The Economy In My Area

I thought it would be a great outlet.

I certainly understand the desire to have an 'outlet.'

My only caution is that I've noticed that the prevailing mood in our country is impotent rage. This forum is one of the few remaining places on Earth where the prevailing focus is on omnipotent God. I would hate to see us lose that.

I'm not disagreeing with you or acting above it all. The burdens today are immense, and sharing is a valid response. Indeed, today's frustrating even frightening events threaten to overwhelm our thoughts. We are choking on sewers of information, facts, statistics, polls, and headlines, all the while as Isaiah said "truth has fallen in the streets." And the refuge from this emphasis is what makes SI so precious. If SI doesn't keep out this fretful sewage...whether as updates or even in the guise of personal prophesy, I will be saddened at the loss of a place where we can momentarily take our eyes off of the world groaning beneath the burden of it's sin.

To all the weary who are groaning,
beneath the burden of sin so cruel,
Come to Jesus, meek and lowly.
You will find rest for your soul.

Blessings,

MC

We live in a predominate agricultural/aquacultural area. Very little manufacturing is done in our county.

The mood is cautious upbeat! The reason I say cautious because the catfish industry is presently reeling from high feed costs due to the high costs of grain used in its manufacture. But they are cautiously optimistic thinking this thing would change - sometime. Prices are higher but not enough to offset the increase costs of feed.

Now the grain farmers are smiling BIG smiles!

Have not heard anything from the cattle/sheep growers - very few in our area but I suspect they are doing OK because most cattle/sheep graze on pasture.

The chicken industry here is still in its infancy. There are several growers who have large operations and the company that is sponsoring them planned to build a lot more, and there were people whose plans have been approved by the local and state regulations. BUT the environmentalists come in and complain about the odors...and so now this company has put this expansion on hold which means the processing plant (for chickens) that was purchased by Koch will not open and there will be no jobs available there. This company is weary of paying attorney bills to fight their cases in court.

So if there is any depression in our county is is man-made by threats of lawsuits....(Lawsuits is a huge industry in our state!)

Otherwise - depression? where? Not here.

ginnyrose

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Still, I think checking the headlines for bad news is hardly bearing anyone's burdens. Are there to be no places left on Earth where the government and media doesn't set the table for us?

However, I don't want to give the impression of some 'restriction' to people who are truly hurting. If my comments seemed like that then I'm sorry.

don't participate

Sounds like good advice.

MC

Dear brothers and sisters, saints of God,

About a year or so ago, this forum was well-nigh turning into a replication of a Yahoo! news frontpage. Everytime a plane crashed, the planning of the Beijing olympics, Iraq, Iran Hezbollah, Bush, Putin, Cheney, Mad Cow disease, honey bees on decline, you name it...everytime something bliped the rubrik on Fox news it seemed it was cut and pasted here within 30 minutes.

Now, I think we should keep up-to-date on current events; I think being abreast on what's happening in the world from a Christian standpoint is important and Biblical as to the influencing of our prayers, etc. - but I also believe that if we are not careful we may shift the pendulum inadvertantly too far over to where they become the focal point and begin to usurp the central, single place of Jesus Christ glorified and burden of Biblical revival - the main purpose for why this site exists. This is what SI is here for, to propagate outstanding classic sermons and messages pertaining to revival and holiness and the treading of the old paths. A true rarity, a turquoise oasis in the middle of the desert. It is good to post sparingly on current events (with politics excluded, of course), but when the current event threads begin to gather and grow in momentum...we risk falling prey to a stampede of world topics, and things quickly spiral out of control. Jesus Christ gets pushed to the back of the rush and everybody just gawks at the spectacle of hooves pounding the dust being kicked up. Brothers and sisters, I sense the forum going this way as of late, and it is no one person's fault. Let's remain sober and vigilant and remember our rightful place in this world and where our real Kingdom is located. When we raise our thoughts to the lofty heights of God, we scarcely have time to ruminate on the agendas and plans of man.

What I am saying is essentially to give to Caesar the attention alloted to him, and give to God the attention that is alloted to Him and let's not turn this forum into something it was never meant to be. If I want a double-shot of the secular news and world drama from a Christian perspective, I'll turn on the 700 Club and watch Pat Robertson :)

But if I want sober, Christ-centered fellowship with the saints and elect, I'll log onto SI, because this is one place I can go to where I recognise the furniture and I know my neighbors. I hope this post is read correctly dear brethren. All I am imploring is for a sense of balance in terms of attention allotment.

