Government Shutdown, Really?

The news for the past week has been the threat of a government shutdown. Really? Technically, they have been delaying since October. The big fight today is how much to cut what they have been spending for the past six months?

The entire country is much the same way. Americans have huge credit card debt. The average credit card debt per household is $14,750. The same website stated there are over 600 million credit card in the U. S. alone. Foreclosures are at an all time high. Americans are still trying to figure out what to do with what they did six months ago, or should I say what they did many years ago?

Job 24:9 NIV The fatherless child is snatched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.

If life in Job's time was today, we would have a lot of babies being used for collateral. Actually, in North Jakarta there was such a woman last February.

Life as a Christian in a country of debt is hard to live. We are called to be without debt. As I plan for my last semester in divinity school, I keep asking myself how is that possible in today's world?

Scheduled Nap

Matthew 26:40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter.

As I start my morning with CNN in the background, I hear of yet another Air Traffic Controller asleep at work. This time there is a twist. He was taking a "scheduled" 5-hour nap, as another controller landed seven plans. This time is different from last time. He knew there was someone else to land the planes. Last time this type of story hit the news their was no other person to help the pilots land their planes.

Have we arrived at a place in America that pride in our workmanship is so low that we rather take a nap than make sure of the safety of others? Build in America is no longer possible to take pride in. It is hard enough to find enough items to build a simple house with American made products. We don't want American. We want inexpensive. We don't want a good job. We want an easy job.

When I think of these stories, I think of the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. The disciples asleep at work.

We live today as Christians many times alseep at work, should I say asleep in the pew. We are called to spread the Gospel. We are called to show God's love, but many of us are asleep. We think God will take care of it, and we will help later. We are called to "go ye therefore into all the world," not go ye therefore after you take a nap.