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And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. (Deuteronomy 10:12; Micah 6:8)

In this time of “political correctness”, “if it feels good, do it”, “government will supply your wants as well as your needs”, we understand more than ever writer H.L. Mencken's quip, “if a politician found he had cannibals in his constituency, he would promise them missionaries for lunch.”

Yesterday, my only child, my son, professor at a well-known Christian seminary, and his younger son, who had just graduated from college, were visiting me. I was advising this young, new graduate, an electrical engineer, on the importance of seeking God's guidance in all of his activities, even in his new location. I believe with every fiber of my body that the Christian, one who trusts in God, can depend on God's guidance on earth, as well as eternal life in heaven. I said to him, “look at those large plastic tubs in the dining room. I know that God has taken care of me every step of my life, right on into my 80s. I suppose someone looking on would think that I have given up, that I am now hoarding food...I am storing much food (rice, tuna, dried fruit, etc) in case of a terrorist strike, natural disaster or some other catastrophe. I have written about this eventuality for years: on the coast, a hurricane, or as we well know, hundreds of tornadoes this year. The store shelves will be empty, there will be no delivery trucks on the highways, electricity in the wires, or water in pipes. You show your dependence on God, by depending on Him to guide you in preparation for everything, just as He has provided you with an education in order to make a good living, to have a good life here on earth, and to be able to share with and with others. I am sure that God will continue to care for me, but having my reserves of food and water will enable me to care for myself as well as to help others as I have been able to do so far in my long, eventful life”.

Many in this world do not care about anything: God, family or country. Every generation becomes more self-centered. Some still live modestly, but for many of us it has been a matter of living frugally in order to have the ability to give with our living. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. God's chosen people were instructed to give. The tithe is the Lord's whether you give it or not, 1/7 of your time is the Lord's whether you give it or not.

Use common sense in your planning, but remember that God has the ability to change your plans. Do not put all of your eggs in one basket, the secret to success in investing is diversity. Solomon, the richest man who ever lived said, “Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.“ Carefully buy so that you can conveniently sell. Other than expendables (food, clothing, etc) everything you buy is with an eye for resale. All of my furniture is antiquarian, can be resold, so it is with real estate, securities, you invest in that which others will want.

Success, like conservatism, like Christianity, is a mindset. You don't just decide to be successful, Christ-serving; beware of instant salvation, instant political change, deciding to be successful overnight. The ne'er do well is usually born and reared as a ne'er do well. Only Christ can give a rebirth, but it has to be seen, it cannot be hidden, the world will know if you are a conservative or a libertine. The bed is too short and the blanket is too narrow, something is going to always stick out to let everybody know, most-assuredly the Creator of the universe, if you are just a pretender in anything. There are some, but human beings are not smart enough to fool everyone all the time. The genuineness of your life, your personality, your soul, is a matter of comprehension even to a blind person. This blind man can hear hypocrisy in a voice, the vibes come through your skin, it is like the sales person who tells you to have a good day.

It is the unexpecteds of life...fluctuations in the stock market, real estate bubbles, the storms (tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, floods) which cause us to want a hedge of faithfulness, hedge of protection, the courage under the cloak of God's love. Years ago, Jesse Jackson, the philandering black preacher and politician suggested pilfering all pension funds for the benefit of the government. He said all pensions should be confiscated and every citizen treated equally with social security. In 2006, the total assets of the 300 largest pensions funds was $10.4 trillion. Since the social security trust fund is just one big IOU, you can expect Mr. Obama and his fellow socialists to confiscate and use these funds to pay out social security and medicare, which is bankrupt. Other entitlements, and 59% of the population depends on entitlements, 50% of the population depends on a subsidy of some type, will get their check from some stash, somewhere.

I would advice any young person to be very careful about marriage, at least those who still believe in marriage: man and woman. The Answer Book, the Manufacturer's Handbook, the Bible, tells you not to be unequally yoked. (2 Corinthians 6:14) Not just a believer with a non-believer, spiritually; but a believer with a non-believer, economically. You can be sure that if you came from a family who lived frugally, wisely, prepared for any eventuality, and you marry someone from a family who spends every dime they can beg, steal or borrow with no regards for the future, there will be trouble. I can ascertain very accurately, without fail, the future economic success of any young person with one trip to a restaurant, just from the way they order. One does not eat the next month's tithe or investment! As I have said and written many times, most of life's activities is simply a matter of sowing and reaping. You reap what you sow, you sow foolish living, you will reap foolish everything. You sow to the wind, you will reap a whirlwind (Hosea 8:7) Regardless of the struggle, in spite of disappointment, I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3)

Procrastination

In 1950, a film was produced from the 1948 book Cheaper by the Dozen. The film starred Clifton Webb, an efficiency expert, who, with his wife, demonstrated to the world and their 12 children the importance of doing everything on time and in order. I barely remember the movie. I was in college at the time, but after my blindness many ideas from the movie have helped me in my discipline to maintain a routine and efficiency, which is absolutely necessary for the survival of a blind person.

