Christianity - The Business Venture

I ran into a Pastor tonight that I adore. He is a wonderful man, always happy and upbeat. He is one of those people that just makes you feel better after seeing and speaking to him. To me, that is the true meaning of spirituality, to believe in a higher/larger power and to leave people in better condition than when you met them.

ANYWAY, he told me he was moving tomorrow. His wife was diagnosed with pre-cancerous cells a few months ago, then they were moved into a new house, then he had a heart attack 10 weeks ago and lost his goal job. How does a priest lose his goal job, let me tell you...

After 33 years of loyal service, he was offered the job he always wanted to retire from, but would have had to pay for his own house and take a pay cut, something he could not afford with the mounting medical bills. So he was honest with them, hoping for some kind of negotiation. Instead, they offered it to someone else, who also turned the position down for the same reasons. They then offered it to a third person who turned it down as well. They had to take a hard look at their moving package. They decided the church would pay for the house and raise the salary - and re-offered it to the third person. Now my friend has to take that person's position in another small town. I know it happens all over but, THAT is NOT supposed to happen to a priest! Why couldn't they re-offer it to their first choice????

I have seen this kind of thing happen frequently throughout the years. I have seen priests moved because they did not bring in enough parishioners to pay the bills and make a profit. I was even shunned for not "committing" because I would not give up my membership to the church I grew up in to "officially" join the church I was attending regularly and tithing to every week. After all, it all comes down to the number of "official" members. When did worshipping Jesus turn into a business venture????

And people wonder why I don't attend church regularly anymore...
But I still show my appreciation and say my prayers every day!!

I want to say thank you for everything and good luck in your future ventures to the man that made everyone smile!