Believe It! I Agree With Glenn Beck and Rick Perry... sort of...

This may come as a shock to most of the six people who actually read my blog, but I agree with Rick Perry and Glenn Beck. As a people, we do need to return to God and fix our gaze on the author and perfecter of our faith. I just interpret that a little differently from the Perry’s and Beck’s of the world. Here’s what I mean. Many of our political leaders want to focus on the God of the Old Testament. The avenging God of Israel if you will. They posit a theology that says if we do not follow the will of God, as they interpret it, then like so many Old Testament people, we will be wiped off the face of the earth. Thus we see statements that equate earthquakes, hurricanes, and even wars, as punishment for our misdeeds and failure to live up to God’s Law. Rarely do we see, or hear from people like Glenn Beck and Rick Perry, the need to live the radical life of Jesus as seen in the New Testament. The life of unconditional love of others and denial of self. It is as if, in their attempts to claim the title of the Godliest person out there, they have cast aside the teachings of God’s own son. Why is it we seldom hear the clarion call to return to God’s teaching when that teaching tells us to “love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us?” How come we have yet to hear someone on the campaign trail bring up Paul’s admonition to “in humility consider others better than ourselves… and look to the interests of others?” What about serving others, as Christ served us that day on Calvary? When was the last time you heard a speech that said "give up everything for your brother?" Where is the cross of sacrifice, pain, and self denial in what many proclaim publicly to be the “Heart of God?” You see, the God I want us to return to is the one that calls us to have a drink of cold water with the person we most despise. Wasn’t that Jesus example when he sat alongside the Samaritan woman at the well and quenched His thirst? Do you think the Good Samaritan was thinking about what the poor man had done to deserve being robbed and beaten, or was his primary concern helping him? The God I want us to return to is the one that says when your fellow man needs your coat, you give him whatever you have, because it is not yours anyway. It belongs to God! What about the church community in Jerusalem? When was the last time you heard any of our political leaders speak of following her example and selling everything to give to the poor? Yes, I am 100% behind the efforts to see our country and society put a bigger focus on God. I am just not sure I recognize the God to whom many in the public arena are calling us to follow anew. What about you?

We Love Government!

Americans love government. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. There are very few folks out there who really want to live in a world where there is no government, or even in a world of limited government. What Americans don't like is people telling us how to live our lives. It doesn't matter who is doing the telling, we just don't like it. Think it isn't so? When was the last time you followed the advice of your doctor when he told you to lose weight and exercise more? If you attend church, chances are you are pretty big on seeking counsel before big decisions. When was the last time you asked for an opinion from someone you knew might disagree with the choices you were set to make in your life? Government is just the current boogeyman of the day. I know, I know, government spends a lot and we are facing some pretty big deficits, but let's be honest here, is it really government in general we want to see trimmed, or is it governance? I suspect it is the latter. Because the roads you drive on, the police that protect you, the fact that you can drink from a faucet, and know your money is safe in a bank are all because of government. If you live out west, the electricity for your home, courtesy of Hoover Dam, is a result of government. If you live in the east, I’m guessing in about a week, you are going to be asking for government help to clean up after Hurricane Irene. And of course, your government is always there to help rebuild after earthquakes and fight those devastating wildfires. If you've been unjustly detained in another country, who ya gonna call? Yep, your government. Do you ever get on a plane? It's your government that is working to keep you safe. Feeling blue and need a doctor? Maybe you should be thankful that the government helped fund the research that just might save your life. Want to read a book, but can't afford to buy it? How about the daily paper. Or maybe you need to check your e-mail. If so, you can usually do all of that and more at your local library, of course provided through your government. Is our government perfect? Not at all. Has it made mistakes? Yes it has. And it will make more, because nothing is perfect. But understand this, we all love government and the benefits we derive from it, so instead of vilifying it, and pretending we’d be better off without it, why not get real and try to make it better?

