I read this today and got really mad/sad.
What! - What's your problem?
Who? - I want to know!
Why? - Why would you do something like that?
When? - When can Josh come and arrest you for slander? (Ok, maybe that is too far.)
I'm a pretty easy going person until you mess with something I care about. And I really care about this! I love my pastor! I love my church! I know that Elevation may not be perfect, and some people may have different taste, but I personally feel like it is the best church ever! To think that someone is talking bad about us makes me upset. We aren't talking bad about you. Didn't your momma tell you that if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all!
This also starts to bring up my whole "church issues". Being at church all the time, living with the pastor, and hearing all the stupid and petty things that "Christians" say and do, made it very hard for me growing up. I really started to hate church. I hated hearing about all the mean and hypocritical things that people said and did, and then I had to sit in the same sanctuary with them on Sunday morning.
For 2 years, during college, I refused to go to church. I still loved God with my whole heart, but I could not bring myself to go and sit on a pew. I went to chapel 3 times a week, did my devotions, had a great prayer life, (and felt like a missionary to a whole basketball team), but getting up on Sundays was not part of the plan. Josh tried to take me to church after church (Marion is cluttered with them!) but we never found one we really liked.
When we moved to Charlotte, Josh and I decided we had to go to church. We went to a great church with some great friends, but never really connected. Then we found Elevation! (Praise God from whom all blessings flow!) When we first started going, would go to church with our friends in the morning and go at night to Elevation. Then Elevation officially launched and started to have service on Sunday mornings. So for a few weeks, we would go to church with our friends, hop in the car, and rush down the road to Providence High School. Then I heard the message that got me hooked. Pastor spoke on Unified Community during The Core Series. I sat there on the front row and started to cry. Right after service I hugged him and said, "Ok, I'm ready. This is what I've been waiting for. I found my church." He smiled and said, "I knew we'd get ya!". They sure DID! I am there, every Sunday, usually all 3 serves, and I LOVE IT!
So, it doesn't matter what people say. I know the truth. I know that I go to a great Church. I know that Pastor Steven is a great man of God. I also know that God is blessing this church! So back up!
