Green Lake Conference Center 2014 Special Edition Volume 46 | Page 5

Human flourishing with bullies making nice,
markets rising and squirrels smiling
by Ben Mott, President/CEO

“Wherever We Go”
Newsboys

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Wherever we go bluebirds sing
And the flowers bloom
And the grass gets green
It’s a curious thing
But it’s just our thing

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Wherever we go, the bees behave
In the treetops, squirrels smile and wave
It’s a curious thing
And it’s humbling
Hands up
Holler back here
Lets throw this party in gear
We brought the welcome mat
Wherever we go, that’s where the party’s at
Hands up
Holler back now
We don’t claim any know-how
Were giving God all that
Wherever we go, that’s where the party’s at
Wherever we go, the dumb get wise
And the crime rates drop
And the markets rise
It’s a curious thing
But it’s just our thing
Bullies make nice, crooks repent
And the ozone layer shows improvement
It’s a curious thing
And it’s humbling

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mor y Lane
This Newsboys song pumps out a vision for the wonderful
outcomes which flow from Christian leaders blessing their
families, workplaces, communities and environment. As
a Summit Ministries blogi puts it, “despite the shattering
effects of the Fall, Christ’s redemption enables us
through the power of the Holy Spirit to live in a way that
brings blessing to the nations.” Michael Miller calls this
“human flourishing…a life well lived according to our
nature made in the image of God; it seeks the good,
the true and the beautiful.”ii
Green Lake’s calling articulated in 1944 is “to nurture and
train leadership for the cause of Evangelical Christianity
and the World Mission of the Churches.” We are to train
leaders who not only draw people to Jesus Christ as the
only pathway to eternal life, but also lead the journey
to human flourishing through the redeeming power of
the Holy Spirit. As the Newsboys sing, “flowers bloom,
squirrels smile and wave, crime rates drop and markets
rise, bullies make nice, crooks repent and the ozone layer
shows improvement…we don’t claim any know how, we
give God all that.”
Human flourishing is not about utopia (Soviet Communism
or Nazi fascism are 20th century examples of the
murderous results of such worldviews). Instead, it is about
shalom – “a universal flourishing, wholeness and delight –
a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied
and natural gifts employed, a state of affairs that inspires
joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens the doors
and welcomes creatures in whom he delights.”iii
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CCLI# 11147141

summit.org/blogs
Michael Miller is a research director at the Acton Institute and director of PovertyCure.
summit.org/blogs

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