Two of the 3 sales were properties greater than 25 acres.  In a rural area such as Comfort, properties with large acreages generally make up a large portion of the overall sales figures.  Hopefully last month’s results indicates a change in the trend as sales of large acreages were off during most of 2008.

We are generally optimistic about Comfort for 2009.  Several new “tourist destinations” are expected to make their home in the Comfort area … which should help the overall economy and the appeal of the area.  Also, we believe the trend toward “small town” living will continue.  Many people believe that Comfort is the first “true” small town in the Hill Country outside of San Antonio … so it has great appeal to those looking for that quaint, “All American”, small town feel.

The Hill Country is a great place to live … So, if Comfort is what you’re looking for, give us a call.  We’d love to help you find your “Hill Country Dream Home.”

“What they’ve announced … goes a step in the right direction … We’re going to avert a catastrophe.” However, he warned that the situation ahead will be “bumpy” and “painful” as “we haven’t reached the bottom yet.”

When asked about the reason for the economic crisis, he stated: “The ideology in Washington for the last eight years regarding financial markets has been self regulation. Self regulation is meaningless. It means no regulation. It is an ideology based on market discipline. There was no market discipline …. No body was listening to the risk managers and then there was a reliance on the rating agencies who were being paid by the people they were supposed to rate. So the conflict of interest was huge” …

“The mistakes were done a few years ago. The Fed cut rates and kept them too low for too long … There was no supervision or regulation of these toxic mortgages and other credit. The entire ideology was one of “laissez faire.” We really created the biggest bubble in U.S. asset market. And It was not just a sub-prime mortgage problem … We created really a huge mess because we did not properly regulate the financial system.”

Roubini also gave some interesting suggestions as to how the U.S. should move forward to shorten the recession (e.g., stimulate growth through a large fiscal stimulus program with spending on roads, infrastructure, state and local government, energy, etc.), prevent future such problems, and to level out the large supply of foreclosed properties. Very interesting!

To watch this interview, Click Here

I would consider myself to be slightly above average in my understandings of economics and way above average in my desire to “cut to the chase” and “deal with real issues at work here.” With less than three weeks until the elections, I am (like many other Americans out there) wondering what those running for office REALLY think on the subject of the economy.

So much of what I hear on television, from the media and from the politicians themselves, is just political cheerleeding. You ask me a question and I respond with why I am Mr. (or Mrs.) Wonderful. This is pretty serious stuff, you know! Come on!

As an example, I googled the words, “Obama Economics” and “McCain Economics” and didn’t get much information either. A few line item ideas … They’re talking the normal political rhetoric: should we decrease taxes or increase them? Neither idea makes much sense if we’re in the red already and facing a recession. The normal methods of stimulating the economy (e.g., government spending and/or business investment) seem awfully small, don’t you think? I think it’s time to think bigger! If you are proposing something, let it not just be a “dud” proposal. What will be the true impact?

I did find a whole lot of opinions out there! Truthfully, I’m SO not interested in that!

With a recession now in sight, I am wondering: First, why in the world would a president, senator, or congressman want to inherit such problems? (Is it just ego or is there a true call to serve the American People?) Secondly, Mr. (or Mrs.) potential President, Senator, or Congressman, do you really understand the mechanics of the economic system and how it works? (This is very complicated! And we don’t need solutions that don’t address the real problems!) Finally, what’s your plan and who are your advisors? (Obviously, we don’t expect academic scholars in office … but you better know some good ones! Tell me, who are they? And why do you believe that way? Is it the party platform or is there REAL substance to your beliefs?)

Comments welcome!

The need for forgiveness comes from a wounding and you have to acknowledge that you are hurt.

It doesn’t matter whether the hurt is a single wound (the obvious procuring cause) or whether it be the procuring cause combined with a previous wound that has been aggravated. Regardless, you need to acknowledge that there’s a wound and wounds hurt! It’s silly to expect that if a person were to cut you with a knife, you could immediately look them in the face and say, “It’s OK. I forgive you! I won’t hold it against you.” Many people think that that is what forgiveness is. “Just suck it up and say it doesn’t matter!” Not so! Actually, we were made in God’s image to be people who feel hurt as well as joy, who cry as well as laugh. That is part of being human and it is not good for us in our humanity to deny or reject that.

