Peace and God's Presence to Fight COVID 19

If you've read my blog before, you know that I don't post here that often. Maybe that'll change for a bit what with social distancing and shelter in place and such. I do have to say that I haven't been exactly bored or without close to home activity with which to occupy myself. My friend Dave Huizenga and I have ramped up our work on  STREET FAITH and Marketplace Kingdom. We've been doing a Monday through Friday encouragement Facebook Live stream to sow some perspective and peace in the midst of the current fear and anxiety facing our nation and world. A "COVID 19 Prayer and Perspectives" series. As we process the raw video into a castable form, we're releasing it  as video podcasts to supplement our audio episodes. That, along with checking up on and keeping in touch online with our friends and family around the nation and world, is keeping us busy and out of trouble...for now.

If you're not familiar with me or my writing, I'll tell you up front, my starting point for everything I am and do is as an unashamed and incurable Jesus follower. That said, as for this blog and the global crisis we face and my current Sunday ruminations, I guess what I want to say today is that if we can learn anything from this here and now, it's that there is no longer an ultimate operative "we versus them" in the world. And I think we should wonder if maybe there never was. Or should have been. We really are in this together. All of us. And if our leaders, and those in other countries, can't figure that out then we need to start with us. Right where we are. And take a stand for sanity instead of chaos. Peace instead of fear. Love and compassion and justice instead of "me first" or "us first". A people can only be truly great if they live lives of practical wisdom and love. And that we can still do...right where we are.

As a whole, the headlines won't give us peace today. The daily news briefings won't give us peace. The best they can do is to tell us to "please stay calm." I want to tell you in this time that there is another peace that is real and defies explanation, at least from the general post-Christian cultural viewpoint. And I still insist on talking about it because it's real...and because I'm not a post-Christian. Jesus said, "I give you real  peace, not what the world or the world-system offers...In the world you'll see all kinds of trouble, but don't lose heart. I have overcome the world and all it's systems and threats."

I won't insult you with flowery God-talk or platitudes. But if God is real...and He IS...then He's vastly more powerful that any crisis we face. That's why we're doing these special videos and podcasts. That's why we're offering Prayer and Perspective. That's why we're calling and video chatting with family and friends. That's why we're asking people to finally connect with real peace...in God...and to set aside their fear and any past "we/they" divisions and come together in practical acts of love right now...right where they are. I want to encourage you. I want to open your mind and your heart and pour in courage...for such a time as this. Maybe you don't believe. Maybe you don't even want to believe. But right now...maybe you want to want to believe. That's enough. Pray. God will show you He's real. Jesus will show you He's real. Then find some creative way to do the right thing, right where you are...in your here and now. Keep praying. Call on God's power and love. Sow peace! Reach out. And love. Love covers a lot of stuff.

And...it makes stuff happen!

WORLD VIEW: The Week's Headlines 3.29.20

GOOD NEWS

"...Fan into flame the gift that is in you...for God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:6-7)

Acts of Kindness Deserve The Lead Headlines

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/acts-of-kindness-when-a-delivery-of-eggs-is-about-more-than-the-eggs/ar-BB11PITK

Young People Are Getting Creatively Kind

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/young-people-have-become-heroes-by-helping-their-communities-during-quarantine/vi-BB11pruj

Kids Can Still Have A Happy Birthday

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/communities-unite-for-birthday-celebrations-ruined-by-coronavirus-lockdowns/ar-BB11NWTr

People Make A Difference Right Where They Are

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/thousands-of-americans-are-delivering-essentials-to-people-in-need-the-outpouring-has-been-wild/ar-BB11K83H

President Trump Invokes Defense Production Act

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/03/27/coronavirus-latest-news/

New Compact Portable Testing Equipment Can Go Anywhere and Detect Virus In Five Minutes

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-27/abbott-launches-5-minute-covid-19-test-for-use-almost-anywhere

US Coronavirus Crisis Relief Bill Passes Both Senate and House

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-gives-final-passage-2-trillion-coronavirus-stimulus-bill-n1170281

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/27/politics/stimulus-payments/index.html

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/25/whats-in-stimulus-package-coronavirus-149282

President Signs $2.2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill Shortly After House Vote

https://nbc25news.com/news/connect-to-congress/house-debates-22t-virus-relief-bill-amid-last-minute-snag-03-27-2020

2020 US Federal “Tax Day” Deadline Moved to July 15

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-day-now-july-15-treasury-irs-extend-filing-deadline-and-federal-tax-payments-regardless-of-amount-owed

