Dave noticed her from our Mazatlán deck and pointed her out to me.  She, the mother of three youngsters, sat in her lounge chair nearby while her kiddies played in the pool.  For fifteen (15!!!) minutes, she took Selfies, which, statistically speaking, were some of the 93 million taken that day.

First, she checked the sunlight.  Then she twisted sideways.  Swished her hair.  Puckered her lips.  Moved her bangs.  Crossed her legs.  Uncrossed her legs.  Raised her eyebrows. Tossed her head.  Showed her pearly whites.  Closed her mouth.  Turned the other direction and started over.

You name it.  She tried it.  This mother was determined to find one photo that made her look stunning, oblivious to her young kids in the pool. Dave found it fascinating that she was so picky about finding the perfect pose to impress…well, someone. (Perhaps just herself?)

Surely one of the Selfies in the first minute should have done the trick, right? I mean, even I can probably find one picture that makes me look younger, skinnier and sexier quicker than that.                      Okay, I can’t, but you know what I mean.

Talk about self-consumed neediness!  The woman’s search to appear perfect screamed volumes of insecurity. Goodness, she has three children.  If ever an excuse existed to have crows’ feet, eyebags and unruly hair, this was it.  Relish it.  Be empowered by it.  Use it.

Like I do.

But then, for some reason, I started thinking of myself, and yes, I know, that that in itself is a form of neediness.  Haven’t I been known to delete album photos that for some silly reason make me appear 30 pounds overweight?  Or magnify my double-chin? Or show my bald spot?

Yes to all of the above.

But that’s not the worst of it.  Not only am I needy in the physical realm, I’m needy in the spiritual realm even more, even though I want to want (read that again) everything in my life to be about loving God first and looking forward to life with Him in eternity. You know, loving the cross more than the crown.

Don’t I agree with Paul’s writing in 2 Corinthians 5:8? “…we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”  Paul would never have taken a Selfie.  His purpose on earth had nothing to do with how he looked to others.  It was all about pleasing Jesus and meeting him face-to-face in Heaven.

I’ve been thinking that someone should invent a Sacred Selfie to reveal our spiritual lives…sort of a wake-up call for Christians who just might need to get into the Son-light to examine their priorities.

Then again, maybe that’s what the Bible is for.

 

Keys to the Kingdom

 

I have an outgoing and upbeat personality, but I sure didn’t act like it on my first day of first grade back in 1964. Since kindergarten hadn’t been invented yet, I was venturing into very-scary territory. I was sad and distressed as I entered Mrs. Neill’s room toting my cigar box with a tear on the lid. As I sat at my table waiting for the teacher to begin school, I watched another classmate acting like she was at a party! Patsy was boisterously    interacting with the other kids and having a blast. I couldn’t believe she could act like that in such a traumatic situation. But it was quite obvious her attitude was, “Yippee! Kids to play with, and so many of ‘em all in the same room! This is great!” My attitude was, “Gloom, despair, and agony on me!”

 

Although Patsy and I were experiencing the same environment, our attitudes were on opposite ends of the spectrum. Attitude is a mindset, outlook, or perspective about something or a particular situation. When we have a set way of thinking (whether right or wrong), it’s reflected in our behavior. I had an attitude of distress and I was completely miserable. Patsy had an attitude of fun and she was as happy as a lark.

 

God is not honored when His children have bad attitudes. It’s really important that believers have the same attitude as Christ. “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:3-5 NLT). Just as Jesus is willing to go the distance to reach, love, and care for us, we should want to do the same for others.

 

Having a selfish mindset runs contrary to God‘s purposes and guarantees a life of misery. But those who choose to pursue a Christ-like mindset reap the benefits of an abundant life now and eternal life later. “…those who live by the impulses of the Holy Spirit are motivated to pursue spiritual realities. For the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset controlled by the Spirit finds life and peace” (Romans 8:5,6 TPT).

 

Christ followers are not to live in hopeless confusion like the world. When nonbelievers  close their minds and harden their hearts against God, they’re cutting off their nose to spite their face. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. “…let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23 NLT). When believers fill their minds with life-changing truth from God’s Word, there’s no room for the enemy to fill them with his rotten lies. However, Satan loves it when he finds a lazy believer who’s made no effort to fill his/her mind with God’s Word. An empty head is a lot easier to hoodwink, and the devil is more than happy to oblige.

