Vet's Funeral Canceled Because He Was Gay

Church Says Homosexuality A Sin

"It's a slap in the face. It's like, 'Oh, we're sorry he died, but he's gay so we can't help you,"' she said Friday. Wright said High Point offered to hold the service for Sinclair because their brother is a janitor there.Sinclair, who served in the first Gulf War, died Monday at age 46 from an infection after surgery to prepare him for a heart transplant. The church's pastor, the Rev. Gary Simons, said no one knew Sinclair, who was not a church member, was gay until the day before the Thursday service, when staff members putting together his video tribute saw pictures of men "engaging in clear affection, kissing and embracing." Simons said the church believes homosexuality is a sin, and it would have appeared to endorse that lifestyle if the service had been held there. "We did decline to host the service -- not based on hatred, not based on discrimination, but based on principle," Simons told The Associated Press. "Had we known it on the day they first spoke about it -- yes, we would have declined then. It's not that we didn't love the family." Simons said the decision had nothing to do with the obituary. He said the church offered to pay for another site for the service, made the video and provided food for more than 100 relatives and friends. "Even though we could not condone that lifestyle, we went above and beyond for the family through many acts of love and kindness," Simons said. Wright called the church's claim about the pictures "a bold-faced lie." She said she provided numerous family pictures of Sinclair, including some with his partner, but said none showed men kissing or hugging. The 5,000-member High Point Church was founded in 2000 by Simons and his wife, April, whose brother is Joel Osteen, well-known pastor of the 38,000-member Lakewood Church in Houston.Now High Point meets in a 432,000-square-foot facility in Arlington, near Dallas. Wright said relatives declined the church's offer to hold the service at a community center because they felt it was an inappropriate venue.It ultimately was held at a funeral home, but the cancellation still lingered in some minds, she said.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press.

Influence:  Leadership Redefined

    Leading without Control    August 5, 2007

    Directed by: Dr. Jeff Warren, Lead Pastor of FBC McKinney

Leadership Redefined:

A leader is a person involved in a process of influencing and developing others in order to accomplish God's purpose, in God's way, and in God's power.

 Leadership = Influence

The Beatitudes - Matthew 5 (great reading)

1. Leading without Control (Matthew 5:1-5)

2. Leading without Power (5:6-8)

3. Leading without Fear (5:9-12)

The Beatitudes are...

...for all followers of Christ.

...characteristics that describe the follower of Christ.

...qualities that cannot be attained through our own natural ability

...the difference between a Kingdom person and a non-Kingdom person.

 So,

"The first task of a leader is to define reality.  The last is to say "thank you".  In between the two, the leader is a Servant and a debtor.  That sums up the artful leader."  --Max Depree, from Leadership is an Art

The Kingdom Influencer...

...is first poor.

->Knows who he/she is; namely in great name for God.

...is mournful.

->Grieves over the things that grieve the heart of God; namely sin, evil, injustice.

...is meek.

->Recognizes that God is in control (and allows Him to be in control).

Therefore gather this from yet another wonderful sermon by Dr. Jeff Warren:

"Kingdom leaders allow God's Control (sovereignty) to guide them in their personal lives and in their leadership.