400-408 – Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council (frc.org), is in town to speak at both the morning and evening services this Sunday at Calvary Chapel South Bay (ccsouthbay.org).
413-423 – • USA Today (6/7/2011) U.S. funding for future promises lags by trillions. What if the government "spent less than they earned?"
My Summary – The federal government now has $61.6 trillion dollars of unfunded obligations, a whopping $534,000 per household – these are promises to pay with money we don't have.
Last year we added (i.e., borrowed) $5.3 trillion to this mountain of debt: $1.5 trillion to finance the budget, $1.8 trillion to fund Medicare, and $1.4 trillion to fund Social Security.
If the government had to declare it's finances like a corporations, all of these would be considered liabilities and a huge loss for stockholders.
Bottom line, we're deceiving the citizenry by not telling them we're $61.6 trillion dollars in debt. Put it this way, every American household owes the government an additional $534,000, above and beyond their mortgage, car payment, credit card debt, and other loans.
• USA Today (6/7/2011) Government's mountain of debt.
My Summary – Here's what your household owes the federal government.
Medicare – $24.8 trillion, or $212,500 per household. As the Baby Boomers retire this will get far worse. In the past 20 years, we added 13 million 65-year-olds to Medicare. Over the next 20 years, we'll add 33 million.
Social Security – $21.4 trillion, or $183,400 per household. We add at least $1.2 trillion to the debt every year because there aren't enough younger workers to cover the benefits of retirees. The $21.4 trillion short fall considers everyone in the system right now, workers and beneficiaries alike. It kicks in at age 62.
Federal debt – $9.4 trillion, or $79,900 per household.
Military retirement/disability benefits – $3.6 trillion, or $31,200 per household.
Federal employee retirement benefits – $2 trillion, or $17,000 per household.
State and local government obligations – $5.2 trillion, or $44,800 per household.
• Fox News (6/7/2011) 1 in 3 Employers Will Drop Health Benefits After ObamaCare Fully Kicks In, Survey Finds.
My Summary – In a recent poll of 1,300 employers, 30% said they will drop health coverage for their employees once Obamacare fully kicks in in 2014. It kicks up to 50% if the employer is "highly aware" of the Obamacare impact on their business. 85% of employees say they would stay with their employer if they dropped health coverage.
428-438 – • Fox News (6/7/2011) Jilted Ex-Boyfriend's Abortion Billboard Ignites Free Speech Debate. Calls: Is this topic really about free speech and privacy or is it about shame and guilt? We now live in a society where there are YouTube videos made by students teaching other students how to cheat on tests. There are public dating websites and greeting card companies that cater to having an affair on your spouse. There are countless kids sexting and making sex tapes with no shame. When in our lives are guilt and shame a good thing, especially if it leads us to repentance? What does this say about us when people are more upset about the billboard but not the lost baby? Is there anything left that is shameful? Other than driving an SUV or smoking? Think of all the things that are now acceptable, and all those things that are not politically correct.
A New Mexico man's decision to lash out with a billboard ad saying his ex-girlfriend had an abortion against his wishes has touched off a legal debate over free speech and privacy rights.
The sign on Alamogordo's main thoroughfare shows 35-year-old Greg Fultz holding the outline of an infant. The text reads, "This Would Have Been A Picture Of My 2-Month Old Baby If The Mother Had Decided To Not KILL Our Child!"
Fultz's ex-girlfriend has taken him to court for harassment and violation of privacy. A domestic court official has recommended the billboard be removed.
But Fultz's attorney argues the order violates his client's free speech rights. "As distasteful and offensive as the sign may be to some, for over 200 years in this country the First Amendment protects distasteful and offensive speech," Todd Holmes said.
The woman's friends say she had a miscarriage, not an abortion, according to a report in the Albuquerque Journal.
Holmes disputes that, saying his case is based on the accuracy of his client's statement.
"My argument is: What Fultz said is the truth," Holmes said.
The woman's lawyer said she had not discussed the pregnancy with her client. But for Ellen Jessen, whether her client had a miscarriage or an abortion is not the point. The central issue is her client's privacy and the fact that the billboard has caused severe emotional distress, Jessen said.
"Her private life is not a matter of public interest," she told the Alamogordo Daily News.
Jessen says her client's ex-boyfriend has crossed the line.
"Nobody is stopping him from talking about father's rights. ... but a person can't invade someone's private life."
For his part, Holmes said that during a domestic court hearing last week he pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this year concerning the Westboro Baptist Church, which is known for demonstration signs and slogans that include anti-gay slurs.
"Very unpopular offensive speech," he told the Alamogordo Daily News. "The Supreme Court, in an 8 to 1 decision, said that is protected speech."
Holmes says he is going to fight the order to remove the billboard through a District Court appeal.
443-452 – Calls –
458-508 – Pastor Carey Nieuwhof, is the co-author of Parenting Beyond Your Capacity: Connect Your Family to a Wider Community, and he'll be teaching the concept of "Discipleship Discipline" at the 5th Annual Legacy Parent Conference at Shepherd of the Hills in Porter Ranch this Saturday (6/11) from 8:30am to 3pm. The fee is $25, and that covers admission, lunch and conference materials. Register online at legacymindedparent.com/#/legacy-conference, or just get there early Saturday morning, registration starts at 8am. This is a "parent only" conference, and no child care will be provided. "Discipleship Discipline" is maybe a new way for parents to think about how to discipline – it's all about changing hearts not just controlling behaviors. They're giving away a free copy of his book to the first 100 parents who pre-register for the conference.
• "Parent with the end in mind, what kind of a person do you want them to be at 25?"
• "Every parent is on the journey from being a rule parent to being a relationship parent, from control to influence. You start out emphasizing rules and control when they're young, but that transitions into relationship and influence as they reach their teens. This parallels the truth and grace dynamic in Scripture. We need both, but in proper balance."
512-523 – Pastor Carey Nieuwhof,
528-539 – Pastor Carey Nieuwhof,
544-554 – Pastor Carey Nieuwhof,
558-608 – Calls – The worship-entertainment question: when does worship dilute to entertainment, and when does entertainment elevate to worship? Have you ever worshipped to secular music or been entertained by a worship team (think Jeremy Camp and Greenday)? At the birth of rock n'roll, much of the church responded with "it's Satan's music," saying that only a piano, organ or harp were acceptable instruments, and maybe a tambourine for the holy rollers. But a guitar was too disrespectful, and a heavy rock beat only reminded young people of sex. Today, we sing love songs to Jesus much like we'd sing songs to a lover, and we don't even think about it, forgetting there was a time when "Christian Rock" was an oxymoron. And then, how about "Christian hip-hop"? Are we doing to "Christian hip-hop" today what our grandparents did to rock n'roll?
612-623 – Calls –
628-639 – Calls –
644-654 – Calls –
