LAVONNE JAMES MCCLISH

908 Imperial Drive • Denton, Texas 76209-8610

Phone: 940-387-1429 • Fax: 940-323-9797

E-mail: valpub@charter.net

July 14, 2005

Dear Rhonda,

So far as I know, we have never met. I have read and appreciated your articles. You are obviously an intelligent and articulate lady. Two of our children have come to seminars at Apologetics Press. Our daughter was with a friend years ago, and you allowed them to stay in your home. Our youngest son and his wife were at AP at some later time.

We have attended as many of Bert's presentations as we were able to; we have saved Discovery magazines and Reason and Revelation issues. We have given subscriptions as gifts to our children and grandchildren. We have many of the books published by AP, and we value them highly. We greatly appreciate all the good that has been done.

I have your letter to Dub here on my desk, but I have not yet read it. I wanted to express to you what I have for a long time been thinking and feeling, ever since this horrible thing was announced, without being affected by what you have said. When I finish what I have to say, I will read your letter.

Dub has told me of the hurt you have felt from his e-mail message. We are both deeply sorry about this. He never intended or wanted to hurt you or Bert or Apologetics Press just for the sake of inflicting pain. He sent the message to 23 people. It has now been scattered all over the country (and perhaps beyond), something that he had nothing to do with and that he did not intend to happen. Dub is physically sick over this; he cannot eat or sleep. Understand, I am not asking you for sympathy. I know your wounds are too fresh and raw for you to be able to do anything right now, except perhaps to think that he deserves it. I just wanted you to know how upset he is, and how much he regrets that what was intended to go to a few who had called and asked him about the situation, and to a few he felt close to that he felt should, for various reasons, know about it, has been scattered to the four winds. He requested confidentially, but obviously someone(s) did not honor that request.

I am sure that, at this time, you will not be in the mood to accept what I have written; I understand that. I simply want you to know that we have been and are praying for you, for Bert, and for your sons, despite the motive-judging that has been done. We did not rejoice that a brother in Christ had fallen or that a family has been decimated—far from it. Apologetics Press has in the past had a unique place in educating the church, and we certainly did not wish its good work to be destroyed.

Your sister in Christ,

Lavonne McClish