It's The Economy, Really?

Is the economy the only issue anyone cares about in this election?
Why are crucial social issues such as abortion, gay marriage and single parent homes such non-starters they are  non-mentioned? 

I understand that the American economy is stagnant and stale as we thunder towards a debt crisis cliff like so many crazed lemmings. Borrowing massive money from China will haunt us sooner than later. 
Of course it would be nice to avoid financial calamity, but can we just have a reality check here? 
Poverty level  in America is still above the standard of living in fully eighty-five per cent of the rest of the world.  America is money mad, pure and simple. 

The church can be just as guilty of material madness that causes social myopia. The golden calf has grown up, and too many Christians are dancing around that golden cow.

These thoughts are not rooted in American guilt or intended to downplay the significance of the crisis we face.  But if the economy was at least decent, President Obama would be sailing to certain re-election despite the fact he is the most pro-abortion President ever, he is the first to endorse gay marriage and his treatment of Israel is abysmal. 
These are the true issues that disqualify this man from leadership.
But it is only his controversial treatment of the golden cow that may yet bring moving vans to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. come January. 

I have stood in the slums of Manilla and Juarez and that helps me realize we desperately need some perspective in the U.S.
I think the Lord is much more concerned with the children we are killing, the poor we are ignoring and our perversion of families, rather than endless discussion of  the tax rate for millionaires.  He is the God of the 100 per cent, the six billion plus people on the planet.

The election obsession with 'the economy' is a reflection of our flabby narcissism that will never be satisfied.  Let me invite you to take a few minutes and watch the remarkable presentation on this link from Scott Harrison of Charity Water. 
It is amazing, convicting and challenging. 

So much to do, so easy to get distracted by the seductive mooing of that cow. Watch this: 

http://www.charitywater.org/about/scotts_story.php

Meeting Governor Romney- 
(the other one who also ran for president)

I met George Romney one day in Marlette when he was governor of Michigan during my high school years. He had been a successful president of American Motors (think Rambler, Gremlin and Pacer). 
Born to a Mormon family in Mexico, Romney had gone through the Great Depression and worked his way up in the auto industry.

Forceful, energetic and popular, George Romney won re-election and ultimately ran for the Republican nomination for president in 1968 against Richard Nixon. 
At one time he was ahead in the polls against both Nixon and Lyndon Johnson. An unfortunate comment about being 'brainwashed' over Vietnam led to the end of his candidacy.

So we see his son Mitt, successfully accomplishing what his father did not. Ironically,  had his dad won the nomination, he would have had a huge 'birther' issue due to being born in Mexico.
Lots of evangelicals are struggling with the premise of voting for a Mormon president.  I face no such dilemma. We are not voting for 
Pastor-in-Charge, but Commander and Chief Executive.  Would it be ideal to have a fully vetted Christian at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.? Maybe.  You may recall that Bill Clinton recently lived there, and he was a Bible quoting Baptist who never missed Sunday school in Hope, Arkansas. How did his morality work out for you?
And don't forget, God often used leaders who were not believers to execute His plan for the people of Israel, such as Darius, Joseph's Pharaoh, etc. 

America needs a turnaround, plain and simple, and a skilled executive to manage it. 
Here is an interesting twist, Mark DeMoss, whom I have crossed paths with for years, is a high ranking advis0r to Mitt Romney. In fact, this article claims that Mark was the one to approach Romney about pursuing the presidency: 

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/01/can-mitt-romneys-evangelical-ambassador-seal-the-deal-before-election-day/?hpt=hp_c1

DeMoss has tremendous street cred in my world. He advises Franklin Graham, Samaritan's Purse and many other respected leaders and organizations.

Bottom line, America is on the verge of implosion, fiscally, spiritually and socially.  The choice between leadership paths could not be more stark. 
A financial renewal is not our greatest need, but it would be helpful if we could avoid a catastrophic meltdown.

What America Really Needs

What happened last weekend with Greg Laurie and Harvest America was fantastic, but this level of evangelism needs to be the norm, not the exception.  We have the tech, the time and more than three hundred thousand churches in America.

Heads change when hearts change. Want a pro-life country? Converted people (generally) think straight and want to stop killing babies.  

