This means a legitimate business meeting, not the "dog and pony show" we were subjected to on March 25th. It means:
1. Adequate childcare for those who need it for the duration of the meeting.
2. Voting on all motions by written ballot by verified members only.
3. An independent third party to moderate.
4. An independent third party to count and certify the votes.
5. No time limit on the meeting. If it runs too long, the meeting can always be recessed and continued later.
Please sign, then forward the above link to your friends so they can sign, too!
Now please continue...
Our New Church Logo?
726 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 726 Newer› Newest»momliving4him,lilly, 2006huldah,
I sent y'all mail. Did you get it? I may have done something wrong...
Anybody got a toddler awake who could help me navigate the web?
~ Sigh ~
Ok, I'm done. I'm giving myself the creeps. :(
Socwork said,
You know, there's medication for that.
oc says: Yeah, the 'medication' is the car that you promised, Ms Winfrey. Now what?
Patiently waiting for promise auto. OC.
PIGLET!! HELP!!
My necklace is on fire!!
H E L P!!
My necklace is on fire!!
lizzie,
You got one of those Baptist rosaries too? What a rash!
There is no such animal as
"sanctified sorcery ".
Just ask King Saul
oc said...
Charlie.
ZOWIE? Is that like, 'WOW'? We don't want none of that. I've heard enough 'wow' to last the rest of my life. Don't want to hear 'spew' either.
No ride if you talk like this,if you do, find your own ride. Bobble head dog or not.
your friend and mine, oc.
REPLY:
Oh no, man you got me all wrong. ZOWIE is like SHAZAM!!! I would NEVER say the "W" word.
tn lizzie
Lucky for you, I have some Hallelujah Holy Water to put it out with, but it'll cost you a dollar....
Guess piglet didn't think to kindly of my suggestion.
Here oc: Your new car! It appears to come fully installed with it's very own Spirit!
Charlie
What suggestion? Did you suggest I shut up? :)
Piglet said...
tn lizzie
Lucky for you, I have some Hallelujah Holy Water to put it out with, but it'll cost you a dollar....
REPLY:
You can borrow my "Prayer Towel" to dry off with. NO CHARGE.
piglet,
Go back to my 9:27 post
Paging Dr. Loney.
Paging Dr. Loney.
We need Dr. Loney to prescribe some medication for oc...
:)
Oh, Charlie - sorry, I just saw your Papal Pork Rinds.
You'll have to do your own marketing or give me a piece of the action......
oc,
Unfortuntely, your new car is hidden in the middle of this. What a dilemna!
Thanks Piglet! Thanks Charlie!
For a dollar + free I get to be sprinkled and dried off. I did that once as a methodist...
charlie fox, you watch your language mister! we'll have none of that shazam business on this here blog.
Piglet said...
Oh, Charlie - sorry, I just saw your Papal Pork Rinds.
You'll have to do your own marketing or give me a piece of the action......
REPLY:
I wouldn't touch that with a 10 foot pole.
Charlie said, Oh no, man you got me all wrong. ZOWIE is like SHAZAM!!! I would NEVER say the "W" word.
OC says, well, I wouldn't let Jim Nabors in my car either. Try again.
I do applaud you for not saying the 'w' word, though.
Junk and tn lizzie
LOL!!!!!
tn_lizzie2000 said...
Thanks Piglet! Thanks Charlie!
For a dollar + free I get to be sprinkled and dried off. I did that once as a methodist...
REPLY:
Me too, XX years ago.
GOOOOOOLLY, what CAN a fella say around these parts?
Junk said.
Unfortuntely, your new car is hidden in the middle of this. What a dilemna!
OC says,
I asked for a Lamborghini, not a 'labyrinth'. There is a difference, you know.
I had a good friend named Lamborghini.
oc,
Take it up with socwork.
Charlie said, I had a good friend named Lamborghini.
oc says: Notice the past tense. How does that help me now? What have you done for me lately? A bobble head dog. What good is that if I have no rear window to put it in? Socwork, have mercy. Please help Charlie out. Call 1-800-ma feets be bleedin'. You'll be glad you did.
Junk said, oc,
Take it up with socwork.
oc says,
Condaleeza Socwork? I thought it was Socwork Winfrey. Guess I'll drop it.
junk, I resemble that remark!
oc, ok, that made me laugh out loud! just call me condi.
Ok, really, don't. :)
Charlie said, I had a good friend named Lamborghini.
oc says: Notice the past tense.
REPLY;
Past tense as in "He pasted away"
Massive explosive growth inoperable brain tumor. 4 weeks from diagnosis to death.
I didn't mean to take the fun and humor out of the evening.
Yeah, charlie fox... you sure know how to quiet the blog, huh!
:)
Sorry all. Just brought back memories.
Charlie,
I'm sorry. Forgive me, friend.
oc said...
Charlie,
I'm sorry. Forgive me, friend.
REPLY:
Thank you, brother. No apology necessary. It just brought back GOOD memories.
It appears a few 4 yr olds have decided to sign the petition.
OK, ya'll snap out of it!!!!!!!
Charlie,
email me so I can apologize.
oc.
Charlie,
I'm good at apologizing. I have LOTS of practice. And I'm not done yet. Sorry, friend.
oc.
oc said...
Charlie,
I'm good at apologizing. I have LOTS of practice. And I'm not done yet. Sorry, friend.
oc.
RELY:
I'll accept your apology, ONLY IF YOU LET ME DRIVE YOUR NEW CAR.
To all of you who have not signed this petition asking for another business meeting, I urge you to do so. Bellevue Baptist Church deserves a second chance at ridding itself of the deceit which has become so prevalent within its walls.
Those who have come to know me, know that I am not a member of Bellevue Baptist Church; but you also know that I feel a kinship with you in knowing and feeling your pain. We are also bound together as the Body of Christ.
It was a year ago today that my husband, and two other deacons were voted out as active deacons in our former church. Though it has been extremely hard, I thank God every day that we were removed from that church. We have grown to understand why God took us down this road and we look back not with regret or pain, but forward to what persecution God may have for us in the future. We have all grown in our spiritual walk as a result of this persecution and are ready to do God’s will whatever that might be.
So in thinking back on our circumstances a year ago, I have wondered where Bellevue might be a year from now. It may well be that the Body of Christ is removed from Bellevue and that what remains is the apostate church. We don’t know for certain. But I’d like to convey to each of you that you need to be able to look back a year from now and know that you did what you could and that God’s will was done. I pray that you sign the petition and follow God’s lead.
Churches all over the world are falling away. We know from God’s Word that in the end times false teachers will be rampant. I firmly believe that is where we are today. The churches have become like the world and true churches are so very hard to find. There are those of us who hunger for Truth and can’t find it in a local church. The Rapture must be near.
I continue to pray every day for all of you…you have become like family. You are family; we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
Ima
Ima,
Thank you for your encouragment. The petition is very important. I know many have already put their names on the line and I have been praying that many more will as well. For those that are still contemplating, please remember that the 30,000 members include children and those are the numbers that the church will use to gather the count for a quorum. Please have your child(ren) sign as well. If they are old enough to be saved and join the church, they are old enough to understand the importance of this meeting. It is their future too.
Ima said...
"Churches all over the world are falling away. We know from God’s Word that in the end times false teachers will be rampant. I firmly believe that is where we are today. The churches have become like the world and true churches are so very hard to find. There are those of us who hunger for Truth and can’t find it in a local church. The Rapture must be near."
*******
Ima,
I agree with you on everything you said. Everything, our sister.
Dee
Charlie said,
I'll accept your apology, ONLY IF YOU LET ME DRIVE YOUR NEW CAR.
OC says,
You got it, buddy. If you can convince Socwork (may it be Socwork Winfrey or Condaleeza Socwork) to get me that car...
you can do smokey burnouts in that puppy.
Are you feeling the pressure, Socwork? If not, you have no heart. Feel no guilt, though. Feel no guilt.....
Greetings
I've had a rough evening... apparently, the expiration date on the milk carton is not just a suggestion...word to the wise: just because it looks like cottage cheese--doesn't mean that it is.
Did someone mention a brain tumor? It's not my specialty, but give me about 45 minutes on the Mexico City Community College Medical School website, and it will be.
As my ex-sister-in-law's housekeeper(who suffered from Tourette's), Linda Hand, used to say: "Bill Loney, you %#@*%#, sometimes %&*#%&, @#$#%, @#&*&#, and you just have to &*%#@, &*%#%!
and then %&*&#, @@#%&."
O what truth kernels, Linda, precious truth kernels.
William T. Loney M.D.
ps...I'm on call tonight, so if anyone has an emergency, the payphone # on the corner is 9013722444. If no one answers after 25 rings, wait 5 minutes, and try again. If someone by the name of Kandi or Raven answers, trust me, they are not doctors.
oc,
I don't think Condi has ever given any cars away... and I might be able to write up some public policies for you though.
Incidently, I e-mailed you.
ima,
You have REAL mail.
Well, Dr. Loney, if you want to lose weight, drinking rotten milk is certainly one way to go. It's probably not the best way.
I might be able to refer you to an eating disorder program, should you be so inclined.
Would Dr. Loney mind e-mailing me? I need some free medical advice.
I'm off to bed. Gonna dream of "laying rubber" in oc's FANCY NEW CAR that Whateverthename is giving him.
