Harmony

Scripture

To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit.

~I Peter 3:8, NASB

Quote

Tie two Tom cats by the tails and hang them over the clothes line and you have unity but no harmony.

~Calvin C. Inman

At first, I assumed that Peter was giving us a list of things every congregation needs: harmony, sympathy, brotherly love, compassion and an humble spirit. As I looked deeper, what every church needs is harmony and the way to get there is by being sympathetic, loving, compassionate [tenderhearted] and humble [understanding].

Harmony is a pleasing combination or arrangement of different things. Sounds like a strange definition but it is true. Harmony is not everyone singing the same note with the same voice; it is singing different notes with different voices that together produce a pleasing sound. We are not all to sing the same note but we are to be on the same song and page.

The unique thing about I Peter 3:8 is, we cannot get in harmony without being sympathetic, compassionate and understanding of others.

Seven Things Man Cannot Do

{Job 9}

1. Man cannot argue with God: Our infinite lack of knowledge or ignorance would make it impossible. [Job 9:2]
2. Man cannot stand up to God: We lack the power. Can we stand up to an F-5 tornado or a hurricane? God is infinitely stronger than a storm. [Job 9:4]
3. Man cannot understand God: Again the finite can not comprehend the infinite. [Job 9:10]
4. Man cannot see God. God is Spirit and no man has ever seen Him other than in Christ. [Job 9:11]
5. Man cannot stop God. [Job 9:12]
6. Man cannot force God to do something He doesn’t want to do. [Job 9:19]
7. Man cannot sue God; take Him to court. [Job 9:19]

• Today’s schedule: Deacon’s meeting @ 8:15, LCBS @ 9:15, Celebrate Jesus in worship @ 10:15 and 6:15. AWANA and Visitation @ 5:30.
• Mission offering goes to Youth for Summer Camp and Mission Trip.
• We have a communion coming up Sunday morning May 22 and a 5th Sunday Debt retirement offering on May 29.

Coming to DBC August 21, Dr. Junior Hill

After A Little While

Scripture

In his kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

~ I Peter 5:10, NLT

Quote

“Try to exclude the possibility of suffering which the existence of free-wills involve, and you find that you have excluded life itself.”

~C.S. Lewis

A call to salvation in Christ is a call to suffer. I know this doesn’t appeal to our fleshly nature but some things can only be accomplished through suffering.

• Do you love this world? After you have suffered a little while you will long for the world to come.
• Do you crave the things of the flesh? After you have suffered a little while that craving will vanish.
• Does everything revolve around you? After you have suffered a little everything will revolve around HIM.
• Are you cold, callous and indifferent to the pain of others? After you have suffered a little while you will become sensitive to the pain of others.
• Are you ungrateful? After you have suffered a little while you will be thankful. I have never meet a believer who was gracious, humble, compassionate and thankful who had not suffered.

Moses suffered! Most of David’s Psalms came from his suffering. Jeremiah was the suffering servant of the Old Testament. His life, except for a few years under King Josiah, was one disappointment and heart break after another. Very few prophets died from natural causes and only one of the twelve Apostles died as an old man.

One minute into the agony of crucifixion, you and I would be praying for death. Don’t get upset with those who are ready to go home; you don’t know what they have suffered and suffering changes practically every thing.

• What a truly unique CHRISTMAS. We had to run our A/C, there were also flies and floods. There are people in West Hartselle who houses are flooded as I write. Landon and I were working on alliterating our Christmas experience last night and we came up with a four-p0int sermon: Frigeration, Flies, Floods and Flip-flops for Christmas.
• Gary Garner cannot have company but he is improving, PTL. Continue to pray for Gary.
• Buford had a good day yesterday and Christmas Day: he didn’t have a good day Christmas Eve.
• T-Bone {Travis Abernathy} mom’s COLS is today in Huntsville. Joe David and I will be leaving right after the service in the morning.
• The Pat Halbrooks service will be Wednesday but I do not know time or place.

Inconsistent Behavior

SCRIPTURE

Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.“

~Matthew 16:17

QUOTE

If your are persistent, you will get it: if you are consistent, you will keep it.

