Out of the Clay

Ok, first of all, yes, I have read all of the information posted on the internet about Gene, The Gathering, and The Lord’s Child.  I have been contacted by the church staff and by others inquiring whether or not it is me.  For the record, it is not me.  However, with all of the anonymous posting and finger pointing both towards the church and from the members of the church I feel led to address the situation.

Let me start by outlining a history of my relationship with the church…  I began attending The Gathering in August of 2003 and became a member.  I went on staff part time in January of 2004 and then full-tim in 2006.  As most of you know I was asked to resign my staff position in February of 2008 due to moral failure (btw, If you would like more information on that then I will be happy to discuss it with you one on one over a cup of coffee at starbucks(my treat).  Just leave a comment and maybe we can sit down and fellowship some time.)  However, while on staff at The Gathering I was privy to information trusted only to a select few and I will not violate that trust. I would like to add that after my resignation I continued to support the vision of the church through giving of my time, talents and treasures.  Even when my emotions ran hot and I was mad as hell at Gene, I fully trusted him and continued to support the church through giving and serving and I encouraged others to do the same.  I have attended The Gathering a couple of times since Easter of this year (2009) but only to say hello to friends and once to pay respects to a brother who has gone on to be with The Lord.  I count Easter of 2009 (the first day in the new building) as my official last day as a member of the church. 

Now, let me get into this, I know that many of you are reading this and wondering why I am even saying anything about it. Here’s why.  It’s because I love you.  Each and every one you.  The ones that I know and the ones that I don’t know.  Gene, the staff, the members, and even anonymous bloggers and comment makers … If I were to meet you on the street or in a supermarket or in a starbucks (wow - second starbucks reference) then I would find no greater pleasure than sharing a moment of true fellowship with you. 

Ok — so you’re probably waiting (and wanting) for me to confirm or deny some of the allegations.  That is not my place.  What I can give you, though, is my opinion - so, here goes:

Some of the remarks by the bloggers are very harsh and unnecessary.  On the other hand, some of them are a plee for prayer and truth.  If you read them with an open mind that is what you will see.  Personally, I don’t agree with a tactic that includes personal attacks and the manner in which the information was distributed was not done in love.  However, just because I don’t agree with the delivery doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t personally process the information.   But, for the church to respond in a way that doesn’t directly address the issue makes them appear to be sidestepping the heart of the claim.  It is erroneous to say ‘person A has no character, person A said ‘xyz’, ‘xyz’ therefore cannot be true’ which is what I am hearing and reading from the church.  I think (notice that I said ‘Think’  )  that the church tried to keep things positive in the blog post here, but they really didn’t address the heart of the issue.  Instead, through the comments on the blogsites, some have resorted to the same personal attacks used by the originator of the content! 

So, here’s the deal — When I was on staff, Gene always would say ‘What is done in private will always be made public’.  It is a prophetic word that bore fruit in my life.  I read from Oswald Chambers the other day that ‘Conviction is a gift from God of shame and repentence….’  When I read it, the words struck me to the core because I remembered the day that I faced up to my own shame and became repentent — not for being caught in my sin but for all of those that I had hurt in the process.  With that in mind, I am not saying whether or not any of the claims made against the church are true.  But, I will say that if there is something that you are trying to cover up, whether it is your identity (to the anonymous bloggers) or something else, better yet, if there is something that you are doing for which you would be ashamed if everybody knew it, then you can bet your britches it is precisely that thing that needs to be addressed publicly in order for you to go to another level spiritually.  We ALL need to go to another level.  None of us have arrived.  So, to everybody involved, I give you this Word:

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,

and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, {and} abusive speech from your mouth.

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its {evil} practices,

and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him–

{a renewal} in which there is no {distinction between} Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Beyond all these things {put on} love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms {and} hymns {and} spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, {do} all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

 (Col 3:1-17)
I’ll sum my opinion up with this:  Bloggers - stop being malicious and unloving.  Watch your words and seek The Lord before you do anything else.  Gathering - you need to watch how you respond, remember, the world is watching.  Also — You need more financial accountability.  I believe that ALL churches and non-profits should provide full financial disclosure.  It is the only way that all of your bases are covered.

Ok … so that’s my opinion.  That is what I think.  I am sorry if you disagree but just remember, I love you all and look forward to the next time that I can hug your neck and share a moment of true fellowship in The Spirit with you.  Peace.