Socwork,
Got it. Thanks. I still need the car. So does Charlie. Don't let the poor fella down, Condaleeza Winfrey. You da big shot!
Your friend and mine, oc.
good night, charlie fox :)
Thank you Mom4 and Dee.
There is an old adage, "You must stand for something or you will fall for anything." My dad used to remind me of this when I'd be facing difficult decisions. :) I'd like to change it up a bit, though it is true as it is...however I feel we "either stand for Jesus or we don't". There is no neutral line in this issue. Anybody should be able to see if he/she is Biblically grounded that the turmoil alone is grounded in the leadership, including and starting with Steve Gaines. There is great distress and turmoil in the world...when the church becomes as the world you have the same scenario. It is as easy as two plus two equal four. You either see it or you don't. If you do see it and you are standing for Jesus, sign the petition. You must take a stand for Jesus Christ and if putting your name to a petition scares you...remember what Jesus did for you! Think He wasn't scared? Go on and take the step...sign it and let the world see that you are standing for Jesus. Persecution is a wonderful thing if it is for the right reason. Don't be afraid or ashamed to sign your name in taking a stand for Jesus. Be bold in doing it.
Ima
Bill Loney,
Did Linda Hand ever marry her long timre boyfriend, Bobby Sox.
GROAN!!!!!!!!
Ima,
The mailman hath come.
Charlie,
Yes, the mailman hath cometh.
There is a RSVP in the works. :)
Ima
True story: I used to go to different schools for part of one of my jobs. I walked into a school's office one day to sign in, and the school secretary who sat in the front office had her name plate prominently on her desk.
Her name?
Anita Knife.
Seriously. Say it out loud. I had to practice some serious self control that day.
Ima:
Good words!
Note:
My boys read the Larry King interview with Joel Osteen and they nailed him!
"Where is the repentance?" they asked, "Nothing about sin?"
And "Why can't he just come out and say that if you don't believe in Jesus you WILL go to Hell?"
When asked if a Jewish person would go to Hell, Dr. Rogers responded that one of his own children would go to Hell without Jesus as Lord. This is a great response to a question meant to caue controversy. But Joel just squirms and will not answer the question.
And he must have said "I don't know" about 85 times during the interview, and much of what he "doesn't know" is spelled out in scripture....
Trying to prepare my kids for all that is coming....
G'night.
Soc,
Thanks for the advice and the offer, but as a highly trained medical expert, I am well schooled in both weight loss methods and eating disorders. In fact, if you google the 'Atkins Diet', you will find that it was formerly called the 'BillLoney Diet'. He saw the beneficial affects (6ft-3, 113 lbs.) afforded by my high protein regiment of canned meats and low priced animal parts, and ran with it to a publisher. I would have gotten there first, but the 'Squire' was at the pawn shop, and for some reason, people won't pick up a hitchhiker wearing a pastel leisure suit and green Chuck Taylor converses.
As for eating disorders, you obviously haven't read my ground-breaking publications on anorexia and bulimia, which can be found in the Price-Lo shopper's journal and also in the Pigeon Forge Tourist Guide.
And for your information Mr. Smarty Pants, it wasn't the milk that made me sick, it was the Pickled Salmon that I put in it to make my Smoothie.
As for your inquiry Nass, I've been warned by the Tennessee State Police not to give medical advice via the internet...well, not so much warned as forbidden. However, my office hours are between 11am and 1 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and on every fifth Saturday. My current office location is: the back of my Squire, at any rest stop across the state line. I accept cash and/or any non-perishable canned goods...except ro-tel tomatos...they cause my shingles to flare up.
As my ex-plumber, Manly Grimes, used to say:"Sticks and Stones may break your bones...and I'm going to use both of them on you if you don't pay me, you hairy weirdo beanpole". Well said, Grimes, well said.
William T. Loney, M.D.
Okay, doc, that was tacky of me to ask for free medical advice, and I apologize. So how about exchanging some genealogy stories? I find the Loney family tree more fascinating than my own, but we really need to take this discussion offline as it's off topic. My e-mail's in my profile.
Well, I'm taking a road trip in the morning down to Jackson to comb the flea markets for medical supplies and Captain & Tennille 8 tracks...be gone a couple of days...check yall out next week.
As the minister(Al Wright) who married me to my first wife said afterwards, "Please, Please, Please, don't have kids!" 10-4 Padre, 10-4.
William T. Loney, M.D.
ps...is anyone going south on 55 tomorrow?...I don't have gas money, but maybe an autographed picture of deceased What's Happening!? star, Fred Berry (RERUN) might change your mind.
Piglet,
And a good job you are doing with the boys. It is all in Truth.
Ima
Planned accomodation of feelings and felt needs in The Church and willful opposition to faithfulness to GODS GOSPEL and TRUE Spiritual need,leads to spiritual insanity .
BARBIE DREAM CHURCH
watchman: Where in the world do you guys find these things??? I want a Barbie Dream Church!!! Sounds so perfectly....surface! So loving....so comfortable...so easy....Jesus will love me just as I am and I won't have to change a thing. That's the church for me!!!
(I certainly hope the dripping sarcasm doesn't damage my keyboard!)
Extra!!Extra !! Read all about it!
PURPOSE DRIVEN CHURCH SNUBS CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY.
PD CHURCH SNUBS MYSTICISM
In a related story...
PD Church sees increase in LABYRINTH RAGE
LABYRINTH RAGE INCIDENTS TEMPT ELDERS TO GO BACK TO SIMPLE BIBLE READING
To all of you who have not signed this petition asking for another business meeting, I urge you to do so. Bellevue Baptist Church deserves a second chance at ridding itself of the deceit which has become so prevalent within its walls.
Those who have come to know me, know that I am not a member of Bellevue Baptist Church; but you also know that I feel a kinship with you in knowing and feeling your pain. We are also bound together as the Body of Christ.
It was a year ago today that my husband, and two other deacons were voted out as active deacons in our former church. Though it has been extremely hard, I thank God every day that we were removed from that church. We have grown to understand why God took us down this road and we look back not with regret or pain, but forward to what persecution God may have for us in the future. We have all grown in our spiritual walk as a result of this persecution and are ready to do God’s will whatever that might be.
So in thinking back on our circumstances a year ago, I have wondered where Bellevue might be a year from now. It may well be that the Body of Christ is removed from Bellevue and that what remains is the apostate church. We don’t know for certain. But I’d like to convey to each of you that you need to be able to look back a year from now and know that you did what you could and that God’s will was done. I pray that you sign the petition and follow God’s lead.
Churches all over the world are falling away. We know from God’s Word that in the end times false teachers will be rampant. I firmly believe that is where we are today. The churches have become like the world and true churches are so very hard to find. There are those of us who hunger for Truth and can’t find it in a local church. The Rapture must be near.
I continue to pray every day for all of you…you have become like family. You are family; we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
Ima
Rare photograph now questions extinction of " Bible toting " species.
Could this be a fake photo?
Man fends off attacker using PD book.
Inspired by the now famous story of Ashley, who took in anescaped prisoner before reading PDL to him, this man successfully uses his PD book to fend off violent attack.
MAN FENDS OFF ATTACKER WITH PDL BOOK
If you guys need some marketing ideas for your 'christian' chatchkes, visit this site:
http://purgatorio1.com/
See if you can find the 'armor of God" pajamas for kids. Or the ipod shaped like a cross. This guy has collected all kinds of 'christian oddities' throughout the years.
JOBLESS RATE FOR CHRISTIAN " SATIRISTS" SKYROCKETS
SATIRISTS FINDING UNEMPLOYMENT "UNFUNNY"
"Inspired by the now famous story of Ashley, who took in anescaped prisoner before reading PDL to him,"
I don't think she took him in but she did write a book about it and go on Larry King with Rick Warren. It was all about how PDL saved everyone in this situation. Only one problem.... Prison Fellowship tracked the criminal to prison and the PDL book did him no good...he converted to Islam in prison.
NEW
PURPOSE DRIVEN MESSAGE BIBLE HITS BOOKSTORES ..JUST IN TIME FOR EASTER
NEW PURPOSE DRIVEN MESSAGE BIBLE EXPECTS RECORD SALES
This covers politics but it is still quite interesting. There appears to be a relationship between what has been seen in politics and the church. IMHO.
Politics or A World System?
Hi Y'all,
Watchman, gotta LOVE the Sacred Sandwich!
Please pray for a "like minded" friend today - he has 2 important meetings.
Thanks!
karen
Lin said...
"Inspired by the now famous story of Ashley, who took in anescaped prisoner before reading PDL to him,"
I don't think she took him in but she did write a book about it and go on Larry King with Rick Warren. It was all about how PDL saved everyone in this situation. Only one problem.... Prison Fellowship tracked the criminal to prison and the PDL book did him no good...he converted to Islam in prison.
Wasn't Ashley on crystal meth and didn't she offer the criminal some drugs too?
karen
Karen: I recall that part of the story as well. It came out after all the hoopla in the beginning.
concerned,
I think she was on Larry King saying how she had the epiphany about how would she square it with God if she died while doing crystal meth and went to Heaven while high.
To me, her "turnaround" really didn't have to do with the PDL book, but actually God giving her the epiphany.
karen
Folks,
This is a very important petition. We need to concentrate on getting every last signature possible on it. We will not have another business meeting for over a year and meanwhile there are staff members that are suffering greatly under this leadership.
