CRISIS WITH A FACE
Sep 26th, 2008 by John
Julie and I are members of a house church community and one of our members is founder and CEO of a small business with international connections. Because of the greed and corruption of our politicians and money lenders, my friend, his family and his business are in jeopardy. Because of systemic sin, his business is on the verge of being blasted to oblivion. I am so angry that the wretched ways of greedy people create a distressing future for my brother in Christ.
This Wall Street/Main Street crisis has a face for me. Pray for many, many small business owners who, through no fault of their own, are wondering about the futures of their businesses.
Here is an older poem I sent to my friend and to our house church:
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Dear Lord and Father of mankind, Drop Thy still dews of quietness, Breathe through the heats of our desire John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) |
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I’ve been thinking about starting up a little home based business but with all this jazz going on, I don’t know yet.
Brian,
I wouldn’t say not to, but make sure you’re on solid financial ground.
I am praying.
Thank you for sharing that wonderful prayer with us.
Yes. It is difficult for me to understand the big crises on wall street because it doesn’t immediately effect my surrounding context. It is sad that you know someone who is being effected by it, but I will pray that this will all turn out well.
This crisis has been a startling reminder that capitalism, as effective as it is, is powered by greed. Sometimes I think we let patriotism/materialism/conservativism get the best of us…and we start to idolize the free market.
I remember going to a Christian apologetics conference once, where I heard a very long lecture about how capitalism best represents biblical values. How easily we lose sight of Jesus’ [radical] teachings regarding the Kingdom of God!
Greed and corruption is not limited to our politicians and money lenders. Bottom line is that individuals made choices, often blindly taking on debt they could not afford, buying more than they needed hoping to turn around and make a profit. Greed is the bottom line at every level. We too have a small business that is in jeopardy; though thankfully hour home is paid for. My husband reminds me daily to keep my eyes on Jesus, the one who provides for our needs.
John:
Thanks for sharing Whittier’s poem. My extended family is dealing with the sudden passing of one ours. (A sister-in-law’s brother-in-law) That hymn ministered to us at the point of our need. Thank you. JJB
I am praying for these times as well….
We are entering into times this world has not yet seen for a while … our consuming culture needs to change for we drink from a well that does not satisfy ….
What a beautiful– and relevant– poem. Thank you for sharing!