 

If our attitude stinks to high heaven, we can make a life-changing decision to fine-tune it or completely overhaul it. Nothing is impossible with God. Our thoughts direct the course of our lives because we act and speak according to what we think. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 NLT). Do yourself a favor, up the ante and get on board with the right train of thought.

 

The Key: Trade in your old soggy cigar box for a new game-changer attitude.

 

Over the course of my 42 years in the business world, lending to hundreds of businesses during that time period, I have rarely seen people succeed by accident.  Big success stories are almost invariably preceded by big planning.  Yes, these plans have had to adjust on the fly sometimes, but the fact that people are thinking strategically on an ongoing basis gives them a better chance at meeting their objectives.

 

That being said, I have seldom encountered effective planning by communities.  Perhaps it is because a 10-year plan seems meaningless to a politician whose term lasts for four years, but it is more likely because it is a herculean effort.  No matter what state, county or city undertakes the process of producing a plan, the project must be undertaken by credible citizens, and the diversity of the whole jurisdiction must be considered.  In today’s world of caustic social media, who among us has any critical mass of credibility left?

 

Despite these obstacles, the people and communities of Bourbon County must try; if we fail to plan, we are planning to fail every day.  We will all wake up one day and wonder how we have drifted so far away from the best we can be.

 

Some communities engage outside organizations to drive this process.  I don’t mind the thought of getting a consultant involved to give some guidance, but a third-party who drives the process misses the point of our own community learning to engage one another on a healthy basis and do our own planning on an ongoing basis.

 

What is involved in a Bourbon County comprehensive plan?  It starts with a solid vision of what we want to look like in 10 years, 20 years, etc.  The vision has to be doable and make sense in context of who we are now, what resources are available, and what we realistically can be; for example, it would not make sense for us to aspire to be the entertainment capital or the Silicon Valley of the Midwest.

 

Once we have a vision for the county, and every jurisdiction inside the county, we can begin to create processes within realistic timelines, set priorities and allocate resources.  There also needs to be standards and procedures set for reviewing the vision and adjusting it as conditions change or new opportunities present themselves.

 

Bourbon County REDI will begin discussions of the who, what, when, where, why and how of community planning.  Get ready to be a contributor, not just a social media naysayer.  If you have thoughts and ideas as to how community planning should unfold, we would

If you watch the news, you saw it.

A public relation’s nightmare unfolded in the White House.

Barak Obama, the U.S. President from two terms previous to Joe Biden, was invited to speak to a group of selected Democrats applauding the 10^th anniversary of Obama Care, a universal health care program unearthed under Obama’s tutelage.

Following the charismatic Obama’s talk, those in attendance encircled him, fawning over this opportunity to be near their political hero.

The cameras caught a rejection tragedy live, for President Joe Biden looked like a lost soul, struggling to find someone to pay attention to him.  Biden meandered on the outskirts of the celebratory Obama swarm, reminding me of middle schoolers sitting alone at a cafeteria table, desperate to be noticed.

The airways played that tape ad nauseum.

One doesn’t have to be a Biden fan (but everyone should respect the position of President) to imagine what those few moments of feeling like a “nobody” had to be like. I mean, I’ve known rejection, but never in view of the entire world.  Here he was, the president of the most powerful nation in the world, and no one cared.

A week later, someone sent out a musical version of President Biden first trying to get Obama’s attention, only to finally give up, wander aimlessly in the background and ultimately reach for the hand of some woman in the audience. The song “All By Myself” played in the background, and I thought, this scene by itself is tragic enough; adding a musical score truly compounds the humiliation.   

 But then I realized something.  If Jesus—whose humanity was a picture of rejection– wasn’t above such shaming, why should any human, no matter how powerful, be different?  And yes, I know that Jesus had no music accompanying his tortuous death, but he did have celebratory Roman guards competing for his clothing and mocking his pain.  More tragically, on the cross he endured the ultimate rejection. Matthew 27:45 tells us that at the ninth hour Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”  God Himself had turned His back on His son, the one representing the sins of the world—us! —for which he willingly gave up his life.                                                                                                                                                     Rejection hurts, so if we felt sorry for President Biden when Obama turned his back on him, I get it.  But maybe it needs only to point us to the rejection we deserved but never endured.

 

Keys to the Kingdom

“I could tell you stuff about her that would make your hair curl!“ (Please don’t.) “You won’t believe what I just heard about him!” (No, I won’t.) Sometimes we find ourselves in conversations against our will. It starts innocently enough, but quickly heads south and turns into gossip. I hate gossip as much as I love chocolate. Hearing “juicy tidbits” about others makes me want to dig a hole and crawl in. I know of a godly man that wouldn’t listen to gossip. He would simply walk away without saying anything. I think his silent response and gentle actions spoke louder than any words.

