New Brooms

Dad
May 28, 2003

—A New Broom Sweeps Clean!2/78MODO No.675

—The Need for New Leaders!

—From a talk to Keda Sky, Pacific KQS.

1. SOME OF YOU HAVE DONE A GOOD FAITHFUL JOB, you've worked hard and you've done well. You've been kicked around a lot and yet survived it!—When you were misused and abused when you weren't to blame, when men spoke evil of you, you still stood by your convictions.

2. WHEN YOU'VE BEEN KICKED AROUND AND STILL STAYED TRUE, still loved the Lord, still loved the kids, still loved the Letters, still believed in me and went on anyway, you've passed a good test! When your leaders fail you and then blame you for things that are really their fault, that's a good test!

3. NOW WE'RE BEGINNING TO FIND OUT THAT ALL THESE SO-CALLED PROBLEM CASES WERE NOT THE PROBLEMS at all, at least a lot of them, but it was the leaders themselves. They were a problem to the leaders because the leaders were wrong and the problems were right!—Not just a few of them, but a lot of them!

4. "OH, THIS LITTLE UPSTART IS LIFTED UP IN PRIDE, HE'S CHALLENGING MY AUTHORITY! He's criticising my methods—how dare he!" "But the Letter said so and so, Sir." "Are you challenging my authority?" What is that favorite saying they have: "Are you questioning leadership?"

5. IF YOU LOVE THE LORD, THE LETTERS AND THE LITTLE ONES and you have stood the test of good and evil‚ success and failure, and especially the test of a lot of these wrong leaders‚ it looks to me like you've come out on top.

6. I WANT SOMEBODY TO GO OUT THERE AND FEED MY SHEEP and take care of them. Maybe you don't even want the job, but know you should take it for the sake of the kids.

7. I'D LOVE TO SEE YOU GO THERE AND REALLY SHAKE THINGS UP and turn things upside-down and put the little ones on top and the big ones on the bottom! Our hearts have just been absolutely broken over this whole thing, to think how these kids have been mistreated! Well‚ it's finally all coming to light.

8. I KNOW YOU CAN DO THE JOB BECAUSE I KNOW GOD CAN DO IT THROUGH YOU as long as you depend on Him, His Holy Spirit and His Letters—and let them be the leaders. If you're led of the Lord, I know He can help you to make it.

9. IT'S A VERY BIG JOB, IT'S A SOBERING RESPONSIBILITY but it has its lighter side. I have a feeling maybe you'll enjoy going out there and shaking up those old bottles and making them rattle, and crack a few. Just tell 'em,

10. "IT'S A NEW DAY, BUDDY! SEX IS THE THING NOW, in case you don't know it! If you don't like sex you better quit. If you don't like sexy people you better turn tail and run! If you don't like FFing, get out of the way!"

11. I KNOW WITH GOD'S HELP YOU CAN DO IT, because I know the Lord and I know He can do it. He can take anything to do it with if He wants to, even you!

12. HE LOVES TO TAKE THE WEAK THINGS TO CONFOUND THE MIGHTY. He loves to take the foolish things to bring to naught the wisdom of the wise. (1Co.1:27,28)

13. GOD IS NOW READY TO EXPOSE THOSE "WISE ONES" WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE SO HIGH AND MIGHTY and show them up by the very ones that they condemned and put down and beat down‚ criticised and judged and were so holier-than-thou with‚ so hypocritical.

14. GOD NEEDS TO CHASTISE THEM‚ SHAKE THEM UP, put them down where they can be broken and humbled, back down to the little people that they really are. I appreciate the sweet‚ non-critical attitude, trying to be charitable, but I know them. God knows them.

15. STAY HUMBLE AND GO IN A MEEK AND QUIET SPIRIT, humble and broken, and let the Lord use you. Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you, even if they mistreated you. Be sure you're not ever acting in revenge.

16. DON'T FORGET WHY YOU'RE THERE, TO CARE FOR HIS SHEEP. Not for yourselves, not to have the sheep care for you, but you're there to care for them. If you love them and care for them gently and tenderly‚ they will care for you, but that shouldn't be your motive.

17. YOUR MOTIVE SHOULD BE TO LOVE THEM FOR JESUS' SAKE, care for them for His sake—because He first loved you. He didn't say, "Lovest thou Me?—Then get the sheep to feed you."

18. HE SAID, "LOVEST THOU ME? FEED MY SHEEP!" (Jn.21:15-17.) It's not always easy, but the Lord will be with you and help you and guide you. We don't have all the answers, we're doing the best we can to try to get you started and on your way and give you a little idea of what you have to do, but you'll have to follow the Lord.

19. FOR GOD'S SAKE FOLLOW GOD! It's gotta be God! You've gotta follow Him to find out what to do. I can't be with you everywhere, tell you everything.

