You have to watch Andrew's bowling to understand the fear in my voice every time he touches a bowling ball while Joshua is bowling.
7/28/09
Friends
I've been especially thankful for friends this week. Sunday was full of friends supporting, challenging, and loving me.
Sunday, I visited a church where a good friend of mine pastors. Rebecca and I had planned on visiting for the past month, but our boys were in no shape to visit another church after being away from us for four days. Rebecca and the boys stayed home while I visited the church. I had emailed my friend to tell him we weren't coming and then I emailed again to tell him I was coming alone. He was genuinely excited to hear I would still be coming. You encounter so many people who are scared to show feelings and emotions. It's so common to run into people who just won't show what they're really feeling. The freedom my friend felt to share his initial disappointment and subsequent joy was refreshing. What I found out later was that day marked the one year anniversary of his father's death. In the midst of his pain, he wasn't focused on himself. He was entering into my life.
During the drive away from the church I visited to Christ Community, I talked to one of Rebecca and my closest friends. I shared some personal struggles with her and she did something daringly friendly. She told me a story about my selfishness and insecurity. She remembered a time when I was short and sensitive and was willing to tell me how it made her feel to see it.
Sunday night, I got to preach for the first time in a church service. I was overwhelmed by the people who emailed or called to let me know they were praying for me. A few people came and supported me by being there. It is an incredible feeling to experience the friendship of people who are enthusiastically for you.
I'm grateful for friends. I'm grateful for their honest and supportive voices in my life.
Sunday, I visited a church where a good friend of mine pastors. Rebecca and I had planned on visiting for the past month, but our boys were in no shape to visit another church after being away from us for four days. Rebecca and the boys stayed home while I visited the church. I had emailed my friend to tell him we weren't coming and then I emailed again to tell him I was coming alone. He was genuinely excited to hear I would still be coming. You encounter so many people who are scared to show feelings and emotions. It's so common to run into people who just won't show what they're really feeling. The freedom my friend felt to share his initial disappointment and subsequent joy was refreshing. What I found out later was that day marked the one year anniversary of his father's death. In the midst of his pain, he wasn't focused on himself. He was entering into my life.
During the drive away from the church I visited to Christ Community, I talked to one of Rebecca and my closest friends. I shared some personal struggles with her and she did something daringly friendly. She told me a story about my selfishness and insecurity. She remembered a time when I was short and sensitive and was willing to tell me how it made her feel to see it.
Sunday night, I got to preach for the first time in a church service. I was overwhelmed by the people who emailed or called to let me know they were praying for me. A few people came and supported me by being there. It is an incredible feeling to experience the friendship of people who are enthusiastically for you.
I'm grateful for friends. I'm grateful for their honest and supportive voices in my life.
7/26/09
Resting in Grace
"The more we work and sweat to extricate ourselves from sin the worse off we are. For there is no way to remove sin except by grace. And with Paul, let us confess that all our works and righteousness, with all of which we could not make the devil stoop down one hairbreadth, are nothing but loss and refuse.
It seems to be a trivial matter to teach the Law and affirm works, but this does more damage than human reason can imagine. Not only does it mar and obscure the knowledge of grace, but it also removes Christ and all His blessings, and it completely overthrows the Gospel."
~ Martin Luther
It seems to be a trivial matter to teach the Law and affirm works, but this does more damage than human reason can imagine. Not only does it mar and obscure the knowledge of grace, but it also removes Christ and all His blessings, and it completely overthrows the Gospel."
