Horizontal Religion

I went to a “campmeeting” tonight. I went because my parents were in town and they love the week long revival that a local church puts on every year. I spent several years of my life at this church, made many friends, met my wife there, got saved there, felt the call into full time ministry there; so it has played a large role in my life.

This week they are celebrating their 34th consecutive homecoming and camp meeting. The preacher that preached has done so for 34 straight years. He’s 79 years old and though he has slowed down in his older age, he is still passionately doing what God called him to do, preach.

However, I left a little disappointed tonight. Although this pastor loves Jesus, gives him 100% of his life, and preaches like there is no tomorow; he often resorts to horizontal religion. Early in the message he ripped Rick Warren because Rick has purposely led his church to be “seeker sensitive” in their worship services, in order to reach the lost. The assumption was made, that the seeker sensitive approach is only to build a large church (basically to put butts in the seats) versus a true motive to preach the Gospel to see those outside the faith get saved. Do I agree with everything Rick Warren says or does? No! Do I agree with everything this pastor who is ripping on him says or does? No! In fact, I want to be very careful not to participate in horizontal religion myself through this post. I do however know many people at Saddleback and with first hand knowledge of their church and how they operate and their hearts for the lost, I can say, this pastor simply does not know what he is talking about.

I believe Horizontal Religion is when we put more focus on earthly things that we do on heavenly things. In this case, the pastor was attacking flesh and blood versus going after the evil in the world that is our true enemy. In another instance, I wanted to say a loud Amen when the pastor said that Al Gore was a ‘one-eyed idiot.’ Now, outside of the pulpit I totally agree! However, from the pulpit, the focus was turned away from Jesus and placed on a man that clearly needs Jesus. I am the first to admit, when I am debating politics on my personal time, I am passionate and to some I may be considered polarizing. However, I would never use my opportunity to preach the Gospel, to grow fellow believers, or to share the truths from God’s word to attack someone I disagree with politically. Its like saying Liberals are all ‘one-eyed idiots and are not Christians.’ Funny a Conservative would defend a liberal 🙂
But, this one statement helps make my case. The Gospel is not “Al Gore is a one-eyed idiot,” that is clearly an opinion. So, what if the biggest Al Gore fan was sitting in the audience, he was lost and needed Jesus? Did we marginalize him and turn him off with the opinionated statement? Or did we draw him closer to Jesus? Being seeker sensitive has nothing to do with changing the Gospel message, but because I am sensitive to the fact that their are lost people in my crowd, I am going to choose not to attack someone I politically disagree with. (My next post will be “Why Al Gore is a One Eyed Idiot!”) I believe issues like these build walls between believers and those outside the faith versus tearing walls down.

By writing this I am sure there will be some who totally shun me. Some may call me a liberal. I really don’t care. I am not ripping on this pastor. In fact, when I am 79 years old, I pray that I am as passionate about Jesus as this pastor is. I pray that the doctors give me an additional outlook of 10-15 years to keep sharing Jesus with everyone that I can. This man has been a spiritual mentor to the pastor who leads the church that hosts this camp meeting. Both pastors have been in the ministry and serving Jesus for over 40 years. I cannot criticize or complain about that, Wow! That is awesome! We need more influences like that in our culture. Like I said in the beginning, it was through this ministry hosting this revival that a lot of my spiritual journey began and a lot of my personal life has been wrapped up in. So, this pastor I am talking about has had an integral part of helping shape a church and a ministry that has molded part of me.

