Do we really walk the talk?

As American Christians we talk a big game...we show off our immense vocabulary on Sundays;

Redemption
Resurrection
Grace
Blood of the Lamb
Jesus
Forgiven
Sin...

...and so on...

Of course our church time is becoming less a time of fellowship and strengthening our spiritual walk and is rapidly just becoming a pastime.

You don't need any fancy words to describe this phenomenon; here is the bottom line.

The American church is lame!

How many parents force their children to come not because they are concerned about developing young followers of Christ but rather to show that they are "good parents" who are raising their children the right way? How many adults are just as lukewarm about their true spiritual state as their middle school students?

Meanwhile there are millions of believers across the globe being tortured and martyred in the name of this Jesus character? Kinda sad really that the average American finds it too difficult to get out of bed on their day off to take an hour of their time to hear the gospel (good news) of the salvation mankind. Wow. If we actually do manage to make it to service a cup of Starbucks is definitely necessary to keep us awake during the service...especially during the tedious book of Leviticus...

Oh and then of course after the benediction in the fall there is the mad dash to make it out of the parking lot so we don't miss the kickoff of the Packer game! (The Lord would disapprove if you didn't watch your team with more devotion and loyalty than the Son of Man, I'm sure!)

And then Monday we are back to the same old routine. Grouchy on Mondays...groaning throughout the week about how work will never end, then back to church on Sunday to worship the God we have forgotten about all week.

And no a visit to TGI Fridays does not count as devotional time during the week!

When Jesus of Nazareth made the claim to be Christ he stated that no one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven except through him. And he never promised that it would be easy...

An excerpt of Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" comes to mind when I think about the life I try to live;

"Two roads diverged in a wood and I
I took the road less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

We all need to constantly and consistently check ourselves; are we on the road less traveled or the Highway to Hell?

Need Vs. Want

As I touched on in a recent blog life is about people not things, relationships rather than accumulation.

So the next question to ask is; "How much is too much?"

I am willing to bet that many Waukesha residents have closets filled with clothes, some of which have been rarely worn. I am also willing to bet that most people must have their $4.00 cup of coffee before their day starts to look brighter (especially Monday).

Something we as Americans, myself included, cannot comprehend is the proverbial "stuff-free" lifestyle especially in Waukesha county.

Sure as students enter the college doors they are forced to make due with less money than they are accustomed to and after graduation it is a hard road to pay off the debt from 4 or more years of higher education. But honestly when I hear those complaints about how expensive education is and how little money there is left for the hard working people I get a little ticked off.

Consider your investments and the things that we as Americans are blessed with in our great nation before you let a complaint slip out!


Shelter- we as Americans are blessed with homes that keep us dry and keep the wind off us during the cold months. Even most apartments though they seem small to us would be considered a palace by Africa's standards

Education-we as Americans have the benefits of quality education that will lead us to pretty much any career field we should choose and for the most part a profitable career

Steady income- Whether you are salary or hourly the American worker is valued more than 5 Chinese factory workers and you do not have to worry about a corrupt government confiscating your earnings for no reason

Transportation- Imagine not having your own car, or a cheap and affordable bus system but rather having to walk miles to a job where you would get paid significantly less than you earn now

Stability- In this country we do not have to worry about plague, famine, civil war, or public sanitation (for the most part). Thank God!

Health care- Yes even our health care system that is in major need of overhaul offers quality services and is accessible to almost everyone!

The list could continue on but these are everyday things that most of us take for granted, primarily due to the fact that we have not had to deal with true hardship.

I would love to see our fiscal conservative friends, who complain about not having enough wealth, go for multiple days without a meal as many in less fortunate countries are having to do.

Proverbs 28:6 stood out to me as Senior Pastor Mel Lawrenz (Elmbrook Church) did his lesson on finances a week ago today.

It states;

"Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways."

~Proverbs 28:6 (ESV)

In this country we have so much to be grateful for and yet all we are learning to do from young on is to lust for what we have not yet attained.

It is a sad state to be in when all Americans are interested in is consumerism, money and buying that new game system for Christmas...

We have become lazy in our society in fact I probably couldn't count the number of "Get rich quick" books or strategies that have been sold to us with our weak materialistic minds.

