Risks must be taken; confrontations must be made.
—Terry Muck

In A Word From the Wise, I. D. Thomas tells the story of a Georgia farmer living in a dilapidated shack. He hadn't planted anything, so nothing needed to be cultivated. The farmer just sat, ragged and barefoot, surrounded by the evidence of his laziness.

A stranger stopped for a drink of water and asked, "How's your cotton doing?"

"Ain't got none," replied the farmer.

"Didn't you plant any?"

"Nope. ' Fraid of boll weevils."

"Well," continued the visitor, "how's your corn?"

"Didn't plant none. 'Fraid there wasn't gonna be no rain."

"How are your potatoes?"

"Ain't got none. Scared of potato bugs."

"Really? What did you plant?"

"Nothin'" was the reply. "I just played it safe."

The church leader who never takes risks quickly finds: no risks, no returns.

The Bible supplies many instances of this Law of Risklessness. Proverbs predicts the non-rewards the sluggard can expect. Jesus' parable of the talents rests on the futility of trying to avoid ...