Sermon Recap
Posted on July 10th, 2005 by catalyst into the Pastor Hank, Sermons categoryJohnpaul (RP) called me today, and informed me that I have not been pulling my weight on the blog. This sounded a little odd, coming from a guy who’s dedication to the blog is in direct proportion to his wife’s mood. When JP’s wife is happy, I get long phone calls discussing all the things we should write on the blog. When she’s not happy, I get short phone calls from JP, who is usually in his backyard whispering into the phone.
Nevertheless, I haven’t written that much lately. So, I sat down to listen to Mr. Damazio’s latest sermon. Entitled: Growth - There’s More.
I guess Mr. Damazio will be spending the next two months talking about personal growth. There’s not a chance in hell I’m listening to all these sermons, but I figure to make JP happy, I can listen to at least one and then blog my thoughts.
Due to some technical glitch, there was only 11 minutes of the sermon available online. I was thrilled. Eleven minutes is definately possible. This I can do.
(Note to future pastors. I’m pretty sure eleven minutes is the attention span of the average parishoner. If you want people to remember your speech, keep it short.)
Frank starts the sermon talking about growth. He then throws in this odd example of how a mother shouldn’t nurse her child, if the child is a teenager. And then mentions that its even odd for a mother to nurse a child when the child is four years old.
I have no idea what this has to do with the rest of Frank’s sermon, but it reminded me that my mother nursed our brother Joel until he was four. And yes it was weird. It also reminded me that recently when our brother Joel was describing his new girlfriend, he said "She’s Mom." To which, JP, who is admittedly not a hipster, asks "What does that mean?" (thinking maybe its some new slang for "hot chick") Joel replies "No, she’s just like our Mom. I love our mom, and she’s just like her." hmmmm…
The lesson here, mothers. If you want your son to develop some weird obsession into his 20’s, nurse him until he’s four…. ….I recognize this has nothing to do with the sermon, but I thought I’d throw in a little family history.
In setting up the sermon, Pastor Frank asked four questions. I’m sure there was more to the sermon, but luckily for me, it cut out after that. So this is all I have to go on. Anyway, I’m going to list the four questions and then my own anwers.
Am I becoming the person God wants me to be?
Actually, yes I am. I’m not perfect, and I certainly have my faults. But I try to put others first. I try to share Christ’s grace and compassion with every one I meet. So, yeah, I think I’m on the right track.
Is your prayer life any different now than it was five years ago?
I probably prayed more five years ago then I do now. I haven’t noticed a difference in my life, due to the lack of prayer. But I’ll keep you posted if something comes up.
Is your response to authority any different now than it was when you were first saved?
I was saved at three years of age. And according to my mother, I didn’t like authority back then. Well, I don’t really like authority now, either. So, I’m gonna have to say my response to authority is probably the same.
Are you being the husband that you should be?
Thankfully, I’m not married. So, I don’t have to worry about being a good husband, praise the Lord.
So that’s what I got out of the sermon. Yes, I realize this post is a lot more about me, than about Frank’s sermon. But whatever…
…your turn JP.
RSS feed for posts
July 10th, 2005 at 11:58 pm
Just out of curiosity, what personal vendetta does the person(s) who birthed this hate-filled site have against the church?…(besides thinking that it’s all about the money). I am a new future member to be of City Bible, and my family and I have met the most awesome spirit filled people who are filled with God’s love. I would like to know exactly what the church supposedly did to the original author of this site. Thank you
July 11th, 2005 at 1:13 am
Frank had to cover the breastfeeding thing because if he didn’t, Mortons everywhere would be breastfeed till they were 25, if JP’s mom had things her way. So I am pretty glad he did tackle that issue.
July 11th, 2005 at 9:37 am
To the first anonymous:
I think you’ve failed to do two things before throwing around some unkind and uninformed words:
1. Read enough of this blog to understand its authors’ intentions and why it came about.
2. Actually be a member of CBC for some period of time.
Until you fulfill those two conditions, I don’t think you should be criticizing anyone here because you do not have enough factual basis to say much of anything.
