Walk a Mile in These Shoes

I felt it good to post a comment from a past blog and then write my response here.

Mac says:
06/15/2010

Wow, spoken out of true ignorance. Churches are not perfect, they are run by human beings, but i have seen … alot more good and grace and mercy come through the church than our government. Here’s food for thought for you all. You think preachers have it made? Well consider this. Because a church is tax exempt they do not pay income or social security taxes on preachers. That means it is the preacher’s responsibility to pay both the employer’s portion and their own portion. Also unlike you desk jockeys, a church does not pay into preacher’s social security so if a preacher becomes disabled they are pretty much screwed. Add on top of that the fact that many churches do not provide benefits, like health insurance, etc. Churches get no government assistance whatsoever, that means they are totally dependent on … you to give donations to pay their bills and pay the pastor, etc. But since you are more concerned with buying a Starbucks latte or an apple Ipad than supporting your local church, alot of churches have to shut their doors. Until you have walked a mile in someone’s shoes don’t assume you know anything at all. I hope you read this article author man, you make me completely sick.

Mac,
I am a self-employed individual. Every day I wake up wondering where my next paycheck is going to come from. I wonder if God will provide me with some business today, and on top of that worry about my competition (unlike a church). If I were to be disabled in any way, probably the only job I could get is at a church. I started my business with no income or contracts, with no customer base or initial converts.

I do not have a health, nor retirement plan. I pay full state and federal taxes on my sales and income (unlike a church), and also have to pay for social security for myself and as an employer.

Most of the people in my situation do not have the opportunity to plead at the pulpit for more support (unlike a pastor). If I need some sort of assistance, my church fellowship might provide some temporary relief, but in the end, I have to get off my ass and find a job and work like the rest of the world. It’s an enlightening opportunity to actually be a full-time servant of God amongst the rest of the world.

My wife and I own 2 cars over 10 years old and have worked hard to pay them off. I have a Silverado loaded with nothing(nope not even power windows), and a Toyota Camry with over 190,000 miles (praying that it will go to at least 250,000). I have a 32″ old-school box TV, and I do not pay for cable. I have a 1000 sq ft home with 1 child now and 1 on the way.

I have worked for a church doing administrative work for about a year and was let go because of budget cuts.

I say all this not for a pat on the back or some applause because it really is not as hard as you or I make it sound. Mac, I’ve walked miles in these shoes. Did I blame my clients because they didn’t choose my services? Did I blame God during the hard times because I was frustrated? Did I get mad at people in the Church for not giving?

All-in-all Mac, I think you just need to calm down. I’ve never seen a man of God without his needs taken care of. Regardless if you are a pastor or you squeegee sewage all day; the common denominator it all boils down to with everyone is something called faith

I couldn’t agree more with your statement about the church and government. The church is where grace should be coming from. Instead, most churches are willing to pass the torch off to our government. It’s ludicrous to watch the pulpit being used to make social demands from the government. It’s also bizarre to me that people expect to see Jesus more from our government than from our Church – just look at hurricane Katrina.

There’s only one way to stop the insanity, and that’s to purify the church of greed and corruption. We’re not going to stop all this mess at the polls or at the next tea party rally. Political rallies are just band-aids on gunshot wounds. It has to come from God’s people and within the family of God.

I do not apologize if the blog article offended you or if it seemed too radical. Once again, i didn’t write my experiences to play my trumpet. I could care less about what people think.

Malachi 3:3-4
He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the LORD, As in the days of old, As in former years.