How Much is a Trillion?

The new budget unveiled by the White House yesterday calls for total spending of $3.8 trillion in the coming year. Of that amount, $1.6 trillion will need to be borrowed because revenues aren't expected to be enough to cover the spending.

We hear numbers like a trillion being thrown around a lot these days. We know it's a big number -- but do we really have any idea how big? Just how different is one trillion from one billion from one million? Let me see if I can help.

What were you doing one million seconds ago? One million seconds is about twelve days. That was Thursday, January 21st, 2010.

What were you doing one billion seconds ago? One billion seconds is about 32 years. That was 1978. I was a sophomore in high school. Jimmy Carter declared a federal emergency at Love Canal.

What were you doing one trillion seconds ago? One trillion seconds is about 32,000 years. That was somewhere around 30,000 years before Christ.

Needless to say, a $1.6 trillion dollar budget deficit next year is really big. It's about $34,000 of debt per U.S. citizen.

That's just how much our country will borrow in the coming year. We already owe about $12 trillion from prior years. The additional $1.6 trillion will be added to that.

Will we ever pay back what we borrowed? The Bible says the borrower is the servant of the lender. We are selling ourselves into slavery.

A trillion here, a trillion there -- pretty soon it will be real money.

The Parable of the Talents Redux

The current United States government can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, “Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.”

The master was full of concern. “Surely you exploited the poor while increasing your wealth. You have been greedy in handling this money and only concerned about yourself. Because you now have more money than you need, I will take your money and give it to those you exploited. You really should do a better job of spreading the wealth around.”

The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, “Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.”

The master said, “Not bad, my middle class friend. I’m glad you have all you need. Because you don’t make more than $250,000 per year, I will try very hard to let you keep what you have earned. These are tough economic times, however, and I may need your help going forward. We all need to tighten our belt, you know.”

Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, “Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.”

But the master replied, “You poor and unfortunate servant! Life has treated you so unfairly. Don’t worry; I’ll make sure you get everything you need as long as you vote for me in November.”

Then he ordered, “Take the money from the servant with ten bags of silver, and give to the one with the one bag of silver. To those who use well what they are given, we will take away their abundance. But for those who do nothing, we will make sure to give them enough to keep them depending on us. Now tell the greedy servant to stop complaining and get back to work. We have a country to fix.”

Tiger and Jesus, Part 3

More and more people are weighing in on Brit Hume's comments about Tiger Woods and his need for a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The following is a post from Cal Thomas on Thursday, January 7th.

The secular left — and some self-described Christians — criticize Brit Hume, the Fox News commentator, for suggesting that the solution to Tiger Woods' problems is a relationship with Jesus Christ. Hume made his remarks on "Fox News Sunday." Disclosure: I also appear on Fox News.

Hume said, "My message to Tiger would be: Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world."

That is a message shared for 2,000 years by those who follow Jesus of Nazareth. It apparently continues to escape the secular left that Christians feel compelled to share their faith out of gratitude for what Jesus has done for them (dying in their place on a cross and offering a new life to those who repent and receive Him as savior). In a day when some extremists employ violence to advance their religion, it is curious that many would save their criticism for a truly peace-bringing message such as the one broadcast by Brit Hume.

Criticism of Hume has taken two forms. One is that it is hubris to presume the Christian faith is superior to other faiths. The other criticism is that Hume used Fox as a pulpit and if he wants to preach he should resign from the network and go door to door like a Jehovah's Witness.

Tom Shales, a TV and culture critic for The Washington Post, wrote, "Darts of derision should be aimed at Hume, not at his employer or at Fox News as a social force." Shales said it's, "worth a Google or two to investigate the origins of Hume's seemingly newfound fervor."

Shales discovered that the "cause" of Hume's conversion was his son's suicide in 1998.

Many people can testify to an event that leads them to focus on the meaning of life. For me, it was being fired from a job in which I had placed my "faith" that success would bring peace and purpose.

People use the name of Jesus Christ every day. For many, it is employed as a curse. Few seek to silence those who blaspheme using His Name. Speak ill of the Prophet Muhammad and you risk a fatwa and crazies storming your house. Speak ill of Jesus Christ and no one will come to your door. He may be the last "religious" figure one can still crucify without penalty, at least in the short term.

