God is moving in CR

The biggest question I get on the Friday after Thanksgiving….”Are you all open tonight?” I love that, because of wonderful volunteers and their sacrifice they make 365 days of the year, that I can answer that question with a resounding YES!!! Truth is, recovery doesn’t take a vacation does it? Lots of times the holidays can be the worst for our family. Thank you CR Forever Family Volunteers for making this possible to say "yes we will most definitely be here." ... I am full of gratitude today! I love the great quote by Henri Nouwen: "Gratitude goes beyond the 'mine' and 'thine' and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated...

I remember as a kid hearing, "does your face hurt? Cause it's killing me" ouch! We can say some hurtful things sometimes can't we? You know what though, as I grow in Christ I find that my face hurts all the time. Why? Cause I'm smiling at what God has blessed us with, wonderful people, family, and life change moments of grace.  I get to witness what He is doing thru CR in hundreds of lives starting with my own. Today my face hurts from having the biggest grin on my face.  I get to see forever family tonight at CR, personally lead worship with my wife Carol, daughter Taylor and the best CR band in the land. Tonight I get to hear a life change story from one of our Celebration Place/Landing students and their mom at CR. Lots to smile about.  When is the last time you smiled?  Come learn how to smile again as we celebrate our recovery together.  Bring your kids dressed up for some fun treats and an exciting Celebration Place agenda. 6pm Ce...

What will you choose to be today? Are you living as a victor or a victim? A better way may be to ask, are you living as a victor or slowly dying as a victim? It has been said, "A victim believes the world happens to them. A victor believes they happen to the world." We either spend our energy blaming others or learn the wonderful truth of taking responsibility for how we will allow our circumstances to affect us. Think about this, You can make a choice right now to become something better. Whatever your heart, mind and soul believes, guess what, you will become that with Christ's help. If I believe I am a victim, I will most likely stay as victim. What will you choose to become? Come "BE" with us and become what God has called you to be, a child of the King. Your walk toward living as a VICTOR starts here. Hope to see you tonight. 6pm Celebrate Recovery @ Fellowship Bible Rodney  Holmstrom For a group near you go to www.celebraterecovery.com

Wondering if you should share your story? Putting it off? Check out this great post testimony “testimony” of sharing a sharing a story and the gifts that came with it in their life. On The Other Side My Post Testimony Experience I shared my testimony at Celebrate Recovery on August 8, 2014. I nearly asked to postpone it because I'd been depressed & in a very bad place for several months leading up to it. I felt like a hypocrite considering I knew how my testimony ended & that I sure wasn't living those words at the time. Two wonderful people told me that perhaps it was an attack from the enemy & that maybe I hadn't fallen off the path, but that God was taking me deeper. These words spurred me on & once I resolved to follow through I knew I had made the right decision & actually looked forward to it. I was at peace & when friends asked me if I was nervous I was truthfully able to say, “not really”. None-the-less I used my essent...

"We should put out the fire while it's still small." It’s easy to justify some small fires in our life at times isn’t it? “I can quit anytime I want to.” Or “I’ve got this under control” Then BAM! The small fire spreads into a massive fire damaging everything and everyone in its path. Remember, we don’t have to wait until we hit rock bottom to face our fires in life. We can make a choice to do something about it right now with the help of some great folks God puts in our path. Some might say, “yeah but my fire is huge already!” Well, you can choose to do something about it today or wait and have an even bigger fire to deal with later. “God can restore the years the fire has eaten.” (Joel 2:25 Paraphrased) Are you trying to contain your fire on your own? You don’t have to do that any longer. Come see us tonight. We will put the fire out together with the help of the Living Water. See you tonight at 6:00pm at Celebrate Recovery @ Fellowship Bible Rodney Holmstrom Fi...

