Why do Good Things Happen to Bad People?

A rant

Published on August 7, 2006 By Gideon MacLeish In Current Events

(Note: This is a RANT. I am in a ranting mood today, so I'm going to rant away).

There is a couple in town, a pentecostal "preacher" and his wife, who travel in and out of town. In the several years they have been here, they have not once had to purchase a vehicle, they have acquired 7 properties, only three of which they have actually had to purchase, and they have filled many buildings with the various items that have been given them by people from the area and from where they come from back east. In the home where they currently reside, their windows were replaced with donated materials and with labor from one of the people in one of the local churches that they regularly badmouth, they've had complete sewer lines replaced in both of their residential locations, and now have the promise of having a roof built by the same individual that did their windows. People complain about this couple, but they line up around the block to give them everything and anything they beg for.

I have long said that I don't have a problem understanding why bad things happen to good people. I have a hard time, however, understanding why good things happen to bad people. In the case of this "preacher" and his wife, they aren't so much bad people as they are professional beggars. He has no church, does not preach anywhere regularly, and solicits these donations on the understanding that he will give them to the people in the local community. These donations end up at their house, where they pick through the choice items and occasionally give a few items away that they can't use to be able to show they're giving SOMETHING.

I mentioned earlier that they haven't purchased a single vehicle since they've been here. Yet they sold two of the vehicles that they had been given, and not to families in need, but instead, for the highest price they could get for them. Much of their income is derived from selling things that were donated for them to give away.

Meanwhile, I've been working six days a week at remunerative employment (usually seven days a week when you count other obligations) for the past two years. I'm working hard at finishing my online college courses and beginning working on "real" college courses in less than a month. And we're facing the impending death of our fourth vehicle in the past two years, all of them purchased out of our own pocket, and all of them at significant cost. We're praying that our car holds together until Friday, when we can pay off the repairs on another car and hope it, too, holds together. The alternative will be calling this "preacher" for a ride, and paying more in gas then he actually uses. Because I have to do what I have to do to take care of my family. And some of the same people in the church that have labored to remodel his house despite his disparaging of the church have turned a seemingly cold shoulder to us...because we committed the unforgivable sin of attending the church for sometime and then leaving it for another church. (note to pastors of such churches: that's NOT a way to encourage people to return).

During this same time, I have offered help to every motorist I have seen stranded, I have given groceries to every family I know of that is in need. I admittedly stopped tithing to the church, but I did so precisely because, no matter how faithful we've been in our tithes, not one church has EVER helped me a) land a decent job; keep my transportation running. We decided, rightly or wrongly, that our income needed to be reserved for our needs first, not the church's.

Comments (Page 2)

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 08, 2006

He is obviously well-liked by his followers and they want to do these things for him.

No, actually most people are pretty sick of him. They give him money because they don't want to see him starve.

Something revealing about this man: I needed a ride into town to get brake calipers for the car today, and told him I wouldn't have any money until my paycheck came in. We were barely out of town before the "shakedown" began (mind you, I had alerted him to my "broke" status when I called him last night): he said that he was running out of gas, and that he had no money. He said we needed to pray that we would get into town and back. He repeated this whole thing the whole twelve miles into town, but neither myself, nor the friends who are loaning me the money for the brake calipers (these folks are literally loaning me their last $50; I know that for a FACT) had extra money for gas. Again, he was aware of this situation beforehand.

As we entered town, he moaned "I guess I'll have to take money out of the money for our water bill" (not due for another two weeks). In other words, he HAD money, but wanted to see how much he could shake out of us first.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 08, 2006

You need to find a church that has a Paul or Timothy at the head of it. Someone that you can go to to help sort these kinds of things out with you and help you grow.

KFC,

How can I say this politely? I love your sincerity as a Christian, but this statement was VERY condescending. I'm a little bit more spiritually mature than you give me credit for being, it's just that I am human. And it is very frustrating. I didn't get to update that the Buick didn't overheat yesterday, but my brakes went due to a bad caliper. They're being fixed with money I had no choice but to borrow, and we got the Ford back on the road through no small amount of begging, and are praying it holds up until Friday. We are making it, and we WILL make it, but it still galls me that there are people like this out there. Because of their constant scamming, they cause many churches to be skeptical when someone comes to them with a REAL need.

I'll give you an example, KFC, one that people who have been with this blog site for two years are well aware of. When my youngest son was born, we were 60 miles away from the nearest hospital, and there were complications. Not serious, but serious enough that they could not allow my wife to return home for fear that she would have the baby on the way to the hospital without advanced medical care. I had to take significant time off of work to travel 60 miles each way twice a week to get my wife to medical appointments. Two weeks after Quinn was born, I was laid off from work. Despite the fact we had faithfully attended the church and participated in ministry, NOT ONE member of that church would help us out with very real, very pressing financial problems.

