Stepping on your Problems

On Sunday, Senior Pastor Stephen Hickson of Christian City Church Manhattan had an amazing message on "Vision" and I had to share part of it that was particularly inspiring.

"When Jesus was walking on the water, he was walking on their problems, the water/storm and he commanded Peter to walk on his problems as well."

I love the image of Jesus encouraging us to walk on our problems. What is greater the problem or God and the direction He has for your life? If He has placed you in a boat and He is steering the vessel He will get you to the other side. Wouldn't you rather be where God is and where he wants to take you even if it means passing through turmoil?

Get out there and walk on your problems!

Gold will Rust

As the market turns south, investors turn to Gold as a safe haven. Yesterday, gold rose 2.7% to $967 a troy ounce. It made me look to see what the Bible has to say about gold and God led me to James chapter 5.

"Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you."

Since gold is not iron ore it can't actually "rust" so I can only come up with one of two possible meanings behind this passage it is literal or figurative. As far as the literal interpretation I have read that it is possible that a nuclear fall out could cause gold to rust however, I haven't been able to verify this and I don't think we would survive it to see gold rust so I think we may need to look at this passage as figuratively. Silver and Gold has always been synonymous with money and or wealth. It is clear that the passage is warning not to count on the wealth that you have stored away.

As investors we need to not put our trust in our wealth but put our trust in the Lord. As employers we need to make sure we are taking care of our employees because the verse says, "Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. " We need to expand and not contract. If you don't take care of your employees during this time, why should God take care of you?

Consumption vs Production

We have become a society of consumers rather than producers. Our spiritual and physical growth requires that we actually produce more than we consume. If your body consumes more food than it expends in work you get fat, likewise the more we become consumers of the things the world has to sell us the less spiritually fit we become.

As consumers it is important to keep account of where we are spending our money. In our household we call them buckets. We have buckets that can't be changed like the mortgage bucket, or the groceries bucket, but then we have buckets on things like the vacation bucket or the going out for dinner bucket. At the end of the month we can look at our buckets and see where our money has gone. Where your money goes is where your priorities in life are.

My wife and I made a promise to ourselves that with the exception of our mortgage none of our buckets would be bigger than our tithing bucket. What you consume determines where your heart is.

Train Spotting: How a Church is like a Train.

Typically I take the 7:24 train into Grand Central station, but recently I have had two occasions to come in at either an earlier train (6:30 am) or a later train(8:15 am). Taking the earlier train I noticed many people on that train slept and appeared tired and seemed to walk slowly while leaving the train. This compared to the train I usually take where most of the people are reading the paper or working on their laptops, and it seems like a sprint to the exit with people checking their blackberries as they walk. In the later train, I noticed people walked extra slow, I assumed that this was not due to lack of sleep but because they didn't want to go to work, they were just dragging themselves to their jobs. Something as simple as picking the right train in the morning can dictate your success in the work place.

Which train you ride means a lot as far as the experience of getting to work and your success in the workplace. Trains are a lot like churches, they will all get you to your destination but you can have very different experiences depending upon the train you are on. My church has enough elements to challenge and support me, encourage and comfort me. Like my train, my church feels "just right."

Buy Gold Coins (or have fish produce them)

Investors typically look to gold coins as a safe investment in turbulent times. I personally know of several investment professionals that at the height of the market turbulence this year bought gold coins in the event their bank failed or the dollar became worthless. If highly intelligent professional investors are tucking gold coins under their mattress or more likely putting in the safe they bought at home depot, what is the novice investor or Joe the plumber to do? I believe they need to put our trust in God.

As believers we need to look toward God not gold in turbulent times. In Matthew 17, Jesus tells Peter to go fishing and in the mouth of the fish will be a gold coin in order to pay their taxes. This implies that either this fish started producing gold coins, someone lost the coin and the fish swallowed it up, either way God provided.

Fierce Determination

Determination is the act of deciding definitely and firmly. Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try. Without a battle there can be no real victory. The Bible says, in Phil 4:13 "I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me" It also says in Rom 8:37 "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." This means our battle has purpose.

The Bible has many examples of fierce determination. Jacob working 14 years for his wife Rachel. Moses pleaded with Pharaoh 10 different times to let the Israelites go. Elisha follow Elijah for years in pursuit of the mantle. Hosea pursuit of Gomer as a wife. Christ fasting for forty days. Paul spread the Gospel during early days of church suffering imprisonment and torture.

A determined person sets themselves up to win by choosing words and actions that build and give life (control thoughts). A fiercely determined person partners with God. They seek revelation by going up the mountain to get a better view.

The Great Stock Market Crash Myth

According to John Kenneth Galbraith in The Great Crash 1929, 'the suicide wave the followed the stock market crash is also a part of the legend of 1929. In fact, there was none.' Instead what we find is that for several years prior to 1929 'the suicide rate had gradually been rising.' This is of particular interest because it suggests that people loosing all their wealth was not the cause of suicides, in fact suicides had been on the rise while the stock market was doing incredibly well. How can we explain this increase while the market was doing well?

While I have only anecdotal evidence I would suggest that society had become dissatisfied and this was the cause for the increase in suicides prior to the great crash. The years prior to the great crash there was a massive increase in speculators in the stock market as it became the modern day gold rush. The stock market was a road to quick wealth based on a house of cards. As investors gained wealth there was was also an immediate dissatisfied with the wealth they acquired. As the old saying goes, "wealth doesn't bring happiness." Likewise those that did not play the stock market or lost money doing so also became dissatisfied because they saw those around them gaining wealth and they felt left out.

The increase in suicides prior to the stock market crash suggests that people were not content. Paul says in Philippians 4:11 'I have learned to be content in all circumstances.' It is important for us in this modern day stock market and economic downturn to remember to be content in all circumstances. How can we be content in all circumstances? We need to know that God is still in control and that He will work it out if we continue to put our trust in Him.