~Image Quotes

Matthew 16 is very interesting: in verse 17, Jesus blesses Simon Peter, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.” Then Jesus tells the disciples about His death….”That it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. With this Peter takes Jesus aside and reprimands Him… “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” Then notice what Jesus says in verse 23, just 6 verses from the blessing… Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Peter went from being blessed to being embarrassed in a matter of minutes. Are you plagued with inconsistent behavior,  up and down, on and off, fired up and fizzled out. To be a credible witness for Christ, we have to be consistent. As a teenager, I was terribly inconsistent and no one paid any attention when I tried to witness. As an older teenager, I realized that my hypocritical behavior had destroyed my influence. People were not taking me seriously. I got all fired up in revivals and then fizzled out a few weeks later. I was an Alka-Seltzer Baptist: I made a lot of racket and then fizzled out.

• Another great service. I’m telling you, David and all the band have done a superb job this week. Sloan and Mr. Hardy did great. The congregational singing has been off the charts. We had a ton of visitors last night: if we could get our members to come, we would have REVIVAL for sure.
• Our pre-service prayer meeting is getting thin: Deacons and whoever, tonight at 6:30 in Jerry’s LCBS class.
• I can’t tell you what a blessing it is to drive the van–the kids make my day. Sissy is a hoot. I put her in charge last night because I didn’t know all the kids. We picked up some new ones that Sissy and Dian invited. These kids are always happy. It’s hard to explain why they are happy and we are not. Chloe got upset that she did not get to ride the bus. I think Holly promised her she could go tonight.
• Joe David did the Hospital visits…Both of Karen’s parents are sick and in the hospital. Mrs. Hill is in HH and Mr. Hill is at DGH. He is not doing well: very weak and labored breathing. Pray for the Hills and for Bill Wilbourn.

Going Overboard

SCRIPTURE

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.

~Matthew 14:29

QUOTE

There can be no faith so feeble that Christ does not respond to it.

~Alexander MacLaren

Folks like Peter, the impetus types, are ridiculed for acting before thinking but Peter got a blessing which no other disciple received. He didn’t have perfect faith but he had enough to do something daring. It is true that Peter’s faith or lack thereof, let him down but think of all the right things he did.

1. He asked for a miracle–“Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” Galilean fishermen don’t walk on water, not naturally. Peter is asking Jesus to enable him to do something supernatural.
2. He responded obediently to the word of Christ— “Yes, come,” Jesus said.
3. He got out of the boat—So Peter went over the side of the boat. Peter left his comfort zone. 
4. He moved toward Jesus—He walked on the water toward Jesus. It is never a mistake to move toward Jesus.
5. He walked on water—So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water. He may not have walked far, but he walked further than you and I.

Soul Search:

1. Do you have the faith to ask Jesus for a miracle?
2. Would you obey if Jesus commanded you to do something daring?
3. Are you willing to leave your comfort zone?
4. Are you moving toward Jesus or away from Jesus?
5. Are you willing to put yourself in a position where you are totally dependent on Jesus?

Life is filled with storms. Jesus is in every storm. Look for Jesus in your storm and move toward HIM. Don’t be afraid to obey HIM, there is abundant blessing and glorious victory in doing as He commands.

• I want to ask everyone to pray for Bill Wilbourn, this is Debbie Gilliland’s brother, also Charlie’s brother. He is in stable but serious condition at DGH. When I left last night, he was still in ER but they were waiting on a bed in ICU. All his vitals were stable but he was in great discomfort. They were putting him on a bigger bed when I left.
• Kane Update: Got new meds for kidney hypertension caused by all the trauma in his gut. It should lower the blood pressure. If it does we are Danville bound this weekend.
• If everything checked out yesterday, Gary Garner was to have his second chemo treatment today.
• GOLDEN GIRLS this Saturday morning at 9:30–CB in Hartselle. We will plan our November meeting which will be at Lisa’s house.
• THE GATHERING tonight at 6:30. I am thrilled with way you have adjusted to the PM services. We are having better attendance on Sunday night and Wednesday night.

In The Sweet By And By

SCRIPTURE

“You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”

~John 13:7, NLT

QUOTE

Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of worship.