God DID move, KFC, but He moved through the hearts of people on JoeUser, NOT within our local fellowship. We were seriously contemplating the possibility that we would have to move into a homeless shelter; there simply WAS no money to be had, and, despite the years of paying taxes, the good ol' gub'mint wasn't in a hurry to step up. We wound up leaving Nevada and all of our possessions to move to where we are currently because we were offered a home. But the failure of the church to even attempt to help in a time of need sticks out in my mind. The church is failing in its duty, KFC, and it's time we as Christians own up to that fact.

When I say I stopped giving my tithe to the church, I don't mean I stopped tithing. What I am doing instead is appropriating that money to a "benevolence fund" that I and others who share my concern will administer. That way, we can start dealing with REAL needs and stop leaving people crippled and beaten by the wayside.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 08, 2006

Yet they sold two of the vehicles that they had been given, and not to families in need, but instead, for the highest price they could get for them.

That's got to be illegal, right? I mean, it has to, doesn't it????

It is technically illegal, yes, but 1) proving it's one thing; 2) this man's done this for many years. There's more to the story that I can't tell at this time, but suffice it to say, if this man is a man of God then I really don't want a part of his God.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 08, 2006

I would say if I spent my life lamenting my existance because of what I think the other guy has and what I think I don't have, it wouldnt matter how much milk was in the glass.

By the way, jesse, with this comment you TOTALLY missed the point! My point (and I clearly labelled it as a rant) was how frustrating it is to consider that I may soon be unemployed if I can't keep my cars running while this guy gets everything handed to him on a silver platter. Why is it you can muster greater sympathy for one who refuses to work despite being capable of doing so than you can for one who struggles to keep a serviceable car put together by working six days a week to feed his family? I have my "backup" car on the road now, but even it isn't 100%. While I'm hopeful it still has plenty of miles left, there are still some questions, even after the $400 worth of work I'll be paying for it on Friday.

KFC Kickin For Christ

on Aug 08, 2006

The church is failing in its duty, KFC, and it's time we as Christians own up to that fact.

I absoulutely agree with you here Gid and I think I've mentioned this before. It's one reason we're in such a mess today. This should not be happening. That's why I mentioned finding a church who had a Pastor whose focus is Christ. Not all have the right focus. The church for the most part follows the lead of the Pastor. If he's not right, there's a good chance the church is not either. We all need a Paul and a Barnabas in our lives. One to follow and show us the way and one to encourage us no matter how mature we think we are.

I've seen many Pastors as you have written out to fleece the sheep. I've seen many that are very Godly men as well. I dare say from my expereiences the Godly ones are outnumbered tho.

I don't know much about your situation but do believe that no matter what if your focus is on Him he will take care of you and use whomever to do it, whether it be those on JU or a neighbor or a church member.

I've seen the opposite as well. We helped a church member who had Crone's disease. He had seven kids. When he went in for a routine colonoscopy they nicked something in there and he almost died. He had 4 babies and three teens. Our church rallied around this family as we have a tendency to do. For nine months he was out of work and we kept their bills paid. Some went out and bought brand new clothes for the kids...and I'm not talking just a little bit...This fammily was overwhelmed with what we did for them.

Later they reached a settlement which was pretty large, he went back to work as a truck driver and they left our church. They said our church wasn't "spiritual" enough. In other words we weren't raising our hands and getting emotional like they thought we should. We were stunned. But I wouldn't have changed a thing even knowing that. We did what was right in helping them.

My husband said, and I've learned as well, that the ones we help the most are the ones that don't appreciate it. I personally reached into an old shoe that I stashed money and gave this family $900. Many others sacrificed like this as well. Many in the church and some outside of it.

I've learned not to be bitter about things like this tho. I know that God is all seeing and he evens all out in the end.

Jythier

on Aug 08, 2006

My pastor quoted someone the other day, I don't know who it was he quoted though...
"Wellfare is an abomination in a Christian society" (or something like that)
Basically, the church should be doing the wellfare well enough that the government shouldn't NEED the programs. For all people, not just the people who go and tithe every week. But when you do go and tithe every week, it's such a slap in the face to have them not help.
I had gone home for the summer and my girlfriend's(now wife's) car broke down and needed to be fixed. She asked the church for money, because they have it and she needed it to get to work. They stalled and were rude and wouldn't return her calls. She had to beg rides off her non-christian coworkers to get to work for a week until she could come up with the money herself.
Where does all that money for the benevolence fund go, if not to people who need it?

By the way, I like your idea of keeping the benevolence fund yourself. It wouldn't work for me, because I'd end up just being 'benevolent' to myself, but the fact that you and OTHERS are administering it could make it work.

