Tribulation Report #033: Fresh Economic Considerations

Jesus said, "Count the cost." Naturally, it was a parable, in which He warned those who followed Him not to play a Pollyanna. You'll have to take up that Cross if you intend to follow Him.

At the same time, one of the costs of discipleship is actually the monetary value of things you surrender to the Kingdom. That also means keeping an honest eye on the economic situation, often relying on the estimates of far wiser minds.

The mainstream folks are noting the next big wave of economic failure will be in commercial real estate. Starting late in the summer, lots of commercial real estate loans will enter default. As we saw previously, this will snowball quickly, as almost every business is interconnected these days. Closing one store means folks unemployed who can't buy from the next store. Even those who could normally make their mortgage payments will be struggling.

Not so mainstream as Bloomberg, but still accurate in my estimation, is Karl Denninger, who warns us of Ten Things We Must Do to have any chance of surviving the coming crash. He prefaces his list with a fair appraisal of the situation on which his advice is built. The last item is particularly interesting:

Figure out who your friends are - and aren't. This isn't about who you like. Its about who you can trust with your back - no questions asked. If things get bad the second-to-the-last thing you want to be is alone - right before being around anyone who is less than 100% trustworthy. Think about this point long and hard - this doesn't mean dumping acquaintances now, but it does mean knowing who you group with if you need to - and who you avoid.

We have expended an awful lot of electrons here on this blog trying to wrap our minds around the basic element of Kingdom living: The Community of Faith. In particular, we aim at replicating the blood ties so powerful in human society by the spiritual ties of Jesus Christ in us. He clearly warned inclusion in the Spirit Realm took precedence over blood ties. His Blood is the stronger bonding agent.

Of course, if you have both, so much the better. Sacrificial love (faith, agape) begins at home, as they have first claim on your gospel message. Jesus took His message to His own nation first. Eventually His own brothers joined and it really made a big difference. His cousin Apostle James was executed early in the game, but His own brother James became a pillar of the church in Jerusalem. Things got too hot for Peter, and he fled to Antioch, so James took over the leadership in Jerusalem.

I'm counting the costs. Though I am fully aware of the dangers, I am drawn in the Spirit to consider whom I can reach Downtown, and how I can reach them. I know my wife is called to support me; she has voiced a recognition we may need to move our residence closer to that area. I'm not sure I want to drag my parents there, but I enjoy sharing a household with them. I make no pretense of deciding for them, nor anyone else.

All I have right now are a desire and some obvious possibilities associated with it. It's hard to count the cost of unseen consequences, unless you've already picked up your own crossbeam.