The headlines are screaming every day how bad this recession is. The politicians are talking about how bad it is and daily suggesting plans for bailing out the economy using our tax dollars. The other day I saw someone quoted in USA Today as calling this recession The Great Depression 2.0. All this creates a perception that we are about to go under.

If you believe the headlines you should be seeing bread lines soon. We have allowed ourselves to be worked up into a state of fear that is clouding our thinking. While the economy is certainly feeling the affects of this recession the fears that the press and politicians are producing is not helping us reverse the decline. What frustrates me is that this fear has infected Christian leaders as well.

So, let me battle perception with some perspective.

This current recession looks a lot like the recession of the early ’80’s. Remember the Savings and Loan crisis? Few seemingly do. The recession of the early ’80’s all but wiped out the Savings and Loan industry. Unemployment climbed to well over 10%. The GDP ranged from a decline of 7.8% to a decline of 6.4%. Interest rates reached 18%. Despite all that we survived!

This current recession, though the worst SINCE the ’80’s has not yet reached the numbers of the ’80’s. The recent release of 4th quarter GDP was at a negative 3.8%. Unemployment while climbing is at 7.2% and even if it hits 8% which I think it will it is still below the 1980 levels. Interest rates are hovering around 5% to 6% with some even below that. The point is that even though this is a challenging time it is not The Great Depression 2.0.

But what about the Stock Market? Isn’t it volitale? Yes, but remember the Stock Market is not the thermostate for the economy it is a reflection of how investers FEEL about the economy. It goes up one day based upon one report and down the next based upon another. Often there is no ryhym or reason for its movement. Too often we base how things are going upon how the markets did on any given day. The markets have been and will continue to be affected by the perception that we are on the verge of a depression.

I am not ignoring the pain of this recession. I am urging that we adapt a correct perception. Our economy regularly goes through periods of adjustment. While painful they do serve, like pruning of trees, a means of correction IF left alone. My greatest fear is that politicians will meddle in the natural course of this correction and make matters worse. FDR did that and extended The Great Depression for several years. The same government that can be a help can also be a hinderance.

I remain in my conviction that we will recover from this recession starting in late 2009. While some sectors and regions of the country will experience the recession longer than others we will pull out of this by early 2010. When the history of this recession is written we will see that 2009 looked a lot like 2008. In the final analysis this recession while the worst SINCE the early ’80’s, will look very much like the recession of the early ’80’s. We survived that one and we will survive this one.

What should you do as a leader?

Stay the course! Our hope is in Jesus not Washington or the economy. Preach Jesus as the answer.

Educate yourself. Leaders that are ignorant of what is going on financially will be seen as out of touch and irrelivant.

Have a plan for your ministry to navigate through this crisis. Organizations with a plan will weather this storm. Those without might find themselves faced with some tough decisions.

Plan for the future. Don’t let the present crisis scare you away from continuing to dream and plan for growth. One of the biggest mistakes Christian ministries make is not beginning their planning soon enough. While you might not want to break ground today in this economic climate you need to be planning for the future not waiting until things look better.

Give your people perspective and hope. Now is our greatest opportunity since 9/11 to show people that the Bible contains the answers for life. Point them to the One who can see them through this crisis. Be first and foremost a person of hope and faith yourself. That will then spread to your people.

I close by telling the story of Clay UMC church in South Bend, IN. Clay last year saw their giving go up by 4%. What is interesting is that they built one of their first buildings in the early ’80’s with a loan that cost them 18%! They did not let the recession stop their growth then and they are not letting it stop their growth now. Think about all the lives that have been touched as a result of the faith of their leaders. They did not allow the perception of the experts to dissaude them from listening to the voice of faith. They moved forward in the midst of a difficult time and hundreds have been blessed.

What about you? Will you stand up and be a person of faith or will you let the perception of the present cloud your view of the eternal? My prayer is that you will stand in faith.

Mark Brooks
President
The Charis Group

What! Am I crazy? Church giving was up in 2008? Everyone knows giving was down. Was it? Not for every church. Christ United Methodist Church in Fairview Heights, IL just outside of Saint Louis saw their giving increase by 46%! They are just one of several clients that we are working with that saw an increase in giving in 2008. While most saw much more modest gains than Christ UMC did they still saw increases in their giving. When many churches were seeing a decline in giving how is it that these churches could see an increase? Here are some thoughts…

They had a compelling vision. Remember, good vision trumps bad economy. People are spending money in this recession. They are just being careful where they spend it. Give donors a reason to give to your ministry and they will. Develop a compelling vision and then continually communicate how your vision is making a difference.

