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On Being Like Christ… What does that really mean?


Jun 21

Posted: under Prophecy.
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On “Being Like CHRIST”

So many bible passages extol us to “BE LIKE CHRIST”.  So many churches and pastors and do gooders want us to BE LIKE CHRIST.  But what does this mean?

The Old Testament was the Word of GOD, given to Moses, who was charged with LIVING OUT THE WORD of GOD, advancing it, making it ALIVE in the world he lived in by being a leader and teacher.  But over time, it became institutionalized, interpreted, and fossilized - until Priests told the common man what it meant.  They all paid tithes to feel good. 

They created synagogues and other earthly political institutions to govern and otherwise control the affairs of man until there was no more spirit in it.

God our Father chose to heal this DEAD WORLD and DEAD SPIRIT and DEAD PEOPLE condition by becoming/sending CHRIST. 

AS Savior, CHRIST had to live a perfect life and then pay the price of sin for all who did not.  This is a great gift but it is not the end of the work of His life on earth.  There is MORE than salvation to learn and MORE than salvation to consider when it comes to BEING LIKE CHRIST.  

This teaching is not milk and is not for babes.  I am not here repeating the teaching that causes religion to get stuck in endless repetitions.  Save them, save them save them.  OK… but let’s move on.  As we mature in the faith, we are to put away the things of a child and press onward toward the prize of our holy calling!

So, if providing salvation we only one of CHRIST’s jobs or purposes on earth (certainly foundational but not the whole story), then what was the other?  He was a model, a teacher (Rabbi). 

CHRIST was charged with LIVING OUT the WORD of GOD, advancing it, making it ALIVE in the world he lived in.  But over time, it became institutionalized, interpreted, and fossilized - until Priests and Pastors and Radio Talk Show Hosts told the common man what it meant.  They all paid tithes and supported good causes to feel good.  They created Churches and Charities, and movements, and stadium events and other earthly political institutions to govern and otherwise control the affairs of man until there was no more spirit in it.

THIS IS THE TRAGEDY OF MODERN CHRISTIANITY 

Stop and realize:  if CHRIST was also named Emmanual - meaning “GOD WITH US” in Hebrew - and if we are to be LIKE Him then isn’t that the promise of the resurrection and the presence of the HOLY SPIRIT? 

We are to become GOD WITH US. 

It is now up to US (YOU AND ME AND EVERY BELIEVER) to be LIVING OUT the WORD of GOD, advancing it, making it ALIVE in the world WE live in. 

And so, shall we reject the old and profess something entirely new?  Well, when new agers talk like this, the Traditional Christian Church starts forgetting about unconditional love and it’s charge to be Christlike. 

Verily, verily I say unto you….  Behold all things are made new.  You are a new creation.  There will a new heaven and a new earth. 

This teaching is not meant to deny the gospel but to advance beyond salvation and beyond rote reading of dead ink and beyond becoming slaves to priests and pastors and controlling spirits.

BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: I PRAY YOU EMBRACE YOUR FREEDOM - REFUSE THE CONTROL OF DEAD INSTITUTIONS - EMBRACE YOUR POWER - WALK WHERE OTHERS FEAR TO TREAD - RAISE THE DEAD - GIVE LIFE TO THOSE YOU LOVE - BRING PEACE AND LOVE AND HEALING TO THOSE IN NEED - LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE.

BE THE WAY, TRUTH, and LIGHT through whom others come to know what it means to be saved from sin and guilt and empowered to live the life that God intended for them - according to their bent.

Selah!

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Economy To Get Worse Before It Gets Better?


Feb 18

Posted: under News, Praise, Prophecy, Society and Culture, Teaching, prayer.
Tags: , , , ,

I shared an email with a friend recently. It was a quote from Charles Swindoll about Attitude Determining Altitude.

I was trying to share “HOPE”…

He replied with brief thanks for the encouragement……. … and then he went right on to share a link to a HORRIBLE VIDEO NEWS REPORT about how the economy is going to get worse before it gets better.

Now don’t get me wrong when I say this video news report is HORRIBLE.  It is actually well done, and probably accurate.  But it is so discouraging when such a HORRIBLE SET OF PREDICTIONS are made by some news pundit (currently playing on yahoo finance page).

SO MY QUESTION FOR YOU TODAY is - WHAT (or WHO) ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE?

