Confession

Team, after my last (and first) post I have been living undisciplined. I have not been keeping up with reading and then today realized that it had been a few weeks since I had picked up this book. The past few weeks have been busy... which destroys me to understand that when things get busy some of my favorite disciplines get set aside. Sorry team for not being active with you all on this blog.

I have been encouraged and challenged by you all over the past few months, and even went back and looked at last years blogs. So encouraged! God is going to do a Mighty Work this summer! I know it.

Reading over the confession chapter scratched at some old wounds and exposed some scars. Good-things from the perspective of looking up at the cross.

"We try to convince ourselves that God forgives only the sin; he does not heal the memory. But deep within our being we know there must be something more. People have told us to take our forgiveness by faith and not call God a liar. Not wanting to call God a liar, we do our best to take it by faith. But because misery and bitterness remain in our lives, we again despair. Eventually we begin to believe either that forgiveness is only a ticket to heaven and not meant to affect our lives now, or that we are not worthy of the forgiving grace of God." (147)

-um Foster did you write this to me?

I appreciate how he immediately follows it up with the next statement "We have not exausted our resources nor God's grace when we have tried private confession."

"A man who confesses his sins in the presence of a brother knows that he is no longer alone with himself; he experiences the presence of God in the reality of the other person. As long as i am by myself in the confession of my sins everything remains in the dark, but in the presence of a brother the sin has to be brought into the light." (148)

Looking back over the past few years, God has places specific people in my life at specific times to draw me closer to Him. In the most recent years after praying for these people to be revealed, He did!

" . . . found by asking God to reveal them to us. They are also found by observing people to see who evidences a lively faith in God's power to forgive and exhibits the joy of the Lord in his or her heart. The key qualifications are spiritual maturity, wisdom, compassion, good common sense, the ability to keep a confidence, and a wholesome sense of humor. . . Often ordinary folk who hold no office or title whatever are among the best at receiving confession."(153)

Reading this I'm brought back to response time! Camp councilors, Youth Pastors, Volunteers hearing young peoples hearts poured out in simple response to what He is doing. "By living under the cross we can hear the worst possible things from the best possible people without so much as batting an eyelash. If we live in that reality, we will convey the spirit to others. They will know it is safe to come to us. "(154) THEY SEE JESUS!

When in the midst of confession, I often wonder, "How are we allowed to experience this freedom?" His Body broken and His Blood shed. There is enough blood to cover it all!