Is it the beginning of the end?

Or is it the end of the beginning?


In the spring of 2008, I could see the beginning of my company’s demise. But I had no idea what that would mean to myself, my wife, family and friends. Neighboring retail stores were closing up shop; many to retire, others relocated, and more just shut down. In total, seventeen stores would close down in a three block stretch of this downtown over a two year period. Ours was the 14th of 17.



The seeds of this demise started before we started our business. They were sewn before I was born. These seeds were planted in the early 20th century, when a few key people decided we didn’t need God anymore, man is now intelligent enough to solve all of man’s problems. Man can create a perfect paradise right here on earth.

Meanwhile, while God is watching all of this, He orchestrates the return of a remnant of His people, the Jews; Israelites scattered from 2000 years prior; to return to their native land, Israel. (No, not Palestine. Palestine was only a name given to the area by Rome.)  As other nations went to war against this tiny country, they have always been soundly defeated. God promised He would bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel.  As you can see, God is still keeping this promise.

These same intellectuals who tell us we evolved from apes are preventing us from praying in public or displaying anything Christian in nature (in the name of separation of church and state); while we spend millions of taxpayer dollars funding an Islamic (trophy) center near the World Trade Center (in the name of freedom of religion). Do you see a pattern?

Since God got kicked out of our schools, crime has skyrocketed, we went from being the largest creditor nation to being the largest debtor nation, selling our children and grandchildren into a state of bondage where we will work for other’s prosperity and receive crumbs for our efforts. Our largest exports are frivolous entertainment, computer software and printed, paper dollars. We import 70 of our energy in spite of having all the resources we need within our boundaries. Our very government who has created these energy shortages will not permit us to access them, due to their “Environmentally sensitive nature”. We produce half of the world’s food yet we import more food than any other country in the world. This reversal of fortune has taken place in less than 50 years. Abandon God, and He abandons us. (Read Deuteronomy 28 for a list of rewards for following as well as the list of curses for abandoning God.)


But I too, thought I had it all figured out. I believed, like the bankers, a huge inflation was on its way, not a recession/ depression. I used as much of other peoples’ money as I could, thinking I could pay it all back in diluted dollars. So while I leveraged my finances 8 fold, the banks leveraged themselves 80 fold! And we all fell like the house of cards we were. It was only when I realized how much of our wealth has been being sucked out of the United States did I figure out why things happened the way they did.

1. We abandoned our Lord and our God and we are now paying the price for it.

2. No money left. We wasted it all. We borrowed more, and wasted it too.  We print even more and waste that as well.

3. Our arrogance and self pride have given every two bit dictator the challenge to “take pot shots” at us, in order to knock us down a notch or two. And they’re succeeding. In many instances we actually pay them for their efforts at “taking pot shots” at us!



There are actually multiple solutions to this predicament we face ourselves with. God is in the miracle business. He is also in the blessing business. Our Lord and our God will return to us, if we return to Him. He will bless us as we bless Him, and His nation Israel. The other alternative is the United States will come to an end, very soon. If this is what happens, we should all pray that he blesses and protects all of us who honor and love Him in all we do.   Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

It's God's Money - 3

Enjoy prosperity while you can. But when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. That way you will realize that nothing is certain in this life. Ecclesiastes 7:14, New Living Translation



In the middle of what will be the worst economic time the United States of America will ever face, a time that will probably signal the beginning of the end for America, it becomes more and more important to remember all of this is the will of our Lord.


As Americans, we have been truly blessed. In our lifetime, we have lived in the greatest nation ever conceived, under the premise “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. We have seen this great nation deteriorate over the last 50 years, yet we have also seen the hand of God work in those of us who honor and worship God, while this same hand of God is being removed from the face of this earth.


Our founding fathers created a nation that put God first. They understood the importance of being all inclusive when it came to faith, and while 90% of all Americans throughout American history claimed a Judeo-Christian faith, the law of the land was not to discriminate against anyone based on their faith (of lack thereof).


And America prospered. Greatly. No other nation achieved the greatness America became, and no other will again. We created more, we produced more, we gave more to those less fortunate, including to our enemies. And we did all of this to the glory of God.


But this prosperity has also been our demise, for we started to believe we could do all these wonderful things without God. We kicked God out of our schools, then our courthouses, then our parks and our libraries. We “don’t need God”, we now have government programs that can support the poor and the needy; we can guarantee retirement income, and disability income; and now, healthcare for all. In addition, our government now subsidizes companies they deem too big to fail, while allowing “expendable” small businesses to be taxed into non existence.


All of this while creating $114,000,000,000,000 in debt (that’s 114 trillion dollars!), including unfunded future obligations. America’s wealth is long gone, and we are now a lukewarm nation, full of wretched, poor, pitiful, blind and naked souls (Revelation 3:17)  Silly humans!


So, as we remember the greatness America once was, let’s pray God will be with us and protect us through the upcoming hard times. Let’s remember the best of times to the glory of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ. This is His will.


Come quickly, Lord Jesus


©2009 David Etenburn

It’s God’s Money - 1

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24

Where are your priorities? Up until two years ago, I was pursuing the almighty dollar, instead of God Almighty. A business failure and subsequent bankruptcy shook my wife and myself to our core and subsequently shook up our values.

But during these times, God got our attention. Jesus showed us how messed up our priorities were. Finally, we humbled ourselves, filed bankruptcy, and turned to God, completely and fully. Our debts were forgiven. Furthermore, we have learned to work with half of the income we had.

My past will be the future for many in America who have invested themselves way too much in their pursuit of the dollar. They may have the nice house, the two cars, with toys and goodies galore. They also have a mountain of debt they cannot keep up with, with usurious interest rates of 30% or more. And when their business slows down, or they lose their jobs, they too, will see no way out. But God will show you that way out.

There are financial planners that have been saying you can negotiate with your lenders for a reduced interest rate or negotiate reduced settlement amounts, but if you fail to readjust your priorities first, and put God first in all you do, including your finances, you will get sucked back into the same trap you got yourself into. If you put your finances in front of your God, your finances will keep you separated from God. Remember, God is bigger than the dollar.

Are you serving God, or money? Which would you rather serve? What do you need to do to reverse your priorities?

©2009 David Etenburn