id Blog

Forever Stamp

idchristian — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:27:38 +0000

First Class Stamp

Philately (fhi-la-tely-) is the collection of stamps. The word means “without Tax” or “without payment” since stamps were for pre-paid delivery of mail. Stamps used to be finely engraved and etched works of art representing heads of state and seats of government. Sometime in the 1990’s the fine etchings were replaced with such figures as Elvis Presley and Tweetie-bird. The appearance of the famous yellow cartoon canary should have warned us that the air was bad in the spiritual gold mines of American character. Now the US Post office is talking of shuttering half its stations and says it can no longer offer next day delivery with First Class postage. The Middle Class is almost gone and First Class is not what it used to be. America itself may be a stamp which has already been cancelled.

The housing market has collapsed. People’s retirement accounts and investments have withered. America no longer has a Space Shuttle (we can purchase a seat on a Russian Rocket until we run out of money). Our economy is in shambles. CBS news ran a story about the thousands of homeless families living in motel rooms on the public dime or living in their cars or trucks. Millions of people are without work and more and more each day are finding themselves without options. Our political machinery, like a clock in Martin Scorsese’s movie “Hugo” is being wound by orphans. It seems like, as in the movie, a whiskey-addicted Uncle (ie. Sam) had one binge too many and thought too little of the nieces and nephews that would inherit the clockworks of broken promises and pyramid schemes.

Before the words “In God we Trust” were etched on our currency they were etched on the consciences and hearts of ordinary citizens who believed that there was a God in Heaven who cared about nations as well as people and who entered into covenants with those who believed and trusted in His Grace and Goodness.

There is talk of a coming “class warfare.” A class is a collection, group, or configuration containing members seen as having certain attributes or traits in common. What we used to have in common was respect for each other’s life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. What most people don’t realize is that reverence is the fountain and basis of respect. One cannot survive without the other. Without reverence for God, respect ( as in for property: thou shalt not steal; or for marriage: thou shalt not commit adultery, etc) collapses under the weight of selfishness and self-interest. The Alchimedean point that gave the American Dream leverage and power to become great was never in itself. She believed she received her unalienable rights from the transcendent God of the Bible.

When God goes, anything goes; and when anything goes, everything goes. When the Bible (as an absolute) is removed there is no fulcrum, there is no footing. No one can stand on the shifting and ever-moving ice flow of time or upon the gaseous vapors of popular opinion. The Forever Stamp may one day be worthless. The middle class my disappear along with first class service. We need something more certain. Alchimedes said “Give me a place to stand, and with a lever I will move the world.” God’s Word is eternal, it is truth. Stand on it and with the lever of faith move your world.

Goose,Goose

idchristian — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 20:22:19 +0000

Goose,Goose
There once was a man who had a goose that laid golden eggs. Well, not exactly. It wasn’t actually a goose, it was a house, and it didn’t really lay golden eggs, it produced something called “equity.” In a normal world equity is the residual value of property beyond any liability, but we are no longer living in a normal world. In the twenty-first century equity was an ethereal and vapor-like “imaginary value” assigned to a piece of real estate worth much less than the free money banks were offering people just for living in a house. Anyone breathing these vapors went temporarily insane and saw something that was not actually there. The man used this imaginary gold (equity) to buy stuff, lots of stuff. His goose, I mean his house, grew fatter and fatter every day in what the financial fairies call growth, but what was actually just a bubble. A bubble is a fragile soft breadth of nothing wrapped in “almost-nothing”. The man in our story was not the only one to have a goose however. As a matter of fact, it turned out that there were so many geese running around in this fairy tale that the bubble burst and the imaginary equity floated away. A goose is not only a bird, according to the dictionary it can also be a “simpleton.” There are those who insist that what is good for the goose is good for the gander to which we would say, take a gander at this. The United Stated Federal Reserve is selling bonds to itself with money it just printed but does not really have. It seems that Uncle Sam is still sniffing the vapors of Mother Goose Economics. Our politicians are doing all they can to resuscitate a goose that is already cooked. There has never been a shortage of simpletons. If one is not buying the Brooklyn Bridge today, he is investing in derivatives tomorrow. Using your house as an ATM and going on a forty year buying binge is a story generations a hundred years from now will not believe (if the world is still around-which I doubt). Jesus warned us about the “deceitfulness of riches.” America has been deceived again. Aesop almost put this story into his collection of fables of talking animals, but on second thought, he said people would never fall for such a Fairy Tale, it’s just too stupid. -Ingimar DeRidder

Doom Boom

idchristian — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:10:58 +0000

Business is booming. There is a doom boom in America. Radius Engineering in Terrell, Texas is building, selling and installing fiberglass bunkers that promise between one to five years of doomsday survival (depending on the price). Reminiscent of the 1955 suburban back yard fallout shelter, these new underground fortresses are being quietly built by the privileged moneyed classes that are not going to give up the “goodies” of the good life without a fight.
According to a USA Today article the company builds shelters to accommodate between 10 and 800 people and sell for between 400,000 to 41 million dollars each. It’s kind of a morbid hedge fund business. These people are hedging their bets against what they call a “worst case scenario.”

