Let it Be

Turning Japanese?

Japan is in a difficult situation. They have a huge amount of debt. It has come to the point that if interest rates rise, most of the government revenues will have to be dedicated to paying it. The Japanese government has proposed doubling the sales tax. While this will help, it will not close the Japanese budget gap. 

Japan is also getting older. This means that the amount of debt per person in the workforce is going up. The same problem exists in Japan for retirees as in the US. There is no trust fund. It is actually worse in the US because Japan does own some US government debt. That changes the chart on the right, making the Japanese situation better than the chart would indicate—assuming that the US will actually pay the debt. 

Has Japan reached the point of "no return" yet? Probably. One logical place for the next crisis to begin is in Japan. 

If the current trends continue then the US will soon be in the situation Japan is in now. The debt will increase at least 1 trillion every year, assuming the US does not get into another war. If the US does, then the deficit will skyrocket. The US has not yet reached the point of "no return." Time remains to act on the deficit as it will take more than ten years to get to the place Japan is now. 

Will the US use that time wisely? 

Or is the US turning Japanese? 

I still find it ironic that pop music knows we are turning Japanese, but we are blind to it. 

Behold He Comes

The Lion of Judah Is Coming. One reason I like the church I attend is the music. While many "praise and worship" songs are just unsingable congregationally, it is far better than what passes for music in most of the congregations in my tradition. 

The song that inspired this, and the next few blog posts was "Days of Elijah"

Here is the chorus:

Behold he comes

Riding on the clouds

Shining like the sun

At the trumpet's call

So lift your voice

It's the year of Jubilee

For out of Zion's Hill salvation comes 

Behold He Comes, In An Unexpected Way—Bread Lines. While everyone else sang the next song, I just sat down and thought. While the song is about the return of Jesus to the Earth in his second coming, I could only think about a different kind of coming that Jesus will be doing very soon.  

While we should be just as enthusiastic about this soon coming of our Lord, we will not be. For you see he is coming in judgment for our nation. 

Over the next few days I will talk about what I feel are examples in history of judgments directed toward nations. I hope that by looking at these examples we can understand how the pattern will be repeated in our near future. 

Here are the lyrics of the song:

Days of Elijah

These are the days of Elijah

Declaring the word of the Lord

And these are the days of his servant Moses

Righteousness being restored

And though these are days of great trials

Of famine and darkness and sword

Still we are the voice in the desert

Crying, prepare ye the way of the Lord

Chorus:

Behold he comes

Riding on the clouds

Shining like the sun

At the trumpet's call

So lift your voice

It's the year of Jubilee

For out of Zion's Hill salvation comes

And these are the days of Ezekiel

The dry bones becoming as flesh

And these are the days of your servant David

Rebuilding a temple of praise

And these are the days of the harvest

The fields are as white in your world

Still we are the labourers in your vineyard

Declaring the word of the Lord

Chorus

There's no God like my Jesus

There's no God like my Jesus

There's no God like my Jesus

There's no God like my Jesus

Chorus

For out of Zion's Hill salvation comes 

For out of Zion's Hill salvation comes

 [. From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/a/ailua-mamea-lyrics/behold-he-comes-lyrics.html .]

Up Beat Boys

Bad break dancing, bad rapping—but there is something about this video about the Feast of Tabernacles that I like. 

Mambo!

I am leaving today for my annual celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. This year I am celebrating with Rock Valley Christian Church in Carlsbad, California. Rock Valley has a different music philosophy than many churches. Here is a clip from last year's feast.