Allison Park Church

Today we worshiped at Allison Park Church, 424 Duss Avenue, Ambridge, PA 15003, 412.487.7220, www.allisonparkchurch.com, Eddie Galindo, Pastor.

Scripture – Ephesians 4:26-27

In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Bob’s thoughts:

After attempts to worship where we chose, God redirected us to where He would meet with us in worship.

I meant to ask what this building was; they have adapted well to church service. I like the large wooden cross off to the side in the shadows. At first I thought it might be better with a small spotlight but after some reflection I think it is just right as it is…a reminder that Christ is always there in the Spirit.

We were warmly welcomed and a number of folks remembered us from our previous visit last November.

We were honored to be able to include our prayers for a stroke victim from the church.

The sermon was about anger, how anger itself is not wrong but unresolved anger is the problem. A great line: “If you don’t let go of anger, it won’t let go of you.” The pastor detailed a plan for dealing with anger and offered an altar call at the end of the service, giving an opportunity for those who were struggling with releasing their anger to come forward for prayer.

I could not think of any unresolved anger in my life now. I had my share when I was younger, but somewhere along the way God convinced me to leave the retribution in His hands. It was hard to accept, but once I obeyed I was overwhelmed.

Jan’s thoughts:

Every time I think WE decide where we’ll attend church, I hear the sermon/message and leave knowing God meant for us to be there.

This church is one of the newer branches of Allison Park Church. About five people greeted us before we found seats, and several spoke with us before and after the service.

Music leadership consisted of the pastor’s wife on keyboard and singing lead, a second vocalist whose voice blended quite well, a guitar, and drums. The sound and the volume were excellent.

The message was presented on the very large screen by Pastor Jeff Leake from APC campus in Hampton. In part 4 of his series How to Survive in a Dysfunctional Family, the topic was overcoming anger.

He began with the observation that dysfunction within a family is normal, which I found comforting. The problem is when anger is unresolved, gains a foothold, and consumes a person. This is one of Satan’s tools: he will mess with our relational world until it feels like everything is messed up and nothing is right.

He pointed out that if you don’t let go of your anger, your anger won’t let go of you, then stated that anger results from a blocked goal…something we think we should have but do not…and listed five steps for resolving anger.

1 – Identify what it is you lack, why you don’t have it, and who is to blame, who it is you are angry with (James 4:1-2).

2 – Grieve it. Talk to God about it and make a willful choice to give Him the pain.

3 – Release it. Forgive the offender and let it go. “Pain is cholesterol to spiritual veins.”

4 – Process it. Talk to the offender using “I” statements. Not talking to them about it puts up an unspoken wall.

5 – Plan it. Plan for how to deal with the pain if/when the situation arises again. Engage the help of a coach if necessary, but fight the feeling of powerlessness because that is the origin of the pain.

I found this message incredibly helpful and I plan to use these strategies in some relationships where I have felt stymied. This gives me hope, and I’m so grateful.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray this church will remember to release their anger quickly and live in the light of Your grace. Amen.