Christmas Greeting 2008

It is amazing how quickly time passes. When you are young the days, months and years drag on as you eagerly anticipate the next milestone of life. It could be becoming a teenager, or getting your drivers permit or graduating from high school. As we get older the days, months and years run swiftly by and we want to slow down the next milestone of life. It could be the dreaded 50th birthday, or the more intrusive doctor’s examinations that accompany the aging process, or qualifying for AARP benefits. When we were young we couldn’t wait to test the limits of our bodies in sports or adventure, now we treat the damage we did to our bodies from those sports and adventures with the latest pharmaceutical remedy or surgical breakthrough. At least we prepared for this stage in life by putting some money away in our 401K. With the recent economic crisis that makes us feel real secure. Christians have always been accused of having blind faith, trusting in a God we can’t see. I guess it is better to trust in a mutual fund that you can watch disappear. The longer we live it should become more clear that the only thing we can really and truly trust is God. Our bodies will grow old, the car we loved 5 years ago no longer thrills us, and everything we posses will end up in someone else’s closet eventually.

As we come to another Christmas this should be a time of reflection. Perhaps because of the economy it will cause us to remember what is really important. In the end what really counts is our relationship with God and with people. We see a great illustration of this in the cross. The two parts of the cross illustrates the vertical (our relationship with God) and the horizontal (our relationship with people). If we have a relationship with God then what is required of us in relating to people? In 1 Timothy chapter 2 it says that we are to pray for all men (horizontal) and especially for Kings and those in authority over us. We are to give thanks to God for those in authority over us that we might live a quiet and peaceful life. It goes on to say that this pleases God who wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. “For there is one mediator between God and Men, the man Christ Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all.” With a new President and congress we need to pray for them, as the scripture tells us to. Pray also for people that aren’t Christians, even those people you don’t like. God’s desire is that all people would come to know the truth. This is the message of Christmas; this is what is truly important.

The Greatest Generation

We are in very difficult financial times, and it is being fed by our fear. As the talk circulates about how bad things are it tends to make them worse. I was with a friend over the weekend looking at his new project. As he builds his new hotel he wonders if travelers will be coming to Tucson as they have in the past. We can’t predict the future with any accuracy, only God knows what will happen. But, as we have entered this period of economic turmoil how do we know that this is not a time of renewal and growth?

Have you read “The Greatest Generation” by Tom Brokaw? I have asked many of my friends if they have read the book, few have. Many have said “isn’t he a liberal?” Probably, but it is not reflected in the book. It is really a book that chronicles the lives of people that were part of the WWII generation, also known as “The Greatest Generation”. What we learn in the book through the lives of different people, from varied backgrounds with a shared history, is what molded their lives. We know that this generation was willing to sacrifice their lives, fortunes and families to fight the Nazi menace and the Japanese imperialists. They were molded and shaped by their shared experiences growing up in the Great Depression.

The depression built character in these ordinary people and gave them extraordinary strength and character. Brokaw tells the stories of people that couldn’t afford to feed their own families, yet they took in their neighbor’s kids when they were orphaned. Folks that lent a hand when they were weak and weary to a neighbor that needed it. Even though we have been told that crime is a result of poverty, we had a higher percentage of poor people during the Great Depression than at any time in our nations history yet the crime rate was much lower than today. Their faith grew in God as they were sorely tested by their circumstances. This experience built the character of the men and women that would then engage evil around the world and defeat it. We lost over 500,000 men in the war and many more times that were wounded and maimed.

There was a great story in the book about Joe Foss. Joe was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for shooting down a couple of dozen Japanese fighters. The marine pilot went on to be Governor of South Dakota, host a safari show and be the first commissioner of the AFL. It was because of Joe Foss that Brokaw was introduced to his profession (you’ll have to read the book). The book shared in great detail about Joe Foss’ Christian faith and his honor and duty to his country. Character formed through the crucible or pain during the depression.

