A Survival Guide for the Current Virus Crisis

Building a 3D Immune System

Frank Viola

A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR THE CURRENT VIRUS CRISIS

Copyright © 2020 by Frank Viola

Published by Present Testimony Ministry

Scripture references are taken from the following versions:

The King James Version of the Bible.

The New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by

permission. All rights reserved.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International

Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

The New American Standard Bible. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975,

1977. The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House

Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing

ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,

or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above

publisher of this book.

Cover Design by Quinton Creasy.

Proofing by Esley van der Berg.

Contents Introduction

1. A Virus Vaccination (Wash Hands for 20 Seconds Before Reading)

2. What God is Doing Through the Present Crisis and Those Screwball Conspiracy Theories

3. Is God Judging the World?

4. The Real Pandemic (They Don't Want You to Know About)

5. It’s Not the Time to Binge on Netflix

6. What the Virus Crisis Exposes and How Insurgents React

7. Focus on These Parts of Your Life Right Now (Especially if the Sky is Falling)

8. How to Survive a Crisis

9. How to Outsource Your Worry

10. Look Down, Not Up

11. Why You Need to Purge and Prune

12. The Breaking of God

13. Three Killer Lessons from THE WALKING DEAD

14. Warning: The World is Watching How We Christians Treat One Another

15. Stop Wasting Your Time Doing This!

16. A High-Octane Spiritual Cocktail

Book Catalog

Introduction This eBook is a survival guide for handling the present virus crisis. Consider it a manual for building a 3D immune system: spiritual, mental/emotional, and physical. Okay, that's technically 4, but I want to use “3D” and mind/emotion go together. So calm down. The guide contains 16 articles I've written on my blog over the years. Most of the recent ones went "viral" (pun well intended) and there was a strong request to put them all in one space for ease of reading and sharing. If you’ve ever written a book or a lengthy article, you know the tremendous effort in time, energy, and emotional labor that it requires. For this reason, authors and writers get paid for their work. Not much (we aren't called "starving authors" for nothin’). But the one who labors is worthy of his hire, so said the greatest Author of all. Even so, I'm offering this guide for FREE. I'm not even asking for a donation (quiet applause please). All I ask is one thing. That if you find it helpful. On any level. (That means, even if something in it makes you laugh – which is really needed during hard times), then please share this page with others. Just give them the link: frankviola.org/survival Oh, and my gentle suggestion. Say something like, “Go read Viola's survival guide for the virus crisis NOW. It's just incredible, unprecedented, amazing, tremendous, flawless, the likes of which this world has never seen” (you know, stuff the current US president likes to say). That's it. Nothing more. Read it and share the link if you get something out of it: frankviola.org/survival

Thanks in advance. (Oh, and if you don't share it, my team will know and stalk you on social media.) Seriously though, enjoy the guide. Note that the informal formatting of the original blog posts (which were first emails) has been retained. Oh, and you have a choice. You can download the PDF version HERE. Or you can read the entire guide below. Both versions are identical.

P.S. I will say more about the crisis in the days to come, so make sure you’re subscribed to my

email list so you don’t miss the rest.

CHAPTER 1

A Virus Vaccination (Wash Hands for 20 Seconds Before Reading)

CALMNESS ALERT: This chapter has been disinfected with Clorox wipes. So it’s well sanitized.

I consider this chapter to be a “vaccine” for the virus (metaphorically, of course) – both a spiritual vaccine and a physical vaccine.

The chapter is broken up into 4 parts. I encourage you to take your ADHD medication and read them all. Each part is important.

Oh, and for the both of you who read the whole thing, you’ll get a free carton of toilet paper shipped to your door. (Okay, you probably won’t, but you SHOULD read it all anyway.)

You’ve got nothing better to do since you’re probably on solitary confinement like most of us, so I hope you’ll read every word, consume the supplemental audios, and spread them to others … like a virus.

Fasten your seat belt. Here we go …

PART 1: A PERSONAL WORD

Based on what I know about COVID-19, which is insidious, I believe strongly in the current social distancing prescription. My pets have taught me a few things about it by contrast and comparison.

My cat has been engaging in social distancing since she first breathed oxygen. In fact, she has a PhD in it. My dog, on the other hand, is incapable of social distancing for 3 minutes.

The virus is starting to hit home. I have friends who caught it. Thankfully, they are all on the mend. But I have friends of friends who are no longer with us because of it. And that number is increasing daily.

Since I’ve been working from home for many years (thank you, Lord), the self-quarantine isn’t as dramatic a change as it is for many of you.

But I’ll shamelessly admit that I do miss having an occasional eggs over easy with bacon at the local diner. Grabbing an Oreo milkshake at Denny’s. Taking my wife out to dinner. And spending in-person time with family and friends.

In addition, just this Monday we were forced to cancel my annual author’s training – SCRIBE 2020.

(For those of you who wanted to attend this year but couldn’t, we ARE having SCRIBE next year and the year after, God willing. That is, if the zombies don’t take over by then. Just join the wait list, and once we have the dates, you’ll be invited by email.)

PART 2: THE PROBLEM

I’ve never paid much attention to my Facebook feed. But in the wake of the coronavirus, I wanted to see how my beloved FB friends (most of whom I don’t know from Eve) have been reacting. And I’ve noticed a pattern.

There are those who think the whole thing has been blown WAY out of proportion. “Back to your homes, Citizens. (And leave them whenever you want.) There’s nothing to see here.”

There are others who have launched the panic nukes, equating the virus with Armageddon.

A horrifying number of the latter group have imbibed and happily spread Crazy-Town, Looney-Bird conspiracy theories. I won’t rehearse them, but many are just as believable as the idea that the virus was concocted by Jim Morrison with the help of Tupac Shakur in a Breaking Bad lab owned by John Lennon and Michael Jackson. Alas, every time there’s a national or international crisis, the Cereal Christians (the flakes, fruits, and nuts) come out of the woodwork in droves and spew absolute nonsense all over social media. We’ve all seen this movie before, but I’ll have more to say about conspiracy theories in the next chapter.

Regrettably, I’ve only seen a handful of people talking about the gospel of the kingdom and the Insurgence on their Facebook feeds – an opportune time to do just that since it’s SO VERY relevant right now. As I’ve noted before, whenever I discuss the Insurgence on Facebook, the visibility of the updates are not much better than spotting a golf ball in Niagara Falls. Perhaps your mileage is different.

Anyways, the reality of this virus stands somewhere between the “this is no big deal” impulse and the “Jesus is coming back next month” impulse. Many Christians default to one or the other.

Three big problems.

1. The virus is real, it’s deadly, and it’s highly contagious. 2. It’s particularly sinister because you can pick it up from surfaces like plastic, metal, and

paper (even toilet paper, if you can locate some!). The dreaded thing STAYS on each of those surfaces for a long time (days). Think picking up your mail. Holding that gas pump. Touching that door knob. Opening that Amazon package.

3. One reason why the seriousness of this virus is so hard to accept is because most of us have difficulty wrapping our brains around the concept of exponential growth. What do I mean? These numbers say it all:

In the United States in 2020:

February 29 = 0 deaths

March 29 = 3,948 deaths

April 29 = 60,000+ deaths

(HT to Michael Crist for the table.)

PART 3: A SPIRITUAL VACCINE

Whenever things are going to pieces, it’s critical to lean hard on those things that never change. Like Jesus Himself, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Psalm 23 remixed: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of virus, I will fear no evil. Why? Because you, oh Lord, are with me.” Notice – we walk through It’s not our destination. We don’t run through it either. It’s a slow process. But we will get through it. It WILL pass, my friends. And we have no reason to fear. Because we have the Greatest Ally in the universe by our side. And He has promised to be with us through everything. Note also — shadows are always bigger than the substance. But wherever shadows exist, so does light. Acknowledge the shadow. It’s real. But turn toward the light. This is a good time to be conscious of your Lord as much as you can.

Every crisis is an opportunity to make something new possible. This crisis affords us with opportunities that we may never have again. Find out what those are. (If you’re binging on Netflix, Hulu, or Prime, you’ll be too distracted to ever consider the question.) Point: Never waste a good crisis. And this one is GREAT.

One opportunity we have during this time (among many others) while we are stripped from our normal lives and living on what’s essentially “house arrest” (Paul, we can now

empathize with you), is that it’s an opportunity for creativity. We are the most creative when we are free of distraction and noise. We have time to think and imagine. That is, if we resist the urge to think about zombies and the idea that if you forget to wash our hands every 20 minutes or sneeze you’ll kill a family member. Creativity thrives when we have few obligations and lots of free time. So there’s that.