States Beginning to Follow Federal Lead on July 15 Tax Deadline

https://www.pillsburylaw.com/en/news-and-insights/covid-19-irs-and-states-extend-tax-payment-deadlines.html

Z Pack and Hydroxychloroquine May Prove to Be a Promising Treatment

https://www.wsj.com/articles/these-drugs-are-helping-our-coronavirus-patients-11584899438

https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/19/french-study-finds-anti-malarial-and-antibiotic-combo-could-reduce-covid-19-duration/

Generic Drug Manufacturers Ramp Up Hydroxychloroquine Production

https://www.barrons.com/articles/hydroxychloroquine-generic-drugmakers-demand-spikes-covid-19-french-study-lupus-51585056712

UPDATE: Door Flies Open For More Widespread Use and Cheap Generics as GILEAD Abandons Exclusive “Orphan” Rights to COVID 19 and HIV Drug Remdesivir

https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/coronavirus-gilead-remdesivir-orphan-drug/574882/

OTHER NEWS

Mnuchin: Current Record Jobless Claims Not Relevant in the Long Term

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/steven-mnuchin-calls-record-unemployment-claims-not-relevant-on-cnbc/

The Political Wrangling and Counter Proposals that Held Up the Stimulus and Relief Package

https://www.axios.com/nancy-pelosi-coronavirus-stimulus-proposal-d7b4a9a0-610a-4324-a07b-6bb64e1f5c81.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic&utm_content=1100

Ted Cruz on Dems’ Alinsky Agenda—"What the hell does that have to do with Coronavirus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=65KgiGdUb04&feature=emb_logo

·         Airline fuel emissions

·         Wind and Solar Development Tax Credits

·         Corporate Board Diversity Mandates

·         Restructure Post Office Debt

·         $15 Minimum Wage for Companies receiving federal aid

·         Anti-business “slush fund accusations” that fail to consider ongoing costs of keeping

            employees and paying insurance and benefits payments intact…

The Games Continue: Pelosi Continues to Slam Trump for What Wasn’t Done Earlier, Ignores What’s Being Done Now

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/29/politics/nancy-pelosi-coronavirus-cnntv/index.html

Rahm Immanuel, quoting Saul Alinsky: Never let a good crisis go to waste.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mzcbXi1Tkk

https://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2012/09/saul-alinskys-rules-for-radicals-do.html

“It is full speed ahead until a staffer yells ‘Iceberg.’”

     --Bob Mulholland, a DNC member from California

DNC Insists July Convention Will Still Take Place, But Growing Numbers of Dems Are Doubtful

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/23/dnc-insists-democratic-convention-on-144714

Chinese censorship of foreign websites and domestic web traffic

https://www.ccn.com/why-china-increasing-censorship-if-coronavirus-under-control/

https://archive.is/gyjdf  

https://www.reddit.com/r/China_Flu/comments/f5a2uf/china_stifles_foreign_internet_to_control/

https://news.trust.org/item/20200320152034-otovi/?utm_campaign=trending&utm_medium=trendingWebWidget&utm_source=detailPage&utm_content=link5

China’s Battle to Control the Narrative

https://qz.com/1812162/china-mobilizes-against-medias-malicious-coronavirus-coverage/

https://www.justsecurity.org/69316/one-doctors-place-in-chinas-battle-for-the-covid-19-narrative/

US Tech Czar and Major Global Social Media Platforms Commit to Controlling Coronavirus Narrative

https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/16/facebook-reddit-google-linkedin-microsoft-twitter-and-youtube-issue-joint-statement-on-misinformation/

Internet Stressed and Slowing Down Around the Planet

https://dnyuz.com/2020/03/26/surging-traffic-is-slowing-down-our-internet/

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/homebound-workers-close-overwhelming-internet-182913138.html

US Govt Ramps Up Domestic Movement Surveillance in Coronavirus Fight

https://www.wsj.com/articles/government-tracking-how-people-move-around-in-coronavirus-pandemic-11585393202

Snowden Warns It May Not Be Easy To Get Our Freedoms Back

https://www.cnet.com/news/snowden-warns-government-surveillance-amid-covid-19-could-be-long-lasting/

Global Autocrats Use Emergency to Attack Democracy and Tighten Grip

https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-and-autocrats-never-let-pandemic-go-to-waste-11585400400

Z Pack and Hydroxychloroquine May Prove to Be a Promising Treatment

https://www.wsj.com/articles/these-drugs-are-helping-our-coronavirus-patients-11584899438

https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/19/french-study-finds-anti-malarial-and-antibiotic-combo-could-reduce-covid-19-duration/

