I could comment on this, but I won't do too much commenting except to say 
that I am sort of between the good and the bad on these ministries.  They 
preach a good sermon, but you never receive a blessing, and I don't disagree 
that's stupid, but the only thing I can say is that I know some ministers 
are put in the places of upbeat messages for reasons, but Ithink that the 
way they say give me, give me, give me is a Christian robery.  I mean, how 
come they can steal our money but we can't get none of theirs?  And as far 
as E. Harmony goes?  I was so upset when I found that they were on 
beliefnet.  I couldn't even think that Christians would be putting folks 
together like that.  It just stands to reason that they would ask a lot of 
questions.  How gullible can people get to think that they are going to meet 
someone decent on the internet through a service liek that?  I met Triston 
on a telephone conference of writers and wasn't even trying to do so.  He 
and I have sort of a disagreement regarding these televangelous people.  I 
sort of like Joel Ostein, but when he was interviewed last week he didn't 
even give God the glory.  Now, what does that tell you?  And I kind of don't 
want to listen to someone who can't even glorify the God they are tryign to 
win people to serve.  So, there you have my opinion also.  I'm tired of 
folks taking our money and we don't get nothing in return.  I mean, what's 
the difference in them asking for our money and me selling avon which I 
don't now and getting told I have to buy product and brocheurs and put all 
the money I made from them back into the company and these ministers telling 
us we have to give to their ministries?  None I say, none at all, so it's no 
wonder they get nailed in the fanny.  I think some are supposed to help us 
realize how to come up to a hire plateau but they can't stop there, they 
take what we have hard earned and ask for more of it.  Well, I got on the 
soap box too, but it gets my goat as well.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, December 31, 2007 4:28 PM
Subject: Give Me, Give Me


> Although Sandy and I have almost been married for 37 years, well,
> as of January the eighth of next month that is, I have just about
> had it up to here with e harmony dot com advertisements.  The
> other day, while watching something on a satellite channel,
> another one of their commercials came on.  As I listened, I asked
> myself, why don't they run a bunch of commercials of people who
> got married, then divorced, or people who got together through
> their online services, and then split up.  Don't they know, or
> don't we know, that it is often the case that opposites match and
> not those who are 29 dimensions of compatibility?  I mean, how
> many years have these e harmony commercials been running?  Three
> maybe?  Four?  By the way, I have done a little research and
> talked with singles who have logged on to e harmony looking for
> someone compatible.  One guy I pray with found a lady locally,
> they dated a few times, and broke up.  Another lady I pray with
> from Indiana said some of the questions she had to fill out would
> have classified her as a nut so she gave up and never did answer
> all the question.  Another lady in Arizona, who was living with a
> man who was deeply into online and print pornography and weirded
> out on dumb video games as a grown man, broke up with him because
> she realized Jesus should be more important to her than what this
> guy was doing for her, and to her, and guess what?  He isn't even
> a Christian, well, he says he got born again in high school, and a
> chicken has lips, too, and he joined e harmony and is now dating a
> gal locally.  I wonder if e harmony has a question that asked,
> "Are you addicted to pornography and video games?"  Somehow, I
> doubt it and besides, if a man was so addicted, do you honestly
> think he'd admit to it when filling out the 29 dimensions of
> compatibility report?  I wouldn't, that's for sure, and I'm not
> even addicted, to porno that is.  Anyhow, I just wonder about such
> things like this when watching some of these mega ministry shows,
> and I used the correct word, shows, on TV who read all these
> glowing reports of people who sent in their last 50 dollars and
> got 5,000 dollars in return within 24 hours.  I think, "Why don't
> they read the letters of people who went bust after sending in
> their last 50 dollars or who have written back and said, I want my
> money back because you didn't make it work?"  I know, I think
> backwards about such things but maybe we should think about the
> other aspects of such things, especially since e harmony is
> supposed to be run by a Christian guy in the first place.
> Wouldn't you think churches should be putting people together
> instead of a freaking website making millions of dollars in the
> first place or what?  I was listening to a Christian network TV
> show, there's that word again, the other day and the man and
> woman, I didn't recognize who they were, were talking about how to
> be blessed financially.  Their suggestion, no, their divine
> revelation, if you please, was based upon 200 freaking dollars.  I
> didn't even have 20 at the time so I was a sub standard Christian
> apparently.  However, they were reading dumb letters and telling
> even dumber testimonies about people who sent in their last 200
> dollars and how they were getting thousands of dollars in return
> within a day or week.  They were, of course, recommending you do
> the same and not to your own church but to their ministry.  No big
> surprise there.  I wanted to call their hot line for Jesus up and
> say, "Hey, why don't you send me, and all your 5 million
> listeners, 200 dollars a piece and let God bless you instead?
> What is this, give me, give me, give me, theology you keep
> preaching.  Ain't you ever heard of giving?"  I figured they'd
> just hang up on me without sending me 200 dollars in the first
> place so I skipped calling them.  I think I told the story of my
> mom calling me years ago, she is passed away now, and she and my
> step dad, were attending the largest church in Denver.  This
> church, by the way, was one of the churches where, in their branch
> ministry, a couple of people were shot and killed in recent weeks.
> Anyhow, mom was really confused and had worry in her voice when
> she called.  She told me that this church, the previous Sunday
> morning, passed out sealed envelopes, following a very passionate
> sermon that was preached.  People were asked not to open their
> envelopes until they were instructed to do so.  The sermon, of
> course, was about financial blessings we can receive from God if
> we are generous.  It was probably, you go first, type of preaching
> but that is just a cynical suggestion on my part.  Anyhow, the
> members, of which there were about 5,000 in attendance that
> morning, when told to open their envelopes, each were given a 20
> dollar bill.  They were told that the church just wanted to bless
> them financially and that they could return the money in the
> offering next Sunday, if they liked, take their family out to
> eat, by some ice cream, or do whatever they desired with the
> money.  If they think you can take your family out to eat for just
> 20 bucks, they have rocks in their head but I digress.  I asked my
> mom what she and my step dad were going to do with the money?  She
> said, "Well, we are going to give it back.  What else?"  Guess
> what the offering was next Sunday?  Mom told me that, based upon
> the number of adults, and remember, out of 5,000 people in the
> auditorium, there were lots of children, too, the total amount
> the adults were given 20,000 dollars.  Yes, indeedie.  They done
> announced this dollar amount from the pulpit.  No, I have no idea
> why they made such an announcement.  I thought the Bible said not
> to let the right hand no what the left hand is doing when it came
> to money but maybe I have never understood that theology in the
> first place.  So, the next Sunday, the offering is taken and
> quickly counted.  The total was 30,000 dollars.  Ain't that nice?
> Mom said they put extra money in that next Sunday, too, besides
> the 20 bucks they each got.  Why?  Well, shoot.  Everyone wants
> God to bless them financially.  right?  Anyhow, this is my way of
> starting out the new year.  I want everybody to send me 200
> dollars.  If you don't have that, I'll take 20 dollars.  If you
> don't have that, I'll take 2 dollars.  If you don't have 2
> dollars, I'll take a dollar.  If you don't have even that much,
> forget it.  God won't bless you if you are that cheap.
>
> Phil.
>
>
> The Curse That Works Is The One We Believe
> WWW.SafePlaceFellowship.com
>
>
>
>
> -- 
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.17.13/1204 - Release Date: 
> 12/31/2007 12:20 PM
>
>