~ Martin Luther
7/24/09
Strong Delusion
II Thessalonians 2:10-12
10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
I remember this particular verse. I discovered it in high school and it sunk in deeply. To me, it was proof that the religious world, the Babylon of Revelation 18 was strongly deluded because they didn’t love the truth - the truth revealed to the leaders and false-apostles of the group I was in. It was at this same time that Bill Clinton was being elected to his second term in office. I remember a special prayer the service before the election because of the seriousness of the next week’s election. It was suggested that God could do a miracle and prevent another
7/23/09
John Bunyan on Sincerity
Sincerity is the same in a corner alone, as it is before the face of all the world. It knows not how to wear two masks, one for an appearance before men, and another for private use. - John Bunyan
7/21/09
More Abuse
"The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you've got it made." - Giraudoux
The Christian Gospel Temple records and puts their services on their website. Friday night, one of the victims of sexual abuse visited The Temple and received apologies for some of the hurt that she has suffered. The website was rolling along until the victim rose. After a few seconds, the screen went black. The victim was told she would be given a copy of the tape, but was informed yesterday that the Temple lawyers won't allow the tape to be released.
It is deeply saddening to see this abuse repeated over and over again.
The Christian Gospel Temple records and puts their services on their website. Friday night, one of the victims of sexual abuse visited The Temple and received apologies for some of the hurt that she has suffered. The website was rolling along until the victim rose. After a few seconds, the screen went black. The victim was told she would be given a copy of the tape, but was informed yesterday that the Temple lawyers won't allow the tape to be released.
It is deeply saddening to see this abuse repeated over and over again.
7/20/09
God-centered Attitude
Our first problem is that our attitude towards sin is more self-centred than God-centred. We are more concerned about our own "Victory" over sin than we are about the fact that our sin grieve the heart of God. We cannot tolerate failure in our struggle with sin chiefly because we are success oriented, not because we know it is offensive to God.
Jerry Bridges
Jerry Bridges
7/17/09
Christian Gospel Temple Exposed
An official settlement was reached in one of the sexual abuse lawsuits filed against Christian Gospel Temple. Three of the lawsuits were dismissed because of technicalities involving the statute of limitations. Sadly, it seems many of the laws protect abusers rather than victims. One of the cases was within the statute of limitations and a settlement was agreed upon.
A deposition was released this week involving the current pastor of Christian Gospel Temple. I read it yesterday. There is a new website called Truth About Christian Gospel Temple. It includes the deposition as well as other articles and news about the cult.
As I read the deposition, my mind went to my friends and family still involved with CGT. The deposition is full of lies and cover-ups. Self-preservation reigns. The odd thing about self-preservation is it destroys us. Reading the deposition is like watching a child pull a single string of yarn from a blanket. You watch it unravel and see the woven blanket reduced to random pieces of string.
I cannot help myself from wondering what the current members are feeling. My mind goes to testimonies (what the group calls getting up and talking in the church service) about the atrocities of network television and professional sports. I remember one man (whom I dearly love and miss terribly) rising to tell the church that if his grandchildren were exposed to The Simpsons while at anyone in the groups house, he would make sure they never returned to that house. I remember countless testimonies and confessions of God convicting people to stop wearing short sleeves or shorts. I remember youth gathering after youth gathering that turned into confessions of women wearing pants instead of dresses. These were the convictions.
Now there is a public document showing the lack of integrity flowing from the leadership of the group. I wonder if there will be as much outrage aimed at the lying leader as was aimed at a fictional cartoon character. I wonder if there will be meetings of conviction about allowing such a man to remain in leadership as there was about a trip to the grocery store in a pair of khakis.
I hope so. I honestly don't understand why or how people can stay. I hear things (and I really don't have close enough sources to know if this is completely accurate) about the group changing their rules. I've heard the current pastor has decided to refrain from telling people what they can or can't wear. I wonder if they admit that what they define as "the religious world" has already had a similar policy. I wonder if they credit "the religious world" for leading them toward getting rid of the false righteousness of white shirts and jean skirts.
