1.31.2018

On Deciding to NOT be like Chicken Little!


I had a weird dream this week [disclaimer: I'm not a dreamer in the sense that God is revealing something to me!]: 

 In my dream, I was on the job at a terminal and I had forgotten how to use ISPF (an IBM technology that I haven't used for 20 years). I also had forgotten how to use IEBGENER (another IBM technology). In my dream I was in a fearful panic ... what a failure I was! 

 Back when I was a pastor I occasionally had dreams about standing in the pulpit and having not prepared (this never happened - I was always prepared (not that every sermon was the proverbial home run!)) 

 In January of 1986, I began using the New King James Version from the pulpit. I bought a very nice, real leather bound maroon Bible. That Bible is now 32 years old! Kathee carries it to church now. 

 On Labor Day of 1987 I had a severe crippling accident: I broke my neck in a trampoline accident. I nearly died. On Thanksgiving Eve 1987 (11/25), I was discharged. Altogether I was hospitalized for 11½ weeks: 1 week in intensive care, a little more than a week in another neuro-trauma unit and 9 weeks at a rehabilitation hospital. 

 I saw and experienced much during that time. I had a lot of questions: would I ever walk again? Would my fingers and limbs ever move again? What would my future be like? Another pastor visited me weekly and was a tremendous encouragement to me. I tearfully poured out my fears to him and he succored me through the Word of God. Kathee was by my side daily and recorded two verses that he shared with me (these are on the flyleaf on my Bible):



Perhaps, dear reader, you've heard my good news:

So I've received some good news ... a reprieve of sorts ... great! Now what?

Well there is always something else to fear: Now it's Fear of Cancer Recurrence. What if that cancer monster comes back?!

 I observe that the Christian (I'm talking to myself now!) is called to live confidently with a positive disposition about what God will do with his my life!

 Paul had that confidence:

Living confidently is a choice - Really believing, TRUSTING the God who saved us! [If I can trust Him with my soul, surely I can trust Him with my body!]

The Chicken Little story is really the ancient Henny Penny story. Versions of the story go back more than 25 centuries. It's almost as old as human history! 

 There's another type of fear in the Scriptures and that is fearing the Lord. I'm not going to develop now, but just cite one verse:

There will always be some boogeyman in the darkness to scare us: what if I lose my job? What if I fail in my job (my dream in the first paragraph!)? What if cancer comes back?!

 I may not always be as confident as I am at this moment, but my Lord has never let me down! He has met every need and cared for every care! Today I resolve to live confidently and rest in His assurances. May these verses comfort you as they do me!

Posted by Jim Peet at 1/31/2018 02:50:00 PM 0 comments

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1.11.2018

Outsource the IRS!



IRS Needs Funding for GOP Tax Overhaul, Report Says Years of budget cuts have hindered taxpayer service and tech upgrades, according to advocate

Excerpt:

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the Senate’s second-ranking Republican, said Wednesday, “We need to reform the IRS...but I am concerned that they’re not able to do their job and not maintaining their information systems to protect personal financial data by taxpayers and the like.” He added that he doesn’t have “an arbitrary amount that I think should be spent.” The agency will need $495 million over two years to implement the law, according to an IRS estimate cited in Ms. Olson’s report. She said the years of budget cuts have prevented the IRS from providing adequate taxpayer service or updating its technology.
IRS Spends Four Years and $140 Million to Upgrade Windows Software for Only Half Their Servers. Note: This article is 2 years old, but represents the incompetence of the tech side of the agency! 

Excerpt:

The IRS has failed to upgrade Windows software on its computers and servers by end of life deadlines, despite being expected to spend almost $140 million in taxpayer funds, according to a recently released report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). The agency has already spent four years upgrading this technology, but is yet to upgrade half of its servers. In all, the IRS had 110,000 workstations to upgrade from Windows XP and 6,000 servers to upgrade from Windows Server 2003. This process officially began in April 2011, but the IRS did not actually begin upgrades until September 2012, 17 months later. Progress was so unsatisfactory that the agency’s Chief Technology Officer began to directly oversee this process. As the report notes: "Because the Windows 7 effort was not making sufficient progress in its completion, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) made the decision in July 2012 to oversee the Windows 7 upgrade directly due to its complexity and magnitude." At the time of the TIGTA report, the IRS still has not upgraded half of its windows servers despite the “new” operating system being seven years old, and the current system being out of date and unsupported by Microsoft. However, it has completed upgrades for "most" computers although over 1,000 machines remain unaccounted for.
Top Ten Most Ridiculous Items Purchased with IRS Credit Cards

