It's the Economy, Stupid

I am not sure how many of you have been following the presidential election, but it is winding down to the last few weeks before voting takes place for the new president of the United States. Whatever one's political views, I believe this election is one of the most important in the history of our nation, and I think the future health of our nation and our place in the world will largely hinge on the values and decisions of the upcoming leader of the free world.

There are, of course, various issues at stake, none of which are small or insignificant: the ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the mounting tensions with Iran and North Korea, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the genocide that continues to spread in Africa (as well as the pestilence of AIDS), the need for stunting the spread of global warming, the pandemic of abortions in America, the ever-growing national debt we have to other nations, and the list goes on and on.

One of the presidential slogans from a few years ago that found resonance with many voters was the catch phrase, "It's the Economy, Stupid", and this common ground brought the presidency to Bill Clinton. While there are many things to debate about, this seems to be at least one of the most important in this upcoming election. I am no economist, for sure, but it seems that we are in terrible financial shape as a nation. Republicans seem very reluctant to admit this, so that this will not seem to reflect anything that they are responsible for, but come on. Is it not obvious with the current mortgage crisis, gas prices being historically high, job loss being tremendous, the collapse of Wall Street, and again the list goes on and on.

As I have followed this election, I have come to believe more and more that something has gone awry with the American Dream and something seems to be disoriented in this smooth running machine called the free market. There is as large of a gap between the rich and the poor as there has ever been in our country, as well, and this doesn't seem to fit much of what Christ is for. As I was pondering this morning the bail-out on Wall Street, I ran across this video on the Sojourners site, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who has suspicions about our current financial morass being tied to moral issues, rather than just political ones. I would love to hear your feedback on this. The link is http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/blog/2008/09/jim-wallis-financial-crisis-ha.html

A Prayer for a Friend

For a couple of months now I have been teaching this class at the mission on how to quit smoking. I was not very excited about doing it to start with, but since having begun I have become more passionate about it, and the great thing is that there have been at least 3 guys who have completely quit smoking for at least 5 weeks, which is a huge accomplishment for them. Last night we started a new class with 9 guys attending and 8 of them committing to go the journey of quitting. One of the group exercises we did was for the men to list all of the main reasons they wanted to stop smoking. Of course there were things like money, health, hygiene, etc, but the one that stood out to me above all of the rest was freedom, and once it was said by someone in the room, several of the men connected with that reason in a very moving way.

Because of my job as a chaplain working with homeless people and drug addicts, this concept of freedom is very near to the heart of so many men I come into contact with, and yet it seems so elusive to countless numbers of those who find themselves tied to addiction. It is especially painful sometimes in dealing with these persons, because they are real people with real problems and real families and real friends who love them, but are continually hurt by their addictions.

As the Smoking Class was winding down, one of the attendees asked me somewhat of a random question: if I had ever had high expectations for someone in the program and then they highly disappointed me by not finishing or going back to addiction. My first thought was to say, “Holy cow, there have been so many; how could I not be disappointed working in a ministry like this, where recovery rates are very low across the board? But, it was a genuine question, and I did try to answer it, and of course, the answer was a resounding “yes”.

Later on, as I drove home, I resisted the urge to turn on the radio and just felt the silence of the night at about 9:30. On a lot of nights when I typically do this, I scan the streets for former men in our program that left or were dismissed. One in particular on my heart this night was not just a program man; he was someone I considered a friend. His name is Dino and as I scanned the streets this night my eyes would fill with tears, because my heart breaks for this man whom I desire to be free from the hell of addiction and loneliness he is in. Tonight is a night I would pray for him and cry for him and long for Christ to bring freedom to his bondage and brokenness and suffering.

Reviving the Rook Bird

I’m sitting here at the computer, having had trouble getting to sleep, because I have this sporadic, hacking cough that becomes violent and makes me feel like an old man dying of tuberculosis (without the blood, though). Anyway, since I haven’t been able to sleep, I have had a few moments to reflect on our community meal this evening at our house. After a long, busy day, getting together with other people doesn’t always top the list of priorities or joys for some, but tonight it was really good, because I had the opportunity to be around some of the greatest people in the entire world, my spiritual family The River!

What made it especially great tonight was a few of us played a game that I haven’t played since Melissa and I were dating: the card game Rook (which, if you're wondering has a black bird card for those who didn't get the title). It took me back to a time and place from a long time ago. It brought back some old memories of where I used to work a ton of hours and not a lot of pay (as you can see, not a lot has changed). But, in reflection the memories were filled with hardship, but also good times, mainly because of good friends like Sam and Samantha Crum. I remember Sam and I sitting in the break room playing the game of Rook with these guys who were not very smart and also not very good at playing cards (please forgive me if you are one of those persons now reading this). It is hard to believe that after all these years (I think about 12 years now) that our families are still friends and we are together as part of the greatest endeavor in the universe, the kingdom of Jesus Christ!