I hear they have even changed some doctrine. When I was there I was taught only those who achieved moral perfection would be saved for eternity. Those who didn't reach perfection would die, but be raised to life at the end of the millennium in order to have another shot at reaching perfection. I've heard perfection is no longer the standard measurement. I've heard that now they are teaching you just have to try your best and God will see that. Everyone's best is different. There is a best that I can attain and there is a best you can attain. The standard seems to be sliding. (Again, I've heard this description from a few people still connected to the group. I may have it wrong. They may still believe you have to be morally perfect. Maybe they still believe that if every law in the Bible is not obeyed with a perfectly motivated heart a person's best hope is to come back for another shot in a few thousand years. If this is the case, I wonder how they feel about their pastor's salvation. A simple skimming of the Sermon on the Mount and the command to let your yes be yes and your no be no should terrify anyone who loves him. It is my prayer that the scars of the schoolmaster of the law will lead him into the godly sorrow needed for salvation.) If they've slidden the scale and now believe that God just requires us all to do our best, I wonder how they define God's holiness. I wonder how they define his justice. A sliding scale certainly isn't just. It certainly isn't holy. How can be holy and require anything less than perfection? They were actually closer to biblical theology when they said people have to be perfect. The difference between Christianity and every other religion is the God of the Bible freely gives what he requires. He requires perfect obedience to his holy law, but in his unfathomable grace, he freely gave the gift of perfect righteousness to all whose faith is in Christ.
Like the pastor of CGT, I lie. Like the members of CGT, I find it easier to turn my head when I see injustice. The Sermon on the Mount tells me I'm a murderer, liar, adulterer, and have no hope to ever reach the righteousness required to spend eternity with the Holy and Righteous God. There is only one whose righteousness has outshown the righteousness of the Pharisees. There is only one who has perfectly loved his enemies. Members of Christian Gospel Temple. Leaders of Christian Gospel Temple. Run to him and rest in him. Admit your performance, even if it's your best, is nothing compared to his goodness. Come to the wedding banquet, but don't come in your best. Come in the white robe Jesus wants to give you. Overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by trusting in his finished work. Charles Spurgeon said God won't clothe a man until his strips him first. Admit your nakedness. Admit your hiding. Take off the fig leaves that can never cover you and put on the righteousness of Christ. Blessed is the man whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven. Let Jesus take the random strings of your brokenness and weave them with his redemptive power.
A deposition was released this week involving the current pastor of Christian Gospel Temple. I read it yesterday. There is a new website called Truth About Christian Gospel Temple. It includes the deposition as well as other articles and news about the cult.
As I read the deposition, my mind went to my friends and family still involved with CGT. The deposition is full of lies and cover-ups. Self-preservation reigns. The odd thing about self-preservation is it destroys us. Reading the deposition is like watching a child pull a single string of yarn from a blanket. You watch it unravel and see the woven blanket reduced to random pieces of string.
I cannot help myself from wondering what the current members are feeling. My mind goes to testimonies (what the group calls getting up and talking in the church service) about the atrocities of network television and professional sports. I remember one man (whom I dearly love and miss terribly) rising to tell the church that if his grandchildren were exposed to The Simpsons while at anyone in the groups house, he would make sure they never returned to that house. I remember countless testimonies and confessions of God convicting people to stop wearing short sleeves or shorts. I remember youth gathering after youth gathering that turned into confessions of women wearing pants instead of dresses. These were the convictions.
Now there is a public document showing the lack of integrity flowing from the leadership of the group. I wonder if there will be as much outrage aimed at the lying leader as was aimed at a fictional cartoon character. I wonder if there will be meetings of conviction about allowing such a man to remain in leadership as there was about a trip to the grocery store in a pair of khakis.
I hope so. I honestly don't understand why or how people can stay. I hear things (and I really don't have close enough sources to know if this is completely accurate) about the group changing their rules. I've heard the current pastor has decided to refrain from telling people what they can or can't wear. I wonder if they admit that what they define as "the religious world" has already had a similar policy. I wonder if they credit "the religious world" for leading them toward getting rid of the false righteousness of white shirts and jean skirts.
