NAVIGATING THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD

I must confess that the Stock Market confuses me. NYSE sounds like a jeans brand, to me. I don't know how to even merge onto the stock market... let alone know how to figure out what is happening, logistically, to our free market economy or this current free fall. I DO know that Bush's words seemed frightening (Crisis, etc)... and the FIRST bill his adminstration proposed with no accountability or transparency in the BAIL OUT package smacked of "give me more power to deal with THIS crisis" and we did that 5 years ago... and the jury is still out on the wisdom of allowing abject fear to convince us to give over power all power to any administration to make such quick, knee jerk reactions. Again, I don't know which current candidate is better prepared to handle this crisis. If I were either McCain or Obama I would be tossing aside my candidacy like it was a hot-potato. Seriously. Who wants to inherit this difficult job? Or this mess?

But I don't want to get too political. For politics these days seems both ugly and mean. On BOTH sides of the aisle. Just really, really ugly.


But what this current economic crisis DOES make me reflect on is: how do I spend my OWN money? I have school debt from my masters degree. Was that really wise? I can't even seem to get on the ball to save any money, myself, with my meager salary. I eat out a lot. I buy lattes. I buy work clothes. Do I need all of the "stuff" I spend my money on? I don't know. But I do know that we reap in a sense what we sow. And GREED should be the word for today... because GREED crosses party lines and affiliations. And it is something we are ALL guilty of, at least if we are honest with ourselves. GREED. What does God say about GREED:

Some of Luke 12 - Jesus thoughts re: Greed -

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

OUCH! Where is OUR treasure? In our savings account? In our investments? In our stuff? In our jobs? In our achievements? In being a wife, mother, father, husband, etc? In our houses or cars? Because wherever it is: there is your heart, also, whether you realize it or acknowlege it or not! OUCH. Where is my treasure? for there is my heart, also.

This month I think we were all reminded of 9/11. I remember it well. My roommate was from New York and an early riser (much to my normal annoyance) and so she was awoken (and woke me up) to see the second tower seem to expode on live TV as everyone was scrambling to understand what happened to the first tower. It was numbing and weird. All of my friends got together that night and scrambled around to give blood. I don't think we found a place that wasn't packed that night, for all our good intentions... but by the following week we had all given blood as our patriotic duty. And for me it really was a sacrifice because: I hate needles!

Oddly, though, I found out I cannot give blood again for a few years. I have been in Southeast Asia this summer (as many of you know) and played with kids who have AIDS... and so I can't give blood. So I apologize in advance if you were asking me to give blood, because I just can't do it. I can't give blood. They wouldn't want my contaminated blood. Weird thought, huh? Am I contaminated or have we just become really, really cautious? I don't know. But if it means I don't have to have a needle stuck in my arm, it is all right by me!