Sign of the Times

We’ve all see the “Now Hiring” signs, open interviews and sign on bonuses being offered. I hear people say “Every place is hiring right now.” Are they actually hiring or are they trying to hire? For businesses to actually hire people have to come in and apply that actually want to work.

The Burger King sign shown here was up for about six hours in Lincoln, Nebraska. Before you complain about work ethic, lazy kids or minimum wage laws let’s add some context. A manager put in her two weeks notice and about eight members of her crew did the same. At the end of that two weeks nothing had changed in the store and that’s when this sign was lettered up at about 6 o’clock one morning. The store has been short staffed for some time and the employees had been working 50 and 60 hours per week to keep it open. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the air conditioning going out in the kitchen. That’s when they had enough. As the marquee sign went viral on social media, the store began getting calls from higher and higher levels of upper management. By lunchtime it was changed to read “Now Hiring, Flexible Hours.” Time will tell.

News Notes: Chinese Bibles and Empty Tombs

I thought about writing a post yesterday on the possible Bible shortage. Sometimes with news events, though, I figure everyone has the same access to television newscasts and articles on the internet that I do. But life is busy and sometimes I miss some pretty big headlines myself. So here’s a couple of things you may or may not have heard about.

The Read and Share File

Here’s what I’ve been reading:

What if revival broke out in your town… at the church down the street?  What if you were out of town for a few months on a mission trip, and revival started under the guest preacher?   9Marks suggests that we Pray for Revival – at the other guy’s church.  

At Believing God Today: To Gospel or Not to Gospel Part I
To Gospel or Not to Gospel Part II

NEWS – Abortion, birth control and gay marriage ranked lowest on issues of importance to registered voters, according to a new Pew Research Center poll. What issues ranked highest?  The economy, jobs and the deficit, in that order.  No surprise there; if you want to hurt Americans, hit them in the pocket book.  More of this story at Christian Post.

The Desiring God blog shares 15 Tips on Blogging from John Newton.  Perhaps you recognize John Newton as the writer of Amazing Grace.  Did he really offer tips on blogging, 400 years ago?  In a manner of speaking.

Here is the Al Mohler post that everyone is talking about.  Paul Wilkinson (Thinking Out Loud) explains Why Al Mohler Should Retire; Jeff Dunn (Internet Monk) writes on Al Mohler’s Problem with Grace.  Suddenly all my problems seem smaller.

This just in: Tall Skinny Kiwi does not live in a commune.

Weather, Economy, and the Apocalypse

The price of gas has passed $4 in many places, and some are predicting $5 across the country by Memorial Day.  The Consumer Price Index has risen 2.7% just this year.  Thunderstorms and tornadoes are occurring with incredible frequency in the United States, and it’s hard to miss the global increase in earthquake, tsunami and volcano activity.  So am I ready to predict the end of the world?  I suggest not starting an office pool.

The Apostle Paul expected the return of Christ in his lifetime.  You can almost feel a change in his attitude by the time of his final letters.  There is a noticeable “policy shift” if you know what to look for.  Throughout the ages people have predicted the day and date for the end of the world.  Statistically they have been wrong 100% of the time.  Are wars in the Middle East and earthquakes a sign the end is near?  Yes.  But in a greater sense, the end is always near.  The return of Jesus Christ is imminent; that means nothing else has to happen before his return takes place.  That doesn’t mean it will be this weekend – or this decade – however.  If I board a non-stop flight in Atlanta, then my arrival in (your favorite city here) is imminent.  The plane will not be landing anywhere else first.  The next stop will be at our destination.  What we know for certain by reading the scriptures is that Jesus’ return will come like a thief in the night.  What we know for certain is that we cannot know for certain when it will be.

Things will get worse before they get better.  Ralph Sexton Jr. predicted in the late 70’s that the price of a loaf of bread would be over $1.  People laughed.  When Israel became a nation in 1947 that was as good as handwriting on the wall for many Christians.  Yet Jesus did not return the next day.  Mikel Gorbachev turned out not to be the anti-Christ.  The 91′ Gulf War was not the beginning of Armageddon.   The collapse of the Soviet Union meant that it was neither Gog nor Magog (though not everyone agrees).

Today there are earthquakes and storms.  There are wars and rumors of war.  The end is near.  And if Christ tarries his coming another hundred years – or thousand – the end will near then too.  Don’t go around saying stuff that will make all Christians look silly this time next year.  Love your kids, read your Bible, share the Gospel – and go on with your life.  I wouldn’t recommend selling your house just yet.

Welcoming 2009 or Look on the Bright Side

It’s a new year.  It’s our nature to be hopeful.  We have a whole new year with new opportunities, new resolutions, and a chance to start fresh.  A new president will soon take office, with a whole new administration.  Yet 2009 seems to be coming in with an awful lot of 2008 baggage.

A Scriptural Perspective on Economic Collapse and Financial Bailout

We live in the richest nation on earth.  It may be borrowed money, and we may be about to pay the piper for it, but Americans are simply the wealthiest society ever in history.  We currently consume over half of the world’s natural resources.  The poverty line in the United States is higher than the per capita income of many nations.  My dog drinks cleaner water than about half of the world’s children.  We spent more money last year on ice cream than NASA spent in the entire space program.  That is the beauty of capitalism.  The revenues generated go back into fueling the system.  Carl Marx predicted capitalism would destroy itself, but you see, greed makes it work.  Our greed drives us to work harder, put in more hours, educate ourselves to get higher positions, etc.  And what do we do with all of that additional hard-earned cash?  WE SPEND IT, creating jobs and providing increasing salaries for our friends and neighbors.  So what went wrong?