Did You Like Swimming Lessons?

Tonya and I have been trying to build up a sense of excitement in Travis about taking swimming lessons. He has been resisting our efforts by claiming that he already knows how to swim. I suppose that if you call sinking to the bottom of the pool when you let go of a swim noodle “swimming”, he is indeed all set. But Tonya and I believe he needs some professional instruction to add some more “floating” to his swimming skills.

A couple of weeks ago I was with my kids at the YMCA. We were swimming in the pool while the lifeguards were conducting swimming lessons for some children. Thinking this would be a good way to show him how “fun” swimming lessons can be, we moved closer to the lesson to watch and listen. As we got closer, one of the children who was not yet in the water was definitely not enjoying the class. He was scared and had no problems letting the entire pool know his displeasure via a nearly inhuman scream. The lifeguard was standing in the water and was unsure how to ease the boy’s transition from the shore to the water. He had no words to make the idea of leaving the safety of the shore for the dubious shelter of a stranger’s arms attractive.

What happened next probably will keep my son from wanting to take swimming lessons forever: the boy’s mother basically pushed him into the pool to the outstretched hands of the lifeguard. The boy, trying to cling to the shore and his mother, turned in mid-air and was unsuccessful in either reaching his mother or the side of the pool and immediately sank to the bottom (according to my son’s definition, the boy was “swimming”). My son, who observed this, said “I never want to do that.”

As we drove home from the YMCA, I started thinking that so many of us have similar spiritual experiences as the boy at the YMCA. At some point in our lives, we were terrified of being with the spiritual Lifeguard and were shoved into the spiritual water without warning. As a result, we have horrible memories of spiritual matters and have no desire to be placed back in that environment. However, there is a huge difference in how the YMCA lifeguard responded and how Jesus, the ultimate Lifeguard responds. At the YMCA, the lifeguard struggled with what to do make the transition easy for the boy. He was not particularly outgoing or warm. He did not offer words of encouragement and did not present himself as a refuge for the boy.

Jesus, on the other hand, is a totally different kind of Lifeguard. He is standing there, arms outstretched, calling us by name and telling us that He loves us, cares for us and will let nothing happen to us. He reaches out to us on the shore and offers to take our hands to ease us into the water. Once in the water, He keeps our head above water and teaches us to swim. Anytime we are about to go under, He is there to steady us and keep us afloat.

There is no reason to be scared of this Lifeguard. He is the only Lifeguard that can actually save your life. Ask yourself today if you are ready to take a swimming lesson with Jesus, the ultimate Lifeguard.

Federal Income Tax

Today, in 1913, the 16^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified authorizing a federal income tax.

 

The text of the 16^th Amendment is as follows:

 

"Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration."

 

Wow, that is very broad power! No limits on amounts, no restrictions on protected incomes, no discussions about deductions for policy initiatives (although one can infer that the power to authorize deductions is included in within the term "collect"---they can choose to not collect. Additionally, there are no qualifications or limitations on what these collected taxes can be spent on.

 

If you asked me today to re-write the 16^th Amendment, I would suggest this:

 

"Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes of residents (both legal and illegal) and citizens of not more than 15% of their individual incomes, determined in accordance with tax regulations to be prepared by the executive branch and voted upon and approved by 60% of the U.S. House of Representatives and 75% of the U.S. Senate only for the following purposes:

1. Defense of the U.S. people, property and interests; and
   
2. Enforcement of U.S. law.; and
   
3. Infrastructure related to education, transportation and federal judicial system.
   

   
    

Income taxes shall not be collected for any other purposes unless such purpose is approved by 75% of the U.S. House of Representatives and 80% of the U.S. Senate."