If Dinesh D'souza is correct, (and I think he is) should President Obama be re-elected, we face a planned dimming of American influence as penance for our colonialism. 
Whomever is in the Oval Office, we will need to seize the day through either depression or revival and, as Steve Jobs said, 'make a dent in the universe.' 

I suggest we hire a qualified executive to occupy the White House and superintend  our complicated economic system. Then, if believers will be about His Business in God's House, I believe the Lord will take care of the rest.

A Few Thoughts on 35 Years of Walking (sometimes crawling)With the Lord

It was a warm Hawaiian night in Maui in 1977 and I could not make up my mind. I was on a solitary spiritual crusade and I could not decide between a evangelistic church service and a Buddhist festival across the street in Lahaina.

That was thirty-five years ago this summer when I was at the intersection of faith and forgiveness. Even though I was living the island life, working on-air at KMVI in Maui, I was a total train wreck.  I had burned just about every bridge I could find. Relationships, career and emotional stability were all victims of my compulsive, selfish and destructive behavior.
My mystical pilgrimage had been reduced to two paths: Buddhism or Christianity, so the proximity of these events was a perfect illustration of the choice I was facing. For over an hour I literally went back and forth between the church and the temple. It became clear, Buddah was the great 'maybe,' while Jesus said He was the only way. 
So, I ended up at the church, pictured above, and made famous by the Eagles on their Hotel California album in the song, 'The Last Resort.'
What waited for me at the church was a major culture shock. I was coming out of a career in rock radio and I stepped into a flaming charismatic service where the pastor's wife led worship on a trombone and sang in tongues. Really.
Add to that, no one except me showed up for the service, and I mean no one. The pastor, his wife and me. Period.
God love him, the pastor went through the whole service for me, including the altar call.
You talking to me? End of story, I went forward, and then it all began.  Two days later, on Sunday he took me down to Hanakao'o Beach to be baptized. The beach was crawling with tourists, and we were in white robes, my own little 'Oh Brother, Where art Thou,' moment.
Then surprise! Just before immersion he said I would come out of the water speaking in tongues IF I was sincere. Uh, no. But I was genuine in my faith and today, thirty-five years later, I am hanging in and holding on.

I was brought into Calvary Chapel in an equally unique way.  After my disappointing baptism performance, my new and only Christian leader/friend gave me a bag of mangoes and sent me on my way without any direction.  I ended up on the Na Pali coast of Kauai wandering around looking for some tree house commune I had heard of. Probably good I didn't find it, I don't think they wore clothes. Eventually, on the remote coast, I sat on a rock and told God that I really gave up. Moments later, a guy came crashing out of the jungle with a cross around his neck and a Bible in his hand.  Really. He was from Shiloh, a Calvary Chapel house ministry in Honolulu and within an hour he paid to fly me to Oahu and get me involved in intense discipleship. And man, did I need it.  

All these years later, I am still involved in that process, I have been fortunate to be part of  the amazing work of Calvary Chapel. I've been able to travel to Israel numerous times and be part of outreaches all over the world. Etc.

When I started my radio career at WCHP (really) in Michigan, I never imagined I would use those skills to be part of many Christian media projects. 
I have a godly, gorgeous wife and spectacular children who all love the Lord. And now, grandchildren. Who knew?

Certainly, I have disappointed the Lord and myself, but learned a great deal about grace.
Here's a reality check for me:
John MacArthur took forty one years to teach through the new testament.  He said that time is so short that a man can only hope to adequately study one of the testaments in a lifetime!
In whatever time is left on my clock, I also want to upgrade my investment in those who live with so much less. The other day I was reading by the pool at my health club, the sprinklers were on behind me and I had a quart of ice water after my workout. Just then, I read an article about the large percentage of people who live without access to decent drinking water- and we literally swim in it. No condemnation, just conviction to live lighter so we can give more.
There was a time when all I cared about was my media career and the advancement of my name. Now, I know that I must decrease so Jesus can increase.

Maybe I have learned something in the past thirty-five.

In the meantime, I intend to go hard before we go home.