~Neil Armstrong

The above verse jumped out at me yesterday during my daily bible study. Jesus did not feel compelled to explain Himself or His actions. He knew that Peter and the others were not to the point of understanding. Jesus was teaching His disciples how to minister to each other and to others. He did so by demonstrating the two key components on the eve of His death. The two components of ministry are Humility and Love. He took off his robe and girded Himself with a towel, then He stooped to wash their dirty feet. Then He gave them a New Commandment: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

A man came home and told his wife that God had called him to preach. She said, “No, He hasn’t!” He said, “What do you mean, do you presume to know more than God?” She said, “No, but you do not love people and I know that preachers have to love people.” He said, “Well I can change can’t I?” She said, “You’ll have to if your going to preach.” It is not just a requirement for preachers, it is a requirement for anyone who attempts to minister. It takes humility and love to touch lives for Jesus sake. These are not suggestions, they are requirements.

By the way, the guy was telling the truth. God was calling him and he did change. He has faithfully served a church to our South for over twenty years.

• Gary Garner is still very weak and he’s really discouraged: please pray. It is one of those things we don’t understand now but will someday.
• Josh and Charity’s Jonah came through the surgery good.
• Memphis Report: The chemo has upset his pancreas and that has caused desperate pain. He was hurting terribly. They finally got him a morphine pump combined with other things and now he is easy. The treatment for pancreatitis is fluids and sleep. I pray he sleeps till the pancreas is calm again. They say 2 to 3 days. After treatment he should have no problems. [I think we need to pray a little extra for Kane]
• More bad news OFFICE DEPOT takes radical stand against the rights of the unborn: they are unashamedly pro-abortion. Sorry Office Depot, I will take my business elsewhere….Office Depot Pro-Abort and Anti-Life
• REVIVAL at Belleview going well. We had a very good service last night. I wish there was a way that we could meet together Wednesday night. I think it would really be encouraging to them. What if I promise to preach a short sermon or to take everyone to Popeye’s after the service.

Hallelujah, Right? Not For Some!

SCRIPTURE

But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him.

~Acts 11:2, NLT

QUOTE

Criticism is something we can easily avoid by saying nothing, doing nothing and being nothing.

~Aristotle

Can you imagine going out on Church Visitation and finding an entire household waiting to hear the gospel. They actually ask you to share the gospel which you do and the Holy Spirit falls and the entire house hold accepts Jesus as Savior and Lord. I have had the opportunity to present to households a couple of times but never have I had the response that Peter had when he shared the gospel with Cornelius and family. If one of our teams came back on Sunday night and said, “Bro. Jack, we just lead a guy named Cornelius to faith in Christ, he and all his family are coming for baptism next week.” Bro. Jack is going to shout hallelujah, Praise The LORD. This is the guy who paid for an entire building by himself before he was saved. He was a generous man. Yes, I am going to be thrilled.

What happened when Peter and his team of six got back to First Jerusalem from visitation with this glowing report. They were upset; “What do you mean going into the house of a Gentile and the audacity of you sharing a meal with these unclean, uncircumcised heathens.” Instead of shouting they were pouting. Instead of celebrating, they were criticizing.  Examine the substance to their criticism. Was their criticism not petty and trite. It is easier to go to church than to be the Church.

I remember a little league game that took place 32 years ago. The head coach had to work and that left me in charge: I made a few adjustments. We were playing CU [Cato University]. They had beaten us earlier in the season 17-0. I started the best athlete on our team at pitcher. He didn’t have great control but he had a wicked fastball. We lost 2-0 but to me it was a moral victory because the game went the full six innings instead of ending in three and we had a chance to win. They didn’t hit our kid, he walked two our three and hit two or three.

You know me, if you look up vanity in the dictionary, my picture should be there. I am thinking, “The parent’s are going to demand that I become the head coach because of my brilliant coaching decisions.” The Parents were lined up but not to congratulate me or promote me; they were as mad as an old sitting hen [they were hens] because I had put their child in a new position or a different place in the batting order. That’s the night I decided mothers don’t need to go to the games.

Long story short: Aristotle is right on the money.

