Historically, Christians have been the “Salt and Light” within society, tempering the process of decay (salt), while renewing the world with the gospel of Christ (Light). Over the last fifty years, however, a radical change has occurred. Christians today, instead of living “Salt and Light,” practice a peculiar “halt and hide” methodology. Fearful of standing out from the crowd, desiring instead to “fit in” with non-believers, Christians “halt” any efforts to share truth to a lost world, hiding their light as if ashamed. Dismally, rather than seeking to make a difference in the world by being different than the world, most Christians today outdo one other in silly attempts to be relevant to a world rotting away in darkness.

I know this sounds strong, but this isn’t just my opinion. The data backs up the bold statements and then some. According to the United States Census Bureau Records and various denominational reports:

1. Every year more than 4000 churches close their doors compared to just over 1000 new church starts.

2. Every year, 2.7 million church members fall into inactivity.

3. From 1990 to 2000, the combined membership of all Protestant denominations in the USA declined by almost 5 million members (9.5 percent), while the US population increased by 24 million (11 percent).

4. At the start of the twentieth century (1900), there was a ratio of 27 churches per 10,000 people, as compared to the close of this century (2000) where we have 11 churches per 10,000 people in America.

5. Given the declining numbers and closures of Churches as compared to new church starts, there should have been over 38,000 new churches commissioned to keep up with the population growth.

6. The United States now ranks third (3^rd) following China and India in the number of people who are not professing Christians; in other words, the U.S. is becoming an ever increasing “un-reached people group.”

7. And the worst one of all, half of all churches in the US did not add any new members to their ranks in the last two years.

If over half of existing churches in the USA have not brought one new member into its congregation in over two years, then “Houston” we have a problem. Without being “Salt and Light” in the world, the Church, simply stated, is not relevant. The Church is supposed to be a rescue mission where saved “ruined sinners” go into the dark world and reflect the Light of Christ onto others’ lives so they can be transformed by the Light. Christians are to be “in the world, but not of the world.” Instead most are hiding out in Christian ghettos, sniping at each other and anyone who dares to leave the ghetto behind to fulfill our calling. Imagine how much better our world would be if Christians shined more Light and shot less messengers!?! Having mentored fifty plus pastors over the years, I know the challenges they face first-hand and respect greatly those who seek to confront them Biblically. Still, Christianity is about service to God and others; thus, any church that cannot grow one member in two years has, to put it bluntly, descended into darkness. How is it possible for a team of rescue workers to not rescue even one new person in over two years time in the locality they allegedly serve? Furthermore, how can even one church be that ineffective, let alone over half of them?  A shameful lack of Christ-centered leadership is the only possible answer. 

Be the “Salt and Light” of the world

While I realize the God is sovereign and “works on whom he will” perhaps Christians can begin to work as God’s servants as we are commanded, shining Light rather than cursing darkness. This reminds me of the statement I read daily for years, “Work as if everything depended upon you and pray as if everything depended upon God.” Christians, after all, are God’s hands and feet on earth and its time to get the feet and hands into action by reflecting Light into the darkness. To be sure, the best way for a person to start the process is to model before he messages. The world is filled with people whose message is better than the model, but Christians, while not perfect, should seek to model the love and grace of Christ through their actions. A word of caution here: although the church is woefully ineffective today, if a Christian actually seeks to live Biblical principles, he must be prepared to be shot at, shot at not only by non-believers, but also, depressingly, by hypocritical “halt and hide” Christians. Just as Christ had unjust mud slung at him by non-believers and the religious establishment of his day, so too, not surprisingly, will today’s Light-shining Christians receive unjust abuse from vitriolic unbelievers and the lukewarm religious establishment. For when a person is in darkness, any person who dares to shine Light will either draw him out of the darkness or arouse him to destroy the Light.  Of course, since throwing mud on others is more comfortable than seeing the dirt within, hypocrites always end up throwing mud. Nonetheless, shine your received Light anyway because Christians would rather be criticized by man than disapproved by God.

Personally, I will turn fifty years old next year and I thank God for his many blessings in my life. I no longer am driven to build communities for personal success of financial reasons, but I have a bigger dream than ever before from a spiritual yearning. Through studying the Bible, I realize God has prepared footsteps for me and I intend to walk in them. Regardless of how many Christians have chosen to “halt and hide,” I am on a mission to find the remaining few who will fulfill The Great Commission, becoming the  “Salt and Light” to a lost world groping in darkness. Indeed, the darker the world becomes, the more Light impacts those it reaches. For example, I have had the blessing of seeing my wife (Laurie Woodward) display the Light of Christ into thousands of lives and her example inspires me to do similarly. Quit playing it small; quit fearing rejection, and start serving God and others. Even if everyone else in your church is hiding out, it’s time for you to lift Christ’s Light up. Be the example and start real change in your community.

