Just Sayin’

It is Finished! The Courage of the Cross. On this Good Friday in San Antonio, Texas, as traffic continues to inch along crowded highways, and stores are pressed to the limit with last minute weekend shoppers, lets pause for a few moments and focus our attention to the penultimate cry of Jesus on the Cross. Of the many lessons that Christ taught us through His life on earth, here is one spoken at His death that resonates in all of us . \”It is finished.\” Interesting that His first recorded words were, \”Should I not be about my Fathers business?\” and among His last were \”It is finished\” Several years ago, Simon and Garfunkel wrote a song about a poor boy who went to New York on a dream and fell victim to the harsh life of the city. Penniless, with only strangers as friends, he spent His days \”laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters where the ragged people go, looking for the places that only they would know.\” Easy to picture him there. Looking for work and finding none he dreams about going somewhere \”where the New York winters aren\’t bleeding me, leading me home.\” He thinks about giving up, going home. Quitting. Something that he never believed he would do. But just when he is about to give up, he encounters a boxer. The words go: In the clearing stands a boxer and a fighter by his trade, and he carries a reminder of every blow that laid him down or cut him till he cried out in his anger and his shame – \”I am leaving, I am leaving!\” but the fighter still remains. Those who remain like the boxer are a rare breed. A colorful character in the world of heavyweight boxing was a close friend of mine, Gerrie Coetzee, three time contender and WBA heavyweight champion of the world, taught me first hand the resilience and tenacity of a boxer. He had a flaw which would be any boxers’ worst nightmare. He had brittle bones in his wrist that were broken in almost every fight he had. He once gave me a plaster cast that was removed from his fist after one of these repairs. Many of his championship fights were won with broken hands. Gerrie would never give up! Though many times his cry may have been the same as the boxers in the clearing, but the fighter still remains. Our human tendency is to quit before we cross the finish line. But not Jesus. I love how this scripture puts it: Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Hebrews12:1-3 (MSG) Adrenaline into your souls! How we need that! Our inability to finish what we start is seen in the smallest of things. A partly mowed lawn A half read book An unfinished letter An incomplete degree An abandoned diet A car up on blocks An Expired Gym membership Or it shows in life’s most painful areas. An abandoned child A faded faith A job hopper A wrecked marriage An un evangelized world. If I’m addressing someone who\’s considering giving up, I hope I can encourage you to remain. I want to encourage you to remember Jesus\’ determination on the cross. He did not quit. And don’t think for a minute He was not tempted to. Wincing as the disciples backbite and quarrel. Weeping as He sits at Lazarus\’s tomb Wailing as he claws the dirt of Gethsemane. Watching as small groups of Pharisees, scribes and soldiers secretly plot his death. Did He ever want to quit? You bet. Twice that we know of… That is why these words are so remarkable. “It is finished.” Stop and think for a minute what it was that He finished. There is one thing of which I am certain. It was not a cry of defeat. It was the cry of a certain victory. Tetelestai! \”It has been finished\” So what is it that has been finished? In Acts 2:23 Luke says that Jesus was delivered into his sufferings by the determinate council of his Father. Jesus had said upon entering his sufferings \”Father, thy will be done\” and he had said earlier in John 4:34 \”My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work.” Now he is able to say with victory,  “Father it is done.” He had carried out his Fathers will to the enth degree. And it was finished. What was it that had been finished? The Old Testament contains no less than 37 prophecies pointing directly to Christ. Seven of these had been fulfilled at Calvary. Now upon receiving the vinegar Jesus realizes that all had been fulfilled and cries out in victory \”It has been finished\” All has been fulfilled. What was it that had been finished? Up till now mankind had been judged under the law. Now the substance had been provided to free man from the burden and the shadow of the law. No more would animal sacrifice have to be made. No more would our access to God be through the priest. The veil of the Temple separating man from the presence of the holy of holies would soon be rent in two. The wall of partition would be taken down. “It is finished.” The price

