Category Uncategorized

Oct 10 2008

The Fear of Falling


Around the globe financial markets are in sharp decline and the end is not in sight. A bloated housing market in the U.S., stupid policy by the U.S. congress, irresponsible consumers, and greedy Wall Street types have all contributed to the financial tsunami that began in the U.S. and has spread around the world.

Many wonder what the connection is between the U.S. markets and Asian, European, and other international markets? Why have they fallen as the DOW plunges downward? There are some rather meaningless monetary connections but the principal common denominator is simply fear.

Global citizens are not unlike we Americans in most ways. Our cultures and languages are different but we have the susceptibility to run away emotions and fear in common. Even after a bone headed congress ripped U.S. taxpayers off to the tune of $700,000,000,000 (billion) dollars and the problems weren’t fixed over night, people have been gripped by fear of the unknown and the result is stupidity unleashed.

The most elementary rule of investing in the stock market is “Buy low and sell high”. Tens of thousands of Americans, who are making emotional decisions, have started to sell assets and run from the market. And the more people liquidate investment dollars the more fearful people sell off and the market spirals steadily downward. Almost all of the problems we have experienced this week are driven by fear, the “Fear of Falling”.

Americans are fed a steady diet of bad news by news anchors who are almost giddy that things are terrible because they know the Democrats are vested in loosing wars and failing economies. Without one or both, Democrats don’t have a chance of winning the White House. And, on both sides of the political foot ball, campaigns are using tactics to create fear of the other candidate.

I remember as a young boy going to the movie in down town Asheville where i would sit in paralyzing fear watching a scary movie. I remember watching a scene in a movie not many years ago and being so tense my body was sore in anticipation of an impending murder. The fact is, in both instances, is was completely safe. I was in no danger other than the damage that might ensue from eating buttered pop corn. Our emotions will lie to us. The sooner we realize that emotional decisions are often bad ones, the more likely we are to be calm and collected in the face of bad news on the 6 o’clock news.

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn into office the country faced more dire circumstances than we face today. In his inauguration speech Franklin said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself“. Perhaps those words are more true today than when they were spoken in 1932. The economy will turn around the very day that most Americans have hope that things will get better. Unfortunately we do not have strong leadership in either political party who can effectively convey the message of hope to the nation. In the absence of hope, as a nation we will continue to know “The Fear of Falling”.

The personal, individual solution, is to make important decisions based entirely on facts, not on fears. We should vote, invest, purchase real estate, and decide every other important event of our lives based on factual information if at all possible. To do so requires more than watching the news on TV or reading forwarded emails on your computer monitor. In my view most people are too lazy intellectually to make good decisions about most anything.

Finally, who do you trust with your future? I hope you are finding your security in God and a relation with Him through Jesus Christ. Pity the man who trusts in what he possesses.

Peace,
Royce

Sep 29 2008

BBQ, Bluegrass, and Baptisms


Wednesday a week ago, Carol and I drove to Atlanta where we met my brother David and his family for a nice dinner and a great visit at Outback. On Thursday we drove to Hendersonville (one of the prettiest towns on the planet) to the home of Don and Harriet Yelton. Don and Carol are WFR Relief! They of course had tons of work to do because of the demands of the recent storms and the famine in Africa.

On Friday Don and I had a great morning just visiting, having coffee, watching the white squirrels feed and play outside the kitchen windo, and talking fishing. In the afternoon we fished the Davidson river with a guide and caught some trout. This was my first trout fishing with a fly rod. What fun! That evening Carol spoke at a retreat for the ladies of the Hendersonville church about their launch of Heart to Home womens ministry. They had a great meeting with lots of excitement about the older women moulding the lives of the younger moms.

Saturday we drove over to Burnsville, N.C., (the birth place of both my parents and where they are buried) for an Ogle family reunion. There were lots of cousins I had not seen for some time, so the food and fellowship were equally wonderful. On the way back to Hendersonville Carol took me to a new show outlet where I found the Crocs I have been wanting, brown and black with leather uppers.

Sunday we worshipped with the Yeltons at Hendersonville coc, had a great lunch with them and the minister and his wife. In the afternoon house church at the Yelton’s was good with lively discussion, worship, and prayer.

Monday we were off down the mountain to Pigeon Forge to Dollywood for two days of Bluegrass and BBQ. What great fun! The weather, the food, and the music were top notch. Early Wednesday we left for Mobile and drove all day (582 miles). On Thursday we drove to Bayou La Batre to visit with the folks, catch up on all the news about the church, and prepare for two nights of Grief Share goups. On Friday night we had 18 people including many from the community and on Saturday night I believe there were 14 present. Bayou La Batre has lots of hurting people and it was a great blessing to be able to share our love with them.

On Saturday we had lunch with Daphne German (superwoman) and two young folks who had questions about baptism and how to begin a relationship with Christ. I shared the very good news with them and when I had finished they were eger to be baptised.

Sunday we had perhaps 40 to 50 in attendance at the Hemley Road church of Christ. I did a child dedication at the request of 4 young parents. I stressed the necessity of the parents being dedicated to Christ if they expect to raise godly children. It was a big deal for those families with grandparents and other relatives on the platform with the parents and children. Carol had printed nice certificates for each of the 4 kids. That event hopefully will be a landmark on their spiritual journey.