Christians should understand they are living life before God’s watchful gaze. It doesn’t matter how many approve you in the world if Christ disapproves and it doesn’t matter how disapproved by the world you are if God approves. The following story tugs at my heart every time I read it:

“There was a concert pianist in the last century that longed to play in the great concert hall in Vienna.

When he finished his first concert before thousands, the people gave him a standing ovation.

Afterwards, he was asked, “Was it the greatest moment in your life to receive this long applause?”

The concert pianist replied, “No! I liked it, but it was not the most important thing to me.”

He said, “When the people all sat down, an elderly man who sat in the top corner of the balcony simply nodded his head at me. That was the greatest moment of my life because he is the master who taught me for 30 years. One nod from him was worth much more than the long applause of the masses.”

Needless to say, God is the “Audience of One”. Our life is His gift to us and what we do with it is our gift back to God. One nod from God is worth a thousand boos from the crowd; conversely, one thousand cheers will not be worth God’s disapproval. Therefore, quit seeking man’s approval and start seeking God’s. In a world filled with darkness, the Light of Christ shines brighter than ever before. Despite one of Satan’s biggest insinuations being how little one person can do to make a difference, the fact is that leaders (anyone remember the impact of Joseph, David, or Paul?) make a huge difference when following God’s calling. For instance, imagine a stadium of people filled with 80,000 people in complete darkness. If one more person becomes discouraged and joins them in darkness, nothing much has changed. It was dark before and its still dark now. Darkness and Light, in other words, are not co-equal forces battling it out in some cosmic drama. Rather, darkness is merely the absence of Light, not its opposite. As such, it has no power to do anything, because it’s simply the lack of something. One person, then, who enters the stadium and lifts Light can change everything because 80,001 sets of eyes are now staring at the only thing different in the stadium – the person who had the courage to lift Christ’s Light.

This is the difference a person living his faith can do. Whereas many Church leaders are failing to do what they are called to do, focusing instead on nasty disputes of arcane doctrine and personal vendettas, while the people drown in darkness, perhaps its time for ordinary men and women to do what God commands by showing our love for God by serving people. Maybe its time Christians start meeting non-Christian’s needs, helping serve in their local charities (LIFE on LIFE), helping serve local people by setting them free from the Financial Matrix, and ultimately, helping them see Light in an increasingly dark world. This is a life worth living and a purpose worth pursuing.

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward: LIFE Chairman of the Board

The Bible states people are transformed by the renewing of their minds. The LIFE Business provides truth in the 8F’s of life to do just that. Here is an article I wrote several years back that discusses why so few people seem hungry to transform themselves. Nonetheless, I cannot think of anything else that a person can do where he can have a bigger impact than to help lead people to truth. I know the huge difference it has made in my life and many others. The LeaderShift is coming and I am so looking forward to April 16th!

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

I can remember growing up, watching the Dallas Cowboys religiously every Sunday afternoon.  I watched every game possible, as I was sure that my (yes, I owned them in my imagination) Cowboys played better when I cheered them on.  Year after year, I supported the team, collecting the football cards, studying all the statistics, and buying every football magazine to keep abreast of the latest roster developments.  What was I paid for this magnificent display of loyalty you ask?  Absolutely nothing, in fact, I paid out money, an item in short supply, for the joy of vicariously being part of the Tom Landry’s legendary Cowboy organization.  As I grew older, my fanaticism diminished slightly, but even as a newly married young man, with responsibilities of my own, working all week, getting my MBA at night, I still watched the games.  While the game was on, in an attempt to impress my friends and family, I would predict the plays by studying the Cowboy’s formations.  My fans would ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ in approval at another play predicted successfully.  When the Cowboys started winning Super Bowls, Troy Aikman received a huge salary increase, Emmitt Smith hit the pay dirt with his new contract, and so did Michael Irvin, but I, on the other hand, was still busted, offered no loyalty bonus as the Cowboys biggest fan (Ok, I had plenty of competition here).  There are times in a person’s life, just a few, where truth whispers to you, not quite audible, but  distinctly there.  Most choose to ignore it, changing the channel on the TV, turning up the radio, or grabbing another beer, which is what I tried to do, but I couldn’t shake it.  Eventually, the whisper turned into a roar, it blared in my mind, consuming my thoughts, making me nauseous, unable to enjoy the game, so I walked into the another room to think.  Many question arose in my mind. Why was I spending so much time watching other people win in life, while I plodded along in anonymity.  Why is my life seemingly incomplete, unless I catch the latest game?  Is this huge time commitment really taking me where I want to go in life?

