Fractious Times

I recently announced on my personal page that I would no longer watch my beloved NFL. That simple announcement with a short accompanying reason got more response than posts that actually matter. I have friends on both sides of the issue. The truth for me is deeper than some form of entertainment. I am choosing not to support anything that contributes to the fragmentation and tribalism that divides us.

In the long run, my decision isn't about who's right and who's wrong. It's about not wanting to see everything I enjoy or watch mired in politics and division. There was a time when playing the National Anthem wasn't considered political but part of the unifying factor that no matter your race, political views, gender, or any other distinction, we were still bound by the commonality of being Americans. It was nothing more than that. When even something so time honored has been turned into something divisive, I can't participate. That's true whether it's a sport, movie, or television program. Propagandize in the guise of entertainment and I don't watch. If I want to watch political programming, then I'll turn it on although that almost never happens. My life isn't made richer by watching people argue and I'm certainly not drawn closer to Jesus by it.

As I've discussed on a number of episodes of the Jesus' Outsider Podcast, we are growing more and more fractured and divided not only as a nation but as a church. We are separating ourselves into ever more narrowly defined tribes. Political affiliations, denominations, minor issues of doctrine, and even sport team fandoms are just a few of the growing camps of us versus them. We are wrathful and wrangling over words and concepts that mean little to our purpose in Christ. In fact, these divisions, protests, counter protests and all the rest of the nonsense happening are huge hindrances to the fulfillment of The Great Commission. That was the point of the episode, Stay Focused.

Consider this quote from C.S. Lewis and his groundbreaking book, The Screwtape Letters:

My Dear Wormwood,
Be sure that the patient remains completely fixated on politics. Arguments, political gossip, and obsessing on the faults of people they have never met serves as an excellent distraction from advancing in personal virtue, character, and the things the patient can control. Make sure to keep the patient in a constant state of angst, frustration, and general disdain towards the rest of the human race in order to to avoid any kind of charity or inner peace from further developing. Ensure teh patient continues to believe that the problem is "out there" in the "broken system" rather than recognizing there is a problem with himself.
Keep up the good work,
Uncle Screwtape

What better way to keep the Church from being effective than to keep us angry and divided? Jesus himself prayed that we would be one just and He and the Father are one (John 17). The greatest times of church growth and power was when we were united and our good works were visible to all men. Even a cursory reading of Acts reveal how when the church was united and devoted their lives to living the Gospel, their number was added to daily. Can any of us say that anymore?

To put is simply, the enemy is doing a great job of keeping the Body of Christ divided and focused on the wrong things. I know that all of us have a specific part to play in His church and in advancing the Kingdom of God. If we are spending all of our time on these useless distractions, can we actually achieve them? Paul warns Timothy to avoid foolish and arrogant arguments. (2 Tim 2:23-26) as well as in Romans and Titus. There's a reason for these and all the other warnings throughout Scripture.

We're not here to change the world through political action, protests, or arguments. That's not why Jesus came. He came to seek and save that which is lost. How far can we deviate from that purpose because an entertainer expresses an opinion or because we support an earthly political party or agenda? Nothing is worth more than living Jesus in front of a lost and dying world. Consider that when you post on Facebook or take a stand.

If you want to make a real difference, be Jesus to someone. Examine your own heart for hatred and sin. Or, if you're willing to take a greater risk, do what David did and ask the Lord to examine your heart and see if there be any wicked way in me. (Psalm 139:23-24) Pursuing the Lord diligently and letting your good works speak for themselves to bring glory not to you but to God is what we're here for and nothing else. Listen to the episode Purpose in Victory for more details. You're here for a reason. Don't let this world's nonsense, anger, and sin distract you and draw you in. You can choose the higher road and just not participate.

Big Announcements!

For the last several days, we have been wrestling with a couple of decisions. One of them is fairly large the other more operational but still significant.

Okay, the small one first. As we prepare for the Sex, Porn, and Freedom Conference, time has become more critical and short. We also have a number of ministry opportunities on the horizon that will require a lot of prep time and travel. To prevent the quality of the podcast from suffering, we have decided to drop to one episode a week. It will be uploaded Monday mornings at 6:30. The advantage for us and yours truly the host is that it can be recorded any night of the week and preloaded. We can then travel and minister as needed and have fresh, new content every week. This change goes into effect April 17th.

The big decision is one that we had to seek a lot of counsel on before coming to a conclusion. Most ministries incorporate as a not-for-profit corporation and file for a 501c3 tax exempt status. We have decided to go another direction.

There were a number of factors leading to this point. Since the last time we filed for a 501 several years ago, a lot of changes have occurred within the IRS and to the tax code and more on the way. More than one person, including an attorney, our banker,  and other ministry leaders warned that the IRS doesn't like parachurch organizations. They don't grasp them and their purpose. More, it is likely that the free speech restrictions placed on not-for-profits are going to become even more draconian. Since we are unwilling to compromise one pen stroke of the Word, we would lose that status before allowing the government to silence us in the name of political correctness.

There are also more practical reasons. The bookkeeping is much simpler. We will practice financial accountability but we don't have to worry about the federal and state filings or restrictions. We will have to charge sales tax on any merchandise we sell at events but that isn't a big deal.

