In response to the funny picture I posted at:
https://www.cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh/images/04/grandmaslots.htm

The following entry was submitted to my guestbook (I've used their initials so they don't totally fall out of their tree):

You claim to be a Christian but yet post a picture calling it humor of your grandmother in front of a slot machine in Las Vegas.  Tsk ..tsk.  What a mixed message that brings.  I could quote you a number of scriptures but you're probably one of those "liberal" Christians that says "it ain't harming no one but Granny ..  and that's only if she loses money ..  it's the only thing she enjoys since Grandpa dies." Gambling is a SIN!  You're telling people on a CHRISTIAN website that it's OKAY to gamble.  Wo...

- M. L.

I replied:

Thanks for your comments.  I'm afraid you weren't very Spirit filled when you wrote them, however, because there are a number of factual errors in what you wrote that the Holy Spirit would have been fully aware of.

So I guess you were just being human.

- Pastor Tim

[A note to you the reader.  As a word of explanation, the error I was referring to is the fact that the woman in that picture is not my Grandmother.  She isn't even related to me.  She is, as the page clearly declares "Jeff 'The Back Pew' Larson's mom, Nellie".  In reality, Nellie, a non-gambler, posed for Jeff to take that picture as a joke. 

My point was that had Mr. L. been filled by the Holy Spirit (and by that I mean under the control of Holy Spirit - I make no claim that Mr. L. is not indwelt by the Holy Spirit) at the time of his writing he would not have typed such total inaccuracies.]

To defend and prove himself to be filled by the Holy Spirit, Mr. L. sent the following reply:

How arrogant and judgmental!  And what a GOOBER statement!
 
What a ridiculous statement ... "not very spirit filled"
 
There are no factual errors .. you are promoting gambling!
 
Don't write back ... you obviously aren't very aware if you make ignorant statements like you did.
 
In fact, I'll block your address because I don't want to have such a ridiculous discussion.
 
I've been spirit-filled for 23 years. 
 
You seem to feel superior .. Billy Graham doesn't walk around judging people with statements like "you weren't very spirit-filled when you said that."
 
What planet are you from?  I thot I'd heard dumb statements from Christians ... but yours tops it all!
 
Hey IDIOT ... people don't have to be under an anointing to recognize sin!
 
Your picture is WRONG .. it presents the image to the WORLD and other Christians that gambling is AOKAY!
 
You're obviously very DUMB where your Bible is concerned if you don't know that gambling is a sin.
 
But you sound like a real compromiser.

And then, I can only assume for good measure and to clear the last bit of foam from his spiritually bullying saliva glands, Mr. L. for good measure also sent this brief e-mail.

>>So I guess you were just being human.
 
And you're an IDIOT!!!
I can't get over the STUPIDITY in your statement below!

Mr. L.'s e-mails contain a number of classic signs of a spiritual bully:

  • No direct or indirect references to the Bible
  • Shock that someone would be so arrogant as to question his questioning of them
  • An appeal to his own personal spiritual experience as justification for his actions
  • The invoking of the name of a great man of God, Billy Graham,
  • A seeming personal offence that someone might have the further gall to reply and discuss his accusations. 

Add to the above the liberal use of exclamation marks and terms in "ALL CAPS" (the equivalent of yelling in e-mail), Mr. L. has rightfully earned his spot in "The Hall of Flames."