Another interesting quote from Henry David Thoreau;

It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.

~Thoreau

And this is what has happened our culture that values things now puts them above the well-being of others.

The newest in the series of reality t.v. shows is titled "Moment of Truth" and features probably the lamest plot lines of every reality t.v. show I have ever seen... here is the idea;

As the contestant on this show you are subjected to a lie detector test of 21 extremely personal questions such as "Is there a part of your husband's body that repulses you?" and so on and so forth. If you answer these questions truthfully you can win up to $500,000!

Sick.

As Matthew Gilbert of "Globe" staff writes in a review;

"Can you handle the personal stakes, which involve hurting and alienating your nearest and dearest and ruining your professional credibility, all because you want to make a few quick bucks?"

Source: http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2008/01/25/is_truth_worth_the_humiliation/

It is time to stop living for instant gratification and start living for someone who is outside your own personal sphere. If you took a look at your life right now the past things you have done, the present things you are doing and where you are headed with your life for the future would you be happy with yourself? Would you be proud of yourself as the host of a t.v. show that wrecks people's credibility...or would it be more worthwhile to dedicate yourself to helping couples council and put together broken relationships?

I hope that despite all of our shortcomings due to the enormous wealth we have attained and safety that we retain in this nation that it is not too late to put our country back on the right track.

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."

~Abraham Lincoln

Why the Taxpayer's League hates teachers

Here is a post I found on one of Project ABC's blogs I agree and disagree...I'll explain later.


Bill Marsh writes:

I find it laughable that the public schools in this state still do not have enough money. I suggest we first look at where we are spending the money rather than looking for new ways to tax.

First- how about requiring public school teacher to get their health care insurance through the same insurers the private sector? We currently pay over $20,000 per teacher for health care insurance through an affiliate of WEAC, whereas private sector employers typically pay less than $10,000 per employee for health care insurance.

Second- How about having public school teachers contribute to their own 401K's instead of providing them with a lavish, fully funded pension program that is nearly unheard of in the private sector?

Third, how about having public school teachers retire when they are 65 like the rest of us mere serf/citizens in the private sector? What makes teachers so special that they can retire after 30 years of service in a non-physical job?

Fourth, why not allow more school choice? School choice in Milwaukee costs approximately $6,000 per student against nearly double that in MPS. That is a huge savings to the taxpayers.

Fifth, why not legalize virtual schools (they were legal until last week). The users of these schools were very happy with them and they cost the taxpayers about $6,000 per student.

All of these proposals make sense to the taxpayers and the education consumers. But there is one big problem, the teacher unions and their lackeys at the democratic party don't want to give up the money and the ancillary campaign contributions.

Bill's first point is have public school teachers pay their own health insurance...or at least pay more by switching from WEA trust to private sector insurance carriers.

Secondly he states teachers should pay for their own 401 K plans, are you with me so far?

Thirdly he believes teachers should retire later on because they do not have to lift boxes all day...

Essentially what Mr. Marsh is suggesting is to take away all the incentives to the teaching profession and work the teachers that we have harder. Cute, cost effective, not a very smart move however. The benefit incentives are what draw our current and future educators to this profession and if we take that away you leave educators with a load of new expenses and smaller salaries than the typical private sector employee.

I'm sure I'd sign up for that deal!

His fourth point is to promote school choice, again cause it's cheaper. This typical "fiscal-conservative" approach is driven by the idea that competition breeds quality. I don't disagree with this idea the school districts should be looking into this option a little further.

And finally he states that we should legalize virtual schools, which is really interesting because I believe IQ Academies are still functional and serving student needs.

http://www.gotoiq.com/our-program/index.asp

So his gripe here is obviously with the WiVA vs. WEAC lawsuit...

And one thing he should realize is that online learning is not for everyone some selective disciplined students probably function well in the virtual environment, but others don't. We should not promote something as a "one size fits all" education merely because it is cheaper than traditional methods.

It's a shame that conservatives are swallowing the constant anti-union/educator rhetoric that they are being spoon fed by organizations such as the WTL and republican representatives.

So teachers have a better benefits package than you...too bad. They went to school to get their master's degrees and continue to renew their education to improve their teaching every couple years.