This is a time where you can deepen your relationships, not only with Jesus, but with friends and family. When it comes to those closest to us, stress either pushes people apart or it brings them together. You can decide which it will be for you. If your relationship with your spouse, children, parents, etc. is unhealthy, the present crisis will probably push you further away. But you can change that by working on becoming the best version of yourself with the aid of your Lord and setting your intention. You actually can remain calm, caring, and considerate – and be a more tolerable human being. All of us can.

Social distancing is PHYSICAL distancing. It’s not EMOTIONAL distancing. So pick up the phone and contact your friends and family. Check up on those lost souls you’ve been praying for. This is a great time to build and strengthen connections.

Technology can be used for God’s intentions right now. Case in point. Those of us who are on The Deeper Christian Life Network are helping one another get through the crisis. That includes sharing resources and even finances. It’s a beautiful thing to watch. A remarkable witness for how the body of Christ functions during a crisis. (Just like the ekklesia in Antioch helped the ekklesia in Jerusalem when it was struck by famine.) Oh, and unlike Facebook, there is ZERO blood-letting in our discussion forums.

Build some new routines in your life. Spiritual, physical, and mental. You know, stuff like beholding the Lord. Reading Scripture (in fresh ways). Journaling. Reading good books. Listening to good podcasts. Exercising. Getting outside in nature (remember that thing called nature?). Avoiding meaningless diversions as much as you can.

PART 4: A PHYSICAL VACCINATION

Dallas Willard often said, “Do your best. But don’t trust your best. Trust God.”

Those words are fitting for the present crisis.

My friend Michael Crist is the most informed person I know on the virus. He saw it coming long before just about everyone else. Here are some practical tips from him that will physically “vaccinize” you against the virus.

Keep a minimum of 6 feet distance between you those outside your immediate cohabitants.

Avoid high traffic or dense areas such as crowded hallways and elevators. Try not to touch rails, knobs, or buttons. If necessary, use a knuckle to push buttons

(such as on the elevator or at checkout). Utilize home delivery to avoid going out, and order enough food to last 7 – 14 days to

minimize the need for repeated exposure. Ask that the delivery person to leave your items on the doormat.

Utilize carry-out or home delivery options instead of going to a restaurant. Take your own pen if you have to sign any receipts.

All items that come into your home from the outside should go in a designated “contamination zone”. Items should be wiped down and disinfected before leaving the contamination zone. If items come in layered packaging, remove outer packaging and discard for storage. If you ordered takeout, open containers and dump food directly onto plates without touching.

Wash your hands often like crazy. Use soap and hot water. Masks – of almost any kind – can reduce the risk from droplet infection (or giving

COVID-19 to others). Try to get a good seal on your skin. When removing the mask, do not touch the contaminated parts. Some masks can be reused if sanitized properly.

Latex gloves can be helpful, but they do not replace hand washing. They must be sanitized or thrown out after use because if infected, they can spread the infection.

A number of respected health professionals have data that suggest that Advil and Ibuprofen are known to accelerate the virus 10x over. So don’t take them. Take Tylenol instead if you have a fever or other symptoms.

You can use a phone app to order groceries curbside. It’s a huge time saver as well. To disinfect, you can use Lysol, alcohol, or disinfectant wipes to sanitize anything that

comes from outside your house (groceries, mail, packages, etc.). Do all you can to build your immune system, but get educated before you take a

supplement. For example, people are overdosing on zinc.

Looking for work? Here is who’s hiring:

Amazon IT companies Walmart (some stores for shelving) Amazon Shipping and delivery companies Social media

Medical/Pharmaceutical Remote communications and virtual meeting services Amazon (almost forgot to list it)

In the next chapter, we’ll deal with the theological significance of the virus from a kingdom perspective. Why is it happening? Where is God in all of it? And what about those never-ending conspiracy theories? What if one of them is actually true? Oh, and how will it affect churches in the long term?

You know, easy softball questions.

Ahem.

SUBSCRIBE to my blog so you don’t miss my articles. (Our Thursday articles are known to kill more germs than Listerine.)

Until then, stay safe, stay sane, and keep away from grandma and grandpa.

Your brother,

Frankie V.

P.S. If you’re new to my work, check out our podcasts. They have been proven to cure cabin fever.

CHAPTER 2

What God is Doing Through the Present Crisis and Those

Screwball Conspiracy Theories

The current virus crisis may prove to be one of the most significant events of our short lives.

I’ve always been a fan of the movie Groundhog Day, but I never imagined I’d be living it for the last few weeks.

How about you?

Each of us will look back on this period and say, “Alas, I wasted a good crisis.” Or “That period changed my life for the better.” Or “I wish I hadn’t sneezed and killed my cat!”

In this chapter, I want to discuss three things.

* How will the crisis affect churches in the long run?

* What about all of those conspiracy theories moving through social media?

* Why did God allow this global crisis and what is He seeking to achieve through it?

QUESTION 1: Will this crisis cause the institutional church to change or go away?

Lots of people are opining that the present crisis will be the end of the institutional church structure. They argue that when the zombie apocalypse is over, churches everywhere will be different.

Excuse me while I cough (I’m 6 feet away from you, so you’re not in danger of dying). But that’s not going to happen.

It was 12 years ago that that George Barna and I published Pagan Christianity and the constructive follow-up Reimagining Church. Both books were followed by the very practical Finding Organic Church.

Those books weren’t well received back then by the MCM (Mainstream Christian Media) and that won’t change. Even when churches everywhere are on lockjaw, I mean, lockdown.

So no, pastors aren’t flocking in droves to get their hands on these books.

That’s good actually. Because those books were NEVER written for pastors or for people who enjoy the Sunday morning church service.

Nor were those books advocating the “house church model” (whatever that is) as some wrongly assumed.

I’m not an advocate of either “model.” But God will bless both when those in them have been captured by and have received the gospel of the kingdom.

I digress.

Bottom line: The institutional church isn’t going anywhere, folks. It will come roaring back when the sixth seal is finally opened and this crisis ends (we’re still on seal five, right?). I’m fine with that since I have no dog in that fight.

How much organized churches will suffer depends on how long the current house arrest, I mean, lockdown – continues.

If it continues for many weeks or even months, sure, some churches may lose their buildings. And some pastors may lose their jobs. It’s all possible.

But they’ll all carry on … in their houses or wherever else. And church buildings will be back in business.

Just for the record, I’d be surprised if the lockdown lasts past early June. But who knows.

Here’s a piece of wisdom. Prepare for the worst. Assume that solitary confinement is going to last 6 months to a year. And prepare your heart and mind accordingly.

I don’t think that’s going to happen, but it can’t hurt to prepare.

Begin using your extra bandwidth and added free time for positive new opportunities. This will keep you from losing your mind.

I still stand by every word of Pagan Christianity, Reimagining Church, and Finding Organic Church. But it doesn’t matter to me the kind of church to which a Jesus-follower belongs.

I’m supremely interested in one thing and one thing alone – the Insurgence. The restoration of the gospel of the kingdom.

That’s where my heart beats. That’s what motivates me every day.

QUESTION 2: What if one of those absurd conspiracy theories about the coronavirus is actually true?

“Let me be clear” (to quote a previous US president). Let’s just say that the coronavirus was a biological weapon gone wrong … or right. That notion is well within the realm of possibility.

To get closer to the stuff that’s floating around social media — maybe Mike Tyson and his tigers really did create the virus in a lab in Mexico. I mean, it IS named after a Mexican beer, right?

Pick your favorite poison, I mean, conspiracy. No matter what it is, if ANY conspiracy theory is true, the following holds:

a) You can’t do anything about it. Except pray. And you should be praying anyway. Particularly that God will get what He is after in this crisis and He will reveal to one of His fully devoted children in the research field a cure (the Lord will be sure to get the glory that way).

b) You will never be able to prove your conspiracy theory, even if it’s 100% accurate. (Sending links of videos and/or images is not proof, folks. Neither are “alleged” quotes or “news” stories from spurious sources.)

c) Most important, it doesn’t change the practical recommendations I give you in this book about how to survive and THRIVE during this crisis.

Those recommendations don’t move. And they can keep you alive both spiritually and physically. Let alone mentally and emotionally.

The conspiracy theories, no matter how intriguing (or insane), can’t do that. They just scratch a peculiar itch, one that never gets satisfied (so the obsessed end up scratching their skin off).