MI Governor Whitmer Threatens Doctors and Pharmacists, Bans Use of Hydroxychloroquine for COVID 19 Fearing Shortage for Other Patients

https://www.redstate.com/elizabeth-vaughn/2020/03/27/michigan-gov.-warns-doctors-pharmacists-who-prescribe-or-dispense-hydroxychloroquine-of-professional-consequences

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/lara/Reminder_of_Appropriate_Prescribing_and_Dispensing_3-24-2020_684869_7.pdf

DON’T EAT AQUARIUM CLEANER! Fearful Arizona Man Dies After Ingesting Aquarium Treatment to Fight Off Coronavirus

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/23/health/arizona-coronavirus-chloroquine-death/index.html

Overburdened GILEAD Suspends COVID 19 Related “Compassionate Use” Acess to Remdesivir

https://www.investors.com/news/technology/coronavirus-treatment-gilead-suspends-compassion-use-access/

UPDATE: Door Flies Open For More Widespread Use and Cheap Generics as GILEAD Abandons Exclusive “Orphan” Rights to COVID 19 and HIV Drug Remdesivir

https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/coronavirus-gilead-remdesivir-orphan-drug/574882/

Stanford Scientist Says Numbers Are “Almost Meaningless”

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/confirmed-coronavirus-cases-almost-meaningless-123550415.html

Hospitals Debating Implementation of Universal DNR Orders on COVID 19 Patients

https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2020/03/25/hospitals-across-us-consider-universal-do-not-resuscitate-orders-for-coronavirus-patients/

Brit Hume and Dan Patrick Say Elderly Should Be Willing to Die for the Economy

https://news.yahoo.com/fox-news-brit-hume-entirely-131616086.html

China Temporarily Bans Foreigners

https://www.axios.com/china-foreigners-visas-coronavirus-6e87eea9-73f3-4342-aee2-a171ca742ea5.html

Chinese Testing Only Accurate 30-50% of the Time

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/27/822407626/mystery-in-wuhan-recovered-coronavirus-patients-test-negative-then-positive

Cover Up? Russia's Tests 10-16x Less Sensitive Than Europe or US. Russian hospitals Overwhelmed With “Seasonal Flu” and “Pneumonia” Patients

https://abcnews.go.com/International/russia-reporting-covid-19-cases-cover/story?id=69717763

COVID 19 Lock-Down Impact on Poor in India and South Asian Nations

https://news.trust.org/item/20200329110138-bd2ht

GOOD NEWS FOR A CHANGE

Everyone needs hope. And, it seems, most look for change of some sort to bring that hope about. Change in government. Change in relationships. Change in behaviors. Change in circumstances. The most courageous among us may even look hopefully inward toward change in our selves. And some hope for the power to bring about that change. That shift.

We look for signposts. We talk with friends. We read. We watch scan the media. But more often than not, we're inundated with more information than we can consciously process. World news. National news. Local news. Bad news. News organizations. Fake news. How to sort it all out?

Ultimately, we're all really looking for good news. Like the promise of God to the prophet Jeremiah, "I know the plans that I have for you...to prosper you and not harm you. To give you hope and a future."

As Christians, we can learn a lot from the news, if we know where to look. And how. There are currently 7.6 billion people living on planet Earth. 7.6 billion lives. 7.6 billion real people…with real stories…the vast majority of which will go untold. And largely unnoticed. Every day, we're bombarded by news and opinion from around the world, but most of it is focused on the same handful of countries and the same handful of entertainers and politicians… those in positions of wealth and power...or those who want to be! Conflicting voices with conflicting agendas vying for our attention and demanding our allegiance.

In the midst of it all, as followers of Jesus, there is another statistic that should grip our hearts. Of those 7.6 billion people, at least 5.3 billion are NOT currently Christians. 69 %. And every day 151,600 of them die. If 69 percent are unbelievers, then 104,604 people per day pass into eternity without knowing Christ. 

That's 4350 per hour.

73 per minute.

Six every five seconds.

But there is good news as well! The Jesus we follow is alive…and active in the world right now. And He’s pouring out His Spirit today bringing good news…the Kingdom of God is at hand…breaking into our world and our reality…touching hearts and minds and transforming lives and entire regions. 

The greatest Kingdom harvest in human history is taking place now.

Global estimates indicate that there are over 3000 new believers coming to Christ every 20 minutes. 9000 every hour. 216,000 every day.

