Bank on Him
May 4, 2009
By Greg Atkinson
God will do whatever it takes to get your eyes on Him - to get your focus, desire, trust and hope in Him; in that way, He is relentless and can go to extremes (as Scripture, myself and countless others can attest to) to get our attention.
In light of our recent economic situation, it occurred to me that God may be at work all around. I travel the country speaking on innovation. One of the ways that I teach innovation is birthed is by desperation, but I go on to say that “it’s a desperation that leads to a dependence upon the Holy Spirit.”
When you hit the bottom in your own way: maybe lose your job, your retirement, your house, your savings, your stock portfolio, your (you fill in the blank)… Could it be that it’s by design by our Creator to bring us back to trusting in Him alone? To quote two spiritual giants and long distance mentors: “God is most satisfied in us, when we are most satisfied in Him.” – John Piper. In The Problem of Pain, CS Lewis says, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
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Study finds that ‘regions with high concentrations of evangelicals saw lower gains in home prices and less volatility than similar regions with fewer evangelical residents’
March 31, 2009
New York Times (HT: Thinking Christian)
The ‘C’ Word
March 24, 2009
By Dan Edelen
Julie was a store manager of Furniture Fiesta. Four years ago, Digi-World picked up the small chain in an expansion move, hoping to expand into the office furniture market space. But a bad economy exposed Furniture Fiesta as a ball and chain on Digi-World’s overall business. Nine months ago, Julie got the word: Furniture Fiesta would soon join the likes of Circuit City and Steve & Barry’s.
After putting in a dozen years, Julie knew she needed to move fast to save her career. She polished the résumé and checked out a list of Furniture Fiesta competitors that were still standing. That’s when Glenn called.
Glenn was a Digi-World regional manager. Desperate to keep knowledgeable staff, Glenn pitched Julie a hard-to-refuse offer: Stay on, see the store liquidation through to the end, and take home a $30,000 bonus. She bit and signed the contract.
And now, after putting in her nine months, months when she could have been pounding the pavement before the economy tanked even further, Glenn had the nerve to tell her the bonus deal was off. Not only that, but Digi-World’s flotilla of legal sharks had found a way to negate her contract …
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SNL: ‘Don’t Buy Stuff’
March 23, 2009
(Video HT: C. Michael Patton)
A ‘pandemic of fear’: Gun sales, demand for gold, antidepressant use on the rise
March 13, 2009
Peggy Noonan, WSJ (HT: Rod Dreher)
I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4
Study finds recession hasn’t affected church attendance
March 13, 2009
Pew Forum (HT: Sam Hodges, Religion Blog)
‘Great Shots of Tough Times’
March 13, 2009