Petition Please Sign
We could put an end to the under handed treatment of the staff of Bellevue Baptist Church, if another business meeting were called. It is imperative that you help by contacting as many as possible to make this a reality.
I do not believe that I am over stating the signifigance of this when I say that it is critical. There will not be any progress made without an open business meeting and there will not be an open business meeting unless the pressure is applied to make it happen.
If you have not signed, then please do it now. If you have not sent it to your family and friends that are members of the church, then please do it now.
Petition Please Sign
If you would forward e-mail addresses to me for family and friends that you would be uncomfortable sending it to, then I will send them for you so that you do not have to worry about offending anyone or straining relationships.
I am not to proud to beg on this issue. The very least that any concerned member of Bellevue Baptist Church could do is to sign this petition so that the church will know that the membership believes that a business meeting is required.
No matter what your name is, your position, your age, or the negative effects you feel may come by signing. Please let your voice be heard on this issue. Please stand and be counted.
The local congregation called Bellevue Baptist Church has reached a critical time in its history and the future direction should not be allowed to be decided by only a handful of men. It is imperative that we as a congregation become involved in our church governance.
Springer,
I have a point, trust me, but I can't get a hyperlink to an article to post. If NASS is at the computer, she'll post it for me (PRETTY PLEASE!)
I just think the Ashley Smith incident was great on one hand - she did thwart a criminal (who is now denying he murdered 4 people), but the glory in this story went to PDL, not God. Nowhere in the media was God praised; the praise went to the book and its writer. I'm not coming down on Rick Warren execept that he took the praise and ran with it rather than giving it back to God. This is just my opinion as usual, so don't get too upset about it - with my opinion and $4.50 you can get a venti Chai tea at Starbucks. :)
karen
Tim,
You're doing a great job! The message is being passed....
karen
Dear Bellevue Members,
Tim Coggins is right. You must take a stand while you have the
oppportunity...while there is attention being brought to these circumstances. It may not happen again. You must give Bellevue a chance to survive. If you don't, she may well become an apostate church. If this church means to you what you all says it does, salvage her. Don't wish a year from now that you had done the right thing...and didn't. These movements are taking our churches away from Christ and giving them to Satan...is that what you want for Bellevue? Please help at least bring this to a real meeting. Demand it...be bold. Step out and stand for what is right.
Ima
I know that there are many folks out there that are sitting back and waiting for the rest of us to put our names on the petition.
You are afraid of the reprocussions of what might happen to YOUR kids if you sign it.
Are your children more special than ours?
Will you just sit quietly while others try to save your church?
Are you going to allow others to do the ' heavy lifting'?
In doing so, your children are not going to have a " church"..you will have 4 walls, but no church.
Get over to that petition and sign it and leave the results up to Jesus! Let the chips fall where they may!! Jesus will be there for you!
Tim,
EASY PETITION ACCESS??
Is there a way to get to the petition other than coming onto the blog then finding the "sign the petition?"
Do you have an internet site we could give them vs coming onto the blog and finding the comment with the link, sign the petition?
Many are opposed to the blog that might sign if there was an easy way to get to the petition.
Just thinking...
I B F "I've been fleeced!"
I just heard the most unbelievable and appalling thing last night from a client.
She told me she was off today for ....spring friday......that's right..I said, What? ( It was late & I was very tired and thought surely I had misunderstood) she said ..spring friday...
I said you mean "Good Friday"..no that's what they call it at work (she is with a 30 something age, marketing group).
I said that is just sacrilegious.
She said they don't mean it that way. I said, Oh, they are just being p.c.? Yes.
Have any of you ever heard of such a thing??!! It's a first for me!
sheepless,
Give people this link. Save it in your "Favorites."
Also, if you want to cut and paste it in an e-mail or something, this is the URL:
http://petitionspot.com/petitions/bbcmtg/
That way people can bypass the "evil, hate-filled" blog.
I join my voice with Tim and others,
Please sign that petition, regardless of how you feel about the blog. BBC needs openness now, before it passes the fail-safe point. If you don't let your voice be heard now, you may never get another opportunity. Time is critical...going along just to get along can be disastrous...let your voice be heard.
sheeplessatbbc said...
I just heard the most unbelievable and appalling thing last night from a client.
She told me she was off today for ....spring friday......that's right..I said, What? ( It was late & I was very tired and thought surely I had misunderstood) she said ..spring friday...
I said you mean "Good Friday"..no that's what they call it at work (she is with a 30 something age, marketing group).
I said that is just sacrilegious.
She said they don't mean it that way. I said, Oh, they are just being p.c.? Yes.
Have any of you ever heard of such a thing??!! It's a first for me!
REPLY:
I'll be wearing my "SPRING" outfit to the "SPRING" service this "SPRING" Sunday!!!!!!.
Probably gonna be too chilly to have a "SPRING" egg hunt.
charlie fox wrote:
"I'll be wearing my "SPRING" outfit to the "SPRING" service this "SPRING" Sunday!!!!!!"
Don't forget your "SPRING" bonnet!
Thanks NASS
I B F
Charlie,
And your "Spring" white buck shoes - that's attractive!
I'm out the door with my "spring flip flops" on for my "Good Friday" outing.
Have fun "ya'll"..oops, bet that's not p.c. either.
I B F
charlie fox wrote:
"I'll be wearing my "SPRING" outfit to the "SPRING" service this "SPRING" Sunday!!!!!!"
And don't forget to make sure to walk with a "SPRING" in your step.
Oh my....does that mean I just put together "Spring" baskets????
concernedSBCer said...
Oh my....does that mean I just put together "Spring" baskets????
REPLY:
NAH, let the "SPRING" Bunny do it.
As usual, I will be sporting a "smart " khaki and tweed Unity , Diversity and Tolerance monogrammed blazer, with matching vision casting Ray bans.
One good thing though.
Jesus did 'Spring' forth from the grave!
About the PETITION:
How many of you have forwarded the link to your friends and your BFC members?
I sent the link to aprox. 75 addresses today.
If you have an email from your BFC teacher, choir leader, etc., then you can copy the addresses and send out the petition link!!
OR you can send Tim a copy of the address list and HE will send them out.
oc said...
One good thing though.
Jesus did 'Spring' forth from the grave!
WTG, oc.
Sheepless
Send this link to your friends in an email and they can click on it.
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/bbcmtg
That's what I did.
Watch out watchman...I will be sporting the new Saddleback Sallie Sundress with open back and short skirt(purpose driven of course...don't want to dress decent, 'cause it might offend the seekers you know)made out of the lastest Hawiian hot pink fabric with huge purple and yellow flowers in it. Also have the same flowers stuck behind each ear. I have had a tatoo for the occassion done...a nice big likeness of Rick Warren on the left shoulder blade, so it can be seen through the open back of my dress. I will be barefoot because I think that will compliment my dress. I have a great, new purpose driven purse with my tithe in it. Y'all do sign tithe covenants don't you? It also is big enough so that I can carry my new Purpose Driven Bible...you saw a picture of it! It is neat! Rick made some Easter eggs for all of us...so, I'll be carring my basket full of those eggs to hide...you know like the leadership of your church hides things; I just know I am going to fit right in. Oh...I almost forgot I have a great purpose driven cart that I am pushing my bongo drums in. I surely hope Jamie Parker will enjoy my act. And Ryan Wingo. They are kinda cute. And all of you too of course. Can't imagine why, but my husband refuses to come with me. So, I thought I'd get y'all to find Charlie Fox and get him to come to Bellevue this Sunday so I'll have somebody to sit by. Sure wouldn't want to be sitting by myself...dont' want to do anything that might draw attention to myself.
See y'all tomorrow.
Ima
No! I'll see y'all Sunday!!!
THE " CHURCH GROWTH " MOVIE
TURN YOUR SPEAKERS " ON "
THE CHURCH GROWTH MOVIE
Tired of the way CHURCH has always been ?
Well, ....
Its time for THE ' ME ' CHURCH
ME CHURCH
IMA! You crack me up! Almost spewed my Dew on the the computer screen!
karen
ima said, So, I thought I'd get y'all to find Charlie Fox and get him to come to Bellevue this Sunday so I'll have somebody to sit by.
oc says:I'm cute. Sit by me. :)
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ima,
I'm the one who's getting the car from Socwork, not Charlie. He just has the silly bobble head dog. Your 'purpose' seems confused. Read your manual again, then get back to me. Bet you'll be sitting with me. :) oc.
Ima, I have an idea to make big bucks. The 40lbs-in-40days Purpose Driven Diet.
Whaddya think?
Karen,
Well, you know...I am always so serious. I do have a lighter side. :) I do believe that the Bible tells us that laughter does the heart good like a medicine. You do realize of course that my tatoo beats your little ole ladybug any day of the week? :) Sorry 'bout your screen. (I really don't have a tatoo!)
OC...that was my grandad's initials and that is what everybody called him. OC. :) Anyway...about sitting in church Sunday. Sorry, but I am sittin' by Charlie. I know Charlie. He won't mind...
Ima
ima,
Rats!!!!!
Hey, I have a Hawaiian shirt. Does that help?
Lin said, "Ima, I have an idea to make big bucks. The 40lbs-in-40days Purpose Driven Diet."