Another company is selling “time shares” in its secret facility which might be called Catastrophe Condos. One company is even counting down to the Mayan Apocalypse which predicts the end of an Age in 2012 and the beginning of a new order. Other sources point out that there is even a poor man’s version of this Doomsday Survivor-man mania, however it involves a lot of plastic sheeting, duct tape and hundreds of cans of beanie weenies.

In a world that seems to be plagued by economic meltdowns, uncontrollable oil spills, Global Warming, and a coming tidal wave of taxes or terrorism (take your pick) one might be tempted to join the hordes of hole diggers and become a Survivalist. The Bible describes a day when people will ask for the rocks to cover and hide them (Revelation 6:16).

These people preparing for the “worst case scenario” will be very surprised when they learn that God has already provided a fall-out shelter found in the person of His Son. And as Noah’s Ark was the only hope in the antediluvian age, Jesus Christ is the only shelter that will stand and survive in the coming storm. Ingimar DeRidder

Plan A, Plan B, Plan C

idchristian — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:38:40 +0000

If at first you don’t succeed, try,try again. BP seems to agree with this philosophy and the leak is finally stopped. Everyone has a “Plan A.” However, most of life, someone said, is “Plan B.” We all have big plans. We all have great intentions. Everyone has big ideas and God designed us to always “hope for the best.” Not everyone can be “Best in Show,” so it’s a good idea not to quit your day job. If your Blow-out-Preventer did not work, there may be a lifetime of cleaning up to do. That’s the story of life, cleaning up the marshes.

Moses was found in the marshes. “Plan A” was not working. An ancient government had crazy ideas about controlling the burgeoning slave population of its guest worker program. Jochebed put little baby Moses into her “Plan B” (basket) and hoped for the best. The daughter of Pharaoh rescued the little undocumented alien and raised him. She sent him to Harvard and set him up as a Community Organizer. Those who read the Biblical account know that this didn’t work out politically or socially and Moses reached for a “Plan C” that involved a transfer to the Bush Leagues and the back side of the Sinai desert. And so it goes, and such is life.

Eventually everyone must come to realize that God has the “real Plan A” and everything else in the alphabet is simply a misplaced letter unless it bows before the Alpha and Omega of God’s will. A life without God is simply playing Scrabble. Moses learned the hard way that God had a plan. He was eighty years old when he finally saw the light (or more accurately, the burning bush).

We have no idea if some blow out preventer shall fail on Wall Street, or Washington, or if sickness will suddenly appear to be “Plan C” in our lives. What we do know is that God has a plan for us, and a plan for us today. Jesus rolled out the blueprints for that plan and put His own John Hancock (so to speak) on a Divine Declaration. No matter what happens today, no matter what tropical storms bear down on your coastline, no matter what earthquake rocks your world, God has a Plan for us today: Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. Ingimar DeRidder

Star Gazers

idchristian — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:50:50 +0000

In 1957 Mickey Mantle made $65,000 a year. Using the fanciest automobile as a benchmark which was a $5,000 Cadillac (1/10 of his salary) we can compare America in its hay day to the one we have today. Few stars were “brighter” in the baseball pantheon than Mantle. Things have changed. We have just witnessed a lot of “hoop-la” over which basketball franchise would bag LeBron James. James was paid a salary of fifteen million last year which paled compared to his twenty-eight million in “endorsements.” Did anyone notice the “idiot” light go off on America’s dashboard? The great economic engine of the United States is, not only over-Heated [pun intended], but it has blown a gasket with that basket.

America used to make stuff, lots of stuff. Made in the USA labels were on the “stuff” the world wanted and the “stuff” was made by the guys who went to the Yankee games or read the back page of the Daily News before they read the first. Americans made the cars, the radios and the toasters that the world dreamed about. America made the steel, the airplanes, and the tractors, and a single factory worker (if he worked hard and made some “overtime”) could buy a house, a car, and send his children to college.

What “stuff” does America make these days? The answer is “not much.” America makes “Stars,” movie stars and sports stars and then she falls down and worships them. America fills stadiums to see them or hear them and go Ga-Ga over them.

America has always been a nation of dreamers, but the dreams are more restive these days. The dream no longer involves a success in being a good father or parent or buying a house in Levittown. The dreams today are hoop dreams and dreams of Hollywood, or gaining an endorsement from Nike or being chased by the paparazzi. The dream is about winning American Idol, or winning the Sweepstakes, or winning a class action lawsuit against a big oil company. It’s about becoming a sensation on YouTube, of being a “star.”

America with all its faults was made up of God-fearing people. At the end of the day, the average person sitting in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium or Ebbot’s Field knew that the Pilgrims had an important place in making America what she was (e.g. Thanksgiving). Satan once told Eve that God was trying to keep her from her deserved greatness and that she could be a “star.” Well, actually it says “god,” but that is basically the same thing. The thought of her name “up in lights” was just too much for her. She bought the hype of hoop dreams. She gave up the garden and all its goodness, and the whole world went Gaga. – Ingimar DeRidder

Preventing Brain Loss

idchristian — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:19:33 +0000

Scientific research into declining brain function of middle-aged and older people tries to explain the memory loss and cognitive corrosion baby boomers are experiencing. They point out that our brains are growing exponentially until we reach the ripe old age of “twenty.” Learning after that is harder. Our brain function peeks at twenty and then plateaus until we reach fifty. Then it is down- hill from there.

