How much is a "Morning Revival"?

[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 awareness

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.

I am very skeptical. Of course you would have to break down where the total revenue and total expenses comes from:
How much is spent by LSM to support it's workers?
How much is spent by LSM on travel?
How much is spent by LSM on health insurance?
How much is spent by LSM to have radio broadcasts?
How much was spent towards CRI?
How much revenue comes from publications?
How much revenue comes from webcast subscriptions?
How much revenue comes from trainings fees I mean donations?
How much revenue comes from Local churches for DCP, rela estate purchases etc?
How much revenue comes in to support past, present, and future litigation?

[aron]

Originally Posted by Terry

I am very skeptical. Of course you would have to break down where the total revenue and total expenses comes from:
How much is spent by LSM to support it's workers?
How much is spent by LSM on travel?
How much is spent by LSM on health insurance?
How much is spent by LSM to have radio broadcasts?
How much was spent towards CRI?
How much revenue comes from publications?
How much revenue comes from webcast subscriptions?
How much revenue comes from trainings fees I mean donations?
How much revenue comes from Local churches for DCP, rela estate purchases etc?
How much revenue comes in to support past, present, and future litigation?

See the link in post #8

My question is: is the FTTA a separate legal entity with its own budget? I think probably, like a "local church" that is subject to LSM but legally separate.

And the Taipei Gospel Book Room, etc. Probably a lot of the stuff is "off the books" legally but completely enmeshed in the LSM money-making machine. That way you never see the whole thing.

[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?