They had a plan. I am continually amazed at churches that have a growth plan, a missions plan but no stewardship plan. When you have no idea of what you are doing in the area of stewardship you will aimlessly wonder along and could see your giving go down rather than up. Churches that have a stewardship plan and work their plan see giving maintain or increase.

They were not afraid to talk about stewardship. Stewardship is a part of the Christian life. It is why Jesus talked about it more than any other subject. The contemporary church in its desire to appeal to the masses has thrown talk about stewardship out the window. Guess who is the first to experience a decline in giving during a recession? There is a way to talk about money that will not drive people away but actually help them. After all isn’t a recession a money problem? Teach people responsible living with regards to money and that will in and of itself increase your giving.

They engaged help from a professional. Ok, so this is my advertisement but remember its my blog! While I would never assume that just because they partnered with us that is the one and only reason their giving increased it certainly did not hurt. Through out the year, not just during their capital campaigns, we gave advice and counsel about how to increase their giving. We monitored their giving watching trends and potential problem areas. The end result is that with our help they did see giving increase. The fee they paid us was more than made up in the results they saw in their giving. Stewardship professionals more than pay for their fee. It is a good return on investment.

So, what are you waiting for? Are you sitting back and hoping things will get better in 2009? They won’t. I have predicted that 2009 will look a lot like 2008. If you do not act now your giving will probable be off significantly. Acting now could help your giving increase like it did for Christ UMC. I would love to one year from today write about your giving success story. So, don’t just sit there do something!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

PS. Ok, so you don’t want to shell out the bucks for a professional. I have written a book that will give you solid ideas on how to recession proof your offerings called amazingly enough, “Recession Proof Your Offerings.” The cool thing is its free! Simply go to our website at www.TheCharisGroup.org and click on the button that says Free Book. We will send it to you immediately. If you are not completely satisfied after reading it we will refund you what you paid for the book. Is that a deal or what?

As we work our way through the eleventh recession since WWII we need to make sure that what we do is the right thing not the wrong thing. I have been reading a history of The Great Depression called, “The Forgotten Man,” by Amity Shlaes that points out that much of what FDR did to solve the economic down turn of the 30’s actually made the Depression last longer. As I have read the book I am reminded of how history so often repeats itself. If we are not careful we will do the same things now we did then only to reap the same results.

I don’t like this recession who does? It is affecting my family, my busy and the health of our nation. Yet recessions are corrective in nature and happen at a fairly regular interval. If we over react we can make this worse and do things that have a longer lasting impact. To some degree we need to let things take their natural course and they will correct themselves. We learn from each recession and can take steps to lesson their impact in the future.

My current fear is that our government, while well meaning, will do things that we will regret years from now. Politicians always magnify the severity of a situation so that their solution will be more easily accepted and thus they can show the voters they were the ones that acted and saved the day.

We need to look no further back in history than last fall when the TARP program was rammed down our throats with fear statements that unless the package was approved the market would crash. So, fearful politicians on both sides of the aisle voted for the bail out and still the market dropped like a rock. Now we have a bad program that for all practical purposes is achieving little accept give certain banks more money to sit upon.

Remember the old saying, “Haste makes waste?” Right now we need to ignore those that are preaching doom and gloom unless we swallow all of President Obama’s current plan. While the press and the liberal left will attack those that vote no we need politicians that will be unafraid and do just that, vote no!

If we allow this to go through we will be doing essentially what we have done in the past. If it did not work then, why do we think it will work now? We need to handle this current recession with care. Learn the lesson that got us here. Apply them to the future but avoid over reacting in ways that will ultimately make the recession last longer and allow government more intrusion into our lives. If I wanted socialism I would move to Europe!

That is my two cents what’s yours?

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

One of my frustrations in helping Christian ministries raise funds is that often they call us at the eleventh hour asking for our help. I wonder what they were thinking in the months that led up to the decision to engage a stewardship partner. Having been a pastor for twenty years I remember that often cranking out sermon after sermon took all the creative time I had. The tyranny of the urgent and all that kind of thing. As we get closer to spring time we get calls from potential clients wanting to talk about a possible partnership. I wonder why they have not called sooner and then I remember those days of cranking out sermons and I understand.

Here are some thoughts for you on timing of a campaign.

