Thursday, February 10, 2005
Tell it All!
Good was Great! The teenage son of one of the ladies in our class was baptized around midnight Tuesday night. He had been on our prayer list for some time. Many tears had been shed over his lack of interest. It seems God got his attention through a little car wreck he had that night. Celia our preacher’s wife brought “baptismal cookies” to help us celebrate. We had joy. God is good.
We also talked some about how confession leads us to goodness. We are masters at justifying the things that we do. We need to examine ourselves and openly confess our wrongs to people that we trust. I was inspired by Matt Elliot's blog on Alcoholics Anonymous and the way that they build a spirit of community. One of the sweet girls in our class told of how her dad had been in AA and that he would get calls any time of night or day to help out a fellow member. She talked about what a bond there was among these folks. I have always envisioned that this is how our churches should be. However, it is impossible to form that kind of intimacy, that kind of trust, without throwing off our mask and all our pretensions and just getting real with each other. Sometimes, I am more myself when typing on this blog that when I am with other people. I tend to play to the crowd. But, just imagine, if we started with our small groups of special friends, being real, saying “hey, I have messed up, please pray with me”. It was kind of funny last night there was one girl in our class that was not raised in the church and had not been exposed to our times of “confession”, so when we were jokingly saying “so you shouldn’t say “I have said and done things that might have caused shame and reproach on the church’” she didn’t have a clue what we were talking about. Can we get real? Can we examine ourselves and confess our specific sins? Do we have people we can trust enough to do that with? Don’t you think it would keep you from repeating the same sin, if you knew you would be accountable to someone? I CONFESS, this is not easy for me. I am the master of disguise. I like to keep my private life just that. But, I am going to work on it. I know that I am not the good person that I want to be. Maybe this is the thing that I lack.
We also talked some about how confession leads us to goodness. We are masters at justifying the things that we do. We need to examine ourselves and openly confess our wrongs to people that we trust. I was inspired by Matt Elliot's blog on Alcoholics Anonymous and the way that they build a spirit of community. One of the sweet girls in our class told of how her dad had been in AA and that he would get calls any time of night or day to help out a fellow member. She talked about what a bond there was among these folks. I have always envisioned that this is how our churches should be. However, it is impossible to form that kind of intimacy, that kind of trust, without throwing off our mask and all our pretensions and just getting real with each other. Sometimes, I am more myself when typing on this blog that when I am with other people. I tend to play to the crowd. But, just imagine, if we started with our small groups of special friends, being real, saying “hey, I have messed up, please pray with me”. It was kind of funny last night there was one girl in our class that was not raised in the church and had not been exposed to our times of “confession”, so when we were jokingly saying “so you shouldn’t say “I have said and done things that might have caused shame and reproach on the church’” she didn’t have a clue what we were talking about. Can we get real? Can we examine ourselves and confess our specific sins? Do we have people we can trust enough to do that with? Don’t you think it would keep you from repeating the same sin, if you knew you would be accountable to someone? I CONFESS, this is not easy for me. I am the master of disguise. I like to keep my private life just that. But, I am going to work on it. I know that I am not the good person that I want to be. Maybe this is the thing that I lack.
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Oh, Donna! He was baptized? I missed it! Oh, I don't know who I'm happier for--him or his momma. How WONDERFUL!!! I just can't say how happy I am. When she told us how worried she was that night, it really touched me. I mean, my son has been baptized, but he could fall away at any time. Praise God, our prayers were answered. :*)
Donna,
This really spoke to me. I think that is what I am missing.... getting real. In my church in Ga., I was so close to so many at church that I could get real and tell what was on my heart but I haven't felt that comfortable at East Cullman to do that. And like you I can write it down in a blog but open my mouth in front of all those "saints" and pour out my heart and let them talk about me!!
Its hard, its real hard, but I think thats what the Lord expects from us. That we should share one anothers burdens... look what happens when we do!!!
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This really spoke to me. I think that is what I am missing.... getting real. In my church in Ga., I was so close to so many at church that I could get real and tell what was on my heart but I haven't felt that comfortable at East Cullman to do that. And like you I can write it down in a blog but open my mouth in front of all those "saints" and pour out my heart and let them talk about me!!
Its hard, its real hard, but I think thats what the Lord expects from us. That we should share one anothers burdens... look what happens when we do!!!
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