Wednesday, February 10, 2010

"A Grace-Filled Enviroment"

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"423 Men offers a safe and greace-filled enviroment for men to confess their sexual sin with other men in recovery who offer empathy, compassion, mercy, and strength."

Last night I was moved to tears as a man ruthlessly dealt with the sins of his past. He fully disclosed the nature of his sexual history from a heart of brokenness. I cried. I could not help myself. For more than two decades, this man suffered silently with the shame of his misdeed. He told us, "You guys are the only ones I ever told about this". I was a wreck. My gut heaved with a tiny portion of the pain my brother carried all these years.

We did not reject the man. We spontaneously surrounded him and offered ourselves to our brother. Together a dozen other broken men hugged our friend, tightly, and spoke words of acceptance, approval, grace, and love. Jesus was there.

Last night we had church, real church. I am weeping now as I recall the sacred event.
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The above is shared with permission of the man involved.

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