One movement alone has seen over 1.6 million new  churches planted in the last ten years. That’s three every ten minutes!

People are hungry for the gospel and they’re hungry for the results of the Kingdom breaking in! It’s happening all over the world… in small hidden pockets in closed countries…in marketplace encounters…in homes and villages… one on one and life on life.

It’s happening because some people are profoundly convinced that the lost really are lost and need to hear. It’s happening because they are passionate about Jesus and His Kingdom…and they’re taking it to the streets! Right where they are. They are committed to reaching those around them with good news for a change...news that brings real hope and real change for a real future!

We want to pray for them…and encourage them…and join them. Join us!

Click Here for More

WHO IS THIS RISEN JESUS?

The tomb is empty. The veil is torn. Jesus is alive, risen, ascended, and reigning! Yet people in the world around us continue to insist on following versions of Jesus that have been created to serve their own viewpoints...their own agendas. Even Christians at times succumb to the temptation to make a Jesus in their own image rather than allowing themselves to be caught up in the power of His resurrection and be transformed according to His image…His character.

So as we celebrate His Resurrection, we wanted to reach out to you with a new podcast and a question. Perhaps the most important question any of us could ask in this season. Who is this Saviour and Lord that we worship and follow? Not who was He, but who is He…NOW? Who is this Risen Jesus?

LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD NOW

And as a bonus, to accompany this episode, we also want to direct you back to two of our recent podcasts on Living and Walking in Resurrection Power! We hope you’re blessed and encouraged!

RESURRECTION POWER FOR NOW!

