Hey Mike-

I was just wondering how things have been since Monday. I haven't stopped praying for you and Julie.

Hey Erin, I've just posted an update on the Ooze in the "my week from hell" thread. Thanks for asking. :)

Mike I love you. I support you. I continue to pray for you, to hold you and Julie up to the Lord. I want to stand by you through this, and part of my standing with you is to love you enough to be honest with you.

If people are already misunderstanding things, how does it help to make a public post referring to shit hitting the fan? You surely can't expect that to lower peoples guards so that they listen with an open mind do you? If God is calling us to build bridges and help one another’s understanding of him, how does it help to throw out things that you KNOW are antagonistic? I'm not worried about offending people for the Lord's sake, but this isn't about a theological point - you are throwing a red cape in front of a bull just to be able to use a colloquialism.

A full blown heresy trial? Wasn’t it more like a meeting with a small number of leaders in the church in an attempt to hear YOUR side of the story rather than what was being spread around by a particular individual? Sure, people have concerns. I'd be disappointed if no one thought for themselves or questioned what they hear. When pastor preaches his version of end times events there have been lots of heated discussions and “concerns”. You have said yourself that it is GOOD to question things. Please extend that same courtesy to those with whom you disagree.

In your last paragraph you use the phrase “even if Evangel decides that our views are acceptable”... It isn’t Evangel that you are really talking about. It is a small handful of people, notably the pastor. Please don’t lump everyone in the church into the same bucket as these folks. Phrases that use such broad brushstrokes (the Republicans all think that… Every Liberal wants… etc.) are rarely on the mark, and even less often constructive to the dialog.

Fifteen or twenty years ago I personally “knew that Evangel is a dying church” and I’ve been proven wrong time and time again. I cannot picture Evangel as a church I would come to if I was looking, but every time I try to leave God calls me back. He has a purpose for you and me and that church and for everyone else who is there. Heck, what drew you there initially? (Seriously, I’ve never known and I’m curious – let’s talk about it soon!) God has use for people who don’t believe the same way or worship in a different style than you or I might. One of the beautiful things about his all encompassing love is the way he uses us in spite of ourselves. Through time God has blessed many churches or groups that I could not associate with. Does my view toward them make them wrong? Or does the blessing God gave them prove I’m wrong? When we as Christians meet up in heaven, I expect to bust a gut in laughter at how limited our stupid little view was. And I include you in this too, dude. I expect that you and I will see our views as being as flawed as some of those who are bringing this discord upon us. Flawed in different ways to be sure, but none of us puny humans have all the answers.

Persevere Mike, and know that God is still on the throne. But while trusting him, work to maintain a moral high ground. If you speak ill of others it reflects poorly on you, not them. Strive to be truly Christ like in all you say, do, and write. (Oh, this is waaay too easy to say and sounds so trite! Sorry.) Of course, this also goes back to the notion of “What is Christ like?” I would disagree with many who claim to be acting in His name and His will. But I guess that’s why I need to spend more time on my knees; to know what He wants for me specifically. OK, now I’m off on a tangential rant…please forgive me. But know that when I am on my knees I will be holding you & Julie up to Him, asking him to give you strength, patience, perseverance, and a loving attitude even to those who persecute you.

Talk to you soon Bro!

Sorry - I followed an outdated bookmark. My bad.

The above was written AFTER the meeting, but BEFORE I saw the post you put with post meeting review.

A few of my thoughts still stand tho. Let go of bitterness and let God work through you. Know that He loves those who are not post-modern every bit as much as He loves you. Understand that He still uses those other folks for His good, and that they are not inherently wrong - they just hold different views.

I love you Bro!

To my anonymous friend from Evangel: :)

I appreciate your advice, and you are quite right that I should be less harsh in my criticisms of Evangel if I want them to be less harsh with me. I would point out two things in response however. 1) I never intended for most people at Evangel to read those words. I wasn't trying to win a hearing from them by saying that. As far as I know, only a small handful of people at Evangel even have the link to this blog. In other words, this blog isn't a conversation between me and my church, it's more of a personal diary that some of you get to read. Sometimes I'm going to post raw feelings that I wouldn't express to people in person once I've had a chance to cool down and think rationally and diplomatically.

And 2) this blog has been a record of my feelings as this whole situation has unfolded. When I originally posted this particular post, it was before I had met with any of the church leadership except the pastor, and before I knew how anyone was going to respond. I was expressing my own hurt, but my feelings have changed quite a bit since then as this process has developed. In other words, this blog, again, is only one side of the full picture of what's going on with me.