The REAL Thanksgiving story

Check out this article. Many people believe that Thanksgiving and the landing of the Pilgrims was a happy time in American history. However, reading from this article and checking some of the links, you get a real sense of what the early Pilgrims went through...and a plug for free markets.



The Great Thanksgiving Hoax





Grace & Peace.



PLW

Quote

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.” Upton Sinclair

Lexus LFA!

By far the coolest car I have ever seen...

Mortgage Issues

I find this stuff interesting so that is why I blog about it, but I know I am a geek sometimes. The above chart was taken from a Wall Street Journal article linked above.

The number of mortgage applications (shown above) has dropped to a 12-year low despite ALL of the stimulus packages available and the new home credits. At first blush this appears counter-intuitive but upon further scrutiny it makes total sense.

People who can refinance have already refinanced. With mortgage rates below 5% on a 30-year mortgage, those that have withstood the equity assault on their homes have been able to save some money by reducing their payments.

Others have negotiated with banks for relief but for the most part, the refinance boom has run its course for now until property values rise.

The other factor that is affecting refinances is the lack of control over appraisals and the scrutiny of underwriting by the banks. Most banks today are SO risk averse, they want nothing but 'A' paper with LOTS down. This presents a big problem for most consumers who have purchased their houses with little down in the last 10 years.

I don't see much relief in sight for the next year or two until employment and manufacturing picks up again.

Grace & Peace

PLW

Setting Itself Up for Failure

Here is an op ed piece on the Health Care Reform Bill being introduced by the Senate, written by the Dean of Harvard Medical School.

They need to stop this legislation and reconsider the costs...

PLW

Huh?

Headline in the WSJ today:

White House Aims to Cut Deficit With TARP Cash

What am I missing? As I read this article (linked above), I have another question that comes immediately to mind: Are we borrowing money to pay down the deficit that the original borrowed money caused?

This would be like borrowing your friend $20. A week later, he comes back to you requesting a loan for $20 so that he can pay you back. This is ludicrous.

I have an alternative solution: STOP SPENDING! Work out inefficiencies, eliminate fraud and give tax-breaks to small businesses. Hire a bunch of engineers and operations managers to examine every governmental program enacted around the country, determine a better solution (not necessarily change the program just the way it is operationally run), and implement the changes.

This would eliminate 40% of the workforce, save the taxpayers trillions of dollars over the next 5 years and save programs like Social Security and Medicaid, despite what people might think about them. Top -down butt kicking. I'm fired up.

Grace & Peace

PLW

Same Sex Marriage

Reading the Star & Sickle today, I came across a supporting commentary submitted to the Star Tribune that actually DEFENDS the Biblical marriage model...


Grace & Peace

PLW

Government Debt

Not funny, but still amazing the pace at which our government spends with no eye toward payment...




Grace & Peace

PLW

Profession vs. Action

First off, I love podcasting and Ipods. It's probably one of the greatest inventions brought to the market during my lifetime (other than the Wii of course).

Listening to a podcast from one of my favorite pastors, Mike Erre at my brother's church in California (www.rockharbor.org), Mike is teaching on a concept that has bothered me for a LONG time.

When people SAY that they are a Christian, the way that they live should be a reflection of their faith and belief. As an example, if you say that you are a basketball player, people probably could witness to the fact that you play basketball (faith=action).

As Mike points out in his discussion, Christians should always be ready to give an answer about the hope that we have (1 Peter 3). In order for people to ask, however, your life should be characterized by your faith in a manner in which people see something different about you versus the rest of the world.

If not, does Jesus really make a difference to you? If you profess Jesus as your savior, it should also reflect in your actions.

If we profess with our mouths that Jesus is the Lord, but our actions show NO resemblance of this belief, then do we have genuine Biblical faith? Or simply some surfacy, shallow profession to punch our ticket to heaven but do nothing to change the way we live?

My favorite statement that he makes is this: Biblical faith knows no distinction between believing and acting!

Grace & Peace

PLW

HT to Mike Erre






HT to Rock Harbor (Mike Erre):

Just a Drink...

There are SO many observations that the writers of the new testiment witnessed during the time of Christ. How could they chose them to write? I would think each moment with Him (not unlike being with someone you deeply admire) held enormous weight and value and lingering thoughts and recollections.

Consider John recording the conversation Christ had with the woman at a well in John 4. In the dialogue, we see that Christ is at the well that Joseph gave to his son, Jacob (Jacob's Well ironically). But on the onset, it doesn't appear to be that significant.

Christ simply asks the woman for a drink. No big whoop. But throughout this discussion, Christ reveals His purpose, his gift to everyone who will simply accept it, and the faith of the early Christians.

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

It goes on to say that a great number believed because of the testimony of the woman at the well, whom Christ told her 'everything that she had done'. But finally, John observes the following and writes:

'They (Samaritans) said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

Unfortunately, we don't necessarily have the luxury of seeing Christ today and asking him questions man0-y-mano (except through prayer etc.). But sometimes, we HAVE to take things as they are through faith, and that is no easy process, even for the Samaritans 2000 years ago...

Grace & Peace

PLW

Weekend Events

I'm writing this in Madison, WI as I am enjoying a guys weekend with my brother and a few close friends.

Yesterday, we had an awesome time going to the Madison homecoming football game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Unfortunately, the home team lost, but we enjoyed the somewhat chilly game inside the luxury boxes on the 50 yardline thanks to a connection.

We then proceeded to see exactly the college scene much as I remember it 15 years ago, but I will have to admit that there is something unique about big colleges and their traditions. It was cool to see.

We capped it off attending the UW vs. CC hockey game. It ended in a 1-1 tie, but the game was interesting. But if you have ever sang the UW alma mater song, once is enough, trust me....

Also, it was great to spend time with my brother for an extended period of time not having to worry about children responsibilities, work, husband roles, etc. I love my brother and my family. It is very important to me...

Grace & Peace

PLW

Ministry and its Moments

Sunday morning our church had an 'open communion', in which people were encouraged to share with others in the church family before communion.

I was blown away by not only seeing what others in the church family are going through, but also encouraged to continue on the journey with Christ with diligence...
'We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:2-4).

It was also neat to see people respond with love, encouragement, forgiveness, and reconciliation. It made me also realize, however, how superficial we can be with other people, people that we have spent perhaps decades with on a once a week basis.

At the heart of it is simply being real with the people around us that love us and not pretending that life is easy and that we don't have occasional struggles with issues, people, church, ministry, and sometimes, ourselves.

Reality Church (vs. TV) is my new theme...stop the facade, stop playing church, and let's really get into each others lives in an effort to spur one another on and grow in our relationship with Christ together...

Grace & Peace

PLW

Prison Basketball

I have been involved in a prison basketball ministry for about 4 years now through Wooddale Church of Eden Prairie.

