1/4/2013 Portland, Oregon – Pop in your mints…

Were the the apostle John alive today, what would he say to us?  Would we find him wandering alone, like William H. Bonney at the end of Young Guns II?  When asked about Jesus, he might say:

“Did I like him? Hell no; I loved {Him}. You asked me if I have scars? Yessir, I have my scars.”

Perhaps he would introduce himself in the following way:

“I had been looking for the Messiah for as long as I knew of Him.  In John the Baptist, I saw the same eagerness to know the Messiah, and to prepare the way for His coming, so I followed Him.

When Jesus came to be baptized in the Jordan, I knew the it was He, the promised Messiah.  I cannot tell you exactly how, I simply knew.  From that day on, I arose and followed Jesus.

Many wanted to see a sign from Jesus, and He performed many.  For me, they were not necessary.  For I knew, from the moment I saw Him, that Jesus was the savior of the world, and that He loved me.”

60 years after Jesus had risen, John was contemplating his own earthly mortality.  What could he leave behind?  What would he say about Jesus?  What would he share so that the world would be moved as he had been moved by YHWH’s taking on flesh and dwelling amongst us, teaching us how to live, and then giving Himself as the final sacrifice for sin, so that humanity may be reconciled with Him in eternity?  While the seven signs are exceedingly important, John saw it as even more urgent that we focus on Jesus and finish the game.

Again, to quote Billy the Kid in Young Guns II:

“You remember the stories John use to tell us about the the three chinamen playing Fantan? This guy runs up to them and says, “Hey, the world’s coming to an end!” and the first one says, “Well, I best go to the mission and pray,” and the second one says, “Well, hell, I’m gonna go and buy me a case of Mezcal and six whores,” and the third one says “Well, I’m gonna finish the game.” I shall finish the game, Doc.”

How did John finish the game?  He began his gospel with the most definitive statement on who Jesus is that has ever been penned:

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² The same was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it. ⁶ There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light. ⁹ The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him. ¹² But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: ¹³ who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John testified about him. He cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.’” ¹⁶ From his fullness we all received grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.

Stay tuned and Trust Jesus.

Stay Fresh!

David Mint

Email: davidminteconomics@gmail.com

Key Indicators for January 4, 2013

Copper Price per Lb: $3.65
Oil Price per Barrel:  $93.09
Corn Price per Bushel:  $6.80
10 Yr US Treasury Bond:  1.92%
FED Target Rate:  0.17%  ON AUTOPILOT, THE FED IS DEAD!
Gold Price Per Ounce:  $1,664
MINT Perceived Target Rate*:  0.25%
Unemployment Rate:  7.8%
Inflation Rate (CPI):  -0.3%
Dow Jones Industrial Average:  13,435
M1 Monetary Base:  $2,555,200,000,000 LOTS OF DOUGH ON THE STREET!
M2 Monetary Base:  $10,516,400,000,000