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The Most Powerful Good Friday Service I’ve Ever Experienced!

This is what a friend of mine told me about the Good Friday service he experienced at The Fellowship last year.  I too have had the fortune to experience this meaningful and powerful service.  I invite you all to join me in listening to Dr. Jerry Edmonson retell the heartbreaking experience of the Last Supper, Jesus’ betrayal, trial, and His crucifixion.   It brings reality and clarity to the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins; the cost that was paid for our transgressions of which we ourselves had deserved to pay.

Please don’t miss this opportunity this Friday evening.

Friday, March 30
Location:
The Fellowship, Cinco Ranch Campus
22765 Westheimer Parkway
Katy, TX  77450

The Fellowship  – one church, two campuses – will come together for two Good Friday Services.

Join us in the LIFE Center at our Cinco Ranch Campus at 4:30 pm and 6:00 pm.

We will offer childcare for preschool children (newborns – 5 years old).

School aged children (kindergarten – third grade) will be invited to enjoy an Easter movie.

All children will be checked in at the Student Building.

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Forgive Because You’re Forgiven

SOURCE:  Rick Warren

“Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Colossians 3:13 NLT, second edition).

The Bible says there are three reasons you have to let go of your past and the people who’ve hurt you, and the reasons have nothing to do with whether that person deserves it or not.

  1. You have to forgive those who’ve hurt you because God has forgiven you.  

    Colossians 3:13 says, “Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (NLT, second edition). If you want to be a forgiving person, you need to first accept the forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ. The Bible said that God came to Earth in human form in Jesus in order to forgive everything that’s ever been done wrong. He paid for it so we don’t have to. That’s Good News.

  2. You have to forgive those who’ve hurt you because resentment controls you.

    The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 7:9, “Only fools get angry quickly and hold a grudge” (CEV). Resentment makes you miserable, and it keeps you stuck in the past. And when you’re stuck in the past, you are controlled by the past. Every time you resent something, it controls you. Some of you are allowing people who hurt you five, 10, or even 20 years ago to hurt you to this day. That’s stupid. Don’t let it happen. They can’t hurt you any more. Your past is past. You’ve got to let it go.

  3. You have to forgive those who’ve hurt you because you’re going to need more forgiveness in the future.

    Jesus said in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (NIV). Forgiveness is a two way street. You cannot receive what you are unwilling to give.

Someone once told John Wesley, “I could never forgive that person!” Wesley replied, “Then I hope you never sin.”

You don’t want to burn the bridge that you’ve got to walk across to get into Heaven.

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Failure – VIDEO

The Star Wars Saga was probably one of the best film series ever created and had amazing recovery themes.  Below is a short summary of the overall movie from Wikipedia:

Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise centered on a film series created by George Lucas. It depicts the adventures of various characters “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”.  Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi follows Rey as she receives Jedi training from Luke Skywalker, in hopes of turning the tide for the Resistance in the fight against Kylo Ren and the First Order.

In this short scene, Jedi Master (Sponsor) Yoda explains to his “Padawan” aka Sponsee, Luke Skywalker, the meaning of failure in attempt to help him live in the present, accept his past failures, and learn from them.

One of the things I explain to my daughters is that it is “okay” to fail.  We can learn from our failures, make changes, and hopefully these corrections can minimize or prevent future failures.  Regardless, we will all fail at some point in our lives and that is okay.  I hope you enjoy watching this video as much as I enjoyed creating it.  As always, take what you like and leave the rest.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for purposes such as criticism, comment, teaching, & education, etc. This constitutes a ’fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED! All trademarks and copyrights remain the property of their owners.

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A New Thing

by Keith B. – NotUnknown.com

One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” – Acts 13:2

Experiencing life with other Godly men fulfills me and makes up a vital part of my recovery and my life. Especially when they seek to make me uncomfortable. Like last week.

I journey through this life almost daily with Sean. He serves as my sponsor in recovery and my friend in every other aspect of life. Getting back to the uncomfortable part. We met last week for coffee. I noticed he was preoccupied.

“Hey, buddy. I have something I want you to think about.”

Ok, understand, whenever he starts a conversation this way, it usually doesn’t end well for me. I have experience with this. “Hey, buddy, I have something I want you to think about” typically leads into something that will make me extremely uncomfortable. So, I just nodded my head and replied, “Ok, what’s up?”

“I want you pray about sponsoring a guy we both know. I already meet with him for accountability. He’s committed to working on his First Step so he needs someone in recovery who can walk with him through his step work. The other guys meeting with us in accountability aren’t in recovery. He needs someone. I immediately thought of you, so…pray about it.”

My immediate response was…nope. I have too much going on. This is a bad idea. I’m full up for sponsees. Except, my other sponsees are advanced in their step work. They both lead meetings. They are both doing well in recovery. Damn it. Instead of saying no, I said “Let me pray about it.” And I meant it.

Barnabas and Saul were serving in the church at Antioch. They “worshiped the Lord and fasted.” Neither chased immorality, lived for self, or wanted to serve their own desires. They served the Lord. And the Holy Spirit called them out for something new. He had a new thing in mind for them in His timing.

I have found that God has a work for me. He called me to equip other men to live life in God’s community. My burden for men in isolation resulted from years of suffering in silence, separation, and despair. God gave me a desire to reach out to other men who believe the lie that God can’t forgive their sin nor can anyone else. My addiction fed on this lie. It lurks in my soul, just under the surface, held captive by the healing power of His grace and mercy through so many men that walk with me.

God revealed a new thing for me. A new man to walk through recovery with, a new way to reach past that shame to share my own story of transformation and obedience to His calling. I almost missed it. Even in my reborn state, my isolation and shame stalk me, looking for a foothold. An opportunity for me to descend back into a never ending cycle of destruction.

Thank you, God. You make all things new. Even me.