to risk driving your junker?  My suggestion is rent a car.  This is what we do.  We can rent a small car for a week for less than what one car payment would cost.  We drive a car we don’t have to maintain, we put miles on a car we don’t own.  We don’t have to make 5 years of payments so that we can have something to drive to Austin on vacation.

Purpose for Living

Live for something, have a purpose,

And that purpose keep in view.

Drifting like a helpless vessel,

You can never to life  be true.

Half the wrecks that strew life’s ocean,

If some star had been their guide,

Might have now been safely riding,

But they drifted with the tide.

-Author unknown-

Day of Pray for Persecuted Christians

Today, 11/09/08, is “The Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians.”  One day a year is not really enough, but it is a great opportunity to remember the plight of those suffering for their faith across the world.  Let me encourage you to visit The Voice of the Martyrs site and sign up for their free newsletter.  Use it as a means to remember those in prison and suffering for Christ’s sake.

A Word of Wisdom

Let nothing disturb you,
Nothing dismay you;
All things are passing:
God never changes.
Patient endurance
Attains all that it strives for;
Those who have God
Find they lack nothing.
God alone suffices.

-St. Teresa of Avila-

Was Sarah Palin John McCain’s Problem?

Well, the blame game has begun.  The body isn’t cold yet and already people are pointing fingers of blame as to why Senator McCain lost the election.  Reports are that McCain campaign staffers are quietly blaming Sarah Palin for the failure of McCain to win the election. 

The fact is she was the only thing that breathed any life into that dead corpse this past summer.  McCain was getting nowhere with the base until he announced her as his running mate. 

Hey McCain staffers – maybe he lost because you suck at your job.  There was no coherent message, Senator Obama opened so many doors of opportunity to make your case and you just let them walk by, the debate performance was bad and McCain missed a giant chance to win the election when the bailout happened and he didn’t take it.  He could have said, “no bailout,” and he would have separated himself from President-elect Obama and won the election.  Instead all we got over and over again was, “My friends, I suspended my campaign and went back to Washington to deal with this crisis.”  Yea, and what did you do?  Go along with the hair-brained scheme of bailouts and we see how great that worked. 

You gave Governor Palin her talking points, told her what she could and couldn’t say, made her tight and uncomfortable, and stole her most valuable asset to the campaign – her conservative ideals – and now have the audacity to claim she was the problem!!!!

Look, Joe Biden, was a horrible VP pick.  They say loose lips sink ships and Joe definitely tried his hardest to sink the Obama campaign.  But he didn’t.  Why?  VP picks matter to a degree, but a candidate wins or loses the election not the running mate.  Dan Quail was savaged by the press and made to look like a fool, but Bush 41 won the election.  When he lost to President Clinton it was because he broke his “read my lips, no new taxes” pledge and not because of anything Dan Quail did.

So rather than going around trying to cover your own rear ends why don’t you man-up or woman-up, which ever the case may be, examine what you did and own up to the fact that you and Senator McCain are responsible for the outcome, not Sarah Palin.  Personal responsibility is a Republican ideal.  Apparently you didn’t know that.  Maybe that is why you lost.  You don’t know what Conservative Republican values are and therefore you didn’t know how to communicate them to the voting public.  Well, here is an opportunity to go to school on a conservative value, own up to your own failure and quit trying to pass the buck.  You are coming across like a real loser who ever you are.  And by the way, this behind the scenes stuff is so cowardly.  If you are so sure that Governor Palin was the problem get yourself on TV and say so.  Show your face and quit hiding behind this anonymous source nonsense.

OK – rant over for now.

Now What?

Barak Obama is now President Elect of the United States.  It goes without saying that I opposed his election.  He won and it isn’t the first time I’ve voted with the minority.  Now that Senator Obama is going to become President Obama here is what I will do.

First, I will do what I did this morning.  I will pray for him and his family.  As a follower of Christ it is my spiritual duty, it is right and it is needed.  I will heed the admonition of 1 Timothy 2:1-3:

Therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Second, I will show respect for the dignity of the office which he holds by referring to him as President Obama.  It is right and good for Christian people to honor those whom God has entrusted with leadership.  The apostle Paul, when slapped by Ananias the high priest, called him a whitewashed wall.  When told he had reviled the high priest he apologetically responded, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”  (Acts 23:1-5)  Agree with his policies or not, like him or not – Barak Obama will soon be the President of the United States and deserves the respect that comes with the office.

Third, I will continue to enjoy the wonderful liberty God has given us in this country.  The liberty to have the freedom of speech.  When I believe President Obama is wrong on a issue, I will say so and I will say why. 

Fourth, I will do what I can to rebuild the conservative, constitutional worldview on which this country was established and built.  I believe President Obama is a socialist and the Democratic Party has become the Socialist Party.  Everywhere socialism/communism has been tried it has failed.  It will fail here as well.  It kills initiative, it drains an economy of its ability to create wealth, it creates a dependent class and furthers division among the people.  The social policies that President Obama supports are anathema to me.  I will argue against them as vigourously as I can and seek to persuade others of seeing things in a different light.  I will pray for a leader to emerge from the ashes of the Republican Party who is a true conservative and can articulate in a positive manner the principles of conservativism.  If one can’t be found among Republicans I will seek one among Democrats or among another Party.

Like many conservatives I didn’t vote for John McCain.  I voted against Barak Obama.  I see Senator McCain’s defeat as an opportunity to start fresh in seeking to establish a Party that stands on Principle.  Had John McCain won it would have been four years of holding off the inevitable.  It would have been four more years of destruction of the Party that Ronald Reagan built. 

I admit I was a little bummed out last night when it became clear that Barak Obama would win this election.  But when I woke this morning I was reminded that God is still God.  I rejoiced in His sovereign plan.  I prayed for our new President and I went about life.

So how about you?  What now for you?

One Person’s Reason for Supporting Obama

Here is a sad take on why one person is excited about Barak Obama and what she expects the outcome will be…