(As a side note I think that WEAC should stop compressing the salary schedule because time and experience must be observed while advancing teachers in pay, however...)

I don't see conservatives trying to cut our health care worker's benefits packages, I don't see our conservative friends trying to cap spending on any other profession public or private.

This is merely a case of the "have-nots" trying to turn anyone they can upon those that "have". Which is really a shame because people like Wigderson and Lufter (WTL) and Kramer, Lazich, Newcomer, and the others (Representatives) would have so much more credibility if they weren't so completely and unashamedly blinded by their own personal bias...

Time to live

“Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?”

-Bob Marley

When it comes down to living inspiration Bob Marley has my nomination. Throughout poverty, bullying, racial prejudice in his younger years he throughout his career attempted to communicate a message of love and freedom in a world of hate. Instead of becoming bitter and angry when gunmen tried to kill him and his wife a couple days before the "Smile Jamaica" concert (1976). He instead got up brushed himself off and went forward to perform the concert as scheduled with the same message and goal in mind.

Will Smith in 2007's "I am Legend" echos Marley's voice in that instance;

"He had this idea. It was kind of a virologist idea. He believed that you could cure racism and hate... literally cure it, by injecting music and love into people's lives. When he was scheduled to perform at a peace rally, a gunman came to his house and shot him down. Two days later he walked out on that stage and sang. When they asked him why - He said,
"The people, who were trying to make this world worse... are not taking a day off. How can I? Light up the darkness."

Wouldn't it be nice for the everyday person to take that approach to this life we are living?

Don't you just wish that the guy who cut you off in traffic while drinking coffee, talking on a cell-phone and changing c.d.s could just take one second and listen to Marley's single "Three Little Birds" and realize that this life is not about rushing by at the speed of light.

This life is not about how much you can possibly cram into your schedule in a single day, or how much wealth you can accumulate by nickel and diming every place you attend.

This life is not about accumulation and materialism!

Why are we here then?

We are here to invest in others; to create relationships and bonds with others. To help those less fortunate than ourselves, to appreciate the things we do have instead of racing to pack more into our garages.

The celebrities of now will be forgotten and replaced, in a couple years no one will talk about Britney Spears or Lindsey Lohan. Yes they are rich but they are some of the unhappiest human beings there are.

On the other hand, lets take an example from Brad Pitt, a celebrity who like Britney and Lindsey is worth millions, who is taking some of his wealth and using it to help others who are still reeling from the sheer destruction of hurricane Katrina.

He said in an interview with NBC that;

Pitt: Man, I got kids now. And it really changes your perspective on the world. And, you know, I've had my day. I've had my day. I made some films and I've really had a very fortunate life. And it's time for me to share that a bit.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13893602/


What a great perspective to take on your career. It's about giving back to the communities.

It's about being selfless not selfesh.

In a recent sermon at Elmbrook church Senior pastor Mel Lawrenz concluded that the number one cause of shortened life span is stress. Something we as Americans know nothing about right?

He also concluded that one of the highest causes of stress in this life comes from accumulation.

http://cometothebrook.org/
"How Can I Manage the Pace of My Life?"

Where am I headed with this? I'll bring it around full circle...


“Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?”

-Bob Marley

Essentially as Marley states, we should be looking within each day and asking ourselves this question; are we happy with who we are and what we are contributing to our community?

Are you the type of person who loves things and the accumulation of things, loves to fight and argue for the sake of arguing, or likes to work until you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders?

Or are you the the type of person who can afford to take time out of your busy busy life and invest it in another?

I am sure that America as a whole would start to look a lot better if people took a few seconds to reflect and to make a small change in their lives...

WEAC vs WIVA?

I do not agree with WEAC's lawsuit against the Wisconsin Virtual Academy. I'll just say that for starters.

If the Academy is breaking a state educational statute then they should be given a period to fix the problem, and if the problem persists then the school should be shut down. Simple.

However I cannot justify an online learning program as a legitimate education. What are we teaching future generations of students but to sit in front of the computer more and more? Sure the benefits of more individualized attentions from teachers can do wonders for a student. It is just like a private tutor in your home...