It is Finished! The Courage of the Cross. On this Good Friday in San Antonio, Texas, as traffic continues to inch along crowded highways, and stores are pressed to the limit with last minute weekend shoppers, lets pause for a few moments and focus our attention to the penultimate cry of Jesus on the Cross. Of the many lessons that Christ taught us through His life on earth, here is one spoken at His death that resonates in all of us . \”It is finished.\” Interesting that His first recorded words were, \”Should I not be about my Fathers business?\” and among His last were \”It is finished\” Several years ago, Simon and Garfunkel wrote a song about a poor boy who went to New York on a dream and fell victim to the harsh life of the city. Penniless, with only strangers as friends, he spent His days \”laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters where the ragged people go, looking for the places that only they would know.\” Easy to picture him there. Looking for work and finding none he dreams about going somewhere \”where the New York winters aren\’t bleeding me, leading me home.\” He thinks about giving up, going home. Quitting. Something that he never believed he would do. But just when he is about to give up, he encounters a boxer. The words go: In the clearing stands a boxer and a fighter by his trade, and he carries a reminder of every blow that laid him down or cut him till he cried out in his anger and his shame – \”I am leaving, I am leaving!\” but the fighter still remains. Those who remain like the boxer are a rare breed. A colorful character in the world of heavyweight boxing was a close friend of mine, Gerrie Coetzee, three time contender and WBA heavyweight champion of the world, taught me first hand the resilience and tenacity of a boxer. He had a flaw which would be any boxers’ worst nightmare. He had brittle bones in his wrist that were broken in almost every fight he had. He once gave me a plaster cast that was removed from his fist after one of these repairs. Many of his championship fights were won with broken hands. Gerrie would never give up! Though many times his cry may have been the same as the boxers in the clearing, but the fighter still remains. Our human tendency is to quit before we cross the finish line. But not Jesus. I love how this scripture puts it: Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Hebrews12:1-3 (MSG) Adrenaline into your souls! How we need that! Our inability to finish what we start is seen in the smallest of things. A partly mowed lawn A half read book An unfinished letter An incomplete degree An abandoned diet A car up on blocks An Expired Gym membership Or it shows in life’s most painful areas. An abandoned child A faded faith A job hopper A wrecked marriage An un evangelized world. If I’m addressing someone who\’s considering giving up, I hope I can encourage you to remain. I want to encourage you to remember Jesus\’ determination on the cross. He did not quit. And don’t think for a minute He was not tempted to. Wincing as the disciples backbite and quarrel. Weeping as He sits at Lazarus\’s tomb Wailing as he claws the dirt of Gethsemane. Watching as small groups of Pharisees, scribes and soldiers secretly plot his death. Did He ever want to quit? You bet. Twice that we know of… That is why these words are so remarkable. “It is finished.” Stop and think for a minute what it was that He finished. There is one thing of which I am certain. It was not a cry of defeat. It was the cry of a certain victory. Tetelestai! \”It has been finished\” So what is it that has been finished? In Acts 2:23 Luke says that Jesus was delivered into his sufferings by the determinate council of his Father. Jesus had said upon entering his sufferings \”Father, thy will be done\” and he had said earlier in John 4:34 \”My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work.” Now he is able to say with victory,  “Father it is done.” He had carried out his Fathers will to the enth degree. And it was finished. What was it that had been finished? The Old Testament contains no less than 37 prophecies pointing directly to Christ. Seven of these had been fulfilled at Calvary. Now upon receiving the vinegar Jesus realizes that all had been fulfilled and cries out in victory \”It has been finished\” All has been fulfilled. What was it that had been finished? Up till now mankind had been judged under the law. Now the substance had been provided to free man from the burden and the shadow of the law. No more would animal sacrifice have to be made. No more would our access to God be through the priest. The veil of the Temple separating man from the presence of the holy of holies would soon be rent in two. The wall of partition would be taken down. “It is finished.” The price

