Can't sleep. Up in the middle of the night over something that has happened that I'm struggling to let go of. Tossing and turning, talking to silent faces that don't respond to my well-reasoned, imagined presentations. I have been the recipient of an action that is 100% wrong. I didn't ask for it, I didn't deserve it, and I didn't see it coming. It's not right, it's not defensible, and it's most certainly unbiblical. It hurts my heart, it wounds my sense of fairness, and I can do absolutely nothing to change it. If I press for justice or at least vindication, I risk further misunderstanding and will only make matters worse. Those few who could step in and force a reconciliation are content to be passive and protect their own interests. . . Hmmmmm . . . Time to preach to myself!!!

I am embarassed to say that through the years I had come to hate Acts 17. Every conference I attended, every pastor's gathering, every book on church growth . . . everywhere I turned, people were using Paul's message to the philosophers in Athens as a biblical defense of Scripture-light sermons that appeal to secular people on secular terms. How silly of me. Why didn't I just study Acts 17 for myself, like I did last week . . .?

A man told me recently that he and his family had been looking for a church for more than 15 months. They would drive to a new church each Sunday and sit in the parking lot to observe. If the people who attended did not bring their Bibles to church they concluded that they did so because they did not need them. Having no desire to attend a church where the 'spiritual food' was left on the shelf in favor or someone's "speaking on their own initiative," (which even God's Spirit does not do) they would drive out and try a new church the next week.

Starving saints . . . it is the great ministerial crime of our day.

It's all true. Everywhere I go I hear it. Like a tragedy as visual as the starving peoples of sub-Saharan Africa, the saints in North America are starving. Most followers of Jesus Christ attend churches where the content of the message is geared toward wooing worldlings with watered down content that won't offend. "Keep them comfortable," "give them time," "don't upset or alienate," these are the watchwords of watered down churches. Much more could be said about the unbiblical foundation for that kind of evangelism or how it mitigates against discipleship in the ones it does win, but the purpose of this post is to consider how it starves the saints.

I'm getting ready to write a book on the church. It's gone through countless edits in my head and has now escalated into an almost non-stop conversation between me and . . . well, I'm not sure who I'm talking to . . . hopefully you and not just myself.

I'm thinking of calling the book, When God Goes to Church! I don't have a subtitle yet--maybe I don't need one. I think at the end of the day, my message is this: we have to get back to vertical church. Somewhere along the line, well meaning people have hijacked the church.

With all the discussion going around, (now more than 40 comments), about my 'stupid' blog; the matter has really ceased to be funny. I think I was wrong to use the word "stupid lady," and I apologize sincerely, to whomever that might be??? I have deleted all the entries and have learned an important lesson. Several of those who commented pointed out that an anonymous letter is still from a real person with real feelings. While that seems obvious, I missed that in the disdain I have built through the years for anonymous communication. The reason you didn't see all 40+ of those comments is because some of them were pretty harsh, and therefore deleted. Difference of opinion was posted, even contradiction, but not fake names or random harshness. The idea that your opinion should be carefully considered when you won't even sign your name to it is a complete contradiction of what Christian community is all about. I just can't take anonymity very seriously and here's why:

Will we never tire of the sordid and sensational? People are sadly so susceptible to the sizzle and the 'sell.' That's why I'm mildly irritated by all this talk in the media about Discovery Channel's featured documentary THE LOST TOMB OF JESUS where they try to make the case that the 2000-year-old Tomb of the Ten Ossuaries belonged to the family of Jesus of Nazareth.

Here are five quick reasons this is: ummmmmm, the word I'm looking for is . . . ummmmmmm, ahhhh, I know it's not S?????, it's ummmm, not very smart!

Sometimes I get really angry (on the inside) when people approach me after a message and ask silly questions about things the Bible doesn't answer and that are completely unrelated to the message they just heard. Like last week when I preached on healing in the New Testament and biblical expectations for healing today. I spoke from Peter's raising of Tabitha in Acts 9. Anyway, after the message this guy comes up and asks me where Tabitha's soul went during the hours they waited for Peter to come and exercise his 'apostolic gift of healing.'

Man, have you seen all the stuff on YouTube about faith healing and divine healers? Those videos do a lot to expose the circus of faith healing for what it is. It's so very sad to see the way people are being duped and taken advantage of. The videos are very compelling evidence that faith healing is a farce that leaves sincere people heartbroken and disillusioned. I'm still trying to figure out why my prayer hankie won't work unless I send the guy $25???