Sweet Trip Highlights: ABQ to Montana

Back side of the front range:  We took the western route and flashed up through the Vail Valley. As the old school TV spot said, Vail Valley is yummy. 
A night in Rock Springs, Wyoming left us on the door step of the gorgeous Tetons and a slide through Yellowstone on July 4th.
Always wanted to see Jackson Hole, now I want to go back and hit the amazing bike trail I scoped out. Then, off to Yellowstone.
No fireworks, but Old Faithful was a more than adequate substitute.
Elk, antelope and lots of deer of course. We hit the 'Grand Canyon of Yellowstone' right at sunset. Spectacular.
Another road trip highlight was the Battlefield of Little Bighorn, location of Custer's Last Stand.  Sobering,  I've studied this history many times, it was powerful to stand where Custer fell. Pride did come before his fall. 

Skull Church! 


This road trip was more than worth it, because it led us to more than fantastic scenery and awesome history, it took us to the Skull Church outreach in Billings.  I have been able to be some support to these events, producing and procuring secular radio for outreach is one of my favorite endeavors. For some reason, most churches and ministries spend the vast  majority of their energy and efforts on Christian media, which is fine, but we also need to fish where the fish are are.


Do I also need to mention that four grand-daughters were in attendance with Levi & Jennie? 
Added bonus: ultra-hours with Heidi & Larissa, then stopping in Denver to see Becca, Jason, Jaxon & Bridget. Excellent family time.  Wealthy man am I. 

It is amazing to see Skull Church and the 'Levi Lusko' brand be used so powerfully. We ain't seen nothing yet.

Well over one hundred young people responded to the gospel invitation, plus our media campaign generated huge impressions for various gospel messages. Love it. Love it. Love it. 

2,000 Miles Later...... 

To my pleasant surprise, round trip to Montana has been a breeze. My trepidation was partly because of trauma from our last excursion to the Treasure State.  A few years back on the way home from the Flathead Valley I absentmindedly took a wrong turn heading home.  I managed to drive almost to Spokane instead of heading to New Mexico. When we almost entered Washington, the wrong state, I was plunged into depression, there was no recovery from a six hour detour.  So twelve hours into our trip, we hadn't made it out of Montana yet. Troubling.  Nothing of the kind happened on this road trip.  Great media helped, including John MacArthur & Francis Chan teachings and two audio books, (All Brave Sailors, Killing Lincoln). 

 

Road Trip! 


Larissa, Heidi and I are off to the Skull Church outreach in Montana.  16 hours one way. Five more to pass through Jackson Hole in Yellowstone. 
We are downloading our favorite Bible teachers, audio books and movies for the trip. I am also stocking up on copious amounts of caffeine and Melatonin. Whatever it takes. This could easily turn out to be a righteous version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I will be a holy Hunter S. Thompson.  Happily, Heidi has mad twitter skills, so she can document the road madness. It might not be pretty. I lose focus easily and could threaten to burn the rental car and fly home. We shall see.  Stay tuned.

June 6:  D-Day for me.

A year ago on this day my world was rocked.  Thankful to survive and thrive.
I have had an amazing year, once I got out of Cardiac Critical Care that is. Open heart surgery was a rude reminder of my mortality and I got the message. Remarkably, I am one of four staff members from Calvary of Albuquerque to have a serious cardiac event in the past year. Three open heart surgeries, one stent. One pastor did not survive surgery.  Sobering.
When I went down in Miami, I was suddenly surrounded by my wife, all five children and good friends.
Last weekend in Colorado, we enjoyed a family reunion around an outreach with Levi that brought amazing fruit. Being with all the family was fantastic.
In the past year I was able to watch Larissa create a new ministry,  see a new grandson born, take Heidi to Bible College in England, work on major projects with Levi & Daniel  and so much more.
I've been able to see Jesse grow as a staff pastor and Becca promoted in her career in Denver.
I could have missed all that.
I have also developed a teaching about Open Heart Surgery that has been therapeutic for me.
It has been evolving since I first gave it in Hastings, England. Here is the most recent version  delivered in Miami:

Guest Speaker: Chip Lusko from Calvary Chapel Kendall on Vimeo.


Mile High Meeting of the Tribe:
An embarrassment of family wealth. 
Blessed indeed.