Christ United Methodist Ministry
Center
“Christ
in the Heart of San Diego”
3295
Meade Avenue
San
Diego, CA 92116
(619)
284-9205
Pastorgraphs: “Abundance”
I
renewed my Eternal Optimism Membership after reading a book this weekend. With
all the gloom and doom broadcast 24 hours a day, I finally found some good
news. (Gospel means “good news”, so let me share a different kind of gospel
with you to start your week.)
The
book is: “Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think” by Peter H. Diamandis
and Steven Kotler.
It
is not a “feel good” book, but a well-thought-out rationale for how we may deal
with the problems of scarcity in the years to come. Simply stated, Diamandis
and Kotler espouse the notion that rather than a planet running out of
resources, there is reasoned hope (with the right combination of technology,
entrepreneurs and human ingenuity) for solving almost every problem confronting
us. (What??? With gasoline headed to $5 a gallon? Or $6?)
It
is a viewpoint I advocated in a series of sermons on Abraham a few years ago.
In that series, I emphasized God is a God of Abundance, and that He wants to
Bless those who are willing to become a Blessing to others.
…”and
prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the
windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room
enough to receive it!” (Malachai 3:10)
Diamandis
and Kotler write from a secular viewpoint, and admit that there will be
catastrophes, wars, and famines. But as I read, my soul resounded that all is
not doom and gloom. There are amazing opportunities: a solution for almost
every scarcity.
We
really do live in a different world than just a few decades ago. For example,
while there was just one computer at Delta State when I attended (and they
didn’t let students touch it), in the recent past, a couple college students
created Facebook in their dorm room and started a revolution in how billions of
people order their daily lives. We now have more information at our fingertips
today than the President had a decade ago.
Diamandis
offers a “pyramid of abundance”. There are three levels: the lowest belonging
to the needs of food, water, shelter and so on. The middle tier is devoted to
the catalysts for growth; such as education, communications and information.
The top level, where scarcity gets translated into abundance, are freedom and
health, the prerequisites enabling an individual to contribute to society.
You
don’t have to be a major corporation or a national government to change the
world. Anyone with common sense and a vision of how to turn scarcity into
abundance can change the world…TODAY.
So
what’s stopping you? Quit saying “I can’t” because of the job market, or the
economy, or I don’t have ____ or ____!
Now
get out there and make this a better world!
Devotedly,
Brother
Bill
From the Quote Garden
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