I guess not.  How like them that story seems to be.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, December 31, 2007 7:42 PM
Subject: Re: Give Me, Give Me


> Yep John,
>
> God gives no refunds apparently.
>
> Phil.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "John Schwery" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, December 31, 2007 5:12 PM
> Subject: Re: Give Me, Give Me
>
>
>> Phil, as I'm sure you know, the give me theology is called prosperity
>> theology. My wife knows a guy who used to give to Kenneth Copeland's
>> ministry.  When he fell on hard times, he wrote and asked that
>> ministry for $50.  The ministry wrote back, saying in effect, just
>> have faith and you will be fine.
>>
>> earlier, Phil Scovell, wrote:
>>
>> >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
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >--
>> >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
>>
>> John
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> No virus found in this outgoing message.
>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>> Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.17.13/1204 - Release Date:
> 12/31/2007 12:20 PM
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
> -- 
> 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
>