I serve a risen savior, have access to the self same power that raised him from the dead, command an army of angels, and cannot be overcome.  I believe the author/creator of it ALL who said darkness cannot overcome light.

I encourage you to turn the news off and create your own future - independent of the herd!

OK…  OK… Reality does have to be dealt with. I know… But only by “EARTH PEOPLE” : )

Those of us who are spiritual can walk on water, part the red sea, feed thousands with little, and otherwise “bind and loose” with help from our Father in Heaven.  If you don’t know what this power is, “to bind and loose” then search an online bible or get your butt to a church that lives it and JOIN IN!

So… Soldier…  (In my best General Patton Voice) It’s time to get up, out of that bunker, and charge straight into the face of the enemy - just to prove it can be done.

This enemy might be called the NIGHTLY NEWS, or BAD NEWS (AKA “Troubling Spirits” in OT Lexicon). IT’S TIME TO TAKE SOME GROUND FOR THE KINGDOM, AND SHOW THE WORLD AND THE ENEMY THAT WE CAN DO WHAT MERE MORTALS CANNOT!

When we go forward with hope, that shines a light into a dark place.  People will want to know what drives us…  That’s when we can share a testimony with great result!

When it’s over, and the day is done, and you have accomplished your miracle…  Share - Teach - Show the WAY : )

Oh, yeah… LEST WE FORGET - Each day is new, so…. you get to win, and accomplish miracles, and share, teach, show the way - EVERY DAY : )

PS - I just did my part…..  NOW IT’S YOUR TURN : )

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Christiany ~ Spiritual Power ~ Do You Have It?


Feb 07

Posted: under Prophecy, Society and Culture, Teaching, Testimony, Uncategorized.
Tags: , ,

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Christianity teaches that believers have the help of a POWER not available to those who do not believe… right?  Or at least that we have more POWER than other spiritual disciplines…

Spiritual power… what is that?  Do you have it?

Can you know things others don’t?  Walk on water?  Heal the Sick?  Raise the Dead?

Is that what Spiritual Power means?

Your thoughts?

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On Suffering and Blessing ?


Jan 06

Posted: under Praise, Prophecy, Teaching, Testimony.

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Many Christians seem to think that “suffering for Christ” is somehow a greater virtue than “Reigning with Christ”

Yes, we are saved and redeemed.  Yes we are promised that there will be trials.  Yes, we are called to overcome suffering and persecution (which will surely happen in this world)…

But..  My question is about what comes next? IS suffering gladly the whole point of Christianity?

HARDLY!

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the
LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.

That’s OT, so here is some NT

Galatians 3:14 (New International Version)

14He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to
Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ
Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise
of the Spirit.

Without repeating Abraham’s blessings here, I think it is safe to say that a life of Suffering and Poverty were not included in the “blessings given to Abraham”

Too many Christians actually make it a matter of pride to let you know they are “accepting” suffering and poverty with gladness or contentment - IMHO.  Hmmm.  If so content then why are they talking about it so much? Most anybody knows is that Pride is one of the “seven deadly” sins, whatever the heck that means.  I take it to mean one of the worst, or a sin that leads to loss of spirit power or spiritual life.

In my past, I was even guilty of being jealous of those who “suffered for Christ”.  I even had a picture in my mind that somehow those Christians whose faith helped them be content to end each day with a crust of bread and a prayer (famous daily bread painting) were somehow “holier” or more advanced than those who struggled with desire to claim and use blessings of power and wealth.

I was wrong.  Jealousy is another of those “seven deadly” sins.  Wisdom comes from EXPERIENCE and not as much from STUDY.  The life of Solomon is held as as proof of WISDOM - and he gained it by chasing and having enough experience to KNOW what he was talking about instead of just THINK about what he was talking about.

Having experienced poverty and having experienced wealth, I know that neither is better.  Each provides an opportunity to manifest our Faith.   However, One called to be a prince should not be a pauper…  There is a significant teaching on this - maybe you know where it is found in the Bible?

If I am called to be a king or prince, then when I envy the faith of the poor, I fail to be content with my calling…

Therefore, I now aspire to live out the power given me by the Holy Spirit…

That power allows me to take hold of the glorious riches we can have, by taking full hold of our faith, I leave you with this for today : )

“Ephesians 1

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints in Ephesus,[a] the faithful[b] in Christ Jesus:

2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he[c] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9And he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

11In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

Now…..  somewhere in there is a Clling that has nothing to do with inviting suffering or willful poverty in order to “PROVE” our faith!

