What Are You Really Worth?

August 1, 2013August 1, 2013Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Romans 12:3 (BBE)
³ But I say to every one of you, through the grace given to me, not to have an over-high opinion of himself, but to have wise thoughts, …

Proverbs 21:2 (AMP)
² Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs and tries the hearts.

More than 100 people were protesting outside a McDonald’s in south St. Louis at lunchtime Monday, the first in a series of wildcat strikes and walkouts that are planned to ripple across the region over the next two days.

The protests are part of a national campaign to push for higher wages for fast-food workers and are expected to hit dozens of stores between now and the end of the day Tuesday, culminating in a rally downtown in Kiener Plaza. The fast-food protests are being organized by local labor and church groups and are taking place in six other cities this week as well.

Workers are advocating for wages of up to $15 per hour, a hike to Missouri’s $7.35 per hour minimum wage and the right to form a union without retaliation.

In an interview Monday morning, one of the strikers, 19-year-old Doneshia Babbitt, said she hopes the protests will draw attention to the challenges of making ends meet on jobs that pay less than $8 an hour with no benefits.

“I hope this helps people understand, I hope they get the picture,” said Babbitt, who’ll be a senior at Jennings High School in the fall, along with her 20-year-old sister, helps support three younger siblings on a job at McDonald’s. “A lot of people working these jobs really need the money.”

To add insult to injury along comes a Democrat who is quick to see that ‘no crisis so go to waste’, and steps in to offer his brilliant assessment of the situation.

Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson, a Democrat from the Atlanta area, flew in to lend his support as well and said federal legislation is needed to reform an industry that profits handsomely off the backs of low-wage workers.

“It’s obscene,” he said, pointing to profits and executive pay at big fast-food companies. “And it’s not the kind of system that’s working for people.” (emphases mine)

Now I need to pause for a moment and let you digest this. Take your time, I know for some this can be difficult to grasp. The concept of minimum wages and how one gains work experience is hard for the ill-informed to get their heads around. Too many have been brainwashed into believing that everyone, regardless of ability, want, effort, knowledge, understanding, education, or work ethic should be treated exactly the same. There should be no difference between a highly paid skilled worker and an unskilled laborer. Both have a job so they both should earn equal pay.

I know that is overly simplistic but I really want to highlight my point here. Both the protestor and the Democrat operative haven’t a clue on how our economy works. The labor unions wise to corral more members so they incite a crowd by stirring up trouble. They point to differences and say HEY it is not fair, let us represent you so that you too can be treated fairly. Only to end up slaves to a union.

Not wishing to see a crisis go to wastes quick on the scene is a Democrat lawmaker promising that Washington DC will make all ills go away by passing yet another grievance bill in the name of fairness.

So far the actors in this drama are our usual suspects. Labor union thugs, their hired rent a mob, and democrat operatives. One unusual participant however is church groups. This article does not say who these church groups are but I have my suspicions. If I were to take a guess I would say that they represented a minority church led by a “black liberation theology preacher” in the likes of say a Rev Al Sharpton or Rev Jeremiah Wright.

By focusing the attention of the mob, hyped up by cries of unfairness, one big FACT is totally over-looked. In fact it is so in your face it is hard to miss but since these racketeers are masters at redirection and deception, the benefits of working for a particular ‘fast-food’ company is purposely diminished. And yet the Democrat lawmaker spelled it out quite nicely when he said:

“It’s obscene,” he said, pointing to profits and executive pay at big fast-food companies. “And it’s not the kind of system that’s working for people.”

Apparently executives at fast-food companies are paid very handsomely for their work. I wonder how many of them started out flipping burgers and frying potatoes for minimum wage? I am sure not all of these executives started their careers making handsome salaries. Apparently working for a fast-food company is working for someone because there are highly paid executives in the industry. If there was no UPWARD mobility or advancement opportunities available to them I would doubt if they would have remained employed there.

Minimum wage jobs are not designed to make ends meet. They are designed to offer low-skilled, or unskilled labor an opportunity to learn a trade or business and advance to a better paying job or career path. They are not intended to be a career choice but rather a career launching pad.

I do find it a bit amusing to find a Democrat hawking higher wages when they are the ones who continually push for the importation of low-skilled, low wage workers into the country by the millions.

Not everyone believes they ought to be paid huge salaries for doing very little. There are some and will continue to be those who seem to think that just by virtue of them being alive they are owed something. They seem to value themselves quite handsomely and place a high dollar value on what they feel their contribution to society is. Just don’t ask them to actually work for anything.

Note to the strikers. If you really want to have a better paying job, then may I suggest you do a better job of being the best employee at your work place and make yourself indispensable to the organization. Learn all you can, do all you can do, become the best you can be at whatever job you are doing.

