Big House, Bad CEO?

First, you must allow me my proud dad moment. Last week, we welcomed into the world Hope Caroline Hodge. We are sleep deprived but feel extremely blessed. God is good.

William- my French journalist friend- passed along an article that is interesting: Haunted Mansion. The article explores the link between CEO real estate purchases and the performance of that company's stock among S&P500 companies.

The article can be read here: http://www.slate.com/id/2162989?nav=tap3.

The debate is whether a CEO buying a large, elaborate house is a commitment to continue to work hard to pay for this home? Or does it signal complacency towards costs and distraction from the demands of running a company?

Two professors- David Yermack of New York University and Crocker Liu of Arizona State University- studied the home buying behavior of CEOs of S&P500 companies. This is what they found:

• The average home was 6,145 square feet and valued at $3.1 million.
• CEO's who lived in above average homes returned 3.35% per year less than companies whose CEOs lived more modestly.
• CEO's who lived in homes over 10,000 square feet underperformed their peers by 6.9% per year.

To me this is interesting stuff. From personal experience it rings true. I don't (nor plan to) own a boat or second home. I don't think owning these things is sinful. But I understand fully the distractive nature of possessions. I firmly believe that God created us to be free from the clutter of stuff and yet we have sought out ways to complicate our lives- Ecclesiastes 7:29.

Our family is in the final stages of constructing a new home and although the home is less than 1/2 of the square footage of the average CEO and about 10% of the cost, I constantly ask myself, "Is this worth the hassle?" My mind cannot even fathom taking on 10 times the financial commitment and all the headaches associated with that.

We would be wise to listen to the words of Henry David Thoreau in his book Walden, "Simplify, simplify, simplify." This means different things to different people. But this article about CEO homes and stock performance indicates that possessions have a distracting influence on our focus. Christ said, "Take care and be on your guard against all forms of greed because one's life does not consist of the abundance of possessions"- Luke 12:15.

For the Advancement of God's Kingdom and Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Is the resurrection figurative or literal?

The Apostles' Creed from the 3rd-4th century reads:

I believe in God the Father Almighty;
Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary;
Suffered under Pontius Pitlate, was crucified, dead and buried;
The third day He rose from the dead;
He ascended into heaven;
And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From there He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit;
The holy catholic Church;
The communion of saints;
The forgiveness of sins;
The resurrection of the body;
And the life everlasting. Amen.

This is put beautifully to song by the late Rich Mullins. My 3-year old boy- Hudson- loves this song and can recite it word for word. I don't understand why churches don't sing this creed versus reciting it as some dry reading, but I digress... Here's the video of the song. I encourage you to take time to listen to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHWoDwxyKUE

A lot of people who would label themselves as Christian believe that the resurrection of Christ is a symbolic thing and did not actually happen. They say, "C'mon people do not rise from the dead." Of course, we see it in nature all the time. Things die and come back to life. Winter comes and then comes Spring. Trees lose their leaves and then a miraculous rebirth occurs and new buds pop out of lifeless (seemingly) limbs.

Easter is about the resurrection of Christ. The hope of Christianity rests on this literal resurrection. The apostle Paul realized the importance of the literal resurrection. A whole chapter is devoted to it: http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?go=Go&q=1+Corinthians+15. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. He appeared to Peter and the apostles. He appeared to over 500 people. Paul says that our faith is worthless if Christ did not literally resurrect.

One my favorite passages in all of the Bible is 1 Corinthians 15:19-20, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of peoples most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead..."

Many skeptics have sought and seek to disprove Christianity. Very few actually study the Scriptures and investigate the literal resurrection of Christ. Some that have gone to this trouble have come to a disturbing conclusion: the literal resurrection of Christ is true. In 1930, English journalist/Christian skeptic Frank Morrison wrote Who Moved the Stone? Morrison came to the conclusion that the resurrection was true.

Josh McDowell wrote Evidence That Demands a Verdict after a similar study. Avowed atheist and legal editor for the Chicago Tribune Herald Lee Strobel investigated the claims of Christianity and found them true. He wrote about his journey in The Case for Christ. CS Lewis underwent a similar journey and wrote about his discoveries in many of his books.

I believe in the resurrection and I believe in life that never ends. I believe that one day God will take this sinful dying or dead body and resurrect it with a perfected body just like He does in nature every Winter/Spring. I believe that God will take this worn out, disease filled, dying earth and resurrect it with a renovated earth free from pollution, sin, disease, death, waste, greed, etc... I believe that God will do this just as He shows us it is possible in nature every Winter/Spring.

I believe that my hope is firmly planted in the resurrection of Christ. He died on the cross for my sins and the sins of all who believe in His sacrificial love. I believe that His resurrection from the dead makes my resurrection from the dead possible. I believe that He will return to judge the earth and everyone in it. I believe that the only way to escape the just wrath of God is to be a follower of Christ. I believe that He will return to establish a kingdom of truth, mercy, righteousness, love and good that will never end.

My daughter Hope is due any day now. Her birth is eagerly awaited by her mother and me. But there is a hope that I long for even more than the birth of my daughter. I long for the return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead. I love my kids and would die for them. But I would also stake my life on the truth of Christ's literal resurrection from the dead. If it is only in this life I have hope, I am to be pitied.

One more video: Bruce Springsteen's version of When the Saints Go Marching In:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aff_zv76sCY&mode=related&search=

For The Hope of Resurrection,

Ashley Hodge