He gave all he had to “prepare the way”!
I’ve had some interesting conversations with a variety of people recently. Apparently integrity is an issue many of us think about. The honesty with courage aspect, taking action on our knowledge, is a bigger challenge than even I suggested. Fear (of many kinds) and “not wanting to get involved” are the two talking points that come up.
In our 21st Century western culture we are so concerned about being “politically correct” that we are willing to set action aside—even when we know it is the right thing to do. I watch Retirement Plan Oversight Committees struggle with their communication plan to participants. “Who are we to tell them what to do?” is a recent question. Is that the same fear we should acknowledge with regards to our God? "Who are we to tell ‘them’ anything. They have to figure out what is best for them and follow their own path." "I fear for our country and missions/evangelism activities everywhere." Have we forgotten that God really is in control?
While there may be life options that can be approached from multiple perspectives, there are some absolutes and activities that must be approached with Integrity. Integrity does mean honesty with courage, don’t you think?
The recent Middle East “rage” is not action taken with integrity. Manipulation, in conjunction with lack of preparation on the US part, resulted in murder, destruction, and mayhem. Now we, Americans, need Integrity to address the issues head on.
And so it is with retirement and the preparation required for it! We need integrity, the honesty to communicate what is true and the courage to encourage our fellow staff, employees, and partners to take action.
Many retirement plan participants, and those who do not participate, lack understanding and urgency to address three issues:
- Developing a Future Funded Ministry Plan
- Learning the basics of investing, planning, and communication
- The discipline needed to create priorities
A partnership between the Plan Sponsor, the Plan Administrator, the Retirement Plan Oversight Committee and Envoy’s educational material is what is needed to address the issue of individual preparation for the future—with skills developed now. Those life skills (interestingly enough) can and should be applied now ... and would offer immediate benefits. I’d appreciate comments on this part of my message. We can certainly learn from each other in this arena.
Perhaps a take away from the last couple of communiques is that we must prepare for the future with Integrity:
- Personal integrity must be the basis for our individual actions.
- Group (or corporate) integrity must be the basis to support our participants and plan investors.
- National integrity as we deal with issues around the world.
- And Spiritual integrity as we build our relationship with our God, and the life of service and joy that can come from it.
Living with Trusted Advice together
Bruce