Posts Tagged ‘Church Issues’

This is my take on the situation that I brought up in the Town Hall discussion yesterday.  I had so much to say that it turned into a post instead of a comment.    If you just found this, go here to know what I am talking about. 

First, I am extremely happy with the response this week.  I am also happy that we have a diversity of thought displayed here also.  And this is what I want, your thoughts.  It is so easy to find what some famous preacher or theologian has to say on any given situation.  Google any topic and you can find various discussions ranging from legalistic to everything goes, from way out there to just plain ridiculous.  The internet has actually allowed us all to ‘borrow’ opinions instead of come up with our own. 

But I see some evidence of thought here today.

I held back details on purpose so we could get an idea about the general attitudes about a commercial enterprise in a church.  Whether the very idea would offend God, or not.  Not you or me, but God Himself.  If it doesn’t bother Him then it sure shouldn’t bother me. 

This is what the pastor of the church had to say about what he was doing…

Right now we are only open on weekends and Wednesday nights and special events at the church. However, we will soon be opening during the week as well.We staff the Starbucks ourselves with volunteers. Starbucks corporate sent trainers in and trained them and we are responsible for them knowing how to make all of the specialty drinks. They will be sending “mystery shoppers” (as they do to all of their locations) just to make sure we are making the product correctly.

All of the standard “house blend” coffee is free (sells for about $1.80 per cup in most starbucks). All of the other products will sell for about 15%-20% below what you might see at other Starbucks. All of the proceeds will go to youth and children’s ministries. In a sense, it’s just like a donut sale for Winterfest…just a bit more sophisticated
 
This pastor is Jerry Lawson of Daystar in Cullman, Alabama.  From what I gather, he took over this church in 1996 with pretty low attendance, which I can’t document.  But I do know that a few weeks ago they opened up their new facility with an attendance of close to 2000.  He has a Saturday evening, two Sunday morning, and a Sunday evening service.  And for those who know, this is Cullman we are talking about.  (I don’t mean anything negative here, just thinking about the population count.)
 

 

And I also hear that his people are workers.  They are doing something for the Kingdom up there.  And Brother Lawson must be doing something right. 

 

 

As for the objections; I, like Dee, first thought about the temple incident.  But I also see it as Jesus being upset about the manipulation of the faithful by imposing unfair exchange rates, thus profiting from the abuse of the righteous who only wanted to get closer to God.  See this post and think about what Jesus would do if He showed up at some of these ‘ministry’s’ today. 

And Chris’ thoughts are new to me; I will have to look up some on this idea about the sacrificial system being what Jesus was angry about.  I do believe God was unhappy with this system, even though he instituted it.  And He had a new program coming, that Christ knew about, that would abolish the need of the system.  But it is very interesting and I am glad to hear from you.  Keep studying and you should come back and comment some more.  I wish I could have did this ‘back when.’

Leigh brings up some valid thoughts about the distractions that I had not thought about.  Bathroom trips during services are something all churches have to deal with.  And as for those that are jittery and can’t wait for it to be over and this may sound harsh and unloving but, I say stay home.  What are they there for anyway?     Jesus wouldn’t need a Starbucks, but He would probably be hanging out in one, and not the one in church.

Sabrina brings up the idea of where does it all stop.  This is a valid observation.  We see a lot of churches that have abandoned the mission because they went too far.  But this is something we have to rely on our leaders to ascertain.  And if they do not use Godly judgment on these issues then we must bring it to their attention.   

And I am definitely in agreement with Connie about Jesus doing whatever it took.  You suggest nose piercing.  What about hands and feet?  Paul also talked about being all things to all people. 

Tammy talks about the opportunity for fellowship.  I can vouch for her and say that this has happened to and for her a number of times.  She means true fellowship, where a few meet and minister to each other, over coffee or whatever, and it turn into a meeting with the Holy Spirit.  He could show up in Starbucks to meet, comfort, guide, and instruct.  Who would keep Him out?

And I knew John would love the idea.

As for me, I am all for it.  As long as some boundaries are maintained.  And let me say that I don’t drink the stuff.  Coffee, that is.  Never have. 

If the concession closes during service, if it stays nonprofit and any proceeds are used for ministry or charity, if it increases fellowship, and brings some to church that otherwise wouldn’t come, then what is it about this that would bother God. 

Brother Lawson is offering some menu items free and all others at a reduced price.  And he is trying to get it open on weekdays. 

Just imagine that guy that comes every weekday morning to get his favorite concoction at a reduced price, and is continually served in Christlike love by that sold out to Jesus teen with the nose ring, and decides to come to a worship service and turns his life over in service to our King. 

If he is the only one that ever gets saved by doing this Starbucks thing, then those at Daystar have dealt a blow to the enemy camp.  As for me, that is what it is all about. 

Keep up the good fight, Pastor Jerry Lawson. 

Love you all 

 

 

 

 

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Here we are again.  It is time for the Tuesday Town Hall discussion again and hopefully we can have more discussion than we did last week.  This week I have a question that I don’t think is quite as divisive as last week and not nearly as important.  Or at least it may not be.  We’ll see. 