LIVING IN RESURRECTION POWER

We're Back...With TEN New Episodes

Friends, We’re back!!! And we’re stronger than ever! Bringing you more great podcast content from the Empowerment Institute and OneRockStrategix. We know people today often have crazy lives. Busy. Going multiple directions at the same time. And technology has allowed media streaming platforms, educational outlets, and even some ministries to adapt to the changing ways many folks are accessing online content. Folks want what they want…when they want it. Whether they end up binge watching Star Trek on their day off or bookmarking a batch of apologetics videos on YouTube. With this in mind, we're trying out some changes! We’re into our fourth season of the Marketplace Kingdom podcast, bringing you biblical perspectives and practical strategies for advancing God’s Kingdom right where you are…whoever you are. And given the shift in many people’s viewing and listening habits, we’re trying something new. We’re releasing a block of episodes for you to access or download whenever you want. Ten new episodes. TEN! Listen online, on your phone, or download and save them to your device. As always they’re free. So feel free to share them with your friends. You can even bookmark this blog as a handy episode guide. More on Truth and Love In this episode, Dave and DJ continue their discussion about engaging those around us in Truth and Love, and countering the current atmosphere of anger with the power and presence of God.   The Kingdom Wave People in the time of the prophet Amos were praying for the coming of “the year of the Lord’s favor”. Amos, on the other hand, stopped them in their tracks, asking, “Do you really understand what you’re asking for? Do you grasp what the implications are?”  Many today are praying for revival and renewal, but perhaps the same questions could be asked. What will the next wave of revival and awakening really look like? What is the Lord seeking to do in THIS time? What will happen when a wave of the Spirit’s transforming power and presence breaks in on the scene? A KINGDOM Wave?   Living in Resurrection Power As we approach the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection, it’s important that we reflect on the personal impact of His sacrifice and victory over the power of sin and death. But it’s also important that we reflect on MORE than that. What did the apostle Paul mean when he wrote “ I pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” Are we, today, really supposed to be living and walking in the same power that raised Jesus from the dead? Are we supposed to be releasing that explosive power into the reality of the world around us? Resurrection Power?   Truth and Morality in the Public Square Any of us who discuss faith issues with non-Christians has, with increasing frequency, been confronted with the claim, “Well, that may be your truth, but it’s not mine.” In the public square, in the media, in our day to day interaction with even family, friends and acquaintances, we are often confronted with the claim that there is more than one truth. That all viewpoints are roughly equal in a truly inclusive society, and that no one has the right to impose their truth or morality on anyone else. But if we actually believe Jesus, who stated plainly “I AM the truth”, then we’re confronted with a different reality. A biblical reality that says “Absolute truth exists. There is truth as opposed to deception. There is right as opposed to wrong. God and His word stand as the standard against which everything else must be measured.” For authentic Christians, this biblical reality, rooted in the character and presence of the one Living God, should provide the basis for all of our discussion of Truth and Morality in the Public Square.   Speaking and Standing in Boldness and Truth Many Christians are just plain afraid to stand up and speak out about their faith and crucial issues in public. They’re intimidated. They don’t want to get into an argument. They don’t want to “offend” anyone. They don’t want to be ridiculed or mischaracterized by hostile people who hold differing viewpoints. But the bible that we claim to believe insists that speaking and living the truth matters because lives hang in the balance. If we receive and act in the true love of God, we can speak and act boldly and not timidly because, as the apostle John writes, “Perfect love casts out fear.” As Christians filled and moving in the love and presence of God, we can and should be Speaking and Standing in Boldness and Truth!   Influence You really are important to God’s Kingdom…right where you are.  You may not have an impressive  title on a business card, a corner office at work, or a best-selling book. You may not be a community leader or an elder at church. But you have friends. And family. People you interact with at work and at the coffeeshop. You have relationships everywhere. And in those relationships, those moment by moment daily contacts, conversation by conversation…one on one and life on life…you have opportunity to be the Kingdom person you are. You have Influence!   Discerning Design and Destiny Christian thinker Abraham Kuyper wrote “There is not one square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry MINE!” If this is our starting point as Christians, the implications are startling. There may be spiritual war in personal lives, the public square, and even world systems. But the world is not evil. The whole of created reality came into being in the beginning, and God said it was GOOD. As we move around in our own little corners of creation, we can be guided by the confidence that, though it may be embattled territory, it’s still God’s! And it’s just waiting for US to do something…in God’s power and authority! Paul writes in Romans, “The whole creation is even now groaning in anticipation of the revealing of God’s children.” Anticipating the release and transformation, and restoration of Design and Destiny.   It’s Time: Factors in Seeing the Fullness of Now It seems like every other story in the news today is written in a way that’s consciously intended to create a sense of urgency.  The writers appear to think that if it’s not urgent, it won’t capture your attention. You’ll ignore it. But like the story of the boy who cried “WOLF”, eventually people become immunized to a constant urgency. According to the bible, King David had a group of advisors known as the “sons of Issachar”, who were specifically gifted in “understanding the times and knowing what Israel should do.”  They saw what was happening around their communities and nation, and understood what was urgent and what was not. We need this kind of wisdom today. Wisdom that sees clearly and recognizes when it’s time to engage in strategic action. Wisdom that is rooted in intimacy with God, and responds when His Spirit rises up in our spirit and declares “It’s Time!”   Seeing What to Do and Why—Kingdom View Part One The message of the gospel…the good news for here and now…continues to be the same as it was when Jesus declared it over 2000 years ago. The Kingdom of God is at hand. It’s right here. It’s breaking in on our reality and it’s radically other than anything anyone else in the world has to offer!   Transformation and Reading the Times and Speaking in Tongues at Starbucks—Kingdom View Part Two Have you ever been involved in a conversation and realized that the person you were with had no idea what you were talking about? Your viewpoints were so dissimilar that it was like you were speaking a different language? As Christians, we need to engage those around us in ways that they can understand. We can’t expect people outside our faith community to understand “Christianeze”. We may have godly wisdom and insight on what’s going on in the world, but if we want to have actual impact we need to communicate in a manner which applies and demonstrates that wisdom in ways that provide real answers and real hope and releases real transformation to those who are watching and hearing…right where we are. Download or listen to as many as you want…when you want. Because you’re important to Jesus…and to His Kingdom…right where you are!

Download or Listen Online Now

Remember that we have many other resources, audio, video and written, available for free download. We hope they help as you navigate 2019 and beyond! You can easily find them on our Seven Mountain Alliance website.

Resources

Finally, please consider financially partnering with us in 2019! It's simple. Give online through our secure portal, or text to give at 616-208-4986. The Lord is taking this ministry to places beyond what we could ask or imagine!  Your one time gift or ongoing support will help us continue bringing these Kingdom messages to listeners and influencers just like you, in seventy plus nations around the world. Thank you.

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As always, we pray God's richest blessing and favor on you and yours as you pursue His Kingdom...right where you are! Dave Huizenga DJ Swanger

Can We Talk?

It was with no small sense of irony that I read the recently released 2017  Free Speech and Tolerance Survey report from the Cato Institute. Many, unfortunately, will probably dismiss it out of hand without bothering to read it. Because it comes from a decidedly libertarian think tank with ties to the Koch brothers and Ayn Rand's objectivism. Personally, I disagree with a number of Cato's policy positions, the Koch brothers scare me almost as much as George Soros, and on the whole, Ayn Rand gives me hives. Nevertheless, the data in the Free Speech and Tolerance Survey is telling. It provides an illuminating and disturbing look at the current state of discourse in our country. With graphs and charts. It's definitely worth a read. And a conversation.