We are called to be RICH, to be Sons of the King, and by the Holy Spirit we are given the power to claim that glorious inheritance.

Still want to Suffer For Christ?  If you are so called, AMEN!  IF NOT then Get up off that mat and WALK!

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Texting With God?


Dec 01

Posted: under Prophecy, Society and Culture, Teaching.

In our fractured, hurry up world, when do you find time for things of the Spirit?

We are so disconnected we don’t have time for friends in real time.  We have to relegate friends to our facebook page and have conversations without meeting because… well… we are just too busy.

Texting and facebook and myspace have taken over for what used to be real relationships.

Can you text with God? Sure…  No cell phone required! FREE!  But… Is it enough?  I used to call them Pop Tart Prayers.  Little quickies.  Problem is, this kind of relationship with God is about as sustaining and nutritious as a pop tart.

I want more of God.  I want to chew on God, gain the strength of the meat of the word, gnaw the protein out of the bones of His plans…  Get face to face and ask some questions - If only I could remember the questions when in His presence…

You can’t do that in a text or a “drive by” prayer.

But the time it takes to get in that space…  that place…  Is prohibitive to many believers today.  Many of the people you think of as spiritual giants are running on fumes too.

What can we do to find more time for our relationship with God?

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Christianity: Post Church Modern ?


Sep 25

Posted: under Ministries, News, Prophecy, Society and Culture, Teaching, Testimony.
Tags: , ,

Yes, you read that right.  POST CHURCH MODERN is the topic - and not POST MODERN CHURCH. But we will have to discuss the latter a bit in order to be clear about the former.

You may be more familiar with the phrase POST MODERN CHURCH. A POST MODERN CHURCH is one that serves a POST MODERN CULTURE.  A person who considers themselves as belonging to the POST MODERN culture is seeing themselves as beyond modern (beyond here means AFTER).  POST MODERN culture can be seen as a reaction to a modern culture, characterized by an ironic return to traditional materials and forms - as in architecture or literature.  It typically calls for a radical re-examination of basic beliefs about who we are and how we got here.

THIS IS NOT ABOUT THAT.

The POST CHURCH MODERN is something else. The Post Church Modern is an individual who is moving values forward after falling OUT of love with the Christian Church as we know it.  Notice the POST CHURCH MODERN Christian is not falling out of love with Christ, just with the church.

The POST CHURCH MODERN is NOT returning to traditional forms - not seeking comfort in the familiar, but is seeking intellectual and spiritual adventure and exploration in arenas once barred by judgmental, “traditional” opinions and belief systems.

To Sum: There is a very profound difference between the two.  Cynicism and a spirit ready to judge something as inadequate are both needed in order to belong to Post Modern movement.  Consider, if there was not something judged to be wrong with MODERN then the person would have no need to move beyond the modern view.  Contrast this with the Post Church Modern, who is simply so open, so ready for life and adventure, that he has no need for confining form, and especially no need for one that looks backwards as a solution.

“THAT DID NOT WORK” is what the POST MODERN CHURCH SAYS ABOUT MODERNITY.  IT’S TOO SHALLOW.  Hmmm….  This very same accusation is fairly made about the POST MODERN CHURCH itself.  The believer became tradition bound, afraid, held captive in a new form that was as rigid as the old form.  The promise of freedom is offered, but instead the new form traps him into being free only as long as he remains cynical and judgmental toward “MODERN” Believers.  This new trap really should come as no surprise.  By its nature of being unhappy with all things MODERN, the adherants end up fighting their own condition.  Since the Post Modern Church would attract a fairly cynical group of individuals, it can be expected that they will do what judgmental and cynical folk do.  Post Modern Churchgoers hang together, wax nostalgic, and become trapped in the worship of the past.  To maintain the facade of being special, they pronounce themselves in the right, and all others in the wrong.

Another viewpoint is possible.   After all, we worship a Creative God!

THIS COULD BE FUN” is the attitude of the POST CHURCH MODERN.  We could discover something useful, something powerful, something elevating, and we may end up cooperating with our own condition in a glorious explosion of what COULD BE!

Is it dangerous? Even blasphemous?  Will we lose sight of dry land and sail off to drown in a sea of egocentric me-ism?  Doubtful if you know that we continue to believe in and worship God.  This position extols the wonder of a Creator God and a Christ who came to model the entire idea.