So why burn up your emotional, spiritual, and mental calories on spinning and spreading unproven theories? Most of which make Christians look like their IQs are a tad higher than a carrot.

This is ONE reason why scores of intelligent people in the world don’t care what “Christians” have to say about anything – including the gospel.

Bertrand Russell famously said, “The fundamental cause of trouble in the world is that the stupid are so confident and the intelligent are so full of doubt.”

Why not use that same energy and zeal in fleshing out the gospel of the kingdom, talking about it, and spreading it? You know, like a bad virus.

Think for a moment. If every Christian who’s spread a conspiracy theory via text, email, or on social media DID THE SAME THING with the Insurgence – we’d see a first-class revolution, a third “Great Awakening,” the likes of which this planet has never seen.

Just sayin’…

The pessimist in me says, “Frank, of course, that’s a no-brainer. But Satan will be hosting the Ice Capades in hell before that happens. The vast majority of Christians love their conspiracy theories. They’re far sexier than the Insurgence.”

QUESTION 3: Why is God allowing this present crisis and what is He doing through it?

It’s interesting to me that Americans (in particular) wake up to the world’s pain only when it arrives at their doorsteps.

The wars, tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, famines, and floods in other parts of the world that have devastated millions of lives over the last decade never appear on the radar of most Americans.

The same is true for those natural disasters that have decimated lives in other cities in the USA. (If it doesn’t happen to us, it’s like it didn’t happen at all.)

But if an American Christian has to stay in his/her home for over a week, the Antichrist is concocting his mark and the world is coming to an end.

Ever since the garden, this world has been cursed with plagues, death, sickness, earthquakes, hurricanes, famines, etc.

This is all part of the corrupt earth in which we live. It’s nothing new. It’s the way the world has been since the first child ever born killed his sibling.

And it won’t change until the Lord Jesus returns and sets all things right (that’s what the term “judge the world” means in Scripture, by the way – the restoration of all things. The setting right of everything in the end).

Even creation groans for that moment (read Romans 8 straight through).

God groans as well. He groans with our pain. He laments as we lament.

So what is God doing in this crisis?

What He always seeks to do through any crisis – global, national, or personal: The transformation of His people into His image. And the awakening of lost souls to the kingdom of God.

Not wasting this crisis means you are allowing the crisis to transform you into the image of Jesus. That being interpreted means: You are becoming a less unbearable human being. And you are finding the positive new opportunities that this crisis has made possible in your life. (This is also the secret to surviving Groundhog Day syndrome.)

Part of this is fixing (or at least improving) your relationship with family and friends.

In Episode #65, a first-rate scholar and I talk about whether we can rightly compare America to ancient Israel. Something many Christians routinely do.

Yep, each episode builds on the previous ones. So you can (should!) binge. You have nothing better to do while on solitary confinement, right?

Oh, and each episode has been carefully disinfected.

I’ve got more to say about all of this. So I shall see you when the apocalypse is over.

I hope.

Your brother,

Frankie V.

Psalm 115:1

P.S. Since we may be spending more days huddled in our homes, anyone have any great book recommendations? SO HAPPY YOU INQUIRED … HERE ARE A FEW – recently sorted by topic.

CHAPTER 3

Is God Judging the World?

So we’re still on global lockdown because some hungry guy in China decided to eat a bat. (Or something like that.) And the rest of us are paying for it.

In the last chapter, I talked about those screwball conspiracy theories that are being splattered all over social media by Christians.

One woman unsubscribed from our email list when she read the chapter in article form on my blog. Not because she disagreed with the article. But she was HIGHLY offended that I used the word “screwball.” *

Hey, I never cuss (which makes me rarer than chicken molars today). But I had no idea that the word “screwball” is now offensive. I guess it’s okay to say #$@^%*!, but not “screwball.”*

Hmmm…

Anyways, regarding those screwball conspiracy theories, did you hear the one about the new Revelation 13 vaccine? Apparently, it’s almost ready to launch, and if you look at it under an authorized edition microscope the numbers 666 appear. But if you use a more contemporary microscope, 616 appears instead. (Let the one who comprehends Greek manuscript diversity understand.)

I was told, “Share with as many people as possible!” So I did. Just wanted to know what it feels like to join the conspiracy train. And having inhaled, I can tell you by first-hand experience that the high is greatly exaggerated.

Like my grandfather used to say, “Conspiracy theories are like swallowing a spiked drink. Fun at first until later when you bemoan all the stupid things you said.” (Okay, my grandfather never said that, but let’s pretend he did.)

Before I talk about how to handle a first-class crisis and address whether God still judges nations with disasters (like nasty viruses, etc.), here are some things to start and stop during these strange days of solitary confinement:

Start This, Stop That

* Start preparing your heart to have people you know (or know of) catch the virus. That includes celebrities, politicians, and journalists.

* Stop hoping that some in the latter two groups die from it.

* Start getting outside daily and reacquaint yourself with that faithful friend called “Sunshine” (unless you live in the state of Washington where the Sun engages in social distancing all year long). Reports of zombies are pretty thin right now, so you should be safe. And the vitamin D will do your body well.

* Stop eating ice cream by the carton.

* Start a new habit called “flossing.”

* Stop forgetting what it was like to wear shoes (you don’t want those arches to fall).

* Start registering for that course you’ve been waiting to get. You need motivation right now (more on that later).

* Stop wasting your time watching reruns of The Office, Friends, and Grey’s Anatomy. However, Seinfeld is perfectly fine. It will boost your IQ.

* Start focusing on the positive things in your life rather than the negative (I know that’s hard to do when your dog is dying of coronavirus, but work on it).

* Stop wasting time on Facebook. (If you’re on it, how about being one of the .012% of the population and start spreading the Insurgence on your updates?)

* Start reading great books.

* Stop binging on video games.

* Start binging on great podcasts. (You should know 3 of the very best by now!)

* Stop allowing your impulses to control you. Learn patience with those you’re huddled in your house with. If not, you may have a volcano on your hands.

I hope this book has made you laugh (or will make you laugh, because you just started it).

Laughing is good for the soul. Just make sure you don’t laugh while drinking liquids. You might give the person (or pet) sitting within 6 feet of you the virus – in addition to an unsolicited spray of whatever you’re swigging.

And why do people on TV say “coronavirus” without the article (the). Is that cooler than saying “the coronovirus”?

DOES GOD STILL JUDGE NATIONS

This goes without saying because all of you listen to every episode of the Insurgence podcast as soon as each one releases on Tuesdays, right? (Rolls eyes.)

In Episode #64, I speak with the foremost Old Testament scholar in the world (in my humble, but accurate opinion) and we discuss whether God still judges nations, the specific marks of His judgment in the Old Testament, and if the current pandemic is a judgment from God.

Oh, and all new subscribers to my blog will receive 10 boxes of Kleenex mailed to their doorsteps … (shipping date is April 2027, when they’re back in stock).

Yours in Him,

Frankie V.

P.S. Speaking of motivation, some of you have asked how I’m able to produce so much content in such a short time. My secrets are unveiled here.

* DICTIONARY:

screw·ball

/ˈskro͞oˌbôl/

noun

A crazy or eccentric person.

“She was dating a real screwball”

adjective

crazy; absurd.

“What possessed you to ask a screwball question like that?”

CHAPTER 4

The Real Pandemic (They Don't Want You to Know About)

Okay, so I borrowed the subheading from Kevin Trudeau. You know, the dude who was known for crafting titles like “Natural Cures They Don’t Want You to Know About” … “Weight Loss Secrets They Don't Want You to Know About” ... “The Cure for Irritating Toddlers They Don't Want You to Know About” ... etc. Sensational? Sure. But I like the title, and it’s my blog. So chill. So what's the REAL Pandemic? It is this: The pursuit of happiness. That's right. Happiness. But Frank, are you saying we should be UNhappy? No. But seeking happiness is a fool’s errand. It's fleeting. And overall, it's a myth. Let me 'splain. Last year, I bought an electric guitar. My first. And last. The goal: I wanted to learn how to play the mind-bending solo of Midnight by Jimi Hendrix. (I mean, if this guy could do it, why can’t I? … Right?) I've been playing chords since my early 20s on an acoustic guitar. But after plugging that shiny new black electric gee-tar into the shiny black amp, I was happy. Prepped to do some sweet finger-noodling, I was stoked to play Jimi. But I quickly discovered that I couldn’t play 97% of Midnight. (“A man’s got to know his limitations,” said the great poet Clint Eastwood.) So I was unhappy.

