“12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. To Live Is Christ Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. Christ’s Example of Humility 2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Php 1:12–2:11 ESV)

Supervision means the Human Organism takes on Super-Human traits. Supervision is the coming alongside, the diligent Reality Check, the Wakeup Call, to limbs forged in the furnace, mimickry of the Human in that which Transcends. We clamp down around monitoring the illustrious Output, around each joint nursed and lubed to Efficacy, gladsome Coming Alongside of each agent in the mix, each Recruited, Groomed, One. We live in a technologically enabled society, and to lamp mode, to clamp down, to make Porridge for the People out of flim-flam momentary thoughts and friendly circling about one another, is to Create and Nurture the good ship Progress, the good ship insert-your-name-here.

We face a Tomorrow called Warring, wherein our freedoms are curtailed and some bleary-eyed myopia both hurts our soul and motivates our Pride. We are proud Servants of a Crown called Christ: if society ever does work, well that is Christ. We reckon squarely with the reality of seasons of plenty and seasons of penury. All this in light of a Gospel we’d like to make our “go to” for any and all existential crises: God, fix the pain; God, heal the wound; God, reassure through the ups and downs. We would like to… and this is sin only insofar as everything, every action undertaken, is tainted by the sin of Adam, of Eve. It is the sin of wanting an abrupt or uncompromised Visage called Ourselves, to rule the day and be our final judgment: I said “dang it all” and went with the Truth Claim. God, be my point of combat. God, be my point of reactionary truth claim, my sense of forgiveness, my audacious Belonging. To what is holy (did it occur to us to Fear this Altar?). To what is divine (did it occur to us to view ourselves as Creatures of His Image?). To what is fallen (did it occur to us to see life on a sliding scale of righteousness, not just bravado and chutzpah that “darn it all, I already said I was sorry”?).

The corporation, the good ship, the supervisory hangers-on: things of beauty ebb and flow, gesticulate and billow in the wind. One person may sit down at a computer terminal, “give me your password…” and check in that the would-be Agent is operating on a clean testimony, uncompromised with evil associations. Not a “snitch” nor a “Judas”. Because these things are life and death. Because every hour of every day we bear up in mind and spiritual frame, that people’s lives are on the line. That our own corner of Joy, of Exuberance… this is no sleight to those on the doorsteps of Rubicon, of Hades, but rather God’s Promissory note in the Spirit, as to His intention to be our counselor and Guide, our Therapist and soothing Affirmation of being Loved and Alive.

Nominally Christian, the supervisor in his and her role as Enabler, as good Corporation, as ship-shape, does offend against the self-righteous Pew-Sitter and Clergy: because it is a whole World “out there”, justified and patiently laboring through one calamity or another. We would be shocked if we saw, speechless to observe, just how Evil they do become. Some internal frustration or perception of being Slighted, and they will justify Anything as comeuppance. Fake stories. “Allegorical” criminal charges. Devil-may-care unethical rumor-mongering.

Too many ruptures and no-go-zones violated, we are half-crazed because we worry as to our ability to make good decisions come game-day. Where, after all, we have invited in God’s Spirit to rebuild what was lost, torn down, violated. The expectations of normalcy. We are those Hallucinating half the time, yet innately Good People, wild-eyed half the time yet sensing and feeling out Good, Moral, decisions. As second nature to us. As innate to us. As endemic of our earthly sojourn, our walk most mortal, our aging yet illustrious brotherhood and sisterhood, membership in Christ’s Family.

Therefore the fright zone, of a nasty email received, of an Intervention against our prophetic meanderings, of things we scarcely put to paper before they… play safe, O Soldier… before they are lunged upon and attacked with questions of probity. But we are Certain of this, that the spirit in the air… of Intel Work, of Soldiering Call, of Evangelistic Duty… this is Real and undeniable. We love on and labor for the hidden officer of the cloth, of the flag, of the company, who does not enjoy the Luxuries we enjoy, because he or she is beleaguered and asked to go down for the count for the team, to keep silence For the Team, to refuse to gossip or play blame-game, though they themselves be up for Judgment in a court of law.

One day it will all winnow away… or will it? Actually not. Actually we have found our In Christ Nirvana and Elysium. The gifts of labels, of nomenclature, of things whispered in a hush in the backyard patio or in the alleys and byways of life… these are Ours to Own, because we are citizens of no country but of an Eternal One. Boots on the ground and awakened by the steeds in the carriage train leaping at the bit and bridle, eager to journey on, eager to get the ball rolling. We have sacrificed so many creature comforts and easy things, for the dare-devil Call of military work and Service to our Nation. And this sets us apart, as unique and even recipients of some jokes our way. Because we dared love on the Fellowship, and to do so unto the end. All are invited to the banquet. All are granted License to Know, and Secretive Work to engage. Boring, overwrought, tired after a spell? Hardly! It still excites. It still motivates. It still makes us to laugh and gaze a bit in the mirror, at what God hath wrought, by way of Living Epistles as to His Reign.