• Saw Gary early yesterday morning and he was feeling better: hopefully, he gets his first treatment today. Betty had her PET Scan yesterday and they are supposed to get results today. Tacey’s mom [Elnora Morris] is in DGH and Preston Grammer is also there.
• GOLDEN GIRLS this Saturday at 9:00 at Cracker Barrel.
• Needs for FRIDAY BACKPACK PROGRAM: Poptarts, Peanut butter crackers, canned food [Ravioli, Chili, spaghettios], Caprisuns, Fruit Snacks, Applesauce, Granola Bars, Fun sized candy bars.
• I want to thank the YOUTH for finishing up our BP clean up last night and the CHOIR for hosting a party in honor of David. They had a good turnout and will be working on Christmas music on Wednesday nights. We need a few more men.
• Commissioner Vest sang at Jody Brown’s COLS yesterday. He has a beautiful baritone voice. He, Chanda and Will are going to sing for us soon, I hope. Mark Lowery’s DANCE, DANCE would be a good one for them to open with.

Humility

SCRIPTURE

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.

~I Peter 5:6

QUOTE

Weak and cowardly people are not humble; they only appear humble. True humility comes from inner strength and a sense of security.

~Chuck Swindoll

John 13 begins with Jesus washing his disciples feet. Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. Jesus knew who He was and He was not threatened by anyone or anything. His humility came from His inner strength. Weak people are easily intimidated: they may sit quietly in a corner and not say a word but this is not due to humility, it is due to fear.

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Humility is a discipline. Peter said, “Humble yourselves.” James said the same thing “Humble yourselves.” God can humble us; matter of fact He can humiliate us. There are 700 men in Alabama who would like to be invisible about now. Their sins have found them out. Don’t gloat, your sin and mine will catch up with us someday. Judgment day is not going to be pretty. God expects us to humble ourselves. How many times have you bowed the knee to our Sovereign Savior lately. It is your responsibility.

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Ronald Reagan is by far the greatest president of the 20th century and he is light years ahead of the one we have now. Some deranged idiot tried to assassinate President Reagan on March 30, 1981. I was at the Goldkist Store in Danville when I got the news. Reagan could have died but he got prompt and profession medical care: one of the perks of being president. He was conscious before going into surgery and surrounded by a team of physicians Mr. Reagan said, “I hope you guys are republicans.” One of the doctors said, “Mr. President, today, we are all republicans.” A few days later as the President was  recovering, he accidently spilled a glass of water. A nurse found him out of bed on his hands and knees cleaning up the spill. When she scolded him he said, “I didn’t want anyone to slip; I was afraid it might get you in trouble.”  Humility comes from strength, not weakness.

• First of all, great news from Gary, he had a good day. Thank you for your prayers. Add Betty Burnett to your prayer list. Betty has multiple problems. She is having a PET scan Thursday I think. There is a spot in her lungs. They also found an aneurism on her aorta. Both problems are serious. Its a lot to process at one time: pray for Betty.
• The final tally on the offering was $20,500.22. I am still praying about something but I’m not going to tell you what it is, not yet. David told me today that weather permitting, the paving will begin next Monday. Understand folks that there is a lot to be done before they put down the black top.
• We have rescinded our motion to change the Sunday morning schedule. Things will stay the same for now. Joe Fitzgerald was elected to the Personnel Committee, Jason Bowling and Jamie Glenn to Budget, Amy Garnett to WEE Care, David Andrews and Will Morgan to Nominating, Gregg Holiday and Jerry Wayne Segars to Deacon and David the little missile Wood and Brian Catfish McCollum to the board of Trustees. I want to thank Anthony and the Nominating Committee for officiating, counting and storing the ballots.
• YOUTH I need your help: I have a project for you Wednesday and if you will do it, I will buy you some pizza. [1] Put the clothes rack upon the stage of the amphitheater [2] Put the picnic tables back under the pavilion [3] Take down the fence behind the FORTE.
• Needs for FRIDAY BACKPACK PROGRAM: Poptarts, Peanut butter crackers, canned food [Ravioli, Chili, spaghettios], Caprisuns, Fruit Snacks, Applesauce, Granola Bars, Fun sized candy bars.
• Katie James Stichler’s grandfather [Mr. Golden] was promoted: services at First Baptist Hartselle this Wednesday.
• We just learned that Nell Brown’s grandson Jodie also passed away. I don’t know any arrangements.

The Condescension

SCRIPTURE

But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all!

~Psalms 22:6, NLT

QUOTE

“In comparison to God, people are maggots; we mortals are mere worms.”

