Thursday, September 18, 2014
Grace: What does it look like through the eyes of a child?
Grace has been defined as:" Unmerited favor." It's been described as a free gift. The Scripture declares, "By grace we have been saved through faith, and that not of yourself, it is a free gift. Not of works lest anyone should boast..."
Ephesians 2:8 has become a foundational corner stone within the Christian Faith. Like John 3:16 it is one of those verses we followers of Christ cling to when everything else in our world is falling apart.
Theologically speaking, we understand grace is a property of God that goes before his judgment. It was by grace, that he offered up His Son on Calvary's Cross 2,000 years ago to receive the punishment for the sin of this fallen world.
Question: What does grace look like through the eyes of an eleven year old boy. How do you communicate in terms of experience the principal of grace. Is there a working platform, or model out there, that takes a subject so deeply grounded in Christian principal and breaks it down to a level children easily understand.
When I was eleven years old and in the fifth grade at Sumner Elementary School, I experienced grace and have never recovered. I've published the story with Amazon and call it, The Note.
It is being offered for free all day tomorrow, Sept. 19th. I am in the process of changing the cover. If you have already red the story, you will notice the cover has changed. It is a work in progress and until we find one that fits.
You can find the story at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Note-Graceful-Reflection-Cameron-Dockery-ebook/dp/B00KPCJ87O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411074065&sr=8-1&keywords=cameron+Dockery
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
More on the End.
In preparation for my next short story I've been blogging about Apocalyptic/Dystopian literature. As Previously stated, I've never been into the genre, but Hugh Howey's success and current world events have got me to thinking. And with that, I have tried to envision what the sum total and grand daddy of all apocalyptic scenarios would look like.
Being an American, I thought in terms of local context, in light of a world event. In short, if America goes down due to a catastrophic event, what will be the resolve of those who survive, and how will the world respond?
American influence and position in global markets suggest, that if we go down, there will be a ripple effect. I'm no economist, and am not versed in international studies, or social sciences, but it would appear, that if we as a nation go down, or should be taken out, the stability of the world, as we know it, will be seriously compromised.
For example, if America defaulted on her debt, to the point of NEVER being in a position of repaying her obligations, what would that mean for China. One would think it to be an almost insurmountable blow, but according to Harvard economics professor, Dale Jorgenson, maybe not. For he recently said:
“The United States will need to come to terms with the fact that its prevalence in the world is fated to come to an end....This will be difficult for many Americans to swallow and the United States should brace for social unrest amid blame over who was responsible for squandering global primacy...” MIT's Simon Johnson has recently suggested, “The damage from the financial crisis and its aftermath have dealt U.S. prominence a permanent blow." He went on to say, “The age of American predominance is over,“The (Chinese) Yuan will be the world’s reserve currency within two decades”
The impetus for my up and coming Short Story is based solely on a Doomsday Apocalypse, but those in the know are suggesting, an unavoidable financial apocalypse is already underway.
And while it's obvious that America has propped Herself up by selling out to the Chinese, it is also true that the holders of our debt are left venerable.
I 'm curious, where such a scenario leaves The Middle East? Namely, OPEC. China, is home to a population of 1 billion people, who are becoming more and more oil dependent. They have also had the foresight to recently purchase huge sums of gold. That alone leaves me wondering if the U.S. Dollar, for what ever reason, is no longer the standard currency, and for some unforeseen reason, the Yuan does not become the reserve currency, then the Chinese are positioning themselves with the oldest Measure in the history of trade.
If predictions from Harvard and MIT scholars prove true, in twenty years I will be 72 and living in a world where America is no longer the leading influencer at the table of international policy. It's hard to imagine, even a little scary. It may be wishful thinking, but something in me finds it hard to believe. Is it possible for the largest economy and strongest military on the globe to falter and fail into insignificance?
When 9/11 came down, the Chairman of The Federal Reserve, was aboard a flight from Switzerland to D.C. While on that flight he received a phone call from President Bush and was informed of the attack. He was then asked, "What is our worst case scenario, as far as the economy goes?" Greenspan responded, "A complete collapse of our financial infrastructure." He went on to explain, "All that's necessary for our economy to fail is for people to stop spending money."
At the height of her power, Rome had conquered most of the known world. Left in her wake, were no serious contenders. Yet, as Daniel predicted, She fell...and The Dark Ages ensued.
I am convinced the possibility of a fallen America is no far fetched idea. Should it happen, this world would be a very different place. Those we support, in terms of aid would be cut off. Those who depend on Federal and State assistance, would be left without. Martial Law would be declared and congress would no longer hold the power. The military would take over the responsibilities of governing the nation
Their chief Modus Operandi would be two fold. First, they would preserve and protect the constitution, while defending our boarders. Everything else would be secondary. Under Martial Law the "New Government," would have the authority to make unilateral decisions, that could not be challenged. This alone would change DNA of the country. For example, in the name of national security, the military could, and probably would, authorize the drilling for oil, in places that have previously been shut down and declared off limits. In such a doomsday scenario we would have to rely on our own natural resources.