Learning at that late age must overcome the shrinkage of the brain and especially the spines of our motor neurons, etc, etc (they say). This can all be drawn out on a bell-curve chart (for those who are unable to “imagine” what is happening). The chart clearly shows the rise and fall of our mental prowess The study’s author graciously points out the counter weights of experience and wisdom that still gives the older person a great advantage in thinking , if not in learning.

Memory loss, the study points out is expected and normal. The “world” loves to compare people. It loves to “graph” things and find the “mean,” or the average person. Experts scientifically compare performance, behavior, and skill, and chart the pass (acceptable) and fail (unacceptable) social norms and abilities of reasonable intelligence. There are two problems with that. The first is that in any given sample there are always “exceptions.” I have known some people who on their worst day are better than other people I have met, are on their best day. Having said all that, I have good news. God does not plot us on some grid or graph. He does not take a poll and decide what is “now” or what is normal. God does not see anyone as a “statistic.” We do all of these things and we are fools for doing so. “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, [they] are not wise” 2 Corinthians 10:12.

The Baby Boomer may not run as fast as he once did. (The younger Apostle John outran the older Apostle Peter in the rush to the empty tomb). Nor is the Boomer as quick learn a new language (Greek or Geek),or memorize the lyrics of the latest Lady Gaga warble, but God, the Bible says, “knows all our thoughts” (Ps. 139:2), and nothing will keep our brains in better shape than thinking of Him. – Ingimar DeRidder

Memorial Day 2010

idchristian — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:58:34 +0000

    They fell in battle fighting for our right to enjoy freedom of speech or the right to remain silent. They gave their lives so we might be free to worship or free to not worship, to sing in the choir or sleep late on Sunday. They died defending our right to read words printed in a free press or to laugh at cartoons in the funny pages. They died in order that we might live and continue to live in a place called America.
    Mostly they were young. They had sweethearts waiting for them at home. They had dads who were proud of the brave men their sons had become and mothers who still baked them cookies. They had dreams, American dreams. They dreamed of having kids and houses with white picket fences. They dreamed about starting a business or going to college. They were all heroes on their last day and they deserve the gratitude of a grateful nation. They felt the wrath of war for us and gave us peace.
    They died so we could vote for the candidate of our choice in November, or have a backyard barbecue in July. They died so we could root, root, root for the home team, or just lay on our backs at the beach and watch the clouds sail by. They paid the highest price possible in order for our children to grow up in a country with a Golden torch and door on one end and a Golden Gate on the other. They made it possible for the bulls to run on Wall Street and for women to run for President. They stood against tyranny and tyrants. They stood up for America’s children in the playground and against the bullies of the world as only big brothers and sisters could do. We salute them.
    We salute them with parades and with color guards and with marching bands. But we also salute them with sack races and picnics, and row boats, and cold watermelon, and things as patriotic and American as a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a piece of Grandma’s famous American apple pie.   Ingimar DeRidder

Sin Slick

idchristian — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:25:37 +0000

The problem is deep beneath the surface. A constant stream of black goop is pouring out and fouling everything it touches threatening to ruin untold numbers of lives. The problem is too deep for human hands to fix. It is so deep that there is no natural light and the problem is shrouded in darkness. And it is cold. The best minds are working on various fixes as those responsible are pointing fingers at each other and trying to shift blame and make excuses. Even if they can turn off the flow, it could take a generation or a lifetime to clean up the mess. I am not talking about the little problem in the gulf, but the problem of sin deep in the human heart.

The oil slick caused by the human error and audacity of sin has and is polluting the entire world. The first great leak occurred in the garden near three beautiful and pristine rivers. The promise of greatness, riches and power was too great for Adam and Eve and once they open that fountain no cut-off valve has been able to stop the flow. The problem of sin is too deep, it’s too dark, it’s too cold. You can try to put a dome over sin but it doesn’t work. You can set out booms and skimmers- laws and levies, but they do not work very well either. Like BP and TransOcean pointing fingers at each other at a congressional hearing, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed her counselor (accountant, attorney, contractor, whatever, fill in the blank).

The problem of sin is compounded because this problem is deep in the depths of every human heart, so deep no ordinary man to reach it.

For this reason God sent His Son, down, down from the highest place in heaven, he went deep, deeper to a place called Calvary and gave his life and paid the high costs of sin. But Calvary is not so much a place outside of Jerusalem (since the problem is not as much physical as spiritual one) the place is in the depths of millions of hearts that must give way to God allowing Him to do the work man cannot do.

We all have a sin problem that only God can fix. Once the gushing wound is stopped there is still a bit of a mess to deal with. There is the cleanup, and some costs involved in restitution when your oil has washed up on and hurt some neighbor’s beach.
Ingimar DeRidder