~Bildad the Shuhite

Psalms 22 is one of the Messianic Psalms that prophecies Jesus condescension, incarnation and death on the cross. Isaiah referred to Jacob as a worm which seems demeaning but not really. Both Jesus and John the Baptist referred to the unrepentant Pharisees as snakes [Matt. 23:33, Luke 3:7]. The worm will not retaliate when hurt but a snake strikes back. Jesus said in John 3:14, “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” Peter said, “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.” In His life and ministry, Jesus was a Lamb, not a snake but on the cross He became a snake because He took on our sins and sinful nature. Jesus became a snake to save the snakes. Would you become a snake to save the snakes? Not me, I don’t like snakes. I’m not sure we will ever understand how low Jesus stooped to save us. Amazing love, how can it be? That you, my King would die for me. Amazing love, I know it’s true, and its my joy to honor You.

TODAY WE PRAY FOR MINISTERS AND MISSIONARIES

• God is good, more than we know. What a blessing to get to preach the word and feel the Spirit in the praise and worship. Your singing gets better and better. On that last song when David stepped back, I took that as a cue to listen to you and you sounded like a choir of angels. I was blessed in both services.
• April is practically gone which means 1/3 of 2015. Mother’s Day a week from Sunday. One more week to get those Roses ordered.
• Church directories are in, at least the hard copies. We should get the phone apps soon.
• GOLDEN GIRLS this Saturday at Cracker Barrel, 9:30 am.
• Miss Clara is sick: Don Fields is going to have surgery. Heart related but I don’t know the date. Chloe Bug will have a surgery on Tuesday morning; removing adenoids.

A Rose Among Thorns

SCRIPTURE

Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?

~Matthew 26:40, NLT

QUOTE

There is something so pure and frank and noble about Jesus that to doubt His sincerity would be like doubting the brightness of the sun.

~ Charles Edward Jefferson

Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40, and Jesus for only 3. Yet the influence of Christ’s 3-year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these three philosophers who have to rank among the greatest in history. I have been in Matthew 26 for a month or so: yesterday we were in the Garden of Gethsemane and last night we walked through the mock trial at the palace of Caiaphas. Jesus shines like a diamond on black velvet: He is noble, everyone else is ignoble. He is pure and the rest or polluted. Jesus is sinless, all others in this human drama are sinful and hopelessly depraved.

Run through the list of characters in Matthew 26: Peter’s denial, Judas betrayal, the disciples fleeing in fear, the rabble that the priest sent to arrest Jesus with their torches and clubs, Caiaphas the high priest [what a joke], the teachers of the law, the Sanhedrin, temple guards, the false witnesses, and the servant girl who taunted Peter. There is not one noble, upright person in the list. Everyone in Matthew 26, other than Jesus, deserves death and hell. Yet Jesus voluntarily took the blame for our sin. He took the abuse, the rejection, the condemnation and the death which we deserve. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

• Hey, I found out we have 49 followers, not 19 and as we mentioned before, only two of them attend our services so the blog is a bit of a recap of yesterday’s messages. I writing this on Sunday night and I am tired so a rerun for Jason. Sorry about that!
• TODAY WE PRAY FOR MISSIONARIES AND MINISTERS: Remember Joe David as he travels [Seminary in Birmingham]. Remember our four Asian Missionaries who read the blog. Speaking of M’s, Ken B is coming home some time this Summer. We look forward to seeing him.
• GREAT DAY yesterday {March 15}. Check our facebook page, Beth and others were going to post the pics. We had one baby dedication and three precious baptisms: Ellie Mae Tucker, Bree Tyson, and Libby Jones. The house was not full but with the children coming in for the baptisms, it was close. Best crowd in a long time and we had a great crowd last night. What about the praise and worship yesterday morning? Wow! Double Wow! Haley and Charity knocked in out of the park and then David and Tyler hit another out with the invitation. I didn’t want to leave for the baptism because I was enjoying the music.
• Continue to pray for our Youth, Keri and Kane. I think Kane is going to get to come home for 10 days.

Success and Failure

 

SCRIPTURE

“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!

~Luke 5:5-6, NLT

QUOTE

Don’t let success supplant your love for Jesus.

~Junior Hill

Peter and crew had fished all night and caught nothing. Keep in mind, they were profession fishermen; this was their livelihood. Peter was reluctant to put the boats back in the deep and mess up the nets. If he obeyed Christ, this meant more work for he and his crew but he did obey and caught a boat load of fish. This story of failure and then success has an unusual ending. Note verse 11, “And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.“ They left a boat load of fish to follow Jesus: matter of fact, they left their boats, nets, gear and the huge catch and followed Jesus.

