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Have you ever done something bad? Something that really just plagued you everywhere you went?

The more you thought about it, the worse it seemed to get. And you were just looking for someone to tell.

Finally, you found the right person, and you began to reveal to them

your thoughts and feelings on the matter. They looked at you with eyes

of understanding, not judging you or marking you as someone evil, not

even feeling sorry for you — just understanding.

What a release. Then you thought: “Wow, I can get on with my life now. I can be myself. The chip is off my shoulder.”

The Bible tells us that we should confess our faults to another and

pray for one another, so that we may be healed. It’s not just healing

of our bodies, but healing of past failures, healing of negative

thoughts that cause us to live an unproductive life.

Don’t walk through this life by yourself. No man (or woman) is an island — everyone needs someone.

As Americans, we need each other. You know the saying, “United we stand, divided we fall.” Oh, how true it is.

Let’s not just stand, but let’s be “one nation under God.” God will not let us down; he never has.

Let’s build bridges. I’m not talking about building a bridge across

some bay or lake. I’m talking about building bridges of communication

to one another. Let’s do this together.

The Rev. Edward Jimenez is minister of United Pentecostal Church.

Sermon notes is a column by ministers of the Patterson Ministerial

Association. Any religious leader who would like to write for the

column may contact the Patterson Irrigator.