Christians like Hume are not trying to impose anything on anyone. They know the difference Jesus has made in their lives and they care enough about others to want to share His message in the hope that other lives will be similarly transformed.

When he was president, Jimmy Carter shared his faith with South Korean President Park Chung Hee as the two rode in a limousine on the way to the airport. The New York Times ludicrously editorialized about a possible violation of church-state separation.

It was Jesus of Nazareth who accurately predicted the hostile reaction to people who spoke well of Him. He said, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me." (John 15:18-21)

You can read more of Cal Thomas' posts at http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/thomas1.asp

Not Judgemental, Just Relieved

It seems I'm not the only one who thinks Tiger Woods is in need of a Savior (see my December 14th post). Fox News' Brit Hume recently said essentially the same thing on the air. The reaction by others to Hume's comments has been predictable.

The following is a post from Ann Coulter's blog yesterday. While I don't claim to agree with Ms. Coulter on everything (especially her delivery), I think she does an admirable job presenting the Gospel in a clear way to our post-Christian culture.

Someone mentioned Christianity on television recently and liberals reacted with their usual howls of rage and blinking incomprehension.

On a Fox News panel discussing Tiger Woods, Brit Hume said, perfectly accurately:

"The extent to which he can recover, it seems to me, depends on his faith. He is said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian
faith. So, my message to Tiger would be, 'Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the
world."

Hume's words, being 100 percent factually correct, sent liberals into a
tizzy of sputtering rage, once again illustrating liberals' copious ignorance of Christianity. (Also illustrating the words of the Bible:
"How is it you do not understand me when I speak? It is because you cannot bear to listen to my words." John 8:43.)

In The Washington Post, Tom Shales demanded that Hume apologize, saying he had "dissed about half a billion Buddhists on the planet."

Is Buddhism about forgiveness? Because, if so, Buddhists had better start demanding corrections from every book, magazine article and blog posting ever written on the subject, which claims Buddhists don't believe in God, but try to become their own gods.

I can't imagine that anyone thinks Tiger's problem was that he didn't
sufficiently think of himself as a god, especially after that final putt in
the Arnold Palmer Invitational last year.

In light of Shales' warning Hume about "what people are saying" about him, I hope Hume's a Christian, but that's not apparent from his inarguable description of Christianity.

Of course, given the reaction to his remarks, apparently one has to be a regular New Testament scholar to have so much as a passing familiarity with the basic concept of Christianity. On MSNBC, David
Shuster invoked the "separation of church and television" (a phrase that also doesn't appear in the Constitution), bitterly complaining that Hume had brought up Christianity "out-of-the-blue" on "a political talk show."

Why on earth would Hume mention religion while discussing a public figure who had fallen from grace and was in need of redemption and forgiveness? Boy, talk about coming out of left field!

What religion -- what topic -- induces this sort of babbling idiocy? (If
liberals really want to keep people from hearing about God, they should give Him his own show on MSNBC.)

Most perplexing was columnist Dan Savage's indignant accusation that Hume was claiming that Christianity "offers the best deal -- it
gives you the get-out-of-adultery-free card that other religions just
can't."

In fact, that's exactly what Christianity does. It's the best deal in the
universe. (I know it seems strange that a self-described atheist and "radical sex advice columnist faggot" like Savage would miss the
central point of Christianity, but there it is.)

God sent his only son to get the crap beaten out of him, die for our sins and rise from the dead. If you believe that, you're in. Your sins are washed away from you -- sins even worse than adultery! -- because of the cross.

"He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by
nailing it to the cross." Colossians 2:14.

Surely you remember the cross, liberals -- the symbol banned by ACLU lawsuits from public property throughout the land?

Christianity is simultaneously the easiest religion in the world and the
hardest religion in the world.

In the no-frills, economy-class version, you don't need a church, a
teacher, candles, incense, special food or clothing; you don't need to pass a test or prove yourself in any way. All you'll need is a Bible (in order to grasp the amazing deal you're getting) and probably a water baptism, though even that's disputed.