July 11th, 2005 at 10:35 am
I can’t answer for the original authors of this site, but I did go to school with them and I can tell you from reading the postings on this blog that our experiences at CBC were very similar. Going to CBC, particularly while in high school and as a young adult, was an extremely frustrating time in my life. As soon as I started going to another church that also had values, believes 100% in tithing, and upholds strong Biblical truths, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I no longer felt the burden of trying so hard to be a “Christian” by my church’s standards, but my relationship with the Lord was encouraged and supported. I also no longer felt like I was being babysat by my elders and pastors (at the age of 23). Instead, I was viewed as an adult who had the capabilities to follow the Lord’s leading in my life. And I knew that if I had a problem (which I had) that I could go to my pastors (which I did) and that instead of making me feel like crap (condemnation), they would encourage me with love, compassion, and with the word of God (conviction). I hope your experiences are different than the authors and other contributors of this site, but I have to tell you that this blog has been successful and popular for a very good reason. There are a lot of people who also feel this way, and if they’re anything like me, they have a sense of relief that there is finally a place to share their experiences and concerns without condemnation. Granted, you do have to wade through a lot of crap, particularly in the comments, but if you really read through with an open mind, I think you’ll finally understand what JP and Justin are trying to say.
July 11th, 2005 at 11:34 am
Has anyone noticed how City Bible church does not have a West side church and an East side church but rather campuses. Why are they not called churches, but referred to as a school. Also the sanctuary is called an auditorium. Hank never refers it as a sanctuary it really bothers me.
Defintions.
Sanctuary:
A sacred place, such as a church, temple, or mosque.
The holiest part of a sacred place, as the part of a Christian church around the altar.
Auditorium:A large room to accommodate an audience in a building such as a school or theater.
A large building for public meetings or performances.
Nothing sacred about that or holy. Yes a large room for an audience that is all we were to them not people but a number and a checking account.
July 11th, 2005 at 11:39 am
To the first anonymous,
First of all, ditto to fezzik.
Second, who are you to discount another person’s experience? It’s news to me that we’re all supposed to feel the same about a given situation. I’m quite disturbed to know that you’re willing to state from the outset that anyone who doesn’t reflect your own thoughts must be filled with hate. The lack of compassion that shows is truly frightening to me.
Finally, no one ever said that there aren’t some great, loving, spirit-filled folks attending CBC. I know for a fact that there are. The point is that the leadership is advocating a lifestyle that holds people captive (to materialism, a refusal to think for one’s self, a phobia of anything or anyone different, etc.) and that no one until recently was able to talk openly about it.
People have been damaged in CBC’s wake, and they should be talking about it. This is a healthy forum. If it scares you, perhaps you either need to ask yourself why, or cover your eyes and get out of the theatre (so to speak). I’d strongly advocate exploration of choice A….the anger you expressed in your commentary is obviously a defense mechanism for something, and it’s better to investigate it now rather than regret ignoring it later.
July 11th, 2005 at 12:47 pm
Curious Anonymous,
Here’s the thing. The church didn’t do any one thing the either Catalyst or myself. I know they’ve told you differently, but this is not about bitter revenge. I truly believe that there are “awesome spirit filled people” @ CBC and I also truly believe that the head leaders of CBC are deceived. It’s hard to believe, I know, but give it time and you will see.
Ask yourself this question: “How often does the Bible get preached?” I’m not talking about finding a list of scriptures to back up Hank’s points, but rather actual verse by verse studying of the Bible.
Then ask yourself this question: “How many months did they spend talking about Forward Together?” The answer was 6 (I left at that point and so I don’t have an accurate count.) Further more if you stick around long enough you will find that they dedicate 3 months out of every year to talk about Faith Harvest (I’m sure they’ll cover that in you new member class).