The list:


  1. $119 worth of Nerf footballs that were intended to be used for a “team-building exercise.” As if that wasn’t bad enough, they never used the balls, which are “currently stored in a filing cabinet” somewhere in the bowels of the IRS.
  2. At one luncheon, IRS credit cards were used for “related alcohol purchases” including 28 bottles of wine—for 41 guests. As a bottle of wine contains about five servings, this equates to three and a half glasses of wine per person.
  3. For the child in all of us, the IRS purchased these for “managers’ meetings.” These were part of the “almost $4,000 in improper decorative and give-away items” that TIGTA found in their review. [see article for image]
  4. Along with some jigsaw puzzles, the IRS purchased the “world’s largest crossword puzzle.” These purchases cost $89 of taxpayer money. Hopefully the IRS actually used these in their “team building” activities -- unlike those poor Nerf footballs.
  5. Even IRS agents need a little love sometimes, which may be why plush animals were purchased with IRS credit cards as give away prizes.
  6. Another one of the “give-away items” at the IRS managers’ meetings were “bathtub toy boats”. The IRS spent $418 to purchase these, along with some other “improper decorative and give-away items.” [see article for image]
  7. Stove top hats [think Abe Lincoln] were purchased using an IRS credit card as yet another “give-away prize.”
  8. The IRS must enjoy the sound of Kazoos. They used your tax money for “novelty decorations and give-away items, such as kazoos” which were awarded as prizes during their managers’ meetings.
  9. a “dinner at an approximate cost of $140 per person, four times the Federal Government per diem rate in Washington D.C.” At the time of this conference the per diem rate was $36 for dinner.
  10. The IRS spent five times the Federal Government per diem rate of $18 when they bought lunch at $100 per guest.
IRS admits Tea Party, other conservative groups were targets during Obama era

Excerpt:

In an unprecedented victorious conclusion to our four year-long legal battle against the IRS, the bureaucratic agency has just admitted in federal court that it wrongfully targeted Tea Party and conservative groups during the Obama administration because of their political viewpoints and issued an apology to our clients for doing so. In addition, the IRS is consenting to a court order that would prohibit it from ever engaging in this form of unconstitutional discrimination in the future.

In a proposed Consent Order filed with the Court yesterday, the IRS has apologized for its treatment of our clients -- 36 Tea Party and other conservative organizations from 20 states that applied for 501(c)(3) and (c)(4) tax-exempt status with the IRS between 2009 and 2012 -- during the tax-exempt determinations process. Crucially, following years of denial by the IRS and blame-shifting by IRS officials, the agency now expressly admits that its treatment of our clients was wrong.




You Can’t — and Shouldn’t — Abolish the IRS

Excerpt:

...the IRS does a lot of things besides just process complicated individual tax returns. Much of its resources, for instance, go into enforcing the corporate tax code ... . Meanwhile, a lot of IRS agents — quite possibly not enough — are assigned to providing customer service to taxpayers. And while conservatives are rightly wary of the civil-liberties violations that tax enforcers can commit, labor-intensive audits are important. If a lot of income goes unreported or taxes go uncollected, trust in the system breaks down, rates have to be higher, and the economy ails.
Comments:


What do you think? Comments appreciated! 


Posted by Jim Peet at 1/11/2018 01:16:00 PM 6 comments

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1.10.2018

Illustration of "Cancer is the great equalizer"

Source

In my 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 period at radiation: (not naming names):
  • A contractor who comes in filthy jeans and a ratty sweatshirt
  • A Star Tribune reporter
  • Me (a nobody)
  • One of the most heralded attorneys in Minnesota
All with cancer

Posted by Jim Peet at 1/10/2018 08:58:00 PM 2 comments

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1.03.2018

On "supporting" the President - I'm no Ziba, I'm no Shimei!



