Everyone else is sleeping, so I snuck downstairs for coffee. The Hyatt Place lobby is warm as I look out at the snow.  Going to Nashville for the latter part of the week has found us a bit stranded in 5 inches of snow and freeze but stranded kills my soul and gives me time to read.  I was reading Cassian, a great follower of Christ, and found an old friend of a quote:

If we want to set our live right and find peace, it is not tolerant attitude for others that will do it for us. It will come about, rather, by our learning to show compassion to them.

This is the almost constant reminder I give to the younger and newer leaders around me. This would be the one lesson I wish that I had learned younger.

It seems easier to ignore than to forgive but ignorance never brings peace.  It seems easier to tolerate than to show compassion but tolerance will sadden you when you realize that you are not love people even as God.

Tolerance isn't even of God. Think of it. Does God tolerate sin or challenge it? Does God want us to rescue our brothers and sisters from wrong or tolerantly leave them there? How can we be at peace if we have not done everything to help one who is wrong?

Compassion doesn't mean saying, "It is okay. It will get better. I understand." Compassion is getting actively involved when it is inconvenient. Compassion challenges, sweats, loves, speaks, and even rebukes. Compassion prays, hopes, and teaches. Compassion recognizes the state of another's soul in light of the state of their own and offers help instead of condemnation. Compassion, whether in challenge or support, always has the goal of reconciling man to God.

Tolerance can never lead to peace because it leaves matters unsettled. The righteous act of compassion settles matters for the one who gives compassion.

For those of you who haven't heard yet, my life was recently revolutionized by Dippin Dots.  That's right a simple, super cold snack that we found out comes in sugar-free flavors.  I brought this up Sunday by way of an illustration where becoming aware of and responding to God was like my first Dippin Dots experience.

The question was, "If it was so great, why wouldn't you keep going back?  Do we forget? Do we get bored?"  In regard to God there are never ending flavors so if I am constantly trying the new things that God puts in my path, I shouldn't find myself bored.  I think most Christians just forget how awesome God is.

All of this was tied to Exodus 13:3 where the Jews after being delivered want to go back to Egypt into slavery. Why would anyone want to walk away from God and go back to slave labor and mistreatment?  Why, I ask, would anyone not want Dippin Dots once they have tried them? (You will have to listen to the whole message to hear about how the Dippin Dots Superstore in Nashville is like heaven)

Anyway, this simple, Sunday illustration about a simple, super cold snack's impact on my life has unleashed a furry of emails, calls and invitations.  IPeople ran up after our worship service to tell me they love Dippin Dots. In the foyer, group after group happily joined me in Dippin Dots glory. A friend, Linda, joins the Dippin Dots fan club and sends me an invitation while Dan writes the following:

I enjoyed your illustration today, and I thought I'd pass along a suggestion (if you haven't thought of it already).  If you want to store a stash of D2's, I'd try a small cooler packed with dry ice.  I know you can get the dry ice at some Publix stores, and Baskin Robbins used to sell it if you asked.  I think the temperature of dry ice is about -70 C, while the Dots only need to be stored at about -30 C.  I think the dry ice would last for at least a couple of days if you use a reasonable amount of it and keep a tight seal on the cooler.

Then there are the three invitations that I now have to join other people for a Dippin Dots trip.  Who would have ever thought that a personal testimony about Dippin Dots would rally so many Dippin Dots lovers?  Who would have thought that a simple claim of the greatness of Dippin Dots would have people asking me to take them next time?

I wonder what would happen if we told them about Christ.  I wonder what a positive, laughing, joyous, "he changed my life" message could do?  How many people would rally?  How many people would ask to go next time?

So I am involved in this venture to distribute a really cool software to the world.  A guy who has been in the industry for years described the software as "an entirely new paradigm in Bible Study software."  Cool - right?

It is cool but with offering something to the public comes the need to incorporate (protection), insure, house, hire and staff the effort.  I am not ignorant to business (it is from the board room that God brought me to ministry) but I am apparently ignorant to business taxes in the United States.

Now on the paying end of state and national business taxes, I would call the tax structure unpatriotic. The average company is paying more that 50% of its net profit in taxes to local, state and national entities.  Those governments sit on unbalanced budgets taking some 50 cents of every dollar made by hard working U.S. based companies.  Then those same governments take at least 20% more from the U.S. workers that long to live in the land of the free.  The equation gets worse when you work more hours or more productively to earn more. Productive U.S. workers pay up to 50% of their earnings to a government that can't balance a budget.  But don't forget the mystery Universal Cell Phone tax, sales taxes, and then property taxes.

For those of you who don't own a business, did you know that when you buy a tractor you pay sales tax?  Sure you did but did you know that when you earn money with the tractor that you pay tax on the earnings?  Sure you did but did you know that the State makes you pay a extra property tax simply to own the tractor?  You probably didn't know that but if you did, did you know that after you pay your local tax then the city/county charges you another tax on your earnings called a business license?  Without that license you can't work in your city and earn money for the government.

I understand the need for taxes but really?  How many little taxes do we need and why?  The reason that we have so many little taxes is that if we had one big tax at the end of the year, the would be a revolution.

If someone added up all the little taxes, sales, property, license, income, road use, fuel and other taxes and delivered you bill for 60% of your hard earned money at year end, you would rebel.  You would look at them and ask them "Are you kidding?"  Picture it.  

