The Perfect Storm

Several years ago a movie came out that told about how despite warnings an experienced group of fishermen went out with their trawler and died in what was termed a 'perfect storm'. Weather patterns converged to create a storm of the century. For the last several years another type of perfect storm has been forming in the economic world. Our former treasury secretary Alan Greenspan warned us several times during the 90's and early in this decade of what he termed 'irrational exuberance'. A better term for this might have been drunken stupor. We were drunk on making money based on speculation and the lie that the party would never end. It seemed a few years ago that just about everyone I knew was "dealing". Not drugs mind you but real estate. People kept asking me if I was investing in real estate. I told them I knew nothing about it and even if I did had no money to invest anyway!One major lie can lead to a massive collapse of what you and I build our lives on. The assumption in our economy was thay everyone should live the American dream and own their own home. Trouble was that if you are irresonsible and don't know how to work hard and save that the home you own was really a scam. A huge ponzi robbery scheme developed where everyone put their hand in the cookie jar of real etate. People just didn't take what wasn't thiers.... they assisted in stealing our entire nations future for a party built on lies.The way home from this hangover will take decades not years. A surgery won't cure it. A bail out won't cure it. A change in governments won't cure it. A change of heart and behavior will. But even repentance and a change in lifestyle will need to be walked out one step at a time. It will take years of accountability and commitment to live the old fashioned way of "pay as you go".Until recently 70 percent of our nations economy was built on consumer spending. Trouble is we spent 130 percent of what we made. That is we OVERSPENT big time. Now the bubble is burst and even massive printing of fake money from the U.S. government cannot sustain a lifestyle built on lies. We have a unique opportunity to do the right thing and quit the easy temptation to believe more lies. The voices will continue to call to you and me: eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. Don't buy this lie from hell.Let's live a life of meaning and service to something that goes way beyond selfish pleasure. When we seek first the kingdom of God all we really need wil be provided. What we don't need will fall away as our hearts change and pure joy is given from the inside out.