The Kenyan economics expert James Shikwati, 35, says that aid to Africa does more harm than good. The avid proponent of globalization spoke with SPIEGEL about the disastrous effects of Western development policy in Africa, corrupt rulers, and the tendency to overstate the AIDS problem.
Now that the world population is once again feeling good about themselves, like they've "done they're part" to end world hunger by simply going to a silly concert, they can perhaps actually listen to the voice of someone who actually understands the needs of Africa, instead of encouraging the world to continue to perpetuate the problems.
The above lines are the first in an eye opening interview with a real live African economist. And he wants you to keep your money.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Submission
Another addition from Bob on a subject often misunderstood.
Enjoy:
As I reflect on the words found in Ephesians 5:22, ("Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.") I realize how easy it is for people facilely to read this admonition and dismiss it out of hand as oppressive and misogynist, but a look at the words that precede it gives us a very different picture: "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."(5:21.) Those words are directed both to men and to women, to children and to parents, to employers and employees; they set the tone for the whole passage, Ephesians 5:21-6:9.
However, this passage really begins with Saint Paul's admonition in Ephesians 5:18, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." It begins there, because this life of submission to others for the sake of Christ goes against the grain of human nature. Genuine, cheerful submission to others from the heart is impossible without the on-going ministry of the Holy Spirit. To the extent that I am full of myself, full of the sense of my own importance, my own needs, my own rights, I will not and cannot truly submit to others, at least not without deep resentment.
When people are drunk, they are full of wine; their whole demeanor is marked by their being under the influence, control and domination of alcohol; their responses to situations are characterized by a lack of self control, and they do not act wisely according to their naturally perceived self interests. When believers are full of the Holy Spirit, their focus is on thinking, speaking and acting to the glory of God in Jesus Christ. Their own interests, needs, welfare, desires and rights can be cheerfully subordinated to the welfare of others for the glory of God and the advancement of the Kingdom of his Son. The Christian way of life is not as much a set of rules as it is an attitude of serving others for the sake of Christ. Here is how it is put in Philippians 2:3-8:
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!"
When believers take on the mindset of the Lord Jesus, they become willing to lay down their rights and privileges for the sake of others. How can we think of the Cross but that God almighty in his human nature became the doormat on which we wipe our sins in order to enter heaven? Without the connotation of cowardly silence, we, too, are called upon to be doormats for the welfare and needs of others, humbly entrusting ourselves into the hands of our heavenly Father when we are wronged by others.
Rather than looking for our rights under the law, we voluntarily submit to injustice for the sake of Christ: "Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." (1 Peter 2:18-21.)
(Greg: Neither Bob, nor the Bible, is advocating slavery - only responding to a cultural reality at that time - I know this caveat is necessary for some of you)
The meekness of Christ becomes the pattern for all our dealings with others, as Peter says above, not only for people who treat us kindly, but also for those who are mean and ugly: "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly . . . Wives, IN THE SAME WAY . . . Husbands, IN THE SAME WAY . . ." (1 Peter 2:23; 3:1, 7.) Peter moves from the suffering of Christ to the relationship between men and women in marriage. Christ suffered injustice; he was not treated fairly; why should we expect to be?
Make no mistake about it; in spite of the wonderful blessings of marriage, the marriage relationship will often confront us with situations that are unfair. Marriage is a wonderful thing; indeed, of all worldly things, nothing is better than a good marriage. But a good marriage doesn't just happen; it evolves over years of mutual self-sacrifice. Christian love is self-sacrificing love; it doesn't seek its own interests. Not only is Christian love not self-seeking, it does not keep a record of wrongs. Perhaps that is why it is not so easily angered. (1 Corinthians 13:5.)
Godly self-sacrifice does not keep score, in part, because the more mature believers are, the more they are aware of their own inability to know their own hearts and evaluate their own conduct. (Jeremiah 17:9.) Saint Paul in reflecting on his own life, commented: "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. MY CONSCIENCE IS CLEAR, BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE ME INNOCENT. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." (1 Corinthians 4:3-5.)
Our Lord warned us: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:3-5.)
As believers mature they become increasingly aware that they have their own blind spots. That is especially true in marriage: no matter who we are and how long we have walked with Jesus, no matter our gender, no matter how long we have been married or how much we love our spouse, we will regularly be assaulted with the thought that we are not getting our share of the bargain. We will think that we are being defrauded and being taken advantage of. We will see our spouse's faults with crystal clarity, while often being utterly oblivious to our own.