The article below is a little long, but worth the read (and hopefully, provides insight for my wife as to why I continue to play with the prisoners):

(Chris Ballard (the author) went inside San Quentin to play basketball against a team of inmates)

Nothing can adequately prepare you for first walking out onto “the yard”You learn a lot through the game, so much that the author is going back...
A few months ago, I entered San Quentin State Prison with a group of guys to play basketball against a team of inmates.
First, the important details: none of the dozen of us who went got knifed or were taken hostage. The guards didn't fire a single shot, and we never had to hit the deck. Likewise, no one had to D up Scott Peterson, a Menendez brother or any serial killers, at least as far as I know. Which is to say our worst fears, and those of our families, were not realized.
That didn't stop us from being, shall we say, a bit cautious. For example, afterward I sat at a bar with a teammate who we'll call "Jake." We were crusted in sweat and feeling mildly euphoric, as tends to happen when one safely departs a prison with the largest death row population in America. "So," I asked Jake, "What did your wife say when you told her you were going to play at San Quentin?"
He looked a bit startled. "Oh," he replied. "I haven't yet."
No wonder. As the inaugural opponents for San Quentin's over-40 squad, an element of the prison's outreach program, we had received the following warnings before our first visit: stay bunched together at all times, give only first names and run only when on the court because, as hoops coordinator Stephen Irwin, told us, "Otherwise the guards will think you're a prisoner making a break for it, and trust me, you don't want that." We knew about the three gun towers and the ratio of one armed guard for every four inmates but most of all about the "no hostage" policy, which we were reminded of often and which was helpfully summarized by a prison employee as: "If one of them grabs one of you, ain't s--- we can do about it." In other words, no one made you come in here (and further, and more graphically, if a prisoner is holding both you and a weapon, the guards will shoot through you to get to the prisoner).
You can watch Shawshank Redemption a hundred times, but nothing can adequately prepare you for the sensation of turning a corner and first walking out onto "the yard", in this case a dusty expanse of asphalt, grass and dirt ringed by fortress-like walls and teeming with 600-odd prisoners baking in the sun, all of whom turned to appraise us. It's safe to say we did not present an intimidating tableau. A dozen pasty, middle-aged guys (I was the youngest at 35), we were recruited from a Sunday game in San Anselmo, Calif., that is as friendly as it is enduring. Our tallest player was 6-foot-4, which was also about our cumulative vertical leap. As we strode forward, trying not to make eye contact with the men who now pressed toward us, it took a concerted effort not to turn around and sprint back the way we'd come. I'm not sure I've ever felt more self-conscious.
To say the yard provided a home court advantage would be an understatement. A strong wind swooped over the walls from the nearby San Francisco Bay, taking outside shots with it. Convicts perched on the metal bleachers, heckling and roaring and, more disconcertingly, staring holes through us. Refs blew kazoos instead of whistles, lest they signal an attempted escape, and our nervous pregame layups were interrupted by an ear-piercing siren that sent the prisoners onto their stomachs for a head count, like so many dominoes suddenly tipped over, and left us shaken and huddled together awkwardly. "So," said Bobby Galliani, our veteran big man, as we waited for the all clear, "Anybody seen any good movies recently?" More nervous laughter you've never heard.
As for the game, rarely have you seen so many guys less interested in offensive rebounding or driving to the hole. We swung the ball on the perimeter and somehow got an early lead, though they came back behind "Calippo," their boulder-armed 6-6 big man, who boasted a bruising post game, an enormous tattoo and a soft jumper. The play was physical and the crowd intense. When we scored, the bleachers jeered us, then berated their own. "Somebody do something about somebody," a prisoner with cornrows yelled at the inmates at one point, "They're killing y'all from the outside!"
It took until at least the third quarter, but at some point, I don't remember exactly when, it became just basketball. I remained hyperaware of my surroundings, of not making eye contact with the crowd, of not fouling too aggressively, but I also began focusing on the game itself. I looked to get the ball to our shooters, tried to take advantage of the prison team's tendency not to rotate on defense. Eventually, we made a final surge but they held us off for the win. And so, two hours after arriving, we filed back through the sally port's iron cage, exhaling as we went. Outside, the sun felt a little warmer, life a little grander. I went home and hugged my kids.
We'd left the prison with a story to tell, but I wondered about the prisoners, about what this meant to them. Before and after the game, they'd been gracious and friendly, exchanging enthusiastic shoulder hugs and making it clear they appreciated our presence, but as we'd played there had been an edge. When asked what our opponents were in for, Irwin had responded with a stern glare. "I don't ask and you don't want to know," he said. But wasn't part of the purpose to humanize these men, for better or worse? To complicate our assumptions?
They say you can tell a lot about a man by how he plays the game; there are even CEOs who take new hires to the gym to get a feel for their grasp of teamwork. But do men who've done unspeakable things deserve more of a second chance because they can make a backdoor pass, because they're passionate about the same game we love? Is there more truth in a Sunday hoops game than a parole board hearing? Or is the escape the game offers more temporary than permanent?
A few months later, we went back for a second game and this time we managed to win, aided by a couple (younger, taller) additions. Afterward I set up a phone conversation with Danny Cox, the prison team's lean, thickly-muscled starting small forward. As we talked, his life story unspooled: He said he'd once been a shooting guard with a 34-inch vertical leap who played for Long Beach City College. Fourteen years ago he was put away, after being arrested for his third non-violent felony, aiding and abetting a drug deal ("I'm very guilty," he says). Since this is California, home to the harshest three strikes law in the country, he got life. His case was not eligible for review for 20 years. So he joined prison church programs and got involved with the hoops team.
It is, he explained, something they take very seriously. The team, "lifers" all of them, breaks down each game for days afterward, practices three times a week, and has both a coach and an assortment of plays. Their first thought upon seeing us, he admitted, was: "To be honest, we thought we'd blow you guys out -- I mean, you didn't even look like basketball players." Regardless, they were grateful for the competition. "Without exaggerating, you guys coming in shows us that people still care and have faith and trust in us," he said. "It motivates us to keep trying to get back to the outside."
Finally, he told me about Calippo, the big guy who'd been their best player in both games. Cox described him as a legend in the prison system who "could have gone pro" 20 years and 70 pounds ago and who, after 22 years inside, "just got his date, God bless him" meaning the parole board found him suitable to leave and he might be home by January.
And personally, I am inclined to root for his release, not knowing the specifics. Not just because I want to believe that people can change, and that the game can help heal a man in some small way, but for another, more practical reason: In a couple months we're headed back to play again, and, frankly, that guy's an absolute bitch to guard.

Grace & Peace

PLW

Fractional Reserve Lending

Many people have asked me about how banks have been failing lately in client interviews, etc.

One of the better articles on the subject can be found on one of my links to my blog, Misch's Global Economic Trend Analysis.

The fraud that Misch suggests is, albeit alarming, closer to the truth than I think the government or the banking industry would care to admit.

At the heart of the issue, as Misch suggests, is whether or not the banks can honor their word.

Misch suggest a link to an article by Murray Rothbard, where he quotes: "By the very nature of fractional Reserve Lending, banks cannot honor all its contracts".