Colossians 3:23 (NIV)
²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

And that is the way I see it. What say you?

This is a view from the nest. What say you?

This has been A View from the Nest. The statements, comments, or opinions expressed are solely that of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of the host of this site or any affiliates thereof. Any questions or comments should be directed to myself and not to the host or hosts of this site.

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. _{Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)}

Along for the journey

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

July 30, 2013July 30, 2013Allen Frederick 3 Comments

Matthew 23:3 (NIV) ³ So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

Barack Obama signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the White House (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We have all heard the old adage concerning those who do not practice what they preach. It is the old do as I say not as I do routine. This ruse is used every instance an individual or group of individuals wish to tell you what you need to do but they exempt themselves from having to comply. One set of standards is to apply to one group of people and an entirely different set of standards will apply to another. This is the very definition of hypocrisy. These people love to parade around as being superior and in possession of a greater knowledge and understanding then the average person. They love to be looked up to and held in high esteem, while they dish out burdensome regulations to control the less than among us.

Matthew 23:5-7 (GW)
⁵ “They do everything to attract people’s attention. They make their headbands large and the tassels on their shawls long.
⁶ They love the place of honor at dinners and the front seats in synagogues.
⁷ They love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have people call them Rabbi.

An example, just one of many is the recent complaint of Union leaders and the IRS concerning their need to comply with Obamacare regulations. Remember these groups were heavy supporters of the Affordable Care Act when it was being forced upon the American people. They probably thought that they would be exempt from the mandates of this act since they were not the “common folk”.

The IRS is supposed to be the agency responsible for enforcing the (un)Affordable Care Act on everybody. But they want to make sure they get to keep their current coverage through the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP).

One of the early promises from Obama regarding the healthcare plan that bears his name was that if you’re happy with your current insurance, you can keep it. Employees, small businesses and even many unions are finding out that that isn’t actually true, and they’re now opposing Obamacare on those grounds.

A group of unions appealed to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, complaining about Obamacare:

“When you and the President sought our support for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), you pledged that if we liked the health plans we have now, we could keep them. Sadly, that promise is under threat. Right now, unless you and the Obama Administration enact an equitable fix, the ACA will shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.

The IRS will be sure to work hard to force Obamacare on everybody and make sure everyone without exception is in perfect compliance with fees, fines and regulations, but they don’t want any part of it themselves.

“House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp offered a bill in response to these reports of congressional negotiations that would exempt lawmakers and their staff from Obamacare.

Camp spokeswoman Allie Walker said. “If the Obamacare exchanges are good enough for the hardworking Americans and small businesses the law claims to help, then they should be good enough for the president, vice president, Congress and federal employees.”

There you have it folks. A prime example of hypocrisy on full display. It is okay for the commoner to suffer the ill effects of Obamacare on personal wealth, the loss of hard-earned healthcare policies and a reduction in their work weeks.

You got to love it! Ah no we don’t

And that’s the way I see it. What say you?

This is a view from the nest. What say you?

Along for the journey

Finally Someone Showing True Leadership

March 16, 2013March 16, 2013 Leave a comment

Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. (Isaiah 55:4)

Senator Ted Cruz wants to defund ObamaCare or defund the government.

The House has already passed a continuing resolution that would avert a government shutdown set to take place on March 27^th, the date that the Continuing Appropriations Resolution of 2013 expires.

Now, the CR is in the Senate where Senator Ted Cruz offered up an amendment that would remove any funding for the implementation of Obamacare.

Of course, since the Democrats are all good team players, and since they control the Senate, the amendment failed. But Senator Ted Cruz pointed out that if the Senate ends up making any changes to the continuing resolution, they’d have to send it back to the House, and when they do, the GOP should add an amendment like his that would defund Obamacare. That way, the President and the Democrat-controlled Senate are left with the option to either defund Obamacare or let the government shut down. Their choice.

Senator Cruz is playing the game, and he’s playing it well. But others aren’t being good team players. Boehner doesn’t want to defund Obamacare. He says he promises he’ll work on repealing it later, but not now:

Read more: http://godfatherpolitics.com/9915/senator-ted-cruz-obamacare-government/#ixzz2NkVP22Z2

CNS News pointed out that the GOP has voted to defund/repeal Obamacare on 30 different occasions, but not on legislation that had to pass. In other words, they were no more than symbolic moves on the GOP part to make their constituents happy, knowing that their actions would have no real effects. But at least they could secure their re-elections and increase their popularity by telling their voters that they voted to repeal Obamacare.But every time a piece of legislation has to pass to keep the government funded (like the CR), the GOP decides not to touch Obamacare.

This has been the game in the GOP controlled house since Boehner has been the Speaker of the House. You would think he was playing on the same team as Obama. The Democrats whether they are in control of the house or not will stop at nothing to push their agenda. They even go as far as shutting down the White House tours to politicize the Sequester.

