Weekend Reflections

Live Like You Were Dying has been incredible…

• It has surprised me a bit how people have taken to the theme.
• There was an air of anticipation this weekend. People came really wanting to learn how to forgive.
• It was heavy. During all 5 services you could sense that people were wrestling with pain and hurt from the past.
• Had 1 guy storm out saying “I can’t forgive”. I thought that was one of the most honest statements I heard this weekend. I know his pain, and I’m praying for him.
• Loved that the guy sitting behind him chased him down to hug and pray with him.
• We don’t forgive because we feel like it, nor because they deserve it, but because we’ve been forgiven.
• Loved the worship in the middle of the service. Amazing Grace always makes me tear up. It describes my life!
• Markiss was hitting it on electric guitar; loved seeing him come out of his shell
• Excited about baptisms in 2 weeks!
• Incredible Home Team Sunday night. We had a “fiesta” potluck wiht mexican food. Man, can our group bring the food. It was awesome!!

Questions on Forgiveness

After this weekend’s message I’ve received a ton of questions about what it means “practically” to forgive someone.  Over the next few days I’ll answer the most asked questions.

Question #1 — If I forgive someone, does that mean I have to allow them back into my life?

Answer: No.  Remember, to forgive someone means to release them.  It’s making a decision to give them to God and not carry the weight of their actions any longer.  It is imperative that we make a decision to forgive, as we all need forgiveness (Matthew 6:12).

However, moving forward in many cases you will need to draw boundaries that will keep you in a place of health.  If someone has harmed you, and allowing them back into your life will allow them to harm you further, you will need to decide the amounts of interaction (if any) that you will have with that person.

A great resources is the book Boundaries.  If you need further help in this area, I highly recommend you pick up this book.