A Place to Unload

Amy ran across this in a devotional by Chuck Swindoll.
I thought that it was really good.

I will just give you the gist of it and attempt to put in the context of life at Venice Church.

Life is a long journey. For some of us it seems like an endless trip filled with thankless responsibilities, relentless tasks, disappointments, deadlines, and daily demands.
The fact that we are imperfect people does not help. Every once in a while we make poor decisions. We say things that we wish we could get back. We tend to look out for ourselves and then end up regretting it. We are impulsive and foolish and prideful. We hurt others. All of this stuff caves in on us and we begin to wonder if anybody could love us...even God.
So...we need a place to unload! At Venice our place to unload is called a small group. It is the place where best attempt to live out the "one anothers" that are found in the Scripture. Love one another. Serve one another. Build up one another. Live in peace with one another. Confess your sins to one another. Speak to, admonish, comfort, and pray for one another.
And this one.

Galatians 6:2 (NASB) Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.

We need a place to unload. We need a place where we can sit and talk and experience person-to-person caring and sharing. It must be a place with no judgment, no shame and no embarrassment.
Small groups are not miniature church services. They are pockets of people who love Christ and believe in helping one another. The don't point fingers, preach or compare. They are brothers and sisters in Christ.