Why Should Christians Care About Economics, Part 3

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

Government Spending = Government Control

At the end of August, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released revised estimates of government spending for the current fiscal year. The numbers show that the federal government will spend $30,958 per household. Where will they get this kind of money? $17,576 per household will come in taxes (paid mostly by the top 10% of US households) $13,392 per household will be borrowed, adding over $1.6 trillion to our national debt.

Looking at these same numbers another way, the federal government will increase spending by 22 percent this year. Isn’t everyone else cutting spending because we’re in a recession? Even more significantly, federal government spending will reach a peacetime-record 26 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Our federal government is spending more than ¼ of all of the wealth in America on its programs. This spending is not just temporary surge due to the recession, a “stimulus” for a troubled economy. President Obama has plans to keep annual spending $5,000 and $8,000 per household higher than it had been under President George W. Bush.

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Where Were You?

By MAD21

Today, everyone seems to be talking about “where you were eight years ago today.” There are several people who have written amazing posts about what they were doing and their thoughts on the events. I thought I would share a few of them here. And then post my own thoughts.

Billy Coffey wrote about how the planes that flew over his house on a regular basis for years used to annoy him, but on the days that followed 9/11 it was eerily silent, and he missed them.

I loved the verse that Bridget Chumbley posted: “I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:20-23)

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What Does Jesus Look Like?

By Pat

Christians have always wondered what Jesus really looks like. Artists through the ages have painted their inner visions of Jesus, and alleged experts have debated and speculated on what our Savior looked like when he walked the Earth.

Well, the other day I was watching a talk show host interview a 12 year old boy who observed the great wastefulness of food while at a restaurant with his parents. He asked the manager what happens to uneaten, unused food, and the manager told him that the law requires it be thrown away. The boy, appalled, pursued the issue. He spoke with attorneys and local government and after much persistence and diligence he helped to change the law. In his area, restaurants are now able to distribute leftover food to the homeless and the needy.

As I watched and listened to this incredible child of 12, I knew with complete certainty that Jesus looks just like him, a red-haired, freckle-faced boy with a heart the size of Texas. Jesus also looks like the homeowner opening his home to a stranger in need, the teacher who hugs a crying child, and the neighbor welcoming the new family with a freshly baked plate of cookies and a big, genuine smile. You see, since Jesus is working through us, Jesus looks like us. I hope that someday, someone will say about me "Now THAT'S what Jesus look like!"

The Proper Course Of Education

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

To get anywhere, you need to know two things:

1. Where you are heading.
2. How to get there. 

That is just such a stunning and profound insight that you might need to sit down for a minute.  Take a couple of deep breaths.  Ready to go on? 

Let’s say I want to go to New York.  Well, first I need to know where New York is (165 miles northeast of Abingdon).  Then, I need to know how to get there (by car, driving I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike).  With the aid of technology, I can even know that it is supposed to take me approximately 2 hours and 59 minutes to arrive in New York City from Abingdon, MD. (I’ve never actually made it in less than 3 ½ hours myself.) 

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Why Should We Care So Much About Education?

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

“All education must be unsound which does not propose for itself some object; and the highest of all objects must be that of living a life in accordance with God’s Will.” (Catherine E. Beecher, Principles of Education, 1866)

The ship set sail with the latest navigational technology on board.  The crew was skilled, highly trained and disciplined.  The captain was experienced and confident; he knew his ship well.  Everything was ready as they pulled away from port heading for...?  Well, there was one small problem: No one knew where they were going, not even the captain.  Before long, the ship was adrift at sea, well equipped and expertly manned, with nowhere to go and no way to get there.

What happened to this ship can happen all too easily in education.  Without the proper goal in mind, the latest technology and the best theories cannot take a child’s education anywhere.

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