After 50 years of the daily routine and challenges of life, I still find that the people I hire to work for me never fully realize the plight of those not sighted. They younger they are, the worse they are.

One black woman, who I liked very much and who really needed a job worked for me and never really understood that she could not move things around. Once anything at all is moved, it is lost forever, unless I accidentally knock it over. I can't begin to tell you how many times an employee (and I have 5 at present) will pick up the mail which comes to the house and just lay it down somewhere, anywhere. Of course they expect me to see it and find it. I do not see one thing, cannot even tell if a light is on in the room. Different people have different bizarre neurological occurrences with any blindness or any disability. Mine has always been a sudden awakening with the appearance of fire in the room. I no longer have any retina; the optic nerve heads, as far as we can tell, are completely gone. However, there is enough neurological tissue which is triggered in some manner to with some strange brain synapse that with a sudden awakening, will seem as if there is fire all around. This is truly a frightening experience because the one thing a blind person fears most is a house fire and being unable to escape. This brings on the subject of procrastination, efficiency, discipline and routine.

Over the years, owning many businesses, it is necessary to have total discipline and routine for your life. Thank God, I came from a home with parents who were totally disciplined, almost obsessive compulsive, in their lifestyle and who knew the value of conservatism and efficiency in everything. My ancestors were all governed by the convictions of God's laws. They got up early, went to bed early, worked hard all day and in every way were very productive and accomplished in their lives. I am convinced that they were in good health until their final event which took them out of this world, because every day of their life they always had a siesta (short nap) after lunch. They knew that rest was as important as work, and they knew that work was honorable. As far as I know, not one family member has ever depended on government welfare for anything.

During the great depression with Roosevelt's obscene Agricultural Stabilization Program, when the Gestapo democrat troops of Roosevelt tried to stabilize all areas of agriculture by cutting down perfectly good crops for acreage control, by killing perfectly good animals for animal husbandry control, when government regulations were just getting a start in enslaving the lives of citizens who heretofore had been free, I think my parents did take a few of the dollars (and they were few, $2 or $3 per family), which was called “parity”. In the urban areas cheese, lard, and apples were passed out. Those who think they are seeing some hard times in the beginning of this present great depression (and I believe it will get much worse because of the incredible national debt which can never be paid). There can be incredible suffering.

The stupidity of the news media is beyond comprehension. Any time there is a “dead cat bounce” anywhere, such as recently there was some positive news from Europe and it was decided here that the recession was over, we forget that we have a national debt in the trillions, that the entire world debt is 100 trillion, and that the entire world production (our GNP) is only 55 trillion. The entire world is in a state of recession and the Eugenics crowd (Rockefeller, Ford Foundations, the Bilderbergers and the Illuminati) think the solution is population control as we rapidly move toward the 7 billion figure.

When the Titanic was sinking in the North Atlantic 100 years ago (a ship which the ship builders said before it left South Hampton on it's maiden voyage that God could not sink), as it was going down one officer would walk around and say, “It is only sinking 4 inches an hour now, so relax it probably is not going to sink anymore, because previously it was sinking 10 inches an hour.” But we all know that the ship is on the bottom of the Atlantic, The last survivor, a small baby at the time, just died. The only thing worthwhile from that ship now is some memorabilia and a movie. Books are already being written about the demise of this once great republic, a country which we thought was too large and too powerful to sink.

Some things never change. Books have been written about a positive attitude: Positively Thinking and Think and Growing Rich. Discipline is a mortar that holds life together. The most important matter in life is not to procrastinate, not put things off. Someone has said that the world's largest nation is procrastination.

