I am a firm believer in living as if there were no such thing as a secret. If we hide our sins and live in darkness, we will never get the healing we so desperately need in fact, if it is hidden so well that we don't even recognize it, we may never even find forgiveness.

How much is your sin going to cost me?

The third big idea is that we confess our sins to someone close to us--a friend or our spouse. I don't mean a public declaration of our shortcomings I mean confession in the security of a trusted and living friend.

The fact is I am guilty of sexual immorality. And I take responsibility for the entire problem. I am a deceiver and a liar. There's a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it for all of my adult life.

I want a church I can stay in for years. I don't want surprises, scandals, or secrets from my church leaders.

I did not have a homosexual relationship with a man in Denver.

I called to buy some meth, but I threw it away.

If the evangelicals vote, they determine the election.

Today's biggest headlines are stories about people who thought they were doing something that was secret: Jesse Jackson's secret girlfriend and child, Monica Lewinski's private meetings with the president and confidential girl talk with Linda Tripp. Just think of the news stories we've watched on television.

Sin will take you farther than you ever intended to go, it will cost you more than you ever expected to pay, and it will keep you longer than you ever intended to stay.

Don't punish people who repent heal them. I don't believe that private sin requires public rebuke or removal from office if repentance is taking place. However, when no evidence of true repentance exists, then discipline is in order.

The importance of the Bible to a church is to keep the church on track. The role of the Constitution in government is to keep the government on track.