I hear they have even changed some doctrine. When I was there I was taught only those who achieved moral perfection would be saved for eternity. Those who didn't reach perfection would die, but be raised to life at the end of the millennium in order to have another shot at reaching perfection. I've heard perfection is no longer the standard measurement. I've heard that now they are teaching you just have to try your best and God will see that. Everyone's best is different. There is a best that I can attain and there is a best you can attain. The standard seems to be sliding. (Again, I've heard this description from a few people still connected to the group. I may have it wrong. They may still believe you have to be morally perfect. Maybe they still believe that if every law in the Bible is not obeyed with a perfectly motivated heart a person's best hope is to come back for another shot in a few thousand years. If this is the case, I wonder how they feel about their pastor's salvation. A simple skimming of the Sermon on the Mount and the command to let your yes be yes and your no be no should terrify anyone who loves him. It is my prayer that the scars of the schoolmaster of the law will lead him into the godly sorrow needed for salvation.) If they've slidden the scale and now believe that God just requires us all to do our best, I wonder how they define God's holiness. I wonder how they define his justice. A sliding scale certainly isn't just. It certainly isn't holy. How can be holy and require anything less than perfection? They were actually closer to biblical theology when they said people have to be perfect. The difference between Christianity and every other religion is the God of the Bible freely gives what he requires. He requires perfect obedience to his holy law, but in his unfathomable grace, he freely gave the gift of perfect righteousness to all whose faith is in Christ.
Like the pastor of CGT, I lie. Like the members of CGT, I find it easier to turn my head when I see injustice. The Sermon on the Mount tells me I'm a murderer, liar, adulterer, and have no hope to ever reach the righteousness required to spend eternity with the Holy and Righteous God. There is only one whose righteousness has outshown the righteousness of the Pharisees. There is only one who has perfectly loved his enemies. Members of Christian Gospel Temple. Leaders of Christian Gospel Temple. Run to him and rest in him. Admit your performance, even if it's your best, is nothing compared to his goodness. Come to the wedding banquet, but don't come in your best. Come in the white robe Jesus wants to give you. Overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by trusting in his finished work. Charles Spurgeon said God won't clothe a man until his strips him first. Admit your nakedness. Admit your hiding. Take off the fig leaves that can never cover you and put on the righteousness of Christ. Blessed is the man whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven. Let Jesus take the random strings of your brokenness and weave them with his redemptive power.
7/10/09
Worshiping People
The more I hear about the lives of famous people, the more compassion I have for them. I'm still pretty young, but from what I've seen and experienced so far, success is tougher to handle than failure. Failing leaves us pretty aware of our desperation and need. Success fills us with delusions of grandeur and generally sets us up for a fall.
Steve McNair was a farm kid from Mount Olive, Mississippi who seemed like a pretty nice guy. The man who grew up in a town which boasted a population of 893 in the 2000 Census, grew up to be worshiped because he could perform on the football field. There were more people in the Southern end zone at Adelphia than in his hometown. We wore his jerseys and as a society turned our heads when he drove drunk. We cheered what he loved and ignored what we didn't.
I met him once at a Nashville Kats game. He was polite and friendly. But as with all famous people, he was a character. Not in the way he acted, but in the way people acted when they met him. The smiles. The compliments. The nervousness. People approached him with the realization they were speaking to somebody special. Even my invitation to the box where he was sitting exemplified how elevated he was in the public. The announcement that he was in a box and some of us would get to meet him made the ten to twenty people surrounding me smile and pay attention. Many of them probably hadn't even noticed I was there until they heard I was about to meet someone famous. That kind of attention and praise is deadly.
We weren't made to be worshiped. We were made to worship. We have been created and given this amazing gift of life to bear the image of the Triune God. Before this world was even formed God existed in an eternal relationship within himself. The Father, Son, and Spirit experienced perfect peace within their relationship. God is love because he has always been loving. Creation is an overflow of that love. Because he is perfectly good, he shared his love and community with creation. Humans were given the prized gift of bearing God's image. All of creation shouts his glory. We were specifically chosen to carry his image.