Love to you all, dear sisters and brothers,

Brother Paul

I felt that this thread was what you are speaking of which I do not believe that it is but that's ok.,

It's not just this thread, and I certainly don't want you to think I am coming against you or questioning your integrity to judge a suitable post. The only reason I interjected was because of yours and Mike's dialogue; I am trying to "nip in the bud" the potential occasion of all this spiraling out of control (which we've seen).

Brother Paul

Thanks Paul. Your oasis description is apt.

Perhaps this is the heart of the matter...

Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

I really appreciate Rivqah bringing up that scripture for these times. (In fact she may have identified the best 'economic strategy' I've heard so far.) As a point of clarification worth restating, even as we should use caution in cutting and pasting media headlines, at the same time if people here are personally being affected by the events of our times and would like to share for comfort, (or even a little commiseration), then I think there is an abundance of kindness and wisdom, and Godliness here in the SI family.

Blessings all,

Mike

I certainly wasn't trying to be super-spiritual.

Why not? If we are in Christ and HE in us, how can we be but super-spiritual? I forgot which preacher said that Christians are "supernatural" or should be supernatural human beings,for we the supernatural Holy Spirit living in us!

I think it was Jonathan Edwards? May be not...to be asking God "to stamp eternity on our eyeballs.."? I can really use this.

Whenever I cast my eyes on the things of the world,whether good or bad, they just chisel away that bit from my spirit. In my opinion, we are entirely surrounded by all too much super-unspiritual distractions.

Several brothers were discussing on the other thread over economics,over material abundance, poverty..etc. I found a bit of unnesscessary awkardness created through some of the discussions over the I have, I don't have, you have, you don't have...you should've, I could've..!!?? How futile!?

Proverbs 23:5
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? [b]for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.[/b]

I remember when I was young mother, struggling whether to pursue a career full-time,in addition to having to live under a great deal of pressure from both sides of the non-Christian families. However, The Lord made it very clear to me not to run to the world but to stay home and raise the children, with one not-so-large income. The reproves and mockeries we received from my parents and inlaws were extremely discouraging. To make things worse, all those "Christian" books, "Christian" financial advisors...advising us, on the one hand, mothers should stay home full-time, on the other, we need to prepare for college funds, retirement funds, and x-amount of savings, debt-free...to the extent where I found myself feeling so much guilt by staying home,for a long while, I had no joy, no peace.. all because I cast my eyes out and about, but upon HIM.

By now, GOD provided [i]all[/i] of it, via that one income. ALL of it. The scholarships, the funds, the ...whole nine yard of needed earthly provisions. Praise HIM!!

Pondering a bit of how GOD used George Mueller to show us how dependable HE is of material provisions to HIS children's economy. Mueller's life was for sure one of super-spiritual.

Surely we can live faithfully by Scripture, every jot and tittle of It. Look to God for every penny!! Be content with whatever we are given and whatever we might still have to depend on Him. Look not to the right, nor to the left, day by day by day.

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

Leave the economy of the world to the world.
Live the economy of our home in GOD's grace.

Cheery, brothers and sisters, the Lord is near, focus on being super-spiritual ! :)

In Christ,
Margaret

Thank God for rebuke, it is such a sweet often confirming, welcomed attribute. I find it here from my friends, I found it yesterday evening after work, right here within these pages.

We are choking on sewers of information, facts, statistics, polls, and headlines, all the while as Isaiah said "truth has fallen in the streets." And the refuge from this emphasis is what makes SI so precious. If SI doesn't keep out this fretful sewage...whether as updates or even in the guise of personal prophesy, I will be saddened at the loss of a place where we can momentarily take our eyes off of the world groaning beneath the burden of it's sin.

I confess that I fell victim to this very thing and noticed the sheer distraction, the confusion, the subtle anxiousness and developing fear small as it was and maybe knowing better ...

I jumped into the fray elsewhere the other day over all that is presently happening and got caught up in it. In the days that have followed I began to re-access a great deal of it so I venture out here in a dangerous time for me, it is always dangerous to write this early in the morning - I often live to regret it later on.

But thank you all for confirming the convictions already underway -

Focus and balance seem to be the two terms permeating my conscience. It is so easy to lose focus and to drown in a sewer of information as MC alluded. Even balance itself seems that it needs to be overweighted on the side of ...

[i]But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.[/i]

I do mean all the context there, the prior context, the absence of anxiety, first things first - [i] Therefore take no thought[/i]. Ah, right there, what is it but the opposite of taking too much thought, too much information, too much ... speculation?

