The Power of the Serengeti

The other day I overheard someone say "money talks". I started to think about that phrase. I'm sure I have said the same thing hundreds of times; "money talks". If so what does it say?
* If you have me you will be strong.
* If you want me bad enough I will come to you.
* If you don't have me you have nothing.
* If you have enough of me you will be safe.
* If I am with you you will be loved.
* I will make you happy.
Interesting. These are the same things that Jesus said we would have when we have him (or more exactly when he has us).

I have alwasy thought that money is neutral. I've said many time that money is neither good or bad. It just is. Wealth merely provides a window into our hearts. Our interaction with money provides the evidence of what we believe. But is all that true? Is money really neutral? Is it merely a touch stone to test man's heart?

For the first time, when thinking about the phrase "money talks", I started to think that maybe wealth is not as benign as I once thought. Maybe it's not so easy to "master" the power of money as I have alwasy hoped. I confess that I think of myself as the Ring Master at the three ringed circus. I hope to direct the wealth that I have been entrusted with into three areanas;
1) to buy fun stuff for me and those I love
2) to buy eternal stuff that will provide dividends in heaven and
3) to buy investments that grow here on earth so that I can have more money to buy more fun stuff here and more eternal stuff.

But maybe the lion isn't so tame. Maybe the Ring Master is a fool to think that with a mere whip and a chair he can harness the power of the Serengeti.

Morning Prayer

Its 4:am. I got up to let the dog out so he could barf. Now I cant sleep so I am down stairs in the play room watching TV and cleaning up emails. I just saw an infomercial about kids starving in Africa. I started crying. I asked God "What can I do?, What's my job here?"

Two things came to me. The first was Rhonda's advice to me that I can't solve everyone's problems with money. It's not my job to be a hero and bail everyone else out because money isn't the anwser. The other thing that came to me was my favorate prayer; "Come quickly Lord Jesus. Make all things new."

The one problem, the only real problem, was solved a long time ago by Jesus. All these other small things are just that, small. But Jesus cares for the small things also. He cares for the kids in Africa who are going to die today because they don't have clean water. He cares for Daisy Merrick who at 5 years old is battling cancer. He cares about the kids have all their material needs met but are not loved.

So what am I to do? I'll do what I am doing now as I write this; I'll cry because my heart is broken for these small things. I will bear witness that this is not as it should be. I will declair that a time is coming and even now is upon us when Jesus will make all things new. He will call his children home and he will take away the tears of the broken.

Come quickly Lord Jesus. Make all things new.