Rev Bill

Here is a story about a pastor who spent thousands of dollars that belonged to his church — then sold property that actually belonged to the church and pocketed the money.

He’s been locked out of the church — but still preaches.

I guess my question is — why do they let him continue preaching — and when are they going to take legal action?

View the news story here.

Thanks to Todd Rhoades for alerting me — and others — to this.

I just got a much - needed belly laugh from this video.

Thanks Rob, I needed that!

I have posted my sermon from yesterday on my sermon blog. It’s based on Genesis 45:1-15 and entitled: Treating Mistreaters.

Here’s a portion of it:

When Norman Vincent Peale wrote The Power of Positive Thinking, he was lambasted by many theologians and religious leaders. One leader, the Methodist Bishop of New York State, was particularly outspoken in his criticism of Peale, to the point of publishing mean-spirited articles about him. Dr. Peale was also a featured book reviewer for a national magazine, and a book by this hostile Bishop came across his desk. Here was his chance to get even, to say everything back to this man that had been said about him. So, how did Peale review the book? Peale said, “It was a fine piece; accordingly I wrote a favorable review.”

You can read the sermon here.

This is what I call barbecue.

Some people think that the word barbecue is a verb — as in “Let’s cook some steaks on the barbecue tonight.” What they mean is “Let’s cook some steaks on the grill…” The grill is what you cook on — barbecue, steaks, ribs, etc. are what you cook on the grill — although you might need different grills for cooking different things. My favorite barbecue is cooked on a grill a friend of mine made from a metal trash can!

There’s a slight controversy about how to prepare the best barbecue and the best sauce. I’ve lived in SC, NC, and GA — and while I like the spicy, vinegary taste of what most people call “NC Sauce” — I won’t turn down the mustard based sauce most people call “SC Sauce” — although I’ve only found it in one particular area of SC. My favorite sauce is made by a friend of mine (not the same one with the trash can grill).

To celebrate barbecue, here’s The Barbecue Song:

Thanks to Rob and Paul for bringing this to my attention!

That’s Rick Warren on the cover of Time Magazine this week.

I found the article about him to be a great read — informative — and while not really “pro Rick Warren”, it was not “anti Rick Warren” either — just a good article about his influence on America.

I happen to like Warren. He has a knack for making the Christian life — and the church — easier to understand, while focusing on God’s purposes for individuals and churches.

Read the Time article here.