We posted a position for our church on Craigslist recently. We got 140 applications.

The Dow Jones is down. NASDAQ is down. Housing values are down.

Venture capital is down. Consumer confidence is down. Employment is down. Auto industry is down. Commercial real estate is down. Foreign markets are down.

Is anything going up?

Some things are. The opportunity to serve people in need is going up. The opportunity to trust God when trusting isn't easy is going up. The opportunity to build a faith that will last when the storms of life hit it is going up. The opportunity to help our churches become communities where people actually we get real with each other and love and support each other is going up.

We know this is true because certain truths remain unchanged:

God remains sovereign. The blood of Jesus is still more powerful than the stain of sin. The Holy Spirit still guides confused church leaders. The Bible is still the word of God. The tomb is still empty. Prayers still get answered. Love still ...