In other news, Retail Same Store Sales numbers came in high for the month of September...

Grace & Peace

PLW

TWINS WIN!!!!!

Not very good YouTube yet, but here is a cool link...

http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7015663&c_id=min&topic_id=


That being said, we will get torched by the Yankees, but who cares...


Grace & Peace

PLW

Weekend Events

Awsome duck hunting this weekend with my best friend from high school Chad, his dog Molly, and lots and lots of ducks.

Here's a picture:

I love duck hunting...

Grace & Peace

PLW

Homeless American Girl

For those of you interested in getting something for your daughter or niece this Christmas, here's an idea...Homeless American Girl Gwen

It is the end of the world...

Grace & Peace

PLW

Cell Phone Drama

"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess" Martin Luther

That being said, God knows where my cell phone is, and I have prayed for its quick return.

I 'misplaced' (left it laying around for people to steal) my cell phone the other day and must say that I am traveling around like a lost puppy. I am reminded of these lyrics from the greatest band in the world:

'Don't know what you got til' its gone' Cinderella

I am on the prowl to get it replaced, but having difficulty with the insurance company and a certain police department to do their job and actually issue me a report.

Until then, please email me if you need to get a hold of me.

Grace & Peace

PLW

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ Phillipians 3:8

Minnesota Sports

How great would it have been if the Minnesota Vikings would have done that next Monday night against the Packers? Done what, you ask? See below for those still living in a closet:



Also, on tap this week:

1) Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers: Games to watch are 2 and 4 (they offer the best pitching match-ups)
2) Minnesota Gophers vs. Wisconsin Badgers - Paul Bunyon's Axe is up for grabs at the new U of M stadium. I don't know why it took us SO long in Minnesota to get an outside stadium...no wait, maybe because it gets like stinking 50 below in November... for you outstate people, my car read 49 degrees this morning...
3) Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers (MNFL)- I have the Vikings winning by a touchdown. GB has a terrible run defense and I think AD is going to have a field day
4) Minnesota T-Wolves Training Camp
5) Minnesota Wild start regular season

ITS ON!

On a completely different topic, I 'lost' my cell phone...more about that tomorrow.

Grace & Peace
PLW

To Twitter or Not To Twitter

I have been bugged by various friends to add a Twitter account. I am not sure, though.

If you know ANYTHING about me, I am very slow to move on anything and take my time researching something until I have a very good understanding of the inner workings, the payback (in investment terms), and the overall soundness of the product. All of which, Twitter seems to deliver on (especially the recent announcement of being purchased for $1 billion)...

I am not a gimmick guy, I abhor tv shopping channels and have disallowed my wife to purchase anything over that medium (I am still not comfertable with the internet but I am getting better).

So, if that gives you any idea of my bias coming into the aforementioned concept, I am a bit apprehensive. However, having watched a couple of friends and their experiences, they cliam that it is a must for any breathing human.

So, I may be joining this crazy abbreviated network of communication soon, but don't be surprised if I complain about it for awhile. I welcome your input before I 'join the conversation'...

Grace & Peace

Estate Tax Repeal (Death Tax)

One issue I have been watching closely is the repeal of the estate tax laws put into place originally by Bush in 2001 set to expire in 2010 and reset back to its previous amount.

Currently, the FEDERAL estate tax exemption is $3.5 million per person. Estates that exceed this amount currently pay 45% tax (death tax indeed).

In 2010, there is something called a 'Sunset Provision' that resets the changes put in place by Bush. In 2010, there will be no estate tax, but in 2011, they revert back to their levels in place prior to the change in 2001 (i.e. $1.0 million dollar exemption and a 55% tax on estates above $1 million).

Obviously, this has far-reaching implications and Congress is currently hinting at simply extending these provisions rather than making a decision in the wake of health care reform.

Here's the WSJ article if you are interested...

Grace & Peace

PLW

Is This Surprising?

My wife and I have been talking about public/private/charter/home schools for awhile. We still haven't decided about high school, but we were both public school kids and products of the public school system (apart from some MBAs at private institutions paid by our employers :)). I think we turned up ok, but maybe that's up for some debate...



http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125358513141729871.html#mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLEForthNews



Grace & Peace



PLW

Moral Issues Politicized

Listening to the radio this morning, a person made the following statement:

One issue we seem to have with humanity is that we struggle to make moral issues actually moral issues. It seems as though when political figures market themselves, they discuss values (moral issues). When people talk about moral issues, they politicize them.

I have found this more often than not to be true. When people are looking to get votes, they talk about values and moral issues. But when people discuss abortion or homosexuality, they discuss them from a political standpoint (Republican/Democrat) as opposed to looking at them from the moral basis that they are and testing them off of their basis for moral behavior.

Grace & Peace

PLW

God vs. Man

Sometimes, its good to hear different perspectives because it helps solidify our own response. I am tired, quite frankly, of Christians who have the 'Christian'eze' down solid, but when asked a fundamental question of what they believe, they have no answer.

In this WSJ article link above, written by two very different people: Richard Dawkins - an aethiest; and Karen Armstrong - a self-proclaimed 'freelance monotheist', they discuss evolution, science and the role of religion in history.

It's an interesting article, much of which I disagree with, but an interesting read. Unfortunately, what is missing is a truly biblical viewpoint of who God is in relation to man.

I think the book of Genesis in the Bible is the authority on detailing the similarities and differences (Gen 1-2). Also, I would review Romans 5 to add support for my discussion...maybe later ;).

Grace & Peace

PLW

Wow - long time no post

For reasons out of my control (ok - kids started school this week), I have missed a couple of days of blogging, but now I have a new-found energy and, more importantly, decent content (cheers heard audibly around the world).

I. School started on Tuesday and here are some pics. Bottom line, Hunter & Jalen were casual about it but Olivia was pumped up. She loves her teacher and her classmates and his having a great time at it (I knew she would).

II. Early goose hunting opened up on Labor Day weekend. We shot one and had a fun time doing it. Here is a picture of me and the boys by the slough with my friend Chad and his dog, Molly.

III. Painted Grandma Clara's house all day Monday so that it is ready to sell. Needless to say, it was a lot of work but it was fun to see relatives and family. I had a chance to spend some quality time with Scott and Josh which was very cool.

So, that is where I have been these last days along with running the kids back and forth from school, daycare, football practice, and baseball practice (yes they have both).

I have not had time to pontificate about the Obama Plan to save the universe (health care reform) but I shall in my next blog or two (not that you cared).

Also, have been in a Bible study with some gentlemen (I use the term loosely) going through the book of Proverbs. I need more wisdom...

Grace & Peace.

PLW

'Little' brother B-day

My little brother Mark turned 34 yesterday. I told him that I would dedicate my blog to him so I am keeping my word.

For those who don't know my little brother Mark, he is an odd fellow with a silly walk, a keyboardist with GB Leighton and a 'Patrick Wight Wanna Be'.