Our wounds need to be tended to.

Most people never really learned good self care in life. Actually, that is part of being a healthy, maturing person. Most parents didn’t know how to do it themselves … so they didn’t teach it to their children. For the last six or so months, some friends and I have been focusing on what it means to “Return to Joy from Difficult Emotions.” That concept can be found at www.lifemodel.org. It’s a really interesting website with a lot of good information … but Returning to Joy from Anger is a skill we all need to work on.

Our natural response to a wounding is Anger.

When we respond in Anger, we cry out, “That’s wrong!!!!” On the surface, anger has a good purpose … to stir change: We say, “This must stop!” and we make it stop. However, anger (not dealt with properly) can also tap into (and attach to) a very DEEP part of what is often referred to as “our sin nature.” It’s called that because, left undealt with, it will cause any of us to sin.

Sin are ACTIONS that are rooted in seeing life ONLY though our own eyes (not God’s or any one else’s) and then rightfully (or self righteously) TAKING MATTERS INTO OUR OWN HANDS. I call this the “Kingdom of Self.” We are at the center. We dictate the rules. We condemn based on the rules. We enforce the rules. We become the Legislator, Judge, Jury, and Hangman and we’re at the center of all of it! The problem is that when we hurt and then take matters into our own hands, our actions more often than not will have negative results. The kingdom can work so long as all is going well for self … but when it doesn’t, OH BOY!

The truth is that we will never be able to walk in God’s Life if we are operating out of King Self. WE JUST AREN’T SEEING CLEARLY! And when you don’t see clearly, you can’t judge rightly! Especially not righteously!

The first step toward Forgiveness is to Acknowledge our Inability to See the Situation Accurately.

We only see in part. We don’t understand the motives of the other person’s heart … what stirred them … what their needs are … what their past is … What God is doing in their life or wants to do in their life, etc.

By acknowledging this, we do not EXCUSE the current wounding, what we see as right and wrong. We just acknowledge that we don’t see the whole picture.

The second step toward Forgiveness is to Acknowledge our Inability to Deal with the Situation Rightly (or Righteously).

God is the only one who sees perfectly and can judge RIGHTEOUSLY. Righteous judgment “RIGHTWISES” the situation. It redeems it … tries to bring good from the bad!

Face it! By ourselves, we just do not have the capacity to figure all of that out! All we tend to do is to try to bring about good for ourselves (e.g., we’re just taking care of “King Self”). And, the truth is that taking care of King Self just doesn’t really feel good to the soul. It feels like we had to TAKE something … and that does not feel good, does not feel like Life.

We must lay down our way and pick up God’s way of Living … the only way that “RIGHTWISES” the situation … truly brings righteousness.

The third step in Forgiveness is to use our Will Choice (the only power that we truly have in life) to RELEASE the other person to the LORD.

Forgiveness is actually a RELEASE. It’s as if you are releasing them into another person’s custody. We can willfully do this because we know that other person (the one we are releasing TO) is better suited to handle the situation. We know that the other person, God, can RIGHTWISE the situation, bring Life out of it … not just for me … but for ALL! Remember, God is concerned about all parties and we have to be OK with that too. It’s not as hard, though, if you think about it as a RELEASE!

The Final Step is to Tend to The Wound while looking for our Redemption.

Tending to the wound looks different for each person but the result is the same: There is a healing that enables us to move forward without bitterness. However, one thing for sure … we must not forget that God always responds to our response to Him. His goal is always relationship. We give Him something … He gives us something else in return. I’m not saying that we get to dictate how that Something will look. I am saying that He delights in our obedience and loves to reward it. God’s Life is an Exchanged Life.

So, after you respond to Him, don’t forget to ask Him what He has in return for you. He might bring you a real, delightful revelation of more of Him and His ways! He might give wisdom on how to restore the relationship! He might bring a new relationship! He might bring a new grace! Each scenario is different … but there’s always an exchange because He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6.

We are called to a Lifestyle of Forgiveness. The truth is that offenses actually imprison US, not the other person. Our unforgiveness keeps the pain aggravated … it keeps us from tending to the actual wound.

Aren’t you tired of being imprisoned by unforgiveness? Let us be a people who live a Lifestyle of Forgiveness. It’s oh so much free-er! Comments encouraged!