This comment offers great insight into Kenneth Copeland Ministries and why they are being investigated by the Senate Finance Committee:

Here's a letter from someone who's grandmother died believing in Kenneth Copland:

Dear Kenneth and Gloria Copeland,

If you don’t all ready know me I’m Christian Beach granddaughter of Bonnie Parker. The girl who had to watch her grandmother go threw so much pain for her trust in god through you. You didn’t help her by telling her not to go to the doctor. No you told her that the doctor was the work of the devil. Yes I remember some of the stuff from your shows and CD’s. My grandmother would put so much of her money in to checks and some as just cash, so much in fact that I can’t even recall exact amounts. How exactly much does your healing cost, because my grandmother paid with her money and her life? I watch your shows, listened to your CD’s at the same time watched my grandmother slowly and painfully be killed by your word not God’s word your word!!! You can do what you want and say what you want but you can never be forgiven by me or my family for what you did to us. Don’t want the money she sent you back. I just want you to feel the pain that I have felt day after day since she died. How does it make you feel to take a nine year olds grandmother from her? Now the next time you are taking money out of letters and not even reading the at all, think of what you have done to our family by not reading my grandmothers!!! So the next your are flying around in your $20000000 JET, That my grandmother paid with her life!!!

Wow. Someone's a little bitter. Christian probably should have gotten a couple of elders together and then went and talked to Kenneth Copeland, personally. That would have been the Christ-like thing to do. (sarcasm off)

And here's a letter from somone who worked in the KCM mailroom:

 There are about 50 people that do nothing but read the mail. It is an Operation of Mail Processing. When the letters were prayed over, it was done in bulk before they were ever opened and most of the time they were prayed over by a Mail Processing person, not a Prayer Minister as Kenneth claims. In answering your question, Kenneth and Gloria never saw your mother’s letters while she was writing them. After the mail is processed, it is kept in a bin for a while and then discarded into the Incinerator. The place where the mail is processed is far removed from where Kenneth and Gloria’s offices are as you probably remember when you toured KCM. KCM operates just like a business. If they didn’t have the Partners and Friends sending in their money, they wouldn’t exist. The people they have placed at the top of the organization (son, John Copeland is the CEO) have not hidden from the employees that everything is “ALL ABOUT THE PARTNERS”.

Can anyone tell me why in the world these people should NOT be paying taxes?

We don't do a lot positive on this blog, but I just received this email concerning Bethany (Droppa) and Rory Blumenschein. The Blumenschien family lives in Vernonia and they just lost everything in a recent flood. In addition, Bethany is 8 months pregnant.  Anything you can do to help would be greatly appreciated.

Here's the email from Bob Droppa:

I am heading to Portland on a 5 p.m flight Friday night.  My son-in-law was weeping on the phone and was deeply concerned about our unborn grandchild.  He said, "Bethany really needs you now, Dad!"  Those words pierce a "Father's Heart."  I'd go through fire to help her.

Our son Robbie is also flying out Friday night from Dulles International airport in Washington, DC.  Together we are going to try to get things cleaned up and in order.  We will be getting things ready for our son John to come out to help with reconstruction.  We've got to pull down dry wall and remove insulation and get things prepared for John.  Truthfully, right now, I have no idea where the resources are coming from for such a simple thing as materials.  We truly have to see the Lord work in their behalf.  Thank you for your prayers.  They are greatly needed.

Bethany said that the current of the flood waters was so bad that it floated their freezer.  They have lost everything with motors, from their vehicles, to lawn mower, refrigerator, freezer, washer, and dryer, just to name a few.  If you have seen their property you would not believe how high the flood waters rose!  Bethany said during the height of the storm the water was rising a foot per hour.  Their 4 x 4 SUV van was submerged beneath the waters along with their car.  Their garage, Rory's workshop, the shed and barn were totally submerged beneath the water.  They live in a modular home.  Things look nice until tragedy strikes, then you see that things that looked like wood paneling all disintegrated and wash away with flood waters.  We don't know what we are facing as far as electricity, septic systems, the well and drinkable water. 

Unfortunately, when people loose almost everything looters and scavengers come in to grab what they can while the homeowners are away.
I would certainly appreciate getting the word out to your schools, colleges, clubs, organizations, churches that this couple had no flood insurance and are in desperate straights.  For those of you who do not know Bethany, our youngest daughter, she is married to a great guy, Rory.  They have a little girl who will almost be two by the name of Emilee and Bethany is 8 months pregnant with their 2nd child. 

You can reach them directly at:
Mr. and Mrs. Rory Blumenschein
61116 Nehalem Highway North
Vernonia, Oregon 97064

You may want to channel your giving through your church as a tax deductible contribution.  Anything you can do would be greatly appreciated!  God bless you all!

This statement — or plea — which was spoken by Augustine, who lived around 400 A.D., has been on my mind, and weighing upon my spirit of late.  

The full quote is from his Confessions: 

“Why dost Thou hide Thy face? Happily, Thou wilt say none can see Thy face and live. Ah, Lord, let me die! That I may see Thee; let me see Thee, that I may die.” 