My brief little post is a response to the following (click through for full articles):

Billy Graham's Granddaughter Slams 'Hypocritical' Evangelicals, Franklin Graham for Praising Trump

Excerpt:

Armfield took issue with the narrative around American evangelicals and the way, she claimed, that many seem to have compromised on personal morals in order to support Trump and other controversial figures, such as former Alabama candidate for U.S. Senate Roy Moore.
Interpreting Trump and the Never or Anti Trumpers

Excerpt:

I see Trump as a judge-like figure of the Old Testament Judges type. I say, Judge like, but pretty close to like them. He himself is not righteous, but he's doing a lot of great stuff for the righteous team, whether he believes in it or not, just like the judges. As you read this, I want you to understand that I know that God doesn't have a covenant with the United States of America. However, when you study the Old Testament major prophets, you read large sections on the judgment of the nations, where God has expectations of Gentile nations with whom He does not have covenant. Those nations, and the United States, are still responsible to God. People can be blessed of God depending upon what they do, because this is still our Father's world. You and I live in an anomaly of history for true Christians, the United States of America. True believers haven't had freedom like this. Jews haven't either for the most part, since the destruction of Jerusalem.
Do I support Trump? My answer:
  • First a nuanced response on what it means to "support" him:
  • What do I support? This is easy:
    • Constitutional government
    • National defense
    • Fiscal conservatism
    • Values such as :
      • Human dignity and the elevation of human life because men and women are created in the image of God (so Jim is opposed to Roe v Wade!)
      • Christian marriage
    • Observation: Not even Presidents that I didn't particularly like at times were right in my mind as in Clinton and the Defense of Marriage Act (he has since renounced it and SCOTUS declared it unconstitutional. ) 
    • As an aside, both Clinton and Gore once were opposed to abortion. Documented here: Clinton: "I am opposed to abortion and to government funding of abortions."; Gore: "I have strongly opposed Federal funding of abortions. In my opinion, it is wrong to spend Federal funds for what is arguably the taking of a human life. It is my deep personal conviction that abortion is wrong." (You can chalk those comments up to "doing anything to get elected!")
  • Back to a previous point which is important: "Not even Presidents that I didn't particularly like, at times were right in my mind". Even Obama, whom I loathed, had his good points: he apparently has been faithful to his wife (in contrast with JFK as an example) and is a good father!
  • The Christian and two citizenships and my football game analogy: 
    • Being born here (Fort Wayne in 1949), I am a US citizen. 
    • Being born again, my citizenship is in heaven (my true home): "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20)
    • Many times I have watched a football game where I really don't care about the outcome. Most times actually. Elections are closely analogous to this.
    • Theologically speaking we are in the age or "time of the gentiles" and soon that day will be fulfilled: Read about it in Daniel here and here.
    • The Jeremiah illustration: "But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare"
    • Summing up: I'm in a foreign land (the good-old USA) and I want the good-old-USA to be successful because this is where I live.
  • Do I now support Trump? You've been waiting for this! I want him to succeed. I pray for him. I'm not committing to vote for him - it's too early for that! "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,  for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior" (1 Timothy 3:1-3)
  • On Ziba and Shimei and the context - it's from 2nd Samuel 16:4-6 when King David was fleeing Absalom: "Ziba said, 'I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.' When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And Shimei said as he cursed, 'Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! '"
  • Conclusion:
    • Donald Trump is a constitutionally limited President
    • He's no King!
    • And I'm no Ziba!
    • Nor am I a Shimei!


This will help readers understand Trump-talk:

Posted by Jim Peet at 1/03/2018 02:15:00 PM 17 comments

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1.01.2018

A New Year's Tradition - the Personal Balance Sheet


Every New Year's (it may be on the Eve) for the past 20+ years, I've created a Personal Balance Sheet (AKA Net Worth Statement). Comments:
  • We aren't Karen and Bill (this is a sample only)
  • Excel or Google Docs is the tool of choice for this
  • I don't include cars in our balance sheet / nor house furnishings
  • Not in this spreadsheet but it's good to assess how "liquid" the assets are.
  • Having a savings account (very liquid) for an emergency fund and more is highly recommended. Ask yourself: "If the transmission failed, how would we pay for the repair?"
  • Interested in a cabin up north? A cool website.
  • How does your Net Worth compare with other's your age? A helpful calculator
The following from the Scriptures is very good:







Posted by Jim Peet at 1/01/2018 03:30:00 AM 2 comments

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