But, what was it like before the Great Depression? You may have heard of the Roaring Twenties. This was a time of unbridled prosperity and decadence. Does that sound familiar? I think we have been experiencing the roaring 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. I don’t know how long the economic downturn we are in will last. I don’t think it will end soon. Perhaps this is a time when we should be reflecting about the things that are really important instead of what is happening to our 401K’s? This could be a time of great growth in character, honor, duty and commitment if we will seize the moment. We are told in the scripture that if we will humble ourselves, begin to pray and seek his face that the Lord will heal our land. In spite of our prosperity we have allowed evil to grow in our midst. Maybe our selfishness will give way to self sacrifice again.

Rio Nuevo

Recently we interviewed Jonathan Payton (Arizona State Senator) on KVOI and he was asked by John C. Scott if Tucson should lose the funding for Rio Nuevo because of the economic crisis the state is in and the apparent financial mismanagement of the funds by our officials. His answer was vague at best. He said that under the current crisis everything was being scrutinized. If we lose the funding for Rio Nuevo what will become of our inner city? Some, like Richard Studwell a former city development department employee, believe it might be a good wake up call. If the city was forced to deal with financial realities and perhaps privatize some of the projects and allow business participation on others then it would save tax payer dollars and the project will get done.

There is a balance between the public and the private sector that is very delicate. Too little government control, (where elected officials turning a blind eye because of the flow of contributions into their coffers), is dangerous. We have seen this played out recently at the federal level where democrat congressional leaders took their eye off the ball because of contributions from Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac (and the noble objective to provide home ownership opportunities). The Republicans also were negligent because the housing industry and the banks were fattening their coffers. Both parties failed to regulate an industry that was bound to fail unless housing values continued to tick up at historically (and unsustainable) high rates.

Too much government control and growth screeches to a halt and entrepreneurial spirit is quenched. In Newt's new book "Real Change" he shows what can happen when a city does just that. The example he uses is Detroit. Detroit has shrunk from over 1.5 million residents to 800,000. The democratically controlled city rules what is left of the roost with an iron hand that stifles any opportunity. They even turned down a gift to establish charter schools because the teachers union opposed it. What is sad is that they graduate less than 50% of the students in the Detroit public school system, and the charter schools graduate 95%! Because of their fear of losing control, they take away the academic opportunity of the people they should be serving.

Our city wants to completely control the redevelopment of downtown Tucson. This scares off serious players from participating. A top level business person told me today that he believes Tucson will become like Detroit. We will be ringed with successful, thriving communities like Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita and Vail. I believe this would be tragic. We need to encourage our city council to do work with the business community and look at selling off city property to qualified developers. This would be the best thing for our community.

First Black President

We had a very interesting program this week at Business Fellowship (sponsored by Pinnacletucson.com). Dana Cooper, host of Inside Business on KGUN 9, did an interview with Pastor Warren Anderson of Living Waters Ministry. Pastor Anderson is a former U of A basketball player (late 60’s) and has been pastoring in Tucson for over 20 years. The questions posed to him were about how he felt as an African American pastor about the election of Barack Obama as our president. The folks attending the luncheon were Christian business people of a more conservative bent. His answers were very interesting and revealing. He commented on how excited he was to see a black man running for the highest office in the world. It would have been just as exciting for him if it was Colin Powell, or Condoleezza Rice, it was the historic nature of the election.

The election of Mr. Obama proved that there was nothing holding black people back from full inclusion in our country. Pastor Anderson’s wife commented that now when they visit black men in prison and they say that “the man” is holding them down, they can point to the President and say “that’s not true”. It also means for young black children that they now have a role model and can know that in our country anything is possible if you work hard enough. But, what about abortion and other moral issues? Hasn’t Mr. Obama been extremely pro-abortion and very liberal on homosexuality and other moral issues? That was very troubling to the Anderson’s. They said that they believe that the president elect is a Christian, although an infant in the faith, and that they will be praying to God for Mr. Obama and seeking influence as Christians in his decisions.

