As I sat just outside his office in the waiting area, I could sense a change in the direction of his discussion. My mother had been talking with him about life in general and some about the church. He looked at the desk now empty for the day as the secretary had left for home. It was his next few sentences that made me squirm in my seat and made me want to cover my ears for not wanting to hear what was coming.
“It’s like there’s a dark cloud over the place when she’s here,” he said. He was talking about the church’s secretary. He was the church’s pastor. I don’t know how many times I had heard him praise her to her face when she was in the office telling her she was doing a great job and was an encouragement. To my mother’s and my face, he told of firing her and looking for a new secretary. He went on to explain how when his aunt filled in for a week, she would even dust and vacuum his office – why wouldn’t his real secretary do that, he pondered out loud.
This week I began to think about that again. How could someone pretend in front of so many people. How could he just blatantly bad-mouth members of his congregation, Christians dedicated to the Lord. I don’t know if he’s still pastor there or not but with the immorality and unbiblical behavior I personally saw of him many times, I would guess he is not.
That dark cloud I believe has enveloped over the United States like a bad storm waiting to strike anyone it can. This one week alone, we witnessed a horrible event at Virginia Tech, the anniversaries of the Columbine High School shooting and the Oklahoma City bombing, a hostage taken at NASA and killed along with a suicide, and schools and buildings evacuated because of bomb threats.
Satan is beginning to run this country and Christians are letting him! We’re going along with his guises of how things could be done. We’re witnessing worship services being watered down with songs filled with meaningless diatribe, pastors watering down their sermons or going so long the people lose interest. Deacons and trustees of churches caring more about numbers in pews and the latest and greatest building designs than they do about people’s hearts, and pastors who care more about how much money a person makes than what their dedication is to the church.
We as Christians need to turn from our wicked ways and turn back to God and God alone. We need to ask for forgiveness or our nation is going to fall deaf from hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ! The Bible clearly says that any nation who wants to return to the power of God must first have those who are followers of God confess, repent, and forgive. Until that time, what we saw this week may only get worse.
I pray that it does not. I pray that we will begin to truly see the examples we’re giving the world of Christianity. Let’s begin to remove those dark clouds over the churches of America so we can begin to see the sun once again shine through. Let’s look to Jesus Christ!
In His Grip!
“It’s like there’s a dark cloud over the place when she’s here,” he said. He was talking about the church’s secretary. He was the church’s pastor. I don’t know how many times I had heard him praise her to her face when she was in the office telling her she was doing a great job and was an encouragement. To my mother’s and my face, he told of firing her and looking for a new secretary. He went on to explain how when his aunt filled in for a week, she would even dust and vacuum his office – why wouldn’t his real secretary do that, he pondered out loud.
This week I began to think about that again. How could someone pretend in front of so many people. How could he just blatantly bad-mouth members of his congregation, Christians dedicated to the Lord. I don’t know if he’s still pastor there or not but with the immorality and unbiblical behavior I personally saw of him many times, I would guess he is not.
That dark cloud I believe has enveloped over the United States like a bad storm waiting to strike anyone it can. This one week alone, we witnessed a horrible event at Virginia Tech, the anniversaries of the Columbine High School shooting and the Oklahoma City bombing, a hostage taken at NASA and killed along with a suicide, and schools and buildings evacuated because of bomb threats.
Satan is beginning to run this country and Christians are letting him! We’re going along with his guises of how things could be done. We’re witnessing worship services being watered down with songs filled with meaningless diatribe, pastors watering down their sermons or going so long the people lose interest. Deacons and trustees of churches caring more about numbers in pews and the latest and greatest building designs than they do about people’s hearts, and pastors who care more about how much money a person makes than what their dedication is to the church.
We as Christians need to turn from our wicked ways and turn back to God and God alone. We need to ask for forgiveness or our nation is going to fall deaf from hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ! The Bible clearly says that any nation who wants to return to the power of God must first have those who are followers of God confess, repent, and forgive. Until that time, what we saw this week may only get worse.
I pray that it does not. I pray that we will begin to truly see the examples we’re giving the world of Christianity. Let’s begin to remove those dark clouds over the churches of America so we can begin to see the sun once again shine through. Let’s look to Jesus Christ!
In His Grip!
2 comments:
Hey dickhead, quit talking shit about my pastor and using your "Living Life" column to bash the people of God and His Bride the church.
Q. What church do you attend?
A. NONE, your not an active member anywhere.
Q. How many times have you sang at a church in the last year?
A.NONE.
Dude.....quit talking trash or im gonna throw you in a pool of water.
Maybe instead of dwelling on people imperfections you should analyze your bitterness. I do not think it is right to talk about anyone but do not forget the fact that we are all sinners in need of salvation. I think instead of the focus being on peoples sins that we already know we all have you should in turn look at praying to surrender your bitterness that you are carrying. By your notes it is obvious that it has become your whole life.
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