The End of Civilization as We Know It

I watched a new game show last night and was appalled.  We recently fixed our UHF antenna, knocked out by lightning over a year ago, and I decided to see what was on while folding clothes and soaking my feet.  I had noticed the ads for "Take It All" while enjoying "Jeopardy" on Channel 11, and thought it looked interesting.  It was.  Five contestants start the game, a combination of "The Price is Right" and the stealing game we do at Christmas.  They learn the price range of the prizes (Round 1, $5000-$12,000; Round 3, $33,000-$100,000) and attempt, through "opening" a new prize or "stealing" from one of the other competitors, to avoid possessing the lowest-priced prize at the end of the round.  The one who fails goes home with nothing.  That in itself should have been a warning sign to me that I wasn't going to like this game. So at the end of Round 3, law student Destiny enters the Prize Fight with the Porsche she "locked in," thus saving it from theft by Patrick, who therefore went home with nothing.  J.T. arrives with his private jet ski vacation, the top prize so far, valued at over $100,000.  Each draws an unknown cash prize, faces the other and starts talking.  J.T. assures Destiny and us that he intends to use his winnings to start an anti-bullying foundation, as he has always felt so alone in his homosexuality.  Destiny persuades him and us that the vacation to Italy is the main thing for her, and if they both choose to keep what's theirs, she will donate her cash to his foundation.  They're both crying when the moment of truth arrives.  If both press "Keep What's Mine," they keep it.  If both press "Take it All," both lose everything.  But here's the kicker:  if each chooses a different button, the one who pushes "Take it All" gets everything.  Naturally, you can guess what happened last night.  J.T. chose to keep what was his, but Destiny - with cash and prizes worth over $200,000 before she pushed the button - selected "Take it All" and walked out the door with winnings of over $400,000, sending J.T. home with nothing.  The entire audience gasped with mouths wide open; Destiny couldn't believe it at first, then raised her arms in the Victory sign.  "I took the risk.  I meant what I said about the vacation being the main thing, but hey - this is playing the game.  I won."  I wonder if she will donate her cash to J.T.'s foundation.  Oh, that's right - J.T. won't be starting a foundation.  He won nothing.  I won't be watching that show again, and it depresses me that there's an audience for it.  Is it the end of civilization as we know it?

Me and My Stuff

My aunt occasionally sells her possessions so she can give more to one of her favorite charities. I admire her, but I haven't emulated her. Of course, very few of my possessions are worth anything by the time I get done with them. However, in my Lenten fast from sweets in my house, I haven't given away the money I saved. We tithe to God's work, and sometimes give beyond that if a need comes to our attention, but we haven't developed the mindset of giving up things to give more to others. If I want something, I generally buy it; if we have extra money, we generally save it. I can't think of a time when I wanted something, but didn't buy it and gave the money away instead.

I have decided to quit looking at the catalogs that come in the mail, whether for clothing, books or fun little gadgets. If I need something, perhaps I'll use the catalog as a possible source, but otherwise, the temptation to buy something just because it's fun or cute needs to be eliminated.

Question: If the Body of Christ followed John Wesley's advice - "Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can" - would the problems of poverty in the world be solved?

Some politicians and governmental officials desire to tax the rich more so the poor can have more. The appeal of this approach for Christian voters and politicians lies in God's grace, and His concern for the poor. We feel the government - of the people, for the people and by the people - should follow these Christian principles. The problem, though, is that God gives his grace voluntarily, and He gives only what is His to give - whether through His Body or any other way. The government, however, can only have something to give to one person if it takes it from another - by force. That creates resentment, feelings of superiority and inferiority, and ingratitude.

I'm selling a bunch of books, primarily to remove them from the shelves and the house. I was planning to use the money to pay for the Kindle I bought, but now I think I'll give the money away. May Your Body, O Christ, do Your will and serve others.