Chasing Solomon

“As you make your plans for this new year, be careful not to fill your Inn and crowd out Jesus.”

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

As you begin this New Year, ask yourself this question. Have you left room for Jesus in your Inn?

I was intrigued at how this particular part of the Christmas story grabbed me this year. The Inn can be representative of our lives. There are just so many rooms in our lives and it is amazing how fast we can fill them with meaningless pursuits. There are so many different “guests” wanting to come occupy our hearts. As you make your plans for this new year, be careful not to fill your Inn and crowd out Jesus. If you find that your Inn is overbooked, remember that you are the Inn keeper, and you are the one that gives out the keys to the rooms of your life. Is your “Inn” full? Details

Are things calm for you today?

“Chasing Solomon” was written as a tribute to my grandmother, Dee. Among all the ways her life could be characterized, calm would have to be high on the list. In spite of whatever turmoil was around her, she always remained calm. Ninety eight years of being calm. It’s hard to imagine. Once again I am finding myself thankful for a grandmother who insisted that I memorized the 23rd Psalm as a young boy. Throughout the years, I find peace in the words of this Psalm.

It seems like every direction I turn these days, there is an almost overwhelming “noise” of life. Take the current events taking place in the economy. Days are filled with Wall Street Journal articles of negative news and despair. Turn on the cable business channels and you feel like screaming “SHUT UP!” as a half dozen pundits share their thoughts about the economy simultaneously. Details

We are witnesses to the biggest bailout in human history. There is certainly a lot of financial anxiety going on these days. The media has flooded the news with the government bailouts of Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman, AIG, and now the government receptacle of the toxic debt which is estimated to be around a trillion dollars. People debate whether the bailout is right or wrong. People argue whether it is a moral hazard the way the government is bailing out these companies. What happens to us with or without a bailout? What will these bailouts ultimately cost? Who is going to pay for it all? All of these are great questions that need answers.

There is so much finger pointing and blame game going on that it will make your head spin. Know whose fault I think it is? Everybody’s. There was no individual responsibility when people took on more debt than they would ever be able to afford to pay back. Mortgage brokers, banks, mortgage companies, appraisers, Wall Street, government agencies, Congress and Presidents all are to blame. But I don’t see what good a bunch of blaming is going to do. It certainly isn’t going to fix the problem. We are all in this together at this point. So it seems like without a rescuer, we are doomed. The focus need not be on who is to blame. The focus needs to be on the one who rescues. And when that thought crossed my mind….

WHO IN THE WORLD IS GOING TO RESCUE US FROM WHAT SEEMS LIKE CERTAIN DOOM? Details