Seriously, God has blessed me with an amazing family and Mark has always been a great friend to me, despite my verbal and physical abuse to him as a child...

Love you, Mark...

PLW

Working Through Some Things

Marriage, love; Divorce, evil?

I have been wrestling with a couple of concepts lately that are very close to me right now. Through them, though, I am beginning to understand the way God works.

Not that this is super insightful, but I have been reading in Isaiah a bit and Proverbs and understand God's frustration with the whole sin issue.

In Isaiah, God speaks to Israel saying, 'Why do you persist in rebellion'? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness- only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil' (Isaiah 1:5-6).

Its easy to point out the faults in other people and see their open sores, but how good are we in identifying our own issues? If its like Isaiah is saying, we must be pretty bad at noticing the dstruction that is occurring.

Its probably a lot like those 'Before and After' meth pictures you see all over the place. If these people could only see the destruction that the addiction is causing to their bodies, they probably would seek to stop. But maybe not. Maybe they can't. The only way to fix it is to have someone help them and to surrender and be 'cleansed' or 'bandgaged' up.

God, through Christ, offers the cleansing. But first, instead of pointing out peoples faults and sprinkling salt in their open sores, maybe we simply need to hold a mirror up for them, and begin to help them apply the bandages...

Grace & Peace

PLW

Weekend

State Fair on Friday with the three kids and Pastor Brad (we made Heidi work this year).

Food items consumed:

• Walleye Fingers
• Elk Burgers
• Chocolate Shake
• Pepsi
• Ice-Cream
• Strawberries and Cream (as Olivia says - 'REAL CREAM')
• Lemonade
• Sweet Martha's Cookies

Prizes Won:

• Rainbow-colored Unicorn (Olivia on the ball toss)
• Purple LadyBug (Olivia on the ball toss)

Met up with Kent & Heather and little Evie, Colin, Pastor Josh and Erin (and her Mom and Dad). Nicest State Fair weather than I have ever had - cool, not hot, and not raining. Perfect.

Grace & Peace

PLW

Fireproof

Fireproof was a success! Thanks for everyone involved in helping, supporting financially and praying.

We were able to show it to approximately 200 good citizens of Golden Valley and I think it really helped our church get out of it's 'comfort zone' as we attempt to show God's message of hope and love to others.

People always say that the 'Devil is in the details'. But I think that it is sometimes through small acts of encouragement, love, support, charity, and selflessness that God uses us to work in the hearts of others.

I'm reminded of Rahab, a prostitute, who knew that God was going to destroy Jericho. So, she hid a couple of Israelite spies in her house and helped them escape. It was credited to her as righteousness and as a result, she spared many other lives than her own. Instead of knowing what God was going to do and simply not participating, she DID something under penalty of death.

I think that action is something God so wants us to do so that He can demonstrate his love through us. Quite a profound concept...

G&P

PLW

Heard on the Street

It has been an interesting summer to be sure but the activities are winding down and school is about to start.

• We shipped out my nephew, Ben, to Maranatha Baptist Bible College this week in hopes that he will someday graduate. Seriously, Ben has been a great addition to our family and fun to be around. God has blessed Ben with some amazing gifts which he has modeled for our kids to follow. We will miss him but not his messy room ;)


• We had a church service/picnic out at the Weld Farm last Sunday. The picnic included a formal welcome of our new pastor and his family, a log rolling competition, and 5 baptisms in the pool. Church is not about a building but the people and there were about 200 in all. Here are a couple of pictures:
  



• Hunter & Jalen are with my Mom and Dad for 'Grandsons' week which involves rifle ranges, golf courses, fishing poles, etc. The kids have a blast and Heidi and I get to spend some quality time together which is rare but necessary

Grace & Peace

PLW

'Fireproof' Drive-In

I am married to an incredible woman who loves Christ and faithfully puts up with me and my idiosyncrasies. Sometimes we don't agree, we 'discuss', and we sometimes fall in the habit of co-habitation as opposed to husband and wife like God intended.

In a recent message by John Piper, he quoted CS Lewis who said, 'The ideal marriage is one that is most like a crucifiction' - in other words, the husband DIES for her. I think that is the way Jesus meant it to be and that is how much I love her.

I have never seen this movie as I live in a closet socially, but I have heard some incredible things about it.

Sometimes, movies have the ability to evoke emotions within us that we find individually difficult to outwardly express. That is what I LOVE about movies. Like Rocky Balboa running up the steps in Philly to Gonna Fly Now, I have high hopes for this movie and look forward to this weekend. If you are living in the Golden Valley area or thereabouts, pile the kids in the car and come out.

Here is the trailer...

Grace & Peace

Cash For Clunkers 101

There are a couple of economists that I follow regularly that I tend to align with. This happens to be one of them. Brian writes an article for a company called First Trust Portfolios and has been featured on CNBC, etc. etc. etc. Give it a read and let me know your thoughts...

Congress is the Clunker

Auto sales spiked 16% in July and likely rose again in August. Much of the increase is due to the “cash for clunkers” program, where the federal government gives car buyers up to $4,500 to trade in older, lower miles per gallon, vehicles for brand new autos with better fuel efficiency.

Given the increase in sales, it’s not hard to see why so many people like the program. Everyone who had a clunker that they knew they would be replacing in the next couple of years is happy that the government is now subsidizing them for a purchase they would have been making anyhow. And of course, the car dealers like the sales volume, while auto makers and their workers enjoy the ramp-up in production to maintain, or even replenish, inventories.

Trouble is, almost all the gain in sales simply transfers sales across time. Some car buyers who were walking showrooms in May and June decided to postpone their purchases so they could get a government check. In addition, some sales that would have been spread out over the rest of this year and 2010, were brought forward in time.

Meanwhile, other workers and businesses that make a living maintaining older cars and trucks are suffering. Take a news story in this week’s Fairfax County Times, a weekly local paper in northern Virginia. Just before the clunkers program was announced, Bill Wiygul put $1 million into expanding his family’s four-shop car repair operation. Business had been booming as more frugal car owners were squeezing their vehicles for every last drop of value. Now Mr. Wiygul is losing customers. Another nearby repair shop claims business is down 25%.

The basic problem with cash for clunkers is that it uses the old “broken windows” theory of economic activity. Everyone who lives in a hurricane zone knows that typically people are never busier than right after a major storm. Roofs need to be replaced, while damage to vegetation, glass, power lines, boats, etc., all require overtime to repair. All that activity gets counted in GDP.

But everyone also knows the storm was a bad thing, destroying property that was built at a cost in the first place. Sure, everyone is as busy as a beaver, but they’re just busy replacing what they had, not actually improving their standard of living.

Every clunker that gets traded in has to be wrecked: its engine has to be destroyed with chemicals and then the car gets crushed. In a way, it’s no different than if a storm came along and ruined each of these cars and then the government gave the owner a check to go out and buy a new one, as long as the new one is more fuel efficient.

