While this is a sad event, there is a lesson that we can all learn if we observe closely. None of us are exempt from having certain things fall apart in our lives. Sandra Bullock is an attractive woman with plenty of money. You would think that her husband would not need to go outside of their marriage and sleep with another woman. (This is what allegedly happened.)

What happened to Sandra Bullock could happen to any of us. I don’t know of any foolproof formulas that will prevent your spouse from cheating on you. If there is a formula, it clearly does not involve beauty and money.

The lesson we can learn is that we need to continue to cultivate our relationships. It is easy to get heavily involved in other things and allow your marriage to go on autopilot. I encourage you to resist that. I encourage you to continue to remain in constant contact with your spouse. Talk about the good, the bad and the ugly as it relates to your marriage.

I can’t guarantee that your spouse won’t go out and do something completely foolish. However, you will have a much greater chance at success if your communication is strong.

BeBe Winans has been exonerated of all charges of allegations that he assaulted his ex-wife Debra Winans. On December 4, the judge dismissed all charges with prejudice. This order concluded the entire matter and it cannot be reopened.

While in some ways I am happy for BeBe, I continue to find stories like this sad. I long for the day when the words assault, ex-wife, charges, and divorce will no longer be associated with Gospel artists. In a perfect world, these words wouldn’t have much weight in our society at all.

My mother once told me that none of us are exempt from life. The older I get the more I realize how right she was. This situation is a reminder that no matter how great of a minister someone may appear to be, they are still succeptible to the snares that can entangle us all.

The good news is that BeBe Winans won’t be convicted. The bad news is that his children will need to grow up in a house without both parents. In the end, they are the ones who will likely be affected the most by this. Parents don’t get along, get a divorce, but the kids suffer. I’m not a theological scholar, but I know that is not what God intends for any of us.

Please keep BeBe Winans and his entire family in prayer. There are some wounds that only God can heal.

I am extremely saddened for their 8 children. Without them, we wouldn’t even know who Jon and Kate were. Now, their lives have been completely changed forever.

Children need to grow up in a home with both their mother and father. That is the way God designed it. I know there are many single parents out there who are doing fantastic jobs raising their children. No matter how great of a job single parents are doing, their children will always lack something. I firmly believe that there are certain elements that God intended for the father to impart in a child’s life and there are certain elements that God intended for the the mother to impart in a child’s life. Even if the both parents are active in a child’s life, it is not the same unless they are married.

I understand how dangerous it can be for a child to grow up in a home where the parents are not getting along. Children need love and it is sometimes hard to show love to a child when you don’t love your spouse. I can understand how it may feel like divorce is the only option. Fortunately, when this happens God is able and willing to step in. He will fill the void in a child’s life that is caused when parents divorce.

TV show or no TV show, the Gosselin children will now have a void in their lives that only God can fill. I ask that you stand with me an pray for them as well as all children who have had to endure the divorce of their parents.

As a church member, what do you do when your pastor gets a divorce? I’m sure a number of emotions may run through your head that will include anger, hurt, and a feeling of betrayal. Do you just automatically leave and find another church? Do you stay and continue to make contributions to the ministry that is going on at your church? It is clearly a tough decision to make.

Fortunately, I have never been faced with this situation. However, I have an number of friends that have had to experience their pastor going through a divorce. Some of them chose to leave the church, while others decided to stay. It is a challenging choice for someone to make.

Let’s all be clear about something. Malachi 2:16 tells us that God hates divorce. That doesn’t mean that God people who divorce. We should never forget that God’s love is everlasting (Jeremiah 31:3).

So, if your pastor gets a divorce, it is completely understandable for your to be heart broken and for you to be upset. Please remember, it is not God’s desire for you to have hatred towards your pastor and his or her spouse. It is God’s desire for us to always love one another (John 13:34).

Often times when people get a divorce, we tend to poke and prod them in an effort to find out which person is at fault. In the case of your pastor, you could try to do that (I don’t recommend it), or you could spend your time and energy on something much more productive. You could PRAY! In fact, that is the absolute best thing you can do.

You can pray for your pastor and his/her spouse. Pray that God will give them healing and comfort during this difficult time.

You can pray for your church. This is a good opportunity for the enemy to come in and attempt to break your church apart. Pray that the Lord will continue to protect the church and keep it together as you all go through this difficult time.

You can pray for you and your family. This is a time where you should seek God’s guidance regarding what you should do. Ask God what your role should be during this time. Ask God if it is his will for you to remain with that church or if he has another church he wants you to join.

I wish this post was completely irrelevant. Unfortunately divorce happens and it happens often. We all have had times in our lives when we have fallen short of the glory of God. You would think that certain things should not happen to pastors, but none of us are immune to sin and the troubles that come in this life. That is why daily repentance is something we should all incorporate into our lives.

What is your take on divorce and pastors? Have you ever been a member of a church where the pastor got a divorce?

I have one major prayer for 2009. I fully understand that this prayer may be farfetched and unrealistic. Nevertheless, I am going to say it any way. My one prayer is for a drama free year of gospel music in 2009.

Over the last couple of years gospel music fans have had to watch their favorite artists go through a lot. I am fully aware that none of us are exempt from life. No matter who you are and how many CDs you make, there is a chance that some of the challenges of life can slap you right in the face.

As I think about some of the situations that have happened, it makes me sad. What happened to Tonex’s career? One minute it was extremely promising. The next thing I know he is cursing on the Internet.

Marriages have been destroyed. Unfortnuately, Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammond and Tonex have each had to divorce their spouses over the last couple of years. In addition, let’s not forget the divorce heard around the world. The divorce between Juanita Bynum and Bishop Weeks is a tragedy that is well chronicled.

If you throw in J.Moss’s child support situation and Timothy Wright’s accident that just adds more fuel to the fire. It makes you want to just pray real hard.

I’m sure there are a bunch of other instances that I am forgetting. I know that in this life we will all face suffering of some type. Is one drama free year too much to ask for?

On January 1, 2010, I am going to reflect on the gospel music industry in 2009. I don’t want the dominant memory in my mind to be about tragedy or divorce. I would love it if the top story in gospel in 2009 was a CD someone released that completely shook up the world.

Will it happen? I don’t know. I’m sure going to pray about it. What do you pray for when you think about 2009?

There is a part of me that is shocked and there is a part of that isn’t. Apparently, the church facilities are in a developing area in Tampa. Selling the church could prove to be profitable.

The potential of an enormously profitable sale is not the reason why the sale of the church doesn’t shock me. Randy and Paula White have recently gotten a divorce. That’s why the church sale doesn’t shock me.

From every observation I’ve made of divorced people, I know one thing. Divorce destroys. It destroys hearts, hopes, dreams, families, ministries and more. Divorce is just flat out ugly. I don’t care what the cause was.

I figured it would be only a matter of time before Randy and Paula completely went their separate ways. I’m assuming the church is one of the few remaining links in their lives.

The most frightening thing out of all of this is that the entire ministry could dissolve. Where will all of those people go to worship? I don’t know.  Imagine sewing into a ministry for years only to have it all taken away. It is not easy to just wake up one morning and decide to get plugged in at another church.

We all know that a church is more than just a building. It is more than just a pastor and a choir. For a lot of people, their church is their family. Imagine having your family snatched away from you. It hurts doesn’t it.

As believers, let’s keep the entire Without Walls International Church family lifted in prayer. I pray that God will see them through these tough times. I also pray that he will bring healing to every broken heart.