Well we know the Bible commands us in 1 Timothy to pray for the Kings, and those in authority over us, so that makes sense. What about Jeremiah Wright? Interestingly enough Pastor Warren had mixed feelings about him. Rev. Wright has spoken many times at their convention (Baptist) and always brought a clear Gospel message. He never heard him preach on liberation theology or anything like the radical G** Damn America message we saw broadcast. He questioned whether he had drifted in his theology, or whether he made an isolated mistake out of frustration that has been spun by political operatives.

This talk created great discussion and dialogue among those that attended. I think what is important, just like on this web site, is that we have an open dialogue in this country about race, politics, religion etc. It is this kind of dialogue that leads to the truth. We should never fear open discussion about what we believe unless we are afraid that what we hold to is not true. This is the essence of what the First Amendment is all about, that congress should not prohibit the free exercise or religion or freedom of speech. It is this freedom that we enjoy that enables us to have this “town hall” on the internet. I believe it is what the founders intended to create a more perfect union. Agree or disagree this is one of the things that makes America different and great!

In God We Trust

By now we have all gone to the polls and the election is over. I write this in anticipation of the results. It is wonderful that we live in a country where our voice can be heard and where we are free to go to the polls and vote our conscience.

The votes are cast and we have elected new officials and voted on propositions that will affect our lives perhaps for generations to come. Whatever the outcome, we will get what we deserve. Which begs the question, what do we deserve? What have we become as a nation?

In my lifetime I have seen many changes that have produced mixed results. I remember as a child men holding open the doors for women and saying “maam” as they passed through. I remember TV programs like “Lassie” and “Leave it to Beaver”. Never was there a hint of overt sexuality in these programs, let alone the bawdy sexuality that we see on shows today like “Sex in the City” and “Desperate Housewives”. Blood didn’t splatter on the screen when we watched “The Lone Ranger” and the perverted mind of a child molester wasn’t explored on “Dragnet”. Were we sheltered from the evil that obviously existed, or did we choose to focus on the good and not the evil? I think the latter.

Today we have become a cynical society always expecting the worst and tearing apart anyone that tries to do good. We don’t portray any true heroes in movies or television; they are always flawed anti-heroes that somehow do what’s right in spite of their corrupted nature. It may be closer to reality, but it certainly doesn’t give us anything to shoot for. If the best of us is terribly flawed what can be expected for the rest of us?

I believe that our culture has become more debased over the last 50 years because of this systematic tearing down of virtue and moral values. And the last nail in the coffin is that we as a nation have lost our faith in God. The only hope we as sinful people have is that through our faith in God we could aspire to do “Godly” things. It wasn’t about our righteousness, but about God’s righteousness and His work in our lives. Without God, we truly don’t have any hope. Man left to his own devices is hopelessly debased and thus the expectations have been lowered commensurately.

So what does this have to do with the election? It is time that we put our faith back in God and take our eyes off of men. Whoever is elected they are not going to be our savior. We do, however, have instructions from God concerning what we need to do. In 1 Timothy 2 we are instructed to “pray for kings and others in power, so that we may live quiet and peaceful lives as we worship and honor God. This kind of prayer is good and it pleases God our savior”. You may not be happy with the outcome of the election, or you may be overjoyed. It doesn’t matter. It pleases God that we pray for those in authority over us. It also might be helpful to know that at the time this was written Cesar Nero was in power and he enjoyed lighting Christians on fire on posts to illuminate the path for his chariots. The passage in 1 Timothy 2 goes on to explain what the purpose of this is “God wants everyone to be saved and to know the whole truth which is, there is only one God and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God”. For Christians this is not an option, it is a command. I pray that God will bless those in authority over us and that we would humble ourselves before God and honor him.

Hello, McFly?

You may remember the old movie Back to the Future. The premise of the film was that Marty McFly (Michael Fox) went back in time from 1985 to 1955. He then encountered his parents in the happy days of the 50’s. It might do us all some good to go back in time to get our perspective straight.

Imagine if we went back to 1955 and asked a few people if marriage should be between a man and a woman. They would probably look at us in disbelief and say “what else”? Well in our “enlightened” age we know that it can mean something quite different. And who knows what it will mean in the future if we keep going down this road.

