Death of John Stott

The evangelical world has lost one of its greatest figures of the 20th century as John Stott died at the age of 90. He was almost single-handedly responsible for the revival of the evangelical wing of the Church of England. He had world wide influence across the planet, and was named among Time’s one hundred most influential people of 2005

His lectures and fifty books have taught a multitude of evangelicals, including me, and he will be read and remembered for many generations to come.

He reminds me of the Apostle Paul in his simple lifestyle—his country cottage didn’t have electricity until 2001—his decision to remain single to concentrate on his mission, and his worldwide reach. His writing and teaching was tight, no unnecessary words, and solid content.

He has left a legacy few will match. Read his obituary at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/religion-obituaries/8668938/The-Rev-John-Stott.html

It's Our Debt Crisis

The current debt debacle in the United States has been characterized several ways. The House of Representatives and the Senate are acting like children not simply resolving the debt crisis. There really is no crisis, just some laggards—mostly the Tea Party—holding the country to ransom. What’s the problem? Raising the debt limit is pure formality; it’s been done scores of time before!

All this with a background chorus of angry Americans wanting the problem resolved so they can get on with life, and protests of dire consequences to America’s financial rating and prestige around the world if America can’t pay its bills.

It seems to me that this entire hullabaloo is a death wish of Americans wanting business as usual rather than face the mounting and potentially disastrous debt. The crisis is not caused by the Tea Party; the problem is the enormous debt the US has mounted through several decades.

The Tea Party came to power based on bringing financial accountability to government. They are not the problem; the debt is the problem. They have highlighted a problem that must be solved; the crisis is going to occur at some point anyway—and the later, the greater!

Let’s look at the figures. America owes fourteen trillion dollars. Let me write this out for you: $14,000,000,000,000 and change—I could live quite happily on the change; in fact, the several billion-dollar change could cancel most of Canada’s debt!

The latest plan is to raise the debt ceiling another couple of trillion—plus change. And the pitiful attempt at reducing the debt is about the same amount! Furthermore, the angst at downgrading America’s financial rating is empty rhetoric; either way, America’s financial prestige is already in jeopardy. A downgrade will simply tell the truth about America’s financially folly.

But after berating the States for living beyond its means, a sizable percentage of westerners do the same, maxing out their credit cards and raising their debt limit—apparently, the “richest” countries on earth are mired in the greatest debts!

The debt emergency is a plague that keeps on giving—crisis after crisis throughout the world, and felt most keenly by the poorest on the planet. We, who force our democratic governments to provide us entitlements to cover our financial irresponsibility and greed, are part of building government debt, and thus part of the inability to provide aid to millions in need.

Whose Debt Crisis?

The current debt crisis is both political and personal. We can easily fault the US for financial irresponsibility. At first glance, the riots in Greece over austerity measures seem justified as a reaction to their government’s financial failure.

But those riots seem hypocritical when it’s revealed that a third of Greeks don’t pay their taxes! If they did, perhaps the country’s troubles would be over. In other western countries, a smaller percentage may evade taxes, but large numbers of citizens claim handouts illegally.

Then, how many of us are living beyond our means. Personal debt keeps rising, and if we think we can continue living like that without consequences, we are tacitly assuming the government can also and giving permission to do so.

Until we individuals are willing to put our own finances in order, and consider paying our dues a priority over entitlement, the crisis will rumble on, even if it doesn’t explode immediately. The Bible exhorts us to pay our taxes, and get out of debt—except the debt of love.

“This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another,” Romans 13:6-8.

Amy Winehouse

The death of Amy Winehouse is a tragedy on two fronts. First, the death of any young person and the loss of the talents she displayed is always a tragedy. Several news reports mentioned that several singers, like Amy, have died at 27 years of age.

Whatever we may feel about the way Amy used her talents, they were a gift of God, and at some point could have been used for His glory. Every death is a loss to the world of the abilities and contributions he or she could have made to us all.

Second, the adulation she received from those who enjoyed her music, showed little regard for the lifestyle that eventually took her life. The search for fulfilment in the glamour of stardom seduces many and seems to be the goal of many more—a few episodes of Canadian or American Idol soon confirms it.

It’s easy to forget that we are engaged in a spiritual warfare, and the devil is having a heyday devouring whom he will. Every death before conversion is a person cut off from reconciliation with God; whether it’s another Amy or millions facing starvation in Somalia, prayer is our primary weapon.

Pray for those caught up in “the good life,” that their life may be extended until they realize the real source of life is in Christ. Especially pray for Somalia, that the unfolding tragedy there may be averted at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pray-for-Somalia/240301665988261.

Somalia

 

I’m sure you, like me, have been distressed by the recent news from Somalia, where drought is causing the worst humanitarian disaster for twenty years. Television portrays thousands of refugees streaming into Kenya and Ethiopia after days of walking without food or water to find shelter and relief.

The size of the problem overwhelms us, as potentially millions face starvation. We can send $50 or so to a trusted organization, but it seems pitiful in the face of so much suffering.

Even the idea of prayer seems pointless in the face of such great calamity. God can, but will he respond to my piteous prayer? It might accomplish $50 worth! But what if we all prayed fervently for the need? And publicly on facebook?

Any of you hackers out there able to open a “Pray for Somalia” Facebook page? I would do it, but deficient knowledge would take this.................long. Even then I might not get it right. Just a simple page where we could deposit our prayers, even update information about the tragedy.

That child could have been mine. Apart from an accident of birth, that could be me in that line-up. Ruling Islamist gangs make aid dangerous and ineffective. But a hundred or a thousand prayers publicly displayed on facebook may alert the world of the alternative to the world’s inability to “fix it.”

Let me know when the page is up. My prayer would be one of the first. Let’s be sure both God and the world hear us.