..Grace does much more abound

At Kingdom Causes,one of our priorities is the Church of the City of Long Beach. To that end we host a prayer meeting for the pastors of the City on the first Wednesday of each month. We move from place to place in order to highlight local congregations and to hear the pastor's heart and pray for him and his congregation. This month we met at the Salvation Army on Spring Street.
Our first order of "business" was to address an issue of infidelity by a high-profile local leader and give the younger pastors opportunity to ask questions and the older pastors opportunity to speak into the situation. There were around 30-40 leaders in the room and I saw them rally around the church and family of the fallen leader to support them and make themselves available to them. A clear line was drawn that the Church in Long Beach will not tolerate the sin, and will not bless this brother in what he's trying to now establish in Long Beach. There was also an invitation from the older pastors to anyone who might be struggling with any of these issues to come and seek private counsel. We held hands and prayed for the church that has been left and betrayed, the family and the City. There were tears and pleas before the throne of grace for the restoration of the brother and a uniting in one accord around this issue. I (Judy) felt the tearing that happened when the wife and congregation found out they had been betrayed and abandoned and watched as others around the room sent their heartfelt requests to the Lord on their behalf.
As we moved into the second half of the morning we heard from Commander Glen Madsen of the Salvation Army. He shared about who the SA is and how they were started, and dispelled many misconceptions surrounding the Army. We really got his heart for the message of Jesus Christ for the lost and dying and his call to his mission. We also heard about the new Kroc center that is being built along PCH to serve the down and out population of Long Beach. What a blessing to our City this will be! And as I listened, I heard the scripture - "where sin abounds, grace does much more abound." Where one pastor has sown sin, betrayal and abandonment, the Lord's mercy for Long Beach has given beyond measure in this Center that will serve our City through the generosity of the McDonald's family and the dedication to excellence exhibited by Commander Glen Madsen of the Salvation Army. You will be hearing more about the Kroc center in months to come - look for it, you will be excited.
Yeah God!!!