I have been paying ... enough attention to the goings on of Wall Street for some time now. I have a stake in it by way of my companies generosity of granting shares. Speculation is the greatest part of this system and actually of many systems and constructs. Even ourselves, our own Brethren and our very confused and perhaps sincere, well meaning ... 'prophets' - are they not but speculators in great measure? The correlations are no just uncanny, they are dead on. A little secret, but I have often been a lurker on another forum (Gasp!), a financial forum and though not a participant directly, primarily because I recognize that I know next to nothing of hedge funds, and shorting, 'puts' and 'Elliot wave' patterns - The parallels to [i]this[/i] forum ...

Hope I can put this truthfully and without wrong, misplaced intention or equivocating; After awhile you get a feel for who knows what they are talking about and who is just blowing off steam, who is ranting and raving all the time - Conduct issues over substance, cordiality and it's absence, the up and coming hotshots over the older, wiser and precious wisdom of the same. An just as wonderfully, a few believers thrown into the mix. It brings the recollection back to the revival that was sparked out of Wall Street some years ago ...

But the corollaries do end at some point and ... where in the world was I going with all this? Speculation. I have had my fill of this and am practically sick in the soul of the prophetic, (so called), gibberish that is all about us. The old Bible Answer Man used to use the terminology of "Newspaper Theology" quite a bit and where I may have some issues with Hank nowadays I do believe he is correct in his statement. I do think that the whole thing has gone way over the rails, is far from Biblical, New Testament grasp and is conspicuously missing from it's pages, this form of speculating every circumstantial, present moment experience that is before us. Sparks noted that we often get our wires crossed and experience itself bares this out in my own.

Let me get off that rabbit trail.

Found a great deal of irony yesterday evening coming to his post. Had just got home and still being somewhere in the middle of this convicting that was upon me .. flipped on the old idiot box and clicked on the news, wondering what the latest was on this bailout business. Simultaneously perusing this discussion my local channel did a piece on the new Catholic church that was being ... celebrated, it's grand opening along with all the pomp of Bishops and the regalia of ... whatever they are terming these guy's in their silly looking outfits. An impressive structure, depending on ones taste (not mine), smooth lines and great sweeping glass panels, a marvel of modern architecture. They interviewed the architect who answered the question with a giggle, "Do you think you will get some extra points in heaven for this?" Responded "I hope so, I can use all I can get." It's an off hand mention ... The cost of this 1,300 seat replacement for some other church damaged by the earthquake some years back?

180 million dollars. I gasped ... and my thought's straight away thought, "If this had been a Mormon or even a Protestant church it would make no difference at all." In fact it brought to mind the super-mega churches of our ilk.

The next piece, right on it's very heels ... A food bank that had run out of food to feed the homeless due to all the cutbacks people are making, due to the economy. Did they do this on purpose? Was it coincidental? Should I [i]speculate[/i] one way or the other? To me it seemed so incredibly ironic - whatever the motivation, but thought ... "Will this just be completely lost on people?" Just slip on by? It seemed even the producers themselves just happened to run them in sequence 'accidentally' it was all so seamless and matter of fact ...

This is our present world - Asleep ...

I appreciate the course corrections so much, their is a vortex that can suck you right down into it with too much preoccupation and yet I also appreciate that we can still discuss and commiserate, share our burdens with each other here. We do live in these times and these times do affect us in a variety of ways, [i]both[/i] are equally valid - the warnings on the one hand and the real practical things that affect us. A right balance with that extra weight ... I am being redundant.

It is a difficult season here, a lot of work, extra work and that which stems from some cutbacks and redistribution of responsibilities. Personally I was at first ... murmuring under my breath a great deal at the seeming ridiculousness, the sheer impossibility of it all - In essence doing two full time jobs ... But perspective and pondering, having those wonderful rebukes be it from the Holy Spirit in that inestimable way, from your own Brethren or the combination of the two has made me change my mind and recognize better just how thankful I am to have a job in these pressing times. I may be often exhausted and fatigued and that is where an extra amount of diligence is needed for the coward of our souls loves that point of entry, but I am so thoroughly thankful, to the Lord, to you all.

An impressive structure, depending on ones taste (not mine), smooth lines and great sweeping glass panels, a marvel of modern architecture.

Going off on a rabbit trail, for sure here, but this statement reminded me of one a preacher told us one time.

They have a brother in their church who is an excellent carpenter, does fine work. When he walks into a fine house, he will look around carefully and say, "Yup, this will all burn up someday!" This observation had ministered tremendously to me when I see fine things or have a desire for it.

ginnyrose

They have a brother in their church who is an excellent carpenter, does fine work. When he walks into a fine house, he will look around carefully and say, "Yup, this will all burn up someday!"

:-) Spoken just like the Great Carpenter ...