We've never basked in that freedom. Instead, we try to find ways to elevate ourselves to his throne and seek the glory that belongs to him alone. It kills us. Thankfully, most of us never reach that level of being worshiped. The more attention and praise lavished on us, the more unaware of reality we become.
Pride doesn't go before the fall because God is waiting for us to become proud so he can knock us down. It leads to our falls because it goes against the created order of God's world. When we are puffed up, we are ungrateful and unable to worship. A good friend of mine told me this week that the gospel frees us to be the paintbrush instead of the painter. God is the creator and sustainer of this beautiful world. He has given us the wonderful calling of carrying his image and showing his glory. There is a completely unique freedom in deflecting the praise and worship of men and boasting only in his goodness.
Steve McNair was a farm kid from Mount Olive, Mississippi who seemed like a pretty nice guy. The man who grew up in a town which boasted a population of 893 in the 2000 Census, grew up to be worshiped because he could perform on the football field. There were more people in the Southern end zone at Adelphia than in his hometown. We wore his jerseys and as a society turned our heads when he drove drunk. We cheered what he loved and ignored what we didn't.
I met him once at a Nashville Kats game. He was polite and friendly. But as with all famous people, he was a character. Not in the way he acted, but in the way people acted when they met him. The smiles. The compliments. The nervousness. People approached him with the realization they were speaking to somebody special. Even my invitation to the box where he was sitting exemplified how elevated he was in the public. The announcement that he was in a box and some of us would get to meet him made the ten to twenty people surrounding me smile and pay attention. Many of them probably hadn't even noticed I was there until they heard I was about to meet someone famous. That kind of attention and praise is deadly.
We weren't made to be worshiped. We were made to worship. We have been created and given this amazing gift of life to bear the image of the Triune God. Before this world was even formed God existed in an eternal relationship within himself. The Father, Son, and Spirit experienced perfect peace within their relationship. God is love because he has always been loving. Creation is an overflow of that love. Because he is perfectly good, he shared his love and community with creation. Humans were given the prized gift of bearing God's image. All of creation shouts his glory. We were specifically chosen to carry his image.
We've never basked in that freedom. Instead, we try to find ways to elevate ourselves to his throne and seek the glory that belongs to him alone. It kills us. Thankfully, most of us never reach that level of being worshiped. The more attention and praise lavished on us, the more unaware of reality we become.
Pride doesn't go before the fall because God is waiting for us to become proud so he can knock us down. It leads to our falls because it goes against the created order of God's world. When we are puffed up, we are ungrateful and unable to worship. A good friend of mine told me this week that the gospel frees us to be the paintbrush instead of the painter. God is the creator and sustainer of this beautiful world. He has given us the wonderful calling of carrying his image and showing his glory. There is a completely unique freedom in deflecting the praise and worship of men and boasting only in his goodness.
7/8/09
Love Enough by Andrew Peterson
Yesterday's hymn reminded me of this song. God's grace is not going to run out. He loves us today. He loves us tomorrow. He's already there and his promises are true. The grace is free ... drink!