Of course, there's always the other side of it. My father was a deacon at a different church. A guy stopped in, asking for money for a bus ticket home. Everybody but my father was all gung ho to just give it to him, but my father was skeptical, asked questions, and eventually ended up contacting the guy's parents, who blew the guy's sob story out the window. Discernment is very important!

KFC Kickin For Christ

on Aug 08, 2006

She asked the church for money, because they have it and she needed it to get to work. They stalled and were rude and wouldn't return her calls.

Of course, there's always the other side of it.

There's no excuse for rudeness. None. But the problem is the church is constantly being called for bogus claims. I see this all the time. This week it happened. A man going thru Town stopped at my friend's local yarn shop. He asked her if she knew any Pastors. She asked what he wanted and he said he needed a place to stay. She pointed him to a local place that charges $10 a night for such a thing as this. He grew beligerent and asked why she didn't give a Pastor's name and then left in a huff. This lady is the give the shirt off her back sort. She recognized a professional moocher and wouldn't give in. She met the need but he wasn't satisfied.

This stuff happens almost weekly. People demand the church do for them. Discernment is very important. We have people calling looking for rides, money, places to stay and even furniture all the time. Most have no idea. It's really hard sometimes to sort need from those just looking for whatever they can get for nothing.

Most of the time, the church people are very generous and do get taken. I've got loads of stories on this. That's why the scam artists set up in churches quite often.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 09, 2006

People demand the church do for them.

Is it your money or God's money, KFC? If it's God's, as I expect you will answer, why are you spending it as if it were yours?

The thing is, people coin up for people like my "pastor" friend simply because they're tired of dealing with them. When someone comes up with a real need, however, they're not persistent enough so the church simply doesn't care. I've heard a lot of talk about "discernment", but that word is simply Christian shorthand for "I just want an excuse not to give to you".

I forgot to mention one crucial detail of our recent struggles, KFC. Of the people who helped us out when we were in DIRE need, only one or two of them were Christians. And one of those was a Christian of the brand you probably wouldn't consider a "Christian". Please explain to me why people OUTSIDE the church are fulfilling the commandment of being a neighbour better than those INSIDE the church.

I don't know you personally, KFC. You could have a heart truly in line with God's, for all I know. But if you do have such a heart, you really should join with those of us who are calling the church to task for their failure. It's inexcusable.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 09, 2006

She recognized a professional moocher just because he insisted on a Pastor's # rather than accepting directions to a flop house?

Maybe the man didnt HAVE $10.00.

Maybe he had a family he needed to house, a couple of children for whom a flop house would not have been safe or adequate for.

And maybe, just maybe, he was ALSO in search of some prayer or spiritual guidance in his time of need.

From your story, he didnt ask the lady where he could find a cheap room, he asked for a way to contact a Pastor who might have been able to assist him in finding a place to stay.

She's right, you know, KFC. The man DID ask for a pastor's name. The proper response would have been to give him an answer.

Which brings me to another point. Recently, many pastors have instructed their church personnel NOT to give out their numbers. While I understand the security concerns of not giving out a home number, there are no such concerns associated with giving out the number of a cell phone purchased for that purpose. Or of listing the church address as the billing address for their home phone so that one can't readily find their address from their phone number. The point is, these pastors don't want to be bothered when they're "off the clock". Is a bondservant EVER "off the clock"?

I'm asking these questions, KFC, because you seem sincere in your faith and because it is only through sincere Christians that we can expect to make these real, meaningful changes to make the church into what God intended it to be.

shadesofgrey

on Aug 09, 2006

Or of listing the church address as the billing address for their home phone so that one can't readily find their address from their phone number.

Wouldn't this mean that if they ever had to call 911 from their home phone the ambulance, police, fire truck would be sent to the church? I think the cell phone idea would work much better.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 09, 2006

Wouldn't this mean that if they ever had to call 911 from their home phone the ambulance, police, fire truck would be sent to the church?

Not if they gave their home address. I'm just suggesting that pastors should stop cloistering themselves away from the world in which they demand they are called to minister, though, and that there IS a way.

KFC Kickin For Christ

on Aug 09, 2006

Is it your money or God's money, KFC? If it's God's, as I expect you will answer, why are you spending it as if it were yours?

How so? I give and let the elders and Pastors make the decisions as to how it's to be spent. It's a trust issue. I give and expect nothing in return.

I've heard a lot of talk about "discernment", but that word is simply Christian shorthand for "I just want an excuse not to give to you".

I don't know if you realize how much this goes on Gid. This is a big problem in the churches today. We have so many calling us for needs while they are spending their money on alcohol and cigarettes. Do we give it to them anyway? For how long? We had one guy calling weekly wanting rides here and there and money. He had no desire to go to church tho not that that is a requisite mind you. We pointed him to the right services for food and such. He said they wouldn't help. so we called those services and they said he's a problem. He drinks and uses his money for dope and then cries that he needs help but doesn't want the help offered. So do we just give him what he wants? Where does accountability play a role?