The Democrats never relent on their agenda to redistribute your wealth to their constituents. And what do the Republicans do? Nothing of substance. Their refusal to take it to Obama is why they continue to lose. (McCain and Romney)

Along comes freshman Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and even Rand Paul who are actually taking it to the Democrats and what do they get for this? Attacks by senior members of the ruling class. Their own party belittles them and dismisses them and yet they are the only ones who are standing up against the Obama agenda and the Democrat political machine, the rest are simply complicit.

I like Ted Cruz’s approach to defund Obamacare by attaching it to the Continuing Resolution. Since the Democrats can not produce a budget, and it seems they are unable to curb their desire to keep spending money they do not have hence the need for a CR, the only solution is to force the Democrats to make cuts aka the Sequester and now the CR bill.

Obviously the Democrats do not think they have enough money to keep the White House open for tours and since Obama feels there needs to be drastic cuts then why not cut out the BIGGEST UNFUNDED mandate to be enacted in recent years, Obamacare? Obama admits there is not enough money to run the government so how is it that there is enough money to add an entirely new mandate when Medicare and Social Security are both running in the red and the Post Office is showing continued revenue losses?

I stand with Ted Cruz it is time someone takes it right to the Democrats and starts playing by their rules. Way to go Ted!

And that is the way I see it. What say you?

This is a view from the nest. What say you?

Along for the journey

Senator Ted Cruz: Defund Obamacare or Shut Down Government

The Rule of Law of the Rule of Man: Which is it?

January 29, 2013Allen Frederick 1 Comment

Ro 1 (HCSB) Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God.

If governments are given AUTHORITY from God and are instituted by God, then how is it possible to SEPARATE GOD FROM THE GOVERNMENT?

It is the disregard for God’s laws and authority that is the driving force behind all SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE talk.

Even if government was able to silence all opposing voices it would still have to face the final authority and the grantor of the government’s authority, God himself.

2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.

This can be taken to mean that governments are not to be challenged or opposed, but you must read this in light of the previous verse. Because government is an idea established by GOD for civil order and to punish the wicked, it should be acknowledged as such. Disregarding God’s authority over our actions, (governance) is disregarding God. Therefore in order for a government to be legitimate it must acknowledge God’s final authority.

The saying goes that men will get the government they deserve, and this can be seen throughout the history of God’s people Israel. When they forgot who their Lord was they would find themselves governed by tyrants. It is forgetting who is really in charge that renders a people subjects to tyranny. Governments are to be subject to God’s rule, citizens are then to be submissive to the governments as God’s ministers. Separate God from the government and you have the illegitimate rule of man over man.

3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval.

This is how it is supposed to work. Laws are to be written to punish bad conduct not to regulate and restrict good conduct. If you go about your business in an ethical and morally upright fashion you should have nothing to fear from government. However it would seem that more often than not our current government is making lawbreakers of us all. To think that installing a light-bulb that does not meet government standards makes you a law-breaker is absurd. Yet that is exactly what we face today.

4 For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Romans 13:1-4

Again the emphasis is on bad behavior. There is a legitimate purpose for government to regulate BAD BEHAVIOR. This is determined by God’s moral standard and not some arbitrary rule by some power-hungry man.

Our founders knew this and as such set up for us a government by rule of law which placed everyone on equal footing. All where to be held to the same standard. None was to be raised above the law nor given permission to get around the rule of law. The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the land.

But since there is no longer any fear of God in the eyes of the lawmakers, they have no problem passing onerous regulations and burdensome laws that punish law-abiding citizens. The purpose of which are to subject all but the chosen to the tyranny of the law makers. They do not wish to be subject to any law let alone God’s law but they want all the rest of us to be their subjects.

This is a view from the nest. What say you?

Along for the journey

If you love me you must accept me as I am…

January 21, 2013Allen Frederick 3 Comments

Not so fast.

^{Mk 17 (GW)}As Jesus was coming out to the road, a man came running to him and knelt in front of him. He asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
¹⁸Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
¹⁹You know the commandments: Never murder. Never commit adultery. Never steal. Never give false testimony. Never cheat. Honor your father and mother.”
²⁰The man replied, “Teacher, I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was a boy.”
²¹Jesus looked at him and loved him. He told him, “You’re still missing one thing. Sell everything you have. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!”
²²When the man heard that, he looked unhappy and went away sad, because he owned a lot of property. Mark 10:17-22

Love ? I love love love you. (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

The most important thing that jumped out at me with this passages are the words: Jesus looked at him and loved him.

If I have heard it once I have heard it a thousand times God is love and we must love others. So what is love and how does it relate to dealing with others? This passage is a perfect example of what love actually is and what love expects.