CHRIST was POST CHURCH MODERN in his day. The church, in his day, was the synagogue. He was “DONE WITH ALL THAT” because of the hypocrisy and intellectualized, self serving pride and rigidity found there.

Now there you have it. The POST CHURCH MODERN IS A BELIEVER WHO IS DONE WITH ALL THAT CHURCH STUFF because of the hypocrisy and intellectualized, self serving pride and rigidity found there.

Now - I said it and you can believe it : )

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US Govt trying to avoid a Bank Run?


Sep 24

Posted: under News, Prophecy, Society and Culture.
Tags: , , , , ,

The U.S. Govt says they are trying to avoid a bank run.  Don’t they think we know, we are already having one?

Today’s depositors who can withdraw all their money and thus cause a classic bank run are not John Q Public.  We are insured by FDIC.  We take money out of the bottom of a system, like from the tap of a koolaid cooler at a church picnic.

The insurance companies, financial institutions, pension funds, investment banks, and world banks who make deposits into our financial system by making LOANS to our system are the ones who pour koolaide into the top of the jug. These guys have already withdrawn their money.  They pulled the plug.  The run is on because the money was pulled out of the top of the system instead of the bottom.  They are not providing any more money.  This means the wheels of commerce grind to a halt.  NOW.

The most interesting part is that in the Great Depression, when we were a nation of SAVERS, cash ran out as the public lost confidence in the banking system and withdrew actual deposits.  The difference is that today’s bank run happens as a nation of BORROWERS finds there is no money to borrow.  Money has stopped flowing in at the top of the system.

Same basic outcome….  There is no cash.  The run is already underway.

This is why our Govt wants to railroad a bill through Congress…. The washington power base seems to feel that if we print money fast enough, maybe John Q Public won’t find out that there is no cash!

A curse on Greed.  A Blessing on Wisdom.

May those who hear the voice of God listen, and calm the waters of this storm.

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so many gods… so little time


Sep 24

Posted: under Prophecy, Society and Culture, Teaching, Testimony.
Tags: , , ,

Jesus said:  “Do you not know that you are gods?” (John 10:34-35; Ps 82:6)

What will you do with all that presence, power, knowledge ?

Will it make a difference in the world around you?  How big a footprint will you make?  How far will your light shine?

I don’t mean to ask what will you do “SOMEDAY”.  I mean to ask - what will you do “TODAY”?

HMMMMM  ???

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Pastors Gone Soft? Is that why the Church has gone soft?


Sep 21

Posted: under Ministries, News, Prophecy, Society and Culture, Teaching, Testimony.
Tags: , ,

How many Pastors really want to spend time with the strung out, drug addicted, or those with criminal histories?  Many pastors, including my exPastor - have learned to say… “Somebody else should”.  My exP used to say “I don’t want to go through other people’s junk”.

Maybe they think God will heal it - show them acceptance - without a loving person to model the example of Christ?   If so then why did Christ model spending time with the men that society discarded?

Even more surprising - many pastors don’t want strong Christian men hanging around.  Those guys who REALLY KNOW the bible and have shown strength in organizing a ministry are considered dangerous.  These people are apparently a threat…  I mean think of the horror… If they were kept around, and later got a bee in their bonnet,  they might have enough leadership influence to drag half the people in the church away in what is called a church split.

The two people most likely to change the world are a strong believer who can lead men, or a forgiven criminal who GETS IT and wants to pass it on.  What about one person who is both?  WOW!

Now - if the modern church cannot cope with either, then I guess we get a milkfed, or geriatric and otherwise ineffective church.  Apparently, this is the only kind of parishioner that most pastors can handle?

Sad…

Please, somebody tell me there are places this is not true!

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U.S. Govt to bail out banks but not citizens?


Sep 19

Posted: under News, Prophecy, Society and Culture, Teaching.
Tags: , , , , ,

Prayer Call:  Ask God to cause our leaders in Washington start doing something for the people instead of for the banks who caused this mess.

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You can read the following report from CNN any way you like.

Here is how I took it:  In the latest financial market bailout news from Washington - U.S. Govt wants to bail out the banks who misbehaved so badly as to risk going under - even buy their bad debts so banks can clear their books and LOOK good again.  This won’t fix the mismanagement that caused the problem, and won’t make them stronger than they are.  It will just make them LOOK stronger.  THIS IS NOT A SOLUTION!