If We Cease to Grow We Begin to Slide. If a rosebud ceases to bloom it will perish. It\’s beauty may last for a season, but only while attached to the bush can it fulfill it\’s ultimate purpose…to reproduce! When I determine to advance to a new level of growth I will immediately be faced with the discomfort of new and different challenges. My old habits, thoughts and routines line up to resist change. Each obstacle seems insurmountable and creates a sense of personal defeat. The easy way out will be to simply step back into the comfort (or rather, familiar) zone and avoid the pain rather than struggle through this valley of despair. To rise to the next level of success I know that I must  press on through regardless. The only way to do this is to: 1. Think on purpose. I must realign my thinking with my vision, and remind myself of the benefits of reaching my goal and living my dream. The singular constant focus on transformed thinking is vital to this process. \”As a man thinketh, so is he.\” When I allow my thinking to slip I can rest assured that my actions will soon follow. I see this happening over and over…I see it happening now, in my presence and the sadness is overwhelming. 2. Make sure I have a clear plan and stick to it, avoiding any and all distractions that come my way. Anything outside of the track I\’m on will serve to dilute my passion…no matter whether it\’s a \”good\” book, \”good\” movie, or \”good\” company. Presently my quest is for great. There will come a time for all things. That time is not now! Start my plan early to be sure I stay on track. 3. Stay in touch with my mentor and associate with positive influences that have the same success mindset and draw from their personal experience and positive input. Taking these simple steps will clear the noise of opposition in our minds that comes from past failures and experiences and make room for courage to find a home. Remembering always that although we do have a constant enemy, he is not alive and well, nor is he all powerful. He is mortally wounded and his very best efforts can be no more than laying present traps based on our past experiences.  

A Veterans of 2 wars… WW2 and LIFE! They say Old Soldiers never die, they simply fade away. I say old heroes neither die nor fade. They live on through the legacy they leave in all of the lives they so powerfully impact. Dad is my true hero! His impact will never die nor fade. It resonates in his offspring, from sons to great grand children, to great-great grand children… musicians, missionaries, ministers, medical scientists, writers, lovers of animals and nature, corporate leaders, athletes, shifters and shakers, all pressing on to their calling to be heroes after the kind that has set this glorious pace for extraordinary living. Fond memories go into the making of these future heroes… stern coaching and disciplining of wild youthful hearts, Sunday afternoon drives to not too distant water holes where the water was cooler and deeper than the local swimming pool and not as crowded. Home cooked Sunday dinners (the roast lamb and gravy live on happily on our Texas Sunday table) with the best of friends, sometimes on the banks of a cool glass smooth lake, often followed by the thrills of a Watermelon fight.  Of proudly enduring hard pews listening in amazement as he shared those wonderful words of LIFE, always reaching out like a lifeline to some drowning soul. Never without purpose. Never without calling for the verdict! Of overnight drives to the favorite spots in the whole world, where wild waves crash and big fish bite on stinky rockbait attached to rigs of homemade lead sinkers. Of pre dawn excursions down the rocky crags to just the right spot in the East flowing Kie River to yank out a few giant pallang (eel) on a homemade “bob”, no hook needed! And then squeal with disgust at the quivering white filleted flesh as the salt teases the not quite dead nerves. Of returning from a long days adventure to the snug, cozy little homestead of my hero’s heroes to the indescribable aromatic cloud left by the “famous” Nanny Goetsch cookies (that live on in every Goetsch household to this day) and prepared with a hot cup of tea in hand to listen to the never-ending adventures of my hero’s service to his family and his country, and how that incredible journey led him to be a warrior of Faith in a different army with a greater mission. Always acknowledging his weaknesses while holding fast to grace, this imperfect hero will not have to wait for some distant moment for his final recognition and crowning… wherever he has walked if I’m still enough I see his crowns at His Saviors feet and hear Him saying, “well done, well done, well done! You have entered into My Joy” We journey on with him in joyful celebration anticipation of that day when he will meet his Super Hero face to face and the will see Him as He is, and dad will look just like Him! I love you dad! Happy Father’s day!

