Celebrate your Recovery

Are you unhappy with how your life is going? Do you happen to have a hurt, habit, or hang up you can’t figure out how to deal with? I suggest finding a local Celebrate Recovery meeting near you. I have from time to time had either a hurt, habit, or hang up that I just felt like no one else could relate with me…like I was all alone. What I see now is that was all in my head. When a friend invited me to come one night…I had already heard another speaker come to my church and talk about how Celebrate Recovery helped her out. You can check out her blog here… Same Dress Different Day. It was like God was giving me a nudge both times towards His recommendation on how to get my life going in the right direction.

So I went to a meeting. I found out that I am not alone. There were people there who just listen to me. I am not judged. I have support from people who have been where I was and are where I want to go on the road for my recovery. They can share with me ways they found to help them make the positive changes I hope to make in my life. I have great accountability partners and a great sponsor. Plus they say the safest place to be on a Tuesday night is at Celebrate Recovery. What is said in group stays in group. They mean it! So no worries about people gossiping or your darkest thoughts being shared. Totally confidential. Kind of like the phrase, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas…”

The focus is totally faith based and we look to God for our strength. Prayer starts and ends the meetings. Bible verses are used in the step studies [where you work the 12 steps]. One of my favorites from the step study I am in now is this one:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

We also look at the serenity prayer. Sometimes recently when I am stressed or angry I will recite what I can remember from that prayer. While doing this it helps me calm down and put things into perspective. I have a copy of that below. I also hope that anyone who might be looking for a change in their lives or have a hurt, habit, or hang up they need help with see this blog. They realize they are not alone. I am here for you. So are the folks at your local celebrate recovery group.

–If you want to sing out, sing out–

I have always found this song very incouraging. The verses go like this… “if you want to sing out, sing out…and if you want to be free, be free… ’cause there’s a million things to be you know that there are” and then the chorus “–You can do what you want–the opportunity’s on–and if you can find a new way–you can do it today–you can make it all true–and you can make it undo–you see–its easy–” I see it as a reality that there are many possibilites out there for me and for you. In the same respect this goes towards other outlets we use. For instance, social media outlets, we have the control over what we post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumbler, WordPress (or blog site),etc… either it be for good or bad–the choice is yours.

I’ll be the first one to admit that I used to be quite the complainer–always going on and on about all the crud in my life that I couldn’t stand. I then looked at my constant negativity and realized that I needed a change. I needed to be a “light” to draw people towards the positive and point them to Jesus rather then a the alternative. So know I post uplifting photos and statuses. Sometimes I wonder if they do any good… Then I get confirmation every once in a while that someone has been benefiting from them–that it was just what they needed to see that day. It makes me realize that even when I don’t know for sure if I am making a difference to keep going…Jesus knows.

So carry on. Fight the good fight. Be positive. Post things that uplift and point towards Jesus! You will at least lift yourself up in the process even if you don’t get confirmation you are making a difference I will bet you that you are!

“Finally, bretheren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.” ~ Philippians 4:8

My “Jonah” experience

In the book of Jonah…chapter 1 verse 1-2 it states that, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city , and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come before Me.” God spoke to his prophets and gave them directions on what missions He would have them do but Jonah runs off in the other direction. Like he can out run the presence of the Lord [verse 3]! He boards a boat to go to another town in the opposite direction from Nineveh. The Lord has a big storm come up. Everyone aboard is scared. The cast lots and find out that Jonah is to blame. He then tells them to throw him overboard. One he is in the water the seas calm down and the boat is safe. Jonah on the other hand gets swallowed by a big fish. Spending 3 days and nights in the belly of the fish.

Now comes my part of the story. God still speaks to individuals in different ways to have his will carried out you see… Mine came in the form of emails. I was sent some information on a man who wanted to come and give a free cooking class. He travels all over the United States doing these… I tried to ignore the first email. Then a second one came. I answered back but told the person I was too busy to deal with this at the present time. After a time a third email came. The gentleman had called again about setting up the cooking class. I dislike very much being asked over and over about the same thing. I agreed rather reluctantly to schedule a time for him to come. Last week the time came that was scheduled. It wasn’t hard on me as he pretty much prepared everything himself. I just helped out that night. It was a big success. We had so many people show up. It was amazing. It showed me just how how God’s kept working on me…even though I resisted. His will was carried out and many people heard how to eat better from the cooking class.