God is moving in CR

By: Eric Hutchinson, Fellowship Bible Church NWA, Celebrate Recovery, TEAM Training Coach 8/28/19 My son is currently in Basic Training with the Army division of our Military.  He has been gone for several weeks now, and every now and then he sends us a letter.  It’s funny how excited my wife and I get when we see that letter from him in our mailbox.  It’s like Christmas!  If my wife checks the mailbox earlier in the day, she opens the letter before I get home because she can’t wait to see and read the words written from our son.  I come home and ask, “did we get anything in the mail?”  The words we read on that paper are surreal and are a lifeline to us as this is our only form of communication with our son for now.  I was reading the passage below in Corinthians recently and was impacted by Paul’s words.  He says, “ Clearly you are a letter from Christ …”  What an incredible metaphor!  You and I are letters from Christ to oth...

By Susan Nichols, Fellowship Bible Church Celebrate Recovery Devotional Team, 8/21/2019 I woke up one morning determined to put God first.  Lately, I’d given up on having quiet time and felt convicted, so on this day, I re-doubled my efforts.  I read two devotionals and meditated on the Word. After spending time in prayer, I shared some scriptures with a friend who’d been on my mind.  I was proud of myself and felt satisfied the day would go off without a hitch. What actually happened?  Read on to find out! I couldn’t get the comb through my daughter’s tangled curls.  I yanked and she cried. The more she cried, the more irritated I became.  I yelled at her for losing her pom-poms and couldn’t find anything to wear despite having multiple piles of clean clothes.  Toys and boxes were scattered everywhere around my messy house.  Did I mention we were in the process of moving?  To top it all off, we were late to cheer at...

By: Eric Hutchinson, Fellowship Bible Church NWA, Celebrate Recovery, TEAM Training Coach 8/14/19 What’s a Yud?  A Yud is one of the smallest letters in the Hebrew language.  Just a little slash before a name or word.  It precedes the two greatest names in the Hebrew language, Yahweh and Jesus.  Why is this significant?  Well, I just find it interesting that something so small can precede something so big.  Yahweh was a name of God that was so holy, some Hebrews wouldn’t even say it out loud for fear of being struck dead.  Jesus is the name of our Savior, our Lord, our Messiah.  When the disciples would cast out demons they would say, “In the name of Jesus I command you.”  These two incredible, powerful names preceded by a little slash called a Yud.  Think for a moment what precedes a life change miracle?  Stepping out of your car, walking across the parking lot and going to a Celebrate Recovery meeting, picking up ...

By Susan Nichols, Fellowship Bible Church Celebrate Recovery Devotional Team, 8/7/2019 For most of my life, I  wondered what was wrong with me. I don’t remember exactly when I had my first bout with the “black cloud,” but I do know I’ve always related to Eeyore, the Winnie the Pooh character.  That poor little donkey had a black cloud that hung over his head on even the best of days. Like Eeyore, I tried to be a ‘glass-half-full’ person, but life felt overwhelming and exhausting.  I had my first suicide attempt at 18, the next at 20. When I threatened a third attempt, my counselor had me admitted to an inpatient facility.  Not to sound cliché, but it’s only by God’s grace that I’m alive today and more emotionally healthy than I probably have ever been.  Having the total support and understanding of my family at home and my Celebrate Recovery family has been instrumental to my healing. I’d like to share a few key lessons I’ve learned along the way...