Oh my Lin! You are brilliant! Of course I want to be over marketing. I know George Barna personally and he taught me everything he knows. We need to get the surveys out as soon as possible. We need a poster child...any ideas? We should get the leadership to take care of our finances I think...that way, you'll never know what I am doing with the money and I'll never know what you are doing with the money. You won't know what I make...and I won't know what you make. No transparency whatsoever. And whatever you do, don't forget the shredder. So, how am I doing so far? Man, I think I may have stayed in the center of the labyrinth too long.
Oc said, "Hey, I have a Hawaiian shirt. Does that help?"
OC...what kind of beard you got?
Karen,
Well, you know...I am always so serious. I do have a lighter side. :) I do believe that the Bible tells us that laughter does the heart good like a medicine. You do realize of course that my tatoo beats your little ole ladybug any day of the week? :) Sorry 'bout your screen. (I really don't have a tatoo!)
Ima,
My ladybug tattoo has a PURPOSE - to totally tick off my mother! :) It really worked too!
karen
Lin said, "Ima, I have an idea to make big bucks. The 40lbs-in-40days Purpose Driven Diet."
If that 40 day diet includes locusts and honey, count me out!
karen
Karen,
I am one up on you...my tatoo IS the purpose! :)
Yep...tatoos have a knack for ticking off Mothers. I never was embraced with that one...and happy for it. Course, I am happy for you. You aren't mine. LOL
Ima said, OC...what kind of beard you got?
OC says, I'm getting the idea that whatever I say, you are going to reject me for Charlie. But here it goes...a goatee. (preparing for incoming). :)
oc...like Rick Warren?
Ima.
OUCH.
(I was going to say no, more like yours, but that would just prove how bad you hurt my feelings). :)
oc...now you've done it! The bearded lady Ima not.
I'm gonna sit by Charlie Fox. And if he doesn't come Sunday, then I'll just sit next to Steve Gaines! I'm sure he wouldn't mind. :)
Off to get dinner on my table!
Guess I'm not going to church with Ima....:(
OK, NEXT?
oc - the Soul Patch guy!
I'm so sorry oc...didn't mean to hurt your feelings. :(
Now, I'm really gone.
Feelings? I ain't got no stinkin' feelings!
Well,..... maybe a little.....:(
Naww....NEXT!
Tim,
You have mail.
SG said last Sunday: "If you don't hear anything here today know this, God loves you, God loves the sinner."
He said, "Sinners freely receive, everyone can be saved."
This was in his altar call. This call has to be an offence to God. The preacher declares that God is love and then says anyone who so chooses can be saved. This is a masterful seduction that obligates God to save all that respond. It is blatantly putting man's free will over God' will.
Why am I burdened with this? Why should I even care? I rejected the errors of pentecostalism and yet I never heard such a blatant seduction from the pulpit as this.
I was raised up in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains of Middle Tennessee among poor uneducated nearly illiterate people who would have clearly rejected this kind of preaching.
Yet Bellevue is full of influential wealthy and educated people who sit week after week and never see the seduction. I don't understand it.
watchinghistory,
Where do you attend church? Is your pastor a Calvinist?
Does anyone have childhood memories of altar calls that turned your knuckles white as they sung "Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling"? It was not a sinner/seeker friendly call!
http://www.apples-cherries.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/farm/Christian-hymns.html?hrec=29.
proverbs12:22
I attend Collierville First Baptist Church. I don't know if he is a Calvinist but he sure is a Bible-preacher. (He doesn't have to be a Calvinist but he has to be a Bible preacher)
Check out his sermons on their website. (esp. Mar 18 AM service)
Watching,
Thanks for the information. I will check him out.
I could have sworn I read you were a Calvinist.
Watching,
I like that song, "Softly and Tenderly, Jesus is Calling" Calling for you and for me.
We used to sing that at Bellevue.
Thanks for the memory.
Watchinghistory
Would you give an altar call? And if so, what would it be? Just curious.
Brother Tim Coggins,
Do you remember this post?
tim said...
faithnhope,
I truly understand what you are communicating. Truly, I do. I appreciate your concern that bitterness not reside in my heart. I sincerely do.
My concerns are often direct and to the point. I was certainly not born to be a politician and I am well aware of that.
Thank you for your concern, I understand that you may feel that my posts are the result of bitterness. My posts however are motivated by a passion for Bellevue and a desire to see her turned away from sure destruction.
2:10 PM, December 06, 2006
I think you should reassess your qualifications to be a politician. I just knew the first time I read one of your posts that God could do great things with you. Always remember (as you now so clearly demonstrate in your words), the goal of His commands are love proceeding from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He'll straighten out those paths eventually!
I'm still praying for you. I know it's been a difficult battle and that your and your family have endured much. Still, you'd be amazed how much God can do with a broken man (provided, of course, that He gets all the pieces).
Many, many blessings,
Faith J
"Obviously, some people do not want the congregation to meddle with church affairs."
This is on the petition...so well put, says so much. And...is not the congregation the church? Come on everyone...sign this petition.
Everyone must ask themselves...just whose church is it?
proverbs12:22
by personal persuasion I am a Calvinist, however If I were a true Calvinist I would probally be attending a Presbyterian Church.
piglet
only if i felt so directed by the Lord I would have an altar call. I would not feel the need to have one every service. I would encourage saints to spend time in the altar for personal edification and equipping for service. A coach does not play the game on court (that would be silly) He coaches the team. A pastor ministers to the flock and they are the soul winners.
I just love "sinner friendly" and Karen's 49 lbs in 40 days purpose driven diet! What a hilarious hoot!
Opps~! I meant to hit 40 40!
Everyone,
I feel a little strange posting without my sister, so I'll make it quick. It's not really my place to post here anymore, but I want to share something with you. It's long, but I think it's well worth your time.
This is a post from another blog by a precious, precious man. It blessed my heart, and I think it will yours too. He's an idealist, and has grown a lot in the Lord during this conflict. I know a lot of people who have their hopes set too high, but Keith has his set on Heaven itself and refuses to lower them.
This is the kind of man who has really been hurt by this conflict. It's caused him trouble at church, in his marriage, and at his work. His wife and children don't see the troubles, and he's staying at Bellevue on their behalf despite his unhappiness.
He was very discouraged earlier this week by some things that were written here, and this is how he spoke about the NBBCOF today.
I'd ask that everyone pray for him, his family, and all the other men and women who are caught in the middle.
He'd do the same thing for you.
FJ
solomon said...
trollcakes (or whatever your pen name is today),
You give your reputation far too much credit. You're no more a liability to the NBBCOF than I am. Even if you were, it still would not be bugsii's fault for revealing your past actions. You're the person who wrote those things, and you need to own up. If there's any blame here, it's yours. Mistakes don't make you a bad person, but a repeated pattern of questionable activity over time is a good indication of the kind of person you really are.
Based upon the musings on your blog, it's perfectly reasonable to be suspicious of your motivation. You stated that your 'affair' with the NBBCOF was to divide the church. Am I misunderstanding your words? What kind of person would deliberately want to divide a church? Why are you doing it?
You need to carefully reconsider what you're doing. I could get my Bible out and show you how sinful causing dissention in the body of Christ is, or even quote the good pastor and explain how dangerous it is to 'attack' the Holy Spirit to scare you away, but let me try another approach.
You displayed great offense when bepatient's post suggested you didn't care about the bloggers. So you do care about them, then. Great! And yet, your response to him was:
I don't know you personally, bepatent, so it is not personal. Like anyone else here, your sum total to me, for the purposes of these forums, is simply the words you write and the ideas you express.
Is that all the bloggers are to you? Nothing more? Only the words they write and the ideas they express? It’s not personal to you?
Well, it’s very personal to me, cakes. Behind every post is a person. I can’t see them, I haven’t met them, I don’t even know most of their names, but they are human beings just like you and me. Each one has their own very special set of experiences, both joyful and tearful, and every emotion in between. Every word that is written and idea that is expressed here comes from a human heart. You need to see that.
I suspect that one reason you and many others choose to reject Christianity is that you can’t see our God. Our Bible says that we walk by faith, and that same faith comes by hearing the message. We believe in God, and we believe He is a personal God through our faith. We believe there are real people behind those 66 inspired books, just like there are real people behind these grammatically incorrect posts.
These people are suffering because of the conflict. The last thing we need is for someone to stir up our emotions just to generate invigorating discussions. Those dialogues come at a high price.
The NBBCOF was born out of the turmoil within Bellevue Baptist Church. Whatever happens in the church is expressed on the blog, and the reverse is also true. I can tell you that from my experience, a majority of the membership keeps up with what’s being posted. Your popularity among the bloggers, along with your constant taunts of Mike and others is definitely harmful to the church. Again I ask, why are you doing it? If you think that taking shots at the 'pro-Gaines' people is the way to lead the bloggers to victory, you really need to check your map.
You asked me the other night if I had ever seen the eyes of a child who had been abused. I think that’s every father’s worst nightmare. I’ve lived with that fear for almost 15 years now, ever since I became a father. I suppose I’m a little obsessed with keeping it from happening in my home.
Let me ask you, cakes, have you ever listened to the heart of a 16 year old girl who has felt deeply betrayed and wounded? I think you should: http://savingbellevue.com/rachelkyker.htm
Where is that child now? Has she found another church? Has she made new friends? Is she being prayed for, cared for? Her time should be spent worrying about childhood things, and not spending Christmas day heartbroken at home, feeling like the Holy Spirit has left the temple and not knowing where turn to find Him! My oldest girl will turn 15 this summer. I really wonder how I would react if she came to me in that emotional condition.