He said, "I have wandered far to yonder ocean
I have drunk from every fountain in this world
I have turned each mossy stone
And have found myself alone
But I believe there is love enough for the taking"
Well, he sat down in the sand and he took his shoes off
And he rambled on beneath the misty moon
He said, "I've spent more than I've saved
And I've kept more than I gave
But I believe there is love enough for the taking"
"Well, it covers us like rain
It washes and it stains
Poured out from heaven's cup
For you and me to drink it up
And in stubborn spite of my stubborn spite
I am loved nonetheless
I am loved all the more
And I believe there is love enough for the taking"
I watched him empty out his pockets and take his shirt off
And he smiled awhile at something in his mind
He said, "The secret of this life is found in blood and sacrifice
And so you see
There is love enough for the taking"
"Well, it covers us like rain
It washes and it stains
Poured out from heaven's cup
For you and me to drink it up
And in stubborn spite of my stubborn spite
I am loved nonetheless
I am loved all the more
And I believe there is love enough for the taking"
He said it would not be long 'til he was leaving
Then I saw this boat appear before my eyes
Then the man began to run, crying out,
"My time has come
Hallelujah
There is love enough for the taking"
Well, it covers us like rain
It washes and it stains
Poured out from heaven's cup
For you and me to drink it up
And in stubborn spite of my stubborn spite
I am loved nonetheless
I am loved all the more
And I believe there is love enough for the taking
There is love enough for the taking
He said, "I have wandered far to yonder ocean
I have drunk from every fountain in this world
I have turned each mossy stone
And have found myself alone
But I believe there is love enough for the taking"
Well, he sat down in the sand and he took his shoes off
And he rambled on beneath the misty moon
He said, "I've spent more than I've saved
And I've kept more than I gave
But I believe there is love enough for the taking"
"Well, it covers us like rain
It washes and it stains
Poured out from heaven's cup
For you and me to drink it up
And in stubborn spite of my stubborn spite
I am loved nonetheless
I am loved all the more
And I believe there is love enough for the taking"
I watched him empty out his pockets and take his shirt off
And he smiled awhile at something in his mind
He said, "The secret of this life is found in blood and sacrifice
And so you see
There is love enough for the taking"
"Well, it covers us like rain
It washes and it stains
Poured out from heaven's cup
For you and me to drink it up
And in stubborn spite of my stubborn spite
I am loved nonetheless
I am loved all the more
And I believe there is love enough for the taking"
He said it would not be long 'til he was leaving
Then I saw this boat appear before my eyes
Then the man began to run, crying out,
"My time has come
Hallelujah
There is love enough for the taking"
Well, it covers us like rain
It washes and it stains
Poured out from heaven's cup
For you and me to drink it up
And in stubborn spite of my stubborn spite
I am loved nonetheless
I am loved all the more
And I believe there is love enough for the taking
There is love enough for the taking
7/7/09
Something in the Air
It seems like everyone I talk to is struggling. Whether it's the economy or just the everyday grind of life, lots of people are down. Yesterday I heard someone say it just seems like there's something in the air. Last week a friend sent me this hymn by Annie Flint.
He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials he multiplies peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
Annie J. Flint
He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials he multiplies peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
Annie J. Flint
7/6/09
Healed Nations
Revelation 22
The River of Life
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
The River of Life
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
7/5/09
Bedtime With Andrew
Andrew is a master at not giving you what you want, but doing it in a winsome way. We've been playing a little game at bedtime where I slowly say, "I - Love - Andrew." A couple nights ago he gave me back an, "I - Love - Daddy." Since that night, he's caught onto how much I enjoy hearing he loves me and has decided to deprive me of the joy.
Two nights ago at dinner, he followed my profession of love with, "I - Love - Hot Dogs." He even pauses long enough after the word love to make me think he might be saying daddy. Tonight, during bedtime, I tried to lead him to saying he loves me. Here's how it went.
Me - "I - Love - Andrew."
Andrew - "I - Love - - Mommy."
Me - "I - Love - B-mom."
Andrew - "I - Love - Fykey."
Me - "I - Love - Grand daddy."
Andrew - "I - Love - Grandma Mel."
Me - "I - Love - Mommy."
Andrew - "I - - Love - - - Brother!"
Two nights ago at dinner, he followed my profession of love with, "I - Love - Hot Dogs." He even pauses long enough after the word love to make me think he might be saying daddy. Tonight, during bedtime, I tried to lead him to saying he loves me. Here's how it went.
Me - "I - Love - Andrew."
Andrew - "I - Love - - Mommy."
