How much is a "Morning Revival"?

It's $2.50 some twenty years ago. A brother T from China said to me, you know some poor families in China can use that money for many things. I didn't get it at that time until later I left the local church. I never questioned the money I spent on it. I'd like to know how much money have we spent on books and journals of the Living Stream Ministry. Brother T went through the "Great Cultural Revolution" during the Mao Era. He knew what was going on, sadly I didn't at that time. Think that in Taiwan along, there are about one hundred thousand active followers reading the morning revivals. How much can it generate?

I am new to this forum. I've read some of the posts and feel so depressed that our love ones are somehow trapped in it. It is particulary difficult for someone with a Chinese or Taiwanese background. Maybe starting to take your love ones who are in the local church do some charity work without any strings attached. Show them there are people in real needs and our Lord wants to help them with their practical needs.

One thing troubles me greatly: Mr. Hank H. at CRI, his report has misled lots of things. Can anyone provide evidence regarding his financial dealings with the Living Stream?

[Freedom]

I'm not sure exactly how much a Morning Revival booklet goes for nowadays, because I don't buy them. I think they are between $5-10. Though I am still in the LC, I have managed to avoid purchasing those booklets for several years now.

I have never found the Morning Revival booklet to be particularly helpful to me. Even though some might claim it is, the fact of the matter is that after the whole booklet has been covered, it either finds it's way to the bookshelf to collect dust or the trash can.

In regards to whether or not it brings in lots of money for the LSM, I have no idea how much they make off of it. Considering that it's just a conglomerate of WL's ministry that can be found elsewhere, I don't think that it's worth the paper it's printed on.

I don't want to try speculate as to LSM's motives or if there is any financial gain from selling those booklets, but what I do know is that they have a certain attitude about their publications.

If you were to visit LSM's site where you can read their online publications, you will encounter a disclaimer and warning:
"Downloading this material, even for personal use, is prohibited. Your IP address is x.x.x.x"

Awhile back I visited the site www.austin-sparks.net and noticed a disclaimer that states the following:
"In keeping with T. Austin-Spark's wishes that what was freely received should be freely given and not sold for profit, and that his messages be reproduced word for word, we ask if you choose to share these messages with others, to please respect his wishes and offer them freely - free of any changes, free of any charge (except necessary distribution costs) and with this statement included."

When you put these two statements side-by-side, it's easy to see LSM's attitude about their publications. Publishers have every right to charge for their publications, I'm not saying that they should be free or anything, but what I wanted to point out that their attitude is quite different from other people that were associated with WL like T Austin Sparks.

Go to guidestar.org and enter Living Stream. These data are for 2012.

Total Revenue
$14,967,630
Total Expenses
$13,796,830

[OBW]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Go to guidestar.org and enter Living Stream. These data are for 2012.

Total Revenue
$14,967,630
Total Expenses
$13,796,830

So about $1.2M. Not really a whole lot by itself to cover the salaries of the ones who actually work in it. Since the paid ones are not simply Lee and his sons, it is not a huge amount for its workers. But it does keep them from having to get real jobs in the real world.

Let's just say that they are not getting rich. But do they deserve to be gleaning money for distributing the kind of pabulum that they produce while pretending it is real food for Christian living?

Originally Posted by OBW

So about $1.2M. Not really a whole lot by itself to cover the salaries of the ones who actually work in it. Since the paid ones are not simply Lee and his sons, it is not a huge amount for its workers. But it does keep them from having to get real jobs in the real world.

I thought expenses include salaries, maintenance of LSM, etc.

[awareness]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I thought expenses include salaries, maintenance of LSM, etc.

Sorry to be such a cynic but I suspect the expenses are fudged. Many services are provided free, by local church suckers, er, ah, saints. Plus, they've fudged their taxes in the past. Why change now.

We have a member here that was booted out for saying Witness Lee committed crimes. When confront by the elders, and told to deny the statement or get out, he had to hold to what he knew was true, and that was the end of his local church life.

Truth don't stand with human institutions either.

[TLFisher]

Originally Posted by Freedom

I have never found the Morning Revival booklet to be particularly helpful to me. Even though some might claim it is, the fact of the matter is that after the whole booklet has been covered, it either finds it's way to the bookshelf to collect dust or the trash can.

In regards to whether or not it brings in lots of money for the LSM, I have no idea how much they make off of it. Considering that it's just a conglomerate of WL's ministry that can be found elsewhere, I don't think that it's worth the paper it's printed on.

I don't want to try speculate as to LSM's motives or if there is any financial gain from selling those booklets, but what I do know is that they have a certain attitude about their publications.

I don't know how much relevance the Morning Revival has financially. Certainly it does provide a certain flow of revenue from the local churches, but much more it keeps local churches plugged into the One Publication.

Personally I find the Morning Revival not much sustaining. It's self-serving for the purpose of lip service, but really how much of it's content has long lasting impact on the lives of brothers and sisters?
I find the scriptural content included is to support the ministry content even if the ministry content may at times in contradiction to the Bible. More often than not I find the Morning Revival more outrageous than it is edifying.

[aron]

Originally Posted by Freedom

I have never found the Morning Revival booklet to be particularly helpful to me. Even though some might claim it is, the fact of the matter is that after the whole booklet has been covered, it either finds it's way to the bookshelf to collect dust or the trash can...

I always found them to be very "needy". The outlines were full of "we need to" and "we have to" and "we must" and "we should", as if Lee's own unfulfilled needs and inner dissatisfaction were now transfusing themselves through the outline, and message text.

Interesting, to me, that when the Psalmist declared fealty and obedience to God's word, the current MOTA taught that this was natural and fallen, and that nobody could fulfill the biblical commands. Somehow he missed the idea that obedience to God's commands in the OT was a TYPE, a PICTURE, a SHADOW of the coming Messiah, which we now could participate in by our FAITH in such a victorious and overcoming One.

Instead, in the HWFMR, we got theological exegeses, which we were supposed to be obedient and submissive to! But we already knew that the letter kills; so why pray-read Lee's directives?

[zeek]

They vary from $2.66 to $4.50 on Amazon.com for Kindle versions.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...ee%2Caps%2C498

http://207.153.189.83/EINS/237031637...2_09e05f75.PDF

[awareness]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

http://207.153.189.83/EINS/237031637...2_09e05f75.PDF

From the looks of it LSM is like a charity that uses all the money for their salaries, with not much left for anything else. Why does a publishing company need so many top dogs on it's salary? I smell a rat.

[Cal]

Originally Posted by awareness

I smell a rat.

I've finally figured out your special gifting. Rat smelling.

Just teasin' bro.

[awareness]

Originally Posted by Igzy

I've finally figured out your special gifting. Rat smelling.

Just teasin' bro.

LoL .... We all have to be good at sompin. Everybody can smell a skunk....

How come those on the LSM payroll are local church preachers? Do they get a house, car, and expenses, like the preachers around here?

I smell a rat again.