Finally ask yourself this question: “Are Forward Together and Faith Harvest all bad?” The answer to that question is NO. There are good parts to both. However, if Jesus isn’t placed first then these things are all Christian masturbation (how’s that for an oxy-moron?).
We would like to see more time focusing on the Gospel of Jesus and less time on the Gospel of hype. (It’s not just about the money issue, that’s just the easiest thing to point to. If you really want to know what were about start at post 1 in December and work your way back up.)
July 11th, 2005 at 1:08 pm
As a former BT & PBC student, I find this site refreshing. My experience was if you did not do what leadership thought was best for you this made one rebellious. It was to the point of even asking permission if it was O.K. to date someone, what kind of house to buy or should one adopt a child or have another child. When I did not agree I felt out casted until I aligned. When I came to BT back in the 70’s it was at a time when the mentality was, if you want acceptance and approval(which was what I craved)and to be a good christian you did what you were told. I was told this was for my benefit, growth and maturing. As a new believer you were to be mentored and guided. After leaving, it took some time until I could make decisions on my own. At times it was frightening but also exhilarating.
If I questioned leadership the sense of “their going to squish me like a worm” was overwhelming! I became so distrustful of leaders in the church it took me 4 years of just attending a new one and not speaking to anyone to begane to open up. I truly feel His hands extended were I am and a growth, stability and maturing has happened that for me could not have happened if I had stayed.
I do want to add one thing…Those times of worship in the old santuary were you would see a silver cloud fill it still holds fond memories.
Sincerly,
LoveMyLab
July 11th, 2005 at 2:49 pm
The questions FD raises in his sermon are good ones, except that the REAL questions he raises are:
Am I behaving like CBC wants me to?
Is my prayer life any different now than it was five years ago, as evidenced by attending all CBC prayer meetings, fasting conspicuously, shouting in tongues and otherwise publicly displaying my “prayers”?
Do I submit to all the layers of hierarchy in CBC related to all aspects of your life?
Are I fulfilling the CBC-defined
“roles” of husband and wife, woman or man, or fill-in-the-blank (we all know that church has a box for everyone)?
Some questions we could ask ourselves that might actually help us guage our growth could be:
1. How do my heart and actions reveal my attitude about those still alienated from the Lord?
2. How am I fulfilling (or not fulfilling) the greatest commandment (to love the Lord with all my heart, mind and strength)?
3. How am I doing at loving my neighbor as myself?
I could go on, but suffice it to say that as tempting as it is to try to “measure” our growth in quantitative ways, the human heart and life are a bit more complex than that. CBC’s “ruler” is NOT the instrument I would choose to even attempt to measure my own personal growth, that’s for sure!
Catalyst, you’re a bigger man than I to be able to stomach listening to even 11 minutes of this sermon. Hopefully you took a shower shortly thereafter.
FFTM
July 11th, 2005 at 2:59 pm
Ok! Wow, I posted another comment because I didn’t see that anyone commented back to me. I have never participated in one of these blog forums before, so I am having a difficult time navigating. MY APOLOGIES…Thank you for all the responses. I truly don’t want to have a “closed mind” or “closed eyes” about City Bible. I have only been there for 6 months. I did try to read through as much of the comments I could. A lot of the comments didn’t make any sense. That is why I posed my original question. Are these fair assessments of what you are trying to get across?… 1. Its all about the money, 2. They don’t teach the bible, 3. They pass judgement
Thanks
July 11th, 2005 at 4:53 pm
To your 3 points I would say basically yes.
However, we are not saying that the pastors there are after their own personal wealth; I do not believe that. But they do seem to care more about the kingdom of CBC then the kingdom of God.
Please understand that we do not want you to leave CBC right now. Our goal is to simply bring up concerns and cause people to think. If you find yourself continually being fed and growing closer to God than great; that’s the most you can ask for. If you find yourself on a roller coaster of Spiritual highs and lows that just takes you in a circle, well then you should leave.
