God is moving in CR

Written by Brookelynn Harper, Fellowship Bible Church Celebrate Recovery, Rogers, "The Landing" Resident, 12/30/20 Joshua 3:5 has become one of my favorite Bible verses. It comes right after the Israelites had been wandering in a desert without direction for 40 years. Moses – their leader and guide - had just died. They didn’t really know what they were doing, or where to go next, but God raised up this new leader Joshua. It had been three days, and they were waiting just one river away from the land that God had promised them. The Israelites had tried to enter this land before and failed – before Moses had died. The people living across the river were scary, and up to this point the Israelites hadn’t even been able to face up to the idea of trying to stand against them. Now they were ready but had to wait until they could figure out how to get their entire people across the river.               There are times t...

By Carl Kimbro, Fellowship Bible Church Celebrate Recovery Devotional Team, 12/9/20    I love winter. I always hope that this is the year we will get a lot of snow. The cold air is invigorating and makes me feel so alive! But before I started going to CR and found freedom from my addictive sins, I loved winter for a different reason. The days were shorter, and it was dark both when I left for work and when I returned. I tried to hide in the darkness so no one could see how miserable I really was. Life seemed like nothing but sorrow, sin and one disappointment after another. I truly felt as if I had no hope for any kind of freedom from my struggles in life.   When I first attended CR, I never participated. I just watched everyone else and tried to understand why they seemed so happy when I felt so hopeless. There was no way that they were sincere! I thought they were just caught up in the moment, and that happiness would disappear once they got home. I wanted their joy...

By Eric Hutchinson, Fellowship Bible Church Rogers Celebrate Recovery Training Coach, 12/2/20 The Lion King is one of my oldest daughter’s favorite Disney movies. The movie is about a lion named Simba. When Simba was a cub his father, King Mufasa, told him he could go anywhere in the pride-land, but he was not allowed to go outside the borders. Well, Simba decided to do just that and disobeyed his father. With his friend Nala by his side they entered a very dangerous place. Hyenas inhabited this place, and hyenas and lions were sworn enemies.  With Simba and Nala being only cubs, they were easy prey. As the hyenas closed in the two lion cubs tried to get away, but the hyenas were too fast and too strong. Simba and Nala were backed into a corner. Simba decided to let out a roar to hopefully frighten the hyenas away, but because he was a small cub his roar wasn’t very intimidating. In fact, it was a running joke during the first part of the movie. Still, Simba had very few opti...

By Kareena Holloway, Fellowship Bible Church Celebrate Recovery Women's Encourager Coach, 11/25/2020 With Thanksgiving fast upon us, it's a time when there are get-togethers, good food, and lots of reminiscing.  Some of that reminiscing is good and some of it bad. Some of it may even be mostly bad right now depending on what you're going through.  It's tough times like that when you may catch yourself having trouble feeling very thankful.   Let your heart know right now that your feelings are valid.  Your anger may even be righteous.  What is important, though, is that we don't set up camp and get "comfortable" with the negativity that comes with not being thankful.  You see, the enemy would rather have you focus on your hurts, disappointments,  and angers rather than be grateful for anything good at all!  It's time right now to quiet those voices and let God's truths assure you of a few things.  Let your heart be assured ...

  By Sarah Bryant, Devotional Team writer at Fellowship Bible Church, Rogers, Celebrate Recovery, 11/18/20 Every year at work in mid-November we have what’s called open enrollment. That means it’s the one time of the year to opt in or out of various benefits – medical, dental, etc. This year I decided it might be a good idea to apply for short and long term disability insurance. Just for a little peace of mind in case I would be unable to work for some reason.   Evidence of Insurability, that’s the goal when applying for these benefits. Basically, the insurance provider wants to see that I don’t have problems, or if I did, that they were fixed. Well, the process of applying wasn’t as easy as I thought. There were checklists of diseases to go through, lists of medications to provide, and near the bottom came a section where I had to list anything I’d received medical treatment for in the last five years. In this section I had to describe the problems and when they began. One ...

By Kareena Holloway, Fellowship Bible Church Celebrate Recovery Women's Encourager Coach, 11/11/2020   Have you ever went to one of those restaurants where you make a reservation because it's so busy?  What if when you got there, they had no record of it then bumped you to the bottom of the list and you have to wait who knows how long to get in.   To make a reservation means that you would like to set aside a certain time with implied agreement that something you've specified will happen during this time.    We know the importance of making a reservation with God on a daily basis to read His word, prayer, and to meditate on what He wants you to know.  Do you have a reservation for daily quiet time with God?   We all have such busy schedules pushing and pressing us to keep moving from the moment we open our eyes.  If I put off that reservation, it gets pushed down the list and God has to wait who knows how long to talk to me.  So...

By Eric Hutchinson, Fellowship Bible Church Rogers Celebrate Recovery Training Coach, 11/4/20 I love this time of year so much! The leaves are changing colors, temperatures are near  perfect, and the holidays are just around the corner.  Have you ever noticed, there is a general rule of life that everything changes?  Time moves on, causing people and things to age.  I remember when time moved slowly , and I thought I had forever to live.  Now, my hair is falling out, I have wrinkles, and my body won’t let me do things that I once could.  My kids are growing up, my house needs repairing, my car is gaining mileage , and houses are being built on my street as I write this dev otional .  The world is becoming more populated, our culture more diverse ,  and what I used to call normal has changed, and now a “new normal” has been created.  Everything seems to be in a constant state of change.  I remember so vividly getting a call from my paren...