Mom used to wisely advise me, “You don’t have to tell everything you know.” I often think of the New Testament scripture about Jesus’ mother: “All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often” (Luke 2:18,19 NLT). Mary pondered things in her heart; she mulled it over, meditated on it, carefully thought about it. She kept it to herself because the things she had witnessed were too personal and treasured to share. Occasionally, some experiences are so amazing that we are left speechless.

Gossip can be defined as undisciplined or idle talk about an individual’s private affairs involving details that are not confirmed as being true. However, even if the intriguing details are true, if you truly love your neighbor as yourself, you should choose not to share the hurtful newsflash. The Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” would apply here. “If you are sensible you will control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it” (Proverbs 19:11 GNT). God’s way is to overlook a wrong and not blab it (which could possibly destroy the person‘s reputation).

Instead of setting our radar for gossip, let’s challenge ourselves to see how many people we can build up, encourage, and compliment every day through our words. Reach out in love and concern to help alleviate tough situations for others. “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT).

A gossip (intentionally or unintentionally) creates mischief in society. “A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence” (Proverbs 11:13 NLT). I want to be a confidential friend who can be trusted with someone’s heartache. I don’t want to be guilty of James 1:26 NLT: “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.” The way we treat and speak about others reveals the true condition of our heart.

On the flip side of gossip, let’s use our words to build up those that have been flattened by life’s steamroller. “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works” (Hebrews 10:23 NLT). We can use our tongues to spur one another on. Positive reinforcement is all some people need in order to believe they can do the seemingly impossible. Words of encouragement can change everything. Let’s go for it!

The Key: When someone says, “I’m not supposed to tell this, but…,” it’s time to dig a hole or put on your walking shoes.

Community College

 

James Fallows, a freelance writer, became curious about the demise of small towns; so, in 2013, he and his wife, Deborah, traveled over 100,000 miles around America to find out the common factors of communities that are succeeding despite the trends.  They wrote about it in a book entitled, Our Towns (thank you to Rick Mayhew for sending me a copy), which was turned into a documentary by HBO, and summarized in an article published by Atlantic Monthly magazine.

 

Number seven on their list of 11 common attributes of thriving small towns is their support of a community college.  These resources are efficient, effective, and extremely accessible to our children and grandchildren in rural America; it certainly gives us a better chance to keep them here and slow the “brain drain” crippling many small towns.  Beyond the positive influence on our youth (and some adults), what is the economic impact of Fort Scott Community College (“FSCC”) on Bourbon County?  Here are some numbers:

 

• Total revenue for all sources in fiscal year 2021 was $13.2 million, expected to increase to $14.4 million in 2022.
• Total student income was $5.2 million in 2021; that budgeted number is $6.1 million for 2022.
• FSCC employs 170 individuals, 119 of which live in Bourbon County; annual net wages for our county residents total $3.2 million.
• FSCC does business locally whenever possible, patronizing 82 Bourbon County businesses with close to $1 million in spending in 2021.
• Tuition waivers totaling $76,668 were awarded to 127 Bourbon County residents in 2021.
• FSCC students volunteer about 6,000 hours of community service to Bourbon County over the course of a school year. I know dozens of them showed up for the recent downtown Fort Scott cleanup.

 

These are significant contributions to our community, all accomplished while avoiding a mill levy increase since 2012.  In 2013, the levy was 29.519, and was budgeted at 29.299 in 2022.  Given the steady increase in costs to run any organization over that same time period, one can only conclude that FSCC is run on a financially sound basis.

 

As with all political entities, there is going to be significant disagreement over how they are run and how the money is spent, but no one can deny that we much better off with FSCC.  Having lived in a rural Kansas county that tried and failed to attract a community college, I can tell you that we are envied.  Four of my 11 grandchildren live in or around Bourbon County and may attend FSCC, but either way, I am happy to pay a little higher taxes in exchange for the all-around economic impact to our community.  It is a must for site selectors who are considering locating a new business in rural counties.

 

You may be focused on the imperfections of FSCC, but I encourage you to consider the economic and academic treasure it is for Bourbon County.  We would be a much poorer place without it.

On the left is the advertisement for what the chicken nuggets were supposed to look like.  On the right is what my daughter-in-law received.