I am however tired of the Horizontal Religion. Christians, we already have a big enough battle on our hands with our enemy, Satan. Ephesians is as clear as can be, “Our enemy is NOT flesh and blood!” What part of that don’t we understand? Apparently, we are not devoured enough by the enemy, because we cannibalize those on our own side. We ravish each other and shred ourselves apart. This pastor should have just taken a knife and cut his own right arm off. There is no difference, 1 Corinthians 12 tells us that we are all the body of Christ. When we attack another Christian, we are attacking our own body. Ephesians 4 says, “There is ONE body and ONE faith.” Whether we all agree or disagree on certain opinions, we are all of the same body and faith. Trust me, I am not ripping on this pastor, he is just a fresh case for my argument. There are hundreds of Christians doing the same thing! We will never be effective for Christ in the way he has called us to be effective when we have a civil war going on within our own faith. One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Philippians 1, where a report gets back to Paul (who is in prison) that some Christians are preaching the Gospel with selfish motives. They were using the Gospel to gain personally from it versus to see people saved. Paul says, “How can I complain? I must rejoice because Jesus is being preached!” Why do we feel like we are above Paul? One of the greatest preachers of all times? I think the issue is, we have control issues. We want everyone to do things our way. Trust me, if I had my way, they would have been playing some Passion and Hillsong music instead of the Gospel group and the choir, but is my way any more effective? No! Paul could not control “How” these preachers delivered the Gospel, but he understood that the Gospel is truth and once it is spoken and delivered, there is no stopping it. So, what if I do something in my church that you do not like because I feel we can reach more lost people? What good does it do you to sit around and criticize me and complain? If I am preaching the Gospel, the Bible says, His Word will not return void. Believe me! I am speaking to myself as much as anyone else. I am as guilty as anyone. I struggle with this too. I have my opinions and sometimes I believe they are better than your opinion. Therefore I believe we need to extend Grace to one another as well, but at the same time we need to wake up! (See THIS story to read about my own struggle with this very topic!)

Jude tells us to defend the Gospel. To protect the faith from false teachers who have wormed their way into the faith. I am all about protecting our faith and if we hear someone preaching in error and leading people astray, we better speak up. However, Horizontal Religion, tearing people down in our own faith will never benefit Christ. I love this pastor who I’ve used as an example. I will not speak an ill word against him. I know God uses him, it is evident, so I praise God! Let’s agree together to quit tearing each other apart and hold each other up, lets decrease so Jesus can increase in our lives and in our influence!

Join the Conversation…What’s Your Thoughts?

May 7, 2009May 7, 2009

KFC Great Marketing Gone Bad!

Yesterday I tweeted (that’s Twitter talk) this statement, “Whether you like the food or not. KFC has had a pretty effective marketing campaign for their new grilled chicken.” Now I take it all back! The effectiveness that KFC was going to have with their marketing strategy (Free Piece of Chicken, Free 2 Piece Meal, Internet marketing, Oprah, Etc.) will be ruined by the incompetence of their local managers and store employees.

There have been several negative stories in the first full day of the promotion. The biggest story was a rumor of a riot in New York at a KFC, another story reported on problems like chains running out of chicken, while some people have been totally turned away for having the coupon Oprah provided from her website. Still others have just been turned away. I thought that these stories were being generated by PETA or just disgruntled patrons, until Today…

I have two KFC’s within about 5 minutes of my office. I printed my coupons just like everyone else and decided to use one at lunch today. I arrrived at the closest location and to my surprise it seemed as if they had a long line at the drive-thru. Typically this location has no one in the drive-thru. The line went all the way to the entrance of the parking lot, coming from the right side of the property it appeared there was enough room to pull into the parking lot to find a parking space between this truck, who was waiting for the drive-thru; fortunately it was just enough room! The only issue was, the line was not moving and the cars were packed in tight, like sardines in a can. I couldn’t get to a parking spot, but then I noticed, there were no cars parked. I looked at the front door of the building and saw a sign that announced the closing of the dining room for the day, of course there was an apology for the inconvenience. I pulled through the half circle in front of the building to go to the exit, but was met with a traffic jam. Cars in the suicide lane, cars trying to turn into the property from the right side of the road, and now cars trying to get in at the side of the property. It was lunch time, so it literally took 45 seconds for traffic to back up.

Fortunately for me, there is a second location close, so I decided to go there (as soon as I could get out of the parking lot). After all it is my lunch break, I want to enjoy a little time out of the office. I arrive at KFC location #2 and this time I see a few cars in the parking spaces, so I’m getting a little excited that I get to go in, grab my free meal, and sit and enjoy it. As I neared the driveway, I saw it. A line to the entrance. I couldn’t get in. There were cars lined up in the suicide lane, left turn signal blinking, cars parked in the flow of traffic with their right turn signal blinking, so I turned down a side road right beside the parking lot. As I looked at the door, I saw the exact same sign that the other location had on their door. Their dining room was closed as well. People were walking back to their cars from the front door, very disgruntled. I would have been a little more upset at this point, but I looked to the business to the right of the KFC, its their competition, Churches Chicken. What did I see? A KFC employee walking back to KFC with a bag from Churches of their famous Fried Chicken. Wow, I wish I had a video camera!

