This weekend George shared his heart and soul with us as a church family. If you missed it, you can see it at coolchurch.com this week. Right up front, he didn't confess a torrid affair or something, but he made choices that hurt relationships and came broken before his church family. Some have asked why he came before the church this weekend. Was it that big of a deal?
In 1 Timothy 5:20, Paul instructs the church in regard to our leaders: "Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning." Rebuked means "exposed." George "exposed" himself before his church family so we can learn from him. Already people are offering they feel new release and prompting to deal with sin and broken relationships in their own lives and are encouraged by the Elders' leadership in growing Abundant Life to a new place of health and authenticity.
And as much as what George confessed isn't a HUGE deal to some, it is to others, and frankly it was sin. Trust was broken with those closest to George, relational trust that is vital to the health of Abundant Life. And it will take some time to get to the root of the issues, to get around the issues together as a staff and church family, and release God to do a mighty work in us, through which we will emerge stronger than ever.
As a pastoral staff, we all love each other and are growing Christ followers just like everyone else. And we are on a journey together right now. It's a tough journey, but one that will bring new strength to Abundant Life. It's a journey we can not afford to skip. No short cuts either. I'm thankful that we have a strong Eldership and Bill Putman, our mentor/consultant, to direct us through this process.
What is God doing in your life right now? How's your relationship to God, to others? What broken relationships are you experiencing because you've sinned against them? Please join us on our journey. A journey of individual brokeness, of confession, of healing, of growth.
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