The Local Church

I love the church I serve.  They are good people.  The lawyer whom they have paid to defend us has asked me to not blog on the lawsuit anymore.  I serve the local church.  Protecting the flock assigned to me comes before trying to bring this unfinished business to a conclusion.  It is in the hands of very good lawyers now.

Praying for Otto

Otto Arango has been added to the prayer list of Calvary Baptist Church.  This is the kind of people they are.  They do not pray for Otto to get saved.  They know they cannot see inside the heart of a man.  They pray for his spiritual needs.  They pray for his life.  They pray he changes.  They pray he someday finds God’s real blessings.

These are good folks to serve.  They have gone through a lot in the last twenty-five years.  I am sure they will go through a whole lot more and still remain the solid rock they have always been.

Strong Coffee

Ken Coffee blogs at http://kennaco.blogspot.com/.  His blog is called Strong Coffee and the type of leadership he calls for is exactly that, strong.  Ken understands the world as it is becoming.  Soon there will be more and more people getting their information about Baptist life than any other source.  Spiritual Samurai, with a few connections and the ability to go to well over a thousand hits overnight, was able to bring the Otto Arango lawsuit to people’s attention all over the world. 

Blogging gives us a platform of cyber equality.  The blog opens up things that have swept under the rug for two long.  It also allows leaders like Ken Coffee to continue to have an influence in a great way.  Read Ken’s blog on bloggers gathering, and about how he feels our leadership should deal with the Otto situation.

I have been watching the BGCT blog and wondering if Texas Baptists will be allowed to express themselves there.  I wish the staff that oversees the blog would be allowed to post a simple question: Texas Baptists, What do you think of the alleged suit?  Then let the exchange begin.  I really believe this would help easy folks anxiety.

The Fear of a Lawsuit

Built into the legal structure of our country there is an unwritten right to sue anyone, any time, for about anything.  And sometimes, out of unbelievable circumstances (coffee was too hot, and someone gets a settlement for life) these lawsuits make someone money. 

Lawsuits are the boogie man in the closet that might be real.  Both good and bad children face fears in the dark.  Sometimes those boogie men are real (toxic products, disregard for human life).  But many times they are imaginary.  They may also be a sham, a bluff, and act of revenge, or a calculated political play, but that does not change the power of the uncertainly they represent. 

Because of this reality, the possibility of real financial loss (punitive damages) is a fear for those who worry about losing wealth.  This could hurt me, they think.  This has the power to make even those who know the truth, fearful of response. 

If there ever was an example of how much money dictates stances it is now as Otto Arango sues.  Our Baptist institutions that were taken advantage of by Otto Arango, who refused to make him accountable because of the cost (I would rather it had been for the gray area of Christians suing Christians) set themselves up for this.  He sees nothing to lose.  Thus, they (BGCT Institutions) are obviously very, very concerned about the economics , because of the lawsuit.  This gives Otto the upper hand. 

Please pray that principles will overcome pragmatism.

The Big Question About Otto

OK, Otto Arango has filed a suit.  Why did he do this?  With a (supposed) criminal investigation underway, why draw attention to yourself with a lawsuit?  Why risk going through a discovery process that could put him and other under oath in the ValleyGate scandal?  Let me offer you some of my opinions:

1) Otto is playing his Central/South America targets.  He is trying to create enough doubt to allow him to begin his con again.  Yes, I used the word con because that is what it is.  If, when questioned about ValleyGate, he can say it was the rich white North Americans that are trying to bring him down, and that he has court action pending, them might give him more money.

2) Otto is actual feeling some heat from an investigation and this is part of his defense strategy (Very unlikely).

3)  Otto has felt empowered by the impotency of the BGCT’s response to his theft.  Since the suit is about the BGCT (I am not mentioned past being a defendant) perhaps Otto feels that they will simply back down and give him more money.

I am sure there are other theories about why this suit at this time.  I’d love to hear what you think (unless you are afraid that Otto might sue you).

For Goodness Sakes, People, Acknowledge and Stand

This is not good.  I have read more about Dr. Everett’s response to the Otto Arango unwarranted lawsuit against the BGCT, but still not a word found on our BGCT website.  Are Dr. Everett’s words not good enough to be put in a large font for all to see!

What is more information being given through both AP and abp clear houses than though our own cooperative communication systems.  Why has our Texas Baptist Blog not be allowed to let a discussion of this issue to take place.  There are even executive board members who did not know when I contacted them. 

For the sake of the BGCT this is a time to stand and deal with Otto Arango, not make a deal with him.  You are our leadership.  Let us stand together, but not in crisis control but openness and prayer.

What Will Dr. Everett Do?