After submitting to inevitable defeat, I gave the guitar and amp to a friend. And he was delighted to have them. So I was happy again. (Just so you know, I went back to playing bone-crushing solos on air guitar – which after years of meticulous practice, I’m close to being flawless at). Right now, many of you are unhappy because you have to stay on lockdown in your homes. Perhaps your finances are drying up. Maybe your crumb snatchers are driving you insane. You think:

If I could just get out of this house! I’m losing my mind. There might be a homicide in the living room if this continues another week. I just want to take my girlfriend out to dinner again. I SO want to go to the beach with my friends. I hate not being able to attend those awesome Reddit parties. (I have no idea what those are or if they even exist, but I like the sound of it.) I miss going to work. Man, those were the days when I could leave the house whenever I wanted.

You're unhappy with the whole ordeal. But imagine. The quarantine lifts in your city and you are free to travel again. You’re happy. REALLY happy. Until something else sets in. Fear of getting out. You think:

What if the dude standing in front of me at Walmart sneezes and gives me COVID? What if my waitress coughs on my salad and I get COVID?

What if I have to take an Uber and the driver tries to kiss me and I get COVID? Now I have no legitimate excuse to miss lil’ Suzy’s friend’s birthday party …sigh. I didn’t realize how much I dislike wearing pants. I hate my job! What was I thinking?! Man, those were the days when I didn’t have to leave the house.

What's my point? Happiness is tied to circumstances. And it's really a myth. What we think will make us happy really doesn’t. Not for long anyway. There's also no such thing as a human being who is always happy. Strikingly, the Bible never encourages us to seek happiness. Instead, it makes a lot of noise about JOY. And joy is quite different from happiness. What’s joy? Listen to: Episode #47: Saying Yes to God and Experiencing Joy. Happiness is also different from contentment and well-being. So pursuing happiness is the real pandemic. Happiness, and its twin sister, Pleasure, are what’s marketed to us at every turn.

Buy this, and you’ll be happy. Do this, and you’ll be happy. Drink this, and you’ll be happy. Smoke this, and you’ll be happy. Watch this, and you’ll be happy.

The pursuit of happiness is also the reason why many erstwhile Christians have left Jesus Christ. Jesus didn't deliver on making them happy (something He never promised, by the way).

It's also why many Christians tolerate all sorts of ungodly things in their lives. Things that falsely promise happiness. It's all a replay of the devil's offer in the garden. "Hey Eve, eat this cool-looking fruit and it will make you happy. God is holding out on you. He doesn't want you to be happy. He’s an anti-pleasure stick-in-the-mud. So that’s why He said don’t eat it. But if you eat it, I promise, you’ll be super happy." Yea, that's my own awkward interpretation, but it's exactly what was going on in the garden temptation. And it’s the precise line of thinking behind EVERY temptation that you and I face. Here’s my solution: Don’t seek happiness. Seek joy. Seek contentment. Seek well-being. But that’s not good advice either. Seek the kingdom of God, and peace, joy, contentment, and well-being will come along with it. That’s what the Insurgence and the gospel of the kingdom offer you. It’s why I wrote the book Insurgence and produce the podcast every Tuesday. Now for some brass-tacks advice while we’re still on lockdown. Aside from the other things I’ve prescribed in this book, consider doing these things:

Build a new daily routine and stick to it as best you can. (I’ve done this myself, and it’s increased my overall well-being).

Include exercise and proper diet into your routine. (Some of you have written me saying that you’re doing the Mental Reboot Mode Program with awesome results.)

When you pray for those sick and hurting, remember our Asian brothers and sisters. As crazy as this is, some of them are being mistreated because the virus allegedly came from an Asian country. I know this doesn’t make any sense, and if you don’t personally know any hateful racists, it’s hard to believe that humans can be so shockingly despicable. Nevertheless, I’ve gotten emails from Asian brethren saying that they are having to endure mistreatment right now.

I talked about this on Episode #65 of the Insurgence podcast which deals with whether or not 2 Chronicles 7:14 applies to us today, but agree with me in prayer and ask the Lord to reveal to one of His servants an effective treatment/cure for the virus – so He gets the glory.

Until next time,

You’re non-solo guitar playing, joyful brother, Frankie V.

P.S. For a discussion on how to find contentment, check out Episode #50: Practical Lessons on Kingdom Living – Part I.

CHAPTER 5

It’s Not the Time to Binge on Netflix

Panic is more contagious than calm.

The more “news” you absorb right now, the more you’re inclined to panic.

All you need is 10 minutes a day to get informed. No more.

Not by social media, by the way. Find an informative news source you trust.

Despite what many Christian people are saying, I don’t believe the current pandemic is a sign of the end times. I’m not expecting the four horsemen of the Apocalypse to show up anytime soon.

Regardless, Insurgents (kingdom-first seekers) stay calm during crisis because we are learning to live in Psalm 23 and Matthew 6.

We also have the peace of Jesus. Real peace. Something the world lacks.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

~ 2 Timothy 1:7

Also …

Every crisis gives us an opportunity to make something new possible.

So what does the current virus crisis make possible in your life?

According to my Facebook feed (which I rarely look it), it’s an opportunity to binge on Netflix and Prime.

A few things that my fellow Insurgent friends and I are doing instead are:

(1) We are making this a time to deepen our relationship to Jesus Christ and His kingdom.

* Personally, I’m spending more time with the Lord. I’ve also created an “intercession/supplication” list, and I’m regularly reminding the Lord about each item on it. (Incidentally, reminding the Lord of His promises is exemplified all throughout the Bible in a positive way.) Ticking them off as He answers them.

* I’m reading. On this score, many of you are reading (for the first time or you’re re-reading) Insurgence: Reclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Since many of you are new to this email list, we’re again making our 3 bonuses available to all who get a copy of the book.

Here’s how it works. After you get your copy from any online store (in any form — audio, kindle, print, etc.), send an email to InsurgenceBonus@gmail.com and put “I GOT THE BOOK” in the subject line.

If you already have a copy, you can still get the bonuses.

* Get caught up on the Insurgence podcast and the Christ is All podcast. Much of the content has application for the present crisis.

* Take an online course. (There are many great courses online. But most of them, in my view, are way overpriced. If interested in what we have to offer, see our Complete Course Catalog here.)

(2) We are spending more time with immediate family.

(3) We are calling/texting friends and extended family. Checking up on them.

(4) We are exercising wisdom. Example: Picking up a black widow and calling it “faith” isn’t real faith. It’s foolishness.

(5) We are looking to meet the needs of others. Especially those who are part of the family of God.

I’d also recommend spending very little time on Facebook. It’s a time vampire and very often a viper pit.

To remain calm and use the current crisis for game-changing opportunities is a paradigm shift compared to what the world is doing right now (along with many “Christians” who’ve hit the panic button).

We can’t control what’s happening on the national and international scene. But we can control our reaction to it all.

Here are the words of Martin Luther concerning the Black Plague of his day. They apply well right now.

“I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me however I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely as stated above. See this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.” *

* Luther’s Works, Volume 43, p. 132 in the letter entitled, “Whether one may flee from a Deadly Plague” written to Rev. Dr. John Hess. Hat tip to Justin Farr.

CHAPTER 6

What the Virus Crisis Exposes and How Insurgents React

Resist the temptation to call on Brad Pitt. While the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may seem like the zombie apocalypse as it empties various cities, it’s not.

Not yet anyway.

Jesting aside, the recent spread of this insidious virus exposes a few things about one’s spiritual stature and how deeply we’re living in the kingdom of God.

Consider these two questions:

1. How much are you thinking about others over yourself? E.g., are you hoarding toilet paper, food, hand sanitizer, etc. for your own family or are you purchasing items for others also?

2. How much does fear rule your heart instead of trust in your Lord?

One of the greatest marks of spiritual progress is that you remain calm in the face of crisis, adversity, danger, and threats.

It’s easy to think we are further along in our spiritual walk than we really are.

Whenever the world panics over something, we get a clear look at our own spiritual stature. (Something we can begin to change immediately.)

It’s also an opportunity for kingdom-first seekers (“Insurgents”) to shine.

Historically, it’s always been genuine Jesus-followers who took care of their own (meaning, other members of the body of Christ) as well as the lost when plagues swept through villages and cities. Even risking their own lives to do so.

“We do not lose control of our lives. What we lose is the illusion that we were ever in control in the first place.”

