for 28 APR 07: JUST THINKING?

(BLOGGER'S NOTE: You may find this item humorous, serious, or a little of both - but we offer these thoughts from time to time, as we keep a seventh-day Sabbath.)

We've apparently struck a chord in recent weeks with a reader who used to attend Cascade Hills Church. He's written us several times about the church and its pastor. One of them included this P.S. of sorts:

Thoughts for the day--

The meek might inherit the earth, but they have no place in Bill Purvis Ministries.

The poor you will have with you always....but not at Bill Purvis Ministries please.

Dishonesty...Its not just for liars anymore

Jesus wept... Now I think I know why.

At the risk of sounding like Dr. Phil McGraw - do you think this writer has some issues with Mr. Purvis?

What does it mean first to be "meek?" If you remember old Chips Ahoy cookie commercials, "Mort Meek" was a quiet nerd - wearing horn-rimmed glasses and reading books all day. It's a wonder he could transform into the superhero "Cookieman," because he seemed to get no exercise at all.

We can find two Biblical examples of meekness in Jesus (he said so in Matthew 11) and Moses (called so by God in Numbers 12). Both were accused of taking too much authority on themselves - sort of like what the President and Democrats in Congress are accusing each other of doing now with Iraq.

Those two famous examples of meekness were NOT always quiet wimps. Jesus became enraged twice, and turned over temple tables. Moses went before Pharaoh several times, to demand Israel leave Egypt. Yet by and large, God blessed their efforts. So it appears something in their "internal" kept them from being considered "infernal."

My secular dictionary says meek people have "patience and humility." If people leave Cascade Hills Church in a huff because of faults they find with the pastor, maybe they should ask if THEY fit the definition themselves. You lose the point in tennis if you double-fault, you know....

As for the poor: a "church health report" we picked up at Cascade Hills last year showed the church has support classes in divorce and financial management. The two can be connected, you know - if a husband is saddled with big child support and alimony payments

But Cascade Hills Church is known as a tithing church - and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Bible endorses tithing. It's the humans who like to squirm out of it -- such as the late Johnny Hart's "B.C." comic strip, where a man promises to tithe at "the usual three percent."

Tithing really means giving ten percent, and that can sound like a scary commitment at first. But if you have a big income, it might help you get a refund at tax time (check Form 1040, Schedule A). And remember, the federal government takes a tithe from your paycheck already -- so it's the old-fashioned combination of "God and country."

This writer certainly suggests Cascade Hills Church has a pastor who's a liar. I need more evidence of that, before I reach a conclusion one way or another. But if you have suspicions about your minister, should you go to that minister about it? Should you write the newspaper, or e-mail a blogger? Do you go all the way, as I've actually seen people do - and hold silent pickets outside services every weekend?

It's easy to decide you can't change a minister's mind on something, especially if there's a question of Bible teaching or doctrine at stake. But after doing a study from Scripture, I've concluded there are times when it's OK for a Christian to speak up and complain. You have to be careful how you do it. And I certainly don't think swear words will get you anywhere.

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