Both of these locations were obviously trying to limit the number of free meals they had to distribute today. Why would a company offer free meals and then shut their patrons out. Personally, I was upset at their reckless actions of pushing traffic to a halt in front of their stores. Unless you are turning into the restaurant from the suicide lane, you are moving. It is difficult to see some of the lines at the driveway until you are in motion moving into the line of parked traffic. To make things worst, people that cannot wait in moving traffic make things worst as they attempt at lunch time to re-enter the flow of traffic. I am sure both of these locations are under the same management. They are fully aware that most people do not have time to wait 30-45 minutes in line through a Drive-thru only to take their lunch back to the office with no time to eat on a typical 1 hour lunch break. They are pretty arrogant to think that their chicken is worth an hour wait. As I posted here, I’ve tried the chicken and its good, but its not that good. So, most people are going to have to leave, therefore limiting the number of free meals they distribute.

I believe the positive buzz that KFC had going for them will turn into negative buzz if this happens over the next 11 days! Negative buzz works if you are a movie star and your new movie is about to release, however negative buzz for a restaurant chain is not good. I think the actions or neglegence of these local managers/owners was reckless.

April 23, 2009April 27, 2009

What If Carrie Prejean Supported Gay Marriage?

We often get caught up debating issues and we forget to ask the right questions. Yesterday, I expressed my support for Miss. California, Carrie Prejean in THIS post. However, as I’ve thought on the situation over and over again, I cannot help but to ask the question to all of us, no matter what our sexual orientation, our religious preference, our race, or our personal backgrounds; “What If Carrie Prejean Supported Gay Marriage?” – I truly believe it is the question that is not being asked and it contains the answer that many people don’t want to focus on, especially the gay marriage activists.

Of course this is solely my opinion. Miss. California, Carrie Prejean, does not support gay marriage and her stance cost her the crown. However, I believe that we would be looking at a totally different story if she did support gay marraige.

What If She’d Said ‘YES’?

If Carrie Prejean said that she supported gay marriage, she would have become an immediate hero and hailed as a star by those who are pressing hard to change America’s laws in favor of their ideals. There is no question in my mind that Carrie would have won the Miss. USA pageant because she would have won the acceptance of the judges who favor gay marriage. Several of the judges said that in between the show’s break they shared their disapproval for Carrie’s answer, therefore they had already decided who their winner was going to be. However, if Carrie would have answered as they wanted, she would have immediately become the poster child for gay marriage rights in America.

Why Is California So Important?

We can debate all day long whether or not anyone knew that Miss. California was going to get asked the ‘gay marriage’ question. For me, there are too many questions surrounding the issue. In November, California’s citizens decided they wanted to define marriage between a man and a woman through their constitution. Gay rights activists did not like the decision and immediately went on a campaign to destroy all of the organizations and churches that stood strong for what they believed in and encouraged individuals to do so as well. Perez Hilton is from California and he is a gay man who opposed proposition 8 and speaks out in favor of gay marriage. I find it weird that he had the opportunity to ask the gay question to the representative of California, which was at the very center of the proposition 8 fiasco. In the interview by the today show, Perez said, “I expected her to be prepared ESPECIALLY, since she is Miss. California, the state that just passed prop 8. (See Video HERE) I truly believe that people like Perez Hilton live in La-La Land and truly believe that everyone believes and thinks like him, minus a few weird people. It would have been a huge victory for gay marriage activists if Miss. California supported their ideals on the stage of the Miss. USA pageant. Perez Hilton and the judges that support gay marriage wanted and needed Carrie Prejean to support their cause. Instead, she solidified that they are still losing the battle to change marriage. She solidified the the support of traditional marriage that a majority of Californians voted on in November. She also solidified that their ideals are still in the minority in America.