  • What about the people who counted on the American dream?
  • What about the horrible loss being felt all over America as our houses plunge in value?
  • What about our retirement?
  • What about our kids in college?
  • What about the young people who cannot even afford a decent place to live?
  • What about their parents whose net worth has dwindled until they cannot help the kids with college or a place to live?
  • What about the house in foreclosure next door, dragging my net worth down by $50,000.

I did not do anything wrong - but I am left holding the tab and hanging in the wind, broke, while Uncle Sam bails out the very people who caused this mess and makes their balance sheets look good?

God has a better plan.  Let’s all pray for wisdom in Washington. Our leaders need to serve the needs of the people, not the greed of the banks.

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From CNN.com

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The federal government, in what will be its most far-reaching attempt yet to contain the financial crisis, is poised to establish a program to let banks get rid of mortgage-related assets that have been hard to value and harder to trade.

Leaders from the House and the Senate were briefed on Thursday evening by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

“The root cause of distress in capital markets is the real estate correction and what’s going on in terms of the price declines in real estate,” Paulson said at a press briefing after the meeting. “So we’re coming together to work for an expeditious solution aimed right at the heart of this problem, which is illiquid assets on financial institutions’ balance sheets.”

Many details of the plan remained unclear, but it is likely the government would take on tens of billions of dollars in mortgage assets - if not more.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said late Thursday night that lawmakers expected to get the proposal from Treasury in a matter of hours.

“We hope to move very quickly - time is of the essence,” Pelosi said.

Paulson, Bernanke and other officials expect to work through the weekend with congressional leaders to finalize a plan, said Brookly McLaughlin, a Treasury spokeswoman.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said he believes legislation could be acted on next week.

The announcement is the latest stunning turn in an extraordinary six days that have rocked Wall Street. A widening banking crisis has toppled two major firms - Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch - and prompted an $85 billion government loan to stem the sudden collapse of insurance giant American International Group.

Meanwhile, mainstay financial institutions are scrambling to raise cash or find merger partners - because of a freeze-up in lending and sinking investor confidence stemming from a collapse of the home mortgage market.

Talk of plan energizes markets

Speculation that the Bush administration was developing a comprehensive plan jolted Wall Street on Thursday and sent stocks higher. The Dow ended 410 points higher.

The Treasury has been talking about the concept of an agency to take on bad debts of financial institutions “for several months,” a source with knowledge of discussions on the issue told CNN.

There’s precedent for the federal government taking on troubled assets from the private sector. In the 1930s, the Home Owners Loan Corp. was set up to issue bonds to refinance borrowers. Then during the S&L crisis Congress set up the Resolution Trust Corp. to sell assets of failed banks.

One way the agency under discussion could work is by setting up bulk auctions to buy mortgage assets from financial institutions. The auctions would be for set dollar amount purchases. Companies that want to offload the hard-to-sell assets from their balance sheets bid to sell to the government at a huge discount. The company willing to sell at the lowest price wins.

The government would then be able to sell the assets back into the market when it wanted.

According to policy research firm the Stanford Group, such a setup would allow the government to refinance borrowers in the loans owned by the government, thereby lowering the risk of their defaulting and eventually boosting the price of the mortgage security in which those loans are packaged.

The agency and auction facility is one that House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd have supported.

Jaret Seiberg, a financial services analyst at the Stanford Group, said he believes there is bipartisan support for allowing the Bush administration to take short-term action to “get us through the immediate crisis.”

The expectation is that whatever program is decided on would only last through the presidential inauguration. “You don’t want a program that will last for several years because that would limit what the next administration could do,” Seiberg said.

Candidates to weigh in

On Friday, both presidential nominees are expected to detail their own plans to address the crisis.

Not everyone supports the idea that the government should buy up assets that the market currently can’t value and isn’t trading.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., on Thursday proposed his own plan that would involve the government providing a cash infusion to financial institutions in exchange for stock in the companies and let the institutions offload their mortgage investments.

Banking consultant Bert Ely is skeptical about the government getting involved at all. If the government chooses to “prop up the institutions or allows the institutions to offload asset onto a government entity, who’s going to take the losses? It’s financial insanity. The markets have to clear. Our fundamental problem: an oversupply of housing.”

CNN senior correspondent Alan Chernoff, CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano and Washington producer Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report. To top of page

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