Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

With persuasive words she led him astray;
    she seduced him with her smooth talk.
All at once he followed her
    like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer stepping into a noose
    till an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
    little knowing it will cost him his life.
Now then, my sons, listen to me;
    pay attention to what I say.
Do not let your heart turn to her ways
    or stray into her paths.
Many are the victims she has brought down;
    her slain are a mighty throng.
Her house is a highway to the grave,
    leading down to the chambers of death.

• Proverbs 7:21-27

Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

• Acts 19:8-10

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

• 1 Corinthians 2:4-5

I have written about advertisers that mislead us and telemarketers that are constantly calling.

But I have noticed that there are seasons of the year for telemarketing.

Life Insurance

Again, this could be any time of the year, but as seasons change.  Also, the Winter months, December through February, are the highest death rate months for the elderly due to slips and falls and over exertion shoveling snow or even doing heavy activity in cold weather.

Income Tax Season

The telemarketing calls are almost exclusively income tax related in the USA, from mid-January until mid-April.  Some companies get the W2 forms sent out by mid-January and April 15^th is usually the deadline.

But they claim they can guarantee to save you money.  If they were not crooks trying to steal my identity or take my money, I could take them up on their guarantee.  I paid no income tax for the past two years.  I do not qualify for a credit that pays you back even though you do not pay.

Auto Insurance

This could be any time of the year, but they seem to ramp up their activities prior to the summer months when you might be thinking of a trip.  The standard claim of guaranteeing savings applies but they have no idea who your provider is.

Medicare Free Enrollment

There are three enrollment periods.  Initial is usually in the month that you turn 65 or a specific age, as these rules change.  The general enrollment period is the first three months of the year, but the Medicare Free Enrollment period is 15 October through 7 December.

The television ads run year round.  I have complained about this in the past and they have changed the wording on their advertisement.  “If you have had your Medicare cancelled or you qualify for a special enrollment, you MUST call or you will lose money.”  I hate how they use those tactics on the elderly.

Frankly, I think the smartest person in organized crime wrote the Medicare Laws to prey on the elderly.

But that being said, if you are getting Medicare for other reasons than being old, the rules are entirely different.  This is why I think organized crime created the laws.  Let’s make it impossible for the elderly to understand.  Let’s run advertisements making the elderly think they are losing money.  And then if the anxiety level gets too high, refer to Life Insurance scams above.

But as for having your Medicare cancelled…  Why?  My Medicare is paid by withholding some of my Social Security.  My supplement provider, USAA, required that I set them up to be paid directly from the bank each month.  There should never be a legitimate way to not pay the premiums.  Thus, if you did something illegal, why are we letting you back into the system?  But if you moved to another state, you can apply when you move.

But otherwise, these television ads and telemarketing calls are just adding to the anxiety level.

What made me think of these seasons?

I have noticed that the phone calls come from the same group of phone numbers.

Do they have calendars at these calling centers?  Do the bosses, or as I like to think of them, the head crooks, make announcements that everyone should switch from one scam to the next due to the day on the calendar?

The Scriptures above speak of persuasive language.  Proverbs 7 focuses on avoiding the adulterous woman, but anyone who persuades you to give them your money should be avoided.  We can learn from these words of wisdom.

Then the only other uses of “persuasive” in the NIV show Paul using persuasive language in Ephesus (according to Luke), but then not using persuasive language in Corinth (according to Paul himself).  For one, Paul used whatever means that the Holy Spirit guided him to use, but for the thinking person, it is insulting to play on the emotions.  Paul may have learned that in Athens and then since philosophy was honored in Corinth also, he used less persuasion and focused on their intellect and facts.

I read somewhere that Plato and Aristotle were irritated by the lawyers who used rhetoric in the theaters where philosophy was king.  This, according to these greats, put a distinctive mar upon philosophy.  They felt philosophy should be pure intellect.

But as for the spiritual, God wants us to love Him with all our heart and mind, the spiritual and the intellectual.

But to combat the television ads, I mute the TV when the offensive ads appear.  As for the telemarketers, I have heard people argue that if they do not leave a message and you did not recognize the number, they are probably a telemarketer.  But I do recognize certain telemarketer numbers.  They tend to call about the same time everyday from the same number.  Just do not pick up the phone.  Yes, the constant ringing is annoying.

I answered one time and the telemarketer got indignant when I refused to let him speak to my wife.  He finally shouted, yes, shouted, “And why not?!”  My reply was that she had been dead for two years, but if he wanted to call the cemetery, he might give that a try.

Remember that God gives us all that we need.  Jesus taught that we should not worry.  These phone calls and television ads are preying on our emotions and trying to convince us we need something that we do not really need.  Their intent is to take our money from us.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.