Cutting into the nuggets when she got home showed little actual chicken, but if you’re into skin and gristle, this goodie is for you.

I called the fast-food restaurant and lodged a complaint.  While I was on the phone with their rep, my son called his wife who told him what I was doing.

She put him on the speaker-phone. “Mom, hang up.  I can’t believe you’re doing this.”  I, of course, reminded him that last year I called the 1-800 floral company when he paid $90.00 for an Easter bouquet for his wife and infant daughter, a “bouquet” that looked like a wilted, miniature version of the flowers being advertised.  Had he paid $9.00, I would have said nothing.

If people don’t complain when they are not given what is promised, the company will continue to take advantage, right?

No one wants to be ripped off.

Just ask the 37,000 investors who lost a total of $65 billion when they trusted Bernie Madoff.

Well, guess what!  There is one who, in spite of being accused otherwise, never rips off anyone.  Still, the accusations don’t stop.  My friend’s adult child lives in another state but has decided not to believe in God because He doesn’t answer prayers to satisfy this individual (not an uncommon argument). So, I guess, God is ripping off this poor guy? The problem is that God is God, and this person isn’t.  He’s a narcissist, but he isn’t God.

We must read Scripture to learn who God is so we don’t grow up with unrealistic, selfish expectations.  He’s not Santa Claus or the Easter bunny or the tooth fairy or a genie in a bottle.

He loves us enough to become the only perfect human ever to save us from ourselves, including ideas that we deserve something from Him.

Look at 2 Corinthians 5:21:  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

We can’t do anything to make ourselves right with God.

Trust me, I spent a long time trying.

Such a waste!  God has done all the work.  We have no right to pat ourselves on our backs when we try to out-smart our creator.  But even when we do, He doesn’t give up on us. Because that’s what unconditional Love does.

And that’s about as far from a rip-off artist as I can imagine.

 

 

Keys to the Kingdom

Have you ever searched high and low for something and still couldn’t find it? I live by the adage, “a place for everything and everything in its place.” Nonetheless, I occasionally decide that the place where I’ve kept an item for the past 41 years isn’t the most logical. So then I move it and, the next time I need it, I don’t know where it is. I’ve pretty-much decided that it’s better to leave it in the original “wrong” place than to change it. I don’t enjoy looking from top to bottom as if I’m playing “hide the thimble“ all by myself. When I’m the hider and the seeker, I feel like a ding-dong when I can‘t find it!

 

At the time of the crucifixion of Jesus, there were two curtains (veils) inside the temple — one at the entrance to the Holy Place and one at the entrance to the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest was allowed to pass through the second curtain once a year. This curtain was 60 feet high, 30 feet wide, and 4 inches thick. From Golgotha’s cross, Jesus shouted, “It is finished!” and then He released His spirit. “At that moment the curtain [veil] in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened….“ (Matthew 27:51,52 NLT). It was humanly impossible to tear this thick curtain. But when God Himself ripped it in half from top to bottom, He was declaring that everyone could freely come directly to Him through the blood of Jesus!

 

“So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven…. With His own blood — not the blood of goats and calves — He entered the Most Holy Place [Holy of Holies] once for all time and secured our redemption forever. …He is the One who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them” (Hebrews 9:11,12,15 NLT). Christ’s sacrifice was perfect because it was completely effective and didn’t need to be repeated. He alone, as our Redeemer, paid the ransom forever with His precious blood. Jesus is the One who enacted the new covenant with a new relationship with God. The unveiling of Jesus Christ occurred when the veil was torn in two at the entrance of the Holy of Holies.

 

Christ Jesus abolished the requirement for the curtain at the entrance to the Holy of Holies. “When God speaks of a ‘new’ covenant, it means He has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear” (Hebrews 8:13 NLT). The installation of the new covenant proved that the one already in existence was temporary. To return to the old system would be to return to what is no longer valid or effective. “But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for He is the One who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6 NLT).

 

I used to think that planned obsolescence only pertained to appliances, but I just realized that God planned for old-covenant obsolescence. I’ll take the new superior over the old inferior any day. Years ago I tried to drink a can of Coke that was out of date — to say it was ineffective would be an understatement. From A to Z, from The Word to Lord, from El Shaddai to the Bread of Life, from a baby to a King, Jesus is everything.

 

The Key: We have a new covenant with God, signed, sealed, and delivered in the blood of Jesus.