Sure, the auto industry is busier for the time being, but every extra dollar getting spent has to be paid for, through a combination of higher taxes on the more productive segments of our economy as well as less spending on other businesses that provide worthwhile services without asking for a handout.

Ironically, the auto industry was primed for a revival over the next two years with or without government help. Cars and trucks were selling below the pace of scrappage earlier this year. This was unsustainable. Now, with the economy bouncing back, and unemployment at or near a peak, we suspect that car sales will begin to build. Look for auto sales to slump slightly (and temporarily), once the clunkers law lapses, but then start to move up substantially, and without government help, later this year.

Brian S. Wesbury - Chief EconomistRobert Stein, CFA - Senior Economist

Bradford Named Big 12 Athlete of the Year

Everybody knows I bleed Crimson and Cream. But, I was surprised that Bradford was rewarded with the Big 12 Athlete of the Year, ahead of Colt McCoy and others.


What's more impressive to me is that the 2008/2009 Heisman trophy winner is also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which rocks...




Grace & Peace
PLW

Favre Fevre...

Some details of Brett Favre’s two-year, $25 million contract with the Vikings have started to emerge, thanks to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The $12 million Favre will get for 2009 will be paid in three four-year installments. One will be paid this season,another in March and the third not until 2011.The contract also contains $6
million guaranteed for skill and injury, meaning if he plays poorly and the team releases him, Favre will get $6 million.

Grace & Peace
PLW

Introductions

After a lot of prayer, meetings, tears, and petitions to God, our new senior pastor from Portland, Oregon has arrived with his family.

His name is Brad Little and he, his wife and family are living in a townhome near the church for the moment.

In my brief conversations with him, he has a tremendous heart for discipleship making and being purposeful in our journey with Christ. I'm excited to serve with him.


Also, on a completely different note, I would like to introduce to Minnesota basketball, our arrival:



Grace & Peace

PLW

For Your Reading Pleasure

Here were a couple of interesting headlines and articles this week that caught my eye. Click on the links for the article(s) that might fit your fancy.

• Irony


• Accomplishment


• Economy

Grace & Peace

PLW

PGA at Hazeltine National Golf Club

The professional golfers have arrived and have been practicing and preparing for perhaps the longest PGA tournament in history starting this Thursday at Hazeltine National Golf Course in Chaska, Minnesota. Hazeltine is a golf course I am familiar with, having played it a number of times in high school (my best round being in the low 80's).

For those of you who don't know what golf is, its a game played on grass with a small white plastic ball. Its an irritating, frustrating act of skill, absurdity, and patience mixed together with scenic beaches, lakes, streams, trees, and tall weeds for challenge and embarrasment.

I think people who want to start this game should stop, buy a bike instead, and enjoy the many paths and roads of Minnesota in the summertime as opposed to playing golf. Its cheaper, takes less time, burns fat and is infinitely less stressful.

My neighbor was out cleaning his garage this weekend and, while spotting his golf clubs, it struck me as odd that I didn't see any woods (i.e. metal monstrosities - some metal heads are now bigger than my little brother's rock-star ego).

I asked him, 'Where are the woods'? He said, 'They're in the same place they have been since 1986 - a golf course pond somewhere in the heart of Texas'. (Texas, for those that are geographically challenged, is that puny little state right below the most beloved state in the union, Oklahoma (BOOMER SOONERS)!)

I'm sorry, but any 'sport' that can make nice, sincere and genuinely peaceful people like my neighbor swear, curse, throw tantrums like my 5 year old daughter, yell at others for talking, shout obscenities, and vow never to play the game again certainly requires pause before beginning.

However, if you are like me and still enjoy a nice day with birds chirping, the smell of cut grass, clear blue skies, and a nice walk for exercise to observe some unbelievably skilled players at the top of their game, then I invite you to our humble state to watch the 91st PGA...

Grace & Peace
PLW

Weekend Highlights

Fun weekend -

• My nephew registered and completed the Turtleman Triathalon on Saturday morning despite Tornado warnings, hail, and thunderstorms (they didn't do the run nor the swim but he got to bike 21 miles at least). He finished at or near the top of his age group


• Saturday morning we had 6 beautiful cousins over for Olivia's 5th birthday party. Horses, horses, and more horses were the theme this year. She was quite happy and slept a LONG time Saturday evening. Among the gifts were horse shirts, clothes, videos, and hair stuff


• We attended my wife's 20th highschool reunion (mine's next year - wow). I know she had a great time and was able to connect and catch up with long-time friends. And yes, I was one of the 'husbands'...it was cool though. One of my favorite things in the world is to watch my wife laugh and smile. I'm smitten ;)


• Sunday church and Kentucky Fried Chicken afterwards. Delicioso!

Grace & Peace

Theological Question

How could a God who loves us and created us also be a God of destruction and punishment as outlined in Joshua and Exodus, Samuel, etc.?


This was a question a friend of mine asked the other day.

The best answer I have ever heard on this question comes from a Q&A session by Ravi Zaccharias at the University of Michigan.

1) God must be a part of the answer because without God, there is no absolute moral basis. With no God, there is no good. Without good there is no evil so the question falls apart because of a lack of morality. Whose right do we have indeed to call something good or evil?

2) When God called the people of Israel a chosen nation, they were a small, weak nation (much different from Rome, Greece, Babylon, etc.). This was UNMERITED love. They did nothing to deserve the blessing.

3) God said to the Israelites that when they would follow Him, they will be blessed. When they would turn away from Him, they will be cursed. The manifestation of His presence was as dramatic and as literal as that. The dramatic period of miracles in the Old Testament with Moses & Elijah, the destruction of the prophets of Baal, the destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea. And then in the New Testament with Jesus curing the sick, casting out of demons, God stating in a loud voice 'This is My Son with whom I am well pleased'. These were dramatic events. With that literal demonstration of God's presence, it is equally likely that a rejection of that truth carries with it a dramatic judgement at the same time. But the blessings largely outweighs the curses as was shown in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus

4) When people take a life, they are wrong because they do no have the power to restore it. When God takes a life, He also has the power to give it back. That which God protects and preserves are His. As horrible as it may seem to see the tragedy of death, its a grim reminder of what sin really is (a rejection of God and His ways). However, to the believer, He gives us the hope and the confidence to carry us through those difficult times.

Grace & Peace...

PLW

WSOTW

I sang this song at a wedding last week and at church on Sunday.

(One week and counting until the PGA at Hazeltine and golfing with a friend - can hardly stand it)

Grace & Peace

PLW

One Idea to Fix the Financial Industry

Paul Krugman, a professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton, when interviewed, discussed this as an answer for financial institution regulation:

What are your thoughts on regulating financial institutions going forward?

In a nutshell, anyone who borrows short and lends long and who offers safe assets for savers but invests in riskier products is a bank and needs to be regulated like a bank. Otherwise, our system remains prone to the catastrophic meltdown that we’re experiencing.