Me - "I - Love - B-mom."
Andrew - "I - Love - Fykey."
Me - "I - Love - Grand daddy."
Andrew - "I - Love - Grandma Mel."
Me - "I - Love - Mommy."
Andrew - "I - - Love - - - Brother!"
Charles Spurgeon
Christ’s gospel has not come into the world to be co-equal with other faiths and share
a divided kingdom with differing creeds. False gods may stand face to face to each
other in one Pantheon, and be at peace, for they are all false together, but when
Christ comes, Dagon must go down, not even the stump of him must stand. Truth is of
necessity intolerant of falsehood, love wars with hate, and justice battles with wrong. - Charles Spurgeon
a divided kingdom with differing creeds. False gods may stand face to face to each
other in one Pantheon, and be at peace, for they are all false together, but when
Christ comes, Dagon must go down, not even the stump of him must stand. Truth is of
necessity intolerant of falsehood, love wars with hate, and justice battles with wrong. - Charles Spurgeon
7/2/09
Favre and Shaq
I'm getting sick of hearing everybody blast Brett Favre and Shaquille O'Neal for wanting to keep playing sports and win championships. I heard Jason Whitlock on Jim Rome's radio show saying Shaq was a groupie for going to play with Lebron. I hear people call Favre a baby for wanting to play another year in Minnesota.
Yes, these guys are selfish. We all are. But to say they're people of low character because they're approaching forty and want to keep playing games is more of an indictment on how important we think sports are in our culture. Revolutions are brewing in other countries. Our economy is being shredded. Very few of our leaders seem to have an ounce of reality in their approaches to solving the problems. But we reserve our outrage for a couple old guys (hardly) who want to keep playing sports for a living.
Again, I know they're both selfish. I hear teammates of both saying it's true. But wanting to play another year and possibly win another championship doesn't deserve the negative coverage it's receiving.
Yes, these guys are selfish. We all are. But to say they're people of low character because they're approaching forty and want to keep playing games is more of an indictment on how important we think sports are in our culture. Revolutions are brewing in other countries. Our economy is being shredded. Very few of our leaders seem to have an ounce of reality in their approaches to solving the problems. But we reserve our outrage for a couple old guys (hardly) who want to keep playing sports for a living.
Again, I know they're both selfish. I hear teammates of both saying it's true. But wanting to play another year and possibly win another championship doesn't deserve the negative coverage it's receiving.
7/1/09
An Example
There is a message board that was started called Gospel Assembly Free. The site was created as a support for others who had left the group of cults where I was raised. The other cults within the fellowship also have a long history of mental and sexual abuse as well as the same false doctrines. Someone posted the following post sometime yesterday. It is a perfect example of how a cult reacts to being called out on their unethical behavior and false doctrine.
"Oh thank you Wuanda. You are such a blessing. You know, I have some mixed feelings about this. I am sorry so many are so deceived. If only they knew what I knew that the Holy Ghost is a person. All that doctrine that Cornelius Mears taught us was just a bunch of garbage. I feel sorry for them sometimes. But other times, it just makes me physically ill, sick to my stomach, so much so, I wondered if I had a tape worm. So I took some wine. I think that will kill it. I don't do that often but sometimes. We need to pray for all sues. We need to have an All Sue day and pray for all the sues but it is a waste of time to pray for the suits unless they are law suits.
God bless"
The person who wrote the post took the time to create the alias screen name, Sharri. My mom's name is Shari. The post is an attempt to make fun of her and probably to hurt her in the process.
You can see the sarcastic and mean tone in the post. There is nothing that addresses anything of substance. Just poor attempts at humor. The name Sue is probably a reference to a relative still in the cult who has always had a distant relationship with my mom and me. Maybe I'm wrong about the intention of the writer. Maybe they're attempting to hammer in a point about lawsuits, but I think it is a personal reference to the relationship between my mom and our relative.