1. Start sooner rather than later. The more time you have to carefully plan and think through your potential campaign the better the results will be. There is no substitute for good planning and that takes time. Throwing together at the last minute a plan of action often leads to results that are less than what you hoped for.

How far in advance should you be planning? Right now if you are thinking about a fall campaign you should be in the final stages of choosing your stewardship partner. At the least you should have it narrowed down and be in the interview process. We will begin work on fall campaigns around March. So you have about six weeks to get your partner chosen. Remember the more time you give yourself to this process the better the results will be.

Need trumps timing. Sometimes events do not allow you the luxury of time. We have several clients that we are talking to now that are in that situation. Still deciding is a key factor. IF you are considering a spring campaign you have to decide now to engage a partner. Every week you delay that decision sets you back and endangers your chances of a good campaign. While we usually recommend about a six month planning window for campaigns IF all the important pieces line up it is possible to still hit a spring deadline now.

The later you wait the harder you will have to work. Those that wait later to begin the campaign process will certainly feel the work load more than those that give it time. As you squeeze a calendar that might normally be six months into three or even two months you had better anticipate that your work load will be tremendous. If you can not suspend other things in your ministry to give time to a campaign then don’t expect sterling results. Get going now and you will save yourself time later on and have a much more successful campaign.

As we talk with churches and ministry leaders every day about these issues I can almost hear them thinking, “You want me to start sooner so that you can start billing me sooner. If I wait I can save money.” No, I want you to start sooner to give you a better chance of raising more money, being even happier with me and thus being a great reference for The Charis Group. Waiting will not save you money but ultimately cost you money.

I am tired of campaigns that falter due to lack of good planning. So, while I do have to put bacon on the table for my family, I want you to make a decision for not only you but the church. Stop twiddling your thumbs and get moving! In the end you are the one that will benefit the most from that decision.

So, call us today so we can get started!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

Only a democrat would make a claim that forcing tax payers to give money for contraceptives will help the economy. Yet that is exactly what Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday. Here is the exchange between ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and Pelosi.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?

PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children’s health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apologies for that?

PELOSI: No apologies. No. we have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy.

If I had not read that online and in the papers today I would have never believed it. Is that what so many Americans voted for when they voted for change? Is that truly the path to economic recovery? Fasten your seat belts my friends as this is only the beginning of many social reforms that will be shoved down our throats. The great fear that I have with our government is an over reaction to this crisis that could make it worse and expand government intrusion into our lives.

How does this factor into a blog on stewardship? If they can use this kind of reasoning to advance their agenda of reproductive services how long before they start in on the churches tax exempt status? If you think that is so far fetch you are wrong. As we sit silently by and watch small items like funding contraceptives pass the momentum to stop them on larger issues like non profit tax breaks will become harder.

What should you do?

Stay informed!
Write your congressman.
Speak out!

If we do nothing we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

That headline caught my attention and made me read further the guest editorial in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal by Arthur Brooks. Brooks wrote the ground breaking and controversial book “Who Really Cares,” in which he showed that conservatives give more than liberals. Now using new data he further solidifies his claims that conservatives are out performing liberals when it comes to giving. Brooks asserted on Thursday that conservatives were already doing what President Obama called upon Americans to do in his inaugural message.

Here are some interesting facts:

Studies have consistently shown that people on the political right outperform those on the left when it comes to charity and it appears that pattern held and even increased in 2008.

In May of last year, the Gallup polling organization asked 1,200 American adults about their giving patterns. People who called themselves “conservative” or “very conservative” made up 42% of the population surveyed, but gave 56% of the total charitable donations. In contrast, “liberal” or “very liberal” respondents were 29% of those polled but gave just 7% of donations.

These disparities were not due to differences in income. People who said they were “very conservative” gave 4.5% of their income to charity, on average; “conservatives” gave 3.6%; “moderates” gave 3%; “liberals” gave 1.5%; and “very liberal” folks gave 1.2%.

Some have claimed that if you deduct conservatives giving to churches, as if somehow that doesn’t count, then the disparity evens out. Brooks has found it doesn’t. He wrote, “The 2008 data tell us that secular conservatives are now outperforming their secular liberal counterparts. Compare two people who attend religious services less than once per year (or never) and who are also identical in terms of income, education, sex, age and family status — but one is on the political right while the other is on the left. The secular liberal will give, on average, $1,100 less to charity per year than the secular conservative. The conservative charity edge cannot be explained away by gifts to churches.”

How has the recession impacted the way conservatives and liberals give? Brooks states, “here’s where the charity gap really starts to make a difference for the recession of 2009: Conservatives don’t just give more; they also decrease their giving less than liberals do in response to lousy economic conditions.”

