Me drive a tiny, two-seat Ford Ka? I don’t think so. By the time I’m squeezed and strapped for an autumn tour the leaves will be in a bail-out. Now I understand all the fuss and flurry of the financials, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be wearing a turtle shell in public. Like you I’m on a “wait-loss” diet and my four-oh-one-K is mostly “Oh!” But I’m not settling for a “Ka.” If someone can’t pronounce “C-A-R” they‘re not getting any “Czechs” from me!

Just so you don’t forget, there won’t be any takeover of heaven’s bank. The CFO of eternity’s economy isn’t afraid of blips on a Wall Street monitor. The Lord of heaven and earth has more in escrow than the sum total of earth’s wealth. And He can use whatever pleases Him to get our attention, without dropping a decimal. It may be political-speak, but the fact is, we really do have nothing to fear but fear itself. Psalm 23:1, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”

Finding something of such value in an age of devaluation is like discovering a Hershey bar in a Nutri-System meals package: you don’t know how it got there, but you’re glad it’s not broccoli. Amazing, an un-finished composition, a symphony in waiting! Somewhat experienced both in music and meal packages, I realized the truth. It needed to be found. Its creator had etched a melody on the page. It wasn’t his fault that it was carelessly abandoned. He had done his duty. He hadn’t neglected to voice the value of his gifts. Someone had needlessly focused on their surroundings rather than on the significant. It is a simple plea: Step across the balance line. Find the music. Listen for the melody in the mayhem. The Creator has not forgotten the tune He etched on our hearts. Nothing silly there; only a somber and sacred pledge to fail us not, even in the multitude of our fears. “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning” (Lam. 3:23 NLT).

The times are awkward. Some intent on breaking glass ceilings are suddenly looking for the Windex, trying to qualify qualities and minimize maximums—something akin to whistling with a prune in your mouth. But what’s the real problem? It’s just my guess, but I think it’s about values and vacuum. In the spirited struggle to make emptiness the national fullness and in the tireless effort to make wrongs everyone’s right, rights have re-surfaced.

The race to Washington isn’t just about political planks; it’s about sand or rock foundations. If you can’t believe everything you hear then it’s time to listen to the right voice. Change isn’t legislated - it is appropriated. “For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity - the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone” (1 Timothy 2:5-6 NLT).

You might say Mr. Obama is “biden” his time. He’s counting on Biden’s minutes in the Denver hoop-de-la limelight as an environmentally friendly burst toward his hour in the spotlight. I still haven’t recovered from watching the Olympics, so I don’t expect to be spending much virtual time in Denver, even though I’ll miss the javelin catching competition.

Interesting that a running mate seems to be as important as the run itself. That’s true in our faith journey as well. The run is a futility exercise until you know with whom you are running. I chose the One from the lesser known reaches of the galaxy. Jesus is the Christ, the one who not only runs with you, but waits for you at the finish line. To me, that’s a winning combination—no matter the position on the track.

I have a friend who sells honey. Just wait ‘til he hears about this! He probably thought that chalk was a gymnast’s best friend. Reporters who ran out of Michael Phelps adjectives discovered gold in the honey gymnasts put on their fingers before vaulting and parallel parking. Of course honey hasn’t replaced Phelps on the front pages. You’ll have to look in the Home section of the newspaper, next to the ad for the glue that’s “strong enough to hang a horse from the foyer ceiling,” to find it.

I guess we do need more stick and less slick. I guess the things that are most practical are still the ones that have the longest shelf life. There are lots of things that may give you a good flight but not a good landing. Look before you leap. “The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him” (Psalm 18:30 NLT).

So what drives the under-featured? Dedication. Devotion. Determination. For the pistol-packers, they know that hitting the target is just as important as hitting the big time. They know that the absence of applause doesn’t diminish the value of a cause. A steady aim and a stubborn heart may not put them on the front pages, but it will still put them in the record books. Fire away, aimer. Your vest of virtue is just as valuable as a garland of gold.

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV).

How interesting that our text messaging, MySpace generation would settle for a hug!  Could it be that we are waking up to the cold reality that warmth is better than Windows?  Could it be that all the software in the world cannot replace the security of being held in the arms of someone who doesn’t need a password to let you into their heart?  Shame on western religions for letting this mission slip through its arms!  All the while we’ve been polishing our pulpits or brandishing our PowerPoints, a little lady from out of state realized that the way to our hearts isn’t necessarily through our ears.

By the way, her hug isn’t the first or the firmest.  Jeremiah 31:3, “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.’”

I welcome the new arrivals.  Each one has the potential for contributing to Social Security.  I’m just curious about their new names.  The latest celeb baby, Sunday, was born last Monday to a megastar of yesterday.  Maybe the new mother named her baby for the first day of the week so she could remember its birthday without cue cards.  Some of my favorite celebrity baby names: Camera, Zowie, Sailor, Coco.

The TV show known for its “where everybody knows your name” jingle is now but a re-run on the celluloid screen of life. So who cares if everyone there had your name memorized?  It’s better to be known in the place where you’ve never been but will always be. If God is your Father by Jesus your Savior, everyone in heaven knows who you are—even if you’re forgotten on earth.

“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1 NKJV).

Bet that lunch will be someplace where even the kitchen cockroaches wear cumberbunds.  Now I don’t begrudge the work ethic of someone who can make such a master charge on his Master Charge.  I just wish it hadn’t made the news.  I’m embarrassed that we have hot dog eating contests and food networks on TV and pay billionaires to share bullion, when so many on our planet can’t remember when they had a full meal.

You’re right.  Companies are charging us the same for less.  And it’s a fact that we might have to cream-cheese just half the bagel.  But most of us have enough fat cells to get us to Thanksgiving Day.  And what little—or lot—we have comes from the Father of Lights who emboldened those who sacrificed everything so that we could have something.  Yes, I’m thankful that God blesses America, even when it curses Him. James 1:17 (NKJV), “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Dust-stirring isn’t limited to NASA, however; it is a cultural imprint.  We have become so used to things as they have never been we’ve almost forgotten things as they always were.  Change is as challenging as walking up the down stairs of an escalator carrying a plastic Bonsai tree and two un-lidded soft drinks.  You know you’re going somewhere, but reaching the top will be difficult.

A little stirring could be a good thing.  It will remind us that change must always be seasoned with something permanent. Romans 8:27, “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”  As long as you are going to face things that never were, it’s good to know you can trust One who has always been.