Gateway: It's Personal

Fourth Set

2010-10-24T22:32:00.001-05:00

If I counted right, we have about 184 cards that we received during our "It's Personal" series. People were so brave to address some of their deepest personal issues and share them with others. If people continue to send cards in (can be any postcard) then we'll put them up. Something like this can be a good opportunity to address issues in our own lives as well as share with others what we're going through in a safe way.

Third Set

2010-10-13T13:05:00.003-05:00

We are up to 176 Cards... words cannot express the power of what is happening here. Read for yourself.

The above states: (Front) "Survivors guilt from Vietnam. Why did I live and my Buddy DID NOT?" (Back) "He was such a better man than me!"

Second Set

2010-10-04T21:23:00.003-05:00

We currently have 112 postcards submitted. We are so moved by what we are receiving and are praying over each one of these cards. In the meantime, we hope that those reading this blog will continue to be both shaken and inspired by what people are sharing.

The above states:

10/03/10 I have always felt shame, even as a child. It’s very hard to believe that all my life God loved me. As a child, a man did sex acts on me (age 4 to 5). [I] never told anyone. [I] started school [but] I could not learn. The teachers called me retarded [and] overlooked me. The older I got, the less I liked me. My mother left me when I was eight. I thought of taking my life. I had a child out of wed-lock at age eighteen. Marriage #1 [ended in] divorce with 3 kids. In marriage #2, he beat me for fifteen years. [I endured] mental, physical and verbal abuse. Now I am fifty-six years old. I gave my life to God 3 years [ago] but I still struggle with who I am. Is it true [that] I am worthy?

First Set

2010-09-27T16:04:00.009-05:00

We're beginning a new series here at Gateway Community Church called "It's Personal". Throughout this series we're going to be exploring the things we often consider "too personal" to share. Most, if not all, of us have issues in our lives that we don't share with others for one reason or another. Whether it be views on our faith, fears, failures, emotions, finances, whatever you can think of, we tend to keep them from others because it's just - too - personal. What we have challenged ourselves as a family to do here is to take something that we have considered too personal to share, write it down anonymously on a post card and display it here for everyone to see. The goal in all this is, that as a church family, we'll be able to see that everyone around us has varying degrees of "personal issues". Furthermore, we hope to inspire hope by allowing others to see that they are not alone in their struggles, thoughts, beliefs and prayers. When we take the chance of being vulnerable enough to share something personal with someone, we take a plunge in the vast sea of hope that is out there for all, in Christ. Be inspired. (Click any image to enlarge)