A Veterans of 2 wars… WW2 and LIFE! They say Old Soldiers never die, they simply fade away. I say old heroes neither die nor fade. They live on through the legacy they leave in all of the lives they so powerfully impact. Dad is my true hero! His impact will never die nor fade. It resonates in his offspring, from sons to great grand children, to great-great grand children… musicians, missionaries, ministers, medical scientists, writers, lovers of animals and nature, corporate leaders, athletes, shifters and shakers, all pressing on to their calling to be heroes after the kind that has set this glorious pace for extraordinary living. Fond memories go into the making of these future heroes… stern coaching and disciplining of wild youthful hearts, Sunday afternoon drives to not too distant water holes where the water was cooler and deeper than the local swimming pool and not as crowded. Home cooked Sunday dinners (the roast lamb and gravy live on happily on our Texas Sunday table) with the best of friends, sometimes on the banks of a cool glass smooth lake, often followed by the thrills of a Watermelon fight.  Of proudly enduring hard pews listening in amazement as he shared those wonderful words of LIFE, always reaching out like a lifeline to some drowning soul. Never without purpose. Never without calling for the verdict! Of overnight drives to the favorite spots in the whole world, where wild waves crash and big fish bite on stinky rockbait attached to rigs of homemade lead sinkers. Of pre dawn excursions down the rocky crags to just the right spot in the East flowing Kie River to yank out a few giant pallang (eel) on a homemade “bob”, no hook needed! And then squeal with disgust at the quivering white filleted flesh as the salt teases the not quite dead nerves. Of returning from a long days adventure to the snug, cozy little homestead of my hero’s heroes to the indescribable aromatic cloud left by the “famous” Nanny Goetsch cookies (that live on in every Goetsch household to this day) and prepared with a hot cup of tea in hand to listen to the never-ending adventures of my hero’s service to his family and his country, and how that incredible journey led him to be a warrior of Faith in a different army with a greater mission. Always acknowledging his weaknesses while holding fast to grace, this imperfect hero will not have to wait for some distant moment for his final recognition and crowning… wherever he has walked if I’m still enough I see his crowns at His Saviors feet and hear Him saying, “well done, well done, well done! You have entered into My Joy” We journey on with him in joyful celebration anticipation of that day when he will meet his Super Hero face to face and the will see Him as He is, and dad will look just like Him! I love you dad! Happy Father’s day!

The final results of South Africa’s 5th “Free and Fair” democratic election since the dismantling of apartheid are all in and social media is buzzing with dismay. Whether it was a free and fair poll or not is not the quandary. How a political party with multiple problems could be reelected is. South Africans have just reelected a party that has yet to keep one of its campaign promises made for the last 5 elections it has won. At the helm remains a president with numerous corruption charges and character flaws exceeding the never changing spots on the proverbial leopard. A quick Google search will reveal the enormous extent of these accusations, proof and all. How can people be so deceived? The mood is certainly one of troubled mistrust and dissatisfaction. I don’t think there is one simple “silver bullet” or cure for these ails, but here are some of my thoughts to ponder. The only way real and meaningful change can come about is by means of a revolution of thinking.  To have any impact on staying the Five Laws of Decline (FLD’s) highlighted by Orrin Woodward in “Leadershift” that impact ALL modern societies (I explain briefly below), thinking needs to change across some fundamental behaviors, viz family, faith, freedom, finances, following (leadership and mentoring skills), friends, and so on (LIFE Leadership). When there are enough citizens that realize the need for this reformation, good thinking will follow, real change will result and a positive world shift can occur. Is this idealistic futurism? Not if we study history and take note of the moods prior to each of the previous world shifts that have occurred (about every 100 years), or the nature of the collapse of the worlds greatest civilizations.The critical need I believe right now is for the true South African leaders to raise up other leaders, who in turn raise up other leaders who all buy into these disciplines: voracious readers, entrepreneurial in spirit, and have a tribal mindset and who are sick and done with the status quo and have the courage to polarize rather than to placate.  