As the economic situation in America worsens and record unemployment continues, one has to wonder if God is testing us.  The stock market shows signs of recovery and the financial markets are also recovering thanks to the American taxpayer.  You would think it time that the recipients of this largesse pony up by providing more jobs to resolve a national problem.

The loss of jobs can be laid directly at the feet of Corporate America, who has turned a blind eye to the situation by exporting jobs to foreign countries to escape taxes and enjoy cheap labor for higher profits.  To whom will the American worker look for work?

They say that small business is the answer to the problem, but small business cannot escape the realities of life and must bear the brunt of paying taxes while trying to cut costs and supply paychecks to their workers.  This leaves American workers with the dilemma of how to survive in a deep recession.

Maybe the answer lies In God We Trust and all others pay cash.  They say “the family that prays together stays together,” and this is the basis of survival.  How can we pray together and make money?  Ask Reverend Sharpton or Reverend Jackson, they seem to be well off financially during this crisis.

Perhaps, religion is how to survive in tough times with the help of the Almighty (and I don’t mean Dollar).  So, let’s get started.  First, gather your whole family together and start a church.  Immediately, your home and possessions become tax exempt, Hallelujah! Because your church is a non-profit organization, all proceeds gathered are also tax exempt, Praise the Lord!

Dad will be changed to Reverend and Mom will be Sister, the kids will be the choir, and grandpa and grandma will be the persons who say prayers for the sick and the dead.  With the start of your church, you can now reach out to the community for worshippers and donors.

Your kitchen can be one of the money-makers among your congregation.  Sales of cakes, pies, jams, and hoagies will start you on your journey to financial freedom, all in the name of God.  In addition, you can take a page out of the Roman Catholic Church’s playbook and sell Mass cards for the deceased.  Then, once a day you can take the names of those for whom the cards were purchased (which, you have written on slips of paper and collected in empty mayonnaise jars) and say a few prayers over them.  The smile on your face tells me you’re getting that “old time religious” feeling!  And, let’s not forget Bingo and other games of chance to fund your church.

If you are investigated by the IRS (Income Removal Service), remind them of the Separation of Church and State and you may be eligible for a tax credit.

You will also enjoy the freedom from want as you sing Amazing Grace and throw out the lifeline to your friends and neighbors.  The Lord sure does move in mysterious ways!  The Scriptures inform us of the way God intended us to live on this planet and what better way to survive in a greedy world than via the Lord’s bounty!

Saint Matthew summed it up in his Gospel stating –

“Consider the lilies of the fields, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”  (Matthew 6:28-29)

Amen!