Friday, January 23, 2009

Recession, Depression, Brother Can You Spare a Dime

Google the phrase "Is the United States in a Recession" and you will get approximately 22million results. Chances are if you haven't been touched by the economic downturn the world seems to be going through, you at least know someone who has. Big name companies seem to be taking daily turns announcing bad news and losses. The government has begun "bailing out" corporations that are deemed too important to fail. Banks are being "nationalized" and money is being handed out with very little accountability.

Families are feeling the pinch. Groceries are climbing in price. The cost of heating a home is ridiculous! Clothing, toiletries, and everything else are costing more and more and more. This at at time when many families are losing the value in their homes and/or losing their incomes. What are we to do?! Listening to the news makes us feel like Chicken Little - the sky is falling, the sky is falling! It reminds me of the Depression Era song - Brother Can You Spare a Dime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eih67rlGNhU

The lyrics are

"Brother, Can You Spare a Dime," lyrics by Yip Harburg, music by Jay Gorney (1931)
They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I followed the mob,
When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear, I was always there right on the job.
They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead,
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?
Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad; now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once I built a tower, up to the sun, brick, and rivet, and lime;
Once I built a tower, now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum,
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell,
And I was the kid with the drum!
Say, don't you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time.
Why don't you remember, I'm your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?
Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum,
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell,
And I was the kid with the drum!
Say, don't you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time.
Say, don't you remember, I'm your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?

Stop. Take a deep breathe. Close your eyes for a minute. Hit the pause button on the panic. Let me help you find the solution. It is right there in front of you. It may not be what you want to hear, but it works every time.

There is a Provider who can give you all you need. He is able to do all things exceedingly abundantly. If God can provide us with salvation and life everlasting, can He not provide us with every earthly need? I'm not saying that we will have manna from Heaven every day like the Israelites in the desert, but we are provided with God's strength and will to sustain us through these times.

1 Peter 4:7-11 (New International Version)

7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

We are to use our God given gifts to be a blessing to serve others. Could you imagine what would happen if we all started using a servant mentality instead of a "serve me" mentality? Putting others first, and glorifying God, would have prevented most of what we are going through now. But, we know the truth. The Bible foretold a time when man would be self-consumed and lose its love of God. We have the promise of life everlasting if we know Christ. I know it won't be fun, easy or desirable to go through the rough times we are going through, but we have an advantage to going through these times. We have a secret weapon, if you will.

Philippians 4:12-14 (Amplified Bible)
12I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want.
13I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].
14But it was right and commendable and noble of you to contribute for my needs and to share my difficulties with me.

Christ will see us through all of this. We need to lean on Him.

Now, there is a practical side to living through these times too. We need to learn practical arts that provide for day to day needs. We need to reduce debts and increase self sufficiency. The average family in the United States has around $8000 in credit card debt. Add to that the mortgages and car notes, and you see why we have such problems. No, spending our way out of it as a country isn't going to work. Neither is charging every day necessities, or still trying to keep up with the Jones'.

The difference between now and the Great Depression is our work ethic as a country. During the Great Depression, most people were willing to work, no matter what the job was, to provide for their families. Now, it seems that the majority (or very vocal minority) is looking for a hand out or "bail out" to get through these times. That's neither Biblical nor practical. Eventually, the country will have to pay back all the money that they are handing out so freely now.

Personally, I'm standing on the promises of God.

Deuteronomy 28 (Amplified Bible)
Deuteronomy 28 1IF YOU will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.
2And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you heed the voice of the Lord your God.
3Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field.
4Blessed shall be the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your beasts, the increase of your cattle and the young of your flock.
5Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading trough.
6Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8The Lord shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouse and in all that you undertake. And He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
9The Lord will establish you as a people holy to Himself, as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.
10And all people of the earth shall see that you are called by the name [and in the presence of] the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.
11And the Lord shall make you have a surplus of prosperity, through the fruit of your body, of your livestock, and of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.
12The Lord shall open to you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
13And the Lord shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day and are watchful to do them.
14And you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Over the next few months, I'll be sharing my family's journey into greater self-sufficiency as far as growing our own food, and making many things we use. I'll also be sharing my family's journey into great dependency on God. He is the only thing that will get us through, and we trust completely in Him and His leading.

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