Can We Fix Government?

In this episode of Wake Up, Look Up, Pastor Zach examines the growing frustration many Americans feel toward government and asks a simple but challenging question: are we evaluating leadership by results or by tribal loyalty? Drawing from current events and the words of Jesus in Matthew 11, he highlights how true wisdom is revealed not by appearances, promises, or political labels–but by what actually produces lasting fruit. Pastor Zach challenges listeners to think beyond partisanship and pursue leaders, values, and decisions that are proven by their impact.

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Creators and Guests

Host

Zach Weihrauch

Follower of Jesus who has graciously given me a wife to love, children to shepherd, and a church to pastor.

What is Wake Up, Look Up?

Check out new episodes of our daily podcast, Wake Up, Look Up, with Zach Weihrauch as he interprets what's happening in our world through the lens of the gospel.

Hello everyone, and thanks for listening to Wake Up, Look Up, a podcast where we connect events happening in real time to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Zach Weihrauch, and in today's episode, we're asking the question, can we fix government? Now, this is prompted by an opinion piece I read in the Wall Street Journal by Howard Schultz, who, who you may know as the founder of Starbucks. Schultz was talking in his article about the recent, maybe five or ten year trend of local government in Seattle, Washington, the city where he's from and where Starbucks was founded and the state of Washington overall. Basically, Schulz was saying, hey, there was a time where Seattle, Washington, was known for being a hotbed of entrepreneurial ship innovation, revolution, risk taking. Companies like Starbucks, Microsoft, Amazon, Costco, all started in Seattle. So at one time, Seattle was kind of a mecca for launching highly innovative companies that quite frankly, have changed the world. But local government has made changes that has made it no longer tenable for those businesses to stay there. Schultz talks about homelessness, budget deficits, declining social school performance, tax rates. And basically what Schultz is saying is that the approach to government in Seattle hasn't been working. And as a result, businesses are leaving, including Starbucks, which is in the process of moving its corporate headquarters from, Seattle to Tennessee. And what Schultz is saying as he leaves is, hey, this isn't working. He's saying, can't we evaluate government by its results? Forget partisanship, forget Republicans, Democrats, conservative, liberal is whatever you want to call what Seattle's been doing. It isn't working. Businesses are leaving, leaders are leaving, citizens are leaving. It's been hollowed out from the inside. And he's arguing for a new approach to how we think as voters, which is no matter what you sold us in an election, if the results aren't there, then you have to go. It's a really interesting piece you should read. It reminds me of something Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11. The Pharisees are calling Jesus all kinds of names, and this is what he says. He says, John the Baptist came neither eating or drinking. And you said, he has a demon. The Son of man has come eating and drinking, and you say, look at him, a glutton and, and a drunkard. Jesus is saying, you know, John the Baptist was kind of a stereotypical, Old Testament type prophet. He lived in the wilderness. He ate locusts and honey. He was a traditionalist. Jesus came and he ate and drank wine and did it differently than John the Baptist. Both of them opposed by the Pharisees. But Then Jesus says this wisdom is justified by her deeds. In other words, Jesus says you're picking at the packaging. John the Baptist traditionalism or my different approach. But you should be looking at the results. Because in both the case of John the Baptist and Jesus, of course, lesser and greater lives were being changed, miracles were being done. It was clear God was on the move. What Jesus is saying is, here's how you know someone is really who they say they are. Here's how you know someone can really do what they said they can. Look at the results. And if we have any hope of a path forward in American government, it is not by giving all the power to the Republicans or, all the power to the Democrats. They've all had their turn. For the record, they've had periods of time where the White House is theirs, the House of Representatives, the Senate, and they still haven't fixed our problems. What Schultz is arguing for is what Jesus was saying. Look at the results. If it isn't working, forget what letter comes after their name or which way you traditionally vote. Find people who can get the job done. After all, isn't this the way we would think about our children's education or the people who coach them in sports, our financial advisors, the restaurants we go to? Results. That's what we're looking for. Either you get the job done or we go find someone else who, who will. Tribalism hurts this country in a lot of ways, and one major way is it causes us to excuse the failures of those who belong to our tribe and ignore the successes of those who don't. I think Schultz is right. We need to look at the results. Great leaders produce great cities, great states, and great countries. If we aren't actually great, we have the wrong leaders. And it's up to us as voters to expect results and to find people who can deliver them. Hey, thanks for watching this episode of Wake Up, Look Up. If you enjoyed it, please help us get the word out by sharing it with someone you think might benefit from it. And while you're here, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get further content or even download the CCC app, where you'll find even more resources to help you grow in your faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Have an article you’d like Zach to discuss? Email us at [e-mail]!