 

In 2008, the housing bubble burst, which took our whole economy into the “Great Recession,” the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, which began in 1929.  In the current decade, the process could be reversed, with an economic downtown slowing the latest run-up of housing prices.  Is a recession eminent?  No one knows for sure, and unique factors both globally and locally will play as yet an unknown role in in determining the answer to that question.

 

As an economics major (who still makes a practice of studying the discipline), a former Federal Reserve Bank employee and a life-long banker, I have long believed that the interest rate yield curve shape has been the most reliable indicator of an impending recession over the last 65 years.  The interest rate yield curve is said to be inverted when the interest paid on a one-year US Treasury security exceeds the rate paid on a 10-year instrument; normally, the curve slants up, not down.  Every measurable recession since I was born (there have been 9 since 1956) has been predicted by the inversion of the yield curve.  Only once during that time period did an inversion occur without an ensuing recession.  We are close to another yield curve inversion; in fact, it has occurred momentarily several times in the last few weeks.

 

How does the inverted yield curve impact housing?  Eventually, the rise in short-term interest rates pushes up longer term rates, including home mortgages.  A rise in unemployment usually follows the rate increase.  When mortgage rates and unemployment increase significantly, the housing market slows down.  This will be particularly hard on rural America as we have not experienced the building boom seen in metropolitan areas, and our crying need for additional housing will go unmet awhile longer.

 

Making it even more difficult for Bourbon County to generate new housing is the hangover from the 2008 housing bust.  Previously, we had several builders who were eminently qualified and resourced to build a quality home here, but no longer.  Yes, we still have qualified builders, but they no longer have subcontracting crews on which they can rely to construct a quality home on time and on budget; those tradesmen are not sitting around waiting for the next opportunity.  Assembling the expertise to build a new home in the future will be a challenge.

 

Bourbon County REDI and the board of the new Land Bank are aware of these factors, and are committed to searching for creative solutions.  It will not be easy, but we need to stay alert for opportunities to solve the housing needs in all of Bourbon County.

During the Los Angeles riots in the 1990’s, a reporter encountered three looters leaving a store. He asked them what they took, and the first two told him off with profanity. But the third
man said, “I got some gospel music. I love Jesus!”

I just don’t get it.

Currently, I am in a Zoom Bible study, and this week we are covering the book of Judges…one of the most depressing, frustrating books in the Old Testament. Perhaps the entire Bible. Which is probably why that book ends with these solemn words: In those days there
was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
In a nutshell, the Israelites, God’s chosen people, messed up. Not once. Not twice.

Dozens, if not hundreds of times.

Then they repented, begged for God’s help avenging
whomever they had unrightfully attacked, and acted holy…until, that is, they didn’t.

We are left scratching our heads, wondering what is wrong with these guys, but the truth is, they aren’t totally unholy. I mean, they ask for a priest’s intervention, talk openly about their
love for Yahweh, cling to vows they have taken and even attack clans that should have been destroyed when the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land.

But then they act out of fleshly lust or ignore the difficult part of God’s commands or make stupid pledges that cost them lives…theirs and others (like 25,000 at a time). A “little” holy, perhaps?

Of course, God never calls us to be a little holy (which is sort of like a being a little alive). There are no portion controls in Kingdom living. We Christians just live as if there are.

While researching the back-story of Judges, I ran across an article from David Guzik’s “Study Guide to Judges 18” where he gives an example of people caught between holy and
unholy living.

“In Europe in the 14 th century, unemployed soldiers often became small armies of bandits and robbed and burned and killed and raped in towns and villages all over Europe. These
brutal criminals often negotiated with a town before attacking it.

“If the town agreed to give the brutes a large amount of money, the army left the city alone. If the town refused to give the money or could not give the money, they attacked. These were done with formal negotiations and contracts. They have discovered that when these horrible men came to a monastery, they insisted on money as well – but they also demanded that the priests of the monastery give them a written document saying that all their sins were forgiven.”

I just don’t get it.

Look again at Judges 21:25: In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. I wonder if those words can be tweaked a little.

In present days there is little Lord in America; everyone does what is right in his/her own eyes.

This Sunday, we will celebrate Easter. My son’s church in Florida requires online registration to attend. Multiple services are added because Easter is, for many, the only time they tend to come.

They will hear how Jesus died for their sins, but Hallelujah…He lives! He lives to give us new life, to make us into new creations, to enable us to spend eternity in Heaven.

