Okay, here’s the deal. I am a free market capitalist. I think the market should drive the cost of goods and services. I’m not against profits. But I have to say that I’m against crooked thieves who practice gouging, extortion and screwing the consumer because they can. There are many elements in this equation, but I want to just address a few and then draw some perspective. 

THERE IS NO GAS SHORTAGE! Supply is not the problem causing gas prices to rise in the ridiculous manner they have in recent months. I know what you’re thinking, “Michael, what makes you an expert in the oil and gas business?” Trust me, I know little, but I observe, read, and learn. Click Here if you would like to read some of the background for my opinion.  

The culprit is a three-headed beast. The first head is the speculators in the oil markets. The second head is the ethanol mandate from the government. (This is not only affecting gas prices, don’t get me started on the long-term damage this will do, it is also having a negative affect on the price of poultry and grain products.) The third head is the Bush administration. (Although I am a conservative and I like George Bush, he’s not done well on a great many things.) 

So what can be done; not much in the short term. The speculation bubble in the oil markets will eventually burst. Those making obscene profits will make smaller ones. I wish I could say that “they will get theirs,” but they won’t – at least not now. The best we can do for now is adjust lifestyle. Elect people who will be responsible concerning energy policy. (good luck on that) And of course there is the thought of one comedian who said, “Let’s use all the oil and gas we can. We’ll use it all up. Our kids will figure out a new way to get around without it. They will never have to deal with OPEC or worry about the price of gas. So take the family on a long road trip and stick it to the oil companies.” (it is funny) 

On the lighter side, my friends Gary and Darla Miller sent a piece to me a few weeks ago that I think provides valuable perspective. If you feel gas is too expensive, consider this…

• Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 = $9.52 per gallon

• Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25 = $10.00 per gallon

• Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 = $10.17 per gallon

• Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 = $10.32 per gallon

• Evian water 9 oz $1.49 = $21.19 per gallon

• Whiteout 7 oz $1.39 = $25.42 per gallon

• Brake Fluid 12 oz $3.15 = $33.60 per gallon

• Scope 1.5 oz $0.99 = $84.48 per gallon

• Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 = $123.20 per gallon

• Vick’s Nyquil 6 oz $8.35 = $178.13 per gallon

• Printer Ink .05 oz $18 = $5,200 per gallon

Overall, I think it’s going to be ok. We need perspective, we need wisdom and of course, a break would be nice. It’ll come back into balance in time. Don’t get despondent. We have it better than most countries in the world. I’m ok with thinking GREEN, it’s certainly better than thinking BLUE. Above all the frustration, think good things. I know the squeeze of dollars that this puts on all of us. We can do this. Stand fast… drive happy.

telemicus out

This is my mom and my Aunt Mary. Mary is near the end of this life’s journey. I don’t think it has been an easy trip for Mary. She endured the absence of her husband for many years of active duty in the military. She worked to care for her son and her mother. I remember her being an angry woman when I was a boy. I had no idea of the crushing weight that the stress of adult life could place on a person. I wish that I had been more understanding of the adults I’ve known who struggled under the load of life. That note of regret brings me to what I really want to share this week. 

One of the burdens that Mary talked about in her last days is a fear that she might not make it heaven. On the contrary, she seemed convinced her itinerary included a warmer climate. She’s a believer. My dad baptized her some years ago in our home. But like many of us, she knows the reality of her own sin and struggles with far more clarity than she knows the depth of God’s forgiveness and the extent of his love. 

The Old Book affirms the security of the believer. I used to tell my students, “You are not sort of saved – you are good and saved. Your salvation is not precarious, dangerous, tentative, perhaps, maybe or iffy. It is bought by blood and guaranteed.” We need to have confidence in the One who saved us. Paul wrote, “Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day” (2 Timothy 1:12).  

Brennan Manning wrote, “When we trust God it may mean more than when we say we love Him.” Our salvation is not about our performance or religious acts, keeping laws or rules, or doing more good than evil. It is fully based on the relationship we have in Jesus Christ. All that we do in life that is good, is an expression of God’s presence in us and our love for Him. We all know that we don’t have massive quantities of good in us… but we have Him in our hearts and that is the source of all that is good. 

Don’t focus on your failures or weakness. Focus on the goodness of Christ, His noble heart, His love for you and His desire to see you saved. Do what is right and good because you love Him. And in those moments when the enemy calls back to your mind all the wickedness of your broken heart – run with abandon and dive into the arms of your Father and trust that he can handle it all and loves you anyway. Relax Mary . . . He’s got you covered. 

telemicus out

On Tuesday of this week, we were watching American Idol, (that dreadlock boy, Jason Castro is from Rockwall.) This week the format changed a bit and the contestants sang two songs. They told the judges they would give their critique for both after the second song. But Ryan threw the world out of balance (for Paula) when he asked for a quick response from the judges. Paula is party scattered all the time, but when she got to Jason Castro, she critiqued both songs and he hadn’t sung the second song yet. When they pointed out her stumble and confusion, she became flustered and said, “This is hard!” 

There was a day when doing hard work was something to be pursued rather than avoided. Longfellow wrote:

The heights of great men reached and kept,

Were not obtained by sudden flight,

But they, while their companions slept

Were toiling upward in the night.

I am so tired of people whining about things being hard. The first line of the book, The Road Less Traveled is, “Life is hard.” And it is. Even when life is not difficult, certain aspects of our endeavors are difficult and they should be. Some tasks are mentally challenging, others require physical strength and on occasion, the hurdles we face require the tenacity of determined perseverance. If we are to achieve success in any area of life, it will require Hard Work. I’m not promoting more work. Being a workaholic is perhaps the evil twin of laziness. I’m saying we should embrace hard work in every effort. Solomon wrote, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23).   

You’re no doubt familiar with the expression, “work smart, not hard.” Using your brain is hard work. Hard work is good. It accomplishes the difficult, it conquers the unbeatable, it overcomes barriers, it overrules the will, it says “Yes” when the weak say “No,” it achieves the impossible; it topples the arrogant and by shear force of its value wins the day. No matter the object of your endeavor, whether it is the execution of your occupation, the success of your diet, the effort to save money, the goal of fitness, the pursuit of happiness, the quest for knowledge or the search for God  - WORK HARD.  

telemicus out