By the way, a big ol' Texas THANK YOU, to those who contacted me during my hiatus. Although I didn't reply to everyone, I appreciate the encouragement from one-and-all. It has been my intention to "get back the journal" all along, so I'm thankful to God to see it come to pass.
Well, here we are. Back in the saddle again. Ready to "kick butt and takes names," so to speak. And, looking at the events unfolding in our world, just in time too.
I am hardly the only person who, for years upon years, has watched the United States and other countries pursue economic and other policies that can only be described -- nicely -- as hare-brained. Nor have I been alone expecting the kinds of consequences that we are currently seeing rumbling down the pike. Like a truck without a driver, actually.
There is only so long that people can get away with violating the principles of life that are laid out in the Word of God. Whether it is an entire country, a local community, a family, or an individual -- sooner or later -- there will always be consequences.
Make no mistake, the economic troubles in the news are real. And they are going to get worse before they get better too. As believers, both individually and collectively, what we are living through presently is summed up succinctly by a statement made by one of my favorite United States presidents:
There comes a time in the affairs of a man when he has to take the bull by the tail and face the situation. --Teddy RooseveltThe situation ain't pretty, that's for sure. But because -- in the least common denominator -- fear is still the believer's only enemy, it's no time to give in either.
What is the antidote to fear? What do we, as believers, have to stand on in the face of the Adversary's attacks? Only one thing, and that is the Word of God. Which is exactly what we are going to be looking at in a series of teachings on the weblog, titled "Recessions, Depressions, and the Biblical Jubilee."
Saving the best for last, I'm proud to announce the biggest news we've had here at the BRJ since we began publication. And that is my long-time friend and fellow-believer, Jim Fulp, coming on board to help with Web and Technical Support.
I have known Jim since the late 1980s, when he ran an in-home fellowship here in San Antonio. After he moved in 1989, we always stayed in touch.
Jim makes his living constructing and running websites for companies in the oil and gas business, among others. I am thankful to have his professional expertise available to continue to develop this the BRJ into a silver platter upon which to present the accuracy of the Word of God to the world.
Jim is a man who has remained, year after year, faithful in Christ Jesus. The obstacles he has overcome and the victories he has won, because of the stand he has taken on the Word of God, are truly an inspiration to my heart. Welcome aboard, Jim!
All God's Best to You and Yours,
Oh, definitely. Time to be on guard. Scarcity may be the basic premise of economics, but economics is a senses-based social science. In fact, all of science is senses-based, which makes for a wide margin of error to say the least. Furthermore, because human nature is an inescapable factor in the science of economics -- unlike in the hard science of physics, for instance -- the margin for error increases so much the more.
Take gravity, as observed by a physicist. Human nature has no bearing whatsoever on how fast a falling object accelerates. But when it comes to supply and demand, as observed by an economist, human nature has tremendous bearing . . . more>>
God declares in II Peter 1:3 that He, "...hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." And in Psalm 119:130 that, "The entrance of thy [God's] words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple."
Clearly, God and His Son Jesus Christ do not want us left in the dark -- without an understanding of the situations that we face in this life. It is the Word of God alone -- on this subject as all others -- which stands as a beacon of light that can pierce through the darkness of this world, and deliver us from all our fears.
So does the Bible actually have something to say about recessions and depressions? . . . more>>