The most awesome thing about this now is that our stories have evolved and expanded and there are so many more awesome people that are a part of our lives now, and that is remarkable in a wonderful way. God is so awesome to have given The Crums to our family more than a decade ago, but is even more awesome to have forged our paths again in this dream called The River! I really am glad that we are here in Florida, not because of the beautiful gulf coast region (although that doesn’t hurt), but because of the beautiful people we have met as a part of The River! We are still getting to know many of you, but Melissa and I are excited about the journey, because you’re on it with us. Thank you for being who you are!

One final note: I said all of this mushy stuff, so that we can get some guys (or girls) to start learning how to play Rook…for the kingdom, of course. Just kidding, but do this anyway.

Conservative Talk Show Hosts Make Me Nauseous

Sometimes as I am riding in my mini-van I will do something really dangerous- turn on talk radio. I say dangerous, because often times I will just become enraged at some of the absolutist, my way or the highway, everybody-else-is-stupid, everybody-who-doesn’t-agree-with-me-is-either-brain-washed-or-ignorant, politically conservative, right-wing, rhetoric that I hear. It is amazing that I continue to do this frequently, because there seems to be no actual benefit to this activity, only sheer frustration.

I say frustration, though, not because I am a liberal person (or at least in the traditionalist sense of the word). In fact, I grew up in a very conservative family, and my dad was a classic Reagan supporter who used to champion Reaganomics at family get-togethers. In fact, I remember on more than one occasion his being in the center of a crowded debate with other family members over the evils and skewed philosophies of unions. My dad grew up as the son of a farmer, and started his own business, and still is probably the hardest worker I have ever known, a classic workaholic and consummate perfectionist. I say all of this, because I have grown to see things slightly different than him, although I still have tremendous respect for him and I do understand many of his ideologies. My frustration, then, does not stem from a misunderstanding of conservative politics; it is frustration from rhetoric that seeks to defeat opponents rather than understand those with whom we disagree.

This conventional debate tactic rages in many over-the-top statements made by radio talk show hosts that resonate with other ultra-conservatives who listen, but rather polarize those who would dare to defy their logic. For example, one of the key arguments hurled forth by these media moguls are similar to the following: “Liberals love big government, and they think that government is the answer to all problems.” Is this really a true statement? I have met a lot of so-called liberals and many of them are very similar to conservatives in their belief in hard-work, their independence, and their commitment to family values. Certainly there are extremes in this realm, but for the most part, liberals are filled with moderates who value many of the same things conservatives do, but see government failing in many areas that it should be helping with, like in the area of social justice. Conservatives, on the other hand, are also filled with moderates who value many of the same things liberals do, but see government as having too much involvement in their lives. Is there really a right or wrong answer in this never-ending debate?

Certainly, there seems to be no final resolution and Republicans and Democrats will undoubtedly go on persisting in the polemics of “Big Government versus Small Government” for the rest of time. I believe there is value from both sides.

For instance, government is necessary for the basic protection of its citizens, and should certainly be involved in this through the avenues of local and state governments providing police, fire departments, hospitals, and even emergency response organizations, as well as military personnel on a national level. Government, I think, should also help provide resources and opportunities for those who are less fortunate or who are born in poverty or who are the victims of unforeseen disasters or circumstances. This should be close to the heart of all good-natured Americans who want others to have the same opportunity of having life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Government, at the same time, should never arbitrarily take away the basic constitutional rights of its citizens. This occurs all the time through Wal-Mart, or similar businesses, coercing local governments to enact Eminent Domain and cease private property in order to build their store and thereby increase that local government’s tax revenue. It should, also, not promise social security benefits to its citizens who work and then steal from its account in order to pay off a war (as it did during the Vietnam era), eventually plaguing future generations who will expect retirement benefits only to be disappointed. The government should not commit its nation to war in a casual manner, but should only do so in a state of self-defense. This contradicts, I know, the now popularly argued, preemptive, just war theory.

There is much more that could be said about these views of government, and my short estimation is massively incomplete, but I guess my larger point is that there is not much that separate us from one another, if we just stop long enough to hear one another’s vantage point, rather than arrogantly labeling someone just because they are not registered under the same political party you are. But, at the end of the day, I am thankful for those on radio talk show with whom I disagree, because they do remind me of the value of freedom, even the freedom of a difference of opinion. I may get nauseous at the absolutist arguments of a loud, overbearing personality, but that is okay, because this is America, and in America it’s okay to be different because we invented the missionary position (see Talladega Nights)!