But I find that conservatives are using this alternative school system as a shield to hide the true fact that they want education to be cheap. They will promote it however they want but in the end it all boils down to the fact that it is cheaper than running a brick and mortar building.

Say whatever you want about the success of this school, but nothing will ever change the benefits you receive from every day human interaction in a structured environment.

But class sizes are too big in high schools...my student will fall through the cracks!

Well then fix the class size problem! Why are our class sizes rising in the K-12 schools? Because our state funding formula is causing a gap in yearly budgets. This causes either reductions in programs or services or a rise in class size (or in some cases both!)

The thing I find interesting is that residents had no problem with the public school system when it was functioning as it should have been (i.e. before the revenue caps and QEO implemented by Tommy Thompson and the Wisconsin legislature). Because in the times of school growth and prosperity there is nothing to complain about!

Public schools when funded adequately offer;

Small class sizes
Diverse course offerings
Quality educational staff
Clean functioning facilities

...and as a result breed well rounded students!

But we've lost sight of that because we are caught up in the blame game, you know what I'm talking about...

"Well the union this..."
"The union did that..."
"The union is greedy..."
"They don't care about students..."

Enough already! It's time to stop being bitter and resentful and start looking for a way out of this hole we've dug ourselves into! It is time to bring back our former educational prosperity of the early 90's.

I have no problem with alternative education programs...but we need to look carefully at virtual education. To me there is no substitute for the social aspect of a true school, the interaction with peers, the competitions, the dances, the one on one interaction with real teachers in the flesh not just bi-weekly, but every day.

Innovation is good but in this case we should stick to traditional schools.

Dear Presidential Candidates...

With the initiation of 2008 and an election fast approaching it is time to make some new resolutions to take the United States to a better position than we're in currently...

I've kicked around some priorities in my head, but now it's time to put them down;

1) The Economy.

The U.S. needs to start growing our economy again. We need to cut back on our dependence on importing goods from places like China and Thailand and reestablish our standing in the world market. America will eventually be bought out if we continue to rely on imports.

One way to boost our American productivity is to decrease government regulation on our industry.

Regulations kill businesses!

The reason China and Mexico can produce so much so cheaply is because their government does not have their paws in the industry... we need to compete!

2) S.P.T.W!

S.P.T.W? What in the world does that mean?

It simply means... we need to stop policing the world. It is not America's responsibility to be deployed in every troubled nation on the face of the world. Our military is spread too thin, I mean come on we can't even solve the issue of illegal immigrants hopping the border and obtaining the benefits of an American citizen! So why are we the ones who need to help all the other countries solve their problems?

*Note* I do agree with the policing job we are doing while establishing a democracy in Iraq currently, once a democracy is established however we need to leave.

Reducing our military presence in Africa, southeast Asia, and Europe will cut huge military bills substantially and we will also be looked at as a peer in the global community rather than a micro-managing parent!

We have too many issues to tackle back home to be worry about every other nation in the world being stable, which brings me to my next point...

3) Rebuild at home

Three years after Hurricane Katrina hit our gulf shores volunteer teams are still needed to help rebuild the coast. Three years!

A dismal response by FEMA and the administration (in my opinion due to big government) has left many residents to fend for themselves, or to rely on church based volunteer teams to help rebuild their houses.

Don't misunderstand me I do not think that we should rely solely on the government to do everything for us as citizens, but after a disaster like Katrina the government must do its part.

In this case the government did not do its part!

And our representatives in Washington are more concerned about things like Iraq than the well being of our own residents!

America needs to take care of ourselves before we try to fix the world!

And finally...
4) Reform Immigration Policy

I have a cousin who adopted a child from Nepal and took the correct channels to help her attain citizenship in America. She had to wait over three years for a green card!

We need to improve our efficiency when it comes to granting legitimate residency, and if anyone is here illegally we need to deport them! This should not be an issue, either you are a legal or illegal resident. If you are an illegal resident you need to obtain citizenship the correct way!

We need to make it hard to get into America again because then people will appreciate our country more and not take us for granted!

These are some of the issues I wish our politicians would talk about more than just the Iraq war, gay marriage or stem cells. All of the above are important issues that will need to be addressed from 2008 on if we are to stay stable in our homeland!