The Dream is Still Alive
Posted on April 2nd, 2009 by catalyst into the Uncategorized categoryThe one thing I've learned about JP is that, he'll be back.
He's a City Business addict. He wants to quit. He just can't. It's easy for him to stop now, because the blog has slowed down and not much is happening. But trust me, when something big happens, he'll start blogging again.
I don't feel sorry for anything I've written. It was all in good fun. And the arrogant leaders up at City Bible needed somebody to mock them.
I renewed this blog address for another year, precisely because I wasn't ready to quit. So check in from time to time. And if something big happens at City Bible or the City Church, know that we'll be here to comment.
I always knew my time here would slow down when I had a major life change. It was easy to blog at my old job, because I had my own office and a lot of free time. My current job is really busy and I'm in a cube. It's tough to write tithing jokes, when your boss is closely monitoring your work product. Heh.
(Side Note: I'm currently writing two blogs for work. My company has several blogs, but mine are by far the most successful. And I want to thank the readers here for my success. If you weren't reading and commenting, I wouldn't have developed the skills that I did. This blog never made me any money, but the experience I got here, helped immensely at my current job. The head of technology at my job recently asked in a meeting why I was so good at blogging. I was like, "mmmm, I have some experience with blogs." So, thank you. Seriously, thank you.)
Also, ever since Obama won, I stopped feeling the need to mock the Evangelical Community. I feel I got a victory on a much larger scale than I could ever imagine.
That said, I'll try to be a little more pro-active. And I promise I'll write something once a week. Even if it's Sunday and I'm hungover.
So, no regrets. And to all the readers, "Keep the Dream Alive"
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April 2nd, 2009 at 7:08 pm
You know, Justin, you could always just make shit up and wait for the drive-by shootings to start …
For example, take the story that appeared today at http://www.beliefnet.com/News/index.aspx and change a few things for a blog sure to make evangelicals foam at the mouth …
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Here’s another - only had to change two things:
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:56 am
Oh YAY to keeping the dream alive! We weren’t quite ready to say farewell especially since the ball is still in the CityBusinessChurch Blogging court!
So funny about the blogging experience and now it’s paying off–literally! Congrats on that!
Thanks for hanging in Cat (and JP we’ll miss ya since you are
on sabaticalno longer blogging;-)
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:57 am
Scrupe! you are soooo ———– unscrupulous!
April 3rd, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Cat you are too much. Be nice to your brother.
.
I couldn’t agree with you more! I read an article about how many people of faith actually supported Obama and the numbers are quite strong all things considered. Goes to show you how much George Bush effed it up for all “religious” politicians. It made people realize that your faith has little to do with your ability to lead.
April 3rd, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Heh. He’s fine. We’re Mortons. I’ve said much worse to his face.
True. Sadly, there are a lot of people who still don’t realize this.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:17 am
My first time post here.
KEEP THIS SITE GOING! In spite of some smoking flax here there is a lot of truth here.
I just found this site and started reading past blogs.
Then I read this
“KariMichelle said…
Howard,
Thanks for blogging. You (and others out here who read this blog) should know that not everyone here is a CBC, CCLI, PBC, etc hater. Or a Howard-disser.
In fact, I had to really think twice, thrice, quartice (?) about blogging here and choose to do it in anonymity.
However, I was majorly mangled in an MFI church. I gave up “everything” to go and serve and plant my life with the intention of never leaving. The best way I can describe my experience is like being in a maze for 10 years. There were unbiblical and strange things done to me.
Finding this space was and is like free therapy. I don’t hate anyone and have forgiven the offenders. But, I do need to talk things through a bit with people who TRULY understand.
Our stories are different, but we share a common bond.
Could our difficulties perhaps be handled differently and more maturely?
Perhaps. But you have to understand that for 10 years, I WAS THE MATURE ONE. I WAS THE ONE WHO WALKED IN FORGIVENESS, AND PUT UP WITH CRAZINESS. I honored God in the way I dealt, and left. And now, I need to be heard and understood a little.
Yet I do so without hurting those who hurt me. Because I’ve never given any clues to their identity and doubt they will ever read these words or recognize themselves if they do.
It seems that many CBC’ers regularly check in here. To all of them who are offended I offer:
You vote by your presence.
KM
.
.
.
I can relate to the above post.
They are an arrogant and abusive leadership.
They hurt people. I know.
I’ve been blindsided and the rug pulled out from under me to many times.
I left a year ago after a couple of decades there and I’m still screwed up in my head.
They as a leadership don’t serve you, you servce them
and when they are done with you OR you have questions
they throw you away.
Keep it going.
April 10th, 2009 at 10:54 am
I could do better to contribute again. Ironically, I had tons of time over the past few months and did nothing. But then, there just hasn’t been much news out of the CBC camp except for wild speculation about moving to Mall 205. I’ll see what I can dig up this weekend maybe.
April 10th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Hadn’t heard that. Do elaborate.
April 10th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
It’s just a rumor at this point. I can’t find any credible sources (yet). The idea is that they are going to sell the domes and all of the school property and move to Mall 205. The theory is that the sale of that hilltop property could bail them out of their financial situation and move them to a more accessible location. While it seems like a practical choice, it would also seem like a big slap in the face to everything the Iversons worked for to move from Glisan street. Having been there through that era, I would imagine the old guard would not approve, to say the least. I guess that’s what happens when you tell everyone to stop coming to the same church - you don’t have enough tithers to support all eleventy campuses and the big domes suffer. While I’m sure that no one would miss the barracks of PBC - they’d probably be razed and replaced with luxury homes - I don’t know what would happen to the domes themselves.
But again, it’s just a rumor.
April 11th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
We need more people to speak up like this. I know they are out there, but it seems like all this blog gets are the ones who hate it, not the ones who appriciate it. Support goes a long way.
