Yesterday I got to talk to Kurt Ervin, the exec pastor at Central Christian in Vegas. Jud Wilhite, the senior pastor there, just published Stripped: Uncensored Grace on the Streets of Vegas, which tells the story of Central and eight people who found Jesus in the midst of Sin City.

To multiply the book’s impact, the Central team created UncensoredGrace.com, a website that lets people virtually “confess” or, as they put it, “dump your junk,” and learn more about God’s grace. I interviewed Kurt so I could write about it for a May issue of Christian Standard.

It was a privilege to chat with Kurt about the whole deal, but what really affected me was reading some of the anonymous confessions on Uncensored Grace.

I constantly find myself lying just to seem like a better person than I really am… How do I stop?

I am a homosexual and have know to be since I was 5 years old. I want to know if me and my fellow homosexuals are welcome to your church?

I know God and I have a personal relationship with Christ, however it just seems like no matter what path I take there is so much pain and suffering.

And those are just a few of the most recent.

What’s genius about the whole thing is that the site not only provides a place for people to confess, but also provides a way for them to respond to each confession—to offer encouragement or to type a prayer. By creating this part of the site, the Central team allows people like us to be part of extending grace. As I read the confessions I wanted to write each person.

I encourage you to visit the site, to read Stripped, and to stretch your own understanding of God’s unconditional love. Dump your junk while you’re there, if you want to, and leave behind a note of encouragement for someone else. We’re all in this together.