So, it is not the right that needs sermonizing as much as the left. Perhaps President Obama can start by getting his Vice President to increase his charitable giving. If Vice President Biden would double his charitable giving he would then get to 1% of his income being donated to charities. Its disgusting to me that those that would lecture us the most on social issues and our responsibilities are the very ones that hardly lift a finger to help financially.

I think the moral high ground needs to be recaptured by conservatives. After all its our money that apparently has built the mountain to begin with.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

PS Yesterday President Obama lifted restrictions on U.S. government funding for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad, reversing a policy of his Republican predecessor George W. Bush. So, what I wrote about on Wednesday begins.

As I read the Business section of my paper today it was filled with one bad story after another. Joblessness is up in my state, local banks lost money, firms are announcing layoffs. Holy Smoke, Micro Soft is laying off thousands and Google posted a loss! As I read on and on there was not one positive story out there. On top of all that news my son, who just resigned his commission from the Army is one of those unemployed looking for work. So, this recession is personal for me as well as for many of you. What are we to do?

Next month I will be speaking at “Church Solutions” magazines national conference on the economy. My talk is entitled, “It’s Not The Great Depression But it is Depressing.” Almost daily I have to revise the statistics or facts that I have in my presentation to keep up with what is going on in the economy. While not giving away all that I will be saying let me give you the major points of my talk.

To navigate successfully through this time we need to:

Adapt a proper perspective. Despite how bad things are presently we are not in a Depression. It is depressing but it is a recession. This is the 11th since WWII and it will be the longest and could be the worst but it is far from rivaling The Great Depression. The press and politicians play to the negative but reality is nowhere near what they ascribe it to be. My personal read is that when this is all said and done it will look a look a lot like the recession of the early 80’s.

A proper perspective will keep you from reacting in fear and panic. While we currently are still in the midst of the decline we will come out of this. Remembering that we have been in similar times before helps us realize that we can and will make it through this time. I am reminded of one of the churches that I am working with that built their first sanctuary in the early 80’s during a recession when interest rates were 18%. We are nowhere near that.

Have a plan. Don’t just sit back and let this recession smack you around. Don’t accept that giving will be down. Do something! Yesterday we completed the financial giving review of one of our churches. We do this twice a year. What is amazing is that this church saw their giving increase by 46% whilethey collected an additional $750K on their stewardship campaign! How did they do that? They had a plan and worked their plan. What are you doing right now today to assure that your ministry will weather this storm?

Realize who our hope is in, Jesus! Has He ever let his church down? Will he not take care of you during this time? Problems are always a platform upon which He can work a miracle. Point your members to Jesus during this time. People are looking for hope and answers. They will not find it in Washington in either party. Now is one of the greatest opportunities we have had to share the Gospel of Hope since 9/11.

So, you can read the newspaper and get all discouraged or read the Bible and realize that tougher times than these have come and gone. Throughout it all Jesus sustains us. When the news is bad turn to the source of the greatest news ever, God’s Word. Read it, live it and preach it!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

PS My new book, “Recession Proof Your Offerings,” gives practical help for these times. You can get a free copy by visiting our website, www.TheCharisGroup.org and clicking on the button that says, Free Book. We will gladly send it to you.

PSS For a really cool article about how conservatives out give liberals read Arthur Brooks piece in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal. You can find it by going to:

Wall Street Journal

Yesterday I wrote my views on what I feel the Evangelical church can expect from President Obama’s administration. I sent an email out to past clients and friends asking them to stop by here and read the post. Late in the day I received the following note. I have posted it below as it was sent to me typo’s and all.

Mark,

What, in the sacred name of Jesus and your call to the ministry of God’s Gospel are you doing?
Did you do this when George Bush went into the white house? Obama may not be “your kind” of Christian, he is at least as in touch with Jesus as Geoge has ever been.Did you send out special emails to challenge his lack of attentiveness to the laws of our nation, the poor or the victims of abuse? Did you challenge his support of policies that supported the greed that pushed us into this financial mess? Did you challenge his policies that hurt the elderly or his attacks on God’s creation? Did you challenge why he went to war in a nation where oil reserves were plenty while he ignored nations where victimization was rampant in Africa where oil reserves were non-existent? While i am not going to have a blind eye to Obama, i will refuse to be guided by those who try to make the ministry of Christ a political action activity related to partisan actions on behalf of some causes Jesus did not speak to while they turn a blind eye to those visions of ministry Jesus touched. Good grief. Invest yourself in Christ’s Church. Return to the core of your call to preaching Christ and leave politics to the politicians. You will find yourself full of joy again when you place your heart for ministry to other persons in the palm of God’s hand rather than an obsession for some issues that stir people to fear and closed-mindedness. Most likely, you are saying you just want to work with closed-minded churches. We will not be considering you in the future until i find some transformation of spirit within your columns.

