God is moving in CR

For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. (Matt. 13:15) "And I would heal them." That's a different offer from: "And I would forgive them." It's a different offer from: "And I will give them a place in heaven." No, Jesus is offering healing to us. Look at what he does to people who are broken. How does he handle them? The blind are able to see like a hawk. The deaf are able to hear a pin drop. The lame do hurdles. The corroding skin of the leper is cleansed and made new. The woman with the issue of blood stops hemorrhaging. The paralyzed servant hops out of bed. They are, every last one of them, healed. Now follow this closely: everything Jesus did was to illustrate what he was trying to say. Here-look at this-this is what I'm offering to do for y...

Don’t Go Through It Alone

Who is The Landing For? Monday, August 16, 2010 at 4:26PM Lots of people think that recovery is only for those who have drug or alcohol issues. While it is true that recovery, and Celebrate Recovery, is for people with chemical dependency issues, it isn't only for them. In fact, one of the unique things about Celebrate Recovery is that it offers groups for more than just chemical addicts. CR offers groups for people with any hurt, hang-up or habit. And so does The Landing. The Landing will be a great resource for any teen who is struggling with addiction issues. By working through the Christ-centered principles among a community of peers and caring adults, students will learn tools to help them give over their addictions to Jesus and find true healing and victory. But The Landing isn't just for kids facing addiction issues. It's for students that find they have hurts they can't deal with, hang-ups that have them spinning out of control, or who aren't really sure wh...

When I went to Celebrate Recovery Summit in 2007 I discovered that everything at Saddleback seemed to have acronyms. That included fear. According to them fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. That really hit me hard, but I had sort of forgotten about that until today when I was reflecting back about that mountain top experience at Summit after seeing all of the pictures and posts from the team there now. I also recall nailing many of my fears to the cross. But one thing I didn't nail to the cross was fear itself. And looking back over the last couple of years I'm seeing that fear still has a stronghold in my life. Joy was not a part of my life in 2007. Everything was so complicated, depressing, stressful. I kept waiting for joy, but it never seemed to come my way. And yet somewhere between 2008 and 2010 joy found me. Guess what I learned today? There is only one way to destroy fear, to chase it away like a dog with it's tail between it's legs. That one th...

In 2004 the group MercyMe came out with a CD called “Undone” and as I began my recovery in 2006, I remember finding how many of the songs on that CD seemed to speak to right where I was at, and surprisingly – they still speak today. For some time I have wanted to walk through and put down on paper my thoughts of some of these songs that have meant so much to me. The first is called “Unaware.” Would you walk with me through this song? Unaware by MercyMe Forgive me if I stare But I am taken back That You would let me here Regardless of my past Oh my hands are shaking now But I catch my breathe somehow Oh, I am free at last Principle One states “Realize I’m not God. I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.” When the truth of that principle in a person’s life becomes clear or becomes truth, it has an “awe-ing” ability (if I may coin the word). It is no wonder that in a Celebrate Recovery meeting often I see this same e...

Have you ever have a thought, song, or word replay over and over again? “ I am stuck on band-aid because band-aid stuck on me?” Or “ I wish I was an Oscar Meyer wiener cause everyone would be in love with me?” You know what I am talking about. This week the word “abide” kept going over and over in my mind. “ What is it --what is He trying to tell me?” I had been relating to what Paul had said in II Corinthians 4:8-9 this week, because that is how I felt. “ We are hard pressed hard on every side, but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. So I thought how was Paul able to say these things and be content in all things. The light bulb went on --he was content in just ABIDING in Christ. All of us at one time have felt all this things, desperate, perplexed, even felt abandoned. I looked up the word abide -- wait for, to endure without yielding , to accept without objection, remaining stable, enduring and conti...

While on vacation last month I had the opportunity to enjoy some fresh seafood. Wow! There is nothing like eating fresh seafood, fresh out of the ocean. While on vacation, we always try to budget in a couple “eat out” nights to enjoy the time of fellowship and of course the great food. We received a heads up thru a flyer of a locally owned place and it had written on the flyer, “best kept secret on Hilton Head Island” So we thought as a family, let’s go try this place out. When we pulled up to the parking lot and parked we noticed this long, line circling around the building. We weren’t sure if they were waiting to go in because it wasn’t open yet or maybe there was something else in the same building people were there to be a part of. Turns out, no they were all there waiting in line to get inside the door to enjoy some great food. I overheard some people standing in line saying “it is well worth the wait” so we decided to stick it out. I mean we were on vacation. We waited for ...

"So many people were coming and going Jesus said to them `Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'" Mark 6:31 (NIV) When your emotional tank is empty you're unable to love others unselfishly. You just give up. You may have a sense of being overwhelmed and feeling inadequate. You may even get angry at the ones you love the most. You may try to avoid people or view them as problems. You have no desire to love. You dream of getting away. David had this problem. He said, "If I had the wings of a dove, I'd fly away and find rest." (Psalm 55:6 GW) To love others you have to keep your emotional tank full because when it gets low, it's going to make a difference in your relationships. The Bible has three suggestions for recharging emotionally: Solitude -- You need time alone. Today's verse teaches us Jesus frequently withdrew from crowds when he needed to recharge himself emotionally. In this case there was so much hustle and b...