God is moving in CR

I bet that almost everyone has used a sheet of sandpaper at one time or another. Sandpaper has that grit on it that is used to remove small amounts of material on surfaces that usually take something off or make it smoother. I have had difficult people in my life and I call them my “sandpaper people.” I bet you all have at least have one or encountered one. They are the “self righteous ones”, “the criticizer”, “the sherman tank- they run right over you”, “the know it all, “ the instigator”, “the entrapper,” “the bully,” “ fault finding critics,” “ the excuse giver,” and “ the blabber mouths.” Any of these sound familiar to you? I once heard an old wives tale -- the things that you find so abrasive about these people may be some of the same traits that you might have. How do you respond and react to these people? This week I have pondered on why we encounter them. Does God use these people to “grate” on us for a reason? One of the things that I thought about was Eph.6:18 -- p...

On this day, God wants you to know... ... that faith is exactly what it takes to get through uncertainty. Faith is not necessary when you know how things are going to work out, - that's knowledge. It's in the time of unknowing that having faith is what sees you through to the other side. Faith is what gives you strength. Faith is that light in your heart that keeps on shining even when it's all darkness outside. Now is the time to keep that faith alive! From "God Wants You To Know"

I have heard the phrase WWJD (What would Jesus do) and while on the surface that is a good model to keep us on the right track, if we do it just as a modification of our behavior we are going to slip back into old ways. When we look at the hope of the return of Christ, it should motivsate us to live for Him. This means being mentally alert, thinking clearly in our recovery walk, maintain disipline, exercising self control regularly, and stay focused and looking forward. I have to constantly ask myself, am I ready to meet Christ? Am I living as His obedient child? or am I doing it Rodney's way? Isnt it great to know He is a God of mercy and justice who cares personally for each of His followers. He does expect us to imitate Him by following His high moral standards and by being both merciful and just. Peter's words from the book of 1 Peter 1 means that all parts of our lives and character should be in the process of becoming conformed both inwardly and outwardly to God's s...

Thanksgiving is that time when families get together, there is plenty of food, football and naps. The women have a great time of visiting and then comes the cleanup. Then comes that feeling of “ Oh I ate too much, and I don’t want to see any turkey for a long time.” In most homes this is usually a tradition. Exodus 12:14, speaks of a tradition of the Passover that was to be held every year. Don’t you think that God endorses traditions especially if they have spiritual significance? Traditions promote togetherness and help us to remember all that God has done for us. One of the greatest traditions ( inheritance) that we can leave our family and succeeding generations is a tradition of frequently reminding them of God’s blessings, care, provision, and presence in our lives. Duet. 4:9 - Watch out be very careful never forget what you have seen what the Lord has done for you -- do not let these things escape from your mind as long as you live. Pass them on to your children and...

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. - Frank Outlaw

I AM THANKFUL: FOR THE WIFE WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT, BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME, AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE. FOR THE HUSBAND WHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO, BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS. FOR THE TEENAGER WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME, NOT ON THE STREETS. FOR THE TAXES I PAY BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED . FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS. FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT. FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING, WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING, AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH. FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATIO...

There are prophecies dealing with Egypt's judgement in the Old Testament. Egypt had great gifts and blessings. The Nile was their pride and joy and rather than thanking God for what they had been given, they claimed "the Nile is mine, I made it." Now before we judge the Egyptians for such silliness, we have to think about what we do in our life. We might say things like, "This house is mine", I built this church, ministry, business, organization or reputation from the ground up". OR "I brought myself to the place I am today on my own." "I raised my kids the right way and put them through college" Yikes! Sometimes we take for granted what God has blessed us with thinking we did it ourselves. These kind of statements reveal our pride and where our heart is. There is no denying that we put forth a lot of hard work and effort as we should in life, but God provided the resources, abilities, energy, and opportunities to make it all happen. Ins...

A few months ago, I picked up two more Celebrate Recovery chips. One was a 30-day chip for my original issue and the other was for a secondary issue that I discovered in my life during the initial stages of my recovery. I choose to keep my CR chips on my key chain, both as a reminder but also, quite frankly, so I don't lose them. When I tried to put these two new chips on my chain, they simply wouldn't go on. I started to feel a small amount of despair but I was determined to keep the chips and keep them in that spot. That's when I started analyzing why they wouldn't go on. It wasn't because I couldn't figure it out, it was because I had too many things on the chain. So I started looking at what all I had on there. What I found surprised me. I had: two keys to where I used to live; a key to my parents' house two states away (that don’t even work anymore because the locks have been changed); a key to some friends’ house that again, don’t work because they hav...

I read this passage by John Eldredge from his book Fathered by God in one of my devotional readings today. It has challenged my, what might be called my milk-toasty, view of God today, thought I would pass it on… Male Encourager Coach CR NWA The Spirit Of The Lord Came Upon Him 11/08/2009 The Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading out near Lehi. The men of Judah asked, “Why have you come to fight us?” “We have come to take Samson prisoner,” they answered, “to do to him as he did to us.” Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, “Don’t you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us? What have you done to us?” He answered, “I merely did to them what they did to me.” They said to him, “We’ve come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson said, “Swear to me that you won’t kill me yourselves.” “Agreed,” they answered. “We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you.” So they b...

How do you fight the pleasure of sin? I'll tell you: with another pleasure. Holiness is not attained, at least not in any lasting, life-changing way, merely through prohibitions, threats, fear, or shame-based appeals. Holiness is attained by believing in, trusting, banking on, resting in, savoring, and cherishing God's promise of a superior happiness that comes only by falling in love with Jesus. The power that the pleasures of sin exert on the human soul will ultimately be overcome only by the superior power of the pleasures of knowing and being known, loving and being loved by God in Christ. (Sam Storms, Pleasures Evermore, p. 20)

Have you ever heard or have you ever been responsible for saying, “ I LOVE MY JOB .’ Do you like your job? Do you do your job well because your heart belongs to Jesus? Is your work your worship? Do you have a high view of your work? Have your ever thought of your work an act of worship to the Most High God? Do you look at work as trivial and insignificant? Romans 12:1, Colossians 3:22-24 - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, for the Lord and not for man. A woman walked into a store and was looking for some jeans. She was approached by a young man with a goatee, several visible tattoos , and purple streaks in his hair. She thought “ oh man.” The young man was pleasant, helpful, kind and patient. He brought her several pairs of jeans to try on, hung up all the jeans that she tried on, and did whatever he could to serve her. His behavior indicated that he liked his job and he enjoyed serving others no matter what their opinion was of him. He was not worrie...