What's the deal?

There was an article in the Star Tribune that was talking about how this Mega Church in a suburb of Minneapolis where the main pastor made over $1 million a year. This pastor even went so far as to borrow money from the church so he could buy his own airplane. When I heard that, it almost made me physically sick. It made me think of Nett Lake, and of the Lasley family. Kevin Lasley had a good job in southern Illinois, making a lot of money. But he felt God calling him to Indian Ministry, and left that all behind. He left the money, the security, everything behind because he felt like it was where he was supposed to be. Now his oldest daughter Maggie has Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, and they are trying to figure out how to pay for it. Both of these men are pastors, yet one is struggling to pay his daughter's medical bills while the other one is spending millions of dollars on an airplane? An airplane that he does not need. Does that seem a little twisted to anyone else or is it just me? Why do we put so much emphasis on having "things" and being part of mega churches? God is working the same in Nett Lake Baptist Church with it's 60 members, just like any other mega churches anywhere in the world.

The Lasley's have set up an account with the Minnesota Baptist Conference to try and help with some of the expenses. One of the things I admire most about the Lasley's is their faith. Their faith that God will take care of everything, that there is a purpose to everything that is happening at Nett Lake and to their family. I don't know if I could be as strong as them. God is rooted in everything they do, and I wish that more people would see that. We need to support those who do what God has called them to do, and maybe this pastor felt called by God to buy an airplabe, but I doubt it.