I have pasted that reply here as it was typed to me. Here is my response back.

I find your response to my blog interesting to say the least. Several points I would give to counter your response.

First, I am not a pastor as you are. I did not write upon a church site but my company’s site that I own and pay for with my money. My statements were my personal observations based upon statements President Obama made as a candidate. As a private citizen surely you would grant me the right to express my opinions would you not? Having opinions about moral issues that politicians chose to inject themselves into does not mean that I am not ceasing to bear witness to Christ.

Secondly, I made no disparaging remarks about what kind of Christian President Obama is. I think that is something God can handle without my help. However, simply because I disagree with his policies does not mean that I am questioning his faith.

As for George Bush, while there are indeed things one could be critical of, on the issues that I raised in my blog I felt President Bush did an admirable job. The thrust of the blog was what Evangelical churches could expect from an Obama administration as opposed to what we had experienced from the Bush years. Surely and hopefully President Obama will learn from President Bush’s mistakes and do better. Many Evangelicals did oppose much of what Bush did while others feel quite differently. Some opposed his stance on Iraq while at the same time supporting his stance on abortion. As an arm chair historian I will leave the past administrations evaluation to history and ultimately to eternity.

As for investing myself in Christ’s Church that is something I have done and will continue to do until He calls me home or Jesus comes back. I have an incredible joy in helping pastors and churches see their dreams fulfilled. While my opinions have stirred you to respond as you did others have responded with gratefulness for those comments. Simply because you and I differ on these issues does not mean my heart does not care about other issues or hurting people. You have made an accusation without knowing what causes we support other than those that you disagreed with. It would be wrong for me to assume from your note that you did not have a heart for Christ and I think it is equally wrong simply because you disagree with my personal views to assume I have no heart.

As for working with your church I was reminded of our first meeting years ago. When you found out I was a Conservative you looked into my eyes and began telling me all that was wrong with that movement of which I had been a part of years before. I was there to help your church raise funds. After you finished I looked at you and said, “I am here to help your church raise funds. I can work with you can you work with me?” My point then was, even though we might disagree on some issues does not mean we could not agree on others. I remain of that conviction. I help many churches that from a theological standpoint I do not agree with 100%. I am open minded enough to see past the few things that we differ on and put my eyes on the larger mission, serving Christ and His Church.

So, I suppose to me the sad thing about your note is that while you are accusing me of being close minded your note comes off as just that. I believe our country is great because we do have a free exchange of ideas on issues. I avoid those radicals on the right as much as I avoid the radicals on the left since neither seems to be able to intelligently or calmly discuss their various views. Surely as Christians we can do better than that?

As for working with your church that of course is your decision to not engage with The Charis Group. We work best with those that desire to work with us. I do wish you the best and pray that your ministry for Christ’s Kingdom would be blessed.

Respectfully,

So dear reader of my blog, while I never ask you to agree with every point I make here I do ask you to be open minded enough to consider those points, civil enough to discuss them rationally and with a Christ like spirit. At the end of the day my goal is to help you. If you do happen to disagree, as is your right, there is always that delete button. As for me I will continue to write and continue to work towards policies that will help the church advance.

Enough said!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

If you believe the news it appears that all the world is thrilled and excited about Barack Obama becoming the president. Our media and the Hollywood elites might be thrilled along with the Democrats but it would be good to remember how close the election really was. While Obama won an Electoral College landslide many of those states were won by only a few percentage points. America is divided when it comes to this president. Evangelicals especially are concerned given his past stances and his campaign promises.

What will the Obama presidency mean for issues that we Evangelicals hold dear. Here are a few things to look for.

Pro Abortion Agenda. We have had eight years of legislation and appointments from a Pro Life president. All that came to an end yesterday at noon. Obama will erase many of the policies that George Bush enacted and his appointees will be decidedly Pro Choice. We could be facing an eight year set back and be right where we were when Bill Clinton left office if not worse.