~ Barbara Brown Taylor

Here are some suggestions on this score along with golden wisdom from a luminary from the past:

If you’ve been caught in the riptide of hoarding, how about giving away some of those items you’ve snatched up to others who are less fortunate?

Raise the level of your confidence in your Lord and refuse to fear. Educate yourself on the virus and how it spreads. Take the necessary precautions (faith

doesn’t equal foolishness), but don’t allow your heart to be gripped by anxiety or panic.

I believe in God’s protection, but I also wear a seat belt. Faith isn’t opposed to knowledge. It’s opposed to sight. It’s not opposed to wisdom. It’s opposed to worry.

Take a virus shot – you’ll find one in Psalm 91. But notice the two conditions as you read the chapter.

If you or a loved one happens to be sick, throw your entire faith in Jesus as Healer. And expect Him to manifest His healing hand.

Refuse to become obsessed with the worst-case news on the subject. This obsession can cause fear to take over your heart.

Do what you can to boost your immune system. That’s just wisdom for all times. Resist the urge to watch Zombie movies or read anything with the word “apocalypse” in

it.

Here are sane words from C.S. Lewis many years ago when panic over the atomic bomb captured the imaginations of the world, including many Christians:

“This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things — praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts — not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.” *

Even if you’re not huddled inside, you’ll receive encouragement from these podcasts. I created them to educate, equip, strengthen, inspire and bring joy to my fellow Insurgents.

You can hear them all on iTunes and every other podcast app.

GO HERE TO ACCESS THE PODCASTS.

* “On Living in an Atomic Age” in Present Concerns: Journalistic Essays.

CHAPTER 7

Focus on These Parts of Your Life Right Now (Especially if the Sky is Falling)

“We must go through many hardships, sufferings, and tribulations to fully enter the kingdom of God.”

~ Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:22, paraphrased and expanded)

If you’re currently going through a rough patch, I have five brief words of advice for you:

* Focus on the parts of your life that aren’t painful right now. Make a list of good things in your life at the present time. Maybe it’s your health. Maybe it’s some of your relationships. Maybe it’s your job. Maybe it’s the house you live in. Whatever doesn’t stink in your life right now, write those things down, be thankful for them, and focus your thoughts on them.

* Your present storm has an expiration date. In nature, every hurricane and tornado eventually passes. None of them hang around permanently. And so it is in the spiritual realm. The clouds will eventually part in your situation. Until then, hang on. Hat tip to Rick Warren who wrote this line to me yesterday in an email: “‘It came to PASS.’ It didn’t come to stay!” Don’t forget that the storm you’re currently in will eventually pass.

* God is aiming at something specific through your trial. Whenever we look at our lives and say, “It’s not supposed to be this way,” the Lord has another idea. He’s driving at something in your life. Something He wishes to change for His glory and for your good (Romans 8:28). And He’s using the present circumstances to awaken you to it. Prayerfully and thoughtfully, take a personal inventory and discover what that “something” is.

* Be thankful for people and situations that are making your life hellish right now. Why? Because they are the Lord’s instruments to transform you, to cause you to grow, and to make you stronger. Yes, it’s counterintuitive. But that’s what life in the kingdom of God is – counterintuitive.

* If you are still alive, it means you haven’t fulfilled your purpose yet. It doesn’t matter if all hell is breaking lose around you, your mission isn’t finished. How do I know that? Because you’re not dead yet. Go find out what that specific mission is and get laser focused on it.

Presently, I’m writing a new book on the theme of “what to do when your life is falling apart.”

Most people I know are going through a first-class trial right now, or they’ve recently been through one, or there’s one waiting around the corner. Wherever you are on that spectrum, I hope this chapter encourages you.

CHAPTER 8

How to Survive a Crisis

“Your faith is only as strong as the crisis it survives.”

~ Myles Monroe

If you are NOT going through a crisis right now, you will be.

Life is peppered with adversity, hardship, challenge, and difficulty.

This is especially true if you’re a Jesus-follower. We are promised suffering, hardship, and tribulation.

Your boyfriend/girlfriend suddenly breaks up with you.

You lose your job. Or you still can’t find one.

You have a parent who is terminally ill.

Your best friend is in critical condition.

Your spouse doesn’t want to be married anymore.

You have an enemy who is obsessed with destroying your life.

Your baby is sick and the situation is only getting worse.

And on and on.

How do you cope?

How do you survive without being destroyed?

How do you keep from becoming bitter (which is spiritual suicide)?

Well, here are several ways that will enable you to survive your present — or future — crisis.

1) Embrace the reality of the situation.

Many people crash-and-burn because they aren’t willing to acknowledge the seriousness of their crisis. They pretend it doesn’t exist. Or they minimize it.

Some overdramatize it.

A helpful way to avoid falling off one side of the horse or the other is to write down the reality of the crisis. By writing it down, you can better determine if you have made it worse — or better — than it really is.

But facing the reality of it — however dire — is critical for surviving it.

2) Refuse to lose hope in the end of the story.

While Scripture promises us trial, tribulation, suffering, and hardships, it also promises us triumph in every situation.

So whether God chooses to deliver you from your crisis or deliver you through it, the end of the story will lead to His glory and to your benefit.

Romans 8:28 hasn’t been deleted from your Bible.

In Where’s God?, 21 authors all weigh in on what the Lord is up to when He lets His children go through unimaginable crisis.

Very often, God seems to have walked off the stage during such times. And His grace doesn’t appear to be sufficient.

But when time passes and you look back, you discover that not only was He present, but His grace was fully sufficient to handle the situation.

And so it goes for people of faith.

So never lose hope that the end of the chapter is going to be to your benefit and to His glory.

3) Imagine the worst possible outcome and surrender it to the Lord.

After you’ve embraced the reality of the situation and you’ve refused to lose hope, face the possibility head-on that your crisis may not turn out the way you want. In fact, what you desire the least might actually happen.

This may seem contrary to not losing hope. But it’s not. Your hope should never be tied to how your crisis turns out.

Your hope should be tied to what God will gain through it.

So yes, imagine the worst possible outcome, and in the presence of that horrific ending, say to the Lord, “If it happens this way, I am okay with it. I will still love you. I will still serve you. And you will get me through it.”

Such an exercise breaks the power of fear over you. It also puts you in a position where you are untouchable to the enemy.

It was this same attitude that was in the heart of the three Hebrew children when they refused to bow their knee to pagan gods. They told the king the following:

“We’re not going to serve your gods or worship the image. The Lord is able to deliver us from your furnace and He will deliver us. But even if He doesn’t, we still will not bow the knee to your gods.”

Application: “Lord, you will deliver me … but even if you don’t, I will still love and serve you.”

By surrendering the worst possible outcome to the Lord, you are embracing the cross of Jesus Christ.

4) Remember that this too shall pass.

All suffering has an expiration date. It won’t last forever. Even though your crisis might leave scars that you’ll carry into eternity (as your Lord did), you will get past it.

And we are given the sure-fire promise that all suffering is designed to lead to your transformation and to life-giving ministry to those in pain. (This is brought out clearly in Romans and 2 Corinthians.)

5) Recall the words of Joseph.

As a teenager, Joseph was left for dead by his own family. He was then sold into slavery. Following that, he was falsely accused of seducing a leader’s wife. For this he was imprisoned. This entire ordeal was the fault of his own brothers.

Remarkably, when God finally delivered and exalted Joseph to a place of prominence, he faced his brothers. Without malice or bitterness, Joseph told them:

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”

~ Genesis 50:20

Note that it was 13 years from the time that Joseph’s brothers left him for dead and the time that God freed and exalted him.

6) Humble yourself under God’s mighty hand.

This one needs no explanation. Peter’s words say it all. They contain thunder and lightning for everyone who is undergoing a crisis.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

~ 1 Peter 5:6

Do these six things in the midst of your crisis and you will survive it.

But more, you won’t waste your sufferings. Instead, you’ll watch them turn to gold.

By the way, in Episode #63 of the Insurgence podcast, we discussed how kingdom people handle crisis – the current pandemic crisis as well as ANY health, financial, or relational crisis.

You can listen HERE.

CHAPTER 9

How to Outsource Your Worry

“Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.”

~ Charles Spurgeon

Most of the teachings I’ve heard about overcoming worry were the equivalent of handing out umbrellas during a hurricane.

The New Testament encourages us to outsource our worry. (The word “outsource” means to delegate a task to someone else.)

Consider this text:

“Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, and He will exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

~ 1 Peter 5:6-7

Peter instructs the Christians to whom he’s writing to cast their anxiety, their worry, and their care upon the Lord because He cares for them.