Since the dollar would no longer be the standard currency, it would be greatly devalued, ensuring a complete collapse of our financial infrastructure. 9/11 derailed us, but the doomsday scenario takes us out. The economy would be so hyper inflated due to the over printing of money we would resemble Germany following WWI when people went to the market with wheel barrows filled with devalued money.
Chaos will break out and the military will be forced to squash it with an iron fist. Those who plotted our demise will find the reciprocating consequences hard to bear. Not necessarily because of our response, but due to the shake up and ripple effect of a planet falling apart.
The world will become more primitive. While 9/11 is reduced to a warning shot, as compared. So The Great Depression would look more like a hick up as compared to the fall out of the Doomsday Scenario. A study of history reveals WWI was followed by the Roaring Twenties. Then the Great Depression, opened the door for the second World War.
That being the case, can you imagine how an apocalypse like I've just described, would play out here at home and abroad.
Until we meet again,
Cameron
Being an American, I thought in terms of local context, in light of a world event. In short, if America goes down due to a catastrophic event, what will be the resolve of those who survive, and how will the world respond?
American influence and position in global markets suggest, that if we go down, there will be a ripple effect. I'm no economist, and am not versed in international studies, or social sciences, but it would appear, that if we as a nation go down, or should be taken out, the stability of the world, as we know it, will be seriously compromised.
For example, if America defaulted on her debt, to the point of NEVER being in a position of repaying her obligations, what would that mean for China. One would think it to be an almost insurmountable blow, but according to Harvard economics professor, Dale Jorgenson, maybe not. For he recently said:
“The United States will need to come to terms with the fact that its prevalence in the world is fated to come to an end....This will be difficult for many Americans to swallow and the United States should brace for social unrest amid blame over who was responsible for squandering global primacy...” MIT's Simon Johnson has recently suggested, “The damage from the financial crisis and its aftermath have dealt U.S. prominence a permanent blow." He went on to say, “The age of American predominance is over,“The (Chinese) Yuan will be the world’s reserve currency within two decades”
The impetus for my up and coming Short Story is based solely on a Doomsday Apocalypse, but those in the know are suggesting, an unavoidable financial apocalypse is already underway.
And while it's obvious that America has propped Herself up by selling out to the Chinese, it is also true that the holders of our debt are left venerable.
I 'm curious, where such a scenario leaves The Middle East? Namely, OPEC. China, is home to a population of 1 billion people, who are becoming more and more oil dependent. They have also had the foresight to recently purchase huge sums of gold. That alone leaves me wondering if the U.S. Dollar, for what ever reason, is no longer the standard currency, and for some unforeseen reason, the Yuan does not become the reserve currency, then the Chinese are positioning themselves with the oldest Measure in the history of trade.
If predictions from Harvard and MIT scholars prove true, in twenty years I will be 72 and living in a world where America is no longer the leading influencer at the table of international policy. It's hard to imagine, even a little scary. It may be wishful thinking, but something in me finds it hard to believe. Is it possible for the largest economy and strongest military on the globe to falter and fail into insignificance?
When 9/11 came down, the Chairman of The Federal Reserve, was aboard a flight from Switzerland to D.C. While on that flight he received a phone call from President Bush and was informed of the attack. He was then asked, "What is our worst case scenario, as far as the economy goes?" Greenspan responded, "A complete collapse of our financial infrastructure." He went on to explain, "All that's necessary for our economy to fail is for people to stop spending money."
At the height of her power, Rome had conquered most of the known world. Left in her wake, were no serious contenders. Yet, as Daniel predicted, She fell...and The Dark Ages ensued.
I am convinced the possibility of a fallen America is no far fetched idea. Should it happen, this world would be a very different place. Those we support, in terms of aid would be cut off. Those who depend on Federal and State assistance, would be left without. Martial Law would be declared and congress would no longer hold the power. The military would take over the responsibilities of governing the nation
Their chief Modus Operandi would be two fold. First, they would preserve and protect the constitution, while defending our boarders. Everything else would be secondary. Under Martial Law the "New Government," would have the authority to make unilateral decisions, that could not be challenged. This alone would change DNA of the country. For example, in the name of national security, the military could, and probably would, authorize the drilling for oil, in places that have previously been shut down and declared off limits. In such a doomsday scenario we would have to rely on our own natural resources.
Since the dollar would no longer be the standard currency, it would be greatly devalued, ensuring a complete collapse of our financial infrastructure. 9/11 derailed us, but the doomsday scenario takes us out. The economy would be so hyper inflated due to the over printing of money we would resemble Germany following WWI when people went to the market with wheel barrows filled with devalued money.
Chaos will break out and the military will be forced to squash it with an iron fist. Those who plotted our demise will find the reciprocating consequences hard to bear. Not necessarily because of our response, but due to the shake up and ripple effect of a planet falling apart.
The world will become more primitive. While 9/11 is reduced to a warning shot, as compared. So The Great Depression would look more like a hick up as compared to the fall out of the Doomsday Scenario. A study of history reveals WWI was followed by the Roaring Twenties. Then the Great Depression, opened the door for the second World War.
That being the case, can you imagine how an apocalypse like I've just described, would play out here at home and abroad.
Until we meet again,
Cameron
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