What made this crisis possible was that the banking system expanded beyond traditional banking, which was covered by the safety net built in the 1930s. The system of deposit insurance and regulated lending was undermined as banking activities expanded beyond regulatory control. So I believe we ought to be expanding old fashioned banking regulations to a much wider range of institutions and activities.

The ideal solution is to subject all such institutions to bank-type capital requirements. They should have a well-defined set of government guarantees that apply to a wide range of assets, financed through an equally well-defined set of premiums like those that banks currently pay into the FDIC, to help finance rescues when necessary. If you are a hedge fund, for example, you should be subject to the same kind of regulation and oversight as any other financial institution.

Depending on how it’s applied, an administration proposal which would allow the Fed to identify systemically important institutions and subject them to regulations, would pretty much do what I’m proposing. Take a business that sells auction-rate securities, something that technically does not involve bank deposits, but sure as hell functions like one. We’ll say that you will have capital and reserve requirements like an ordinary commercial bank because for all practical purposes, you’re doing the same thing.

Key to all of this is codifying principles-based, not rules-based, policy. This would more likely inhibit the financial industry, with their very good lawyers, to find ways to evade legislative intent.

This is an interesting take. Let me know your thoughts.

Grace & Peace

PLW

Weekend Mutterings

Wow! This was a weekend that broke records in terms of me being responsible for a zillion activities:

• My best friend's daughter was married on Friday, the wedding of which I played piano, which was a ton of fun but a lot of work and stress for me (timing, notes, accompaniment, etc.)
  
• Drove to church Saturday morning early to hand out flyers in the neighborhood for upcoming Drive-In Movie which also included cleaning up the church after the wedding


• Saturday pm worked late at the office then came home ironed some shirts and studied for my Sunday school lesson


• Sunday - church all am then straight to a picnic in the afternoon, moved the pastor to new place, Hoops Church in the evening, home at 9:00pm

This morning: Tried to do some mobile blogging...didn't work very well.

Grace & Peace

PLW

me at 9pm

nd studied for my Sunday school lesson
4) Sunday - church all am, picnic in the afternoon, moved the pastor to new place, Hoops Church in the evening, ho

in the neighborhood which also included cleaning up church after the wedding
3) Saturday pm worked late at the office then came home ironed some shirts a

ughter was married on friday and I played piano for the wedding, which was a ton of fun but a lot of work
2) Church Saturday am early to hand out flyers

Weekend mutterings:

Wow! This was a weekend that broke the record books in terms of being responsible for a zillion activities.
1) My best friends da

Fodder to the Fire

Breaking news: Obama's HealthCare plan is not generating the public support it once had. Of course, this should be no more of a shock than finding out that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz actually did take steroids...but I digress.

Apparantly, Congress hasn't received the same message as they continue to ramrod bad policy down our throats (despite the endorsement from the once-liked, now evil Blue Dog's - I turn on a dime).



Having seen NOTHING of the plan, I can guarantee (compliance officer be darned) that the plan if passed will consist of the following: 1) Cost savings/ tax savings will be aired but will never be quantified 2) The quality of medical care will decrease 3) Other social welfare programs will suffer due to the limited supply of money to run the programs (reminded of Billy Preston's voice stating 'Nothin from Nothin leaves Nothin').





It perplexes me (not really, I understand he is grandstanding to gain all the popularity he can while his approval rating is the highest) why our President is deciding to 'Hang His Hat' on this agenda despite ALL of the other issues surrounding our country.

For example, ummm, our stock market almost imploded, our currency is being traded at the lowest level in its history, the Chinese are hinting that they don't like the way in which we are treating their $800 billion in treasuries (I don't blame them), North Korea isn't listening to the Clintons, Israel is getting ready to blow-up Iran, bank failures are rising, banks aren't lending to other banks, unemployment will certainly reach 10% by year end, BUT..... its domestic health care that's the most important and pressing issue for Congress before they take a month off in August????

I suppose I can take solace in the fact that the Twins swept the White-Sox at home, the Vikings signed an OU right tackle, and the Dodgers are in first place. How could life be any better?

Grace & Peace

PLW

Blue Dog Democrats

I just thought I should make my readers aware of a new faction within Congress called the 'Blue Dog Democrats'.

Apparently, these are fiscally responsible Democrats banding together to make sure laws enacted by a Democratically controlled Congress are either fiscally sound or follow the President's mandate of revenue neutral (WSJ Article).

This idea gives me pause: At what point in the election of representative lawmakers did these same statesmen decide that bad law is ok despite the ability to pay for it? Am I naive in thinking that this has always been the case?

This reminds me of an incident while working at Brooks Brothers during college. A famous (to remain unnamed) Rep. MN Representative visited the store and purchased a custom-made suit (rough cost: $2000).

A month later, when receiving the bill, he returned the suit and said, 'it just didn't fit right' (i.e. he didn't want to pay for it even though he used the suit for official campaign functions throughout the month and was seen in the newspaper, on TV, etc.). (NOTE: it also meant a charge-back, much to the dismay of one college employee, of commissions for the return of the suit)

It then struck me: Lawmakers want all of the press and the glamour of creating law simply for publicity and getting something passed.

But when it comes to paying for it (budget cuts, program cuts, increased taxes), they disappear and are nowhere to be found. The taxpayers, those who elected the officials, are the ones who pay for it. Nancy Pelosi's statements referenced in this article are representative of this opinion.

It's not unlike a conversation with a 10 year old:

Dad: Did you finish cleaning the car?
Son: Yes
Dad: Did you clean out the front seat and vacuum?
Son: You didn't tell me to clean out the front seat and vacuum.
Dad: Did I tell you to clean the car?
Son: Yes
Dad: Clean implies that it is not dirty.
Son: Ok
(Repeat 5 times)

It seems obvious to me that bad law is more costly than enacting the proper laws even if it takes longer to get them done. The House is trying to pass a Health Care reform package too hastily just to say that they have got it done, despite its obvious flaws.

How about something different? Why not work together to make law that is constitutionally sound, fiscally responsible or cost saving, and socially beneficial? Corporations continue to strive to fine-tune their products and services, resulting in better products for less money. Why can't the biggest employer in the nation do the same?

Grace & Peace

PLW

Weekend Mutterings

Anybody been to a drive in?

Some friends and I went to a drive-in movie theatre on Friday. We watched a triple feature (of which I only stayed for the double): Ice Age-Age of the Dinosaurs, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Hangover.


We tailgated, had some brats and hotdogs, threw the football around, and really had a blast with the kids and friends. I highly recommend it but make sure you can get there early and make sure they allow you to bring in grills, your own food, etc.

Other events included cruising on Lake Minnetonka all morning and afternoon with some co-workers of Heidi's. I must admit, it is a very relaxing endeavor but I think if I were to do it, the cost of ownership, the slip, the transportation and upkeep of the boat would 'sink' me.

Saturday evening we had dinner with my brother and sister in-law, Scott & Jen, which included roast beef, steak, mashed potatoes, and corn! Yummy. Only thing disappointing about the evening was getting killed by Scott in Yatzee...