I will shamelessly admit that I’m a recovering worrier. Over the years, however, I discovered a way to overcome worry when it comes knocking on the door of my mind.

Here are three steps that will enable you to give worry an atomic knee drop:

1) Humble yourself under God’s mighty hand.

This means, among other things, admitting to yourself that you’re a mere mortal who cannot control your circumstances. It means accepting that the unexplained twists and unfair turns of life are in God’s hands. It means believing that God has a good and positive purpose for allowing everything that comes your way—the good, the bad, and the unbearable.

Romans 8:28:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

The act of recognizing that God is sovereign, that He’s in control, and that He has a purpose for everything that comes into your life demands humility. There’s a certain surrender involved that’s good for the mind and heart.

2) Cast your care upon the Lord.

“Care” in this passage means anxiety, worry, concern, or fear. “Cast” means to throw something upon another. The same verb is used in Luke 19:35 where the disciples toss (or cast) their cloaks over a donkey to make a saddle for Jesus.

The idea here is one of transference. To cast my anxiety, worry, and care upon the Lord means that I transfer, delegate, and outsource them to Him.

When you do this, the anxiety is no longer yours. You’ve handed the situation over to God, so it’s His worry now.

The basis for this outsourcing is His care for you. Because He cares, you don’t have to. You can live care-free.

On one level, you still care about the situation. But on a higher level, you no longer care because you’ve transferred your care over to God. For this reason, a worry-free person appears to not care. Consequently, there’s great liberty and freedom in outsourcing your worry to God.

To illustrate, suppose that you give your smart phone to a friend. Your friend puts his contacts and apps on the phone and begins using it.

The next day your spouse asks, “Where’s your phone?”

You answer, “I don’t have it. I gave it to my friend. It belongs to him. It’s his business now.”

The same dynamic occurs when you outsource your worry to God.

The worry is no longer yours. It’s His. So let God do the worrying. Remember, He cares for you, so He has a stake in the situation too.

3) Use a tangible symbol to remind yourself that you’ve outsourced your worry to God.

You can come up with your own symbol for this, but when I cast a specific care on the Lord, I tell the Lord what I want to see Him do in the situation (this is called petition). Then I throw the burden of it on His shoulders.

After that, I write down the situation using one word (or even one letter) on a 3 x 5 index card. As I’ve described in my PROLIFIC program, the act of writing clears space in our mind.

I then place the index card in a specific Bible that’s sitting on my bookshelf — a Bible that I only use for this exercise. I open the Bible to one of the Psalms (randomly) and place the card there. This symbolizes that I no longer own the worry.

It’s now God’s.

When the enemy tries to assault my mind with the worry, I simply call to mind the card that I inserted in the Psalms. God has it. The situation is in hands more capable than my own. The worry doesn’t belong to me anymore.

To be free from worry, you may want to do the same. You see, after you cast your worry on the Lord, you will be tempted to take it back and fret over it again. Especially when time passes and you see nothing happen with the situation.

That’s the time to remind yourself that you’ve outsourced the problem to God and it belongs to Him. To put it in the words of James:

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

~ James 4:7

A Critical Insight

Over the years, I’ve come to realize that having peace in my heart amid a turbulent or disconcerting situation is critically important to the Lord. And it’s critical for my spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being.

The goal is to remain at peace in the face of conflict, opposition, and crisis. If you’re at peace, you have faith, and faith is what pleases God. It’s also what releases God’s action in the situation. Worrying produces damage to your spirit as well as to your soul and body.

As Jesus-followers, we don’t have to fret. Peace is part of our inheritance. For this reason, Paul told the Philippians,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

~ Philippians 4:6-7

Jesus also gave a lengthy discourse on why His followers have no need to worry (Matthew 6:25-34). He said, “Don’t worry about your life … look at the birds and the lilies.” To a person who is in Christ, worry should be as impossible as it is for birds and flowers, both of which are incapable of anxiety.

Even in the Old Testament, we have the precursor to Peter’s instruction to cast our care upon the Lord:

“Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you”

~ Psalm 55:22

During His earthly life, Jesus was the most care-free person in the universe. He cast all His care upon His Father and lived worry-free.

Since the same Spirit that was in Christ is now in you, you can respond to the Lord in the same way, making God your Source. Remember, God the Father loves and cares for you just as much as He loves and cares for His Son, Jesus.

“… So that the world may know that You (Father) sent Me, and loved them (My disciples), even as You have loved Me.”

~ John 17:23

So take some time to deliberately cast your burden, your care, your anxiety, and your worry over to the Lord, knowing that He cares for you.

And when you’re tempted to take it back into your own hands, stand your ground and reaffirm that the care belongs to God and not to you.

In so doing, you will learn Christ as your Peace in times when it’s logical to worry.

CHAPTER 10

Look Down, Not Up

One of my main distant mentors – T. Austin-Sparks – once went to see F. B. Meyer, an amazing author on the deeper life. Meyer wasn’t available when Sparks visited, so he was asked to wait in Meyer’s study.

As Sparks looked at Meyer’s library, he spotted a wooden plaque that contained two words inscribed in gold. Those words were “Look Down.”

Meyer walked in at that moment and greeted Sparks. Sparks mentioned the plaque and asked, “Shouldn’t it be look up, and not look down?”

Meyer responded: “It’s all a question of your position. If you are in Christ, you are seated with Him in heavenly places and you look down. But if you are under the situation, the only thing you can do is look up.”

Incredible!

CHAPTER 11

Why You Need to Purge and Prune

In John 15, Jesus talks about the principle of purging.

Purging is pruning. It’s cutting back, removing that which should be eliminated.

To prune a tree, a shrub, or a bush is to cut away the dead or overgrown branches and stems for the purpose of increasing its growth and fruitfulness.

God built seasons into the earth. Rose bushes, when pruned during dormant seasons, come roaring back in full bloom in the next season.

Pruning looks horrible. After a bush is pruned, it looks ugly and dead. But it sets it up for awesome new growth.

Every year, I review all the things I’m putting my time into. Then I cut and prune some of it.

For instance, I decided that 2020 would be the last year I’ll be holding my annual MinistryMind gathering. While there’s a possibility it may come back one day, it’s more probable that I’ll never hold it again. And if it is resurrected, it will look completely different.

Years ago, I cut my speaking schedule way back to four invitations that I’d accept each year. Four and no more.

Then there are those behavioral patterns that we all must prune. There are possessions to prune by donating or giving them away. There are habits in our communication that we should purge.

Some of you have things the Lord is seeking to purge out of your life during the present season.

So here are a few questions to ask that will help you navigate what needs to be purged in your life, work, or ministry.

(Obviously, this doesn’t apply to sacred vows you’ve made. But most everything else is on the table.)

1. Has it become a duty instead of a joy? 2. Is God no longer blessing it? 3. Do I have to force it to happen or is the Lord doing the heavy lifting? 4. Is it failing to bear fruit? 5. Is it burning me out and depleting my emotional or physical bandwidth?

6. Is it no longer moving the needle toward my mission in life?

CHAPTER 12

The Breaking of God

When it comes to His children, the Father has but one goal. To conform us into the image of His Son, Jesus.

The reality, however, is that all of us have parts of our personality and make-up that are very unlike Christ.

And we are often blinded to these parts of our personalities and make-ups.

Completely blinded. For years even.

It doesn’t matter if we’ve been told countless times that there is a part of us that is not like Jesus.

The blindness is so thick that we can “hear” a rebuke on one level, but completely turn a deaf ear on all the levels that really count.

Then one day God takes us by storm and removes the blinders. And you see like you’ve never seen before.

Before your eyes, He exposes a side of your personality that has successfully escaped the penetrating reach of God Himself.

The Lord pulls back the curtain and shows you, with dramatic clarity, that ugly thing that you’ve been blind to.

You break down and weep over the pain it has brought to others.

This revelation crushes you. The hurt to your own heart is acute. The remorse is painful.

Yet it doesn’t end there.

God turns up the temperature to try you.

He wants to gain your entire soul now.

He is breaking you even more through unspeakably painful circumstances and intense pressure.

There is only one thing to do during such times:

SURRENDER

Don’t complain about it. Don’t fight it. Don’t try to maneuver yourself out of it.

Don’t dwell on worst-case scenarios. And don’t fear.

Just surrender. Fully and completely to God.

And let Him do His deeper work in your life.

What I’m describing could well be the fight of your life. But the Father’s objective is to make you more like Christ.