JESUS LOVED this man who came to him wanting to gain salvation. Liken this to the person who comes to church asking what they must do to gain eternal life. For the most part these people present themselves as law-abiding citizens and are living a decent and good life. To the average person this man who came to Jesus was an upstanding citizen, an accomplished man, a leader among his peers, successful by the worlds standards and most likely a person any organization would happily employ. This person is not living a visible sinful lifestyle. He would appear to the natural man that he had it all together.

And Jesus LOVED HIM. He loved him enough to tell him his shortcomings. He loved him enough to not let him continue living the life that he was living. He loved him enough to tell him the truth. As compared to what a GODLY life actually entailed this man had missed the mark completely. This man had put his trust in his personal accomplishments. He had acquired a great deal of success and prominence in this world, his resume was impressive, but failed to gain entrance into God’s kingdom.

Jesus loved him. And told him that he needed one thing. To sell everything he had and humble himself to take up the cross and follow Jesus. Interesting enough that is the same message Jesus gave to all his disciples. If any man wished to follow Christ and be his disciple he must take up his cross and follow him. Mt 16:24, Mk 8:34, Lk 9:23.

This is not a new concept and Jesus was not singling out this person and asking him to do anything less than what he had expected of all his disciples.

Why then is it that today’s church does not require the same of their disciples? Why is it that for the most part everyone who comes to the church is offered entrance without any requirements of self-sacrifice and cross bearing? Why do those who come to the church wish to be treated special? They do not wish to be required to give up anything in their life. They want to continue to live exactly like they have before coming to the church. They feel like this man did, they had achieved everything they needed to be acceptable in society and as such should be offered entrance into heaven simply because of their ‘good works‘ or ‘good living’.

God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God. It’s not the result of anything you’ve done, so no one can brag about it. Ephesians 2:8-9 (GW)

You see then all those things that this man thought he had accomplished did not earn him entrance into God’s kingdom because they were done apart from the will of God. They were not done by God’s Spirit. You see to gain entrance into the kingdom of God we must trust in God to lead us there, we can not lead ourselves there nor earn our way in. Prior to coming to Christ all our accomplishments are not acceptable.

Sell all you have accomplished, give it away, give it to the poor, and take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Jesus wherever it is he leads you. Then you shall gain entrance into the kingdom of God. Your plans and accomplishments are not what is important. Everything you thought you wanted to do does not matter. It is not YOUR way that is going to get it done. It is HIS way and only HIS way.

Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (GW)

No one who enters the kingdom of God will ever say they did it their way. And our way is not going to get us there either.

You see folks God is under absolutely no obligation to honor you for your accomplishments, nor is he obligated to honor you because of your ‘good living’. He is God and as such needs to be honored as God and only those who do his will are acceptable into his kingdom.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who does what my Father in heaven wants. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we force out demons and do many miracles by the power and authority of your name?’ Then I will tell them publicly, ‘I’ve never known you. Get away from me, you evil people.’ Matthew 7:21-23 (GW)

Do not be deceived into believing that just because things have gone well for you, and you have accomplished great things in this world, that you have a guarantee entrance into God’s kingdom. There is only one way to get in and that is to deny thyself, and take up the cross and follow Jesus. You can not come to Christ and continue to live like He doesn’t matter.

Many of us like this rich man are imprisoned to our own wants, needs and desires, and as such we are not fit for God’s kingdom. Until we are willing to lay it all down and take up our cross to follow Jesus, we will never inherit the kingdom of God.

What is love then? Love dares to speak the truth. And the truth is NO ONE shall enter the kingdom of God without taking up their own personal cross. Regardless of their standing in the world.

This is hard for believers to handle because even Christ’s own disciples took exception to how Jesus handled the rich man. They were shocked that he turned the man away. Actually the man turned himself away because he refused to do what Jesus had asked him to do. Remember Jesus asked him to give all his money away because he LOVED HIM.

^{Mk 23 (GW)}Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for rich people to enter the kingdom of God!”
²⁴The disciples were stunned by his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
²⁶This amazed his disciples more than ever. They asked each other, “Who, then, can be saved?”
²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, “It’s impossible for people {to save themselves}, but it’s not impossible for God to save them. Everything is possible for God.” Mark 10:23-27

You see guys and gals, it is impossible to save ourselves. It is impossible no matter how hard we try nor how well we live to enter into the kingdom of God apart from the cross. The cross is the entrance gate into God’s kingdom. That is how it works. There is no other way. You can not avoid the cross. You can not buy your way in. You can not earn entrance. It is a gift of God and as such can only be bestowed upon man by God through Jesus via the Holy Spirit.

In other words you must be born again. Jn 3:1 No flesh can inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor 15:50

This is a view from the nest. What say you?

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. _{Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)}

Along for the journey