Cruuuuuuuuunnch

Crunch ,crunch ,crunch.


The sound of footsteps walking thru a white Christmas?


The sound of kids eating their high fat dinner of crisps biscuits and more crisps?


The sound of the City Walls of Capitalism coming down.


Me eating cornflakes!...................................... or the sound of heavenly swords breaking chains of bitterness, hatred, greed and poverty.


I bet you thought I was going to use the CREDIT word didn't you?


Well now that you've mentioned it!?



What have we built our world upon?


Have we finally been found out? The focus of our lives is earning money to buy stuff?


Is it true that 'life's a pitch and then you buy'? Psalm 151 vs 2


The Church has bought (pun intended) into the lie that acquiring things equal satisfaction. The big churches in various parts of the world are built on the verse


'God is going to bless me so I can go out and buy more' Psalm 151 vs 1!!


'Money attracts money'....that's verse 3





'Christianity began in Galilee as a fellowship of men and woman centred on Jesus Christ

It went to Greece and became a philosophy

It went to Rome and became an institution

It went to Europe and became a culture

It went to America and became an enterprise

We need to get back to our roots'


(Richard Halverson former Chaplin to the US Senate)





Jesus said I have come to bring you life and life to the full (John 10 v s10)


Or maybe He quoted that Psalm again... I have come to give you credit, to get as much a you can and then the extra you don't need you can give away to the poor! vs 712!!!


As we moan about the 'Crunch' people are dying of Cholera in Zimbabwe. They're looking for food in so many parts of Africa it seems that any one of our Tesco stores could feed a nation.........and Ikea could furnish it!!!

Check out the crunch in N Korea, Myanmaror the streets of Delhi. They will have never heard of it!!



We in the rich West make guns, bombs, Tanks and planes to sell (never directly cos it looks bad!) to poor nations to secure their national borders from invasion of other political systems or relgious beliefs, ie the ones that aren't western


It's ok for Christians to invade by the way, there are biblical precedents!!





'All religions of the world aren't under threat from fundamental Islam but more from global consumerism from forces that emenate.................from New York and Hollywood that make religions equally superfluous, trivial compared to the lust for a new car or pair of jeans (
B Mclaren 'General Orthodoxy' pp 254)





We see headlines about the Sale of Woolworths and our fellow human beings, who the Bible tells us, were created equal to us, die of starvation or lack of medical care because that same banking system wants to prop up some Gas guzzling Multi National.

We couldn't free up debt for the poor but now it hits the rich in their pocket...................?





We have succumbed to the spirit of Capitalism as much as the Chinese and the Russians submitted to the spirit of Communism. The only difference is that their chains are/were obvious and ours are covered in gift wrapping paper.





So crunch!!!


Re focus. Is life not about relationships?





I heard a true story today of a friends neighbour who won the Lottery. He has become a bitter and twisted old man estranged from his wife threatening to sue my friends children for sweeping up the leaves in his driveway!! Yet he is very very rich!





Should the Church not be setting the example?





I want to hear stories of people coming to Christ because they have seen His love in action in my life. Whether that means me giving away more than I have in material wealth (it's all God's anyway) or just that I have spoken a word of encouragement or act of kindness that cost me time and maybe a little pride.


Or stories of churches with different views on some doctrine reaching out a hand of love to support a God vision without any agenda other than His loving expression.



'Faith is a way of life in submission to God's will not a shortcut to getting what we want'

(M.Hodson - Closer To God)


There's no credit crunch in relationships when Jesus is at the centre.


There's no me first when 'Christ stands between us and we can only get to our neighbour thru Him'(D Bonhoeffer)


Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness (meaning right relationships) and all these things will be given to you as well' Psalm 151 again.......no only kidding Matt 6 vs 33.





I think we got crunched cos we sought first the things He will 'give to us as well'