Especially in those areas where you’ve been wearing a blindfold for so long.

My word of advice. Pay close attention to every trusted voice that has pointed out areas of your life that aren’t like Christ. (A trusted voice refers to people who actually know you.)

Don’t ever dismiss them.

But listen with both sets of ears (physical and spiritual). And then take drastic action to deal with those areas until they are completely demolished.

The good news is that on the other side of death, suffering, horrific pain, and the breaking of God, there is resurrection.

And therein lies your hope.

I’m speaking from experience. I trust this helps some of you.

Your brother in the hope of resurrection.

fv

CHAPTER 13

Three Killer Lessons from THE WALKING DEAD

“We are more willing to attack one another than to band together and fight the enemy.”

~ Lance Wallnau

AMC’s TV drama The Walking Dead has been the highest rated series in cable television history.

I’m not a zombie guy (though some mornings, I might resemble one).

Unlike many of my peers who possess a Y chromosome, slashy-burny-butcher-gore films don’t appeal to me.

It’s for this reason that I’ve stayed clear of watching The Walking Dead.

That is, until a friend told me that the show is largely about surviving in community over against blowing zombie carcasses to the moon.

So I gave it a try. And I was hooked in the first season. (In many ways, The Walking Dead is similar to the TV show LOST — which I thought was superb.)

Recently, I finished Seasons 1 to 6 of The Walking Dead. (And I won’t go on to watch any more episodes.)

Beyond the compelling characters, rich storylines, and incomparable acting, the parallels to the spiritual walk are impressive. The gruesome scenes, notwithstanding.

What follows are three critical lessons I observed while watching.

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Lesson 1: Exposure is Inevitable

You don’t know what people are really like until you observe them under pressure. Only then do their true colors emerge.

(I riffed on this at length in Scratch a Christian and You’ll Find Out What’s Underneath.)

Too often, you can’t see the fruit unless the tree is shaken.

This sober fact is brought out powerfully in The Walking Dead.

People who seemed to be noble characters at first get exposed for being sub-human creatures. No, they aren’t flesh-tearing zombies. They’re worse. More on that later.

Others who seemed to have black hearts end up exhibiting goodness, self-sacrifice, and genuine love.

To wit, never underestimate the kind of exposure that pressure, struggle, offenses, and disappointments manifest.

Another example of being exposed under pressure is the 2009 movie, Exam.

Animal Farm reveals the same thing.

In short, survival brings out the best and the worst in people. And you really don’t know who you are or what you are until a fellow Christian doesn’t meet your expectations. Nor do you know who your fellow “Christians” really are until someone “scratches” them.

This truth separates black sheep from goats.

Lesson 2: Community is Possible But Costly

I’ve said it often, but Christ-centered community is exotically rare on this earth. By “Christ-centered,” I don’t mean a group of people who talk bulbously about Jesus.

I’m talking about a face-to-face community that evidences by their lives that Jesus of Nazareth is Lord of this world. In other words, Jesus is the practical head of their lives.

This “evidence” is mostly clearly seen in how the members of the community treat one another as well as how they treat those outside of it (Matthew 7:12).

Do they gossip? Do they back-bite? Do they become jealous of one another and sow seeds of discord in the group? Do they become easily offended at each other and take vengeance? Do they impute bad motives to other people? Do they bad-mouth, tear-down, and even lie about one another? If another member is in trouble, do they treat them the same way they’d want to be treated if they were the ones in trouble?

Or … do they deny themselves? Do they lay their lives down for each other? Do they have each other’s backs? Do they see themselves as family? Do they place the same priority on the other members as they do on themselves and their own blood kin?

It’s the latter that I mean by “Christ-centered.”

And yes, what I’m describing does exist, but it’s rarer than chicken molars in our time. (The fact is, most Christians don’t lay their lives down for each other. The common attitude is, “It’s not my problem, so I won’t treat it with nearly as much attention or diligence as if it were happening to me.”)

The community that’s formed in The Walking Dead (embodied by the key characters) reflects this brand of “I-have-your-back-and-won’t-leave-you-behind” dynamic. They lay their lives down for each other.

The characters weren’t always this way. In fact, some who were against the community eventually were “converted” to it and became loyal members.

In this regard, the show richly portrays the power of forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation. It underscores the beauty of entering into a new family that’s made up of completely different personalities, but who share a common bond.

Sadly, the love and loyalty that the core community has for one another eclipses that found in the hearts of most Christians today.

No, the members of the show’s community aren’t perfect by any means. Just as no believer or Christian community is perfect. Nor am I suggesting that community in the show is “Christian” (so calm down).

Like most modern TV shows, the clergy are made to look like insipid imbeciles, and immorality is portrayed as acceptable. So it’s not a “Christian” TV program. But the power of close-knit, devoted community is presented powerfully.

Lesson 3: Endurance is Required

Another lesson that’s brought out in the show is the power of, and need for, endurance.

Jesus said, “He/she who endures until the end shall be saved.”

It’s one thing to start out strong in the Christian walk. It’s another to finish.

Things are easy for a time. Then someone hits the warp drive and you’re trying to navigate through the blur.

It’s during those times that the pressure to quit following the Lord seriously become too unbearable for some. But keep in mind that being on the ropes isn’t the same as bleeding out.

Sometimes you have to spew over the side of the boat and keep rowing.

The older I get, the more people I meet who shipwrecked their faith (to borrow Paul’s phrase). These people were once ready to charge hell with a water pistol. Today, however, they don’t even believe in God.

And it’s not because some college professor told them that a person must have an IQ lower than a banana to believe the Bible. No, it’s mostly because of unanswered prayers coupled with the deplorable way that some “Christians” treat those who genuinely follow Christ.

“And pray that we’ll be rescued from these scoundrels who are trying to do us in. I’m finding that not all ‘believers’ are believers. But the Master never lets us down. He’ll stick by you and protect you from evil. Because of the Master, we have great confidence in you. We know you’re doing everything we told you and will continue doing it. May the Master take you by the hand and lead you along the path of God’s love and Christ’s endurance.”

~ 2 Thessalonians 3:3-5, The Message

The Greater Problem

Since we’re on the subject of zombies, Paul tells us that before we came to Christ, we were among the walking dead:

“As for you, don’t you remember how you used to just exist? Corpses, dead in life, buried by transgressions, wandering the course of this perverse world. ”

~ Ephesians 2:1, The Voice

“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away.”

~ Colossians 2:13

Yep, the Zombie Apocalypse began with Adam’s foible. So we were all zombies, existing only to satisfy our own cravings.

However, the so-called “Christians” who engage in verbal violence, hatred, lies, slander, and jealousy do more damage to the world than the dead who walk.

Paul called them “false brethren” (2 Corinthians 11:26; Galatians 2:4).

Jesus referred to them as “tares” among wheat (Matthew 13:24-30).

The Walking Dead makes this point loud and clear.

The Takeaway

Like it or not, the world abounds with lukewarm Christians, on the one hand, and self-righteous, mean-spirited, judgmental ones on the other.

But God is looking for a people who (1) know how to endure until the end, refusing to walk off the field before the whistle blows, (2) are exposed to be people of the meek and mild Lamb when under pressure, and (3) are willing to lay their lives down for the good of the believing community.

This is the divine call in this hour.

Thankfully, the majority of you are survivors. Everything else is dust in our eyes.

Update: I have not gone on to watch Season 7 of the TV series, losing interest after the final episode of Season 6. It was WAY too violent. Over the top for me.

CHAPTER 14

Warning: The World is Watching How We Christians Treat One

Another

“If Christians cannot extend grace through faithful presence within the body of believers, they will not be able to extend grace to those outside.”

~ James Davison Hunter

Recently, someone asked me the following question.

“Frank, if I had to summarize your ministry, it would be that Jesus is more than we ever imagined and we can learn to live by His life which is evidenced by treating others the same way we want to be treated. Would you say that this is accurate?”

My answer: “Yes, that sums it up well. These two themes are underscored in many of my books and blog posts.”

Not long ago I wrote a piece for a periodical explaining why I am a Christian (which I’ll republish here in the future). I ended the piece by asking why those who aren’t Christians have decided not to follow Jesus (yet, at least). Here’s what one person wrote:

“I’m not a Christian because of how most of the Christians I’ve known treat each other. Not loving like their founder taught but just the opposite. I like that your list wasn’t apologetic or combative but personal and I respect that. Rare but nice to see.”

This harkens back to Gandhi’s famous line,

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ” … “If it weren’t for Christians, I’d be a Christian.”

