WARDROBE MALFUNCTION

Good Friday to You, 
Carol Ann’s greatest fear for me happened last weekend… well… almost. 
She’s pretty convinced she will one day look up to discover I am preaching with my pants unzipped. She has even worked on some secret hand signals enabling her to discreetly bring the embarrassing situation to my attention. However, we haven’t yet figured out how I can actually perform an inconspicuous pant-zip in front of a crowd of people. (Note to self: Plan redecoration of worship center utilizing large wooden pulpit!) 
Last Sunday, I walked out of the restroom, performed a quick zipper test, and the test results came back negative: pants NOT zipped. I don’t know why this mindless task sometimes get overlooked, but it does. So…for now I’ve got to keep up with regular zipper tests to protect Carol Ann and me from public disgrace. 
If your pants are unzipped…if you have foreign matter hanging from your nose…if the outfit really does look awful on you…you want someone to tell you! You want a discreet signal saving you from real embarrassment! True friends tell us. And true friends come to us when we have hurt or offended them! So why do so many of us regularly shy away from this important task of genuine friendship? 
It’s hard!!! 
Nonetheless, loving confrontation is essential to healthy relationships. Loving confrontation is essential for each of us desiring to be spiritually healthy. But loving confrontation is difficult and scary! We have lots of questions: 
Is it always my responsibility? 
When should I initiate these conversations? 
How do I rightly initiate such a conversation? 
What if the conversation isn’t well-received? 
When is it acceptable to confide in others?
As we continue our Better Together series this Sunday, we are considering the importance of these difficult conversations. Jesus provides The Perfect Model (Matthew 18:15-20) for having these conversations. Then, He provides the most amazing “Why” (Matthew 18:21-35) for having them. I am convinced you will never view sins committed against you the same again! 
Hope to See You Sunday, 
Pastor Michael