Ash Wednesday musings

Copied from xanga, just to start off.

Ash Wednesday

Listening to an Ash Wednesday sermon this morning about dust to dust: Don't keep you Christianity private. And I know just who to talk to about it.
Reading Psalm 51. What stood out was "my sin is ever before me". The psalm makes that seem like a good thing. Yes, I am constantly aware of my sin. Often as I am doing it. So what am I doing to change it? Sin is the constant condition of man.
Also the prayers, and the sermon mentioned much about money. We are certainly still the richest nation on earth. He mentioned that if Americans tithed 10% of our income there would be 180 billion dollars more to help people in poverty or to proclaim the gospel throughout the world.
Do I trust too much in money? My efforts to retire are all about trusting money it seems. I keep thinking of things that I must put off until I am retired. Retirement = freedom in my mind. I realize that I cannot simply put everything off for retirement. For one thing it may never come. For another this idyllic concept is not real. Retirement does not mean freedom like I want it to mean. I will still have bills and responsibilities.
I believe Janis Joplin up to a point. "Freedom's just another word for nothing left, to lose, (you're) nothing, nothing if you ain't free!" Joplin was wrong though if she meant you could be free and simply avoid responsibilities. That is simply irresponsible and quickly runs into a dead end (so to speak).
I talked to my brother yesterday about what might happen after the company is dissolved. After it all settles I may still be servicing the portfolio as it "bleeds" off. Wow. That would take years. That is not my desire but truly I do not have any obvious alternatives right now. Hopefully my hours could be cut back and be very flexible.
I'm reading a Wycliffe newsletter. They are constantly looking for overseas volunteers. A lot of this stuff would be temporary but some gigs could be for several months. I could volunteer as a teacher of translator's kids or as a guy wielding a hammer.
But for that and many other things I have to wait until I am retired.