The BIG Double Standard

A lot of the people who have spoken out in opposition to Carrie had to soften up, yes, even the self proclaimed queen of media, Perez Hilton. Over the last couple of days they’ve said that Carrie lost because she took too specific of a stance in her answer, she should have been more middle of the road. Shanna Moakler said, “in my eyes, [she] simply made the question more personal then it needed to be…” Claudia Jordan, a former Miss. USA and a judge from this year’s competition said, “Its best to give a neutral answer.” Claudia went on to say that “The judges were really against her, they didn’t like her answer.” Perez Hilton said, “I was hoping she’d gave a better answer…the answer she gave alienated gays…” Perez went on to say Miss. USA needs to be “political savvy” and not “politically incorrect.”

Oh really? The BIG double standard lies here. Would Carrie Prejean be facing the same attacks, the same outrage, and the same scrutiny right now if she would have said, “Yes, I support gay marriage and believe that all other states should follow Vermont’s lead.” Perez Hilton’s question wasn’t even politically correct. When asking the question, it was done in a way to praise “rights given to gay Americans” and should other states follow suit. He didn’t ask “Should all states decide issues such as gay marriage, abortion, etc?” However, because Carrie answered specifically, she gets accused of alienating a group of people. Would Perez have gotten angry and mad had Carrie supported gay marriage and declared that she was not the Right person for Miss. USA because she alienated all Conservatives, the Christians, and even the gays who do not support gay marriage? Would he have been my night in shining armor as she shared her beliefs and alienated me? Mr. Hilton, Ms. Moakler, Ms. Jordan, would you have demanded a more neutral answer or a more middle of the road answer if she supported your ideals?

UPDATE: This story was just posted to Fox News further illustrating other contestants’ view that Miss. California should have been more “politically correct” – however, it also further illustrates my point of a double standard. In their interviews they are speaking out on behalf of gay marriage which is not politically correct if there is a segment of people (a majority of people), who oppose same sex marriage. Are they not doing the very thing they accuse Miss. California of doing? Alienating people?

The Enigma

Carrie Prejean is now being treated like an Enigma. Hollywood came out and land blasted her. The media is trying to paint her as someone who is out of touch. Other activists are trying to present her as someone who does not represent her generation. Here’s the facts that they don’t want you to believe or understand. If you believe in traditional marriage, between one man and one woman as described in the Bible, you are the majority. However, you would not think so based on the media coverage and the noise coming out of Hollywood. For every report given on this story, you will see outrage by 8 people and one person defending what Carrie did. The attempt is to make you feel as if you are an enigma in your beliefs and in your standards. Who wants to feel like they are standing alone? Who wants to feel like they are out of touch and strange? Some of us don’t mind, but others do, especially the younger generation. Many of whom will not go to school and among their peers and take strong stances like Carrie did. The gay marriage activists want to hit this issues so hard, that people give in, simply so they are not labeled an extremist, a bigot, or any other name they throw at us. I wonder how many pageant candidates, judges, and even Hollywood stars there are who are verbally telling these activists what they want to hear but in the privacy of a voting booth, voting their concise and their beliefs?

Perez Hilton went around the other day, asking individual stars on Twitter if they supported gay marriage. Some responded while others did not. Do you really believe after watching his tirade online, hearing his attacks, and watching others devour Carrie, that another young star would throw their head on the chopping block and say that they did not support gay marriage? Its like seeing a pool full of paranas and offering to jump in.

President Barack Obama

Why wasn’t the same outrage and attacks levied against President Barack Obama when he sat on Saddleback’s stage in Lake Forest, California and verbally affirmed that he believes marriage is between a man and a woman? (See Video Below) Where was Perez Hilton then? Did the Hollywood President not alienate all of the gay marriage activists, their friends, and their families? Where was Shanna Moakler disgusted at this man? Where was Claudia Jordan requesting a neutral answer? Why is Carrie having to carry a load from the very individuals and groups that gave the President a pass?

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is this. We get caught up in the debate and we don’t ask the right questions. What if Carrie Prejean supported gay marriage? There would not be the same outrage. Sure Christians would be disappointed, but we would not have threatened to run on stage and steal her tiara. The gay marriage activists are revealing their true intolerance. I don’t think gay marriage is about rights because they have all the rights we have as individuals. Its about taking something away that is sacred. There is no doubt in my mind, the gay marriage activists would have loved to have had this young, Christian, woman to be their Miss. USA in support of gay marriage. It would have been one more bullet in their arsenal to paint Christians who oppose gay marriage as old, out of touch, and irrelevant. Thankfully, there is one young lady who has delighted herself in the Lord, and has character, integrity, and values, and did not allow herself to become a pawn against Christians and others who stand for strong morals and principles.