Thankfully, I had parents who had taught me the American Dream, the belief in our country and the ability for anyone willing, to accomplish anything that they set their heart and mind to do.  I had, only months before, been introduced to a community building business, and had started reading and listening to grow myself.   That day, I made a decision to stop watching other people’s success and start creating my own success.  Through God’s grace, a loving wife, hard work, and great friendships developed along the way, Laurie and I converted the hours spent watching sports into the hours necessary to build our business, eventually leaving our jobs, freeing up lots of time.  Over the years, I have seen many other people, faced with the same time challenges, make different decisions, choosing the sports teams success over their own success.  If that is what someone wants to do, then more power to them, as I believe in freedom that strongly.  But I knew, that many of my friends, really wanted to win, but didn’t seem capable of overcoming the inertia of their LazyBoy chair to get into action.  They wanted to win, would have loved the results of winning, but never seemed to do what it takes to be a champion.  This success paradox puzzled me for years.   But as a leader, I focused on serving those who were ready to change, while loving and encouraging the rest of the community who weren’t ready to make that level of commitment to success, hoping that eventually they would come around.

Several days ago, while contemplating why nearly everyone loves sports excellence, yet only a few love personal excellence, I had an epiphany, finally answering the success paradox.  The more I thought about it, the stronger I feel that my hypothesis, for why more people don’t pursue personal success, will stand the scrutiny of reason and time.  I believe human beings are designed to win, being hard wired to strive for excellence in life, but, due to man’s fallen nature, the wires are crossed, being misconnected at birth.  People do not strive for success because they believe they are unworthy and incapable of winning, so they seek out victories vicariously through people, teams, or bands that are winning around them.  Here is how the Bible explains the consequences of man’s violations of God’s law and the subsequent fall from grace, Genesis 3:18/19 reads:

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.

God’s original hard wiring proceeded from dream development directly to dream accomplishment, with little struggle to bring forth results.  But after man’s fall, work was brought work into the equation, forcing man and woman to work hard (thorns and thistles), enduring pain to bring children and the fruits of all labor into the world.  Mankind still loved winning, but now had this alien principle, of painful labor to overcome, in order to experience victories.  One cannot go from dream to victory without experiencing the struggle step, earning a living by the sweat of your brow.   Thus my hypothesis, because of the faulty wiring due to the fall, people want success, but not the hard work and long hours associated with it. In an effort to obtain the results without the work, people are drawn to the perceived shortcut, living vicariously off of other people’s victories through being a fan, not a performer.  In other words, people experience a feeling of success through their favorite sports team, without having to endure the level of pain and discipline needed to really win.  This is the vicarious victory, the feeling of accomplishment when the team wins, sharing in the celebration, feeling part of the winning team, but conveniently skipping the pain of the process involved in becoming a winner.  But the real victory in life is who people become in the dream, struggle, victory process, so by shortcutting the process, they shortcut their own personal development.

One might be thinking, if the struggle is now part of the process after the fall, why not just rewire the brain to achieve success according to the new rules of life?  That is a great question, leading me to the next success thought.   We are all born to win, even after the painful fall, but desperately need reprogramming from the Master programmer.  Without His reprogramming, people believe that they are unworthy of greatness, believing life’s trials and tribulations beyond their ability to overcome, misunderstanding the effects of the fall, they internalize the pain, believing they are worthless, instead of allowing the pain of rebellion to lead them back to their Maker, a Maker who would reveal to them their true destiny.  The truth is that we are made in the image of God and have endless potential inside of us, accomplishing greatness when we serve our Maker and others.  The reminds me of the inspiring poem written my Myra Brooks Welch called The Touch of the Master’s Hand:

It was battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
Hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
“What am I bid, good people”, he cried,
“Who starts the bidding for me?”
“One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?”
“Two dollars, who makes it three?”
“Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three”,

But, No,
From the room far back a grey haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet,
As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said “What now am I bid for this old violin?”
As he held it aloft with its’ bow.
“One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?”
“Two thousand, Who makes it three?”
“Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone”, said he.

The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
“We just don’t understand.”
“What changed its’ worth?”
Swift came the reply.
“The Touch of the Masters Hand.”