April 30th, 2009 at 11:23 am
We need more people to speak up like this. I know they are out there, but it seems like all this blog gets are the ones who hate it, not the ones who appriciate it. Support goes a long way.
____
Reformer, you are quite right. There are a lot more people out there that have been cannabilized by MFI churches. I just stumbled upon this blog site yesterday and have spent most of my waking hours today reading about people I know, churches I’ve been to, people that have supposedly prophesied over me only to find out that they are quite sick.
I worked for an MFI church and have struggled for three long years trying to understand what the hell happened to me. For quite awhile I was duped into thinking “I am in rebellion.” - Yeah you know the routine. John Beveere, get under cover, blah blah blah. Well, I’ll tell you, don’t shut down this blog site because in the short 24 hours I’ve been reading it, I’m absolutely astounded at how much healing has occured in me. Please . . . for those of us that are just now stumbling upon this site, don’t shut it down. Keep contributing. There are many more stories to be told and we humbly appreciate your genuine honesty.
May 2nd, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Perhaps thats because what you do here isnt biblical. i promised myself i wouldnt come here again, but i was talking to a friend about how invalid we as christians make ourselves. this website is a shinning example of why. City bible Church isnt perfect, they do things that i dont agree with at times. i stated some things that happened when i was going to pbc in the late 90s to 2000 ish, things that got swept up and tossed into the furnace that should have been exposed for all the world to see. But as far as I know, no one is perfect. Anyone who was hurt by the teachings at CBC, basicaly one idea for you, stop being mindless sheep. Don’t take anyones word for anything, study the bible yourself, ask God for revalation. The bible and its meaning are open to interpretation, and any man, who is not in tuned 100% with God will have his own agenda and pull out of the bible what he wants to see or hear or beleive. The problem is no one is willing to step beyond that line and fully give themselves over, like so many great men in the bible and in Christianties past. Study for yourself. Read for yourself, have a personal relationship with Christ, dont look for a man to tell you which path to take or what to beleive. in 2001 I was kicked out of bible college because as brain daehn put it i wasnt fit for ministry because my peers didnt like me 8 years later I head back. I finally came to terms with the fact that This isnt a popularity contest its a fight for souls, its a contest of truth. Everything we need to know is between the words “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” and “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen” As revealed by the Holy Spirit. Bitterness is cancer to the spirit. hatred is a virus that consumes.
May 3rd, 2009 at 4:28 am
I agree with this comment. I’ve walked through seasons of bitterness that robbed me of almost all the joy in the Spirit that I’ve had. Praise the Lord for His healing now (although some days I still struggle).
That said, I still disagree with this comment:
I will agree that some hateful postings that people make here are bitter, mean-spirited, and NOT Christ-like in the least. However, warning people of false doctrine IS biblical. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Tim%206:6-10;&version=31; Warning people to avoid those who “fleece the flock” IS biblical. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Peter%202;&version=31;
May 3rd, 2009 at 4:29 am
Oops…I haven’t figured out the link-thingy. sorry.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Good stuff.
May 10th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Welcome Natasha - wish I had seen your post a week ago! Glad you stumbled onto the blog and would love to hear more of your story!
That’s exactly what we did when we first found this blog - and it was such a comfort to know that we weren’t the only ones questioning all the things that didn’t add up in our church worlds.
Oh ya, we’ve been through exactly that! It’s even resembled the stages of grieving in some ways. You feel the anguish of realizing the leaders aren’t exactly who they portray themselves to be, the numbness of realizing they really don’t care for you or your family, then the anger of feeling duped for all those years, the letting go of it all in stages as you learn to release it (can’t get rid of it all one time in a prayer assembly line). Meanwhile the church across town is still doing just fine selling their particular brand of Christianity and writing us all off as bitter because we call attention to the things they would like to keep hidden.
May 15th, 2009 at 10:14 am
So Cat…I’m thinking the dream may be over now. You think the blog will get fixed or is it time to say goodbye?
May 22nd, 2009 at 11:51 am
Truth to tell, I understand completely if this blog has run its due course. It’s ok to say goodbye as long as it’s for the right reason of merely running out of things to talk about amongst ourselves.
Most likely, the ‘intercessor groups’ at the MFI churches think they can take the credit for it ending. Don’t think for one minute that they haven’t been chanting their incantations over your blog to silence all our voices. I don’t know who they think they are praying to with curses and pleas of silence, but whoever is answering isn’t Jesus.
In reality, though, I guess it’s ok if the intercessors believe it’s their prayers that shut ‘er down. They live in delusion anyway, and frankly, who cares WHAT they think since we have no respect for their opinions. How can we respect the voices of people who follow ‘another gospel’? They’ve added onto scripture with all their convaluted new prophecies and apostolic goo. So bottom line: they are a sounding gong.
THIS blog may die a natural death but what it taught us will never die. Our voices aren’t silenced. The truth always wins in the end because the truth will come out one way or another because it has to…
May 28th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
you guys should blog about the intervention show
June 8th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Time to crank up the engines. . City Church has a “Lead Pastor”… nepotistic, but a title and position of stature I suppose
June 8th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Lead Pastor? Do tell. What is that?
BTW, I think the blog is broken. It hasn’t been accepting comments. We’ll see if this one works.
June 9th, 2009 at 7:40 am
on the city church website.. has his mug shot and title of “lead pastor” under it .. aka Judah who interjects details of his sex life in many of his “messages”
June 9th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Yeah, well, never one to be original — he must’ve turned into a Mark Driscoll wannabe.
June 10th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
I heard recently that Wendell is handing over his church to Judah soon.
October 15th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
According to a twitter I saw in the last month Judah is now preaching on Sundays his folks are most likely still in control.