Cato 2017 Free Speech and Tolerance Survey: 71 Percent of Americans Say Political Correctness Has Silenced Discussions Society Needs to Have

Out of Our Seats and Into the Streets

I love my church. I love the people, the worship, the contagious sense of God’s presence and the abandoned crazy in love with Jesus atmosphere. And I love that my teenage son loves it too. We were talking over a truck stop lunch after church a couple weeks ago and I asked him why? He said, “It makes me want to worship. And it makes me want to listen to the sermons. They’re real. They remind me that God is real…But mostly it’s because when people come up and ask you how you’re doing, they really want to know. If you’re happy, they’re happy with you. And if something’s bothering you, they really listen. Then they want to stop and pray with you…right then and there.”

When it comes right down to it, isn’t that what being God’s people is really about?  Jesus spent most of his time talking about the Kingdom of God. And when his listeners asked what that meant, he told them stories…about real people living real lives doing real things just like them. Then he showed them what the Kingdom looked like by forgiving sins and healing and driving off devils.  And when they started asking about who the honored leaders were going to be, he turned the discussion upside down. “Anyone who wants to be great among you needs to be a servant to everybody around.”  This kind of love is what the heart of the church should look like, because it’s what the heart of God looks like. And the heart of His Kingdom.

As I thought about this, I was reminded of a conversation with our friend Tim Vink.  He was talking about all the different theories and programs for evangelism and discipleship and church building, and finally he paused and sighed and said, “If we just read the New Testament carefully, we quickly discover that 'the church' is not the model for the church. Jesus is the model for the church!"

So this past Sunday we had a guest speaker. I loved what he had to say, and I heard every word. I promise!  But as is often the case, there was that one brief point that caught in my spirit and summed it all up. “God doesn’t have a church to which He gives a mission. He has a mission to which He gives the church.”  And something inside me said YES!!! The church, the people of God, are His gift to the world. Out of the seats and into the streets. He doesn’t give His Kingdom to the church. He gives the church to His Kingdom! In Jesus, He pours out His love, His power, His glory…and Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to pour those things out through us. All of us. Every one. In every context. At home. At work. Wherever. Right where we are.

And this is the topic of our latest episode of Marketplace Kingdom: “Everywhere—A Kingdom Conversation.”  We hope you’re blessed!

LISTEN NOW

To Colin Kaepernick and Anyone Else Who's Interested: Let's Have Coffee

Dear Mr. Kaepernick...or Colin. Can I call you Colin? Let's have coffee. Or, if you don't drink coffee because of being an athlete, I'd be just as happy meeting over juice or Chinese buffet or whatever. I'm easy. But I have no idea how else to reach you so I'm just posting an online open letter in hopes that one of my seventeen or so regular readers passes it on to you via the six degrees of Kevin Bacon network. (Kevin, if you're out there you can come too.)  

Why am I inviting you to coffee or whatever? Well...because this post is about you. Sort of. And because I sometimes I have crappy boundaries. Or maybe not. I guess it's up to you to decide. Or maybe not. Anyway,  I just shared what some would consider to be an overly long Facebook post and it's now become an even slightly longer blog post. Because the vast majority of people who read my blog are probably also Facebook users. And chances are they're not regularly looking at my Facebook feed. But maybe they should...so here it is.

Yes this is DJ Swanger. This is not a COPY AND PASTE and it is not a LIKE AND SHARE (although I can’t stop you from doing any of these things if you are so inclined…It is social media after all, and it’s still a nominally free country).

I usually don’t post when I’m upset. I’m not the type of person to put my feelings out there for all the online world to see. It may provide some small temporary catharsis, but for the most part it gets ignored anyway…or it gets one talked ugly about at the church or the bar.

And, as a rule, I tend to avoid posts that begin with an appeal to read the whole long post immediately. If people are truly interested in what you have to say, they’ll read…when they have time…if they remember…and can find it again in the brutally massive hodge-podge of emails, business offers, and cat videos that bombard them each day.

But consistency has never been one of my strong points and those  who know me well know that I’m not afraid to break a few of my own working rules if it suits my purposes. So PLEASE KEEP READING…but only if you have the time. (OK. Maybe too polite. No, I’m not Canadian. Oh great...now I just offended a Canadian somewhere.)