20. AS MUCH AS GOD COULD, HE PUT IN THE BIBLE, AND AS MUCH AS WE COULD, WE PUT IN THE LETTERS. It's nearly all there for you to follow. You'll find the answers somewhere in the Word, or straight from the Lord or the people. Just follow!—Amen?

21. "LOVEST THOU ME? FEED MY SHEEP. LOVEST THOU ME? KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS. He that keepeth my commandments, he it is that loveth me." (Jn.21:16; 14:15,21.) These people who've been going around denying the commandments, contradicting the commandments, preventing the sheep from obeying the commandments—they don't love me. How can they love the Lord?

22. HOW COULD THEY LOVE THE LORD AND BE SLAUGHTERERS OF HIS SHEEP? Those are pretty strong statements but what else can you say? They have defeated them, delayed them, led them astray, beat them, misused them and prevented them from obeying.

23. I THINK SOME OF THESE LEADERS ARE IN A VERY DANGEROUS POSITION TODAY. It were better for them that a millstone were hanged about their necks and that they were cast in the depth of the sea than to cause one of those little ones to stumble! (Mt.18:6.) They have caused a lot of people to stumble and led a lot of people astray, and I'm sorry to say, others have covered for them.

24. COVERING UP IS REALLY OF THE DEVIL! I think it's a lot better just to be open and honest. You know that's one of the main problems, everyone's been covering up too much.

25. IT'S HALF THE VICTORY WHEN YOU'VE GOT GOOD COMMUNICATION AND YOU'RE OPEN AND HONEST about everything‚ not trying to cover up. Maybe I'm too honest with you sometimes, maybe I say too much, but I think I'd rather be that way. I think there's less danger in being too honest than in being too dishonest. Thank You Lord!

26. A LOT OF THESE OLD BOTTLES SERVED THEIR PURPOSE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM. They were a little older than the rest of the kids and I had nobody else to turn to, nobody else to help. I just had to use what I had.

27. BUT NOW WE'VE GOT SOME NEW BOTTLES COMING UP WHO I THINK LOVE ME EVEN MORE, and who are more faithful, more loyal‚ more believing.—The little folks who just follow the Letters. I think there's more hope for them than these old bottles.

28. THE PEOPLE WE'RE HAVING THE MOST TROUBLE WITH RIGHT NOW ARE PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT TRAINED UNDER ME, never really knew me. But through the Letters they should have known me. But they paid more attention to Jethro or to Josh or to Deborah. We had to use them in their day, but their day is long past as their attitude obviously shows. Those are the troublesome leaders we have today.

29. MOST OF THE OLD-BOTTLE LEADERSHIP HAS TO BE REMOVED and we've got to have some new blood or we'll never get any change. All these people‚ the old officers and the old bottles under whom these conditions existed that we don't like have got to go!

30. WE'VE GOT TO CHANGE FROM OUR OLD BOTTLES AND THE OLD GUARD. As long as they stay in power there won't be any changes, or very little to speak of. We'd change a few regulations and taxes and so on, but the same general spirit would prevail‚ such as, "FFing is nice but it's not for us," and so on.

31. IT'S GOT TO BE A NEW BROOM, SWEEP CLEAN! It's got to be a change in the whole spirit and atmosphere of administration. We've got to change the leaders, not just the laws!

32. SOME OLD LEADERS WILL PROBABLY THINK that because of their great financial generosity and gifts which we received from some of these leaders of the past, that these gifts bought them off the hook. But as far as I'm concerned, I appreciate their generosity, I appreciate their gifts, but that doesn't pay for not obeying!

33. WITH A FEW RARE EXCEPTIONS, I THINK WE CAN TRUST VERY FEW OF THAT OLD GUARD or those old bottles—we need to find some new ones. If some of them were faithful, if some of them were loyal, if some of them were true and obedient, fine. Otherwise, dig somebody up from the bottom, it's better. I'd sooner trust the little people.

34. "BUT I DON'T KNOW THEM, I DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE!" I have heard that too many times when we're talking about selecting new leadership. What the hell difference does that make as long as their countrymen know them and the local work knows them and they know the local work and they want to obey the Lord and the Letters!—That's what counts!

35. WHEN I GIVE SOMEBODY A JOB TO DO‚ I FIGURE THEY OUGHT TO PICK THEIR OWN TEAM, the people they want and the people they can work with. And so that's as far as we're going to go, choosing the top leaders.

36. OUR JOB UP HERE IS TO START WITH THE APPOINTMENTS OF THE KQSs, but you'll have to go out and pick your own team, your VSs and your Sprint Shop Servants. But Sprint Shop Servants probably won't change if they're doing a good job.