And many a man with life out of tune,
All battered with bourbon and gin,
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin.
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.
But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Master’s Hand.

My dear reader, you are the the beautiful violin, having a worth beyond any asking price, lacking only the touch of the Master’s hand to accomplish your life’s purpose.  Inside of each person is talents and skills beyond imagination, but unless the wires are reconnected to the new conditions of life, people will wander aimlessly, wondering why life is so hard, and their dreams seem so far away. Do not succumb to the negativity surrounding you, but search out the Master to be reprogrammed for true greatness.

But can’t you just reprogram yourself, without the need of the Master’s help?  Sadly, to a certain extent, yes.  But the problem is that self programmed people move through life with themselves as the center of existence.  A person can become moral, hardworking, and successful financially without the master, literally becoming prideful at his own work, but can never experience true joy, unless he is one of the Master’s instruments.  I have lived portions of my life in all three conditions.  For a time, I believed that I was junk, acting out this faulty belief system, hurting myself and others. For a time, I believed I was the programmer, developing a pride in my professional success, while attempting to ignore my personal misery.  But finally, mercifully, came the touch of the Master, and my life has never been the same since.  From my vantage point, the one essential attribute, lacking in our modern world is belief.  Belief, not in yourself through your own reprogramming, but a belief in the God of the universe and in his Son, the Master who touches the human hearts, changing them forever.  No longer will one need to pursue victories vicariously through their favorite sports teams, movie stars or rock bands, as they will have the Master Himself, pursuing victories for Him in their lives.  I still enjoy winning sports teams, but they are no longer define my life, as I have my own life to live, focusing on winning the race set before me, pressing towards my mark in life.  No longer will you feel unworthy of success, because you will know that you were designed by the Master with a specific purpose in mind.  No longer will you run to experience the elation of success vicariously, because you will live the Dream, Struggle, Victory process in your own life, developing into a leader so that you can serve the Master and others.  Moreover, when people truly believe in themselves, they will pursue their own personal and professional excellence with as much ardor and passion as they formerly pursued their vicarious excellence?  Don’t misunderstand me, I think being fans of successful people is important and I encourage my kids to have heroes, not to displace their own success, but merely as models for what is possible to those who dream, believe and achieve.

Imagine if all of sports fans, who love watching successful coaches lead their teams, chose to live a life of excellence to the same standards of excellence that they hold their sports teams up to?  Can you imagine if all of the fans, fans who expect nothing less than excellence from their favorite teams, developed the same high expectations for their families and work teams?  Fans that pay good money to see excellence in sporting events, will, in their personal and professional lives, no longer tolerate mediocrity, holding to the same success standards in their own lives, that they expect from their favorite sports teams?  The paradox of success is solved only when we view life through a Biblical lens.  Several day ago, I asked why the paradox existed.  Why fans, who love excellence in competitive sports enough to pay for the right to experience it, will not apply the same standards of excellence in their own competitive professions, even though others are paying for the right to experience it.  The answer to the paradox is lack of belief in themselves and their purpose in life.  The are beautiful people, with amazing potential, with great passion (we can see that at every sporting event), but missing out on their purpose in life, due to the faulty wiring at birth.

As a life coach, for the last 18 years, I have mentored many people through the reprogramming process.  Nothing brings greater joy to me on this earth, than having a front row seat, watching the Master hands restore a work of art to its original beauty.  I used to be a fan of a sports team, a team that I had never met, spent hours of my time, never to be restored, watched other people pursue their dreams as I buried my own.  Now I am called to mentor the greatest group of leaders in the world, spending hours of my time serving these masterpieces, pursuing my destiny by helping others pursue theirs.  I am a blessed man already, but my dreams are even bigger.  I dream of a world where all people, that are willing, can pursue excellence.  I dream of a world where all people are free to pursue their God given visions.  I dream of a world, where men and women have the courage to dream, the perseverance to struggle and the humbleness to be victorious, having corrected their hard wiring, by a touch of the Master’s hand, no longer afraid to become what they were called to be. God Bless, Orrin Woodward

I love reading Chris Brady’s blog post. So much information, humor, and the ability to make you think wrapped up into one. This particular post shares about our trip to Israel shortly before the launch of the LIFE Business. What a fascinating trip and experience! One of the dreams of getting out of the 9 to 5 lifestyle was an ability to travel and see all the history that I routinely read about. This dream has been answered many times thanks to compensated community building. What travel dreams do you have on your bucket list?

