God is moving in CR

By Kareena Holloway, Fellowship Bible Church Rogers Celebrate Recovery Ministry TEAM Women's Encourager Coach, 10/30/2019 When I started coming to Celebrate Recovery over nine years ago, I was desperate to change, but I didn’t know how.   On my own will, I tried to do the right thing, but I still ended up doing the wrong thing again due to a lifetime of unhealed hurts, habits, and hang-ups.   God’s awesome living Word has a scripture that explains this perfectly: 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  Romans 7:15-18 Upon coming to CR the first time, I learned about that same scripture in Step 1 of the 12 Steps ...

By Carl Kimbro, Fellowship Bible Church, Rogers, Celebrate Recovery Devotional Team 10/23/19 In November 2012 our lives changed forever. Our son went to prison, and his wife and kids moved in with us. His wife was struggling with addiction and not caring for the two girls. She was failing at work and would sometimes disappear for days at a time. Our son was also calling and threatening to harm himself over all that had happened. It was a bad situation and about to get worse. In January 2013 the girls’ mom left for work and never came back. We suddenly found ourselves raising a three-and-a-half-year-old and an 18-month-old. The girls didn’t understand what was happening. And frankly, neither did we. It seemed that no one understood what we were going through, and we felt very much alone. I buried myself in unhealthy activities to cope, and life got worse. Just when it seemed hopeless, God sent Vicky and Wayne into our lives. Never have two people been so welcome. It was ...

By Kareena Holloway, Fellowship Bible Church, Rogers, Celebrate Recovery TEAM Women's Encourager Coach, 10/16/19 In the first weeks into my recovery, I was having one of many gut-wrenching conversations which needed to be had with my husband. Seeing clearly how I had hurt my family was so much to bear and I found myself in one of a series of anxiety attacks. This wasn't something where I could just say "I'm sorry" and move on with life. I had broken TRUST in my marriage. My panic came from the idea and thought that I had to figure this out.. I had to come up with some way in which I could rebuild who I was. All I could see then was the enemy closing in on all sides. I didn't know what to do. I was afraid, and more than anything, I just wanted to wake up from this very, very bad dream.  However, that is not what God wanted. He wanted me to turn everything over to HIM .  Right then and there, I started to pray to God to help me through.  I took a dee...

By Carl Kimbro, Fellowship Bible Church, Rogers, Celebrate Recovery Devotional Team 10/9/19 Victory and surrender . Two words that are as different from each other as day is from night. Battling our hurts habits and hang ups on our own is exhausting, and often leads to us surrendering to our old habits. Our human nature is to “go it alone” when we face struggles. For me, pride and fear of rejection stopped me from asking God for help. My own rationale went something like this: “Surely God won’t help me, since I got myself into this mess. I guess I have to get myself out of it too. I have messed up so much that He must be completely disappointed in me. He’s heard all my promises and seen them broken so many times, He can’t possibly forgive me anymore. God’s waiting for me to fix myself before He will even listen to my prayers again.” I had surrendered, but not in victory. I had surrendered in defeat to my sin. It seemed so hopeless and the pain so deep, that I could neve...

Written by Jenni Moon, Fellowship Bible Church Celebrate Recovery Devotional Team, 10/2/19 As Christians we are taught that faith as small as a mustard seed is all that is necessary for God to move mountains on our behalf. As humans we can often feel that we require faith as large as an ocean in order to survive our hardest days. Our questions, 'Why, God?", "Where are you, God?", "What have I done to deserve this, God?" are futile because the answer is as simple as the mustard seed.  "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)  If our lives were never met with discomfort and trials, what reason would we have to turn to our creator for help? Why would we praise Him? Why would we worship and draw near to Him?  A s a parent we would never wish that our children endure pain. We are delighted in watching them play, explore, learn, and grow just as our Heavenly Father delights in...