What's RIGHT with America?

 

“The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor, and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.” John F. Kennedy 

  When was the last time you heard a news report or commentary on what’s right about America? Maybe on the 4^th of July or some other national holiday, you might hear or see posts about what people love and appreciate about America but it’s not the normal fare. Both left and right-wing media increase ratings by highlighting what’s wrong with America. Even Christian organizations use crisis and impending doom to raise funds. 

  Please understand, that America has its share of problems but what country would you rather live in? If America is so bad, why is it that so many from other countries seek to immigrate here? In fact, over three times as many people immigrate to the U.S. than the next most popular country which is Germany. Both Canada and Australiahave have half of even Germany's numbers who seek to immigrate there. In spite of the benefits of socialism and Marxism that are sometimes spouted as improvements over our system, very few actually immigrate to socialist or Marxist nations. 

  God’s people are to be grateful and He wants us to be thankful for the many blessings He’s given us (James 1:17) in America. That’s not to say that there aren’t problems that need to be addressed, yet our spiritual health and witness is affixed to our grateful outlook for His blessings. This is why most of us need to limit our media intake and even social media. It’s often mental junk food that directs our minds toward anger, anxiety or depression. If you narrowly focus on the news, economics, morality, and politics in general, then you’ll overlook the many blessings that God has given us in America. Let me share just a few of the many blessings we have as Americans. 

  We have freedom of religion. Around the world eight believers are martyred every day and 182 Churches are ravaged each week. More than 360 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution for their faith. Many Christians worship in secret in fear of arrest. Very few have Bibles. 

  Slavery was a horrible cancer in America and Britain. If it had not been the freedom of religion, it might still be legal today. Slavery is driven by a love for money and profitability. Horribly there were Christians who worshipped money more than God and neglected that God had created every person as Imago Dei, (made in the image of God). But the Quakers got it and even before the Constitution was ratified protested against slavery and wanted it abolished as part of the Constitution. British statesman, William Wilberforce, fought to end slavery until his death. There’s a connection that in the many countries where slavery is still legal or “illegal” yet allowed, none have religious freedom. Because of religious freedom, philanthropic organizations like Goodwill, YMCA, the Salvation Army, and countless hospitals were started by religious individuals. 

  We have economic freedom and opportunity. Why do so many immigrate to America? Because it’s the land of opportunity. You can have any job that you want. You have the right to own property, including your own home and car. You can own your own business. One has the freedom to produce, trade, and consume goods and services acquired without the use of force, fraud, or theft. While we unfortunately have increasing governmental oversight, entrepreneurs still thrive and are successful.  

  The Sugar Bowl Bakery founder Andrew Ly fled Vietnam after the U.S. pulled out in 1975. After living in a Malaysian refugee camp, Ly arrived in the U.S. with just a dollar to his name in 1979. In 1984, Ly and his four brothers pooled their savings and opened the Sugar Bowl Bakery, which went on to be a $400 million dollar business. Iranian-born Ahmad Meradji, the CEO of Booklogix moved to America from Iran at 21. After working as a busboy and doing other menial jobs, he climbed the corporate ladder and in 2006 started his own self-publishing service, Booklogix, which today is worth $4.5 million. America is the land of opportunity.

  We have a justice system that protects the rights of individuals. While our justice system has problems, it surpasses that of much of the world. One can’t be arrested without cause. Most Americans in an emergency will still dial 911 and be confident that law enforcement or emergency personnel will come to their aid. We have laws against unlawful detention and discrimination and the right to a speedy trial with a jury of your peers. There is to be impartiality amongst judicial officers. Discrimination against women and the violation of fundamental human rights is illegal. 

   We have a representative form of government. Though all of the political advertising can be irritating, we have free and open elections. We have an open government that shares information, empowers citizens with tools to hold the Government accountable, and fosters and encourages the participation of its citizens in the deliberation of public policy. If a law or situation is unjust, we have the right to assemble and protest. Unlike in many countries, peaceful protesters are not arrested, beaten or shot. 

  We live in the land of plenty. While there is a supply chain shortage and some items are either difficult to obtain or more limited or more costly than in the past, the shelves of our grocery stores are still filled. Not only that there are multiple grocery stores to choose from, not to mention fruit and vegetable stands and farmers’ markets in nearly every community. We have so much that there are thrift stores and discount stores that sell second-hand goods of items that others have discarded.

  Compared to much of the world even those in poverty are “wealthy.” The word poverty suggests destitution: an inability to provide a family with nutritious food, clothing, and reasonable shelter, yet only a small number of the 35 million persons classified as “poor” by the Census Bureau fit that description. Most of America’s poor live in material conditions that would be judged well-off compared to much of the world. 46% of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by those classified as poor is a three bedroom house with one and a half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio. 76% have air conditioning. As a group, America’s poor are far from being chronically undernourished. Even our poor are not as poor as much of the world.

