so this is the essence of community: Progress

Currently back in my cooking mode, making my grandma's homemade spaghetti. It smells wonderful in here. We still don't have a table, or bowls, or more than two cups, so this will be an interesting night...I might should have planned ahead for that.

I went to the Austin Stone this morning, and once again, left fairly convicted. It was all about healing and confession. In scripture, it says that when we confess our sins to the Lord, we are forgiven and made righteous, but it also says that when we confess our sins to one another, THAT brings us healing. Having another believer to help you shine light on your darkness is when we finally feel the intensity of our sin and can begin to mourn, which in turn brings on healing. Such an interesting concept, scratch that, interesting TRUTH that I have so often neglected. The healing doesn't just come from the guilt of my accountability partner ever finding out what I did, but instead it comes from my soul hearing myself speak aloud the darkness I have been living in. Matt Carter talked about Paul saying he was the worst among all sinners. Many pastors might preach that he was talking about his life before becoming a believer in Christ, but in actuality, the Greek for the "I am" Paul uses is a present tense form of the phrase. He is still speaking of his lifestyle as a believer. It's comforting, truthful, and inspiring.