It may seem to be a silly thing, but I think about driving. This coming Wednesday Sandy and I will have been married thirty-seven years, and I still get irritated when she offers suggestions about my driving. But Sandy isn't as pure as the driven snow either: as close as she has ever come to losing her temper has been in response to my correcting her driving. The solution? She drives, and I read and really focus on what I'm reading. I try to remind myself that it doesn't make any real difference if we're a couple of minutes late because she chose a different route, and harmony in marriage is more important than only getting half the life out of the brakes because the brake pedal is a convenient spot for a woman's left foot. And when I drive, I need to remember to concentrate on driving rather than getting lost in my thoughts, driving slower and slower.
Cheerful, mutual submission is the hallmark of a marriage between two"Spirit filled" people. But this submission functions slightly differently for males and females: a MAN is to SUBMIT TO THE NEEDS of his wife;(Ephesians 5:25-31.) a WIFE is to SUBMIT TO THE DESIRES of her husband. (Ephesians 5:22-24.) Of course, the Bible warns us that we should never submit to the needs or desires of others when they involve sin, because "We must obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29)
(Greg: not sure I am on board with Bob's distinction here, but carry on..)
Marriage is all about being a servant. If I am not prepared to subordinate myself to the welfare of another, I am not ready for marriage. From personal experience I can say that I never realized how deeply selfishness is a part of me until we had children. Mutual service, not trying to keep a score about who is putting the most effort into the relationship, is the key to a happy and secure family. Indeed, self-sacrifice for the sake of the Lord Jesus, not as a way to score points with God, but as our way of showing him our gratitude for his free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, is the heart of the true Christian life. It is the way to true happiness and fulfillment, too.
"All moments of unhappiness in life are ultimately due to a person's experience of separation from God. A person who is in real communion with God and with the Lord Jesus Christ is happy. It does not matter whether he is in a dungeon, or whether he has his feet fast in the stocks, or whether he is burning at the stake; he is still happy if he is in communion with God. Is not that the experience of the saints down the centuries? So the ultimate cause of any misery or lack of joy is separation from God, and the one cause of separation from Him is self. And self always means defiance of God; it always means that I put myself on the throne instead of God, and therefore it is always something that separates me from Him. Whenever we are unhappy it means that some way or other we are looking at ourselves and thinking about ourselves, instead of communing with God."
-- D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, M. D.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Volume One, pp.295-296.
Thanks again Bob.
Enjoy:
As I reflect on the words found in Ephesians 5:22, ("Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.") I realize how easy it is for people facilely to read this admonition and dismiss it out of hand as oppressive and misogynist, but a look at the words that precede it gives us a very different picture: "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."(5:21.) Those words are directed both to men and to women, to children and to parents, to employers and employees; they set the tone for the whole passage, Ephesians 5:21-6:9.
However, this passage really begins with Saint Paul's admonition in Ephesians 5:18, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." It begins there, because this life of submission to others for the sake of Christ goes against the grain of human nature. Genuine, cheerful submission to others from the heart is impossible without the on-going ministry of the Holy Spirit. To the extent that I am full of myself, full of the sense of my own importance, my own needs, my own rights, I will not and cannot truly submit to others, at least not without deep resentment.
When people are drunk, they are full of wine; their whole demeanor is marked by their being under the influence, control and domination of alcohol; their responses to situations are characterized by a lack of self control, and they do not act wisely according to their naturally perceived self interests. When believers are full of the Holy Spirit, their focus is on thinking, speaking and acting to the glory of God in Jesus Christ. Their own interests, needs, welfare, desires and rights can be cheerfully subordinated to the welfare of others for the glory of God and the advancement of the Kingdom of his Son. The Christian way of life is not as much a set of rules as it is an attitude of serving others for the sake of Christ. Here is how it is put in Philippians 2:3-8:
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!"
When believers take on the mindset of the Lord Jesus, they become willing to lay down their rights and privileges for the sake of others. How can we think of the Cross but that God almighty in his human nature became the doormat on which we wipe our sins in order to enter heaven? Without the connotation of cowardly silence, we, too, are called upon to be doormats for the welfare and needs of others, humbly entrusting ourselves into the hands of our heavenly Father when we are wronged by others.
Rather than looking for our rights under the law, we voluntarily submit to injustice for the sake of Christ: "Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." (1 Peter 2:18-21.)