Sunday, our new pastor arrived from Portland and it was great to finally see him after a year-long pastoral search.

Much to be thankful for, including good friends like yourselves...

Grace & Peace

PLW

Mayor Elect?

Hearing the news yesterday regarding two NJ Mayors and some Rabbi's involved in money-laundering and bribery, it should come as no shock that this guy would show up as a mayoral candidate...



Grace & Peace
PLW

Baseball History

As much as it pains me, I need to congratulate Mark Buehrle of the Chicago WhiteSox for throwing a perfect game.

Statistics:

• There have only been 18 (including this one) perfect games in the history of baseball


• Mark Buehrle pitched for a total of only 32 minutes


• This is Mark's second no-hitter, the first coming in 2007 against the Texas Rangers


• Dewayne Wise was inserted in the 9th inning for his defensive prowess in center field and robbed Gabe Kapler of a sure home run


• Box Score: 116 pitches, 76 for strikes - 6 strike outs and no walks (obviously)


• On July 12th, Buehrle gave up eight runs and 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season, against the Twins who won 13-7 (I was at the game)


• The Tampa Bay Rays on-base percentage is .350, the fourth highest in the Majors this year and the second highest in history to have a perfect game thrown against

So, good stuff - I dislike the WhiteSox primarily because they are naggingly good and because of AJ's hair color, but I have to give it up for Mark - an amazing accomplishment...

Grace & Peace

PLW

Obama on Health Care

I am always curious about the gesturing of public officials surrounding different issues as they arise within our country.

In the 1930's, following the Great Depression, we had a number of people speaking out against the evils of capitalism and greed and reform was needed (and rightly so) in a number of different areas.

Today, headlines appear regarding Medicare, Medicaid fraud. According to a WSJ article, nearly 60 billion dollars a year are lost to fraud in these two programs.

It would seem sensible that before the government decides to 'fix' the private sector, maybe they should look closely at the plank in their own eye and make sure the programs that they are responsible for and ones that we pay for are working correctly.

President Obama was on tv last night talking about the $1million surtax to pay for health care. However, the current legislation before congress puts the brunt of the $1 trillion dollar cost of health care for those earning over $350,000.

So, the small employers (I am assuming that people making over $350,000 per year are your small to mid-sized businesses) that already pay 1/2 of those costs per employee already are now going to be dinged again every April? I think I'll try to earn $340,000...;)

Grace & Peace

PLW

Ace Hoops

A friend of mine, Tim Anderson, with his organization called Ace Hoops, recently returned from a trip to Juarez, Mexico to introduce kids at the Emmanuel Children's Home basketball fundamentals as well as share the love of Christ with them.

Here is their blog . It was fun to follow their journey from start to finish, to see how God works out even the smallest of details in ways we typically don't expect, and the impact that He wants to have in our lives if we simply let Him.

I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures, Tim!

Grace & Peace

PLW

PS: My team shared 3rd place in their first-ever 3v3 B-ball tourney (mostly by the effort of others, though, and not me ;))

Weekend Notes

Well, the baseball season for the mighty Leprechauns is finally over, but not without a bit of drama played out on the base pads on the playoff weekend.

With the team down by a run, Jalen led off the fourth with a solid walk. Only to be left on third without a run.

The next inning, the dreaded 'Yellow Team', scored three runs on two fielder's choice errors which put the nail in the coffin.

Hunter was the first batter in the bottom of the fifth and hit a bloop single to right, only to be left on base for the rest of the inning to lose 5-2.

They did play with heart, and both Hunter and Jalen hit very well in the playoffs. Minus a couple of botched plays here and there defensively, they both played very well and Mom and Dad were very proud. The yellow team was definitely the better team that day and deserved the victory.

Much like Tom Watson, what could have been is now a distant memory and football season is being thrust upon us (yes, both boys are scheduled for football in August)...

Grace & Peace

PLW

Experts Tell Congress to Lay Off the Fed

Like politicians don't cause enough trouble, now they are going after the Fed and their ability to govern monetary policy (which frankly, I typically wouldn't have a problem with except the fragile state of our economy).

History lesson:

The Federal Reserve Board was established by an Act of Congress and signed into law by President Wilson in 1913. Since then, the powers of the Fed have increased and broadened through many Acts since that time.
Its charge is to implement monetary policy through a central bank. It does this through its control over the federal funds rate—the rate at which depository institutions trade balances at the Federal Reserve (which at this point in history, is at its lowest level - near zero).

It exercises this control by influencing the demand for and supply of these balances through the following means:

1. Open market operations—the purchase or sale of securities, primarily
   U.S. Treasury securities, in the open market to influence the level of balances that depository institutions hold at the Federal Reserve Banks
2. Reserve requirements—requirements regarding the percentage of certain deposits that depository institutions must hold in reserve in the form of cash or in an account at a Federal Reserve Bank
   Contractual clearing balances—an amount that a depository institution agrees to hold at its Federal Reserve Bank in addition to any required reserve balance
3. Discount window lending—extensions of credit to depository institutions made through the primary, secondary, or seasonal lending programs

How will they change? What is the function that they failed at? Was it their lack of oversight of the financial institutions that were lending money like banshees to anyone that had a pulse? Is this the job of the Federal Reserve, or to other agencies?

This is something I'll be watching with great interest as it's effects are far-reaching...

Grace & Peace

PLW

Tom Watson!?!

Among the leaders after the first round of the 2009 British Open is (no not Tiger) Mr. Tom Watson.

For those of you under the age of 30, he is perhaps one of the purest iron players to play the game and is a five-time British Open Champion, winning his second Open in 1977 at Turnberry, where the Open is being played today.

Here is a clip from that win 32 years earlier against Jack Nicklaus ('The Duel Under the Sun'). Check out Jack's up and down for birdie on 18 and then Tom's gut-check 3 foot birdie to win!

One of the reasons I love golf is that you can play it for a long time and as long as you don't get too upset at yourself, it can be very therapeutic. Especially for us Minnesotans who endure 9- months of the year inside to avoid frostbite...





PLW

Lorraine Sheppard (Jacobson)

I wanted to pay tribute to a loving mentor/teacher to my children and a true friend of my family today as I recognise the recent passing of Mrs. Lorraine Sheppard (Jacobson).

Here is the obituary in the Star Tribune.

May God wrap his arms around you, Norm, and thank you God for giving us Lorraine to see firsthand what your love for other people really looks like...


Grace & Peace



PLW

I Thought We Were Supposed to Go After the Bad Guys?

In a recent article over the weekend, politicians and CIA officials are in the midst of a massive finger-pointing exercise to determine culpability in an assassination program aimed at targeting Al Queda members issued by President Bush.

What do you expect? First of all, this was the first time since Pearl Harbor and (correct me if I am wrong) the first ever attack on our domestic soil since the Revolutionary War. It HAD be met with some harsh pay-back, which is one of the reasons we have been fighting a losing battle in Iraq since 9/11.

