The Wired Christian

I’ve been out of full-time salaried work since June 1, 2007. It’s been hard to say the least. The money well has all but dried up. The creditors call daily now, I’m juggling cutoff notices from the utilities and it’s pressing just to be able to live. My wife has gone to work waiting tables so that we can survive during this time.

Now I don’t know about you, but we receive a LOT of credit card offers in the mail. At least three a week come in with promises of zero percent interest, balance transfers and all the big life that living in debt has to offer. The other day I actually opened one and read the terms and conditions of the offer. Why? Desperation. As the main earner for our family this has been extremely hard for me to be in a position where I’m not “bringing home the bacon.” Not only that but it is a blow to my integrity when I cannot pay my financial obligations on time. I actually considered sending off this credit card offer to be able to get some relief. Is it really relief though? Or is it just postponing the pain and adding to it in the long run?

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:7 [NIV]

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love on another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8 [NIV]

After coming to my senses I ripped the offer in pieces and discarded it’s remains into the trash. I am already a slave/servant to several debtors. I am actively trying to pay my way out of that bondage. Why in the world would I want to take on more debt and gain yet one more master? I have to remember that God is allowing us to go through this time for a purpose. I truly believe that no matter how angry and depressed I get some days. I also have to remember that He is my provision and certain help in time of need.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 [NIV]

Of course since this trial, God has shown Himself to us in many ways and is taking care of our needs. I will continue to depend on Him no matter how hard it is. I know that He will deliver us into a time of blessing that we could not even imagine. And even if He does not… it should be enough that He sent His only Son to die for me.

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Filed under: Christianity, Faith, Finance | 10 Comments »

Isn’t technology great? When you call the bank you don’t have to talk to anyone; you just have to wade through a gazillion menu items and either say or press one. If you opt to go to the bank you can use the automated teller and not even have to deal with a person then. Now the robots have infiltrated our grocery stores as well! Self-checkout lines. What a phenomenal idea… we can’t hire anybody for minimum wage with a decent attitude so we’ll just let you get your stuff, ring up your groceries and bag it all yourself too!

Yes, I know sarcasm isn’t very Christian-like, but I have some real issues with these so called improvements. For one, they are supposed to be a convenience right? Wrong! Most of the time the lines are taken up with people that are not… how shall I say… tech savvy. That or they have two or three buggies full as if they are stocking up for the next world war. The only time I use these lines is if all other lines are full and I only have a few items.

Ok, soap-box over with… let’s continue.

On one particular occasion through the self-checkout line I had a diet soda and two other items. A few days later I was faithfully entering the receipt into my financial software and noticed that I had been charged twice for the soda. Why that incompetent cashier! Oh, wait… right there on the receipt were the words, “Self-Checkout.” DOH! I was the incompetent cashier. See what I mean? That’s why I usually let them do that job.

Then it occurred to me, if I made the mistake of charging myself twice for that item I could just as easily have made the mistake of not charging myself for the item. Take it one step further and I could purposely not charge myself for one of the items in my bundle of goods. After all at those self-checkout lanes the employees aren’t really paying any attention to what is going on. They will come and help you out if the light dings because something is wrong with the process, but that’s it. They don’t double check your receipt for accuracy. I’ve never once been stopped and asked to see the contents of my bag. Why shoplift? Now you can just pick out your high dollar item and put it in with a few cheap items that you actually purchase at the self-checkout. Cameras in full view and everything it wouldn’t be hard at all.

So what’s to stop you? Well for one, it goes against one of The Big Ten: “Thou shalt not steal” Exodus 20:15 [KJV]. This is where the you have to let the Holy Spirit speak into your life about right and wrong. You have to let your conscience do what it does best. It’s a matter of character. What would I have done if I had discovered that I had made a mistake in the other direction? What if I had accidentally not charged myself for the soda? Would I have gone back and paid for it? Would I have written it off because it was an insignificant amount of money? To be honest I’m not real sure. I can only pray that in times like that I will look to God and let Him be the voice of truth to cut through the nonsense that will try to tell me it’s ok to let things slip.

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Filed under: Character, Christianity, The Big Ten | No Comments »

That’s an odd quote to hear from the pulpit of your church on a Sunday morning. Kind of graphic, but it gets the point across. I decided to look it up a bit myself. The passage being referred to is in Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Oh, by the way, I’m referring to the Holy Bible… the one us crazy Christian folk read, just in case you’re just tuning in. If this bothers you then you are waaaay too sensitive. Try reading my post on eating babies. Well, we do! We eat baby cows. It’s called veal. At least I do.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes… Tampons. I decided to verify the quote made from stage and lookup the meaning of the text from the passage and indeed that is the original meaning. Not actually tampons, but menstrual rags or clothes. Here’s a link to the Strong’s Concordance lookup. See for yourself.

The chapter starts out talking about how awesome and glorious God is. It talks about how God acts on behalf of those who remember His ways and those who gladly do right. It then reveals the reality of the human condition. We tried to do it our way, but we failed. We continued to sin against God’s ways and He became angry. It then talks about our righteousnesses being like filthy rags.

Take the absolute best person on Earth and he will fail. Nobody is perfect. Compare anyone’s righteousness with God’s perfection and it looks and smells like… well… a used tampon.

There you have it.

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Filed under: Christianity | 10 Comments »