End of the World: Cancelled

Okay, if there is anyone out there in blog land that DOES NOT BELIEVE this is the end of the world, will you post me a comment on why you are so optimistic?

Everybody seems to think that things are bad but that they are going to get a whole lot worse. Greenhouse effect will burn us up if God doesn't crush us with big rocks from heaven, the economy will stop and the gangs will burn the cities to rubble, whatever governments survive the chaos will outlaw anything righteous and make legal all manner of injustice and perversity, etc. Please, people, I'm trying to raise *CHILDREN* here! Throw me a bone! Give me one good reason to not jump in front of a truck! Something meaningful and convincing that will do for the whole tribe of us!

Brokenness

Time was when going to church and engaging with brokenness was awesome. I appreciated that my fellow believers were "real" with their fears, failings and doubts. Getting naked before God seemed like real faith.

Now, I have a squad of children following me, and I want them to think that the Christian faith works. I don't want to lay on my face sobbing in front of them for three hours. I don't want other people to make my kids think that being an adult is as baffling and terrifying as it really is. I want them to believe in the strength of a hero.

This creates a real schism. I still need to lay on my face sobbing. I am still broken and less sure of everything than when I was 20. However, I don't have this luxury: I must state what is true and comforting. I must stand in strength, even if I don't have it in me.

Careful

I didn’t want to sing wrong
So I didn’t sing at all
I didn’t want to dance wrong
So I didn’t dance at all
I didn’t want to respond wrong
So I didn’t respond at all.

When the game was over
They added up all the points;
And though I was careful not to lose any
I found I still had none.

On Homeschool Philosophy

Our homeschool group has a little debate going on about whether we should use state provided homeschool programs. This is a portion of my response to that debate:

I don't believe we will retain the long term right to homeschool our kids. That isn't the direction our culture is moving. Does the age of the Beast sound friendly to homeschooling? I don't think so. We can debate whether we might see that age or not, but it seems clear that before the end, freedom will be pretty squashed. Americans are consistently giving up their personal responsibility (and freedom) in favor of being taken care of. Is using school services just another fruit of this mindset? That's a question I have to put to my own heart.

I don't intend to sound overly pessimistic, but the reality is that our culture is NOT becoming more Christian and Jesus isn't likely to be elected president any time soon. Parts of the homeschool culture have projected a vision of a progressive take over of America/the World by making more moral laws and electing Christian officials. It is good to elect wise and good people to office, and it is good to make godly laws. Wearing clothes from the 1800s and making our own food is fun. But the Bible does not teach that the world will be slowly and subtly transformed in this way. Revelation indicates things will get really repressive before Jesus returns to set up a just and perfect Kingdom. Let's make the best of our times (because they are pretty good times), but have our eyes on THAT age, when Jesus radically revolutionizes the world --makes it a New World.

It's a nice place we have, but it isn't home. I think HSLDA's perspective tips a bit too much toward thinking we can vote a righteous governement into place--that this world is salvageable. By all means, lets preserve freedom as long as we can. But let's not be shocked when we find it a losing battle, nor lose hope: our world needs rescuing, and it will be rescued.

It's all Bad.

The world is controlled by theives. People are really, really messed up. The sun is colder than it should be. The oil is running out. Economic collapse and chaos are inevidible. The democrats are going to win the election. Iran is probably going to bomb us anyway. Then God is going to drop a "mountain of fire" in our ocean. THEN the angels say, "Woe to the earth for what is ABOUT to happen..."

My only comfort is that I have enough fat on my body to ward off starvation for months.

(There. If that doesn't get at least Gib to comment, I don't know what will.)

Wow. Double Digit Inflation.

I just read an article that was so pessimistic as to suggest double digit inflation as soon as 2009. The author went on to explain that oil, wheat, corn, coal, and copper have increased an average of 300% in the last few years while consumer prices have only increased some 3%. Apparently China is not going to support us forever and will be focusing more on supplying its own population, having eliminated tax incentives for exporting. I'm not so good at math, but isn't 100% per year more than "double digit" inflation? How is that our basic commodities could go up 300 fold and we only experience a 3% retail price increase?

Emily Dickinson Goes to Her Class Reunion

I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us--don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!