  Does America have problems? Yes. Yet, we have countless blessings given to us by God and we need to thank Him for His goodness to us! 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

March Madness: When NBC dropped the ball

“I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one.”

Mark Twain

  Rare is the individual (or group for that matter), who’d have the candor of Mark Twain, to admit they’d missed it and blown an opportunity. There’s just something about opportunity that makes it unfortunately much more obvious after the door has closed.

  Great opportunities push us out of our comfort zone. Often we miss opportunities because our world is too small. We’re more comfortable playing it safe, sticking with the known and familiar. Sometimes it’s because our rear view mirror is so huge that we can’t see out the front windshield. We’re looking at how things were, how they used to be. We succumb to being so nostalgic about the past, we’re out of touch with the present and unprepared for the future. Then, sometimes we’re so into ourselves and our own world, we’re virtually unaware there’s another one out there. For some, it seems that the theme song of their life is, “It’s a small world after all.” Oftentimes their world is not much larger than the tip of their nose, or their own family and circle of friends…who all essentially think, act and live just as they do. Because their world is small, it has very little, if any room for growth, risk and opportunity.

  Monday night’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship on CBS is a historic example of an individual who missed a phenomenal opportunity. Because he wouldn’t stretch out of the familiar or his own comfort zone, it greatly cost him and his company.

  If you know anything about television and media history, you may recognize the name of Fred Silverman. In many portions of his life, Fred was a genius. He was sharp and on the cutting edge. Yet, when he had to stretch out of his comfort zone, he was dimmer than a burnt out light bulb.

  For nearly forty years, he was a one man media genius. At some point, in his career he worked for all three major networks. He had the foresight to bring to TV such popular shows as The Waltons, All in the Family, Charlie's Angels, even Scooby-Doo. It was his genius that was behind some of the first great TV miniseries like Roots and Shogun. He had an uncanny ability to spot burgeoning hit material. He reintroduced game shows to the network's daytime lineups, including an updated version of the 1950’s game show, The Price Is Right, that’s still on the air some four decades later. He revitalized the news division of the networks. Yet, amazingly, as talented, brilliant and connected as Fred Silverman was, he was obtuse when it came to sports. He didn’t understand how vital they were or how much they were a part of American culture.

  When he was president of NBC, all he cared about was whether something was profitable in the present, not its potential worth in the future. When it came to the opportunities presented by sports, a former associates described him as “myopic.” For example, during the 1979 World Series, it was bitterly cold in New York. Bowie Kuhn, the Baseball Commissioner invited Silverman to sit in his box during Game 1 at Yankee Stadium. Even though Silverman was president of NBC which had the rights to the World Series, he balked and had to be cajoled into attending and sitting with the Commissioner during the game by Chet Simmons, who was then president of NBC Sports. Simmons pointed out to him that if NBC wanted to keep the rights to the World Series, Silverman needed to do some serious schmoozing. Afterwards though, Silverman chewed Simmons out, telling him, “If you ever do that to me again, I’ll fire you.”

  The reason March Madness is on CBS instead of NBC is that when NBC had a two year contract for the Tournament, the NCAA gave NBC an option for a four year contract. It took Fred Silverman less than 10 seconds to turn down that fantastic opportunity. Even when all of his other executives and sales staff wanted to jump at the opportunity, even when one of his top executives begged him to reconsider, Silverman still said no.

  Though NBC had had the rights to the Tournament since 1969, this shortsighted decision so irritated the NCAA that when NBC’s contract was up, the contract was given to CBS…and the rest is March Madness history.

  For the believer, an opportunity is any favorable occasion when we have the opportunity to make a decision that could have a positive impact for the Kingdom. Opportunities are a gift from the Lord. Yet, like short sighted Fred Silverman, too often we let them pass us by, failing to recognize that they’re gifts and that our heavenly Father sent them to us.

  Think about this. Isn’t it amazing that even in this post-Christian age, billions of people around the world celebrate Easter? Sure, for some it’s little more than eggs and bunnies, but they’re still thinking about it. What an opportunity for those of us who know the real meaning of Easter! Since they’re already talking about our holiday, what a fantastic opportunity to graciously share the real Easter story.  

  Our greatest enemy is Death. It represents our sin and guilt. It stands for hopelessness. Yet, Jesus conquered Death. Jesus wasn’t resuscitated, He was resurrected, never to die again. Because of Jesus, Death is now little more than a toothless lion with no claws.

  Ephesians 6:15 says, “And, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.” The idea is for us to be ready at all times to share the gospel. As believers, we’re on duty 24/7 because you never know when an opportunity will open up to share the gospel with someone. It's the idea of being ready and willing to move at a moment’s notice because opportunities to share the gospel frequently come when we least expect them.

  Are you watching for those opportunities? They come quickly, often unexpectedly. The Lord Jesus is passing us the ball. Please don’t drop it!