“I AM crucified with Christ.” Thus the apostle expresses his assurance of his fellowship with Christ in His sufferings and death, and his full participation in all the power and the blessing of that death. And so really did he mean what he said, and know that he was now indeed dead, that he adds: “It is no longer I that live, but Christ that liveth in me.”How blessed must be the experience of such a union with the Lord Jesus! To be able to look upon His death as mine, just as really as it was His–upon His perfect obedience to God, His victory over sin, and complete deliverance from its power, as mine; and to realize that the power of that death does by faith work daily with a divine energy in mortifying the flesh, and renewing the whole life into the perfect conformity to the resurrection life of Jesus! Abiding in Jesus, the Crucified One, is the secret of the growth of that new life which is ever begotten of the death of nature.

Let us try to understand this. The suggestive expression, “Planted into the likeness of His death,” will teach us what the abiding in the Crucified One means. When a graft is united with the stock on which it is to grow, we know that it must be kept fixed, it must abide in the place where the stock has been cut, been wounded, to make an opening to receive the graft. No graft without wounding–the laying bare and opening up of the inner life of the tree to receive the stranger branch. It is only through such wounding that access can be obtained to the fellowship of the sap and the growth and the life of the stronger stem. Even so with Jesus and the sinner. Only when we are planted into the likeness of His death shall we also be in the likeness of His resurrection, partakers of the life and the power there are in Him. In the death of the Cross Christ was wounded, and in His opened wounds a place prepared where we might be grafted in. And just as one might say to a graft, and does practically say as it is fixed in its place, “Abide here in the wound of the stem, that is now to bear you”; so to the believing soul the message comes, “Abide in the wounds of Jesus; there is the place of union, and life, and growth. There you shall see how His heart was opened to receive you; how His flesh was rent that the way might be opened for your being made one with Him, and having access to all the blessings flowing from His divine nature.”

You have also noticed how the graft has to be torn away from the tree where it by nature grew, and to be cut into conformity to the place prepared for it in the wounded stem. Even so the believer has to be made conformable to Christ’s death–to be crucified and to die with Him. The wounded stem and the wounded graft are cut to fit into each other, into each other’s likeness. There is a fellowship between Christ’s sufferings and your sufferings. His experiences must become yours. The disposition He manifested in choosing and bearing the cross must be yours. Like Him, you will have to give full assent to the righteous judgment and curse of a holy God against sin. Like Him, you have to consent to yield your life, as laden with sin and curse,to death, and through it to pass to the new life. Like Him, you shall experience that it is only through the self-sacrifice of Gethsemane and Calvary that the path is to be found to the joy and the fruit-bearing of the resurrection life. The more clear the resemblance between the wounded stem and the wounded graft, the more exactly their wounds fit into each other, the surer and the easier, and the more complete will be the union and the growth.

It is in Jesus, the Crucified One, I must abide. I must learn to look upon the Cross as not only an atonement to God, but also a victory over the devil–not only a deliverance from the guilt, but also from the power of sin. I must gaze on Him on the Cross as wholly mine, offering Himself to receive me into the closest union and fellowship, and to make me partaker of the full power of His death to sin, and the new life of victory to which it is but the gateway. I must yield myself to Him in an undivided surrender, with much prayer and strong desire, imploring to be admitted into the ever closer fellowship and conformity of His death, of the Spirit in which He died that death.

I LOVE haircut day. It’s the best. Once a month (or so) I take my son Noah down to get our haircut together. It’s always on a Saturday, it’s always around lunchtime, and we always go to Frank Allen’s afterwards where I have a double bacon cheeseburger w/ onion rings (I know, I know) and Noah has two hot dog weenies followed by lil’ debbie nutty bars. It’s a tradition.

I don’t know where I picked it up … maybe from my dad but, I love little traditions. Noah and I have only done this about 4 or 5 times but everytime I mention getting haircut, he asks if we can go to Frank Allen’s and have a hot dog. I truly believe that over the months and years that I continue to forge small traditions wth my children, it will pay off huge dividends in their teen age and young adult years. I can hear Noah, now, talking to his friends at college, or wherever, saying, ‘Man, it was always so cool to eat hot dogs at Frank Allen’s after getting our hair cut’. It’s one of those things that will always be with him. Maybe I’m just sentimental, maybe he won’t really appreciate it when he’s older .. who knows? There is one thing for sure - the onion rings are awesome!