Confessions

It has been said that confession is good for the soul.  I believe that.  Psychology has proven it.  And it is in fact Biblical.  James 5:16 says, “…confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed…”

There is a process called “risk-reward.”  There are certain actions that carry a high risk and with that high risk comes a potential high reward.  I think James 5:16 is talking about this in part… “confess your sins to each other” – high risk.  Now here is the high reward: “pray for each other so that you may be healed.” Each of us have areas that need healing – that is the reward.  Are we willing to take the risk – confess our sins to each other?

Here are some areas that I challenge you to confess not only to God, but to someone else:

THOUGHTS – as many as we have in a day, there are those that run wild and are clearly defined as SIN.  Be as specific as you feel comfortable sharing.  Confess that your thoughts have at times been less than pure and righteous.

WORDS – Proverbs says where words are many, sin is not absent.  We’ve all done it.  Said something that we knew was wrong to say, but we said it anyway.  A judgment made.  A gossip shared.  A negative outlook spoken.  Confess the sinful words spoken by your mouth.

ACTIONS –things that we do that we know are sinful.  And then there are the things that we don’t do, yet know we should, this inaction is also sin.  Confess the active and passive actions of your life that are in the sin category.

MOTIVES – this cuts right to the heart of the matter…literally.  Our motives reveal what is in our hearts.  It is why we think what we think, say what we say, and do what we do.  Some are good.  Some are not.  Confess the motives of your heart that are sinful.

Once your have confessed to another, now you are ready to receive.  At this point, if you have been honest, you are humble and in need of grace from Jesus!  And He is ready to pour it into you through the prayers of his servant whom you have confessed your sins to.

Who will you confess your sins to this week?

Loving and Leading,

Jeff Powell

A Train Watching Pastor

Fellowship Church is a place where real relationships begin with God, people, purpose, and change.  We earnestly desire to be such a place for the 8,200 non-churched people in our area.  And in order for us to be this it will take faith – it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it!

I recently heard a story about a young pastor years ago who would go down to the local railroad station to watch the local train pull through.  Word began to get out about this habit.  In fact, word got back to the leaders of his church that when the train would come through, he would lose it with joy, excitement, and exuberance.

One day the leaders decided to go secretly to watch their pastor at the railroad station.  Sure enough, when the train came barreling through the depot their pastor lost it with passion and expression.  After the train passed, the leaders came out from hiding to question their pastor as to why he got so excited when the train came through town.

He told them that the reason he got so excited when the train came through town was because that was the only time in his week when something was moving in that town that he wasn’t pushing!

I’m glad that this can’t be said of Fellowship Church!  We have always had a wonderful history of people being active and alive.  Our challenge as a church has not been getting going, it has been getting going in the same direction.  The image of that train should be the image of our church – great momentum, connected, single direction. 

Our momentum comes from the individual passions and energies given to us by the Holy Spirit.  Our connectedness comes from the relationships we develop with each other.  And our single direction comes from our Biblical mandate to reach the 8,200 non-churched in our community.

Are you on the train of Fellowship Church?  Are you ready to impact the 8,200?  Are you committed to the unity of our church as we roll forward?

Loving and Leading,

Jeff Powell

Are You Paying Attention?

From guest blogger, Mike Hosey, and Elder at Fellowship Church.

Sir Isaac Newton once argued that whatever valuable discoveries he made were more the result of patient attention than they were of any other talent. That means he believed that his greatest scientific discoveries owed more to his patient observations than they did to his great intellect!

This truth is really not that hard to understand.  If you don't pay attention to the world around you, well, you're going to miss the world around you.

Usually, we notice this in the negative sense.

For instance, the other day I wasn't paying attention as I was driving home from Gainesville. As a result, I did not slow my vehicle as I entered an area with a reduced speed limit. As you might have guessed, I was pulled over by the local police. Luckily, the kind officer let me off with only a warning and a coloring book for Joshua.  And needless to say, I will pay more attention in that part of town from now on -- or at least until I get lazy again.

In a situation like that, it is easy to learn what we missed because there is an unpleasant consequence.

Unfortunately, we don't usually notice the usefulness of paying attention in the positive sense.

All around us are beautiful things made by a surpassingly beautiful God.  Because we are not paying attention we miss this beauty (and the beauty of its author) probably every hour of every day. And because there is no immediate unpleasant consequence for missing this beauty, we tragically never even know that we've missed it!

How many times do we miss a sky full of stars right above us, or a beautiful meadow outside our speeding car's window?

But worst of all is when we miss noticing the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of our fellow human beings, and the beauty that comes from serving them -- because there is great beauty in seeing a person changed from a sacrificial good deed. 

So like Sir Isaac, let us use  patient attention to make our greatest discoveries. 

Dealing With Loss

In December I spoke on the subject of loss.  I shared the idea that life is one big experience in loss.  None of us escape it.  Few of us are ready for it.  When it comes, we are forced to deal with it.

Recently I was sitting in a hotel lobby in Jacksonville, Florida awaiting a day full of meetings.  I was rested.  I had eaten.  I was looking forward to the day.  And then it hit –loss over Allie.  Here is what I wrote as I sat in the lobby…

“I really don’t want to move – or even live for that matter.  This is one of the pains of loss – a stinging, stunning shock to the entire person.  Feelings are skewed, senses are shocked, actions become hard.

Here I sit.  I don’t want to move.  I don’t want to go forward.  I want to go back – but I can’t.  Moving forward with loss is like moving forward without a part of me – a leg for instance – vital for support, stability, and strength.  Where does that come from now?  I feel amputated by the loss of my daughter!

Strength only comes from You O Lord!  You are my hope.  In this dark place, I choose you and your light.  Please help me – no – please carry me!  I can’t, you must.  I am fully dependent on you.  I thought I knew what that meant.  Now I am just beginning to know what it means.

Into your hands that are hard and soft, fearsome and calming, hurting and healing – into those real, raw, and redeeming hands do I fall and do I trust. 

I need a power not my own – I need you.  I am a mess; you are the miracle.  Please come and carry me I pray in Jesus name, Amen.”

God answered that prayer.  And He has continued to answer it.  Every day is hard, which means every day is another opportunity for His faithfulness to be fulfilled in my life.

How are you dealing with the loss you are facing?  How can you help someone else who is dealing with loss?

Loving and Leading,

Jeff Powell