Calm down…this too shall pass.

This past Sunday, I read a particularly negative article in the newspaper (which, as everyone knows, is always full of negative stories). Not reporting anything useful, it spent its 2 columns groaning over the state of the world: gas prices rising, food prices rising, economy sliding, the never ending conflict against terrorism, etc. The writer of this article seemed to think that the whole world was degenerating into chaos, with no hope of recovery.

I beg to differ.

First of all, as believers we know that God’s sovereignty is the reality that overrides the apparent chaos in this fallen world. He institutes governments, directs leaders, and controls events with exacting care. Just read the book of Isaiah if you want particular proof of this Biblical truth.

Second of all, any student of history (even a non-believer) should be able to see the parallels between the current time and other transitional periods in history. Every generation has its own unique situation, but history tells us that there’s not much new under the sun. As our country struggles to move from an economy fueled by oil to one powered by other sources of energy, economic growing pains are a natural result. As so often in the past, conditions will get worse before they get better. Just look at the Industrial Revolution: the development of industrial technology came long before the safety standards and labor laws that were necessary to protect the many people whose lives were affected by this change. In addition, think of all the craftsmen who suddenly found themselves obsolete and unemployed! Conditions were pretty miserable for a long time, which predictably resulted in social unrest. But eventually society had time to catch up with the changes, and today industrialization is just a normal fact of life, not a cause of misery or unrest (for the most part).

I’m not saying that America is currently experiencing another Industrial Revolution; however, I am saying that the currently tough (and worsening) economic conditions are probably not permanent. It may not be fun to live with skyrocketing gas prices and unpredictable food costs, but necessity is the mother of invention. There are a lot of creative and capable people in this country working on new ways to increase efficiency, explore new avenues, and so on. This period of instability is not going to last forever.

And of course, if the whole world does completely degenerate into chaos and anarchy, we can still trust the God who’s ultimately in control of all human history.

Free Stuff!

Who doesn’t like free stuff? If you’re one of those weirdos, then DON’T read this post about StartSampling.com. It’s a fun and safe website that gives you the opportunity to take advantage of manufacturers’ free samples. Granted, you’re not going to be able to stop buying groceries or something, but I’ve had some fun trying out new products (risk-free). So far I’ve tried a new line of Quaker granola bars (enh), a Fiber One Caramel Delight Cereal (gross), and some feminine products (no comment). I think there’s some shampoo and drink mixes coming sometime this week. It’s kind of fun; feel free to check it out.

Book Review: Culture Shift by Al Mohler

It is with great pleasure that I recommend to you Culture Shift by Al Mohler (a.k.a. The Smartest Man Alive). It is a marvelously helpful and insightful analysis of present-day American culture, and it gives practical advice on how thoughtful Christians should approach today’s issues.

In 160 short pages, Mohler discusses such topics as the Christian’s role in politics, the abortion debate, the state of public schools, terrorism, torture, atheistic science, natural disasters, pluralism, today’s “coddled” generation, and the burden of history (Hiroshima).  How Mohler could possibly cover all these topics so thoroughly in so little space is a mystery to me, but then again, maybe it comes with the territory of being the Smartest Man Alive.

(Now, lest you think me indulging in hero-worship bordering on idolatry, let me just say for the record that I’m speaking partly in jest–but Mohler is without doubt a highly intelligent & clear-headed man.  The Church needs more like him.)

I firmly believe that young Christians in particular should all read this book.  The world is constantly bombarding us with pernicious lies and irrational thinking!  Read this book to help clarify and solidify in your mind what a biblical worldview looks like.

Operation: Cheap Groceries

Over the last several weeks, I’ve been attempting to improve my thriftiness, particularly with groceries (inspired by my super-savvy mother-in-law). For my latest project, I decided to get some actual data to help me decide which grocery stores had the best prices, and (in the future) to decide whether a sale is actually as great as it looks.

So, I made a list of our favorite staple products and wrote down the prices at 6 different grocery stores in town. Then, with the help of my skilled husband, I made a nifty little spreadsheet.

The result? A combination of Sam’s and Target is the best choice for us. I was surprised to find that Target’s grocery prices are very competitive, even beating Wal-Mart on several of my list items. The same cart of groceries that costs $78.13 at Wal-Mart costs $80.74 at Target. (Both of these totals are significantly lower than United, which is practically the only true grocery store in town.) When you subtract my team member discount (I work at Target, for those of you who didn’t know), I can get it for $72.67! If we get basic things like cheese, butter, sandwich meat, etc., at Sam’s, the total goes down even more. Yay!

Side note: My Target is actually not a SuperTarget, but is just what we call an “extended set.” This means we have an extensive grocery section, but it’s limited to packaged foods. Produce, fresh meat, and deli products are things I’ll have to go to Wal-Mart or Sam’s to get. Ah well.

So there you go. I’m sure I’ll have more projects to come!

Being green? How about being sensible?

If you watch TV, surf the Internet, or read any kind of periodicals whatsoever, you’ve probably heard a lot lately about being “green.” Although environmental concerns have been discussed in the public square for years, suddenly, after Al Gore’s ridiculously successful documentary An Inconvenient Truth, it’s become very fashionable to talk about how “carbon-neutral” and “green” one’s lifestyle is. I haven’t come across a magazine yet that’s resisted the temptation to jump on the bandwagon and publish articles about how many carbon credits you can save by doing this or that. So how, as Christians, should we respond to this “green” cultural phenomenon?

I know that many Christians, including myself initially, have responded by saying, “Rubbish. I don’t want anything to do with it.” This is an understandable reaction, since we don’t really wish to associate ourselves with tree-hugging Mother Earth worshipers who idolize the creation rather than honoring their Creator. However, I don’t think this reactionary response is particularly Biblical. In fact, I think the Christian community as a whole should place a higher priority on caring for the environment, but not for the sake of being green or trendy.

Genesis 1: 28
“And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 1:31
“And God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.”