What is Work? 

   part 2

     The labor-force participation rate for prime-age men has declined since 1990-a span of 35 years, from 8 percent to more than 11 percent ...millions. Wealth manager David Bahnsen says unemployed men become unmarriable; fatherless boys grow up without models of diligence." 

     "Work is not everything, but it is one of the ways we image God. To strip it of dignity is to strip humanity of design. Economics. Markets are moral goods because they channel our creative impulses into mutual blessing. In a free market, we can't make our life better without making some else's life better."  

     "Properly ordered exchange becomes a form of love - service rendered through skill. Work is not the enemy of life; done rightly, it's one of its expressions," he says. His interviewer adds, "Bahnsen can sound almost defiant in a culture that prizes victimhood over vocation."   

     Trade-offs. He says they are built into creation itself. "The goal is to order them rightly - productivity without pride, ambition without idolatry, rest without retreat. Forget that, and a nation loses more than output. It loses a piece of its soul. When people stop working, they lose sight of the One whose image they bear." 

     Nick Eicher: "Bahnsen isn't offering a policy solution. His point, the dignity of work is a divine calling. He argues that the curse of the Fall lies in futility, not in the work God ordained before it." 

WORLD magazine

What is Work, Anyway? 

     And what has God to do with it...anyway? When this blogger entered the workforce, it was for money. "No work, no eat," people said. God mattered only on Sundays. 

     Today, about 7 million men of prime working age don't work and don't seek work, up from 5 million in the 1990s. How do they eat? What's the purpose of work? Wealth manager David Bahnsen says it's not a shortage of jobs; it's a collapse of will." 

     Bahnsen makes the case that "every human being is created to be a worker - a producer, co-creator. God made every person to build, to serve, to make something of the world. It began in Eden. Before there was sweat or scarcity, there was a command: Rule and subdue." 

     He said, "God left the world for humans to finish, turn raw material into beauty and order, to draw out the potential of creation." Bahnsen refuses to treat "ministry" as holier than managing a balance sheet. He argues that in "making things and meeting needs we participate in God's creative purpose."

     Behnsen's point is that "creative labor expresses what it means to be human. Work is not a curse...it is a gift to be ordered. When men lose the habit of work, they lose something that no amount of leisure can replace." 

                                  Continued Saturday

     

 

Be There!    

Earlier in life, I was one of millions who listened to broadcasts by Dr. James Dobson, psychologist. He founded Focus on the Family and wrote more than 70 books on preserving the traditional family. He never strayed from his belief that the Gospel is foundational to God's vision for the family. Dr. Dobson died at age 89. Some excerpts: 

     "If we grasped the brevity of our lives, we would surely be motivated to invest in eternal values. Would a man pursue an affair if he knew how quickly he would stand before his God? Would a woman make herself sick from petty frustrations if she knew how little time was left to her?

     "Would (people) devote their lives to the pursuit of wealth and status, if they realized how soon their possessions would be torn from their hands? It is the illusion of permanence that distorts our perception and shapes our behavior. When eternal values come into view, our greatest desire is to please the Lord and influence as many (others) as possible.

     "So...what will be your legacy on behalf of those you love? Will you help them build a foundation of faith that will sustain them through the trials of life? Will they be there to greet you and (others) on the other side? This is the hope of the ages that burns within my beast. It is the ultimate answer to those who suffer and struggle today. 

     "If our children and loved ones have given their hearts to the Lord, we will be reunited forever. Give your children and loved ones a simple message as you prepare to step into the next world: 'BE THERE!'" 

Expanding Relations 

     Picking up where we left off, "Russia and China are setting the foundations for a long-term relationship with economic, military and political dimensions. They are challenging the current world order." 

     "China showcased its ability to launch airborne nuclear weapons...from land, see and air. Americans need to understand that the world is just getting really dangerous, and very unstable. Strength matters more than anything now." 

     "Russia needs weapons, manpower and money. Russia's economy is 10 times larger than Ukraine. European countries think this could lead to a confrontation between Russia and NATO." 

     "The 21st century has its own race toward stronger weapons and a broader East-West alignment of strategies. One expert says this is a gradual change, more evolution than revolution. Meanwhile, China wants Taiwan, though its citizens fled the Chinese revolution in 1949 and still want no part of mainland communist China." Wake up, New York City! 

     We're not sure where Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Pakistan come into play. We'll save that for another blogistan. 

      Jimmy 

Asian Alliance 

     In September, as we remembered 9/11, the Chinese, Russians and North Koreans were - and are - plotting their "autocratic coalition." 

     China held a parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. As Europe was assaulted by the Germans, China was invaded by Japan, which attacked our Navy to keep us from responding. So they thought. Some years later, China now communist, we convinced them to join the fun of commerce, thinking they would soon abandon communism. So we thought.

     Leaders of Russia and North Korea attended China's parade, more a showcase of power than remembrance. New types of nuclear weapons. And a showcase for dictatorial unity. 

     Xi Jinping calls this "true multilateralism" to counter U.S. and European control of world affairs. Russia and Asian countries say Western rules, including President Trump's economic policies, stand against their interests and power. 

     Our article says, "All this has potentially dangerous implications for America's interests and allies around the world, and for flash points like Taiwan and Ukraine." 

                      Jimmy

They Crucified Jesus                                What did that start?

Tyler Killed Charlie                                       What did he gain?

     Columnist Andree Peterson wrote to 'Wormwood:' "Thought you would put an end to an annoying vice, did you? Ten thousand tongues have been unloosed in its place...timid men now emboldened. In Philippians 1:14, 'Most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much bolder to speak the word without fear.'"

     "People scroll through Charlie Kirk speeches to look for hate and find agreeableness and reasonableness. Legions of so-called Christ fallowers who lived in compromise, lackluster faith, suddenly repenting. They replaced generic 'God' with 'Jesus.'" 

     "What did the stoning of Stephen result in? A rampant spread of the gospel. Assassination, imprisonment and vilification play into the enemy's own hands. Charlie Kirk's wife, strengthened, said as much in her eulogy: what we intend for evil will only fortify the good." 

     "Do away with Joseph, and he is elevated to viceroy of Egypt. 'Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it' - John 1:5." 

     "Turn on any news channel and people are talking about God, politicians and journalists alike. It is the handwriting on the wall for us." 

           Jimmy 

 Sunday Devotional 

   our pastor

     How do we know what to trust? We're bombarded with news, opinions, and advice. But there's only one source that has never failed and never will. God's Word. 

     Scripture serves as a lamp shining in a dark place, illuminating the path ahead and protecting us from stumbling. When everything around us feels uncertain, we can anchor ourselves in the unchanging truth of God's Word. This doesn't mean we ignore wisdom from other sources or live in isolation.

     But it does mean we filter everything through the lens of Scripture. When advice contradicts biblical principles, we choose God's way. We stand firm on the Word. 

     The enemy is crafty. He usually doesn't present us with obvious lies. Instead, he offers half-truths, things that are "just this close to right" but ultimately wrong. Only by knowing Scripture deeply can we discern subtle deceptions. 

     The Word of God is more reliable than any search engine, more trustworthy than any news source, and more enduring than any earthly institution. 

2 Peter 1:19