You have worked responsibly all year earning $50,000 and you have been able to save half of it because that responsible living.  Suddenly there is a knock at the door and ten tax collectors from different agencies demand that you pay them $30,000 immediately.  If you don't pay them they will take your house,  your land, your car and your dignity.  So do you empty your pockets and put the extra $5,000 on your credit card or do you revolt and demand change.

Incremental taxation is the way that governments have found to "lull" people into surrendering huge amounts of their earnings for out of control, unbalanced government.

By the way, this is how evil - our common enemy - works.  

• If evil came to a man and told him, sleep with this chick she says she likes you but really is just lonely and by the way your wife is going to leave you, your kids aren't going to talk to you and your really going to regret it spending Christmas alone at 60 - would he do it? 
• If evil came to you and told you to work a billion hours a week, have little quality family time, miss events with your kids and then told you how your kids would resent you, not come home for Christmas and by the way, your daughter will go looking for love and security with a boy who is going to have sex with her and dump her and your son will find another role model other than you - would you go down that path?
• If evil came to me and told to stop doing me daily devotion, to stop praying and then told me that it would create a great avenue for me to run out of wisdom, be stupid and walk away from the God I love ending up asking "Why doesn't God talk to me?" and looking stupid because everyone with a brain would know the answer - "You aren't not listening" - would I stop reading?

Incremental sin is our common enemy's slyest tactic.  One little change.  One little indulgence.  One little mistake.  "That doesn't matter.  It isn't a big deal" the whisper comes.  Incremental temptation is evil's way of making you pay the bill without you feeling it until it is too late to do anything.  

The difference between the government and our common enemy is that he can't require you to pay the tax.  The difference between the nation and your life is that you are free.  Our common enemy can not demand payment.  He can not demand that you give in or else.  You are truly free in Christ to say, "No. I will not pay - incrementally or otherwise. I choose Good today, tomorrow and for the long run."

I was eating with a group of people from our church (incredible church!) - we do a weekly Bible Study.  Anyway, I have to eat different food because of diabetes and so my bread wasn't gooey, good garlic bread but a wheat roll.  I needed butter!

So I am rooting around through K&B's fridge when B asks, "What do you need?"  "Butter or margarine."

"There's butter there but we keep some on the counter so it is soft."  "Really?  Like you can do that?"

"Sure.  We leave it out all the time."  "Really?"  Then everyone pretty much chimed in about how their moms, grandmoms and they all leave their butter on the counter.  "So how long has is been on the counter?"  "Like a week or so."  "So really if I eat this I will be cool?"

That was Sunday.  Yesterday was a fun filled day of digestive issues that I won't explain in detail.  Let's just say that I am buying stock in Immodium AD.  

I texted my group: "Butter death.  You all are killing me.  Sick all day."

"Sorry you are sick but probably not the butter": K texted back.  "Of course, you are the butter person why would you think it was the butter!?"

Today I am a little butter (okay, give me the gracious chuckle).  Three things for me:

• Personally, if I am in doubt I probably shouldn't.  (Romans 13:23)
• There is so much I don't know like, was it really the butter, was it the length of time that the butter was on the counter, was it something else I ate, did one of my 250 handshakes at church transfer something, etc.  I would err to think conclusively about the cause and really waste time for no real good reason (however, I will probably avoid 2 week, counter-butter the next time. Proverbs 26:11)
• Leadership, there is always the possibility that the gang is wrong. (Matthew 7:13)

Just in case you are curious: Missouri Butter Answer, The Official Land'o Lakes Answer  , and the pros recommend a Butter Bell (what?).

I, along with some great friends, are in the final days of launching a really cool Bible Study tool.  I have learned so much.  I am proficient with Joomla, data scheming, site design and much better at my original language skills.  I have walked with these guys to apply existing technology to make a never before made Biblical Thesaurus.

I have also been pushed.  It was easy when it was us.  Then people found out and the question was asked, "How can we get ahold of this."  That question confirmed that this thing God was doing in men was cool.  The answer opened the door to contracts, investments, marketers, partners, profit sharing and timelines that feel bigger than they are.

Refining fires.

People are what we do.  This is the only reason that this tool exists.  The impetus wasn't money or drive.  It was people being able to simply see the seemingly-complex truths of the Bible in a simple way.  Without the people, the project is nothing.

Refining fires.

Staying true to that means not killing the great people who are donating their time and expertise and accepting that things may take longer than expected.  Guarding the value of those people against the felt-pressure of timelines and the need for the project to financially support itself gets difficult.

Refining fires.

Keeping the more practical financial and contractual commitments - being sensitive to the donated time of professionals means recognizing that they are people and have to feed the families of those who work with them.

Refining fires.

Being the leader, the coordinator and dreamer, of this effort means feeling solely responsible for everything from timelines to details. Guarding the joy of doing something great with great people against the very real pressures of paying the bills for that fun reaches inside of me and finds talents that I must learn.

Refining fires.

This phase will end.  The fun will not be forgotten but the challenges will fade into oblivion only to rise if I foolishly summon them.  The next phase will begin with its great fun, opportunity and challenges.  It will become the fire through which God continues to refine me into what I really want to be. 

Sitting at my desk with a single candle burning to remind me of the ever presence of God I smell the scent of frankincense reminding me of the prayers of mine that rise as sweet aromas before the throne of God.  When I awoke, God was not surprised at the status of today.  No matter the deadline, the project, the trial or challenge - he is never surprised.  He is not surprised to see the result of things which aren't his plans.  He is not surprised to see the result of things that are his plans.

Refining fires.