As for all of you who responded last week, thank you again.  We all have a lot of different backgrounds and beliefs and I think this is a good way to discuss them. 

Okay, let’s move to this week’s discussion.

There is a lot of discussion in the Body of Christ, the Church, on relevance and how we can reach and engage the people of our day’s culture.  Many churches are trying to do things differently while some are bemoaning the good old days.  Many different avenues are being explored.  I believe some are good, some okay, and some dangerous.  But I do agree we have to do something or I fear for the state of the Church when my grandchildren have to decide what to do about issues of faith. 

I will be touching on this again in the Combat Readiness series.  So here is the focus for today…

A church in my state, in my denomination, opened up a Starbucks in the lobby of their church this week. 

Without knowing anything more than this, what do you think about it?

Is it good?  Is it bad?  Is it biblically justified or condemned? 

What say you?

Love you all

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28
Sep

What Might Have Been?

   Posted by: Sonny    in Abortion, Belief, Hope, Self, Spiritual Warfare

Jonathan Wallis was born on April 4 1975.  His father was a steelworker and his mother was a waitress.  He didn’t have much when he was a child because his parents split up early in his life.  But he was a good boy and when his mother had to work at two jobs he had a lot of time alone.  He loved to read and stayed out of serious trouble and after a rough start, did very well in school.  He put himself through college and graduated with two doctorates.  At the age of thirty one in 2006 he developed a laser treatment that removed tumors in the brain without invasive surgery.

Susie Johnston was also born in 1975.  Her parents were in college when she was born and the strain on their relationship was tremendous but, they worked through it and were able to raise Susie in a good, loving, giving environment.  She became a nurse and in 2003 moved to South America to open an orphanage and medical clinic.

Josh Burroughs was born in August 1975.  He was placed in a state home immediately because his mother was in a rehab program and didn’t want him.  He was moved around for a few years and was abused.  But the Burroughs, Bill and Gloria, adopted him at 10 years of age.  With a lot of love and affirmation they motivated him to also finish college and move into research.  Just this year he announced, along with his team, that they had developed a cure for AIDS.

By this time you might be saying to yourself, “Wait a minute.  I haven’t heard of any of this.”  And you would be right.  None of the above happened.  I made it all up.  I was just wondering, what might have been. 

These three fictitious people, born thirty three years ago, might have been real.  They might just be three of the over one million casualties of war that happened in the worst battleground that existed in 1975.  That battleground was the womb of a woman that was told it was her right to kill an innocent.  An unwanted and unplanned child could be slaughtered in the womb and discarded as trash by any woman for any reason.  What an age of compassion and enlightenment we live in. 

Legislation was passed as the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), and signed into law in 1970.  This established the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Council on Environmental Quality

In 1972, the United Nations held the first Human Environment conference which led to the development of special government agencies like the UN Environment Program to help regulate and set environmental standards.  This was so we could make sure and protect this earth we live on. 

In 1973 came the Endangered Species Act.  Peter Singer was also working on his book, Animal Liberation, which was published in 1975.  His main thesis is that if women can have rights, then animals should too. 

Our enemy also won a major victory in 1973.  Around the same time so many came to the defense of the planet and the animals that live on it, a few men sold out to the enemy and overturned many state laws that had protected the innocent child. 

And look at how far we have come.  We have a multitude of laws protecting the environment and animals.  We have groups out to convince us of global warming and animal species extinction.  We can go to jail for inhumane treatment of an animal.  We can’t even, by law, put a dog out of its misery in old age but instead, must let a veterinarian do it, in case we cause it to inadvertently suffer.

Peter Singer has moved on to teaching that a child is not even a person until some elusive time when it obtains, “rationality, autonomy, and self-consciousness.” These are required for a child to have the “essential characteristics of personhood.” 

So it’s okay that since 1973, because of some of our most prestigious judges being sold out to the enemy, we, as a nation, have slaughtered almost forty million innocent children in the name of selfishness. 

Imagine the potential that has been wasted.  Some of the earlier casualties of this warfare would be reaching the ages of maximum contribution to society.  God had a plan and a set of abilities and gifts for each one of them.

In the fiction I wrote at the beginning of this article, Jonathan was aborted because the parents didn’t really love each other and didn’t want a kid.  Susie was aborted because her parents found her to be inconvenient and an unfair burden to come from an evening of fun.   And no one was there for Josh’s mother to tell her that she could do something different.  The center she was in just wanted the child out of the way. 

There are many reasons that some think they should murder the innocent.  And I really hate that I sound so harsh.  And I do not judge or condemn anyone that has made this decision.  God loves you no matter what you might have done.  He can forgive you for whatever you might have done. 

 

 

 

I just wanted to point out one thing. 

Satan told Eve a lie.  She believed it and brought all of us into a war we didn’t ask for.  He is still lying.  He is telling some that murder is okay and he is telling some that it doesn’t matter if others do it as long as they don’t.  If anyone is okay with abortion, whether a woman having one, or a politician okay with it, or a person ignoring this by their vote, they are serving the enemy.

Anyone that could be a party to the dismemberment of an innocent, helpless child is deceived by the enemy of all of our souls.

Don’t buy into his lie?

I really love you all

 

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