From the Globe and Mail--Swedish Lutheran Style minimalism

"With credit harder to obtain, mortgage costs rising and unemployment growing in the United States, Europe and Japan, clever advertising may not be enough to persuade those who can still afford it to part with their money.

"In grim times it becomes distasteful or simply unfashionable to spend money on bling or what you might call conspicuous consumption," said Rory Sutherland, vice-chairman at advertising agency Ogilvy.

"There will be a trend toward Swedish, Lutheran-style minimalism," Sutherland predicted, referring to the modest, even austere, lifestyles favored by Lutherans and Swedes by reputation."

Or did they just mean to say IKEA?

Panik

I can't begin to write down the things that my subconscious works on these days when I sleep. I just know I get more and more uncomfortable the closer I get to the morning and I wake up with a knot in my stomach and no appetite for breakfast. No appetite is a highly unusual thing for me.

During the day, I'm ok, but tired, sometimes more distracted than usual. I miss the work I used to have. I miss the people I used to interact with. I am sorry we sold the business. But I'm ok. I read some psalms, I go to church, we listen to nice music and I'm uplifted. But my subconscious keeps churning at night.

I now understand Martin's grandmother Mueller in Poland. Aunt Gertrud writes: why did she leave the farm to flee the Russians with her nine children on a wagon at -30 without the benefits of going in an organized trek with her neighbors. Why did she leave so quickly and all by herself? (husband was away stopping tanks by digging ditches--Volkssturm, stupid work for defense purposes)

Panic. Adrenalin. Got to go or I'll burst.-- of course, she jumped the gun.

It does not mean you're not trusting the Lord. It means there is stuff you have to do, to work through, to change, to arrange, to run, to fix. The adrenalin was given for a purpose. Yet, even while the adrenalin is working you have to try to stay calm and sane. Even accept the adrenalin. Yes, I've got the adrenalin rush, the panic, but not now--you have to think--and pray.

The Chinese, currently, say this: let this situation heighten our sense of peril, so that we will act more appropriately.

I read something like that in the paper. Let it heighten our sense of peril, not let us relax and hope for the best.

As a Christian I also may have a heightened sense of peril, when there is peril. I am supposed to trust the Lord, but I also must let this sense of peril guide me into appropriate discussions and actions.

How England is affected by the crisis

A dear friend sent me this picture.
Good comic relief.

More Magnificat

"He has put down the mighty from their seats."

"The learned, saintly, mighty, great and rich, and the best that the world has must fight against God and the right, and be the devil's own. As it is said in Habakkuk 1:16: "His food is rich and choice"; that is to say, the evil spirit has a most delicate palate and is fond of feasting on the very best, daintiest, and choicest morsels, as a bear on honey. Hence the learned and saintly hypocrites, the great lords and the rich, are the devil's own tidbits. On the other hand, as St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:28, those whom the world rejects, the poor, lowly, simplehearted, and despised, God has chosen, causing the best part of mankind to bring suffering upon the lowest part, in order that men may know that our salvation consists not in man's power and works but in Gods' alone, as St. Paul also says (1 Cor 3:7). Hence there is much truth in these saying, "the more men know, the worse they grow"; "A prince, a rare bird in heaven"; "Rich here, poor yonder." For the learned will not surrender the pride of their hearts, nor the mighty their oppression, nor the rich their pleasures. And so it goes." (Luther's commentary, vol. 21)

man-made "Bubbles"

Still finishing Luther's Works, Volume 21: Sermon on the Mount and Magnificat, p. 340.

Mary says: "He has shown strength with His arm, He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts."

"On the other hand, God lets the other half of mankind become great and mightily to exalt themselves. He withdraws His power from them and lets them puff themselves up in their own power alone. For where man's strength begins, God's strength ends. When their bubble is full blown, and everyone supposes them to have won and overcome, and they themselves feel smug in their achievement, then God pricks the bubble, and it is all over. The poor dupes do not know that even while they are puffing themselves up and growing strong they are forsaken by God, and God's arm is not with them. Therefore their prosperity has its day, disappears like bubble, and is as if it had never been."

God and Mammon/ Jesus and the Stock Market

What a week in the stock market! How is your retirement nest egg looking? How is our heart looking?

It amazes me how many financial newsletters are out there, how many people need make sure they have the right fund manager. If the right fund manager leaves the fund, the fund is in trouble. They are the financial "saviors". We will follow whoever makes us money, to the end of the earth.

I have to watch this, too. We have to manage our finances, and save for the future, our children's education... We know it too well.

Yet, it is incredible how we can be so serious about this, and yet not realize we need another "Savior". What about not just following the stock market, but following the Lord? Should one not be much more serious about that!? The stock market does what it wills. The government does what it wills. For sure, we will die and leave it all behind.

We don't want to win the world and loose our souls.

"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew: 16, 26)

I don't want to be too pious about this. I did not sleep well this week. In fact, I woke up every hour, even during what's usually your three first deep hours. But as the whole world saw the stock market pretty much crash, the whole world will see Him come in glory. That event will be incomparably more momentous.