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

Stone steps greet my weary feet once again, while the sun keeps up its constant beaming from above, pounding on my hat and searing my skin.  The bag on my back, though small, irritates me from long companionship, and the camera that produces the pictures I so love is an annoyance. My senses are overloaded and my brain is full.  It’s been another full day of touring the Holy Land.

From Dan to Beer-Sheva, and Caesarea (Maritime) to En-Giev, we’ve covered this land.  We swam in the Sea of Galilee and bobbed in the Dead Sea (this latter event so comical I couldn’t stop giggling at the curious situation of lying on top of the water).  We’ve surveyed archeological digs both old and new, gathered smooth stones from the Brook of Elah where David did so to the great chagrin of Goliath, and drove to the military installations along the borders of the Golan Heights. We passed through the Palestinian checkpoint at Jericho where the soldier there (Palestinian) was watering flowers. I’ve seen the Israeli soldiers, many of them young girls with cute pony-tails bouncing down the backs of their uniforms, toting AR 15 machine guns as if they were shopping bags.  We have pushed through crowded, narrow market streets while the Muslim call to prayer boomed loudly from speakers mounted to minarets high above.  I’ve seen monks in their brown robes with white ropes, nuns in their hobbits, and beggars of several faiths.

We walked into many an old church, usually constructed dead atop some Biblically important site, now entirely obliterated by the building meant to commemorate the very event it now obscures. Perhaps the most adventurous activity was wading through the narrow (and sometimes short) tunnel of Hezekiah, a 1750 foot wonder that snakes around back and forth under the old City of David and takes water from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam.  This required feet that could withstand long exposure to the cold and still flowing spring water, a flashlight, and the ability to duck repeatedly, as well as a decent ability to fight off claustrophobia.  But we all made it through, shamed by the 90 year old lady who soldiered through it with us without a word of complaint or even a slow step.  Climbing the recently unearthed ceremonial staircase from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount above (way above, I might add) turned into another spelunking adventure as we ended up squeezing between ancient ashlars that framed a drainage system (at least that was our best guess)

 I’ve seen wild Ibex, commercially tamed camels one can ride for ten shekels, and prairie dogs with a fancier name which I now forget.  There have also been cats, lots of cats, loose in every nook and cranny of these old cities. But everywhere and all the time there have been people.  I have been all over the world, and have visited what I had previously believed to be some pretty crazy, diverse places.  But I must admit, never in my life have I seen anything like Israel.  Enemies exist in muted tension side by side.  Radically different faiths fight for the same commemorative soil.  Cultures crash like cars in a downtown intersection, with sounds and wounds just as loud and painful.  I work my brain like a prize fighter trying to make sense of it all.

Israel, chosen by God to be the intersection of the world.  Israel, today, as much as ever, upholding its duty to be the place where all the cultures flow together. Our trip was billed as a study tour, and study tour it has been.  Under the masterful tutelage of Dr. Doug Bookman from Shepherds Theological Seminary in North Carolina, we’ve been whisked around this mysterious land like the students in the classroom of Miss Frizzle, the zany but enthusiastic grade school teacher whose “Magic School Bus” transforms itself into whatever shape is needed to give the students a tactile, on-location lesson of the material being covered.  With contacts in every corner of this land, Dr. bookman has us transported up to places like the half-built and then abandoned palace of Jordan’s King Husain, which was begun in 1965 but quickly abandoned with the outbreak of the Six Days War in 1967.  From it’s ruined hulk, a place (to quote Dr. Bookman) where “Osha has never been,” we could look out at the surrounding hills and almost see the Bible narrative that occurred there coming to life.  While we pass other tour groups in silly kerchiefs and matching hats, we sneak around where people rarely go and take a look from off the beaten path.

Another joy has been traveling with long time friend and business partner Orrin Woodward and his wife Laurie. As we learn we discuss, and review and analyze.  Learning is always more fun in concert with other minds equally enthused and invigorated with the lamp of growing understanding.  Further, we’ve been in cahoots with a small team of others from California, Indiana, North Carolina, and Georgia, who have been as fun as they have been adventurous.

This tour is not over, but its days are rapidly ending. And as they close, I realize once again that the more I learn, the more there is to understand.  Further mystery is always on the other side of new understanding, and these days in Israel have opened me to more wonder than I ever could have imagined.  My appetite to study and learn even more about the foundations of my faith and the plan of God for this land is mightier than ever. My faith is stronger, my knowledge higher, and my camera fuller than when I began. And yes, my feet might throb as I drop into bed at night, but my mind races and my heart leaps at all that God has done.