Perhaps this doesn’t mean anything to you, cakes. But just maybe it does. Maybe you’re thinking ‘It’s just church. There are much worse things in life. She needs to get over it.’
But just maybe you’re thinking that if even one child has ever felt so deeply wounded by anything that any man has done, then things must change. There is one sin that Jesus harshly condemned above all others, and that was the harming of a child. I don’t think there are enough millstones in town to deal with everyone responsible for that girl’s tears last Christmas.
It’s time for a change. When our ancestors started building the tower of Babel God knew they would succeed. The LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. What an incredible statement! I choose to take that as literally as I can. NOTHING is impossible if we work together.
Victory can only come through unity. This tearing each other apart on the blog has to stop. It just HAS to!!! The congregation will never listen to us until it does.
Trollcakes, why don’t you use your popularity to help? Why don’t you stop visiting here to take jabs, and start encouraging others to respect one another? Which would be better, to see the Bellevue family come back together or see us fall apart? Which result would you rather be a part of?
I’ve read your statements about your beliefs, and I know you don’t really care about our church. However, I believe you care about the people you’ve met on the blog. They care about the church. They are much more than the words they write or the ideas they express, they are our friends.
There’s not enough love in the world today, and we should do what we can to fix that.
Will you help us, please?
2:54 PM, April 06, 2007
sheeplessatbbc said...
I just heard the most unbelievable and appalling thing last night from a client.
She told me she was off today for ....spring friday......that's right..I said, What? ( It was late & I was very tired and thought surely I had misunderstood) she said ..spring friday...
(snip)
Well, that does it! I guess I'll just have to take part of the month of September and/or October off (depending on where you live) to observe Fall Month. It's hard to fast and work at the same time!
oc,
Quit trying to horn in on me and ima. Ima ain't fooled by your fancy car TO BE or your fancy threads either. So, BACK OFF, BIG BOY!!!!!!!! LOL ROFL
Charlie , THE LADIES CHOICE
Faith: I had a long post to Keith that he declined to respond to. I'm not sure what blog he's reading but I don't see the situation of "This tearing each other apart on the blog has to stop." The only time I see a discussion, sometimes heated, is when those come on this blog, call names, throw out accusations, and try to act "holier than thou." The families represented on this blog have the same right to express their opinion as anyone else. They love BBC and pray for the leadership to be in God's will, for members to be treated fairly, and for laws- both God's and men's- to be honored. There is love on this blog; there is love at BBC and among BBC members. The scripture does not allow compromises on God's Word; accountability must be maintained. I can bore you with scripture after scripture about this but you already know your Bible and you know where they are, I am sure. Just because those on here don't agree with current leadership, please do not make them out to be the bad guys. They have sacrificed much for their stand.
Charlie, THE LADIES CHOICE...
Oh my, what have I done!
Did any of you see the CNN special tonight? Paula White, Jerry Falwell, Rick Warren, etc...
Didn't really see much wrong with what Rick said tonight. There were a couple of things.Not going to knit-pick.
imaresistor said...
Charlie, THE LADIES CHOICE...
Oh my, what have I done!
REPLY:
I quote a certain someone. "I do believe that the Bible tells us that laughter does the heart good like a medicine."
Charlie said, oc,
Quit trying to horn in on me and ima. Ima ain't fooled by your fancy car TO BE or your fancy threads either. So, BACK OFF, BIG BOY!!!!!!!! LOL ROFL
Charlie , THE LADIES CHOICE
oc says, Oh yeah? Ima ain't seen my car yet! (Come to think of it, neither have I.) And as far as my threads, well, they ain't fancy! So take that, you sissy ladies man!
And don't think my feelings are hurt, either. Yeah, don't worry about my feelings....my feelings...
Charlie said, "I quote a certain someone. "I do believe that the Bible tells us that laughter does the heart good like a medicine."
Reply: Absolutely! And I believe in it. And practice it as much as I can.
At 4:18 PM, April 06, 2007
imaresistor said...
We need a poster child...any ideas?
junk99mail says ...
Maybe Jerrod, from the Subway commercials?
ok Charlie. I give up. You are the Ladies Choice. And ima, I hope you're happy with Charlie and his bobble head dog.
I know one of Dr. Loney's famous kinfolk, Jon Bon Loney. I will take a line from one of his famous songs to tell you, ima, what you have done.
Shot through the heart, and you're to blame,
You give blog love a bad name.
oc,
To show you that my heart is in the right place, I've arranged for Doc Loney to pick you up Sunday in his Ford Country Squire station wagon. I told him he would recognize you by your goatee and HIwanian shirt. Now, is that being a christian brother or what?
Charlie: I'm impressed with your compassion.
Bobble head dog, huh? I am speechless.
All this talk about Hawaiian shirts and goatees...again I am speechless.
So...I guess 'goodnight' would be in order.
Charlie,
Uh, the 'or what'.
"Well, it’s very personal to me, cakes. Behind every post is a person."
If I recall correctly, it was personal to cakes, who has family members who attended BBC and who has survived abuse, that the pastor at BBC harbored a pedophile MINISTER.
" Every word that is written and idea that is expressed here comes from a human heart. You need to see that."
Human hearts are deceitful according to scripture...that is why we MUST follow scripture and not our 'emotions' and 'feelings'.
"These people are suffering because of the conflict. The last thing we need is for someone to stir up our emotions just to generate invigorating discussions. Those dialogues come at a high price."
My reading of cakes on this blog is that he wants truth from the BBC leadership. Don't ever forget that judgement begins at the House of the Lord...not with the 'world'.
" Your popularity among the bloggers, along with your constant taunts of Mike and others is definitely harmful to the church. Again I ask, why are you doing it? If you think that taking shots at the 'pro-Gaines' people is the way to lead the bloggers to victory, you really need to check your map."
You need to take a course in Logic. How could cakes ever harm the church? Only those who are professing Christians could harm the church. Even then, God is totally Sovereign and in control and He allows bad stuff to happen. For a reason.
"Let me ask you, cakes, have you ever listened to the heart of a 16 year old girl who has felt deeply betrayed and wounded? I think you should: http://savingbellevue.com/rachelkyker.htm
Where is that child now? Has she found another church? Has she made new friends? Is she being prayed for, cared for? Her time should be spent worrying about childhood things, and not spending Christmas day heartbroken at home, feeling like the Holy Spirit has left the temple and not knowing where turn to find Him! My oldest girl will turn 15 this summer. I really wonder how I would react if she came to me in that emotional condition."
First of all, she is NOT a child. She is a young woman. And she has more discernment than many 50 year old men...even in all her emotion.
" There is one sin that Jesus harshly condemned above all others, and that was the harming of a child. I don’t think there are enough millstones in town to deal with everyone responsible for that girl’s tears last Christmas."
As I recall, God (Jesus was God) destroyed an entire city once over what? Remember? Jesus has some pretty choice words for the Pharisees...you remember them...the ones that told everyone one else what to do but did not do it themselves. The ones that lorded it over others. And, once again...a 16 year old is NOT a child. She is almost ready for college and if it were Biblical times, she would be married with kids by now.
"It’s time for a change. When our ancestors started building the tower of Babel God knew they would succeed. The LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. What an incredible statement! I choose to take that as literally as I can. NOTHING is impossible if we work together."
This is scary. Very scary. God dispersed them for this VERY reason. You do realize that Rick Warren uses this same illustration. You guys have it backwards. WE can do nothing without God. We cannot even BREATHE without God.
They built the tower to "make a name for themselves". It was idolitry and God confused them just so they could not make a name for themselves! Their working together to build the tower was evil. And they did this even after Noah and the flood!
"Victory can only come through unity. This tearing each other apart on the blog has to stop. It just HAS to!!! The congregation will never listen to us until it does."
What kind of unity? Unity of relationships? Or unity in the Word? You consider it tearing one another apart? Because one group wants scritpure to be followed and the other thinks it is no big deal that it was ignored? We should not crave unity at the expense of truth.
"Trollcakes, why don’t you use your popularity to help? Why don’t you stop visiting here to take jabs, and start encouraging others to respect one another?"
Why does cakes bother you so much more than professing Christians who ignore scripture? I don't get that at all.
" Which would be better, to see the Bellevue family come back together or see us fall apart? Which result would you rather be a part of?"
Wrong premise. The real question is: What would be better for the church, ageeing for the sake of unity OR following the scriptures? Unless scriptures are followed and taken seriously, it is NOT a church but a very organized social club...with lots of secrecy!
"There’s not enough love in the world today, and we should do what we can to fix that.
Will you help us, please?"
Actually, we can do nothing to fix it outside of Christ and His Word. But, following scripture and not harboring a pedophile minister is a good place to start. We are not supposed to look 'worse' than the world, friend.
Lin,
Amen. To all of it.
I have come to the conclusion that way too much of the discussion on here is at best unedifying, and at worst downright hateful and sinful. Perhaps I am beginning to discern what some call the “anti” and “Contrarians” attitude, that is motivated by a secret, personal issues or by a love for Bellevue that is false, and in some cases trumps the love for Christ. There are people at Bellevue, Godly people with legitimate concerns based in Scripture and in discernment, yet you who have decided to use this forum and "situation" as a way to vent and express ungodly and unchristian attitudes, bitterness and hatred have damaged their integrity and credibility. You have given much aid and comfort to the Enemy by your words and actions. You have demonstrated what Dr. Rogers often said about “being part of the problem instead of part of the solution”.
