Pastor Ted...shock and awe wake up call.

What happened here?

I can't imagine the pain and guilt Ted is going through right now. That's one heck of a fall...and why is that fall coming from such a height? That is a core problem with many, many church go-ers - the pastor becomes so far removed from the attendees, he's done SO much for his public and the congregation, his speaking is "so good", he's so "perfect" in the eyes of the congregation - that the church body itself builds him onto this giant golden pedestel (the larger the church the greater the effect in this regard). Dare I even say they almost seem to worship and adore the pastor, looking to the pastor often times before looking to Jesus?

Were 14,000 church members duped by a swindling, lying, cheating shepherd?

Not at all. When are "christians" going to get their mind and hearts around the FACT that Pastors are no less fallible and no less flawed than the people they lead?! The do have a higher calling, they'll ultimately be held to a higher standard at judgement - but THEY'RE HUMAN beings just like you and me.

This should be a wake up and smell the coffee call. Everyone out there that calls him/herself a "christian" (I hate that term)...your pastor and leadership are no less fallible, no less human and no less a sinner than you are. Get it through your heads. Stop building them up into something they're not. Don't "gladhand" them, pumping their hands in humble thanks for their awesome service and words all the time. Come alongside them in strength, have the boldness to remind them that they're human, remind them in words and action.

Meet with your pastor for lunch, have him over for dinner, call him on the phone...but don't butter him up, don't suck up, don't do it to rub shoulders with him! He needs real friends, he needs ACCOUNTABILITY, he needs real people, treating him like a real person waging the same battles that he's fighting all the time! Look him dead in the eye, right through to his heart and ask him "So, honestly, how's your walk"?

Of course...the flip side of that - you've got to be dead on real and honest to him, earn his trust by being real and honest.

Did Pastor Ted have a rock solid "Band of Brothers" type of accountability/warrior brotherhood around him? I don't know, I do know that it's VITALLY important that we don't go it alone, that it's vitally important that we be crystal clear transparent to a small cadre of guys that we'd trust our lives with - for it is virtually identical to slugging it out in the trenches at Normandy.

Pastor Ted - I'm drawing my sword to go to battle with you and for you right now.

Get REAL with your pastors. If they can't or won't be real with you...there might already be something wrong...

Big Beef of the Day: I still have a big problem with KUSA and the TIMING of their release! The accuser notified the press of the wrong-doings TWO MONTHS ago, yet you wait until 5 days before the election to SQUEEZE the most possible damage out of an already damaging situation? Come on "main stream media"...where's the honesty and integrity and your desire to get the story to the public when the story breaks?