You can be washing the dishes or walking your dog or just
sitting there minding your business hating Susan Sarandon and accept that God sent his only son to die for your sins and rise from the dead ... and you're in!

"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9.

If you do that, every rotten, sinful thing you've ever done is gone from
you. You're every bit as much a Christian as the pope or Billy Graham.

No fine print, no "your mileage may vary," no blackout dates. God ought to do a TV spot: "I'm God Almighty, and if you can find a better deal than the one I'm offering, take it."

The Gospel makes this point approximately 1,000 times. Here are a few examples at random:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23.

In a boiling rage, liberals constantly accuse Christians of being
"judgmental." No, we're relieved.

Christianity is also the hardest religion in the world because, if you
believe Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead, you have no choice but to give your life entirely over to Him. No more sexual
promiscuity, no lying, no cheating, no stealing, no killing inconvenient old people or unborn babies -- no doing what all the other kids do.

And no more caring what the world thinks of you -- because, as Jesus warned in a prophecy constantly fulfilled by liberals: The world will hate you.

With Christianity, your sins are forgiven, the slate is wiped
clean and your eternal life is guaranteed through nothing you did yourself, even though you don't deserve it. It's the best deal in the universe.

You can read more of Ann Coulter's posts at http://www.anncoulter.com/.

Tiger Woods, Adultery, and the Need for a Savior

The following is a post from Dr. Albert Mohler's blog today. Tiger's transgressions remind us that we're all sinners in need of a Savior.

The travail of Tiger Woods entered a new chapter over the weekend as Accenture, a global consulting firm, severed all ties with the world's most famous golfer. In doing so, Accenture became the first of Woods's major sponsors to end its relationship with him. It is not likely to be the last.

Tiger Woods's fall from public favor happened with breathtaking speed. In a matter of days, a minor vehicle accident in the middle of the night mushroomed into both private and public catastrophe. Even as Woods and his famously protective handlers sought to avoid or limit the controversy, the golfer's eventual admission of marital infidelity has forever changed the way the public looks to the world's most highly compensated athlete.

This story is far from over. Even as Tiger Woods has announced that he is taking an "indefinite" leave from professional golf in order to give priority to his wife and family, his future as both professional athlete and public figure is very much in question. Some believe that Woods will return to his exalted position after a necessary period of contrition and public withdrawal. Others suggest that, given the mental demands of professional golf, Tiger Woods will have a very difficult time returning to top form. And, what about Tiger Woods the brand? On these questions
time will have to tell. Nevertheless, the travail of Tiger Woods provides lessons that are already not to be missed.

Lesson One: Acts done in private can and will have public consequences.

Interestingly, the scandal surrounding Tiger Woods appeared to be of low voltage in its opening chapter. Indeed, some of the most interesting public debate of this first phase was over the question of whether the unfolding scandal was of any public
consequence at all. A good number of observers, including Peggy Noonan, appearing on the "This Week" program on ABC News, argued that the scandal was a private matter, since Tiger Woods is a professional athlete and not a politician. Writing in Newsweek magazine, Julia Baird made a similar argument. "He is not a politician, priest, or morals crusader. He is an athlete," Baird declared.

She continued:

Why do we even pretend that sportspeople are models of propriety? Or rather why do we need them to be? they are physically gifted, driven, and disciplined. That's what you need to excel in sport. Not moral strength, courage, decency, or fidelity. These virtues are admirable, but are a bonus: they should not be an expectation. Yet we continue to project an irrational desire for the physically perfect to be spiritually
strong.

That is a rather amazing argument. Moral strength, courage, decency, and fidelity are "admirable," but not necessary for athletes? Clearly, the American public was not buying that argument -- and for good reason.

Tiger Woods may not be a priest or a politician, but he has transformed himself into a public figure. Indeed, most of his income is derived from selling himself as a brand, an advertising symbol, and an image. The glare of publicity was not forced upon Tiger Woods -- he has actively and quite successfully cultivated this publicity for his own purposes. There is no inherent fault in this, but the American people are not buying the argument that his adventures in serial marital infidelity, combined with two late-night 911 calls, are matters of purely private concern between Tiger Woods and his wife, Elin Nordegren. Charles McGrath made this point clear in an essay published in The New York Times:

[Tiger] Woods has become a public figure not just in the way that most great athletes are public figures, but also in a way probably unparalleled in the history of publicity itself. He has made far more money from selling himself, or his image, then he has made from playing tournaments. That image, partly genuine and partly sculptured, has been one of decency, modesty, filial devotion and paternal responsibility, and not of mysterious car crashes and evasive explanations.