April 22, 2009April 27, 2009

I Support Miss California Carrie Prejean

…And so should every American, whether you are gay, straight, white, black, asian, or indian, etc…

Miss. California, Carrie Prejean, was asked for her view regarding gay marriage, and if Vermont’s legalizing it should be followed by all other states in the US. What good is asking a question if you don’t want to know a person’s answer? And what good is it to seek a person’s opinion, if you really don’t want an opinion besides your own? Apparently, the judges at the Miss. USA pageant were looking for ‘Yes people’ and conformists, not people who are true to their values, principles, and beliefs.

Everyone who lives under the banner of the Red, White, and Blue has not only the freedom of speech, but the freedom of opinion. Just as a gay American who wants to speak out and express their opinion about being granted the ability to marry should not be demonized and attacked for their views, Carrie should be granted the same rights and freedoms. Our culture touts the banner of tolerance and then has the nerve to point the finger at the Christian church and call them hypocrites when one of its leaders or members fall in the public eye, due to their mere humanity. Yet, those carrying the banner of tolerance are the biggest hypocrites when it comes to being tolerant for issues that aren’t their own. If we are going to point a finger at all of the hypocrites its not a one way street. Trust me we are all hypocirtes in one form or fashion, but some want to make their hypocrisy less than others.

Equal, Really?

Gay rights activists are yelling for “Equal Rights” as if a hospital won’t treat them because they are gay or as if they cannot buy a car because they are gay. That’s totally wrong. Every American is given the same rights despite their sexual orientation. However, Miss. California was not given equal rights, an equal platform, or an equal opportunity. Carrie Prejean, had an equal opportunity to win up until controversial blogger and judge Perez Hilton asked the now famous question about Gay Marriage. Though Perez does not have to reveal his score for that question, he clearly stated that “The way miss California answered her question lost her the crown, without a doubt!” Perez also called Carrie a dumb Bi*** and the C-word. We’ll get to Mr. Perez a little more shortly…Shanna Moakler, the director of the Miss. California pageant, and rumored friend of Carrie Prejean, not only snubbed her “friend” after the show, but vented her frustration on Twitter, her Myspace page, and through public statements. She tweeted,” This is why we have judges at Miss USA, so we find the girl to rep us ALL,” – I’ll get back to that statement as well, Shanna also said, “I don’t know how you can call a gay man or woman your friend and not want them 2 have the same joys as yourself. In my family we believe in equal rights for all, I am sad and hurt, I agree with Perez 100 [percent]. It’s one thing to have an opinion I am very opinionated n have dealt with backlash from it, it’s another to alienate people who cared about u.”

So it’s okay for gay American’s to yell their opinions for “equal rights” and we’ve all seen their protests in favor of gay marriage as well as in opposition of proposition 8. They can spew their venom against the protestant church, the Catholic church, and the Mormon church, they can call us hatemongers and bigots, and resort to personal attacks, but one young lady cannot answer a question honestly and politely without being attacked and demonized. I think people in Hollywood and in the media need to look up the definition of equal.

Perez Hilton

I just have to ask…Why is the Miss. USA pageant allowing someone like Perez Hilton to serve as a judge? Have you read his blog? He is highly controversial, he is offensive, he is derogatory, and very crude towards people he does not like. Hey Shanna, does Perez represent us ALL? No, he does not. Does he even represent the best of America? No, he does not. I could care less whether he is gay, Latino, or whatever other title he wants to give himself. He is a horrible selection as a judge.

Since when are pageant judges supposed to leave the panel from the show and call the contestants, “dumb bi***” the c-word and then go attack their family? It’s a disgrace and the Miss. USA pageant should be more embarrassed for having put him in the spotlight than for one of their contestants to answer a question honestly and boldly.