So you've messed up? Feeling like a failure, sold out to the wrong things? Can I offer you a free gift? It's called an invitation to another chance, grace. No it's not from me but from the One who gives the same to me and many others. Who is invited to this new hope?  Have you been sexually promiscuous, divorced, struggle with drugs or alcohol, family struggles, abused, crippled with fear or ????  Guess what, you are all invited to this new chance to a new life. All stains, all blemishes, all spots, & all broken are welcomed and embraced here. Come enjoy a night that just might change your life. A life change story, fellowship, love and lots of hope. Celebrate Recovery @ fellowship bible. 6pm tonight! See you there! Rodney Holmstrom

Remember that movie, "Green Mile"? Anytime the inmate would walk down the hall, the guard would yell, "Dead man walking!" I was thinking about this in the context of my former life apart from Christ. My choosing not to face my life's struggles was not only pulling me apart from Christ but also more and more into a life as a dead man walking.  The thing is, I don't have to walk that green mile of death because Christ died for me so that I may have life. It was when I came to the end of my comfort zone that real life began to happen in my life. If there is something that is keeping you walking in despair, don't let the fear of the unknown keep you shackled any longer. With Christ's help you can turn that fear into a curiosity. He has big plans for you but you have to be willing to let go and fully surrender to Him. Only He holds the key to unlock the shackles. Only He has the ability to put you and I on a new path. It is then ...

Remember that movie, "Green Mile"? Anytime the inmate would walk down the hall, the guard would yell, "Dead man walking!" I was thinking about this in the context of my former life apart from Christ. My choosing not to face my life's struggles was not only pulling me apart from Christ but also more and more into a life as a dead man walking.  The thing is, I don't have to walk that green mile of death because Christ died for me so that I may have life. It was when I came to the end of my comfort zone that real life began to happen in my life. If there is something that is keeping you walking in despair, don't let the fear of the unknown keep you shackled any longer. With Christ's help you can turn that fear into a curiosity. He has big plans for you but you have to be willing to let go and fully surrender to Him. Only He holds the key to unlock the shackles. Only He has the ability to put you and I on a new path. It is then that the ...

Wanna race? I can remember as a kid when I would get new shoes, the first thing I wanted to do was race. I felt faster just from the shear presence of the new leather on my feet. Ever notice what we do when challenged to a race? Our next statement is, "hold on…let me put my stuff down." Why? Because we don’t want it to slow us down. In recovery it is the same way. Our race is always much lighter and easier if you we don’t carry our past with us. The Father has a race marked out for each of us, but scripture tells us we must “throw off any and all things that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us “so that” we can run with perseverance this race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1 Is something from your past keeping you from enjoying the race in the present? Is there something keeping you from being able to run more efficiently in your life? Let’s throw it off starting right now! This race will never be easy, but it can sure be easier when we deal with the past that is b...

A couple days ago I was driving home and stopped at a stop light. I looked up through my sunroof of my car to witness the biggest and brightest full moon I have seen in a long time. Immediately my response was, “Lord thank You for this full moon.” But as soon as those words left my mouth it dawned on me; what I really should be saying is, “Lord, thank You that you created the moon and chose to show it to me in its fullest in this moment.” You see, this is what He taught me in this moment, whether He shows me the full moon, a half moon, a little slice, and perhaps at times none at all, the moon still exists and shines just as bright whether I can see it or not. As I thought about this as it relates to my life and walk as a Christian, I am learning that there will be seasons of my life that He shows me big bright and visible evidence of Himself and then there are times it just seems like the clouds block Him out. The reality though is, whether I can see Him or not, no matter how dark the...

Each choice we make causes a ripple effect in our lives. What is the next right choice you will make? Tonight we will hear from a man, a dad, a husband and now leader for Christ who made one of the most life rippling choices of his life.  Tonight one of our brothers will incorporate his entire family in the teaching and how making the choice on taking an inventory changed his life. Hear from his wife and son along with his own perspective  We are all one choice away from something. Will it be positive or negative? Join us 6pm Celebrate Recovery @ Fellowship Bible Rodney Holmstrom

It is stories like this that make me stop and count my blessings for the freedom I enjoy. My brother shared this a couple days ago and it grabbed my heart. This photo is CPT Christopher Seifert, who was tragically killed in a grenade attack in Kuwait 2003. He was the first soldier to pass while my brother Josh, a medic in the Army, was administering CPR.  Many soldiers just like him fight for our freedom everyday. Many lost their lives. Thank you to all the veterans as well to my brother Josh and sister-in-law Lisa for serving our country so courageously. Please pray for our veterans, the active soldiers serving right now and the families connected with each of them. Happy Memorial Day family.