Private actions lead to public consequences. This is not true at the same scale for everyone. As Charles McGrath pointed out in his essay, if the accident that sparked this scandal had happened to most people, "it wouldn't have merited more than a line or two in the local weekly." But whatever the context, private sins never stay as private as sinners expect, and the consequences are never limited to those privately involved. While the greatest injury is to Tiger Woods's wife and children, he has also done great damage to the sport he has represented for so long. The damage spreads far beyond the sports world.

Lesson Two: The public still believes that adultery is a big deal.

There is no question that America's moral landscape has been transformed in recent decades. This is especially true when it comes to the morality of sex and sexuality. Our contemporary society is marked by a breathtaking pattern of moral renegotiation that has led to the virtual evaporation of many moral stigmas, a rebellion against all rules, and the increasing legitimation of any number of sexual practices, lifestyles, and forms of expression. A spirit of moral revolution and moral relativism when it comes to sex has been in the air at least since the 1960s. At the same time, marriage has been increasingly marginalized as an institution, with no-fault divorce and any number of other assaults serving to undermine marital stability and the place of marriage in society. Our contemporary mores have shifted to permissive extremes when it comes to matters such as premarital sex, pornography, and the ubiquitous use of sex in entertainment and advertising.

Still, it appears that Americans draw the line at adultery. The scandal surrounding Tiger Woods is essentially a scandal about adultery. In their own way, Americans have made clear their instinct and assumption that adultery is objectively wrong, deserving of moral censure, and not to be taken lightly.

The force of public outrage directed at Tiger Woods's admission of marital infidelity indicates that the American public conscience remains more deeply rooted in its biblical origins then many secular observers would expect or appreciate.

A fascinating angle on this issue is provided in an article by Roger Blitz published in The Financial Times. Blitz argues that Tiger Woods is likely to escape much damage to his reputation because "while Mr. Woods and his advisers have built his image around many values, such as his diversity, his connection with young people, ... and his well-spoken demeanor, Christian morality is not one of them."

In other words, Blitz asserts that those who are not publicly committed to Christian morality are not held to this standard by the public. Evidently, someone forgot to tell the American people. Virtually no public figure has come forth to argue that what Tiger Woods has done is of no significant moral consequence. No major figure has argued that marital infidelity is morally inconsequential. While Americans may be confused about any number of moral matters and questions about sexuality, marriage exists as a fundamental moral firewall, and the public outrage over this scandal is, in its own very important way, a testimonial to this fact.

Lesson Three: A fall from public favor can happen in an instant.

Just a matter of days ago, Tiger Woods was at the very top of his profession, one of the most admired public figures of the sports world, and a man known primarily for his exquisite discipline and absolute mental focus. All that has evaporated (for now, at least) in an almost instantaneous burst of scandal.

"What Tiger Woods has caused to happen to himself and his image over the past two weeks is the sports world's most remarkable fall from grace, ever." So wrote Christine Brennan in USA Today. She continued: "No athlete has ever held a perch so high in our culture -- right up there with President and Mrs. Obama, and Oprah -- and fallen so far so fast." All that changed in a matter of mere days. "Today, that man is in disarray, his family life a shambles, his golf future a question mark, with much of what we thought we knew about him now laughed at and doubted."

Of course, no one knows where the scandal will end. Tiger Woods must already deal with accusations of adultery, his own admission of guilt, and a growing swarm of salacious details, rumors, and speculations. He has added to his public challenge by attempting to script every admission for limited impact. Even as he has, to his credit, used words such as "transgressions" and "infidelity," he has not come forth with a compelling account of his behavior. Add to this his refusal to appear in public to make any comment. While this strategy is understandable, he will eventually be required to say something in a public forum.

