I don't think we have any high profile athletes at Crossroads but it seems like some mega-churches are enjoying the benefits of big name notoriety and the money that comes along with it.
I'm not sure what it would be like to have a superstar in the crowd but it seems like the star power would overshadow the Message. Bummer. They want to be in church but with big name status comes big time attention. Thankfully, Visalia isn't a real draw for professional athletes.
I was unsuccessfully trying to clean up my war-torn office last night when I
came across an old notebook. Every six months or so, I go through a 150 page
c...
4 comments:
This kind of stuff leaves me speechless--and that doesn't happen very often!
I was tracking for a while until he said "We want to show people that there is profit in serving God." Ummmmm...
The Disciples saw a profit right? If being crucified up down, stoned, and fed to lyons is "profitable"...
Oh wait! I get it... it's really a metaphor for the boxing world.
I never really got the 10% thing. Growing up my parents tithed 10% of gross income to church, 10% to savings to celebrate the...get ready, "the feast of tabernacles" in various locations throughout the world, and then they had a third tithe year which required an additional 10% of their GROSS income to the church every three years to support the poor. Weird thing is, my Dad was a teacher with four kids so we were not exactly rolling in the money ourselves!! Needless to say, I'm totally AGAINST telling anybody their closeness to God is at all related to monitary donations. I do believe that if you go to a church it is benefecial to find a way to support the overall ministry, whatever that support might be. A positive I learned, no matter what the amount, was that I saw my parents give and sacrafice to help others. Isn't THAT really what it is all about?
Televangelists
As for televangelists - without belaboring the point, our belief is that we will know them by their love and there are many positive things that we could say about the people God has chosen to deliver His message of love and hope throughout the World.
It’s safe to say televangelist, as all of us, are not perfect people. We’ve all been saved by grace, and they have been given the gift of teaching and the talent to effectively deliver the message (with the help of the Holy Spirit).
Each one on the video, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyers, Joel Osteen, T.D Jakes and Benny Hinn have helped us understand the love of Christ, as have our teachers at Crossroads. All of you have helped and encouraged us during what seemed to be our darkest hour.
There are good and bad, flamboyant and plain, successful and not successful, confident and less confident in every profession. Televangelism is no exception. Personally, I enjoy watching all of the televangelists that were mentioned. Joyce Meyer and Creflo Dollar are watched regularly, in addition to the Hour of Power, Hal Lindsay, John Ackenburg, Ed Young Junior, to name a few. They love the Lord, teach the Word, and have a successful globel ministry. If you watch them, even occasionally, you know that some feed the poor, take care of the homeless and they are by design, a mega church, or in the case of Benny Hinn, a high profile healer. To use a sports metaphor, you could say they are all a successful world class franchise whose message is the love of God.
Your blog really got me thinking about a whole list of things - high profile athletes in church and the possibility of their being a distraction. (I would think they would be an asset, and they, too, need a place to worship), tithing and how much some of these athletes tithe, (a good thing), the marketing of religion, press releases and their use in the faith-based community, all the way to good and bad televangelists.
We are most grateful for Crossroads and the people who make up its ministerial and administrative staff, praise band, and small groups. We are also thankful for the people we’ve met from the rescue mission, along with the new faces of the congregation we meet each week.
In summary, concerning the televangelists, there are various types. We just wanted to stand up for the ones who have helped us.
Nick and Nance
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