Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

The recent events of pastors and spiritual leaders falling in public has been very disillusioning for me. After a while you wonder if anyone can truly live a life that honors God. But I’m grateful to know men and woman who have “Finished Well.” In some ways it is comforting to know that God forgives us of every sin. Look at King David and the Apostle Paul they were both murders and one was an adulterer. Yet God used them to do mighty things in the Kingdom of God.

But what happened to “Finishing Well?” I realize that we are not to lift up any person and we are to look to Christ. Yet it helps to have examples that we can follow.

When I moved to Charlotte I contacted a famous pastor who had transitioned a church and written a great book. We were finally going to meet in late December. I spent two hours coming up with questions to ask. I drove an hour away and waited for 2 hours. Unfortunately he didn’t show up. I emailed him and he apologized and said we would do it again. I never have heard from him again.
I met with another famous pastor here a few months ago for coffee. He tried to rush me out as fast as possible. I wasn’t there more than 10 minutes. Yet, I took 2 hours to come up with questions to ask him. I felt like I was bothering him. But I drove 45 minutes to see him. If he didn’t have time he should have told me before I wasted a half a day.
I’ve asked a dozen or more men to mentor me in the past 10 years. Most have brushed me off. One man said yes then approached me about AMWAY and when I said no I never heard from him again.

How are younger leaders to learn if we don’t have mentors guiding us along the way? Mentoring is a big “buzz” word these days but why is it only the “mega” church guys who get mentored? Naturally I was mentored by my parents especially my father. But I think we need outside people who can be more objective.

My mentoring has occurred on my own by reading the Bible, reading leadership books, listening to tapes and CD’s and going to conferences. I know I don’t speak for everyone but I would like to see, hear and learn from “Success Stories.” I don’t mean people who have great businesses or ministries but those who have “Finished Well!”  I want to hear how men and women struggled yet they resisted.  I want to hear some victories.  Didn’t Jesus promise us and abundant life.  I’m tired of only hearing about those who fall. I know God uses them and forgives and I am grateful. But what about those who are trying to live a Godly life and have finished well? We need to hear, read about and meet those who have successful marriages, businesses and ministries because they did it God’s way.

Paul Burleson says:

Temptation comes at our point of strength…not our weakness…who would have thought? I’ve aways been so sold on the idea that I’ve got to strengthen/guard where I’m weak because, if I don’t, I’ll wind up failing/falling in that area. Satan attacks me where I’m weak.

Call me naive and optimistic if you will but I believe there are many believers like this today. I’m looking forward to meeting them and reading about them hopefully on this thread. I love seeing the couples in our church that have been married for 50 and 60 years! I love reading about Bob Cleveland’s love for his wife! My generation needs to see, hear and read more about that.

What do you think?

[From Guardian and Scotsman]

Pope Benedict has given a fresh reminder that Hell is hell and bemoaned the fact that it rarely gets talked about these days. The 79-year old pontiff used a Mass in the gritty Fidene suburb of Rome to put damnation back on the agenda.

“Jesus came to tell us everyone is wanted in paradise, and that hell, about which little gets said today, exists and is eternal for those who shut their hearts to his love,” Pope Benedict warned the congregation on Sunday

“Hell exists and there is eternal punishment for those who sin and do not repent.”

Using the Gospel reading of John where Jesus saves the adulterous woman from death by stoning by saying “let he who is without sin to cast the first stone”, Pope Benedict said: “This reading shows us that Christ wants to save souls. He is saying that He wants us in Paradise with Him but He is saying that those who close their hearts to Him will be condemned to eternal damnation.

“Only God’s love can change from within the existence of the person and, consequently, the existence of every society, because only His infinite love liberates from sin, the root of every evil.”

Read about it here and here.

[From me]

Wow!  If I didn’t know who wrote this sermon I would have thought it came from an Evangelical.   He is right.  Hell is a real place and those who say it isn’t will spend eternity away from God.  I would hate to think of this for anyone.  That is why I take my faith and the faith of others so seriously.

What do you think?

I really am saddened once again about a failure of a famous pastor.