There is no more powerful message

Keys to the Kingdom

My brother (retired senior pastor) kept a jar of marbles on his church office desk just for a witty conversation piece. The thing that brought grins and chuckles from his parishioners was the sign posted beside it: “Lost your marbles? Take a few.” Randy’s container had Pee Wees, Shooters, and Boulders; the most-popular marble that people chose was the  cat’s eye Shooter. Although I’ve never played the game, I have a few marbles of my own. “Losing your marbles” is a familiar colloquialism. If you’ve said or done something goofy, you may have even had a good friend  ask, “Have you lost your marbles?!”

 

We all have days when we do ridiculously-stupid stuff and an eyewitness would probably think we’ve lost our marbles. I can use myself to illustrate this point. Many years ago, I was preparing to go somewhere and I placed my camera on top of the car as I loaded everything. Silly story short, I later found the smashed-to-smithereens camera on the road a half mile from my house. Needless to say, I didn’t take any pictures that day. I can recall  two different times when I attempted to make sweet tea using salt. That didn’t turn out well at all. Now for the most-recent scatterbrained example: After I had written, proofed, tweaked, and saved this column for publishing, I opened it up several days later and  accidentally deleted it. Poof! The document was gone like a ‘57 Chevy — so I had to rebuild it from scratch. I sure could’ve used one of my brother‘s marbles that day!

 

Sometimes it’s quite a challenge to get all your marbles in a row and keep ‘em there. Once they get loose, they’re liable to roll anywhere. The Bible speaks plainly about the mind of believers. “God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV). If our thoughts are causing anxiety, we’re probably not rejecting the lies, fears, and doubts that Satan throws at us. God gives believers the power to have a sound mind which enables us to be at peace in troubling situations.

 

Christians have to actively control what we allow into our minds. Understanding the following scripture may dissuade us from watching the news 24-7: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8 NLT). Fixing our minds on good news (what God says in His Word) is crucial. Not focusing on bad news is also crucial if we want God’s peace in our life. Jesus said that He was leaving His own peace with us,  which is the real thing and not an imitation peace that the devil offers. “I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27 NLT).

 

The biblical and common-sense approach to life is found in this scripture: “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 AMP). Believers are to entrust their lives and everything in life to their all-wise and loving heavenly Father. We can rest easy knowing we can rely on Him to take care of our every need.

 

The Key: God knows how to keep your marbles from scattering and getting lost.

In our economic system, nothing drives the economy more than capital investment.  It is the fuel for the engine of business and our country’s fiscal wellbeing.  Very little constructive happens apart from men and women with funds to invest deciding to take risks for an attractive return on their money.

 

Several megatrends that have impacted our nation since the beginning of World War II have served to shift capital investments away from small communities into urban areas.  Government tax policy, the explosion of business regulation at all levels, and cultural sentiments that have moved us away from capitalism to socialism are a few of the factors that have decreased the amount of capital investment in rural American and our economy as a whole.  More recently, our government has made it less attractive to produce energy by traditional means which discourages capital investments and disproportionately impacts rural America.  One does not see oil wells in the urban core of our cities.

 

As evidence, consider that between 1980 and 1989, business investment in equipment, software and structures grew by 2.7% per year on average and 5.7% in the decade of the ‘90’s; between 2000 and 2011, that number was a paltry 0.5% per year, less than one-tenth the amount of the previous decade.  Moreover, as a share of Gross Domestic Product, business investment has declined by more than 3% since 1980.  If we had the numbers divided between rural America and urban areas, I am sure that they would show that we have borne much more of the decline on a percentage basis.

 

The most obvious example of this in Bourbon County is the dearth of new construction over recent decades.  One simply cannot create value by building something new, as evidenced by the gap between an appraisal and construction costs.  This is also true of new houses.  Nothing puts a damper on capital investment more than the potential of an immediate double-digit percentage loss on that investment.  Naturally, an entrepreneur will build their building and their business in a location where value is created.

 

As an alternative, many Bourbon County men and women have stepped up and purchased struggling buildings and converted them to productive use, opening the doors to a new business in the process.  These people love Bourbon County and are willing to risk the negative return on investment to see us move forward.  Next time you drive by a newly remodeled business location, stop in and thank them by buying something.

 

Bourbon County REDI has this capital investment gap in our crosshairs, looking for ways to close the value gap and help facilitate growth in our business community; sometimes this involves grants, creative financing or angel investments.  If you love Bourbon County, be a part of the solution by helping us reduce barriers to successful entrepreneurship and supporting the men and women who have invested their