By the way, there are a large number of people who attend CBC because they have found their niche and are comfortable. I’m sure you can find this there as well; after all they do offer a lot of programs, but I would ask myself if that’s very “healthy”. In the end though, our goal should be to get closer to Christ and you should do whatever it takes to get you there.
Also, I’m pretty sure if we sat down for coffee and talked about religion, you would find that I’m surprisingly un-bitter. Although I realize how our constant joking can be perceived.
July 11th, 2005 at 5:06 pm
Thank you for you quick and very kind response. I so appreciate you honesty and loving approach. You are right, in that the constant joking can be perceived as “bitterness”, however, I have a good sense of humor as well, and actually, I have to admit I chuckled at some of the humor! A few of you really have an imaginative sense of humor! I will sit down and spend more time reading for myself the comments people have made, and keep my eyes and ears open at church. I would really like to make an intellegent decision and I have to admit that I am really sad to hear all this negativity, but I can feel true pain. I am smart enough to know that no one church is going to make everyone happy, that is an impossibility. But, I don’t want to be ignorant as to what might be going on. I will be praying for decernment. Again, thank you for taking a loving approach to your response. May God Bless you…
July 12th, 2005 at 9:35 am
^^^^^ What country is this “dude” or “chic” from???
I have never seen such a thick accent in simple typing before?
Maybe this person is from a country ruled by a repressive regime and feels comfortable with the way CBC runs things.
July 12th, 2005 at 11:48 am
Most recent anonymous,
Does it strike you that your commentary above is completely discriminatory? How is anyone supposed to have a kind and honest dialogue with someone new to the site if you make racist comments about them?
And “dude or chic(k)”? Please say you’re either under 18 or kidding.
To our new-to-CBC anonymous,
Glad you’ve come back to converse with the regulars, and I’m really glad that you’re open to being reflective about all this. I feel like I should apologize for the harshness of my earlier commentary….I assumed closedness where I should have assumed openness, and I’m sorry for that.
My experience with CBC was most of all an experience of getting lost in the shuffle. I was too young and too vulnerable to be able to put myself in a place where I could get the care I needed. It’s a little like the pool of Bethesda there at times…the people who most need to make it into the water can’t get there in time. And no one is patrolling for those people. If you’re not one of those people, you’ll probably be fine there from a social perspective. However, I do believe that hard times come to everyone, and CBC is a rough place to be during hard times….and I for one can’t live with myself knowing that the leadership of my organization is turning a blind eye to the people who most need their resources.
As far as I know, CBC is a fantastically advertised, superficially excellent capitalist venture. For me and many like me, it’s never been the family of God, and neither has it been the light of the world. That’s just my experience….I sincerely hope you are able to experience something different in your time there. Good luck to you in your search.
July 12th, 2005 at 10:54 pm
YOU DONT KNOW ME!!! quit posting these lies or shall i say abominations…. alright what i can i say ive liked boob since i was four its true but i will say mom is quite the looker! ANYONE ANYONE HMMM EHH NO JUST ME WELL OK THEN
July 13th, 2005 at 7:37 pm
I should admit that I too am attracted to women who are like my mother. I have realized that I am incredibly attracted to short very nice and sweet brunnettes. These are the girls I like…. but when I’m hitting on a girl, my pickup line certainly isn’t “Hey, you look just like my
50 year old mother. You’re hot. Let’s go out.”
July 14th, 2005 at 8:09 am
I need to find a new family.
Jesse
July 14th, 2005 at 8:28 am
You both are sick.
July 14th, 2005 at 11:47 am
what catalyst meant was short MEN who look like his FATHER…. yes thats right the family questions your sexuality… you were dads number one but now that the closet is flung way open i would have to say your just above jono
JOEL
July 14th, 2005 at 12:44 pm
I do believe its about time for the Second Annual Morton Family Rankings.