Happy Thanksgiving! (Updated)

Hey bloggers...hope everyone has a great day tomorrow, and I pray for the safety of all of you who are travelling...the angel of the Lord encamps around you...don't forget there's no service tonight...here's a copy of the letter I'm sending out to the church today that I thought some of you might like to read...

Dear CITN Family…

First of all, I want to say that I hope you all have a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday, and that you have plenty of blessings to count with your families and friends…

“…and forget not all His benefits”…

I’m certainly thankful for each and every one of you…you are all always in my heart and mind, and especially so on this day which is set aside for remembrance and gratitude…Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. (Philippians 1:3 - The Message)

Of course I’m aware that recent revelations about my personal life have no doubt put you through some changes, and have forced you to deal with certain realities that perhaps you would rather not have had to ever think about. I’ve tried to be as honest and forthcoming with you as possible about myself, but I know that the truth doesn’t just set you free, it also changes perceptions, alters concepts, and forces the shifting of paradigms…in other words, some of you may feel as though your world has recently been turned upside down because of me…

There are so many things I want to say to you that relate to my/our situation…so many questions I want to answer for you…but I am asking for your patience in waiting for the delivery of those words. I’m literally buried daily now under a mountain of correspondence from people around the world, and there’s just so much I can deal with in any setting before it becomes overwhelming. The media frenzy is calming down a little, so my life is getting somewhat back to normal (normal for me, anyway), and I am currently preparing another School of the Bible which will deal with some topics I’ve always wanted to explore, but never could touch until now. I’m also in the genesis of writing a new book, which, along with SOTB V, will settle and explain a lot of things for you, and will, I believe, help you come to grips with some issues that may be (understandably) troubling you.

Allow me, hopefully for the last time, to apologize once again from the bottom of my heart to you for any hurt or pain that Debye’s divorce from me may have caused you. I’m sure that for many of you it was like seeing your own parents go through a break-up, and for that I am truly sorrowful. We certainly never wanted to hurt you, which is one reason why it took us so many years to ever deal with the full truth about our relationship. I can only hope that you will love us through it, as we have loved you, without judgment, through your own difficulties over the last quarter of a century.

For those of you, including some Care Pastors, who feel that you can now no longer continue in ministry with me, I want you to know that I understand, and that I love you, and appreciate all that you’ve done for the Kingdom of God and for CITN. One thing I do ask of you, however…please spare me the official appointment where we have to sit down together and have you tell me why you’re leaving. I know I’ve complained before about people who leave the church without saying why, but in this case I already know why, and don’t want to hear it over and over again. For me it’s like having your heart broken repeatedly, and I just can’t bear to keep going through it. Please understand, and please know that you are not burning a bridge with me. I hope that down the road you will be able to find your way back home.

For those of you who have decided to stay in my life, regardless…you wonderful and amazing people who continue to give me a reason to keep going…a big thank you for understanding that I am exactly the same person you’ve always known. My life has not been a lie, you just didn’t have the full story until recently…and now that you do, I thank you for recognizing that my call, my anointing, my gift, my revelation, and my love for you has all been 100% real, and will never go away…God's gifts and God's call are under full warranty—never canceled, never rescinded. (Romans 11:29 - The Message)…For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.] (Romans 11:29 - AMP)

I also want you to know that I remain committed to Church In The Now, and to seeing it remain at 1877 Iris Drive. I don't really talk much publicly about the financial situation any more, because I know you're probably already doing all you can in the area of support, and I don't want the church's survival to become a burden to you. Several people have suggested to me that if just my Facebook friends and “fans” regularly sent as little as $10 a month, the property would not be in jeopardy, but there’s no way I can ask for that without sounding opportunistic and gimmicky. Besides, many of the people who applaud me for my recent honesty are also quite outspoken about being anti-church (and especially anti-megachurch), so it's really not a realistic option. Soliciting support for a cause is quite a different thing from asking for help with a mortgage payment, so the future in that respect remains to be seen. But I can’t worry about that now…we’ll take it one day at a time, and believe for the best…but one way or the other, CITN will continue in some form.

Anyway, there’s more to say, and I will say it in time…but until then, I want you to know that I love you all, and want you to be all that you can be. These days I get letters and messages regularly that tell me I’m deceiving people and leading them to hell, and if that’s what you possibly agree with and/or honestly think, then by all means you need to leave as soon as possible and get your family to safety. I don't want to hurt or damage anyone ever. Another Atlanta mega church pastor with a much bigger congregation than mine told his church recently that I would now be causing more teen suicides than preventing them because I’m encouraging kids to freely sin. God knows I hope that’s not the truth.

But if you can still hear God speaking to you in our services…if you can still witness His presence in the praise and worship…if miracles are still happening in your life…if you are still receiving direction and confirmation in and through my preaching…if you still have a inward witness that you are in the right place, the place where God placed you…if you are loving God and loving people more and more every day, then please stay, and let’s build the future of CITN together. You may be processing things for a while, but don’t sever a relationship that you’ve believed in…it’s still very much real. Real People Experiencing a Real God in the Real World is a more valid concept now than ever before.

I love you so much…

Bishop