Church Gossip

Kelli Bolton

Description

Many people come to church to find a sense of peace, but what happens when the church you attend is known for gossip and your secret comes to light?

Informations

• Publié par: First Edition Design Publishing
• Date de parution: 16 août 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781622870592
• Langue: English

Extrait

CHURCH GOSSIP

Kelli Bolton
Church Gossip
Copyright 2012 Kelli Bolton
ISBN 978-1622870-59-2

Published and Distributed by
First Edition Design Publishing, Inc.
August 2012
www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com



ALL R I G H T S R E S E R V E D. No p a r t o f t h i s b oo k pub li ca t i o n m a y b e r e p r o du ce d, s t o r e d i n a r e t r i e v a l s y s t e m , o r t r a n s mit t e d i n a ny f o r m o r by a ny m e a ns ─ e l e c t r o n i c , m e c h a n i c a l , p h o t o - c o p y , r ec o r d i n g, or a ny o t h e r ─ e x ce pt b r i e f qu ot a t i o n i n r e v i e w s , w i t h o ut t h e p r i o r p e r mi ss i on o f t h e a u t h o r or publisher .


PRINT EDITION
Church Gossip
Copyright © 2011 Kelli Bolton
All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without the written permission except in the brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, businesses, churches, schools or locales is entirely coincidental.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. ™

Published by:
Bolton Press, LLC/ Kelli Bolton
P.O. BOX 297892
Columbus, Ohio 43229
Web site www.kelliwrites.com

Cover Design by:
Creative Fuzion
Web site www.cfuzion.com
Email [e-mail]

Edited by
Ashar Publishing Group, LLC
Web site www.asharpublishing.com
Email: [e-mail]
Introduction
Church Gossip allows the reader to see the liberty a person experiences once they confess their faults and ask God to forgive them. It’s time for the church to stop acting like “that doesn’t happen here” and address it so that people can be healed and made whole.
I wrote Church Gossip with the intent to address the often overlooked and excused sinful behavior of gossip. While the title explains itself, the message goes beyond that. Gossip is a very serious matter stimulated from wrongful perceptions and judgment. The process then begins to take its’ course leading to lies, false accusations which head to mass rumors and gossip!
In this story, I will show what happens when we (the Body of Christ) fail to acknowledge our issues of ridicule that unfortunately continues to leave people hurt, broken and bitter. On the contrary, I sincerely believe a person who judges only reveals their own inner issues of fear, insecurity, self-righteousness and un-forgiveness.
Many times, I have heard the statement, “The church is a hospital where people that are broken come to be healed”. However, there have also been reports of people going to the hospital for one thing and leave worse than they came in, sometimes leading to death. This very thing is happening in churches when we allow negative attitudes, presumptions and gossip to float around the Body of Christ. When we refuse to acknowledge the problem, another soul is lost or wounded by the one place they were told “Come as you are, you are loved and forgiven of your sins”.
There may be some people that may not agree with me and that is ok, the proof is in the Word of God.

Proverbs 18:19 says, “A brother offended is harder to be won over than a strong city, and their contentions separate them like the bars of a castle”.

It is my sincere prayer that every person after reading Church Gossip is encouraged to demonstrate true agape love and win the lost at any cost. Let’s stop making excuses for our attitudes, laughing and joking at the offensive behavior and show love and respect for all of God’s people.
I hope that you find this book to be a blessing and healing for your heart, mind and soul.

Love always,
Kelli Bolton
FORWARD

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionist, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

And such were some of you…………..

As I read this scripture it reminds me of a place I once was. In fact, where each one of us have been at one point in time in our lives. For me, this scripture keeps me humble and my heart compassionate toward those who may have just accepted Christ and/or have fallen along the way (such were some of you). Unfortunately, in the church there are those who like to remind you of your past (as if they have been saved all their lives) while they keep theirs a secret. They would rather expose you and gossip about what they think instead of praying for God’s intervention in your life. The oxymoron of it all is that while people are exposing you, they themselves have just fallen into the pit of sin. One thing is for sure, God looks at the heart of man and He see’s and knows all things.
Have you ever been in a place where guilt caused you to become stuck in quicksand and you were sinking and the tentacles of shame gripped you so hard that your past haunted you and even after waking up you realize that it was NOT a dream but a reality? Then after all of that, you drag yourself to church (a body of like minded believers professing the same ecclesiastical authority) seeking refuge and shelter only to find that you are still exposed to the elements of backbiting, un-forgiveness, bitterness, gossip, lying and deceit (but such were some of you). But allow me to sound the trumpet in Zion, THERE IS A HEALING FOR YOUR SOUL!
Kelli, in her 2 nd writing, Church Gossip, has brilliantly and comically penned this piece, with you in mind. There is at least one character you can relate to, if not a few of them, and you definitely have met each character at one point in time in your walk with God. She does such an excellent job in exposing the behaviors in some churches that does not create an atmosphere conducive to spiritual growth. I believe Church Gossip, will saturate your mind with the redemptive work of Christ, because according to John 10:10, He desires for us to live an abundant life free from the thoughts, mindset and opinions of others. I encourage you to allow Church Gossip and the loving hand of God to bring you to a place of God’s grace and mercy so that you may walk in the wholeness that God has for you.

Humbly Submitted,

Lady Janet Stephens
Truth & Wholeness Ministries

www.truthandwholeness.com
Reader Reflections

Church Gossip , written by Kelli Bolton, is a soul-stirring piece of work. I was moved at many points in the book. It will literally compel you to tears at the trials suffered by Sherry while simultaneously have you rejoicing in subtle tears at the triumphs of Sherry and other characters. Church Gossip , while it is a cautionary tale about healing, it also is an unfortunate reminder of my early days spent in church. As a single father, I could appreciate the balance of roles by African American fathers as opposed to some of the negative, sensational, stereo-types that play out so often in urban, Christian books.
This book gives the reader the understanding that even amid chaos, divine order ultimately rules the day. Further, it expresses that while perfection is not a part of the human condition, faith and perspective paints a prettier picture placing us closer to our higher selves thus removing us from becoming slaves to the standards of the conventional. Finally, the lesson of obedience and patience is clear; God will work it out on time; not in our time.
It also reminded me of all of the judgmental, condescending behavior and arrogance that was so present in many of my experiences and why somehow I never felt quite good enough at church. I recall the whispers and stares and uncomfortable open conversations regarding my status as a teen father, and Kelli’s story is very similar to my past experiences.
Church Gossip made me reflect back to the age of eight when an evangelist told my siblings and I that my mother would not survive major spinal surgery. I do not know if it was some attempt to help me consider the possibilities of death but it was certainly inappropriate to say the least. Needless to say, my mother lived.. The last straw was when the deaconess in charge of transportation called my mother a "crippled bitch" as my mother's wheelchair was being let off the church bus. The driver and my mother heard her outburst and she had the audacity to deny it. My mom eventually changed churches and I stopped going. I am far more spiritual than merely religious, so I was very intuitive to personal as well as general injustice. Malik Willoughby, Columbus, Ohio
Special Thanks
I am truly grateful to God for trusting me with such a gift and important message to help hurting people.

I want to thank my husband Vernon for being there for me and allowing me to do what God has called me to do. I’m truly blessed to have you by my side.

I want to thank my family and friends for all of your love, support and words of encouragement. It means so much to me.

Thank you to my prayer partners for keeping me covered. It has not gone unnoticed.

To Shar-Reese Alfred, Amber and Timothy Johnson, Janet Stephens and Malik Willoughby, your reviews and reflections for the reader has been a blessing. I am grateful to your contribution to me proje