Anticipating 22

The subtitle for my book Swagger is, Keeping Your Wits When Others Are Not.

By “wits” I mean everything you are—your talents, experiences, skills, personality, etc.—under the power of the indwelling Spirit of God.

When you keep your wits, you express a perspective of God that no one else can portray for us except you.

I need you, we need you, to live by your wits. Just as your Older Brother, Jesus, showed us Father God, by letting the Holy Spirit live through you, you show us Father God. The better job you do of letting Christ express Himself through you, and the better job we collectively do of trusting Christ as our life, the more vibrant, replete, and colorful is the vision we have of our heavenly Father.

As I think about the New Year of 2022 that is loaded into the chute, my confidence that humankind will come to our senses and say, “Enough already!” is low.

Ukraine. Taiwan. COVID. Omicron. What happened to Delta? Talk about a short news cycle. Masks or no. A border or not. A standardized virus test that isn’t reliable. How would you like to have Dr. Fauci’s job? No punishment for criminals. Funding cuts for law enforcement and a total mystery why crime is increasing. To remedy racism, we must create more racism. The school nurse can’t give your kid an aspirin without your permission, but the school nurse can begin administering gender transition drugs to your kid without informing you. In place of the historical record, let’s make up a story that fits our narrative. Never mind that we are out of touch with reality.

Pass out the rose-colored glasses please. Set the tempo and give the orchestra a downbeat. All together now, in unison…

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot / And never brought to mind? / Should auld acquaintance be forgot / And days of auld lang syne? / For auld lang syne, my dear / For auld lang syne.”

Gazing into my crystal ball, I have good news and bad news. First, the bad news: I don’t see a new day dawning on January 1, 2022 that is filled with hope. I see reiterations of the same thinking and tactics that produced the dissatisfaction of 2021. The good news is that dissatisfaction strips away the varnish on society to reveal our naked need for a Savior.

There are many reading my words who are not citizens of America. But the world over, America has stood as a beacon of freedom, promise, and sanity. Most of the world looks at America and is hopeful. Until lately. Now, my friends living outside the US express anger and resentment when I speak with them. Their question is, “What are you (Americans) thinking? You are sabotaging your freedom.”

We who are privileged to live in this land between two shining seas are not used to the schism, division, duplicity, and tyrannies that other places endure. Until now.

The bad news is that it has been quite difficult for us in the West to separate salvation in Christ from our citizenship in America. The good news is that with increasing tension, the veneer of civil society and a Christian nation is being stripped away to reveal the raw, unfettered, and darkened reasoning of humanity without Christ. It’s tough to discern the viability of faith in Jesus Christ when the need for Him is not obvious. The good news is, as 2022 takes position, it is crystal clear that our hope must be in Christ and Christ alone. In this way, the degradation of humanity and the slide of America toward once-greatness serves our eternal outlook and our approach to earth’s tomorrow.

As you anticipate 22, keep your wits about you.

I invite you to partner with me. Together, let’s marshal our resources—financial, spiritual, soulical, physical—to embrace our place in the world as salt to create spiritual thirst, wellsprings of the Living Water, and spiritual light in a dark world. Today must be our finest hour. Today we have unprecedented (in our lifetimes) opportunity to represent Jesus Christ.  

I ask you to be a financial contributor to the work of Lifetime Ministries, the repository of resources from Bill, Anabel, and myself for over forty years. I hear weekly from people throughout the United States and the world who are not only transformed by Christ’s work in their lives but who are utilizing the mostly-free resources of Lifetime to carry the Gospel forward. Your financial investment in Lifetime makes this ministry to others possible, effective, and efficient. You can contribute here.

As for me: I’m your partner in ministry. I make certain, a) your financial investment at Lifetime is secured and then reinvested effectively. But I am also, b) committed to guiding your thoughts, growth in Christ, and outlook toward a focused, practical, and relevant practice of life in Christ.

First, thank you for trusting me with your attention. Quite literally, there are over a billion places online where you could devote your attention. It does not escape my notice that you spend time with me.

Second, I take your trust of attention seriously. Yes, it is God who is at work in your life, but it is God who has asked me to write to you about His views. You are dear to my heart and never far from my mind. I promise to always give you my best, written as well as I can write, and with the conviction that God has called me as an advocate for Him and His purposes.

Third, as partners, I ask you to minister alongside me. Yes, your dollars are a financial investment that make the function of Lifetime and my work possible, but it is your capacity to share what you receive that truly leverages the spiritual investment God has made in our lives.

As you know, the culture gods have clipped my wings. The bad news is, the broad platform I used to enjoy is gone. The good news is that I’m more free than ever before to write without filter or measure concerning the things that God has placed in my heart and head. As my partner, I humbly ask that you disseminate my work liberally and with your endorsement.

I recently spoke with Tony Clark of VineLife.us about what it means to be a saint. The video we recorded is twenty-five minutes long. Have a look—and if you like what you see and hear, encourage Tony’s work and share the link to our video on sainthood.

Now, unless the world catches on fire, this is the last you will hear from me in 2021. The Lord willing, I will meet you on the other side of 2022.

Come what may, you belong to God. He is your life, your hope, your peace, and the endowment of the mercy and grace you treasure. He has pledged to you His lovingkindness without measure, without change, and without end. You are set for 2022!

Keep your wits about you.