(Greg: Neither Bob, nor the Bible, is advocating slavery - only responding to a cultural reality at that time - I know this caveat is necessary for some of you)
The meekness of Christ becomes the pattern for all our dealings with others, as Peter says above, not only for people who treat us kindly, but also for those who are mean and ugly: "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly . . . Wives, IN THE SAME WAY . . . Husbands, IN THE SAME WAY . . ." (1 Peter 2:23; 3:1, 7.) Peter moves from the suffering of Christ to the relationship between men and women in marriage. Christ suffered injustice; he was not treated fairly; why should we expect to be?
Make no mistake about it; in spite of the wonderful blessings of marriage, the marriage relationship will often confront us with situations that are unfair. Marriage is a wonderful thing; indeed, of all worldly things, nothing is better than a good marriage. But a good marriage doesn't just happen; it evolves over years of mutual self-sacrifice. Christian love is self-sacrificing love; it doesn't seek its own interests. Not only is Christian love not self-seeking, it does not keep a record of wrongs. Perhaps that is why it is not so easily angered. (1 Corinthians 13:5.)
Godly self-sacrifice does not keep score, in part, because the more mature believers are, the more they are aware of their own inability to know their own hearts and evaluate their own conduct. (Jeremiah 17:9.) Saint Paul in reflecting on his own life, commented: "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. MY CONSCIENCE IS CLEAR, BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE ME INNOCENT. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." (1 Corinthians 4:3-5.)
Our Lord warned us: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:3-5.)
As believers mature they become increasingly aware that they have their own blind spots. That is especially true in marriage: no matter who we are and how long we have walked with Jesus, no matter our gender, no matter how long we have been married or how much we love our spouse, we will regularly be assaulted with the thought that we are not getting our share of the bargain. We will think that we are being defrauded and being taken advantage of. We will see our spouse's faults with crystal clarity, while often being utterly oblivious to our own.
It may seem to be a silly thing, but I think about driving. This coming Wednesday Sandy and I will have been married thirty-seven years, and I still get irritated when she offers suggestions about my driving. But Sandy isn't as pure as the driven snow either: as close as she has ever come to losing her temper has been in response to my correcting her driving. The solution? She drives, and I read and really focus on what I'm reading. I try to remind myself that it doesn't make any real difference if we're a couple of minutes late because she chose a different route, and harmony in marriage is more important than only getting half the life out of the brakes because the brake pedal is a convenient spot for a woman's left foot. And when I drive, I need to remember to concentrate on driving rather than getting lost in my thoughts, driving slower and slower.
Cheerful, mutual submission is the hallmark of a marriage between two"Spirit filled" people. But this submission functions slightly differently for males and females: a MAN is to SUBMIT TO THE NEEDS of his wife;(Ephesians 5:25-31.) a WIFE is to SUBMIT TO THE DESIRES of her husband. (Ephesians 5:22-24.) Of course, the Bible warns us that we should never submit to the needs or desires of others when they involve sin, because "We must obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29)
(Greg: not sure I am on board with Bob's distinction here, but carry on..)
Marriage is all about being a servant. If I am not prepared to subordinate myself to the welfare of another, I am not ready for marriage. From personal experience I can say that I never realized how deeply selfishness is a part of me until we had children. Mutual service, not trying to keep a score about who is putting the most effort into the relationship, is the key to a happy and secure family. Indeed, self-sacrifice for the sake of the Lord Jesus, not as a way to score points with God, but as our way of showing him our gratitude for his free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, is the heart of the true Christian life. It is the way to true happiness and fulfillment, too.
"All moments of unhappiness in life are ultimately due to a person's experience of separation from God. A person who is in real communion with God and with the Lord Jesus Christ is happy. It does not matter whether he is in a dungeon, or whether he has his feet fast in the stocks, or whether he is burning at the stake; he is still happy if he is in communion with God. Is not that the experience of the saints down the centuries? So the ultimate cause of any misery or lack of joy is separation from God, and the one cause of separation from Him is self. And self always means defiance of God; it always means that I put myself on the throne instead of God, and therefore it is always something that separates me from Him. Whenever we are unhappy it means that some way or other we are looking at ourselves and thinking about ourselves, instead of communing with God."
-- D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, M. D.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Volume One, pp.295-296.
Thanks again Bob.
Friday, July 01, 2005
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