Posted on 10/11/2014 9:11:03 PM PDT by servo1969
Last Thursday evening I had my pastor over to Casa de Giles to enjoy one of my fine cigars with the family and me. During the course of catching up, I found out that several new families from a local South Florida mega-church had left that zoo and had joined our church. The reason why they said they absconded had me gobsmacked and Im a hard critter to shock.
Having been in the ministry for twenty-five years, Ive pretty much heard it all and have seen it all, but I wasnt ready for this curve ball. This time it wasnt because the pastor was an impenitent adulterer or heretic or because he was going all Rob Ford and stuff down on South Beach or that he was squat-humping altar boys.
No, the reason they fled Babylon was because they found out that their pastor had an elder-approved clothing budget of $60,000 a year built into his financial perks for pastoring. What a dandy. Sounds just like the lowly Nazarene, eh? Five grand a month? Really, dude? Oh, and I almost forgot, he also never wears the same clothes twice when he appears on stage on Sundays. Who does he think he is? Mariah Carey?
As I was listening to my brother line out what these refugees had told him was their reason for leaving, I couldnt help but contrast that crap with another minister whom I had met with the week prior who runs a massive ministry providing the basics for Iraqi Christians being slaughtered by the Islamic State in northern Iraq. His ministry is a real front-line-life-or-death works in one of the most anti-Christian hot spots on the planet. Oh, by the way, he takes no salary for all the hard work he churns out helping thousands under Islams heel.
As a 51year-old Ive had it with the Christian Glitterati obsessed with success using ministry as a means to get rich, wear Rolexes and play like they're Ryan Seacrest. Our world is going to hell and the last thing we need is a preening pastor with a histrionic personality disorder.
For what its worth, my brethren, heres my advice to saints who might find themselves in a similar silly church situation.
Yep, folks, my time, talent and treasure will only go to ministers and ministries that stay true to the Verbum Dei and who do good works for those whore truly in need. I suggest you do the same and flee the carnival-like mooks whove let their personal ambitions eclipse biblical principles and common sense.
Amen.
Worship is not a performance. If my eyes are on the "worship team" and not on Jesus during the worship, then there is a problem. If I am going to church to be entertained by the "worship team" during worship then there is a problem. You may be "lifting a joyful noise unto the Lord", but hey that is worship in the sight of the Lord.
Further, if I need a professional worship leader to direct me in worship, that is a problem. If I have a problem worshiping without a "worship leader" directing me, then it is time to get on my knees before God.
... just trying to picture Jesus on the stage with a great band, babes doing their performance, and the stud muffin doing the worship leader thing.
“This fellow is still bush league compared to Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker”
LOL! I remember Them way back in the day when they were first getting into televangelism. They would bring people up in stage with various afflictions and Jim would place his hands on whatever part of the body and do a prayer, ending with a request (demand) for God to heal. And, the afflicted person would be healed. My favorite healing demonstration was when Jim stretched a guy’s leg to be the same length as the other. The guy, after being healed, got up and walked off the stage with nary a limp. Truly a miracle......
Well I most certainly agree!
Not all saying are literal, you know.
My husband’s family’s church, a small 100+ year old country Baptist church, hand built my husband’s grandfather and other members, has a pastor who quoted The Andy Griffin Show one Sunday. It was actually pretty special!
And those women can COOK!!!!!! They have Sunday dinner afterwards sometimes- every dish is lovingly made from scratch- biscuits, cornbread, fried chicken, pot roast and gravy, deviled eggs, ice box pies, potato salads- a feast for kings. I keep telling them they need a nap room for after dinner but, nothing has been done about that yet.
A combination of bad communication and horrible timing recently put us in a position to endure a service conducted by an ELCA pastor who contributed a non sequitur of a micro-sermon. At the conclusion, he practically ran out the door in his fancy new shoes and zoomed off in his gleaming new sports car. He was, however, not in such a hurry that he missed getting his "gratuity."
It was really quite the spectacle, and caused a number of attendees - of various denominations - to wax cynical.
Mr. niteowl77 (ex-ELCA)
Did you know Jim Bakker is remarried and has his own show again? Now they're selling prepper food. At least you get something of value for your dollars this time.
http://jimbakkershow.com/
Yeah, made me think of that guy, too.
Later
(He boldly went where Jim Bakker had gone before and has seen beyond the Mascara Barrier.)
Evidently he was Blinded by the Light.
For all we hear about "vows of poverty", most churches and their surrounding property has market value of millions of dollars. The Catholic church is an extreme example of this. It is pretty much impossible to calculate the net worth of the Catholic Church but it is said to run into ELEVEN figures.
Think about that next time you toss something into the collection plate.
You must be referring to Joel Osteen but I’m not sure if he is from Houston, but fits that mold completely.
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