Proposition 102  states that marriage is between a man and a woman. Why is that important? Because courts in Massachusetts and California have taken it upon themselves to redefine marriage to include same sex couples. We must first understand where marriage came from before we try to redefine it. In Genesis, the chapter in the Bible that begins “In the beginning”, God established marriage when He said that a man should leave his mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. You have probably heard this scripture quoted at weddings that you have attended. So if you are going to redefine marriage you are changing what God designed.

Opponents of prop 102 have tried to turn Say Yes to Marriage into an anti-gay issue. This is not about homosexuality, it is about marriage. The way the proposition is worded in the ballot is also deceptive as it implies that voting 'no' will keep the marriage laws that we currently have in place. The problem with this is that the courts could easily redefine marriage as they have in other states such as Massachusetts and California.

God designed men and women differently. He did it with purpose so that we would complete one another, physically, mentally and emotionally, this is the one flesh relationship (marriage) that He introduced to us in Genesis.  Voting yes for proposition 102 simply affirms that marriage is between a man and a woman. I encourage you to Say Yes to Marriage.

Depression or Recession?

Is it a depression or a recession? Either way, I think most people would conclude that we have hit a down cycle in our economy. It may take years to absorb the real estate that will be absorbed by banks and other lending institutions. And sending 700 billion dollars a year to purchase our oil from unfriendly countries has not helped the trade deficit.

In the face of all of this negative news we are seeing the federal government scramble to plug the holes in the dike and stop the flood of negativity. So what about our local government? You would hope that they would realize that we need change to stimulate our local economy. For years our community has floundered because of the inept and corrupt way that our leaders have governed.

I remember meeting with some Phoenix business people a few years ago. At the end of the meeting I asked them, “so what do you think of Tucson?” One of the men looked at me and said “do you really want to know?” Then he went on a rant “we love Tucson. It is like a waste water treatment plant, they are great to have outside of the city. You guys take all of the businesses we don’t want and we have 95% of the high tech businesses. Your roads are terrible and you don’t have sidewalks…” At about that moment I began to tune out. There has always been this rivalry between Phoenix and Tucson. They look down on us because they perceive us as being more like Mexico than the U.S. and we say that “we don’t want to be like Phoenix”.

What does that mean? We don’t want to have a vibrant business community, good roadways and, of course, quality growth? Tucson does work more like Mexico than the U.S.A. Mexico is controlled by an oligarchy. They restrict opportunity and make it difficult for anyone not a part of the elite to ever become successful. That pretty much describes Tucson. We are known as an unfriendly city for business. But, that isn’t altogether true. If you are a part of the “club”, those that are connected to the right people or hire the right consultants, business is good. Keeping the bar high and making it difficult for businesses to come to Tucson assures those businesses that are here less competition.

The politicians that are in power seem to care less about bringing in businesses that would bring higher employment for the people they serve, than they do about retaining power. The cronyism, nepotism and corruption in our city rival what you would see in any community in Mexico. What it inevitably does is create a permanent underclass, and in the case of our politicians, gives them a constituency that they can manipulate. If they really cared about the poor, they would want to lure companies to come to Tucson that would pay the people more than the politically charged “living” minimum wage that they are forever trying to raise.

Perhaps if their constituents were able to get a $20 an hour job instead of minimum wage they would no longer be dependant on them? That illustrates the challenge, they would rather have power than actually help the people they were elected to represent. We have been having meetings with city council members and business people to try to stimulate dialogue and to change the culture of our city government. Whenever a problem is brought up about city departments by a business person the standard answer is “call your councilmember to solve it”. Council members should not have to wield power over bureaucrats to get projects moving. The city council has encouraged bad behavior in government employees to retain their power in granting favors to business people that seek their help.

In the last meeting I heard something from the council members that might be encouraging. We were told that the department of developmental services was now under the direction of the city manager. The city manager has been instructed to make the department more customer service oriented. This department has been one of the biggest bottlenecks in our community. If this is truly happening then it could make a huge difference. I would like to hear from developers as to whether there has been a change in the culture at the department of developmental services. This truly would be change we could believe in.