• Self fulfilling prophecy? (Nah! I’ll never be that widely read!)
• The attitude of Job: be responsible over your earthly stewardships, but be prepared to “bless the name of the Lord” even if you find yourself in hardship someday.

Will my ideas “cause” this?  If I were president?  Maybe.  With 12 potential readers?  Never.
In my “hypothetical future”, I got a bit carried away in the fiction of what the implications of a depression could look like.  I do get concerned that if enough people seriously considered what I’ve written, there could be potential for self-fulfilling prophecy, which is not an influence I want to have here.  Lucky for me my worries over a “self-fulfilling prophecy” simply indulge my pride as I pretend I’m a lot more influential than I am.  I hope the real outcome is to open a few minds to some of the potential dangers that may have a higher probability of occurring than most of us would have taken time to even ponder.  If more are aware of the dangers, at least they have the opportunity to prepare somewhat temporally, mentally, and spiritually for hard times.  
 
Even with just a life jacket, God will provide if you’ve been wise with your limited means, and if you are spiritually prepared.
It all makes me sound very right wing, perhaps even blinded to more important spiritual truths some might say.  I hope I am not.  I really want to just live the best life I can but be prepared both spiritually and temporally as much as possible.  I know the gospel basics are the most important thing, and that is where I want to concentrate.  Still, every day I am steward over the money God passes through my hands, and I want to place every dollar wisely.  Why not?  If prosperity continues for yet many years, I’ll end up well-off, and able to have greater influence for good in the world.  If prosperity fails, I’ll be better able to care for my own.
 

Even then, I hope to smile and trust in God even as Job did.  A big part of the definition of my life is that I want to be engaged in increasing the “talents” the Lord has given me.  Even if He allows me to go clear to the bottom as He did in the case of Job, and I find I lose all my talents, I still want to report back that I was not slothful and unwise, but that in the risks of the marketplace I invested seemingly wisely as did the others, but simply lost.  My hope is to build a decent ark for me and my family, spiritually and temporally while the day lasts and good fortune smiles upon us, so that we can weather the storms that beat upon us, and so we can be more effective in the battle to save men’s souls.

Tithing is perhaps the most spiritual means of assuring temporal survival
I’m no scriptorian, but I believe we have been promised that a lifelong commitment to render unto the Lord what is the Lord’s will not go unnoticed.  There is no promise we’ll get temporally rich from paying tithing (I don’t think there’s even a hint of this in spite of what others may think).  There is a promise that “blessings will rain down”.  Of course “blessings” need not be compiled of money - and in fact money may be a bigger cursing.  However, I do believe we can safely assume that the Lord is much less likely to leave us truly destitute if we have made these sacrifices with a pure heart.

I love life no matter what.  What an amazing experience this is.  I hope you have profited from this series and will do further research to confirm for yourself whether what I’ve written holds any water.  If you have valued from this, please feel free to email a link to www.latterdaylogic.com to those you believe may be receptive to this essay.

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