There are also those who do not attend Bellevue, or even live in Memphis who have attempted to hijack discussion and influence members of a church family that you are not even a part of. To you I ask you to pray for us, but not use this as an opportunity to grind your own personal ax. And to our resident Buddist. In conversations you are often used as an example of what’s wrong with this blog. While it’s true that you’ve added to the discussion in (sometimes) a productive manner, and I’ve gained insight from your participation, it’s also true that you are participating in someone else’s family discussion.
I have made this call before, but not one person should post a comment that didn’t follow a searching of your heart to examine your motivations. You must know that the church and the World are watching. If you are using this upheaval at Bellevue to sharpen your own personal ax, and unnecessarily divide brothers and sisters, you sin, and I rebuke you.
I think that this forum for discussion is good and can be healthy for our fellowship, but I’m afraid that the tipping point may soon come where this has outlived it’s usefulness, and does more harm than good. I’m afraid that some of the irresponsible comments on here are causing people to stumble. You must remember that we are Brothers and Sisters, no matter what “side” you claim to be on. If you’ve been to the Passion Play, you’ve heard Cary quote Jesus, “Love one another. This is how the World will know that you are my disciples.” I sense a real lack of love on all sides of this “unpleasantness”. We really need to make sure the "beam" is out of our own eye, so we can see clearly enough to help our brother with his "speck". This goes for everyone.
I believe that God has me in this for the long haul, and will work His plan in His timing. Bellevue needed to go through this, of that I have no doubt. It won’t be over until God’s done whatever it is he intends to do with us and through us.
People have put song lyrics in here that have spoken to them. God gave me a song today that comes from Ecclesiastes 3:11. “He hath made everything beautiful in his time.”
In His time, in His time
He makes all things beautiful, in His time.
Lord, please show me every day
As You’re teaching me Your way,
That You do just what You say,
In Your Time
(P.S. Yes, it is me. I had to set up a new Google account because it won't let me log in under my old blogger account)
Finance Guy
For the most part, what I have seen on the blog of late would be characterized as silliness.
I seriously doubt that the emotional posts we HAVE had here are at the heart of our problem at Bellevue.
I think it's time for this again from Tim:
Let's get quickly to the point!
Enough of the politically correct wranglings and appeasement of personalities.
Where are the men at Bellevue?
Are you a man of Bellevue, then what have you done to help bring this mess to an end?
Have you done anything?
Do you have any Biblical convictions upon which you will stand regardless of the cost or outcome?
If you don't have any Biblical convictions then get in the Word of God and start acting like men.
If you get in the Word and believe that there are problems that need to be addressed by the church, then speak and live your convictions.
I am sick and tired of those that would spread the belief that going about things in a Christ-like manner means that you keep your mouth shut and go along to get along.
The disciples of Christ two thousand years ago did not believe that and the disciples of Christ today know better as well.
If you believe that the only real problems that Bellevue has are the dissenters. You should make a list of those dissenters and present it to the church to vote those such as myself out of the church.
I absolutely refuse to pledge my loyalty, allegiance or unconditional support to any man other than the Lord, Jesus Christ.
I absolutely refuse to be united with any that call themselves brothers, that not only ignore the written Word of God but glorify themselves in doing so.
I absolutely refuse to be united with any that would subvert the truth and propegate a lie.
If Christ had first began his ministry today, would he be able to find twelve men on the staff of Bellevue that would forsake everything and follow him?
Could he find twelve men in the deacon body of over 180 men?
Could he find twelve men in the entire active congregation of over 2000 men?
I dare say that it would be difficult to find twelve that would forsake anything, much less everything.
Men should be ashamed of the way they have handled this situation. They should be ashamed of themselves for not standing firmly in and on the Word of God. They should be ashamed for allowing the Word of God to be of no consquence in how they have dealt with these issues. May the Lord God Almighty break your heart over the apathy that has been exhibited by the men of Bellevue Baptist Church. Weak, puny, cowardly men, who will not subject themselves to the Lordship of Christ and the truth of His Holy Word.
Yes, Bellevue has many strong Christian woman. There were women that stayed at the foot of the cross when the disciples fled and there are women now that have stayed at the foot of the cross as well.
Where are the men of Bellevue?
Perhaps you could find them at this moment engrossed in a ballgame or contemplating a business deal. Perhaps some are praying for God's will to be done, but refusing to be a part of accomplishing that will.
The waves of God's wrath are beating upon the dam of His mercy and men refuse to work to the shore the dam of mercy. The day of wrath will come upon suddenly, swiftly and completely when that dam breaks.
Enough of the politically correct wranglings and appeasement of personalities.
Goodness, piglet. Things certainly got quiet in here after that!
I am not a member of Bellevue but of a sister church. I have friends that are members and friends that have family members that are members.
I have followed this issue since early September, beginning with the other blog and continuing with this one. I have read every post on every thread. I have posted once, under a previous account name, to explain the meaning of “sic”.
To Tim: I pray for you and your leadership. I cannot sign the petition because I am not a member, but I pray it is used to help bring resolution.
To FaithNotHope: Thank you for posting Solomon’s entry from another blog.
To Finance Guy, Solomon, Arminius: I hear you.
Please, everyone, consider your postings. Do not embarrass those that agree with you on the issues. Do you pride in the fact that you see so clearly where others don’t? It is a real spiritual danger and will cloud positive effects you could be having on others.
Responses to Finance Guy, Solomon and Arminius were few, However, I don’t think Finance Guy was speaking of the current silliness in his posting, I don’t think Solomon was crying over picnics, and I don’t think Arminius was supporting building a labyrinth. I have struggled a half an hour with what to say to FG, S, and A. If I say my spirit is praying for you, will I be told that you have God’s spirit? If I say I think their words showed wisdom, will I be told that it is not man’s wisdom on which you rely? If I say my heart hears yours, will I be told that I should listen to my head, not my heart?
I am with you on the issues. Do not mistakenly think that I am not familiar with incest or have not been on the receiving end of a pastor’s wrongful wrath. Do not think I haven’t had to deal with being on the right side of the issue, but the wrong side of pride in being right.
I am not calling down anyone. I am asking each person to let God search their attitudes and turn them, if necessary.
I do not plan to post again. I did not plan to post this time. I will continue reading because I can’t wait to find out if oc ever gets his car. It’s a cliffhanger.
(Since you can’t see me smile, this is genuine tongue-in-cheek humor, not sarcasm.)
SG said last Sunday: "If you don't hear anything here today know this, God loves you, God loves the sinner."
Romans 1:18 For the (LOVE) of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. (not the KJV)
1:22-23 (KJV) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beast, and creeping things.
Piglet: Well said. This was the second time yesterday someone posted an almost exact comment (Faith and finance guy.) Both times there have been excellent responses.
I for one am getting a little frustrated with the comments about non-BBC members. We are all one in the Body of Christ and it is my opinion that the battle being waged in BBC now is a battle for Truth, direction, and accountability that transcends the Church.
I'm not sure why there seems to be more angst with someone wanting to offer support to abuse survivors than there has been for the one who perpetrated the abuse, and allowed the perpetrator to continue with no consequences.
Why has there been more anger towards those who demand accountability and responsibility from leadership by legal means than there has been towards the leadership thwarting the law with regard to disclosure?
Why has there been more anger towards those on this blog who have searched the scriptures and made themselves transparent and plain than there has been to ones in leadership who answer questions with, "I don't know"?
Why is there more anger at perceived hatefulness coming from this blog than towards leadership who silenced an "amening" man, ignored an abuse victim, or arrested a 15 year old girl in a worship service?
At the very least it seems disingenuous. There seems to be a double standard that I don't understand. Willingness to "forgive and forget" broken laws and misused scripture but a harshness and unforgiving attitude towards those who have requested obedience to the Word of God and the laws of man.
Concerned,
Good post. I too wonder why some think that 'non members' shouldn't be posting. The problems at BBC transend that particular local church. When a part of the Body of Christ is ailing, it effects the whole Body. One part of the body shouldn't be saying to another part,'I have no need of you'. Thanks for pointing that out. OC.
solomon said :
(as reported by faith ):
It’s time for a change. When our ancestors started building the tower of Babel God knew they would succeed. The LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. What an incredible statement! I choose to take that as literally as I can. NOTHING is impossible if we work together. Victory can only come through unity.
Ok....
Now I beleive I have seen seen everything,,,
Do you all realize what this post is plainly suggesting ? It suggests that faith sees solomon as being a prescious , prescious man whose gaze is firmly fixed on heavenly things and has his eyes and heart set upon pleasing GOD alone. Yet...
Faith clearly misses the centrality of the issue of THE TOWER OF BABEL.
THE TOWER OF BABEL was the result of self deification, and unity consciousness...an attempt to reach godhood without repentance, humility, and dying to self and crying out to GOD ALONE for HIS WAY AND WAYS !!!!!!!!!!!!!
JEHOVAH God vehemently hated the unity that waS DISPLAYED AT BABEL !!!!!
GOD was condemning their 'ONENESS" AND THEIR PURPOSE FILLED SINGLE MINDED UNITY THAT EXCLUDED HIM AND HIS TRUTH !!!!!
YES !! It was the single largest example of a new world order in the historical Biblical record !!!