You Cannot Represent Us ALL

Dear Shanna, I hate to break it to you but you cannot represent us all, and neither can one single Miss. USA Pageant winner. A single President cannot represent us all. What you have done however is alienate the entire Christian community, you alienated everyone who opposes gay marriage, as well as the gay Americans who oppose it. I mean, really? Do you think ONE person can represent ALL Americans? Do you want ONE person to represent ALL Americans? If so, you are looking for a flaky, spineless, person with no principles and no values. You are looking for someone who will say anything to please anyone, but will contradict themselves to please another crowd. It truly sounds like you are looking for a politician, not an individual. I’d love to know how one person can represent us ALL? How is Miss. North Carolina going to represent us all? Does she support gay marriage? Then she does not represent those of us who oppose it. Does she support allowing illegal immigrants the same rights as American citizens? If she does, she does not represent those of us who oppose it. Does she represent people who participate in illegal dog fighting? How about those who support Prostitution? I’d love to know how you expect to find someone to represent us ALL?

The Problem Is…

Most of the people who represent Hollywood, secularists, the media and the likes are pushing for conformity rather than individuality. People who support the actions that have been levied against Carrie Prejean are not looking for someone who acts based on their own beliefs. Because the people attacking have no backbone, they have no principles, and they have very little values, they want their friends and representatives to cave to their viewpoints as well. The call themselves progressive, non-conformists, rebels if you will, yet they all say the same things, they all believe the same way, and they all form their opinion not on conviction, but rather on the opinions of others around them. If this is not true, why all of the attacks on Carrie? If this is not true, why would Shanna Moakler not stand by her friend, politely say she disagrees and has a different opinion and view and agree to disagree? Rather, she attacked her “friend” through the media and through social networking, she did not stand beside her, and she is allowing her to be a target. That is not a friend, but its the very thing we are seeing in our culture. We are being taught to act in that very manner and to accept that very behavior. Sadly, many of you buy into that until it comes to bite you, because you one day decide to stand up for something. It goes beyond the issue of gay marriage, it seeps into other areas that affect our daily lives and our country. The only opinion you should have is the one they tell you to have. If you vary from that, you are an extremist, a bigot and a racist. In the video at the end of the post, you can hear Perez say that he expected Carrie to be “Prepared” for the question, and then he goes on to give the answer he wanted her to give. Bravo, to Matt Lauer for pressuring Perez on his answer!

The Christian Community

…is the target in this situation. Miss California, Carrie Prejean is just the current symbol that they are using. It’s no different than the political strategies derived from Solinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” where it is taught to “Pick your target, freeze it, personalize it, and then polarize it” in an attempt to destroy it. If you truly believe that this is solely an attack on Carrie, you are sadly mistaken. This is an attack on everyone who believes in the traditional definition and the Biblical definition and blueprint of marriage. It will be a horrible mistake if we decide to sit silently on the sideline and allow her to be targeted, frozen, and polarized in this issue. Moreover, we have an entire generation of young people who are watching and seeing how we as the Christian community respond, or how we do not respond. I’m NOT talking about anything that would come out of the Westboro Baptist Church (I totally disagree with them). We do not have to be militant, hateful, and obnoxious, just because they are. We do represent Christ and the love that He has for all people. Love however does not mean a blank check of support for anything & everything because someone attaches the word “rights” to it. It will however, in my opinion, be a huge mistake to make Carrie stand alone if we agree with her. I believe everyone attacking her is being so polarizing because they know she will not reverse course, but they want to scare anyone else from making the same stance. They want people to be intimidated and to be afraid to be treated in the same manner. Carrie Prejean is solid and she knows what she believes. She is a great picture of what I hope every student I ever worked with becomes. She understands what she believes and why she believes it, and so far, she is not allowing the attacks or the pressure to stop her. It is however a sad day when the likes of Britney Spears and Lyndsey Lohan are the poster children for our young people to model their lives after and young ladies like Carrie are demonized.

Check Carrie Prejean out on the Today Show from Tuesday, April 22, she boldly stands by her answer, Bravo!

Update: For those googling and trying to find Carrie Prejean’s church, you can go to their website HERE. From what I’ve heard she attends The Rock Church in San Diego. I am sure they are extremely proud of Carrie.