Tiger Woods now finds himself in a disastrous crisis of his own making. There is no one else he can blame for his trouble and there is no public account that can undo the past. In a truly breathtaking reversal, Tiger Woods has gone from being one of the most universally respected figures in sport to one of the most widely discussed subjects of scandal. Clearly, it does not take long to fall from a pedestal.

In one of his advertisements for Accenture, the image of Tiger Woods appears along with the words: "It's what you do next that counts." Much now depends on what Tiger Woods does next. If the American people are truly scandalized by his adultery, they must now hope and pray that this marriage and family can be rebuilt and sustained. Something of far greater consequence than an illustrious career in sport is at stake here. Tiger Woods the human being is of infinitely greater value than Tiger Woods the brand.

For Christians, there is an even deeper concern. The current travail of Tiger Woods points far beyond his need for marital recovery, career consultation, or brand management. Tiger Woods needs a Savior. I am praying that this devastating experience, caused so classically by his own sin, will lead Tiger Woods to understand that he is not so self-sufficient as he thinks. Tiger Woods now faces a problem that he cannot solve. Though he can do much to repair his marriage, his family, and his public image, he cannot atone for his own sins. My prayer is that there is someone who can reach Tiger Woods with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the end, all this must remind Christians of the universal need for the Gospel. We must remember our own sin and our utter dependence upon the grace and mercy of God made ours in Jesus Christ. Without question, this is the most important lesson drawn from the travail of Tiger Woods.

On his deathbed, Martin Luther offered these last words: "We are sinners, it is true." Tiger Woods is one of us, after all.

You can read more of Dr. Mohler's posts at http://www.albertmohler.com/

Praying for Obama

Have you seen the new t-shirts encouraging others to pray for President Obama? The shirts have caused quite a stir. Why would such a seemingly positive message be so controversial? The shirt references Psalm 109:8 which says:

"May his years be few; let someone else take his position."

Very funny. But is it?

Psalm 109:9 goes on to say:

"May his children become fatherless and his wife a widow."

Ouch.

Are those who wear this shirt really encouraging others to pray for President Obama's untimely death?

In his letter to the church in Rome,Paul admonished Christians to submit to those in government:

"Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished (Romans 13:1,2)."

It's one thing to be persecuted for being a follower of Christ. It's quite another thing to be persecuted for dishonoring Christ's name. In their attempt to be clever, the creators of this t-shirt give Christians a bad name and dishonor the very One we follow.

I'm not saying Christians need to agree with Obama and his policies. I'm not saying Christians shouldn't be involved in the political process. What I am saying is,

"Bless those that persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. Live in harmony with each other. And don't think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:14-18)."

If Good Works Don't Save Us, Why Bother?

My wife and I have been getting together with a group of friends recently to discuss Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love.

In his book, Chan talks extensively about lukewarm Christians -- those who try to straddle the fence between living for God and living for oneself. He essentially claims there are no such things as lukewarm Christians. The Bible says Christ will spit the lukewarm out of his mouth. Not exactly how we'd expect one to treat his children.

During our group's discussion, I sensed some tension building. Chan was arguing that how we go about our daily lives is evidence of our salvation. Some wondered if he was advocating works based righteousness. Aren't we saved by faith alone?

It got me to thinking about my relationship with my wife. If I tell my wife often enough that I love her, does that make it true? If I tell others how much I love my wife, would that remove all doubt? What if I'm rarely patient with my wife? What if I'm not kind to her and often rude. What if I'm constantly putting my needs ahead or her's? What if I easily become angry with her, hold grudges against her and seldom trust her? Would you still say I love her? Probably not.

In the same way, if I say I believe Christ died for my sins and I love God, yet my behavior is no different from those who don't believe, am I really saved?

Make no mistake. We are saved by faith alone -- grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). But if that faith bears no fruit in my life (Galatians 5:22-23), is it real faith? The Bible says faith that does not produce good deeds is useless (James 2:17).

Each one of us should examine his own life. Is my faith real -- that is, is it a faith that saves? Is my faith producing fruit or is it dead?

Jesus said, "If you love me, obey my commandments (John 14:15). Good works won't save us -- but they are evidence that we are truly saved.