The issue here is not color, jobs or lack thereof, or even political turmoil, but slavery. People who are slaves to broken thinking and to what they have become comfortable with. They don\’t see any way out, and in fact the majority have become \”Happy in their Subserviency\” (Huxley – Brave New World). The present political climate is a result of the the same poor thinking perpetuated from a misguided government who have instilled in society the concept of learned incompetence (themselves being their greatest students) and dependency – happy subserviency. In Leadershift by Orrin Woodward and Oliver de Mille, societies decline is attributed to Five Laws. Sturgeons Law – 90% of everything is crud; Bastiats Law – Given repeated  \”Handouts\” and entitlements, society will eventually habitually take whatever they can get without working for it – the line of least resistance; Greshams Law – when the bad or lesser is consistently perpetuated over time it will eventually drive out the good; The Law of Diminishing Returns – you CAN have too much of a good thing. The more you experience of the good thing, your overall happiness and satisfaction will decline; Law of Inertia – a culture moving in a particular direction will increase its velocity until an outside force acts upon it. In an earlier writing De Mille outlines a recipe for socio economic reform which has nothing to do with the socialist model being proposed by the ignorant masses. What we need to bring about reform is a grassroots movement of citizens who will commit to the following: 1. Become Voracious Readers – read good books including the bible, and give careful thought to what you read, including the small print (by laws and ballot sheets) 2. Pursue Tribal Mentality – Connect and bond with a community of similar minded Rascals who have character born out of integrity multiplied by courage. Seek them out and associate with intention. 3. Seek out Entrepreneurial enterprise. Gain control of your future by defining the life you want, associating and learning from those who have the results that you desire, and then doing the things they do. Bring the wealth back into the citizens hands through ownership of the economic enterprise so that we can take the place of career politicians. Money has power! I would add one more – with all your heart, pursue your God given purpose. We all have one. It consists of a light he has given us that was placed there for the whole world to see. It is unique and powerful and brings glory to Him when men and women see the good works that rise up as a result (Matt 5:16) Remember, be true to yourself. Your success is a byproduct if personal integrity. Fight the Good Fight!

The final results of South Africa’s 5th “Free and Fair” democratic election since the dismantling of apartheid are all in and social media is buzzing with dismay. Whether it was a free and fair poll or not is not the quandary. How a political party with multiple problems could be reelected is. South Africans have just reelected a party that has yet to keep one of its campaign promises made for the last 5 elections it has won. At the helm remains a president with numerous corruption charges and character flaws exceeding the never changing spots on the proverbial leopard. A quick Google search will reveal the enormous extent of these accusations, proof and all. How can people be so deceived? The mood is certainly one of troubled mistrust and dissatisfaction. I don’t think there is one simple “silver bullet” or cure for these ails, but here are some of my thoughts to ponder. The only way real and meaningful change can come about is by means of a revolution of thinking.  To have any impact on staying the Five Laws of Decline (FLD’s) highlighted by Orrin Woodward in “Leadershift” that impact ALL modern societies (I explain briefly below), thinking needs to change across some fundamental behaviors, viz family, faith, freedom, finances, following (leadership and mentoring skills), friends, and so on (LIFE Leadership). When there are enough citizens that realize the need for this reformation, good thinking will follow, real change will result and a positive world shift can occur. Is this idealistic futurism? Not if we study history and take note of the moods prior to each of the previous world shifts that have occurred (about every 100 years), or the nature of the collapse of the worlds greatest civilizations.The critical need I believe right now is for the true South African leaders to raise up other leaders, who in turn raise up other leaders who all buy into these disciplines: voracious readers, entrepreneurial in spirit, and have a tribal mindset and who are sick and done with the status quo and have the courage to polarize rather than to placate.  The issue here is not color, jobs or lack thereof, or even political turmoil, but slavery. People who are slaves to broken thinking and to what they have become comfortable with. They don\’t see any way out, and in fact the majority have become \”Happy in their Subserviency\” (Huxley – Brave New World). The present political climate is a result of the the same poor thinking perpetuated from a misguided government who have instilled in society the concept of learned incompetence (themselves being their greatest students) and dependency – happy subserviency. In Leadershift by Orrin Woodward and Oliver de Mille, societies decline is attributed to Five Laws. Sturgeons Law – 90% of everything is crud; Bastiats Law – Given repeated  \”Handouts\” and entitlements, society will eventually habitually take whatever they can get without working for it – the line of least resistance; Greshams Law – when the bad or lesser is consistently perpetuated over time it will eventually drive out the good; The Law of Diminishing Returns – you CAN have too much of a good thing. The more you experience of the good thing, your overall happiness and satisfaction will decline; Law of Inertia – a culture moving in a particular direction will increase its velocity until an outside force acts upon it. In an earlier writing De Mille outlines a recipe for socio economic reform which has nothing to do with the socialist model being proposed by the ignorant masses. What we need to bring about reform is a grassroots movement of citizens who will commit to the following: 1. Become Voracious Readers – read good books including the bible, and give careful thought to what you read, including the small print (by laws and ballot sheets) 2. Pursue Tribal Mentality – Connect and bond with a community of similar minded Rascals who have character born out of integrity multiplied by courage. Seek them out and associate with intention. 