 By Kareena Holloway, Fellowship Bible Church Celebrate Recovery Women's Encourager Coach, 10/28/2020 When I started coming to Celebrate Recovery over ten 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 of Recovery: 1. We ...

 By Kareena Holloway, Fellowship Bible Church Rogers Celebrate Recovery Women's Encourager Coach, 10/21/20 " I know you are, but what am I?? "   I remember when I would hear that…maybe even say that at times growing up. When I'd say it back then, as a kid, I'd mean it as a way to fire back after receiving an insulting comment from another. However, today it brings conviction, because, to know who I am in Christ is easy. I know that to Him, I matter, I am a glorious, loved, beautiful, precious, adored child of the most High King! But to turn that around and look at myself in the mirror and say those same words has been a challenge from time to time. I am guessing that if it’s been hard for me from, it’s probably been hard for you too!   Let me assure you of something:   God is so good all the time . His love for you and me has never changed even in our darkest sins ! Yes, even as a parent would tell their child, God says to you and me "Your...

By Eric Hutchinson, Fellowship Bible Church Rogers Celebrate Recovery Training Coach, 10/14/20 Multiple times in school and college, I can remember walking into class and the teacher saying, “take out a piece of paper, we have a pop quiz today.”  Yikes!  “I’m unprepared and I’m going to bomb this quiz”, was usually my response.  However, there were other times that the teacher would say that we could use our text book and notes to take the test.  I remember feeling a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders as I pulled out my text book and notes.  The answers to all the questions were right there!  Have you ever been at a crossroads in life and wondered what your next step should be?  Maybe, like me, you were at a crossroads when you came to Celebrate Recovery.  I also find myself wondering about my future, my finances, whether my kids are going to make it and should I help them or not.  Maybe you are facing some tough life questions yours...

 By Carl Kimbro, Fellowship Bible Church Rogers, Celebrate Recovery Devotional Team writer, 10/7/20 Last year I visited a cemetery in Missouri with an interesting tombstone. Instead of a name, it simply said, “I Was…. Somebody.” Research showed that this belonged to a lady who picked it because, as she told the funeral director, “Once I am gone for a few years, no one will remember I ever existed.” Perhaps she never felt valued in life? Perhaps she never felt loved? Maybe she felt she had never done anything worth remembering? The sad truth is that in just a few more years, it’s likely she will not be remembered, and her tombstone will just be an interesting memorial to a nameless woman.  I can relate to this lady. I have often suffered with low self-esteem. As I have aged, I have often wondered how I would be remembered. I often wondered if I had value. When my sins were in control, I did not love myself. Even more importantly, I did not believe God loved me. I desperately ...

By Kareena Holloway, Fellowship Bible Church, Rogers, Celebrate Recovery Women's Encourager Coach, 9/30/20 Most of us have been searched before ...be it going to a sports game, getting on a plane, or sometimes maybe due to some not so good choices we have made. Now, I have not always been the one who excitedly looks forward to being searched. I have often been the one feeling as if I'm guilty. In fact, in those times of being searched, I know that a lot of us have NOT been content with it. We are inconvenienced, filled with feelings of bitterness, anger, guilt, and/or shame.    Back before I started recovery, I was this way about everything. I was not humble, or content about anyone knowing more about me than I wanted them to see or know! The day came that my world as I knew it came crashing down around me, and I saw with crystal clarity what I had been actively hiding from God. I knew he saw everything, but before recovery I had som...

What comes to your mind when I talk about wearing a mask? Did you think I was talking about Covid-19 facemasks? Did you think I was talking about a costume party or trick-or-treating? Nope, I’m talking about the façade, disguise, or invisible mask that I used to wear to hide the hurt, pain and addiction inside me. By Eric Hutchinson, Fellowship Bible Church, Rogers, Celebrate Recovery ministry TEAM Training coach, 9/23/20 I have grown up in the church, attended hundreds of Christian related meetings, led o thers in Bible studies, led people in singing praises to God, and in general just pretended to be doing great when things inside me were not so great. I didn’t realize how hiding my hurt and addiction created more problems than it solved. In fact, it didn’t solve any of my problems. The hurt of my divorce, my hidden addiction to pornography, and my other character defects acted like a volcano that could erupt at any time. Then I came to Celebrate Recovery where I learne...

 By Sarah Bryant, Devotional Team writer at Fellowship Bible Church, Rogers, Celebrate Recovery, 9/16/20 Remember way back in March when the pandemic started to disrupt our lives, and everyone was afraid of being  quarantined for fourteen days? Back then,  fourteen days seemed like an eternity, and I was concerned about what I would do if I were to be stuck in the house for that long. So I bought a book in case I needed to pass the time.     I have a hard time allowing myself to read fiction books, because I feel like I need to be “more productive” with my time. I guess it’s my perfectionism coming out, but I almost always seek out non-fiction, history books so I can still be learning something in my “off” time. So I bought a book on D-Day. It’s a great book, but as the pandemic progressed, along with everything else going on in the country, I decided a few days ago that I needed to read something a little more upbeat and fun. As I aimlessly wandered through the...