37. LEAVE ANYTHING THAT'S RUNNING WELL, don't change horses in the middle of the stream. If the machine's running okay, keep it running. You don't have to change things that don't need to be changed. You know the old prayer,

38. "GOD HELP ME TO CHANGE THE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE CHANGED, and not to change the things that don't need to be changed, and especially God, help me to know the difference!" That's a pretty good thing to remember, huh?

39. PRAY FOR THE KIDS AND PRAY FOR THE LEADERS and help them to get the faith and the conviction that they can get out and do it. But they need good shepherds, good leaders, good servants to lead them and guide them and help them and encourage them.

40. PLEASE PRAY FOR LEADERS! "The harvest truly is plenteous but the labourers are few."—That means people who really want to work. The loafers, there's never a shortage of loafers‚ but the labourers are few. So pray for the labourers, amen? (Mt.9:37.)

41. WHAT WE NEED TO FIND ARE CAPABLE VISITING SERVANTS, overseers of Homes, Centers and Sprint Shops. The VSs need to outline their work, lit prices‚ itineraries, trouble shoot the problem Homes etc.

42. THEY NEED TO BE PRETTY WISE, REALLY CONCERNED LEADERS with a real spiritual side if possible, not just businessmen. They're also going to have to be able to be the business managers and supervise the Shop Servant to make sure he runs things efficiently, economically and sufficiently to supply the needs.

43. THE PRACTICAL SIDE IS MOST IMPORTANT, the care and the concern in practical matters, because they have the spiritual in the Letters. The spiritual is all there for them so they don't have to have that much on their own, just obedience to the Letters.

44. THE ONLY THING THESE PEOPLE HAVE TO DO IS OBEY THE LETTERS AND CARE FOR THE HOMES. Just caring for the Home is what the deacons of the Early Church did.—And see that the Letters are being carried out.

45. THE EARLY CHURCH HAD SOME OF THESE SAME PROBLEMS. The Apostles and spiritual leaders said "Look ye out among you men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom whom we may appoint over this business." (Ac.6:3.) In other words‚ you people choose for yourselves the men you want to feed you and take care of tending tables and so on.

46. THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO BE GREAT SPIRITUAL LEADERS, as long as they followed the teachings. They were totally unknown, but some of them like Stephen and Philip did later become spiritual leaders. But they don't have to be such great spiritual leaders themselves at the moment. They grew into it.

47. PREFERABLY, OF COURSE, THEY SHOULD BE NATIONALS, if we can find them. If we can't find them during this transition period, we'll have to give them a little time to make the change-over.

48. IF YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE, BRING A NATIONAL IN who isn't a leader and start training him. You're just going to have to teach him what he's supposed to do.

49. EVERYBODY'S GOING TO BE SEARCHING NOW FOR THE GOOD NATIONALS that they should have been preparing long long ago. There's no excuse for it!: I've written on this for 4 years, but they didn't really trust or train them.

50. IT'S LIKE TRAINING CHILDREN. You've got to give them some responsibility and trust them with some decisions. And by the time they're young teenagers, even subteens, you've got to start trusting them with their own decisions.

51. IF YOU'VE TRAINED THEM UP IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO, THEY WILL MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS, they'll know what's right. But if they make the wrong ones‚ then you have to step in and intervene and help them. (M: But you can't cut them down so bad that they never want to make another decision again.) Yes, just show them in love.

52. YOU CAN'T JUST TROUNCE THEM AND TROMP ALL OVER THEM BECAUSE THEY MADE A MISTAKE. You've got to simply sit down and say, "Now let's see, what do you think went wrong? You know how we're supposed to do it, did you do it the way you're supposed to? You see‚ it was probably a mistake and we'll have to try again."

53. BE PATIENT AND LOVING AND UNDERSTANDING. Don't be too hard on them or they'll get discouraged and may not want to make any more decisions.

54. THEY HAVE RETARDED OUR NATIONAL CHILDREN in the Homes because they haven't given them responsibility, haven't trusted them, haven't trained them. They have retarded them and so they haven't learned.

55. NOW THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LEARN. You're going to have to put them in and start training them at this late date after they've been there for years!

56. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE THEM THERE WHETHER THEY'RE TRAINED OR NOT‚ right there on your hands, in your office, and even in your bed in some cases. You just have to do it.

57. WELL, IT'S JUST A MIRACLE OF GOD WE'RE STILL GOING at all! It's the Lord and the faithfulness and obedience and the spirit of you kids yourselves‚ in spite of the leaders, and sometimes you leaders in spite of the kids!

58. IT'S THE LORD, AND YOUR LOVE AND LOYALTY. In spite of all the mistakes and shortcomings, at least we're still in existence, we're still going. But God knows what we might have been if everybody had obeyed and done what they were supposed to do! God help us to obey the Lord and His Letters!—Amen? PTL! GBY! ILY!—Dad.