Money

I am going through the library list looking for items on economics. The economic struggle that the world is experiencing is constantly in the news. A few weeks ago Dr. James Dobson on his Focus on the Family radio program had a rerun of an interview with Larry Burkett in the early 1990s. Larry Burkett had written a book called The Coming Economic Earthquake in 1991. We have that book in our homeschool library. I remember listening to his radio program Money Matters in the 1980s and 1990s. Larry died in 2003 of cancer. Anyway, the coming economic earthquake that Larry foresaw many years ago is now happening in 2009. Every day there is news of more lay-offs, more economic woes.

This is what Wikipedia says about Larry Burkett's book, The Coming Economic Earthquake: In The Coming Economic Earthquake (Moody Press, Chicago, I11. • 1991), Burkett delineated growing federal deficits and the ever increasing use of debt by business and households out of control. Burkett points out those severe economic times will appear sometime shortly after the millennium unless current polices are changed. Burkett believed that Keynesian economic policies, with ideals for continuing federal deficits and the implicit preference for higher levels of consumption, reduced saving, and a larger role for government in the economy are a means to disaster. As Burkett states in the book that as interest on the debt consumes a larger and larger portion of the yearly federal budget, and more money is borrowed each year to pay the interest on what was borrowed in previous years, there will be a temptation to “monetize” the debt at an increasing rate leading to a calamity not seen since the Great Depression. Burkett questioned whether or not elected leaders would take action in time to prevent fiscal chaos, and believed they would not. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Burkett

I want to include other related books we have in our homeschool library. One good book is Money Matters for Parents and Their Kids by Ron and Judy Blue. Living More with Less by Doris Janzen Longacre might be a good book to read in today's world. Training Your Children to Handle Money by Malcolm MacGregor is much needed for parents to prepare their children for adulthood. Jonni McCoy has two books that are worth reading. I remember these books being checked out frequently by homeschool moms. They are Frugal Families and Miserly Moms.

What do I think of these financial struggles that our world is going through? First, I want to say that I look to God as my Jehovah Jireh. He has always provided for me and my family. Hebrews 13: 8 says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So I will continue to think of God as my Jehovah Jireh. The Scripture has more to say about looking to God as our provider. David says, " I have been young, and now am old;Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread." That verse is found in Psalm 37: 25. God can provide as seen in this verse: "For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills." Psalm 50: 10. Paul in the book of Philippians says he has learned to abase and to abound. Here is the verse in Philippians 4: 12: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. The next verse, Philippians 4: 13 is one of my favorite ones: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

So I end this blog asking the LORD to provide for our needs. In Jesus' name. Amen