I try to post positive stuff. Things that educate, inform, bring a smile, defuse an argument, or poke fun at myself. In some venues I occasionally share pictures or comments that embarrass my children. They get over it…eventually. And it’s one of the perks of being a dad.

But today I’m upset. One of my favorite and most thoughtful friends has abandoned Facebook. He often shared his heart with compassion, wry wit, and a quiet articulate honesty. I miss him. But I understand his reasons. And his frustration.

I guess I’ve just seen one too many inflammatory fake news reports. One too many photo-shopped “news” memes. One too many alt-right, alt-left, pro-Trump, anti-Trump, echo chamber, my pet issue, you must be a moron if you don’t agree with me vitriolic cheap shots.

Earlier today I broke one of my own rules and replied to one such post. I’m not sharing the fake photo that accompanied it. I don’t want to give it more traffic than it’s already garnered. But I can’t get it off my mind, so I am sharing the reply, edited, as a stand-alone.

Unfortunately, there are liars, intentional and unintentional, on both ends of the spectrum and at all points between, uninterested in truth so long as they can further divide and inflame for their own purposes. I'm saddened that so many find it so difficult to look beyond the surface of tactics with which they disagree and see with discernment, compassion and grace the real wounds and heart issues that lie beneath...for all of us.

Because regardless of how you may feel about the protests that are getting so much coverage, there is another kneeling that actually demands our attention. I remember vividly a small unobtrusive sign I once saw in a friend’s office. It read, simply, “GET ON YOUR KNEES AND FIGHT.” And I was reminded that our ultimate reality lies in the fact that…one day…every knee will bow and every tongue will confess…

Like so many other "issues" that media, right left and center, use to evoke emotional rather than thoughtful response, this is not about anthems or flags or patriotism. It is about a spiritual reality in our country and a truth that lies outside the boundaries of most cultural discussions. A truth that refuses to be distracted or manipulated. A truth that frames a different discussion. A truth that says: "Yes, we see what is happening and it actually makes sense. It all points in one direction. The answers you think you have are not answers at all. You need to stop. It's time. Wake up. Shift direction and allow God to change your own hearts. Look around you. The axe is already laid to the root of the old tree. Something new and wonderful and powerful and radically other is breaking in on the scene and you can't turn it back. If you're not for it, you're against it. Receive it. Repent. The Kingdom of God is at hand."

If you’ve read this far, I’m not asking you to copy or paste or like or share or even comment. But I am asking you to think. And pray. And if you want to talk, give me a call or shoot me a private message or an email. I like coffee.

When Disruptive is a Good Thing

People talk all the time about the need for change. Change in the way we do business. Change in politics. Change in the educational system. Change in the way media communicates. Change.

Yet all too often it's just talk. It's venting. Complaining. Pointing out problems without offering constructive solutions. Or...dare I say it...redemptive options.

And in the midst of all the talk, certain buzzwords have emerged. One of those is the term "disruptive". Something that demands or catalyzes radical change. Confronts the status quo and triggers a shift. Disruptive concepts. Disruptive behaviours. Disruptive technologies. Something that breaks in on the scene and alters the landscape in such a way that things will never be the same.

Many Christians, especially in the USA, have been content to live a brand of faith that shies away from disruption. The practical implications of being Christian boil down to being good neighbors, living tidy lives and doing their best to get along with people, at home and at work. They are diligent, conservative, charitable, and hopefully civil. And, probably owing to their largely western European cultural roots, they tend to value strict moderation over passion in pretty much everything that doesn't involve a sports team. They tell people about Jesus and the plan of salvation when an appropriate opportunity presents itself. But they do it as nicely as possible. They are, after all, nice people. Oh yes...and proud patriotic Romans 13-style Americans. Overall, they're probably almost as nice and non-disruptive as Canadians (but that's another article).

Francis Schaeffer, writing from Switzerland in the early 1970's, warned American evangelicals about the insidious danger of wrapping themselves in the American flag and baptizing wholesale the American dream with all its attendant illusions, agendas, priorities and idolatries. 

In his book The Church at the End of the Twentieth Century, he wrote, 

“One of the greatest injustices we do to our young people is to ask them to be conservative. Christianity is not conservative, but revolutionary. To be conservative today is to miss the whole point, for conservatism means standing in the flow of the status quo, and the status quo no longer belongs to us...If we want to be fair, we must teach the young to be revolutionaries, revolutionaries against the status quo.” 