3. Seek out Entrepreneurial enterprise. Gain control of your future by defining the life you want, associating and learning from those who have the results that you desire, and then doing the things they do. Bring the wealth back into the citizens hands through ownership of the economic enterprise so that we can take the place of career politicians. Money has power! I would add one more – with all your heart, pursue your God given purpose. We all have one. It consists of a light he has given us that was placed there for the whole world to see. It is unique and powerful and brings glory to Him when men and women see the good works that rise up as a result (Matt 5:16) Remember, be true to yourself. Your success is a byproduct if personal integrity. Fight the Good Fight!

\”You cannot worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you\’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You cannot worship God and money both.\” – (Matthew 6:24 The Message) A study of the correlates of happiness 
across society reveals several important facts. 
First and foremost is that wealth is a poor predictor of true happiness. 
Though not entirely useless as a predictor, it is limited. $20 an hour or so will afford one about all of the joy you can get from wealth. 
But the difference between earning nothing and earning $7 an hour is enormous – that could be the difference between having shelter and food and being homeless and hungry. The economic axiom shows that after basic needs are met, 
there is not much difference in personal benefit (marginal utility) to increased wealth. In other words, the difference between a person who makes $7 and a person who makes $20 is much bigger than the difference between the person who makes $40 and the person who makes $400. Social, religious and economic gurus are quick to say that money cannot buy happiness. Such trite shortsightedness betrays a failure to understand what it is like to be down and out with an empty stomach. It\’s amazing how big a difference money makes to people who have none. 
Simply put, once basic needs are met, 
further wealth does not necessarily create further happiness. Thus, the relationship between money and happiness is complex and not linear. 
If it were, billionaires would be a thousand times more happy than millionaires, who would be a hundred times more happy than blue-collar workers. That clearly isn\’t the case. 
On the other hand, healthy relationships within communities are a far more powerful predictor of happiness than more money. Happy people have a healthy “tribal” mentality that translates into healthy social networks with good relationships with the people in those networks. What I find extremely telling is that while money is both weak and complex as it correlates to happiness, and tribal, social relationships are strong and simple correlators, most Americans trade off their time pursuing happiness through the former. Why is this? I believe it’s due to the influence of society upon individuals to satisfy its demands over the individual need. Individuals want to be happy, society wants us to consume, so they subconsciously promote a false sense of joy and happiness based upon material possession and pleasure. (see The Ant and the Elephant: Leadership For the Self by Vince Poscente) So, 
while most Americans do not feel personally responsible for fueling America\’s economic engine they do feel personally responsible for increasing their own well-being. This dichotomy presents a real dilemma, which commercialized society solves by cunningly duping the public into believing that increased consumption and personal, instant gratification bring happiness. Here’s the sad conclusion to all of this: Through the medium of “Elephant” focused advertising and propaganda, we are subconsciously indoctrinated that what is good for the economy is good for us. At every turn, we are confronted with the message that yesterdays goods are insufficient for the day. We find the voices of instant and large gratification screaming at us through TV, Radio, billboards, newspapers, magazines plunked down in front of us at the doctor, dentist, airport and car wash. It blares out at us in the privacy of our cars and has now found its way, with our full cooperation, brazenly imprinted across our clothing… Through it all, we have bought the bill of goods that happiness is just within our grasp…If only we can upgrade that last good thing to the next best thing, and so the cycle perpetuates. We are so entrenched in the lie that instead of feeling cheated and exposing the plot, we find ourselves blaming our lack of style, fashion or upgrade for our hapless state. So the cure for us is to run out and 

get just one more small upgrade to my Iphone, car, TV, refrigerator, or wife, and then I will be happy. \”

Americans live in the shadow of a great lie, 
and by the time we figure out that it is a lie we are closing in on death 
and have become irrelevant consumers, 
and a new generation of young and relevant consumers 