March 30, 2009November 27, 2013

Mad Church Disease By Anne Jackson

This book, Mad Church Disease, would put Chuck Norris in a headlock, make him cry ‘Uncle’ 5 times before giving him a wet willy and sending him home with a bloody nose. Its for that very reason you will not enjoy this book. It is not written for your enjoyment, its written to kick your butt (and help you). I’m a slow reader, but I finished the entire book in 4 hours on my flight from Atlanta to Orange County. I wanted to put it down, but it put me in a headlock from the opening of the book and I couldn’t let it go. Here’s a few reasons why:

I’ve Battled Mad Church Disease: Anne’s story at the beginning of the book almost made me cry on an airplane full of people. You can ask my wife, I am not a crier. However, I could identify with Anne’s story, because I experienced a similar upbringing as a PK (preachers kid). Don’t get too excited thinking this book is just for PK’s. Haha, you can’t get out of it that easily. If you simply serve in the church as a volunteer, you qualify for this book. I did however maintain my composure on the airplane and found that In my personal story, I was driven in my service to Christ for a long time with wrong motives because the experiences I encountered growing up in the church. I’ve battled Mad Church Disease…and chances are you may have too, or at least known someone who has.
It Draws a Line in the Sand: I had a counselor friend tell me one time that a person cannot get help until they ask for it. Anne draws a line in the sand with this book. She clearly lays out the pandemic disease that is killing and paralyzing so many people who serve in the church, but she boldly challenges you in taking the next steps. If you struggled with an addiction to alcohol, I could persuade you to go to a recovery program, but if your heart is not in the recovery, you may receive a certificate, but in the end, you’ll fall right back into your addiction. Just because Anne clearly lays out the issues we all deal with, its going to be up to you to make the needed changes in your life. The bottom line…Anne tells you to put the book down if your hearts not in it.
Its for You Not Against You: Anne clearly has a heart for the church and those who God uses to move it forward. Anne put a ton of time and research into this book, but most of all, she put a lot of heart into it. Each page overflows with her love for Christ and her fellow teammates, the Church. Many authors would take the statistics that have led to this pandemic disease in the church and beat us over the head with them. Anne clearly comes across that she is for us not against us. We are all on the same team.
The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round: As I read this book, I seriously thought of at least 10 people I would absolutely love to get this book for as a Birthday/Christmas/Just Because gift. They have either experienced Mad Church Disease or they are in a position to get infected (they serve in ministry). As you read the book, you’ll most likely do the same thing. So I guess I’m saying I would recommend it to other people.
The Truth Hurts…A Little…Sometimes A Lot: There may be times you want to laugh, there may be times you want to cry, and then there will be times you say, ‘Oh’, ‘Ooh’, ‘Hmmm’, and ‘Ouch’. You may also be a few times you throw in a ‘Crap’ (that’s me). I remember the pain of losing 50 pounds last year. It hurt and it was not fun at times, but in the middle of my journey, a spotlight was placed on the areas of my life that I chose to neglect which put me in that position. Mad Church Disease at times will be like a little X-Ray machine that will help you look at yourself, the decisions you’ve made, or the boundaries you’ve failed to set, but in the end, you may come out of the exam room with solutions to your epidemic.
The Bonus Features: I love DVD’s because of all the bonus content like deleted scenes and bloopers. Anne delivers big time in Mad Church Disease. She allows other people to serve as a “second opinion” for solutions to curing this pandemic disease in the church. (Voices like Perry Noble, Bill Hybels, and Brandi Wilson, who I thought showed the pastors up in her commentary.) Mad Church Disease is perfect for a personal study guide or even a small group/accountability group study because of the exam room sections at the end of the book and all of the personal reflection questions Anne poses to the reader. Personally, I would challenge church staffs to go through the book together and then hold each other accountable to achieving the results needed to cure the disease.

For more information about Anne Marie Miller you can visit her website: ~~www.flowerdust.net~~ www.annemariemiller.com. For more information on Mad Church Disease you can visit ~~www.madchurchdisease.com~~ her books page.

I highly recommend you purchase the book, read it, study it, practice it, and purchase a copy for a friend(s). You can order your copy right now from Amazon HERE.

And of all things…Don’t get Mad Church Disease…