Secondly, with all of the issues we are facing as a nation today, who cares? Does Congress need to spend time and resources on this when we are printing money like its going out of style, local municipalities and states are faced with massive short-falls, and banks are failing left and right?

I am not condoning illegality in any way, but to go after President Bush today when Congress and the Speaker of the House had knowledge of the activity (albeit limited knowledge) is costly primarily to the intelligence community as well as taxpayers, who need our legislators to work on domestic issues.

To be finger-pointing and throwing people under the bus when our nation is in the most severe recession since the Great Depression is, well, depressing.

Grace & Peace

PLW

And Now for Something Completely Different...

In my brain journals, after a week of commenting on governmental regulations, I remembered a video clip from Monty Python re: Communism...enjoy!

Grace & Peace

PLW

Regulation, Regulation, Regulation

Derivatives Regulation

The above link is an article on some intense lobbying efforts going on at our nation's capital. The issue has to deal with the 'unregulated' hedging and derivative industry.

I understand the need to regulate, but there needs to be a middle ground so that markets are able to work freely and correctly to support the business needs of the consumer.

For example, take the airline industry. Airlines, as this article points out, use hedging for their gasoline contracts. Airlines purchase large contracts of gasoline and then buy hedges to protect against a sudden increase or decrease in the cost. Obviously, an increase in the price of gas will ultimately benefit the airlines who have long-term contracts with cheaper gas. However, decreases in the price of gas with their long-term pricing in place could hurt them from a competitive pricing standpoint.

What is yet to be determined, and why so many companies (and not necessarily Wall Street hedge fund managers) are concerned about is the depth and severity of the regulation.

Certainly you could argue that Wall Street's (or more aptly certain individuals) greed took advantage of an open regulatory environment (much like the bank's loose lending standards) to increase the volatility and speculation in the commodities, futures, and securities markets in 2007 and 2008 (hence the temporary restriction of short selling in 2008).

I hope and pray that our legislators will be wise in their pursuit of control with an eye towards free markets...

Grace & Peace

PLW

Fantastic Quote

Be courageous. I have seen many depressions in business.
Always America has emerged from these stronger and more prosperous. Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith! Go forward!

Thomas A. Edison

Grace & Peace

PLW

Encouragement, Support & Love

I have been wrestling in my thoughts about the concept of encouragement and support for my non-Christian and even Christian friends.

My thoughts and actions are to love, encourage, and support by spending time with them, but sometimes the locale and surroundings that we hang out at don't really allow me the chance to: 1) be a good example for them, and 2) point them to a relationship with Christ.

Certainly, going to a restaurant or bar on a Friday night isn't an issue in an of itself. However, in the course of drinks and a 'let down' of the guard, are these really the events that my friends will remember? Or is it the phone calls, emails and the ongoing relationship that is cherished and highly regarded?

Certainly, it was Jesus who hung out with the tax collectors and the prostitutes and stated that 'it isn't the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick'.

What's the best way to let people know about Christ in a way that is accepting, encouraging, and loving versus something that, through lack of participation, may appear to be condescending?

Just something to think about...

Grace & Peace

PLW

Fourth Sentiments

I hope everyone enjoyed our nation's holiday and spent time with family and friends, as we did.

Friday was filled with work at our in-laws, mowing lawn, gardening, and helping my brother-in-law with moving some cabinets to Grandma Miller's.

Saturday, the kids and I started a nail-biting game of Monopoly in the morning, while eating breakfast and watching the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer for the second time.

One of my favorite quotes from the movie: 'You've lost. You just don't know it yet...'

Hunter immediately, then, took out the chess board and in moves reminiscent of Bobby, destroyed Heidi (I should mention that Jalen also beat me in Monopoly mostly due to his string of luck on me landing on his railroads...I couldn't keep up with the payments).

Saturday afternoon was spent at the pool and at the lake with friends eating smores, taking boat rides and watching fireworks.

Sunday after church, my friend Donny took the boys and I to the Twins game, where Blackburn threw a complete game 7 hitter but gave up only 2 runs in the 9th in a nice victory over the Detroit Tigers, putting us only 2 games back in the AL Central. A great game, seeing Morneau hit another blast and honoring our nations veterans throughout the game.

Sunday evening I played a lot of basketball and had fun with the fellas.

Grace & Peace

PLW

And Now for Something Completely Different

From the producers of "Governor Jesse 'The Mind' Ventura", the state of Minnesota proudly presents:

Senator Al 'I'm Good Enough, Smart Enough, And Gosh Darnit, People Like Me' Franken

I think I hear the cracking of ice as something is now freezing over...

SCOTUS overturns Sotomayor Ruling 5-4

Supreme Court Rules In Favor of White and Hispanic Fire Fighters

While I think this is a victory for those of us on the camp of common sense, one does have to look at the fine print of this decision.

At the heart of the issue are a couple of questions: What determines discriminitory? What makes, in this instance, one firefighter more able to serve as captain than another? Certainly the White and Hispanic firefighters were under the impression that this test was one way in determining this outcome but in the original decision, the lower courts ruled in opposition.

Soon to be Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said in the original lower court decision that the testing processed used was discriminatory because no blacks passed the test:

"We are not unsympathetic to the plaintiffs' expression of frustration," but the firefighters who filed the case don't have a "viable" claim under the law, the opinion said. (Sonia Sotomayor in her original ruling of this case)

But in a 5-4 ruling, Justice Kennedy said that the city (New Haven, CT) violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, stating in his majority that 'The city rejected the test results solely because the higher scoring candidates were white'.

As Justice Scalia wrote in his concurrence, that:

...the disparate impact standards "place a racial thumb on
the scales, often requiring employers to evaluate the racial outcomes of their
policies, and to make decisions based on (because of) those racial
outcomes"

Ginsberg, in her dissent, noted that she agreed with the lower courts ruling that the treatment of white firefighters and the dismissal of the standard test was fair, even though the only reason they threw out the outcomes was purely a racial decision...

I would like to hear your thoughts on this issue.

Grace & Peace.

PLW

Reminiscing

On Sunday, I ran into an old college-hoopster friend of mine at church.

It made me think of my years at St. Cloud State and the fondness of my time in college. As I reflected, though, a sobering thought came to me: What have I done since then? What mark have I left on the world (as a friend of mine once put it)?

The answers to this question came immediately: my children, my relationships, and my activities.

Long after we are gone, no one will know of the countless hours some have spent playing softball or basketball, nor will anyone care about how much money some have made or what one gives to local charities.

What really matters is what we have done with the responsibilities that God has given to us. Maybe its a little bit of money, or a skill-set of making things. Whatever God's gift to us is, we need to figure out how we can give that back to him.

As we work toward this endeavor, I pray that we will all use our talents and treasuries not for our own personal gain, but for the benefit of our Lord, and others.

It's late - I'm going to bed.

Grace & Peace