Dismantling of Abstinence Programs. The press and liberals hate anything that teaches responsibility with regards to sexuality. They have attacked these programs repeatedly as being dangerous from their point of view. Those programs will end. Sex education will take a decidedly different bent. If your kids are in public schools you should closely watch this intrusion into your life.

Homosexual agenda. Starting with the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy you will see Obama attempt to make homosexuality much more acceptable and federally protected. This could shape up to be one of the sharpest clashes of his administration.

Supreme Court Appointments. Many feel that Obama will have the chance to name at least two Supreme Court justices. As such he can change the balance of the court. Moral issues that Evangelicals care about will be all the more endangered as a result. It has taken years to get a court friendly to our cause and now that is endangered.

Federal Judiciary. Of even greater concern are the judiciary appointments just below the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court hears only a few cases each year meaning that many pivotal cases never get beyond the federal district courts. Liberal judges will attack moral issues and be less friendly about siding on the side of the church with regards to zoning suits and hiring standards.

These are just a few of the areas of concern we should be looking out for. I have told many, including those in my family, that I vote not for economic reasons but moral issues. My prayer and hope is that the Church will wake up and see the importance of our vote. We can in two years, in the mid term election, strike a blow to the liberal express that left the station yesterday. It is not simply the economy at stake but literally the lives of millions of unborn children and the well being of your family and your church.

In conclusion we should as Christians:

Pray daily for our president that he would somehow change his policies and views.
Stay informed on the issues of our day.
Work hard to defeat the liberal agenda.
Never give in or give up until Jesus comes again!
Do all of the above with a gentle but determined spirit.

I pledge to do my part. What about you?

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

First let me say that this is indeed a historic day and I congratulate Barack Obama and I do wish him well. I believe this says something about our country that a man like Obama can rise above his color and background to gain the world’s most powerful job. In America you can truly advance beyond your birth. What other country can say this? Our democracy is a thing of beauty.

As a Christian I will pray for the success of my president. As an American I reserve the right to critique him!

Here are my thoughts on the Obama presidency.

We will find out that change is a nice campaign slogan but little change will happen. All presidents come into office with an agenda of changing this or that. Then reality sets in and most change very little. Obama has shown by his appointments and early statements that he really is just another Democrat. What has changed is the Democrats are in power not the Republicans. I look for the Obama presidency to look a lot like the Clinton presidency. Little will change. Americans in the end will be disappointed and further disillusioned with Washington.

History defines the president more than the president defines history. Frankly I want Obama to be a forgotten president. The reason why is that the presidents we remember are those that had to struggle with some crisis or war. Forgettable presidents are those that had relative peace and prosperity. If 9/11 had not happened history would have forgotten George Bush. 9/11 changed Bush’s tenure completely. Historical events could do the same for Obama. What is Jimmy Carter remembered for? The hostage crisis in Iran. So, lets hope this economy is the toughest thing Obama has to deal with.

Obama will find out that though the Democrats control Congress he does not control the Democrats. Jimmy Carter found this out and so did Bill Clinton. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reed will set their own agenda and the new president will find leading them difficult if not impossible. Historically when all branches of government are controlled by one party far less has been accomplished than one might think.

Obama will fail to live up to the 510 campaign promises he made. One reason I rejected him as a viable candidate is that he is wildly over optimistic. 510 promises is more than Bush or Clinton combined made. A problem he now has as a result of these promises is that people think he can resolve and solve anything. Candidates with broad over arching agendas always struggle. Remember all the promises Jimmy Carter made?

Obama will learn early on that you can not simply talk to terrorists and dictator thugs to change their policies. I rejected Obama because I felt he was naive in how to deal with the evil axis of our world. Neville Chamberlin learned that talking to dictators is useless. Sadly millions of people died as a result of that over optimism. Liberals incorrectly reject the depravity of man and in doing so imperil our world.

At the end of his term we will realize Obama was far more liberal and socialistic than he admitted. Democrats win their parties nomination running a liberal campaign. They win the general election playing down that liberalism and becoming more centrist. In the end you are what you believe. We will see Obama’s true colors before he leaves office. Perhaps as a result Americans will finally pay attention not to a politicians rhetoric and how well he can read a tele prompter but his values and beliefs.

Today is the liberals day. I hope they enjoy the party. At the end of the day my trust is not in Washington but in God almighty. I survived eight years of Bill Clinton so I am sure that I will survive an Obama presidency. No matter who is president God is still on His throne and He is in charge! In that I take solace and hope.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

PS Tomorrow I will discuss what Obama’s presidency means for the Church.