takes our place in the great chain of shopping.\” (Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard University and Director of Harvard’s Hedonic Psychology Laboratory) The Cure Sadly, there is no quick fix to this. It has taken us as a society decades of steady hammering at the anvil of decline to bring us to this place. However, there is a fix. It will take a change of individual thinking that will oppose the law of inertia and turn the tide 180 degrees. We will need to raise a tribe of leaders from the ground up who will recognize the steady erosion of our basic freedoms and be prepared to fight a different battle, the battle of personal responsibility. The solution is not to change the government, or change the economic system. These solutions merely remove individual responsibility and assume that man will become just and good, that he will know exactly what to do with his money, that he will no longer covet his neighbor\’s possessions, that he will no longer steal, that he will give up bribing women and public officials, that he will not be corrupted by his own material good fortune, that he will sympathize with the needy, that he will neither hoard his money nor waste it, that he will no longer dream of \”upward mobility,\” that he will not use his accumulated wealth to gain power in society, that he will not use his money to humiliate others. To take personal, individual responsibility will mean that these leaders will undertake the fundamental steps required for any nation to effectively turn the tide. 1. Recognize their own personal responsibility and need for personal repentance. 2. Connect with a

The Redemptiveness of Christ\’s Lordship This is the fourth in a series on the pursuit of characteristics of Kingdom Living. One of the most difficult and most controversial aspects of faith is the idea of submission to the Lordship of Christ. Jesus said, “If anyone wants to be my disciple he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” The cross road is not necessarily an honorable or a pleasant road. Rather it is a costly road of Lordship. Why is it so difficult? Because this is a foreign concept in 20th century America. It is diametrically opposed to the philosophy of the day. We have rights and we plan to hang onto them as long as we are able. It establishes itself in the home, it runs over into the church, and it seeps into every segment of society. In Acts 14:22 the apostles, in strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith said \”We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God\” This is a great cost, but it is not an optional way for the believer. It is the only way. Romans 14:5-12 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God\’s judgment seat. 11It is written: \” \’As surely as I live,\’ says the Lord, \’every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.\’ \” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Back to vs. 9 “For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.” There were two disputes involved here. And, much like the church today, these issues under dispute did not seem to be very important. Yet it is the least important things that split the church today. The issue then was meat and holy days. Notice however how Paul responds to this. He does not take sides concerning the issues. That is because he knew that the answer to unity in that church is not in the summing up of the issues, the answer is whether or not we have surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The issue then and now is, “Is Jesus Christ Lord of the Assembly” You see, where Jesus Christ is Lord, there will not be disputes over unimportant issues, because His word will be final. I would venture to say that you can go to any church in any denomination, anywhere in the world and I guarantee that there is not a dispute which cannot be settled when the scrapping parties submit themselves to the sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ. This is the supreme message of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. And in that final day when everything is consummated and all matters are ended, all of creation – everything that is above in the heavens, everything on earth and everything below will bow down and proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father. That is the apex to which all destiny moves. The Lordship of Jesus Christ. What does this mean? Lets try to unpack this from Romans 14. The first thing the text points to concerning this subject is: I. The Redemptiveness of His Lordship 9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. Involved in this redemptiveness are three awesome truths. 1. Christ died that He might purchase us as Lord. This is such an overriding theme of the New Testament church. It was something that they preached over and over again so that they could get a hold of it. Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 1 Cor. 6:20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Cor. 7:23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Galatians 3:13-14 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: \”Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.\” 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. Ephes. 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God\’s grace 1 Peter 1:18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, Rev. 5:9 And they sang a new song: \”You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. No matter who you are, your status in