“Hope is the poor man’s bread.” (George Herbert) One of my grandsons recently asked me, “How does today’s economic crisis compare with The Great Depression?” I had a chance to talk to him about poverty, and our responsibility to help the needy. I told him how people helped one another in those difficult times. I could and should have told him about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19 ff). Google it! ;-) Jack
FROM P.L. IN MI: I always enjoyed thinking abut the saying that defines the difference between "recession" and "depression." A recession is when you don't have a job. A depression is when I don't have one. I think today's economy is so complicated that this analysis is probably right.
FROM PR J.S. IN MI: The reverse of Hope is Hopelessness. Who can live in hopelessness? That is a suicidal condition. I am reading The Rites of Spring by Eckstein and the condition of those poor people in the trenches in WW I was virtually hopelessness. They had to blank out their condition or they could not exist. MORE:
Socialism is the ownership of the means of production. Nothing in Obama's plan is anything like that. These conservaative fools have never read Marx or the great Socialist thinkers and they simply think that anything that smacks of governmental action is socialism. In that case, David was a terrific socialist since he had a kind of welfare system in Israel. Jeremiah must have preached socialism because he wanted the poor to be taken care of. The same with Jesus. Our church was founded by a socialist....if we use the conservative definition. They are goof balls.
FROM MOLINER J.T.: One of my favorite passages during this difficult time.
FROM B.S. NEAR ORLANDO: My Pa was a milkman during the depression. On select Saturedays after his 50 hr plus workweek he had xtra duty of delivering special orders. Some times I went with him. He delivered one pound of butter to Erna Muellenschlaeder on the corner of ?? 58th street and 37th ave., more than 10 miles distance and she said to Pa, "Charge it", yep 15cents. I know gas was only 19 cents a gallon, but my Pa's time was worth something. I don't think I said a word to Pa about it, but I never forgot how he worked his butt off for his family. How could I do any less when it was my turn to support a family? Also I still remember how John Fischer fixed my computer in his kitchen after store hours.Ya John I remember. Get well buddy.
2 comments:
Just remembering how, over the years, in Bible studies, even when things weren't as volatile economically--like they are today--we've had so many discussions about having so much and many, many people all over the world living in poverty. For young people, who might find things sort of scarey now--as they listen to all of the adults around them--the message that people pull together to help each other, that it happened in the past, that it can happen now, that the future can be bright, is a really good message. No matter who gets elected President of the U.S.A., I hope we all, as a country, pull together. Just speaking politically, I have my fears, but speaking spiritually, I have bread hope.
Sharon
This morning I attended the death of a 63 year young woman. Her husband, though raised as a Luthern, is now agnostic. He was beside himself with grief and has no hope of anything beyond this world. Though of modest worldly means,he is spiritually very, very poor.
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