I preached from John 3, “You must be born again” and I have never had folks listen with more attention. At the invitation there were three adults who wanted to be baptised so immediately after the service we all drove over the the beach and I baptised two of those young moms whose children we had prayed for and dedicated to God, and a young father whose son was also in the dedication ceremony. God is so kind to allow Carol and me to have a part in what He is doing.

We left right away for Monroe and home, thinking of the joy of sleeping in our own bed again. We had not driven very long until we had a phone call reporting that another soon to be mom who listened to the message also wants to be baptised. What a joy filled trip with God’s blessing so evident!

Please pray for the brothers and sisters in the Bayou there in Alabama. They are in desperate need of funds. Their food bank is getting low, they need air conditioning in the church building, and a baptistry. Our dear sister Daphne does not have air conditioning in her house either by the way. They are running three vans each service to gather children who want to come to church and get something to eat. Over $500 is required each month just for fuel. They have a large insurance bill due in a few days and the list of needs goes on and on. But they are optimistic! They are going ahead and bro” Billy Spaulding told me he expects them to outgrow that facility soon. What great Christians and worthy of our gifts and prayers.

I am glad to be home and excited about what God will be up to next in our lives. Thanks for reading.

His peace,
Royce

Sep 18 2008

Obama vs. McCain Race….or racial?


The United States of America has made a lot of progress sense the days of slavery. Blacks in Africa sold their own people to white slave brokers who transported them to America to be owned like cattle as they worked cotton fields for white plantation owners. The Civil War was the bloodiest war ever fought by Americans, largely over the slavery disagreement. It is worthy of note that American whites did not invent slavery. Slavery is as old as human history.

We have made great progress. Either a woman will be Vice President or a black man will be President in just a few weeks. And, a powerful, smart woman, Sen. Hillary Clinton was runner up in the primaries for the Democrats. Progress? Not so fast!

I believe it is wrong to refuse to vote for a candidate because he or she is a person of color. There is no question about that. However, I believe it is just as wrong to vote for a candidate only because he or she is a person of color. It is wrong but it is a right in a free society.

Estimates are that around 90% of black Americans who vote will vote for Obama, and I believe most of those votes will be because he is an African American. It is largely the same mentality as the O.J. jury, “Don’t bother me with the facts, the brother is innocent”. On the flip side, there is no question that a large segment of the white population, across the south especially, will not consider any African American for President of the United States. These are sad facts but entirely true. There is a better than average possibility that the presidential race will be decided on racial preferences, not on policy positions.

The worst enemy the African Americans in our country have ever had is the Democrat Party. For many decades, especially during the 40 years Tip O’Neal and the Democrats had control of the congress, Democrats have adopted public policy that keeps minority people on the lowest rung of society. Their policies have stripped the black community of it’s dignity by producing several generations who have been trained to think the government is their caretaker and that they deserve a check each month because they are black and poor. To add to the problem the Democrats have enacted policy that rewards unemployment, immorality, and dependency on government. I have spoken with folks who tell me they would have to take a pay cut if they got a job. And, young women only have to have one more child to get a raise on the monthly welfare check.

Democrats did not intend this end, they only wanted to buy votes and keep political power but the end result is a large percentage of Americans with little self worth, fatherless homes, high crime, poor education, and little hope. Thank you Democrats.

Today in a country that most people think is progressive, blacks have much higher percentages of children born to unwed mothers, substance abuse, incarcerated males, children who do not graduate from high school or go to college, and are born with disadvantages that most will never overcome. All of this because Democrats want to keep political power. The Rev Jessie Jackson, Rev Al Sharpton, and other so called “black leaders” have only added to the problem and have done nothing to solve it.

The more political power the Democrats have the longer African Americans will suffer. But, because for decades they have been brain washed to believe that government is their saviour, they vote in mass for Democrats.

It is a mathematical impossibility for our country to continue on the present course. At some point, and soon I think, there will be more on the receiving end than on the productive end and it will come crashing down. Every dollar spent by government must be earned by an American citizen and taxed out of his pocket by the U.S. government.

Republicans are only slightly better than Democrats on domestic policy. Very slightly. On national security they are far better. Common sense demands that I vote for McCain-Palin. Gov. Sarah Palin has little experience but is the only real conservative in the race. Come to think of it, Abraham Lincoln had less experience than Gov. Palin. I think he worked out pretty well.

Agree or disagree, that’s the way I see it.

Royce

Sep 8 2008

MSNBC Drops Olbermann, Matthews as News Anchors


Finally the suits at MSNBC smell the coffee and Olberman and Matthews have been spanked on the hand. The Washington Postreports this morning that these two liberal hacks can no longer anchor political events. My question is why do they keep them at all. Matthews show “Hardball” consistently has the worst ratings of all news shows on air.

It seems that NBC will continue it’s slide toward oblivion. The next new show on MSNBC? None other than Rachel Maddow of Air America fame. She is worse than Matthews or Olbermann.

The people decide by purchasing goods and services and viewing and listening to broadcasts. Fox still tops the charts. No one is force to watch. They are just better than the others and the ratings prove it.

Royce