When Schaeffer talked about being revolutionary, he wasn’t talking about being revolutionary in the way the broader culture understood it. While he used terms like revolutionary and radically Christian, these were not vague terms that could be commandeered and filled out with whatever meaning served the purpose of the reader or hearer. These were terms that held specific and intentional content, rooted in a clear biblical understanding of what it means to be Christian and what it means when truth is spoken and lived lovingly but without equivocation in a culture that has lost its moral and spiritual anchorage. And in a church that has lost its biblical and prophetic edge in that culture. He was calling Christians to understand that the biblical gospel was at root disruptive! And yet now, almost fifty years later, much of American christianity has failed to hear that call.

The prophet Amos asked his hearers, "Do you really know what you're asking for when you call for the Day of the Lord? Do you understand the implications? Do you understand the impact that God's reign will have on how you live your own lives?"

We today could be asked the same questions. We talk about advancing God's Kingdom, and we pray...sometimes with little thought..."Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." But do we really know what we're asking? Do we really understand what the Kingdom of God is and the transformative, disruptive power we're asking God to release into our world and our lives?

This is the focus of our latest episode of Marketplace Kingdom. We hope it helps you as you seek to live and move in the name of Jesus and the power of His Spirit, disrupt the way things are, transform your world, and advance His Kingdom right where you are!

Listen or Download Here

Truck Stop Coffee

Most folks have read or heard the story of Nicodemus. The respected religious leader who wanted to talk with Jesus but couldn't be seen doing so. He wanted to know more about what this Jesus was teaching, but his position and standing in the community required that he meet discreetly...privately...in a safe out of the way place. He didn't feel free to ask his questions out in the open where everyone could see. He didn't feel free to step out of who he was and into who God was calling him to be.

What would happen if people’s eyes were opened to who they really are in Christ? What would happen if we gave them permission to be who they are? Right where they are?

I got a phone call from the pastor of an almost mega-church with which I was vaguely familiar.  A mutual friend had given him my number and he asked if we could meet and talk…privately.  We agreed on a time and place where he was unlikely to be recognized.  The next morning as we sat drinking truck stop coffee in a neighboring county, he shared his heart.

He was lead pastor of a successful, growing church. They had all the right programs. Youth activities, women’s bible study, men’s group, home groups, prayer groups, adult education offerings. They had lively worship, relevant sermons, and a food-pantry to serve the poor. The local newspaper even interviewed him occasionally when they thought a national or regional issue merited an opinion from a local religious leader. By all indications, he had it made.

And he had felt hollow. Spiritually empty. He could go through the motions…do all the right things…and achieve all the expected results. But he wanted more. Privately, he longed for an experience of God’s presence and power that was REAL.  Like in the bible. Like in the books he was reading during his personal devotions. Over time, God answered his prayers and he began to sense the presence of the Holy Spirit deeply and daily. In prayer and personal ministry, he spoke less and listened more, and saw the Holy Spirit move in amazing and powerful ways for which he had no theological grid.

   

Much to the chagrin of some of his board members, this hunger for more of God’s presence, more power, more reality, began to show up in committee meetings and in sermons. He tried to heed their advice. Maintain “balance”. Avoid becoming too “radical”. But he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that God wanted MORE for his church as well. That a church filled with God’s presence and power would actually start to look like the New Testament church…outside the walls and impacting whole regions! And while he tried to be reasonable, the still small voice grew louder and rowdier.

“So what do I do?” he asked. “Where do I start?”

We talked for a while, and prayed, and I agreed to visit his church the following week to quietly watch and pray. That Sunday he poured out his heart from the platform. He shared a vision for the transforming power of the presence of God moving through their congregation, healing lives and moving people out of the seats and into the streets. The Holy Spirit was palpably present and many were quietly moved to tears. But when he finished and invited people to come forward to pray with members of the ministry team, almost no one did. Many told him afterward how “touched” or “moved” they were by his words, but then quickly left. Others were silent, thoughtful, even struggling…but made their way to the doors and parking lot.

Two days later we met at the truck stop again.  When I asked for his thoughts on why so many were touched but so few responded, he was quiet for a long time. Finally said softly, “No one has ever given them permission to want more! No one has ever given them permission to be desperate.”

How often have you been given permission to be desperate? Different? Unique? To get the job done but to do it in your own way? To go after more when others seem satisfied? Does it seem that the “now” and the “how” of the calling you sense just doesn’t quite fit with the reasoned and orderly and dignified “when” and the “way things are done” of those around you?  You’re not alone!

This is the topic of today’s Marketplace Kingdom conversation. We hope you’ll join us and invite others to do so as well. It’s time! Listen. Be encouraged…and find “Permission to Be Who You Are!”

Listen Or Download Here