A Dominican brother visited Judy and me last Monday (9/29). After exchanging greetings, he stated, "Did you hear what happened to the Dow today?' "I heard it dropped about 500 points", I replied. "NO!" he exclaimed, "It dropped more than that!" I looked online and saw that it had dropped 777 points. Most of our meager life savings are invested in mutual funds. Yes, we are concerned, but the following story puts the drop in perspective.
We went to visit Orly earlier that same day. He goes to the La Yaguita Children's Center, an afterschool program that ministers to 60 children in a drug-infested slum area of Santiago called La Yaguita. The center--an outreach of La Yaguita Bible Church--provides love, care, tutoring, playtime, and a meal. You can say that the center is a practical demonstration of Jesus Christ's love for that community. The center was closed yesterday due to a local strike in the area. Not knowing about the strike, we ran into a roadblock on our way there. Youths were blocking a main road to the church, throwing rocks and burning tires, so we had to turn around and enter another way.
Orly lives with his grandmother in a wood house that's about ready to fall down. I admit I've seen worse in Haiti, but this house is still pretty bad off. Pastor Ramon Jorge, the center's founder told us that Orly hadn't had anything to eat all day. He does get something to eat when he comes to the center. When he found out that it was closed for the day, he cried, "Where will I find something to eat?"
We went to visit Orly earlier that same day. He goes to the La Yaguita Children's Center, an afterschool program that ministers to 60 children in a drug-infested slum area of Santiago called La Yaguita. The center--an outreach of La Yaguita Bible Church--provides love, care, tutoring, playtime, and a meal. You can say that the center is a practical demonstration of Jesus Christ's love for that community. The center was closed yesterday due to a local strike in the area. Not knowing about the strike, we ran into a roadblock on our way there. Youths were blocking a main road to the church, throwing rocks and burning tires, so we had to turn around and enter another way.
Orly lives with his grandmother in a wood house that's about ready to fall down. I admit I've seen worse in Haiti, but this house is still pretty bad off. Pastor Ramon Jorge, the center's founder told us that Orly hadn't had anything to eat all day. He does get something to eat when he comes to the center. When he found out that it was closed for the day, he cried, "Where will I find something to eat?"
That puts a 777 point drop in the market in its proper perspective. Max Lucado said something like this one time, "I can't fret over spilled champagne when others go hungry." So, I'm thinking, "LORD, thank You for what we have left."
Still, I feel that much of the Dow's troubles are due to MORAL problems. The government, plus too many people, have taken on far too much debt, disregarding the Biblical principles that command us not to go into debt (Romans 13.8). Lawrence Harrison was right--values do determine economic levels. And right now, the USA is in danger of a bad economic downtown due to forsaking basic moral values.
Still, I feel that much of the Dow's troubles are due to MORAL problems. The government, plus too many people, have taken on far too much debt, disregarding the Biblical principles that command us not to go into debt (Romans 13.8). Lawrence Harrison was right--values do determine economic levels. And right now, the USA is in danger of a bad economic downtown due to forsaking basic moral values.
Hopeless looks on the faces of investors in the face (no pun intended) of a free-falling Dow reveals to me that ANY community without the good news of Jesus Christ and His righteousness, be it Wall Street OR poor La Yaguita, simply does not have any hope.
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