Sunday, June 14, 2009

On Hiatus

This blog is on hiatus for the time being. Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, February 2, 2009

R U Listening?


Over the weekend I attended a youth rally with guest speaker Reggie Dabbs. He's a seasoned communicator with a passion for reaching young people. As I've been getting caught up on work today I've also been sifting through emails, blog posts, Scriptures and preparations for the week ahead.


Already a resounding theme has come through all that I've read and heard today. The prophets of God of our time are out there, but are we going to listen to them, or are we going to ignore them as Israel did? Will we repent and turn to God, or will we pay little attention and go on with business as usual?


There are great communicators and speakers in every field and industry...people who can inspire, teach, motivate, or sell you things you didn't even know you needed!


But God is the greatest communicator of them all...and there are prophets that God is speaking to through the Holy Spirit right now. Do you hear them? Are you listening?


Thursday, January 29, 2009

What do you think?

As a former Chicago-ite I'm quite amused at the goings in Illinois today. Gov. Rod Blagojevich is pleading his case and finally speaking before the Illinois State Senate. Watch for all the reactions in the media.
What do you think he should do? What do you think the State Senate should do?

Monday, January 26, 2009

Demand or Supply?


This article about the demand for smaller houses is a bit misleading. While there are some survey statistics reflecting people's 'mood' or inclination toward smaller homes and fewer luxuries right now in housing, that probably reflects the reality that has hit most people...they can't afford what they really want so they'll have to settle for what they need. Certainly there are many people who want to live in smaller homes, evidenced by the Small House Society. But more of the issue lies on the supply side...not the demand.


The misleading part is that the article does not mention that buildable land is harder and harder to find now that states are taking more control of land use, population growth, environmental impact and community planning. In many places recently passed state laws have severely restricted what land can be used for residential housing and development. So the only way for developers to make the same amount of money as they used to, is to build more houses per acre and agree to build only in locations where mixed use, retail and commercial development are also being built. That means that the demand for smaller housing may not be coming from the public, but is being forced on the public because of land restrictions. Where builders used to build one large house on 1 acre of land, they are now having to build at least four smaller single-family homes in order to be in compliance with state and local zoning laws and to stay in business. In some cases, the existing home prices reflect the value of the land much more than the value of the home.


What's the sacred point? Don't let articles like this or other outside sources tell you what you need or what you should want. It doesn't matter what's 'in.' What matters is how you honor God with what God has blessed you with...no matter how big or small.