And...
guess what ????
The Babel-ers sre back again !!
Preaching that we need UNITY , UNITY, UNITY, UNITY ...all without TRUTH !!!!!!!!!!
Now...let me say this in as straightforward a manner as I can by Gods will.
Solomon, you are thoroughly deceived in your example you cited.
You are not only deceived, you have it 180 degrees backward.
If ever, there was a Bible story and example that showed the DANGERS of elevating ONENESS AND FALSE UNITY ...it is the story of THE TOWER OF BABEL.
For Rick Warren or solomon to suggest that BABEL is an excellent model of how Christians should conduct themselves in 2007 is about the single most startling thing I have read on this blog.
Now, having said that, I want to say...
solomon, I pray you will have the unity scales removed and God wll grant you spiritual eye salve to see the unity you champion by citing BABEL is exactly opposite of GODS WILL AND DESIRE.
God looked down on their oneness and purpose and saw their energy and unity and single mindedness and did what ?
HE CONDEMNED IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND SCATTERED THEM AND CONFUSED THEIR LANGUAGE AND DISPERSED THEM OVER THE FACE OF THE EARTH !!!!!
Yet
Rick Warren and solomon cite this example as " instructive " to preach victory through UNITY ????
oh LORD GOD, I pray
If it be possible ...
remove the scales from these mens eyes in this most serious matter.
THE TOWER OF BABEL
Genesis 11: 1-9
And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said F66 one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there "confound their language", that they "may not" understand one another's speech. 8 So the LORD " scattered them " abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
YES..
GOD CAUSED DIVISION
GOD HATED FALSE UNITY
GOD SENT CONFUSION ON THEIR UNITY VISION AND SCHEME.
BABEL ( FALSE UNITY ) IS BACK FOR A FINAL CURTAIN CALL
COME OUT OF BABEL...
I find it strange that suddenly so many are finding the content of the blog so offensive. I haven't posted much lately, but I follow it every day. I have to agree with piglet, I've seen more silliness than vitriol of late.
As to those non-BBC members who come and post...I would agree that it would be preferable if only BBC members were involved in the dialog..but I find it sad that the only support those who desire openness and transparency at BBC gets, has to come from outside our own walls...at least the kind of support that actually speaks up and says something. Personally I'm sick and tired of hearing that there are leaders/deacons, etc. who are with us, but are waiting for the "grassroots" to rise up...is that not backwards? What exactly do you think we've been doing fellas? The same goes for those who say they are for us but only "lurk" on the outer edges of the debate, while the rest here wear themselves out to keep the issues before the people. It's quite easy to stand on the outer edges and criticize what others say, when you won't lift your own voice, or as much as sign a petition for something you know is right. The fact is, it wouldn't matter if every poster on this blog was a rotten scoundrel...it wouldn't change one thing this administration has done or failed to do, or make it any more right. To speak of loss of credibility of the dissenters is laughable in the face of all this administration has done, as if that somehow justifies what they do and have done. I keep wondering when the outrage will come.
The people who post here have endured every kind of attack imaginable from those who oppose us. From personal attacks about one's physical appearance, to being called hate-filled, gossipers, slanderers, idiots, outcasts...we've been gloated over, taunted, marginalized...we've been referred to from the pulpit as Sanballat and Tobias, attacking the Holy Spirit, divisive, etc, yet there's no one posting here about those things..only what the posters say.
If I may illustrate by analogy: a man has a wife who loves him dearly..but as a husband, he browbeats her, never allows her a voice in the finances of the home, always criticizes her appearance, her cooking, the way she keeps the house, irons his clothes, etc...when she protests, he smacks her across the jaw....she pleads with him, prays for God to open his eyes to the sin of his abuse, but he only steps up his mistreatment, and top of it reminds her that she's his wife and is bound to him. One day after endless days of enduring the pain, a man comes along who is kind to her, compliments her genuinely, respects her thoughts...and lo and behold, she falls into an affair with him. The husband is outraged...he calls her every name in the book...she defends herself by reminding him of his abuse...I ask you...was what she did right?...of course not...but I ask further...can this husband credibly call his wife a dirty rotten slut, in light of all he's done? What she did was wrong..nothing can justify it...but can you see the hypocrisy in his ranting?
What vitriol you see from the dissenters is the result of enduring this business over months...I'm not excusing myself or anyone else for anything said that is wrong...but you who criticize should take a few steps back and look at the whole picture, and see the hypocrisy in laying the blame at their feet while the administration does their deeds unabated, and without any real questioning.
all of grace..
I wholeheartedly agree with you.
If there truelly are those who are in leadership who are waiting for the grassroots to rise..
Then I would suggest that they ARE NOT "leaders"...at all...but politicians...
Leaders dont DO WHAT IS RIGHT...simply when they have "political cover ".
Leaders do what is right, even if no one stands at all with them.
weak, puny, cowardly men test the winds, and do polls, and wait look for support before speaking and doing TRUTH.
I suggest to stop calling these silent , passive, alleged supporters deacons..and call them what they are ...."weak-ons."
ASK THE LORD FOR A SPINAL COLUMN.
I want to weigh in on some things regarding the recent Business Meeting. In spite of the mess and chaos, there are still good things going on at Bellevue. I can only imagine how many people we could minister to IF we were not all immersed in the troubled times that have continued to plague our church over the past several months. Yes, God has continued to bless Bellevue…in spite of all of our shortcomings.
Our “leaders” need to do their job. They need to do more than just talk about integrity and transparency. They need to walk the walk.
In God’s Word, it states in 1 Corinthians 9:14:
“Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” (King James Version)
I have wondered for many, many months where the pillars of Bellevue stand. My family and I have been asking those that we have personally known for a number of years where they stand on various issues. Many of these men are current Deacons. Some are former Chairmen of our Deacon body. Others have served on many committees over the years. Most are very disturbed and sickened over what has been allowed to occur within our church. For whatever the multitude of reasons, most have continued to avoid any kind of public stand. I submit that this has become part of the problem rather than part of a solution.
Perhaps these leaders are not the leaders we thought them to be. Those that have the power, the clout, and the credentials to take a public stand for doing what is right have instead chosen to criticize in private. Many of our Deacons would rather carry the title of Deacon rather than to dare ask questions or challenge the administration.
Thankfully, God is still in charge. He is patient. Many will have to answer for their “head in the sand” approach; others will answer for their “defend our Pastor at any cost” stance; others will be accountable for divisive words or hostile comments.
If Steve Gaines left tomorrow, we would still have a huge problem. We need new leaders. We need men who are not concerned with “following the crowd.” We need leaders who don’t feel coerced to sign loyalty oaths or pledges. We need Deacons who will do their jobs. We need Sunday School teachers and Deacons who will ask the tough questions in love and not just “swallow and follow” blindly.
I will share a couple of interesting factoids that were shared with me this week:
1) David Coombs has admitted that there was indeed a plan to end the Business Meeting after approximately 45 minutes. When Jim Angel made the motion to adjourn the meeting, it was not by coincidence. It was planned.
2) While at the MABTS on Thursday, 04/05/07, Steve Gaines was heard making the following statement: “Yeah, when we saw CW (he actually used the name in his direct quote) approaching that mike, we shut down that meeting.”
Now, most likely these two statements by our Pastor and David Coombs will NOT change anybody's opinion or view of what is going on within our church. The probably reaction for many will be to defend them for their statements and criticize those of us who have taken a stand to try to get at the Truth...wherever Truth is...regardless of the cost.
It just seems that there have been an awful lot of itty-bitty mistakes of the mind from our leaders...
Only God knows what the future holds for Bellevue Baptist Church. God also knows what could be done by His people if we would get beyond this mess that seems to continue to grow by the day.
facts_only_please said...
1) David Coombs has admitted that there was indeed a plan to end the Business Meeting after approximately 45 minutes. When Jim Angel made the motion to adjourn the meeting, it was not by coincidence. It was planned.
2) While at the MABTS on Thursday, 04/05/07, Steve Gaines was heard making the following statement: “Yeah, when we saw CW (he actually used the name in his direct quote) approaching that mike, we shut down that meeting.”
Now, most likely these two statements by our Pastor and David Coombs will NOT change anybody's opinion or view of what is going on within our church. The probably reaction for many will be to defend them for their statements and criticize those of us who have taken a stand to try to get at the Truth...wherever Truth is...regardless of the cost.
It just seems that there have been an awful lot of itty-bitty mistakes of the mind from our leaders...
Sheepless says,
Great post, however, it's seems these itty-bitty mistakes of the mind are actually..
HEART DISEASE!!!
After all of the tumult, all of the pain, all of the plain-speak, and all of the double-speak is said and done...
It all boils down to this :
TWO PATHS , TWO CHRISTS, TWO KINGDOMS, TWO ETERNITIES
Which Jesus are you followng ?
Mr. Watchman,
My name is Hope, and I'm a friend of Mr. Solomon. I feel you have made a serious error in your analysis and I'd like to correct it.
You are applying the image of the tower of Babel to Bellevue, and that's not right. It's a frightening image, to be sure, and will certainly gain you support.
Perhaps you're familiar with Romans 15:4, which says that the things written in the past were written to be examples for us, and that's what you are doing.
However, God used that example in a different way. In the Jewish synagogues in the first century, scripture reading began every Sabbath day worship. They read the same passages on the same day each year.