The founding pastor of The Church at Brook Hills has been suspended from his evangelistic ministry and resigned as chaplain of Samford University’s (my alma mater) football team after he admitted having an extramarital affair.

The pastor is a widely known evangelist who has given the invocation at NASCAR races, built The Church at Brook Hills from 30 members to some 4,000. He retired in 2005 amid health problems, including two brain surgeries, one an emergency operation for an aneurysm.

Read about it here.

Bob Cleveland wrote about it here.

[Update] Wade Burleson wrote about it here.

I read stories about this I am am heartbroken. This pastor is one of the most dynamic speakers I have ever heard. I still remember the message vividly that he preached at a conference I went to in 2001. It was the best message I’ve ever heard on Spiritual Gifts.

Ted Haggard was a pastor I respected for years. I listened to the CD’s of his praise band called Desperation. Yet he was living a lie and that was exposed last Fall.

Joel Gregory has the best “preacher” voice I’ve ever heard. My brother was visited by Dr. Gregory when he was pastor of 1st Baptist Dallas. Yet he wrote in his book Too Great a Temptation about his affair while he was pastor at 1st Dallas.

Gordon McDonald wrote books about healthy marriages then it comes out that he was unfaithful to his wife. This really hit home with my wife because she had just read his wife’s book.

The list could go on and on. Charles Stanley, Jim Bakker, and Jimmy Swaggart all have had marriage problems or sexual sins that have become public. I understand that we all are sinners but what is going on? Is there something that happens to people who make it big even in Christian circles? It is very disheartening to read these stories.

I wonder how and why God uses these men while they are in the middle of living a lie? I really don’t get that. There are many fine pastors, staff members and church members who trying to live a Godly life and yet we will never see the success that some will. Yet God allows a man having a 25 year affair to build a church from 30 to over 4000. Several have made fortunes writing books about their failures. Others have greater ministries than they did before.

I don’t get it. It makes me more Calvinistic everyday. It is obvious that I won’t understand God. He can do whatever He wants and I guess I’ll ask Him when I get to heaven. I may never be famous and probably would be better off not being known if it means throwing away my integrity and my family. I would rather be know for loving my wife and kids then building some great ministry for God if it means I have to compromise my standards or lose my family. I guess I will never get it.

The good news is that Jesus forgives all of us for the sins in our lives. This doesn’t excuse us and allow us to go out and run wild. But I am grateful that God will forgive everyone who asks Him forgiveness.

What do you think?

[From Yahoo News]

“Fight truth decay” is a favorite. “Come in for a free faith lift,” is another — two examples of the toe-curling puns plastered across so many notice boards outside British churches.

Now the hunt is on for the best pulpit pun, with a 500 pound ($985) prize for the number one religious slogan.

“It never fails to amaze us how many interesting posters there are,” said Margaret Slater of the church property specialists Congregational & General Insurance who are organizing the competition.

“Some of the puns really make you smile and we’ve seen some great examples of creative copywriting too,” she added.

Among the classics she cited were “Chxxch — Have you guessed what’s missing.UR!” and “God, you’re great!”

Read about it here.

[From me]

Oh Adam Feldman will have fun with this.

[From Baptist Press]

A growing number of families would rather spend their increasingly limited free time together than at church, a study by Leadership magazine found.

“The increased emphasis on ‘family time,’ even at the expense of meaningful involvement in church life, is a sign of the times,” reporter Eric Reed wrote for Leadership. “It’s one way Generations X and Y are making up for the hands-off, latch-key childrearing styles that characterized their Boomer parents: heavy investment in the kids, and everything else takes a back seat — including church.”

Leadership surveyed 490 pastors about what is keeping people away from church, and the Christianity Today-owned magazine found that people routinely choose family events over church commitments because they say they’re not finding church to be a relevant enough resource in their time-crunched lifestyles.

Read about it here.

[From me]

I think it is important for families to be together. But our time with God should be the most important part of our lives. I realize that some churches do segregate families. But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen sports, the beach, the mountains and “Bedside Baptist” being more important than going to church.

How can we do a better job connecting families together and make church attractive for families? We just started a new children’s ministry on Sunday mornings that we hope will make children beg their parents to come each Sunday.

What about your thoughts?