Charity

"For the judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,' but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (James 2:13-17)

"[But] take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you." (Matt 6:1­4)

I hear so much talk about the haves and the have-nots, the government's role and the role of the private sector but as everyone is talking I wonder if anyone is actually listening or even more, thinking?

God created the world with enough resources to go around. God intended that the world’s resources benefit all creation. It is our responsibility that we don’t claim so much that others have little or nothing. Sharing is a matter of justice. Charity, or love of neighbor, requires that the goods of the earth be available for everyone to use in a reasonable way.

I hear about churches raising funds or having food drives but it seems many are more willing to give funds for the new parking lot than for the poor. Even worse in my own field it makes me cringe when I hear that those who can't afford their medications should be allowed to suffer or even die. I don't try to make excuses for those who make poor life choices like dropping out of school, or overeating or smoking or consuming too much alcohol. However, Christ called us individually, not the government or churches collectively, to live a life of charity as charity equates with love and love of neighbor is second only to love of God. I hope to start volunteering at the free clinic here whenever my SC med license finally arrives. We are too blessed as a nation to let the poor or hungry starve on our streets.

Moving Again

So I haven't been long in SC and just got my nice new driver's license, new checks for my bank account, forwarded some of my bills and voila, we're moving again.

Seems like the apartment was too small afterall. So we loaded up everything we could in the cars and truck and moved a few blocks to a small rental house. With the real estate market the way it is a lot of nice little homes are for rent instead of for sale.

For a few bucks we hired a couple of movers for the bigger stuff which in this heat was a blessing for us and a little work for them. So it looks like another trip to the DMV and the bank. I do think the house will be more comfortable and there is definitely more space, enough so that I can move a few more of my books.

I did have to invest in a new lawnmower and larger mail box, but the lawn is much more manageable than the one in NC and I enjoy a little yard work now and then.

Pretty much another wasted day

I spent a good part of today at the SC DMV

office trying to get my cars registered before the 45 day grace period ends. This is my third visit to the DMV. On the first visit I was able to get a driver's license. On my second visit I was told all of the additonal materials I would need to register my vehicles (that were not clearly listed on the web site). Today another nearly four hours and only got two of our four vehicles registered.

On the one vehicle registered in my wife's name, since she hasn't gotten a SC driver's license yet they had another address in the computer. The attendant asked if she lived at a different address than I did and I responded not unless she moved after going to work this morning. I then asked what address they had for her and I was told they couldn't tell me. I guess I look like a stalker especially given that I had already paid about $300 in property tax for her vehicle earlier in the day. Eventually after I gave enough information about our former SC addresses, she admitted it was a Columbia address from 15 years ago. So my wife's car cannot be registered until either she gets a SC driver's license or files a change of address form. On the second vehicle I was told I needed a bill of sale to show that the vehicle was purchased new and not used. Odd they didn't ask for that for the other vehicles which were also purchased new, but I didn't bring up the discrepancy.

Some people are calling for an increase in government in our lives. If the DMV is any measure of government efficiency, I would vote no. At one point the lines were getting so long and the waits even longer that I could feel tension building within the crowd and wanted to yell out, "doesn't this double-wide have a occupant capacity that we have obviously exceeded. One woman went to the counter and said, "I've been waiting over an hour," to which another man said, "sit down, I've been here almost two."

So I guess I need to find a bill of sale. You know I'm almost getting to the point of being afraid to throw anything away as just as soon as I do, someone wants to see it for one reason or another. It's like getting official approval for being a hoarder.