My purpose statement for life is to be “Obedient to Jesus Christ.” As Junior pointed out to our pastors yesterday morning, “sometimes we get caught up in the numbers, in the catch, in the success and we forget the most important thing is to stay on the heels of Jesus.”

Think about present day pastors: if we were given the success that Peter was given, we would probably write a book, FIVE WAYS TO CATCH A BOAT LOAD OF FISH. We would begin hosting clinics, telling others how to catch a boat load of fish. It would not be long until the truth would be obscured by our self promotion. The fact is, Jesus is the reason we catch fish. He is the ONE who makes us fishers of men. Our job is to obey Him. He, by divine fiat, puts the fish in the net. Don’t ask me to explain how He does it: I can’t but I know this: when Peter and crew went on their own initiative, they caught nothing. When they went in obedience to Jesus command, they filled two boats.

• Today we pray for TEACHERS.
• As you can tell from the blog Junior Hill preached at the MBA Pastor’s Conference yesterday. A normal crowd is 15-20 but yesterday the room was packed. Every one loves Junior. The man’s character and heart are highly respected among the brethren. I don’t know that I ever seen anything like it in my life time.
• Michael Mason has a viral YouTube hit….Amari Cooper Parody. I showed it to Mavis, she liked it but then she wanted me to sing it. I did one line and she cackled. I stopped because I couldn’t remember the words. She wanted me to sing it again. I sang the one line I could remember and she cackled again. They heard her all through the South wing. Yesterday was Mavis and Kenny’s birthday. Kenny is my age [56] and Mavis is 90.  I had a good visit with both of them. Alabama plays January 1st. Every time you think about this game, I want you to say a prayer for Kenny Holliday. You can do it, if you set your mind to it. Our first concern is Kenny and I know how often Alabama fans think about the game. It is more than once a day.

[This article is about economics and politics: it is basically for men with thick skin. Reader beware!]

I am not an economist or a political science major but I do know and have known all along that the Affordable Care Act {Obama Don’t Care} would cost the tax payers. I try to read the IMPRIMIS each month and this months article is by Casey Mulligan, professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. Mulligan uses a term I am was not familiar with, “tax distortions.” Tax distortions come most often through subsidies. Ethanol is a good example: It is not in our best interest {consumer} to put corn in gasoline but our big brother federal government subsidizes gasoline refiners and that’s why we have all the problems that go with ethanol. The government passes the cost on to the consumer so gas prices are higher because of ethanol, not lower. This is how that distort tax and this is what they are doing with ACA {Obama Care}. They will penalize employers with 50 or more full time employees $2,000 per year per employee if the employer does not provide Health Insurance. The $2,000 penalty is not tax deductible which technically makes it more like $3,000.

Decades of research show that when you “tax something,” you get less of it. To use a simple analogy that anyone can understand: let’s say the government put a tax on Camping. Any camper using a Federal, State or Public Park would not only pay the normal fee which I thing is $15-20 dollars per day plus an additional tax of $20 per day for camping. The bottom line is–fewer people are going to camp because they do not want to pay the tax. Mulligan says that three things are going to happen because of Obama Care and all will have an adverse affect on the economy.

1. Employers are going to cut hours so that they have fewer full time employees. They are not going to pay the penalty if there is a way to avoid it and cutting hours from full time [40+] to part time [39-] is a way to avoid the penalty.
2. Small Business are going to stay small. They will avoid the 50 employee number. Is this really what we want? Do we want to stifle small business the backbone of the Republic?
3. Full time employees will pick up the cost of Obama Care because all part time employees qualify for government subsidies. When the bureaucrats in Washington engineered this night mare, they estimated that only 8 million Americans would feel the economic crunch of Obama Care. Mulligan says the number will be much higher but does not offer a guess. I’m predicting it to cost every full time employee in America except of course for Government workers, most of which are parasites feeding off the system. So if it feels like you are making less than you did five years ago, it is most likely due to distorted tax hidden in subsidies. I hate subsidies and entitlements: economically, they will be the death of this Republic. You are welcome to argue with me on this point but you will lose the argument.