Thought Quotient

Read this blog from the guys at XXXCHURCH.COM today. Food for thought for all of us…

I got an email over the weekend from Donny. I was bugging Donny about a blog, because the Industry blog needs an update. Donny and I have known each-other for years and now that he is the party of the X3 family sometimes I forget all that he is going through and that just less then a year ago he was still running from God and hated most Christians. God is working on Donny. He has lost most of the things the world says are important but throughout it all his faith has been strengthened. He is flying out to Grand Rapids next week to help me with a video that we are doing for National PornSunday. So, like I said sometimes I forget what it is he is going through and what it must be like to be on this side of things now.

The one thing I know about Donny is his life has been transformed. I also know that Donny is a great father and would do anything for his son. I don’t agree with what Donny did for a living in porn for the past decade but it is legal and he did have every right to do it.

So, some guy at Donny’s church finds out about his past job as a porn producer and gets a hold of Child Protective Services. If Donny was a police officer, a doctor, a Porn Pastor, there would probably be things from his job that he would never share with his kids. The same thing applies to Donny’s old life as a porn producer. What does that really have to do with being a dad. I got to officiate a wedding of JimmyD’s daughter a few years back. It was a great wedding, these were great kids. Yet, people just assumed because JimmyD did porn for a living, his daughter was into it or some other crazy things.

So, Donny sends me this email….

Right now CPS (child protective services) is sticking their nose into my life because some idiot at a local church told them I used to be a porn producer and that they should investigate to make sure I never exposed my son to anything he shouldn’t see. That is ridiculous, as I would never in a million years do such a thing. They listened to him because he’s a licensed counselor and therefore has contacts inside CPS.

What this does to me is raise up all the old bitterness I feel towards anything to do with churches, and I’m battling a raging anger and hatred at the moment. Why is it that churches have to bury their wounded? I don’t understand it. Now CPS wants to talk to my son, and every attorney I’ve spoken with says there is nothing we can do to keep them from talking to him. God only knows what types of questions they’re going to ask. A 7 year old should not have to be exposed to such things. And I have no doubts that as he gets older he’ll remember being asked about this and wondering why he was made to go into a meeting, alone, with total strangers and answer questions about his daddy.

So… what would you like me to write about on X3? How ignorant the majority of Christians are? How they act like anything BUT God? Because I’d be really good at writing THAT story right now…

Some good questions were brought up.

Why do we bury our wounded?
How come sometimes we (Christians) act like anything but God?
Why are so many of us so ignorant?
There are a lot of books about why people don’t like Christians, what the church should do a better job of, statistics on what non Christians think and sound like. You name it there are study guides and all sorts of junk to read. Why not just listen. Why not just listen to people that want nothing to do with church and God and hear what they are saying. Don’t read a book about it. Go talk to those, befriend those that don’t like us and hear why and then start to change. Donny, no doubt will be okay. He is not going back. He had a rough week and is strong enough in his faith now to handle this and not let this keep him from what God wants him to do in his life. But, there are so many others out there that have not made a decision for Christ and I believe the reason why is because of us. Because they simply don’t like us. They don’t want anything to do with us, because of the things we say and do not what we believe.
Just some Monday morning thoughts….Craig

The Nashville newspaper - The Tennessean - ran a story updating us on the singer/actor/guitarist/’jack of all trades’ who is Jerry Reed. As a studio musician in his early days, Jerry caught the eye of Chet Atkins with his creative and talented guitar playing. Chet became sort of a mentor to Jerry and soon Jerry was writing guitar compositions for Mr. Guitar himself. Jerry went on to pursue an acting career and will be known to many as the truck driving side-kick of the Burt Reynolds character in the ‘Smokey and the Bandit‘ movie(s). Here’s the latest on Jerry Reed…

• Surgery turned Reed from a taker to a giver - Veterans are high priority in new life of aiding others

Here’s more info on the benefit concert for Jerry’s friend and band member Richard Shook:

CONCERT TO HELP BASSIST SHOOK
What: The Rockin’ Summer Bash Richard Shook Benefit, to raise money for the care of the ailing bass player who was a longtime sideman and friend of Jerry Reed. Shook suffered a stroke after an auto accident in 2004. The stroke left him paralyzed on one side and with a limited ability to speak. Shook and his wife were displaced by a house fire in 2006.
Who: Steve Jarrell and Sons of the Beach, Clifford Curry, Dickey Lee, Dallas Frazier, Larry Henley of the Newbeats, Billy Swan, Tom and Beverly Grant, Buzz Cason and other friends will perform.
When: 7-11 p.m. June 22.
Where: Douglas Corner, 2106-A Eighth Ave. S., Nashville (in the antique district).
Cost: $10 donation at the door requested. Those who cannot attend are asked to send checks to GIFT (Giving In Faith Together), 2804 Azalea Place, Nashville, TN 37204.
For information: Call GIFT at 383-8682 or Douglas Corner at 298-1688.