Ever bite into something and then realized it was rotten? I can remember doing this with an apple and I honestly couldn't get the pieces and rotten, mushy debris of apple out of my mouth fast enough. Talk about a messy situation with a disgusting after taste. Isn't it interesting to think about that if something rotten goes in our mouth, it's gotta be spit out? It just seems like a natural reaction doesn't it? it's kind of the same with what we allow into our mind and heart. What am I allowing myself to consume spiritually these days? Someone once said, "Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out." No matter how hard we may try, if garbage is going in, it's gonna come out and its never pretty when it does. The garbage leaves a bad taste in our mouth and a big mess in the face of those around us. I love the process of CR cause it helps us to stop, recognize and evaluate those things that we may have left hidden for so long that continu...

Ever notice when you go out of state and see someone from your home state you are instantly drawn to them? When we become aware of this we say, “You’re from Arkansas?! So are we!!!!” A bond instantly forms due to where we come from. In CR this same thing happens, only it is with the “hole in our heart.” We say, “You have a hole in your heart? I do too!!!” And an instant bond is formed. That’s ... what I love about CR, those coming in with fresh wounds can find a bond with other brothers and sisters because we all know what it’s like to hurt. Our goal? To share in the common goal of the other side of that hurt....hope in finding and relying on the One Jesus Christ, who fills that hole in our heart. Are you willing to share your hurt? Are you willing to share your hope with those who haven’t tasted that hope yet? Come see us this week at a CR near you, regardless of where you are in your journey. We have a chair open for you and a side hug and/or a high five ready to give you. ...

What’s the big deal?! They are just words. I used to be so bad about the stinkin’ thinkin’ and damaging self talk. I would think things like, “I am worthless, stupid, and good for nothing!” “No one would miss me if I left this earth” and “I will ‘never’ experience happiness in my life” Are they just words? No, that’s a big bunch of lies huh? Words and thoughts like this are exactly what the enemy wants us to believe. Words really do make an impact on us. If you are still having trouble figuring out if those kinds of words and thoughts are damaging, imagine how painful it would be to take those same sentences and speak them to someone close to you. Honestly, they would be crushed to hear them and so would you. So, if it wouldn’t be appropriate to talk to others that way, why do we allow ourselves to be persuaded by the enemy in believing that it’s ok to talk to our self that way? “From a wise mind comes ‘careful’ and persuasive speech.” Proverbs 16:23 “Say only what is ‘good and...

You may have heard the expression, "the grass is always greener on the other side...." Well that's just a lie isn't it? In our sinful nature it is easy to always be looking over the fence, believing that there is something better. Then, sometimes in our haste and impatience we may jump the fence only to realize it's not all it's cracked up to be. In fact, the grass we were hanging out on before was much better. There is an enemy who is in the business of false advertising to get our attention off of and away from the very blessing we have right under our nose. The truth is, "the grass is always greener where it is being watered." This week, if the enemy starts to feed you his line of bologna that says "what you have is not good enough" remember, Jesus is always better and He always takes care of His children even if it doesn't feel like it. Even if where you are today doesn't seem ideal, convenient, or even feel or look very green,...

"Remember what you did?"  Yeah, I hear that lovely attack question sometimes too. The enemy will try to keep us believing and reliving the lies and destruction from our past. But...God sent his son so we wouldn't have to live there anymore. "I am done with the past, & the future has plenty of room for change.” Each day is a growing process but my focus moves from shame and regret from my past to now a daily trust in Him to change me for the future. "Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds" Romans 12:2 What about you? What lies are you still believing? Are you ready to begin working on your future starting right now? Come see us tonight at Celebrate Recovery at Fellowship 6pm. Freedom and change is possible!

Someone once said, "when you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you."  I was reflecting this AM on how blessed we are to have the tools of CR in our life that help us to stop chasing the wrong things that only lead to dead ends in our life. And boy did I chase some ugly toads in my day. Sure, they promised a hope and a future, but all those "wrong" things I chased for so long only led to greater pain and destruction in me life. Today, through CR, we can now choose something better can't we? We can choose Christ every time and win without a doubt. I thank God for giving me the strength to stop chasing the wrong things so that THE Right ONE, Jesus Christ could catch me in His loving pursuit of me and you. Let's never forget how He pursued us in our recovery and remember to continue to pursue Him in all we do today. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and n...