1. Life is much shorter than you think when you are young. Character determines destination. Do not procrastinate about building character. Your character and your reputation will follow you your entire life. Careless things will come back to haunt you. God will forgive your sins and when He forgives, He forgets. He does not allow you to forget because if He allowed you to forget your sins, you might forget your ABC's, also.
2. Saving money. Money is something you cannot procrastinate about. While it is true that our treasure is in heaven, it is fundamental that we save, put aside, after our tithes and gifts to God, a certain amount of our income. You cannot invest money you have spent, and you can only make money with money. A certain amount of money needs to be spent on expendables; food clothing, housing, etc.. But, in buying anything else consider its resale value. Geography is the most important consideration in buying real estate, residential or commercial. I had rather have a small house in a prosperous section of town then have a large house in a declining area of town. I had rather have an expensive second hand suit then a cheap new suit. I will comb second hand furniture stores to find furniture made of real wood, with real hardware that I can refurbish and refinish knowing that it is much more valuable then new stuff made of synthetic wood. One furniture manufacturer (Kemp Furniture) told me that he could make plywood to take on the appearance of any type of expensive wood. The greatest lasting fortunes have been made by hard working, entrepreneurs, who slowly invested, keeping careful control over repairs and rental incidentals. The Wall street crowd is just a bunch of crooks, like Madoff's assistant said, “Everyone knew what was going on, but no one would say anything.” From the world's financial centers to the world's political capitols, there are so many skeletons in so many closets that most just assume the 'monkey see monkey do' attitude; see nothing, say nothing, hear nothing.
3. Do not procrastinate about your health. You can pacify your pagan desires with addictive behavior such as drugs (alcohol is a drug), smoking (both tobacco and the other stuff from which 500,000 die each year), over-eating (50% of the population is diabetic). Most Americans dig there graves with a fork. I have traveled the world (157 countries), and America is the only country where you see fat people. Heart attack, cancer and stroke are the big killers. All can be prevented by being careful about what you put in the gullet. Cancer will not grow in an alkaline body. Leave off sugar and salt, and the greatest poison of all, artificial sweeteners. The soil is so completely depleted of nutrients (it takes 20 carrots now to get the nutrition of a carrot of 50 years ago), that it is totally necessary to take supplements. The average life span of an American is 78 years. The average life span of some one who lives in Africa is 40 years. There is no reason why anyone should be sick if you eat correctly, exercise daily, and practice good hygiene. Think everyday of how many hand rails and door knobs you touch. Next to the air you breathe which came out of someone else's nostrils and the fingers on the ends of your arms is the firewall protecting you from disaster.
4. Do not procrastinate about exercise. The early years of this republic our people were hard working, rural dwellers. Even in urban areas, it was necessary to work hard. We have become a lazy people, a service oriented society. Children, seeing that their parents chief interest in life is watching the trash on television (average TV time 6 hours a day), see their visual space, their world get smaller as their bottoms become larger (most children become near sighted early in life). The term “couch potato” describes all ages. As we become victims, not only of the world, flesh and the devil, but the confining, restricted interior world of TV, computers, and the cell phone. Everyone jokes about we old folks walking several miles to school, but we did. We also walked to church. It did not kill us to climb stairs (escalators and elevators were unknown until the 20th century). Now, if one has to go further then a few blocks, it is necessary to ride in a car, taxi or bus. Most exercise machines are just used for coat racks, and the school playgrounds and ball fields have become parking lots for the students old enough to have a drivers license. The over indulged and spoiled generation which should be trim and healthy, has become fat and debilitated by parents who were the worshipers of Dr. Spock, who promoted a permissive society. Few know that Dr. Spock apologized for writing that book (50 million copies in 59 translations) before he died. It is the permissive generation that has allowed the poison of pornography (more pornography outlets than McDonald restaurants in the USA), the patronage of fast food, the imbecilic attachment to the computer, the forfeiture of every principal that we hold dear in our republic and in most religions.

It is perfectly natural for anyone to procrastinate. Everyone objects to change. We procrastinate about changing doctors, lawyers, even employees, when we know we should. We tolerate mediocrity because it is easier to, because everyone has the idea that things could get worse. Cemeteries are full of people who should have changed doctors. Appeals courts dockets are backed up with cases of clients who should have changed lawyers. Many businesses would have flourished that floundered because of phlegmatic employees. I learned early as an employer that you are far better off to go through the throws of employee change, than to persist and procrastinate with one who will never be an asset anywhere. The most serious disease of procrastination is failing to prepare for the unexpected. The priest and prophets and even financial advisors do not know anymore then you know. It is the unexpected events in life for which we must prepare. The most dangerous procrastination is that of our eternal future. Do not procrastinate; prepare for a very certain eternity. When I was a child, before the bombardment of minds with televisions and other advertisements, one would ride down the highway and see signs for Burma Shave. Then there would be a sign which said, “Prepare to meet God.” Don't procrastinate in this preparation.