A Story About Corn, Mexico, and Arturo

Arturo and his family did not come to Mexico. They are natives, having descended from one of the many indigenous people groups that populate the country. Arturo is a farmer. His father was a farmer, as was his grandfather. In fact, if you sit and talk to Arturo, you will hear that his family has been farming in Mexico since before it was Mexico. They have farmed corn for centuries on the family lands. Some years the land yielded a bountiful harvest, and other years, no so much, but always there was enough to feed the family. Until recently. Arturo and his family have a large plot of land comprising almost 100 hectares, or almost 250 acres. To put that into a practical perspective, the original footprint of Disneyland was just 160 acres. With this much land, the family was able to not only grow corn for their own consumption, but also sell to some of the commercial buyers in Mexico. As the economy in Mexico grew, so did Arturo’s ability to acquire additional land and expand his business. Soon Arturo was one of the largest corn growers in his area with almost 150 hectares of corn planted each year. He was living his dream. Working hard, supporting his family and helping friends. At one point he had over 100 employees working for him. But then something happened. His buyers approached and asked him to lower the price he was charging for his corn. He was given no reason, except to say that they wanted a better price. At first he agreed, after all, it was a small sacrifice to make to keep his main customers happy. But it did not end there. His buyers soon returned explaining that if he wanted to continue to sell to them, he would have to cut his sales price in half. Arturo tried to explain that there was no way he could possibly sell his corn at half price and be able to pay for the costs of production. They told him he had no choice. Their companies were demanding higher profits and they had found a source in the United States that could supply corn at half the cost of Arturo’s. Arturo soon learned how a corn producer in the United States, paying higher wages, could possibly sell corn cheaper than a Mexican farmer. Subsidies. He learned that the American government would step in and guarantee a certain rate of return on corn for US farmers, regardless of sales price. These subsidies allowed American farmers to undercut the price of Mexican farmers in their own country and effectively wipeout thousands of good paying jobs across the country. But Arturo was not easily discouraged. Rather than let his land go fallow, he changed his crop and began to grow sugar cane. It was not long before he was once again moving forward. He sold his cane to one of the large sugar plants in Ameca, Jalisco where it was processed and sold to corporations as a food ingredient. Just like when he grew corn, the days were long and hot as he had to keep his arms covered to avoid being cut by the sharp leaves of the cane. But just as he was thinking that he might be able to soon retire and turn the farm over to his son, sugar prices in Mexico collapsed. Mexican soft drink manufacturers began to cut back on sugar and started using cheaper high fructose corn syrup imported from the US. The North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA] had recently been signed and approved between the US, Canada, and Mexico. One of the conditions forced Mexico to abandon tariffs on imported sugar, put in place to insure the continued employment of 2.5 million sugar farmers across the country. Under NAFTA, Mexico was assured that they would have full access to US markets once the tariffs were removed. What they were not told, or did not understand was that the US market was dominated by low cost government subsidized sugar in the form of corn syrup. Mexican sugar cane had no way to compete in the international market because of US government intervention and was left sitting in silos rotting for a lack of buyers. Arturo was crushed. Unable to sustain the business, his land became useless. There was nothing he could farm and his land was not an attractive parcel for development, a route many of his friends took. With help from the state government of Jalisco, he tried a few other crops, but was unable to make any progress. Nothing he tried offered any real promise of being able to move ahead. At best he was just able to break even and provide his family with the corn necessary to eke out a meager existence. It was not long before Arturo, once a proud farmer of more than 150 hectares of corn and sugar made his decision. Despite the fact that his family lived on and worked the same land for centuries, Arturo knew he had to go north. Unable to get immigration papers, Arturo used the last of his savings, $4000.00, to hire a coyote to take him north. Today he works for one of the largest corn farmers in the United States. He does the same thing he did for years in Mexico. Except now, instead of helping employ Mexican farmers in his own country, the very company he is working for, effectively is disemploying thousands of Mexican farmers a year. Instead of coming home each night to see his family, he lives in small crowded house with 10 other men just like him who also came north after their jobs were eliminated in much the same fashion. And like most of them, he sends as much money back home every week from his weekly earnings to help support his family as he possibly can. He makes $9.00 an hour, works ten hours a day and prays every night that “La Migra” does not show up at the little house he now calls home.

Ay Caray! Stories From the Field...

As he backed up the truck, he never saw the tree. At least this time. Americo [pictured above with his family] and I had just purchased a load of lumber to help a senior citizen of Mitla get her own house. He was excited because he loved being able to make a practical difference in someone’s life. When you live in Oaxaca, the second poorest state in Mexico, sometimes the only practical help you can offer your friends is some of your food. Because frequently you are in just as dire straits as they are. But today was going to be different. Through the donations of the church he pastors, Americo and the church members were able to buy enough lumber to help this woman get a roof over her head and have a dry place to call home. Few things make the human heart sing like it does when you are able to really help someone. And Americo and his family needed to sing that song. The last few months have not been kind to them. Being a pastor is no way to get rich. Being a pastor to some of the poorest people in Mexico during a global economic crisis is also not going to get you on Forbe’s List of Richest People. But in spite of declining tithes and donations, shrinking support from his home church, and a rapidly rising cost of living, Americo and his wife Norma struggled on. Trying to make a difference in the lives of the people they see each day in their ministry. I marvel at how they keep a positive outlook no matter what comes at them, confident that God will care for and provide for them. As Americo backed his truck up and hit that tree, the wood in the bed came forward and shattered his rear window, sending broken glass everywhere. However, more than a window was broken at that moment as I watched the spirit of joy, trust, and faith drain from Americo’s face and body. As we unloaded the lumber and began to clean up the broken glass, Americo started to cry. I put my arm around him he looked at me, tears running down his face, and said “Esta lloviendo sobre los mojados.” Literally, it’s raining on people who are already soaked. It’s a saying here in Mexico when you are wondering if you can take it any more, because the bad news just seems to keep coming. For a family that has literally been living on beans and tortillas, giving their lives to others, this was too much to bear. I have served along side Americo and Norma for years in Oaxaca. If you have served with me here, they have helped provide you meals, have served you, and have more than likely, helped get you to your ministry site in the white truck that hit that tree. Americo needs some encouragement, in a very practical way. If you would like to give a 100% tax-deductable donation to Americo and his family, you can do so through Adventures in Life Ministry. Just click here, and you will be directed to our Paypal Donation Page. Choose a donation amount, make sure to put Americo in the notation line and I will make sure !00% of your donation goes to Americo and Norma here in Oaxaca. Thank you and as we say here in Mexico, Dios le bendiga!