Since we are not a donation based ministry, there isn't a benefit to the status. The majority of the revenue we receive is from ticket sales, speaker fees, and merchandise sales. Sponsorships and table fees are conferences are still tax deductible for businesses as advertising expenses just like for any other trade show or conference. If someone wants to donate, we obviously won't stop them but there will not be a tax benefit for the contribution.

This was a tough decision but the right one. If things change down the road, we will revisit it. For us, it means that Jesus' Outsider and Deep Mystery Studio are essentially one and the same. The studio has always been linked to the show as the site of recording and as the vision shifts, they will be more integrated. Once the equipment we lost is replaced, we will be producing more media aimed at proclaiming freedom in Christ.

God is moving and there's a lot of great stuff happening now and in the near future.

The Tyranny of The Urgent

I first came across the concept in business. There's a list of tasks that need to be prioritized and completed. Once sorted in to their proper order, the items on the list need to be checked off in order of importance. Inevitably, something happens that throws the list into chaos. Under normal circumstances, this usually isn't an issue because once the new issue is resolve, the normal priorities return. The problem happens when this happens over and over again. Urgent problems take the place of the truly important things that need to get done. This is the Tyranny of The Urgent and it's destroying lives in ways that few recognize. It's one of the most potent weapons in arsenal of the enemy.

The urgent gets in the way of the important and prevents us from actually getting anywhere. Often, the important that the urgent blocks is the very thing that will solve the urgent problem in the long term. To use finances as an example, someone takes a lot of odd jobs to solve immediate financial concerns but doing so prevents an actual job search. The urgent need of unpaid bills drives the decision to solve the short term problem because there seems like no choice. The urgent prevents the long term solution from coming to fruition.

People do this every day. More of us are governed by the this tyranny than we even realize. I have to confess that the last several months have found me in that position. My lovely bride and I have been facing a whole list of issues from health issues to financial problems that have been in the way of doing anything meaningful. Perhaps that's why I'm writing this post. I need to confess my own sins and at the same time try to bring you some hope that you too can overcome your tyranny through prayer and allowing the Lord to actually be in charge.

The root of the Tyranny is fear and worry. What happens if I don't do this? Can we survive if I let this slide? In many ways, as this world slides and the economy just continues to languish, more people will move into survival mode, the essence of the urgent. Fear justifies way too many decisions with finances and relationships. Worry eats us alive.

Like so many issues of life, the answer is simple but not easy. Jesus Himself gave it to us in the Sermon on The Mount. (Matthew 6:25-34)

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

As I said, the answer is simple but not easy. In truth, this is one of the more challenging teachings the Lord has given us. It's easier to overcome adultery than worry. The urgency that is driven by worry is what keeps us from doing what really needs to be done. The urgent is really a shut down. We get tied up, scrambling from one crisis to the next, never getting anywhere. All we seem to do is just spin our wheels. We were meant for better.

Jesus takes hold of our fears and worries and assures us that God knows our needs and will take care of us. There are times, even for the most spiritually mature, when this truth is hard to grasp. Financial, health, or relational issues get in the way. Here, the Lord is telling us not be worried about such things.

He tells us that God will meet our physical needs if we put His Kingdom first. In truth, all of our needs are found in Christ. The Father knows not only that we need food, clothing, and shelter but so much more. He will meet all of them. 

One of the laments I have taken up over the last several years is that so many important decisions have been made based almost entirely upon finances. This is more than simple budgetary concerns. It's been based upon finding enough money to solve a looming crisis. I'm ashamed to admit how little prayer went into most of them. Now, as the Lord is convicting me of my lack of faith, I look back and see how much damage foolish, prayerless decisions have done. I even see some of my recent choices going awry after choosing to trust God more only a few months ago.

That's when the enemy hits us with urgency. The first of the year, my lovely bride and I undertook a new step in life fueled by faith. It was a huge leap that had been basked in prayer. Two months in and we're facing a huge disaster. Questioning that choice is natural when it seems to go badly. We were hit with a series of health issues affecting by my bride and me. These problems had a profound negative effect on our finances. Combined with other unplanned problems, we've been forced to make decisions we didn't anticipate. Many of those choices at the points of decision went against our better instincts but, because of the problems we face, we made them anyway. In several, those decisions have exacerbated the long term problems. Now, we have to find a way back to the important through the clutter.

That's the problem we all face when we fall into the Tyranny. Now begins a process to reclaiming our position of trusting the Lord. Some of the choices cannot be undone easily. There will be resistance not just in the spiritual realm but the physical as well. This is to be expected whenever moving back to where faith guided decisions rather than urgency. That's why prayer for wisdom is essential. The Lord promises that whosoever asks for wisdom will have it given to them liberally. (James 1:5) That's what all of us need when getting back to the priorities He sets for us.

Allowing the Lord to set our priorities is how we break the cycle of tyranny. "Whom the Son sets free is free indeed." (John 8:36) The law of liberty means that we are set free from the constraints of sin and the world's system. That includes fear and worry, the root of the tyranny of the urgent. Walking out the law of liberty and shedding the shackles of this world is the abundant life Jesus promised.

If you are in this situation now or find yourself there in the future, prayer and faith are the only way out. None of the time management solutions I learned in all my years of business education are truly sufficient for breaking free. Trust me, I've tried. This isn't our first time in this mess but it's at one of our more critical junctures. Faith has freed us before and will do so again. It will just take time. The same is true for you.