And this, in turn, hearkens back to what the Lord told Moses on Mt. Sinai when he made a similar request: 

¹⁸ Then Moses said, "I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!"…²⁰ But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!"  (Exodus 33:18-20, NASB) 

Given the flack that “scholar-types” often receive for being so cold and calculating, I find this prayer to be a most intriguing look at the heart-cry of one considered to be the greatest scholar/theologian of Church History. 

It seems to me (and perhaps others may read it differently) that what Augustine was really saying, in so many words, was that to whatever degree we wish to draw close to God and experience His Presence, and His Will — however much of His Character and Attributes we wish to see absorbed, as it were, into our lives — to that same degree, our flesh, our selves, that which we want, must be surrendered to Him. 

And even though the context is that of responding to his disciples’ concern about Jesus’ greater public acclaim, I see an application of this truth in what John the Baptist said: 

³⁰ “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30, NASB)

And I think Paul saw this same principle, as well, when he admonished the Church at Galatia: 

²⁰ "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20, NASB) 

Speaking for myself, this has probably been the one of the most difficult things to develop in regard to my own relationship with the Lord…that of truly desiring what He wants in all aspects — and in all situations — of my life. No matter what the consequences and no matter what the cost.   

It’s not that I haven’t prayed for this — for God to have His way, or will, to be done — because I have, many times. It’s mostly been when I’ve joined with someone in prayer and agreed with them about some thing or another that they were wanting in their life.  You know, along the lines of  “Lord, have Your way in this situation,” or, “Lord, IF it be Your will, let ______________ get that job.” It sounds so spiritual, and even biblical, to pray like this, does it not? (Mark 14:36, NASB) 

However, I’ve been bothered by the recognition that it’s been much easier for me to pray for what God wanted in someone else’s life, and for the will of God to be done in someone else’s situation, than it was for me to want it in mine. And I must confess that most of the time I prayed for the will of God in my own situation, I don’t think I was truly interested, deep down, in what God’s will actually was.  I think the thing I was really doing — subconsciously — was wanting God to give His “stamp of approval” on either what I was wanting, or already doing, or was planning to do.  

I suppose the reason for this was that there was always that secret fear, deep down, that what God wanted for my life would probably be so terribly difficult to bear up under, that I would end up wishing I wouldn’t have asked for Him to do it in the first place.  That I didn’t trust Him enough to know what was best for my life. 

Can anyone else relate to this? 

-joebibstudent         

Here is Today's Thought from last week's City Bible Church bulletin.

Dear Church,

John Newton's song, "Amazing Grace," says it all- "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me."  We have all been captured by the amazing grace of God, rescued from our lostness, transformed by His love and mercy. Grace frees us from our past and lifts us to a place of hope and freedom. Please join with us during this December series "The Gift" as we preach the grace of God.  This would be the time to invite that friend, that family member, that prodigal that has strayed away.  No one is beyond the reach of a loving God.  Believe, reach, pray, activate your heart and your hands to reach the people around you.

Every service in December there will be a direct message of hope, love, forgiveness, the gift of a new life, and the gift of renewing the life you have now.  Help us touch people with the amazing grace of God. Beginning this weekend December 1st -2nd and going through every weekend of December. No one is beyond God's gift of love.

God bless you as we have a wonderful Christmas season sharing the best gift of all.

Pastor Frank

On of the reasons I enjoy going to my current church is the extreme focus on grace and how important it is in our everyday life. Every week and Every Sermon grace is one of the main themes. It pains me when I look back and think about how rarely I heard the Gospel of Jesus and His grace for us taught from the CBC pulpit. I am very excited that Frank is now going to dedicate an entire month to it…I'm excited, but I'm also nervous…I don't have a lot of confidence that Frank really understands what Grace is seeing as how many times he has been quoted as saying "I love the smell of sinners"…and he isn't talking about himself.

I just downloaded his first sermon and I'll let you know how it goes. For those of you who are confused right now let me say this: We are all sinners…we all continue to sin…if someone says they have walked away from sin they are lying…therefore, we all need grace in our lives…every day, every minute…it is not just for the "un-saved" it is for all…and quite frankly, I love the smell of that.  

NPR has a great wrap-up of Senator Grassley's investigation into Megachurch financing.

The report also includes this little tidbit of new information:

Since Grassley began seeking answers from the churches a few weeks ago, someone approached his staff with new information, that, "an individual always had to stay in a presidential suite when he traveled, and that the cost could be as high as $5,000," Grassley said. "Maybe that's not illegal, but it may raise questions about whether it's the right expenditure of money."

This investigation is not over. I suspect it is just beginning.

If you've got information to share with Senator Grassley, feel free to contact him here.

Yesterday, was the third year anniversary of this blog. And yes, I'm as surprised as anyone else that we're still around. 

I really do think the blog tapped into a larger movement in the country. A general resistance to the "prosperity doctrine". You combine this resistance with the likely upcoming economic recession in 2008, and I think next year could be very interesting.

Thanks as always to everyone who reads and contributes to this blog.  I really appreciate it.