Relationships Where Grace Is In Place

September 30, 2009 by Chris Goins 

The Not So Perfect Family – 2

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Breaking Free from the Pain of Your Past

September 20, 2009 by Chris Goins 

The Not So Perfect Family – Part 1

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The Not So Perfect Family

September 16, 2009 by Bill Robbins 

The Not So Perfect Family

Series Launches Sunday, September 20, 9:45 am

Hemingway once wrote: “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.”

Just admit it. There’s no such thing as “the picture perfect family.” There is a degree of dysfunction and brokenness in every family. Your family and mine…

In fact, as Reggie Joiner points out in his new book, Think Orange, you would be hard pressed to find an example of a great family that hit on all cylinders within the pages of the Bible!

Adam and Eve? They single-handedly blew it and caused the downfall of the human race. If that’s not enough, their oldest son, a guy named Cain, ended up “offing” his younger brother… Talk about a messed up family…

What about Abraham? Don’t even go there… Father of the faithful? You bet! But He was also all too agreeable when his wife, Sarah suggested that he “bed” her much younger servant girl, a twenty-something year old “looker” named Hagar, in order to have a son… And then, on at least two occasions, when he got into a jam, Abe offered his wife to another man…

Noah? The dude had a drinking and a streaking problem…

Jacob? His family was totally messed up… His sons were so jealous of their younger brother, Joe, that they thought about killing him, but later decided to make a buck by selling him into slavery…

David? Oh, man… Where do we start? The guy had an affair with one of his lieutenant’s wife. His kids were an absolute mess… We’re talking incest, rape, murder and rebellion on a national scale…

Eli? Just another preacher who lost total control of how his boys acted in church…

I know what you’re thinking… But Joseph and Mary didn’t do too bad with Jesus? I know. But let’s not forget they had a pretty big advantage because of who Jesus’ real father was…

When you think about it, in comparison to the families we read about in the Bible, your family is probably INCREDIBLE!

I love this statement from Reggie Joiner: “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe God filled the pages of Scripture with so many examples of [families gone bad] to encourage us?”

I mean, sure our families may have issues, but in comparison with some of the families in the Bible, we’re doing awesome! Right?

One more thing: What if the pain, brokenness and weakness in your family are really the point at which God can meet you with extravagant grace that leads from despair, to hope, to lasting change? What if what Jesus accomplished on the cross is really sufficient to meet your family’s deepest needs and heal your family’s most profound hurts?

Again, let’s just admit it: there’s no such thing as the”perfect family.” Not even close. Every family comes with its fair share of brokenness, pain and dysfunction. Even the so-called “heroes” we read about in the Bible. The great news is that God isn’t looking for perfection. He longs to give grace… This series is about God’s grace for broken people and real families.

To paraphrase Hemingway, “The world breaks every family, and some families get stronger in the broken places.”

This series is for YOU! Whether you’re single, single again, a single parent, married without kids, married with children, grandparents, you name it… Make plans to attend this important a2 series…

PAID IN FULL

September 13, 2009 by Chris Goins 

Paid In Full: Grace, Redemption, Healing and You

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It’s All About Jesus!

September 7, 2009 by Chris Goins 

Dear Birmingham – Part 8

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