Bleeding out.

Culture in America is on an inverted spiral out of control--devolution. "Civil rights" have replaced "the moral imperative" as the final arbitrator in America. We've come to embrace (here's the irony) the idea it's "immoral" to deny the rights of individuals to act as they see fit as long as "no one is hurt in the process." But this rubric fails to understand that morality isn't defined as just "the absence of a victim." Debased behavior, wether it's Wall Street, Hollywood, Congress, Education, Church or at home diminishes the entire culture and has set in motion a "death-by-a-thousand-cuts" cultural bleed-out.

In the name of freedom we have acted in ways that have produced unintended consequences. We have come to believe that because we have the protection under law to do something, produce something, say something--we can. The problem is that liberty in that context is license--and license leads, inevitably, to lawlessness. One of the most important lessons I learned at home was this; just because I CAN do something, doesn't not mean I SHOULD do it.

If we as a culture, can get back to this simple lesson and apply it with consistency to the way we LIVE our lives, run our companies, invest our money, lead our homes, churches, communities and our nation, THEN I believe we will have taken a FIRST-STEP toward restoring sanity to our decision making process; toward rebuilding the ramparts that protect our culture from evil and devolution, toward certain destruction.

But mark this, healing our culture must ultimately address our spiritual need. The Older Testament prophet Micah lived in a culture that was being ravaged by evil. The theme of his prophetic letter stresses the integral relationship between true spirituality and righteous conduct. Toward the end of his letter he turns to an axiomatic concern: Micah 6.6 "...with what shall I come to the Lord and bow myself before the God on high?" In today's vernacular it might sound something like this..."What must I do to please You, the Most High God?" He reveals that answer to us in chapter 6, verse 8...

"He has showed you O man, what is good. Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God." 

Micah 6.8 Do. Love. Walk.

Friends, it's not a fiscal cliff we see looming on the horizon.

Live it well...M6.8 bN