So I was reading Tony Morgan's blog, (I was his assistant when I first came on staff here @ NS before I got full-time in the music ministry with Lee) and man....he couldn't have said it better...we need to freakin' wake up!....this is what he wrote a few days ago...

"HEAVEN IS OVERRATED"

"I sat down by Howard at our staff meeting this morning. Howard was drinking a cup of Starbucks coffee imported from Greenville, SC. Howard may go to the hot place for bringing his Starbucks coffee into the land of Starbucksless Coffeedom. Howard works for me...but not for long if he continues sauntering through the office while brandishing his imported coffee.

That aside, the quote on Howard's coffee cup caught my attention this morning. You may have already read about it. It looks like I may be about a month late to the party on this one. Here it is, though. "The Way I See It." #230.

"Heaven is totally overrated. It seems boring. Clouds, listening to people play the harp. It should be somewhere you can't wait to go, like a luxury hotel. Maybe blue skies and soft music were enough to keep people in line in the 17th century, but Heaven has to step it up a bit. They're basically getting by because they only have to be better than Hell." --Joel Stein, columnist for the Los Angeles Times

So here's the deal. There, of course, is nothing in the Bible to support Stein's understanding of Heaven. And, because of that, I guess we could be angry with Mr. Stein for flippantly making this quote without researching the facts. Or, we could slam the Los Angeles Times for employing someone that carelessly attacks people of faith. Or, we could boycott Starbucks because they're promoting an anti-God agenda. Personally, I could care less about all of that.

Do you know what angers me about this quote? Folks, this is an indictment of the Church. We've let the greatest message in the world, become "clouds" and "people playing harps." We're known more for yelling at people and telling them they're going to Hell than we are for trying to help people find hope and purpose. We've let the media neuter the most dangerous message ever told. That's what makes me angry about that coffee cup.

To be honest, I'm thankful Starbucks as generated this conversation. The Church needs to wake up. We may be communicating the truth, but people aren't listening. That's not a message problem--that's a method problem."

...Gah. that's convicting.