We've never turned a person away. Never. We may offer to pay a bill instead of handing money over. We'll give out groceries and clothes. You'd be surprised how many walk out on on that. They don't want the services, they don't want the bills paid. They want what they want and there's no helping them. Those are the ones I'm talking about.

We've been helping a lady in the church, a single mother of one for quite some time. She works and makes ok money but she gets in trouble from time to time. Recently we've been noticing she's taking advantage of this help. So we're backing off because in the long run we're really not helping her. This is where discernment comes in.

This man that would not go down the street to a place for $10 wanted something for free. My friend (who is the church music leader and a very kind and spiritual leader) would have paid that $10 for him. Maybe you're right about her giving the name but I'm sure she was just trying to protect the Pastor here and was offering to help him. Our Pastor is always saying everything is not the Pastor's job. We all need to be out there doing. I don't know the whole story, I wasn't there but if she said he was angry and huffy that to me is an indication of somebody wanting something for nothing.

The point is, these pastors don't want to be bothered when they're "off the clock". Is a bondservant EVER "off the clock"?

I know alot of Pastors personally. None of them have this attitude. Granted I'm sure they're out there but I would have to question why they're in the position to begin with.

I know one Pastor who had a knock at his door at night. He was asked for gas. He offered to bring the guy to the station and fill up the car for him. The guy made an excuse that his car could only hold a couple of gallons at a time so money would be a better alternative. Well the Pastor could fix cars and said he had just the part that would fix this problem. Another excuse came out and the Pastor knew. It wasn't gas he wanted. This is what I'm talking about. This guy also left in a huff. This is a tell tale sign. This happens all the time.

But if you do have such a heart, you really should join with those of us who are calling the church to task for their failure. It's inexcusable.

and I have. But I do know there are also good churches out there that are doing the work. Those are the churches we need to belong to. They may be hard to find but they are out there. I belong to such a one. God is truly blessing us because of it. Everything we do is free. We spend thousands of dollars every year to bring people in and take care of needs. We are not content in staying inside our little sanctuary but are very active in our community.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 09, 2006

Is it your church's money, or is it God's? KFC, you've hit on the main reason I don't give my tithes to the church. Because the churches see it as THEIR money, and they're going to guard it jealously, which I see NO justification for in scriptures. None. If it is God's money, it is His right to get angry, not yours.

If utilities are a problem, you can pay the utilities without a dime passing into the person's hand. Same with food. Same with gas. Same with car repairs. If you pay the bills, then you KNOW it is not being used for some other purpose. There's no guessing.

This man that would not go down the street to a place for $10 wanted something for free.

God forbid a man should want a place to lay his head for free. Can you imagine Christ arriving at the home of one of his disciples and his disciple sending him to the inn? That wasn't a man she turned away, it was Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46).

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 09, 2006

Our Pastor is always saying everything is not the Pastor's job.

The man asked for a PASTOR, though. She completely ignored the man's request.

KFC Kickin For Christ

on Aug 09, 2006

utilities are a problem, you can pay the utilities without a dime passing into the person's hand. Same with food. Same with gas. Same with car repairs. If you pay the bills, then you KNOW it is not being used for some other purpose. There's no guessing

yes, but that's what I'm saying. They SAY they need bills paid but when we offer to pay the bills they don't want that. They want the money to pay it themselves or so they say.

We are to be good stewards of God's money, personally and corporately. Yes, all belongs to God. All the more to be wise in handling it. There's more on money in scripture I believe than any other subject matter. Sometimes we get in God's way when we help people when we should not. And like it or not, there are professional moochers out there. I've met a few and it's getting more and more of a problem.

KFC, you've hit on the main reason I don't give my tithes to the church.

Ok, than if anything you are not trusting God here. If it's God's money, don't you trust that he'll put it to good use using the church? Is it God's money or Gid's money? You asked me.....

If you think a church is being abusive than I don't blame you. If it's because you just don't agree with what they are doing that's another thing. But there are many expenses for a church to run properly and tithing is a part of that. We should be supporting our local body whenever possible.

But I am the last person that would say that it HAS to be put into a chuch building. I believe church is people afterall and if you see that it would be better to support a local food bank so be it. I have no problem with that. I personally don't give money to any organization that is not furthering the gospel. That's where I believe our tithes should go. To further God's work in getting the gospel out whether that be a church, or Christian organization or another Christian or non Christian. I'm a big supporter of Compassion and Good Samaritan (Franklin Grahams work). There they provide spiritual and physical means with my support. I like that.

Why are you harping on all the bad churches anyway? What about the good ones? How is this bringing Glory to God? Is it that hard in your area to find a good Godly church? Are you discouraged here Gid? If so, I just want to encourage you to know it's not always like this.

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!