Either way, it is highly inflammatory. I still see no reason to joke about four sexual abuse lawsuits filed because of a pastor's failure to protect children.
In the years that I've been free, this is more often than not the approach the cult members take in addressing those of us who have left. I can think of two instances where someone there actually tried to understand where we were coming from with integrity. Possibly they have in their private readings of our concerns. But publicly and personally, there have only been two.
It is strange to know there is somebody out there who dislikes you enough to take the time to write something and even create an alias to mock you. I know my mom and I have repeatedly spoken out against the leadership of the cult. We have pleaded with those members still in the group to speak out against the injustices committed within their walls and to repent. No doubt there have been times of unwise communication and lines that shouldn't have been crossed. But what I do know is that our intentions have always been to see those within the group delivered from the grips of Satan and placed into the nail-scarred hands of Christ. Posts like this one are completely void of any love or concern for my mom's well-being. It is an adolescent and sophomoric jab.
(To be fair, it could have been the work of a thirteen year old kid who has heard their parents talking about the message board or my mom's attacks on the group. If that's the case, then there are other issues that would need to be addressed.)
I received a copy of the post this morning in email. A friend of my mom's had read the board and forwarded it onto her before it was deleted. I don't know if it was deleted by the message board operator or if the author realized it was done in poor taste.
I've shared my story with so many of you. I thought reading this post might be helpful in understanding a little more what's it like to leave a group like this.
"Oh thank you Wuanda. You are such a blessing. You know, I have some mixed feelings about this. I am sorry so many are so deceived. If only they knew what I knew that the Holy Ghost is a person. All that doctrine that Cornelius Mears taught us was just a bunch of garbage. I feel sorry for them sometimes. But other times, it just makes me physically ill, sick to my stomach, so much so, I wondered if I had a tape worm. So I took some wine. I think that will kill it. I don't do that often but sometimes. We need to pray for all sues. We need to have an All Sue day and pray for all the sues but it is a waste of time to pray for the suits unless they are law suits.
God bless"
The person who wrote the post took the time to create the alias screen name, Sharri. My mom's name is Shari. The post is an attempt to make fun of her and probably to hurt her in the process.
You can see the sarcastic and mean tone in the post. There is nothing that addresses anything of substance. Just poor attempts at humor. The name Sue is probably a reference to a relative still in the cult who has always had a distant relationship with my mom and me. Maybe I'm wrong about the intention of the writer. Maybe they're attempting to hammer in a point about lawsuits, but I think it is a personal reference to the relationship between my mom and our relative.
Either way, it is highly inflammatory. I still see no reason to joke about four sexual abuse lawsuits filed because of a pastor's failure to protect children.
In the years that I've been free, this is more often than not the approach the cult members take in addressing those of us who have left. I can think of two instances where someone there actually tried to understand where we were coming from with integrity. Possibly they have in their private readings of our concerns. But publicly and personally, there have only been two.
It is strange to know there is somebody out there who dislikes you enough to take the time to write something and even create an alias to mock you. I know my mom and I have repeatedly spoken out against the leadership of the cult. We have pleaded with those members still in the group to speak out against the injustices committed within their walls and to repent. No doubt there have been times of unwise communication and lines that shouldn't have been crossed. But what I do know is that our intentions have always been to see those within the group delivered from the grips of Satan and placed into the nail-scarred hands of Christ. Posts like this one are completely void of any love or concern for my mom's well-being. It is an adolescent and sophomoric jab.
(To be fair, it could have been the work of a thirteen year old kid who has heard their parents talking about the message board or my mom's attacks on the group. If that's the case, then there are other issues that would need to be addressed.)
I received a copy of the post this morning in email. A friend of my mom's had read the board and forwarded it onto her before it was deleted. I don't know if it was deleted by the message board operator or if the author realized it was done in poor taste.
I've shared my story with so many of you. I thought reading this post might be helpful in understanding a little more what's it like to leave a group like this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)