By now, people all over the country have read about Otto Arango’s lawsuit against the BGCT.  The Baptist Standard is going to remain quiet (so much for strong leadership there).  Dr. Randell Everett has said the suit has not merit.  I agree, Otto did take, misuse, and abuse the money Texas Baptists had entrusted to leaders to help start new churches.  Otto has done real damage to the Baptist work in the Valley. 

Why are people afraid of this man?  He is nothing but a little bully that used the vacuum of leadership which existed under Charles Wade to build his own little elitist kingdom.  Good grief, he even wanted an office at Baylor with his own business cards.  He took advantage of the Piper fund and was in the process of working on getting money out of the CBF.  If the BGCT does not stand up to him now and make him accountable, you can bet his suit will be just the beginning.  If the BGCT settles with Otto, then (in my honest opinion)  E.B. Brooks, David Guel, and Abe Zabaneh will be there next with their hands out. 

Please Dr. Everett, we have had enough of Otto.  Please do not let him take any more of our BGCT funds without a fight.  Please be the leader that people hope you will be.  Stand strong for what is right and just.

Hooray for ABP

ABP has picked up the Otto saga:  http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3474&Itemid=53

At least someone else is not afraid of Otto.  Good story with good references.

This Is As Self Serving As I Get

The following request for support comes from my daughter’s blog.  She is doing a great work.  She is not asking for millions of dollars or even a hundred thousand dollars.  She is asking for support at a poverty level so she can reach people with the gospel.  She is worth the investment (she is my opposite).  Thanks for reading her letter.  Visit her blog site.

http://simplediva.blogspot.com/

Dear Friends,

As many of you know I recently completed my Masters of Divinity. I am excited to say I have been invited to work with ReIMAGINE in San Francisco. I would like to extend an invitation to you to join in our work through prayer and financial support.

ReIMAGINE is a Bay Area Center for Life Integration based in San Francisco. As a Center, we run a 9-month integrative spiritual formation process. Through a variety of hands on workshops, retreats and events, participants learn and practice how to incorporate 7 themes (service, creativity, community, obedience, prayer, simplicity and love) seen in the life and teachings of Jesus. In addition to the 9-month initiative, we also run week long intensives for high school and college students based on the same 7 threads. As a unique, creative, and inventive ministry, ReIMAGINE is an exciting place to serve. I will be the main facilitator and coordinator for much of our work.

This fall as part of our nine-month formation process ReIMAGINE is participating in Jesus’ call to seek justice. I will be a main facilitator in a workshop designed to train people in educated activism in response to the Illegal Global Slave Trade, focusing on slavery in the San Francisco area.

Modern day slavery/human trafficking is an issue that God has developed a passion for within me over the past year. Last summer I started reading about modern day slavery and human trafficking. I was so horrified by what I read that I was hardly able to finish the book. (Disposable People, Kevin Bales) Since then I have searched out ways that I could be involved in helping the people who are forced into the position of slavery.

Despite all of the things that make San Francisco great, San Francisco is one of the cities in the US to have a known problem with trafficking. Through the summer I have been spending time researching and planning a way for ReIMAGINE to be involved in helping end slavery. This is an answer to prayer for me. I believe that in this day the call to set captives free is not only a metaphor but also an actual call on our lives.

Along with preparing for the workshop I have already spent much of the summer hosting student groups. As many of you are aware I have a deep love for students. My desire is to see them mature in the way they follow after Jesus. Our weeklong intensives create a beautiful environment for them to learn how to live out everything they have been taught about the Gospel.

San Francisco is a beautiful, diverse, and challenging city. Over the past months I have learned so much about how God is moving in this city. I feel very confident that this is the place that God has called me. The greatest affirmation that this is right for me is the fall workshop project I will be helping facilitate.

As I have met people here, I can see that this is a city that is alive with spiritual seekers, and much like most places it is also full of obstacles. I am consistently amazed by the opportunities that I have to speak with people about what it means to follow Jesus; even more, I am excited about the ways I am allowed to live that call out in San Francisco.

The opportunities make it clear to me that this is where God desires to use me over the next year. ReIMAGINE is a small organization and I need you to help as I stay here. In order to live I need to raise a minimum of $30,000 in annual support. I will be working part time to make half of that income.

I have been working with ReIMAGINE as an intern without support this past semester. As I enter this next year of service I need the support of others to make this year successful. You are receiving this invitation to join in supporting me because of the role you have played in my life already. I am very grateful for the prayer and financial support that I have received over the years in other areas of ministry. Please pray about how you can give at this time. Financial support is very much needed and appreciated, but I cannot do this with out your prayers. Attached is an area to mark what information you want to receive and how you would like to participate in supporting the work of ReIMAGINE.

Grace and Peace,

Sarah Rochelle Montoya

Ethics Daily Picks Up the Story

I wish our folks would get it together.  Ethics Daily has:

http://www.ethicsdaily.com/article_detail.cfm?AID=10879