It’s not uncommon for some Christians to throw verbal assaults at one another on Facebook, blogs, Twitter, and other online venues. As a result, the world sees people who profess to follow Jesus – the Prince of Peace – fighting, misrepresenting one another, and even “blocking” one another.

“But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you don’t consume one another.”

~ Galatians 5:15

There once were two cats of Kilkenny

Each thought there was one cat too many

So they fought and they fit

And they scratched and they bit

‘Til excepting their nails

And the tips of their tails

Instead of two cats there weren’t any.

Civil disagreement and even debate, when done in the spirit of Christ, are healthy and helpful.

But when disagreements descend into second-guessing motives, distortions of one another’s words, mischaracterizations of one another’s views, and personal attacks, then we’ve moved into the flesh.

The net is that the name of Jesus gets tarnished in no small way.

So how do we change that?

Here are 7 points to consider the next time you think you have a possible disagreement with another Christian:

1. Go to them privately and ask them what they meant by what they said, did, or wrote or what they allegedly said, did, or wrote. Jesus said to go to our brother or sister in private if we have an issue with them. Since we don’t want to misrepresent others in public, going to them directly helps prevent this. And you would want the same treatment if the shoe happened to be on your foot.

About 6 months ago, I was reading someone’s Facebook wall where they quoted a friend of mine who came out with a new book on evangelism. The entire thread was about what my friend may have meant or didn’t mean. People got angry at one another. Some began blocking others. (These are Christians, mind you.)

Finally, a woman jumped in and said, “Excuse me, but instead of questioning what he may have

meant or didn’t mean, why don’t you just write him a message and ask him? He’s on Facebook,

you know.”

Her remark arrested everyone and you could smell the embarrassment. Amazingly, no one ever thought to even try to contact my friend and ask. If they had done so in the beginning, the whole issue would have been resolved and the carnage wouldn’t even have begun.

2. When you go to another believer privately, ask them questions. Don’t make accusations. Again, put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself, “How would I want to be treated if the roles were reversed and someone had an issue with me?” In my experience, I’ve found that accusations based on second- or third-hand information are usually inaccurate. And they are often rooted in misunderstandings.

One time Jesus made a statement about one of His followers saying, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Because of this remark, a rumor spread among the disciples that the disciple Jesus was referring to would never die. But Jesus never said that this disciple would not die; He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” (John 21:22-23).

If Jesus — the perfect Teacher — was misunderstood by those who were in His corner, how much more does it happen with us?

3. Never, ever, evah, nevah judge the motives or intentions of another human being. To do so is to sin against them and against God. You and I cannot read someone else’s heart. While it’s fine to question someone’s judgment, it’s wrong to judge their motives. “Love thinks no evil,” Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13, but it always believes the best of others. Again, this is covered under Jesus’ gold-plated “do unto others” commandment.

4. Never entertain gossip or slander about another sister or brother in Christ. Again, treat others the same way you want them to treat you. Jesus not only commanded this, He said this commandment fulfills the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12). By the way, I’ve found that many Christians don’t know what slander or gossip is (unless it’s happening to them). They mistakenly think that if something is true or half-true, it’s not gossip or slander. Not so. Jon Zens’ remarkable article on this subject is the best I’ve ever read. Every Christian should read it.

5. Seek peace with all you have. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone,” Paul said in Romans 12:18. We aren’t going to agree on everything. In fact, I am unaware of any book that exists where all Christians agree with every word or understand every word the same way. That includes the Bible itself.

None of us can claim immaculate perception. So we should be open for correction. But how you approach someone is incredibly important. How we treat one another while we disagree is just as important as the nature of our disagreement.

6. Remember that the world is watching how we Christians treat one another and talk about one another. You can be the greatest evangelist on planet Earth in terms of being able to boldly

witness to non-Christians about Jesus. And you can blow the loudest trumpet about mission and discipleship. But if you treat your fellow sisters and brothers in Christ in ways that you would never want to be treated yourself, then you nullify your evangelistic efforts. In addition, how you treat your fellow brothers and sisters is monumentally important to our Lord.

7. Remember Jesus’ last prayer on earth before He gave His life for us. It gives us a peek into what’s foremost in His heart. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me (John 17:20-21).”

May the Lord have mercy on us all …

CHAPTER 15

Stop Wasting Your Time Doing This!

While I’m not a fan of Facebook groups, I do enjoy connecting with people on my Facebook page.

However, from time to time, I’ll look at some of the news feeds of my friends. And I’ll see some of them getting roped into full-blown doctrinal beat downs on their walls.

In like manner, I’ve been pulled into countless Facebook groups – meaning, people “joined” me.

I don’t follow these groups and rarely make a comment.

However, once in a while I’ll get tagged, so I end up looking at the thread.

For the last 7 years, I’ve been observing these groups. And I’ve lost count of the knock-down, drag-out, WWE-styled smackdowns over biblical topics and social issues.

The people go back and forth, some ending up being so infuriated that they end up blocking their debating opponents.

In addition, some of the befuddled contentious souls are routinely banned from these groups.

(Oh, these are all “Christian” groups, mind you. Ahem … )

Not once during these blood-lettings have I ever seen anyone change their minds.

Lots of wasted time and energy is burned up in these threads. And for that reason, people leave them constantly.

Why, then, do people continue to argue and exchange theological (and personal) blows on Facebook?

These are the thoughts that have gone through my mind whenever I’ve observed these things:

“Has it not dawned on them that their comments are not making a dent in the minds of others?”

“Do they have too much time on their hands, so debating and angering people is a pleasant hobby for them?”

“Do they have a lot of pent up frustration that they are unwittingly unleashing on the poor souls who are part of these groups?”

“Have they still not discovered the other means that actually impact people and change hearts and minds?”

Now, I’m sure there may be a few exceptions to the above. (In life, there are always the .001% exceptions.)

Typically, authors who have loyal followings don’t have this problem too often, and Facebook groups that are tiny don’t either.

But for the rest, it’s pretty much the norm.

Surprisingly, shortly after I wrote the draft for this chapter, one of my Facebook friends made this comment on his wall:

“Facebook is not a place for intelligent dialogue. I have learned very few people can have a rational discussion about just about anything. I look, but have learned to refrain from engaging current political, religious or cultural topics. The vast majority of people already have their minds made up on a given issue and viewpoint. Facebook is merely a place they use to reinforce that viewpoint and anything challenging them is viciously attacked.”

Interesting, eh?

My point is simple.

Facebook isn’t the best place to change people’s minds.

It’s a great way to keep up with old friends or — if you’re a writer of any kind — to connect with your readers.

But in terms of real impact and changing people’s minds, there are far more effective ways of doing both.

P.S. The bloodbaths we routinely see on social media when Christians unsheathe their swords against one another over doctrinal or political disagreements provoked me to write the book ReGrace: What the Shocking Beliefs of the Great Christians Can Teach Us Today.

CHAPTER 16

A High-Octane Spiritual Cocktail

Here are some audios I’ve published that collectively comprise a high-octane spiritual cocktail to treat the virus.

How Kingdom People Handle Crisis (Audio)

Worry, Hurry, Anxiety and Kingdom Living (Audio)

Trials, Tribulations, and the Kingdom of God (Audio)

The Challenge of Waiting on God (Audio)

Practical Lessons on Kingdom Living: Part 1 (Audio)

Practical Lessons on Kingdom Living: Part 2 (Audio)

Practical Lessons on Kingdom Living: Part 3 (Audio)

Keeping the Eternal Perspective (Audio)

Update: Here are two newer articles that are the follow-up to this guide:

When Will Things Get Back to Normal?

4 Reasons Why Christians Believe Conspiracy Theories (Read Before Removal for Violating Community Standards)

Book Catalog

Books for abnormal people who don’t think like the rest of humanity.

Each volume below seeks to draw you deeper into a relationship with Jesus Christ. They present a fresh look at your Lord, a greater insight into the Scriptures, and a clearer understanding of God’s grand mission.

My purpose in writing is to steal your heart for the Lord Jesus Christ and blow your mind to the heavenlies, bringing you into those intangible things of Christ and the deeper things of God.

Click on the book covers below for details, samples, and discounts.

The Kingdom of God and the Deeper Spiritual Life

The Jesus Trilogy

Radical Church Restoration

Digital Books

IN A CLASS ALL BY ITSELF

FRANK’S DISCOGRAPHY – THE TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR EACH PUBLISHED TITLE

Online Discipleship Course! Click the image below for more information.