God is moving in CR

I was recently talking to a local church that is looking to start CR in their church. As we discussed all the many things needed to keep the ministry safe and healthy, the discussion came up about the guidelines. Small Group guidelines are designed to keep our groups safe and productive. The question came up specifically about allowing someone to share beyond the 3-5 minutes. One of the frustrating things I have seen in any small group format is when one person dominates the conversation and others don’t get a chance to share what they have on their own heart. Each person should have equal time to express themselves. Then the flip side is we need to listen to others sharing. Listening is a huge part of the recovery process and grows us more than we realize. Most people don’t have an issue of keeping sharing to 3-5 minutes and even seem to embrace it. Most people tend to begin rambling after the five minutes anyway. This teaches us to keep our thoughts organized and stay away fro...

I love reading notes from the Newcomers perspective. This is a follow up email response to a note we send out to check up on our newcomers. Good stuff. With her permission to share removing her name I wanted you see this. This is going to bless you! Rodney, It was so nice to read your email. Thank you. (The below note is straight from her blog....:)) "I walked in the door and here this song resounding from the sanctuary. Our God is greater. Our God is stronger. God you are higher than any other. Our God is healer. Awesome in power. Our God. And if our God is for us, than who could ever stop us. And if our God is with us, than what can stand against I stood near the back pew, halfway through worship. Hands were raised across the room. People from all kinds of life. Stepping into this worship meant agreeing that I have hurts and addictions in my life that need God's healing. In a freeing moment, I joined in. Sweet surrender The band played louder than before, and a man stepped u...

The word “journal” comes from the French word “journee, meaning from sunrise to sunset. Transpsychological is a term used to describe the therapeutic effects of self-discovery through active awareness in journaling. Journaling is a coping technique; expression of thoughts, feelings, memories, and ideas in written form, either prose or poetry, to increase self awareness leading to wholeness in ones journey throughout life. Getting Started: 1. Buy a nice notebook. 2. Find a private or quiet place. 3. Sometimes making a list of things going through your head is a great way to start. 4. Consider playing some relaxing background music. 5. Set aside a committed time each day, afternoon or night. It is suggested to start off with writing in your personal journal (for your eyes only) for 15 minutes each day in the form of freelance writing. Write down whatever comes into your mind. Expressive writing helps us cope with stress, increases self awareness, decrea...

Read Genesis 3:1-7 My wife Carol and I were in Genesis 3 a few days ago right before bedtime and this passage, though I have read it many times before, really spoke to me this day even more. Every day we as humans, as saints who still sin, are faced with temptation. What is temptation? One commentator stated that temptation is “Satan's invitation to give into his kind of life and give up on God's kind of life.” So true isn’t it? That is exactly what he did to Eve that day in the beautiful garden didn’t he?! So often we view temptation itself as a sin but temptation is not a sin. In fact the bible shows us thru the New Testament several places where the enemy tempted even Christ and yet He was without sin. The enemy had Eve believing the big lie that there was something better than what she already had in this amazing garden, life. We have to remember that temptation is not a sin itself, So if we know temptation is going to happen and we have established that it in itself is ...

There is a great difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. Success comes from strength, control, and respectability. A successful person has the energy to create something, to keep control over its development, and to make it available in large quantities. Success brings many rewards and often fame. Fruits, however, come from weakness and vulnerability. And fruits are unique. A child is the fruit conceived in vulnerability, community is the fruit born through shared brokenness, and intimacy is the fruit that grows through touching one another's wounds. Let's remind one another that what brings us true joy is not successfulness but fruitfulness. Oswald Chambers---“God can never make us wine if we object to the fingers He uses to crush us with. If God would only use His own fingers, and make me broken bread and poured-out wine in a special way! But when He uses someone whom we dislike, or some set of circumstances to which we said we would never submit, and makes thos...

Okay so we are once again at a New Year, okay, so now what? You know, that really is a great question! As we begin the New Year, it is a really good re-focusing question for us to ask God, “Okay God now what? Now what would You have me do?” However, I have to admit, often when I look in the mirror I find myself asking, is there anything I can do at all? My past failures have left some deep scars that do not let me easily forget them, so doubt is always a battle. Yet I know, that there is a part that I am to play, a role that I have in His Kingdom. Okay God, so here we are at the start of a new year, this is a good time to re-focus, to re-direct energies, re-deploy, so now what, what adventure do you have for me? New Year’s Eve night as I listened to Rodney Holmstrom share the lesson, I was drawn to some verses in 1 Peter 4:7-11 that seemed help me with this question, would you mind if I walked you through my thinking on them as I have taken time to look at them? The end of all th...

A friend of mine posted this footage from the recent tornado that hit here in NW Arkansas New Years Eve A tornado ripped through Northwest Arkansas in the early morning hours of December 31st. In this video we tour some of the destruction left behind by the tornado. The crazy thing about this tornado was that it actually hit Cincinnati Arkansas. If you have never been there, there isn’t much there there. Cincinnati is an incredibly small town. That means that the EF3 tornado that tore through nearly leveled the town. It was incredibly unlucky. Unfortunately there were three deaths attributed to the storm, and our hearts and prayers go out to the families. In fact, one person killed was a 78 year old man who was milking his cows at the time. His last name as Murray. My mother’s maiden name is Murray, and she is from that part of the country. He may have been a cousin many times removed. Weird. From Murray Williams

When we submit our life and will to Christ the chains that are keeping us in bondage can be broken. He has the power to break the chains of addictions, despair, hopelessness and even loneliness. As you start a new year and a new decade, don't wait, make this a year of freedom and hope. Run to Him in 2011! God bless you and your family. Rodney Holmstrom For more information about Celebrate Recovery in your area, contact Rodney at 479-409-9747 or roholmstrom@fellowshipnwa.org