When the disciples gathered together on the day of Pentecost, the account of the Tower of Babel was read aloud. The Christians would have just heard how God had confused man's language. Then the Holy Spirit came down with power in tongues of flame. The church spoke in tongues, in languages they never knew. The curse of the Tower was undone. That's the rest of the story.
It's beyond me why you would think the natural state of the church should be division. That is exactly the opposite of what Jesus prayed for in the Upper Room.
facts only- Good analysis. It seems that as time passes BBC becomes more polarized by events like the recent discovery of SG’s admission to shutting down the business meeting (even though Jim Angel denied it when asked). I agree with a previous opinion that it is harmful for any pastor to take the place of the Lord as the measure of right and wrong. To put a pastor in such a position is not fair to him or a church. If he becomes the ultimate moral measure, it seems that every questionable action (the treatment of JW, the fence, the Union City remark, the 25K FUMC, the harboring of a child rapist, etc.) must be defended or repudiated by members, causing them to take sides in a grotesque tug-of-war where nobody wins.
Jesus did come to divide..
Truth divides..
Sound Doctrine divides
Jesus came to bring a sword of division:
Matthew 10:34-42
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
allofgrace,
I agree that this blog should be for members, so I won't stay long.
It's not strange that people are finding the blog offensive, it's just unusual that someone cares enough to air their concerns in a sensible way.
Dr. Rogers taught his congregation to love and trust its pastor. Dr. Gaines is currently enjoying the benefits of that. There is one chance and one chance only for resolution, and that's to persuade people that Dr. Gaines is no Adrian Rogers.
Keith has been trying to do that. He has no intention of leaving Bellevue, and has in essence been flogged at church whenever he has pointed out the mistakes Dr. Gaines has made. He is considered to be a 'blogger', even though his participation has been minimal.
The beating he received here the other day was not very lighthearted, and I don't think it should be dismissed so easily.
Best,
Hope
Genesis 11:1: And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
2: And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
3: And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
4: And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5: And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
6: And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7: Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
8: So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
9: Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
I think the part of this account that brings motive home to me is in verse 4: "and let us make us a name"...not let's do this to the Glory of God..."but let us make US a name." Pride...arrogance....Maybe they have the following said about them by God "now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do" but if it was not done in His will, for His Glory, it would seem to me to be wrong. Response?
Truth also unifies. Jesus prayed for those who heard the word spoken through the apostles to be one. Specifically, he was praying for us.
Just as there is a false unity, there is also a false division. Who is the author of that, do you think?
John 17
20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
concerned,
Not only wrong, but God would keep it from happening. This goes back to theology, but since he did not stop the situation at Bellevue it is therefore His will that it happened. IMO
God told Cain to become a restless wanderer. He built a city, instead. Despite his disobedience, God did not stop him. He stopped the Tower building. Draw your own conclusions.
As much as I enjoy it here, I really can't stick around.
Grace,
Hope
faithnhope said
It's beyond me why you would think the natural state of the church should be division. That is exactly the opposite of what Jesus prayed for in the Upper Room.
Piglet says:
I don't think it should be the natural state of the church either. We were not divided until sin came into our midst that has been excused, covered up, or blatantly repeated. And then those that cry out are called various names for destroying the unity around here.
If the dissenters leave and BBC becomes unified, the leadership that has sinned and those that have condoned it are partakers of an ungodly unity that shakes a fist in the face of a Holy God.
faithnhope said
Dr. Rogers taught his congregation to love and trust its pastor. Dr. Gaines is currently enjoying the benefits of that. There is one chance and one chance only for resolution, and that's to persuade people that Dr. Gaines is no Adrian Rogers.
Piglet says:
I knew he was no Dr. Rogers when he first came. I was behind him, pulling for him, and knew he was trying to fill big shoes. I forgave the first set of apologies and had a wait and see attitude.
But Gaines has proven over and over again that he has deeply rooted sin issues that ruin his character and cloud his discernment. This is more that "not being Dr. Rogers".
The VERY least I expect from my pastor is that he has integrity and is filled with the spirit.
And if Solomon had visited again, he would have seen an apology from me for some of my remarks.
However, if he feels that we just need to realize that Gaines is not Rogers, he's missed the boat.
faithnhope said
Just as there is a false unity, there is also a false division. Who is the author of that, do you think?
Piglet says:
Do you really think Satan is the author of division over sin and the truth?
If this truly WAS about the music, you might have a point, but please....
watchman
You've been criticized because you're not a BBC member. But having read your posts and the links - including the 107 minute video on the new age, I find your coments to be scriptural and the information in your links shocking but relevant. We need to be reminded of the big picture though many refuse to see it.
I have gotten so many angry rebuking emails and letters from people who want to ignore this entirely. We have become the villains and Gaines can do no wrong. The deception is growing and his supporters are becoming more hateful, shutting their ears and closing their eyes to the truth.
Once we were "hate-filled" to the tolerant PC crowd because we stood for the truth of God's word and would not compromise. Those were the good old days when we stood together as a church on those issues.
Now our own church labels us "hate-filled" for the same reason. A year ago I didn't see this coming....
Peace at all cost is not really peace, is it? At the cost of integrity? Should there be peace without integrity? Really, can there be?
By the way, You can have UNITY without integrity, they have that in prison. If unity is the goal, that's easy enough. Don't you want more? Doesn't the Lord demand more?
OC
No, no, no, and no!!! :(
Yes, and yes!!! :)
(Boy, I'm glad you showed up. I was beginning to think I was talking to myself) :0)
NASS, I e-mailed you.
To clarify my earlier post...it was not aimed at non-BBC members, but rather those that criticize the blog and the bloggers for the tone of some of the posts. While I don't condone nastiness in anyone including myself, or excuse it, my analogy from my earlier post was intended to show that while not excusable, any rough tones in the posts should certainly be understood given the administrations actions. We've often been told that their actions don't excuse us for our own sin, which I agree with...however I've never seen the same reasoning applied to the words and actions of the administration and their supporters...just pointing out the deficit.
Hi Socwork!
FACT:
Steve Gaines admitted to the fact that " as soon as we saw CW walk up to the microphone, we shut that baby down"
He was proud of what he did to his sheep.
Is THIS the kind of man you want for your pastor?
Please recall that on Dec. 17, he stated that he had compassion for PW...THE PEDOPHILE!! Too bad he didn't have ANY compassion WHATSOEVER for CW.
What kind of a man would side with the pedophile?
And this is the man in whom you place your blind trust???
What do you think he's going to do the next time he learns of a pedophile within the church?
Let me answer that question:
NOTHING!!!!
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!
He would have done nothing this time except for the fact that he got caught. He TRIED to keep PW on staff...Apparently, it was no big deal to him...
THINK PEOPLE!!! THINK!!!!
Piglet.
I talk to myself all the time. My dog has gotten sick of it, now he tells me to shut up! :)
A comment about non-members on the blog...
I can understand why members would have a desire to keep their family business in their own family, so to speak. And I know as Baptists, the autonomy of the local church is a big deal.
However, we are one body, are we not? Do you think it is possible that God could use someone from outside your "local" body to somehow minister to/edify/challenge your church? Does God gift and equip us for only our local church body or for the body of Christ?
Back to the family analogy... Sometimes families need outside help with the problems inside become too overwhelming for them to deal with in a healthy and productive manner. Sometimes, they just need the "outside" perspective of a therapist to help them view their issues in another light.
If the church body is a family (and we are), why would this not be true for the church as well? I think it is.
Hi oc! :)
Is THIS where we are now? Is THIS what's next for BBC? People just following along, BLINDLY?
Looking for redemption
Florida pastor who served 4 years in prison wants to head church group
April 5, 2007
MIAMI -- The former head of a national organization of black Baptist churches spent four years in prison for stealing millions of dollars from the group. Now he wants one of his old jobs back: leader of the organization's Florida chapter.
The Rev. Henry Lyons, 65, was popular before his conviction and is still highly regarded. He was vying with two other ministers Wednesday to lead the Florida General Baptist Convention, a chapter of the National Baptist Convention USA, which claims to represent 7.5 million members of black churches nationwide.
Representatives of member churches were voting through Wednesday evening in Fort Lauderdale.
Lyons, released from prison in 2003, rose to power with a blend of charisma, fiery preaching and political skills. While he was on a 1997 trip to Africa, his wife, Deborah Lyons, discovered he had purchased a $700,000 waterfront home with a mistress. Deborah Lyons set the home on fire.
An investigation unmasked Henry Lyons' use of his leadership role to access millions of dollars to finance his lavish lifestyle.
*******
SOTL ASKS:
HOW DUMB ARE WE?
SOTL
Well, the Bible calls us sheep, so I guess we are pretty dumb. Means we need to have a wise leader - that would be Jesus.
We are seeing what happens when people get their eyes off Him and on a personality.
Piglet: How very true. And also eyes on the "fun" of SIN. Of course, one of the biggest problems as I see it is that there are no real consequences coming out of the churches for said sin. PC and false tolerance has affected every aspect of our lives.
a"This goes back to theology, but since he did not stop the situation at Bellevue it is therefore His will that it happened. IMO"
Then you can justify just about anything, including murder and rape, as God's will.
That is not faith, that is simply craven-ness.
"When the disciples gathered together on the day of Pentecost, the account of the Tower of Babel was read aloud. "
Would you please cite the passage?
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