Yesterday I attended a Celebrate Recovery seminar. Amazing. All of the things we've been trying to do in our Christian Recovery group suddenly became easier! There is a plan in place for forming a successful program, and now we know what it is!
It was a wonderful experience to hear from the man who actually wrote the books we've been using in our group. To know that his intent and his heart are so closely alligned with what the leaders of our little group have been feeling is a gift I didn't expect to receive. It's a comfort to know that there are tens of thousands of people who are on this road of Christian Recovery. I can't think of better company.
I was so grateful that the men's group leader reminded me of the seminar, and that God planned my calendar so that I could attend. We heard clearly some things that our group has been doing that could cause it to fail. Since we got the information at the same time, it will be easier to explain to our groups why we need to make some changes. But it's such a blessing to find a ministry in place with 18 years of experience in this field. A recurring lesson in my life has been that when I think I am the alone and terminally unique, I find that I am not! Hallelujah and pass the Diet Coke!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Hope in Times of Trouble
With the recent economic news, I've become concerned that there is too much fear and not enough hope in our country. Even though our leaders keep saying that we'll endure the present crisis, it seems to me that they say it without the FIRE that would inspire people to believe!
In recovery, hope is sometimes the only thing we can hang our hats on. It is not just a word, but a state of mind, a way of living, a reason to breathe and walk and talk and live when our bodies and minds are in a state of rebellion and insanity. Hope is a must.
So today I'd like to share some hope and banish some fear in the form of a thought expressed by William George Jordan.
"Happiness is the greatest paradox in Nature. It can grow in any soil, live under any conditions. It defies environment. It comes from within; it is the revelation of the depths of the inner life as light and heat proclaim the sun from which they radiate. Happiness consists not of having, but of being; not of possessing, but of enjoying. It is the warm glow of a heart at peace with itself. A martyr at the stake may have happiness that a king on his throne might envy. Man is the creator of his own happiness; it is the aroma of a life lived in harmony with high ideals. For what a man has, he may be dependent on others; what he is, rests with him alone. What he obtains in life is but acquisition; what he attains is growth. Happiness is the soul's joy in the posession of the intangible. Absolute, perfect, continuous happiness in life is impossible for the human. It would mean the consummation of attainments, the individual consciousness of a perfectly fulfilled destiny. Happiness is paradoxical because it may coexist with trial, sorrow and poverty. It is the gladness of the heart, rising superior to all conditions...Man might possess everything tangible in the world and yet not be happy, for happiness is the satisfying of the soul, not of the mind or the body."
Today is a day for happiness. Today is a day for hope.
In recovery, hope is sometimes the only thing we can hang our hats on. It is not just a word, but a state of mind, a way of living, a reason to breathe and walk and talk and live when our bodies and minds are in a state of rebellion and insanity. Hope is a must.
So today I'd like to share some hope and banish some fear in the form of a thought expressed by William George Jordan.
"Happiness is the greatest paradox in Nature. It can grow in any soil, live under any conditions. It defies environment. It comes from within; it is the revelation of the depths of the inner life as light and heat proclaim the sun from which they radiate. Happiness consists not of having, but of being; not of possessing, but of enjoying. It is the warm glow of a heart at peace with itself. A martyr at the stake may have happiness that a king on his throne might envy. Man is the creator of his own happiness; it is the aroma of a life lived in harmony with high ideals. For what a man has, he may be dependent on others; what he is, rests with him alone. What he obtains in life is but acquisition; what he attains is growth. Happiness is the soul's joy in the posession of the intangible. Absolute, perfect, continuous happiness in life is impossible for the human. It would mean the consummation of attainments, the individual consciousness of a perfectly fulfilled destiny. Happiness is paradoxical because it may coexist with trial, sorrow and poverty. It is the gladness of the heart, rising superior to all conditions...Man might possess everything tangible in the world and yet not be happy, for happiness is the satisfying of the soul, not of the mind or the body."
Today is a day for happiness. Today is a day for hope.
Monday, September 1, 2008
The first five weeks or the last nine years?
Five weeks ago I began to attend meetings of a Christian recovery group. Although I've been sober for nine years, and have attended more AA meetings than I can possibly count, I had been feeling for some time as if something was missing from my recovery. Nine years seems like a long time, but it truly is only one day at a time. My motivation for attending meetings had diminished, in part because my long time sponsor has moved to a nursing facility. Her Alzheimer's disease had progressed, and her son and daughter decided she'd be safer in a controlled environment. More about that wonderful woman another time, she's enriched my life, my recovery and my spirit immeasurably.
To be honest (and honesty is VERY important in recovery), the number of meetings I attended had been steadily declining since I picked up my five year coin. I wanted to give back, I was sponsoring other women, I believed deeply in the program, but something was missing. The fire was smouldering. Then the ashes were banked. Until I attended my first Christian recovery meeting five weeks ago.
I'm happy to say that I'm fully fired up about recovery once again. I think what was missing was the freedom to say what was in my heart...that Jesus Christ is my Higher Power, and that He is the one who liberated me from my alcoholic obsession and compulsion. At AA meetings it's not considered politically correct to testify about the healing power of Christ. Newly recovering alcoholics are nothing if not skittish, and they've often had bad experiences with organized religion. Rather than risk their lives by scaring them away from AA with impassioned pleas for their souls, we tell them they can use a doorknob for a Higher Power. I agree with that philosophy, but it became harder and harder for me to restrain myself from sharing the life-changing truth that the Gospel offers.
Hence, the blog. It's a place for me to chronicle this new, Christ-based recovery I'm experiencing. This time, I hope the fire keeps burning brightly.
To be honest (and honesty is VERY important in recovery), the number of meetings I attended had been steadily declining since I picked up my five year coin. I wanted to give back, I was sponsoring other women, I believed deeply in the program, but something was missing. The fire was smouldering. Then the ashes were banked. Until I attended my first Christian recovery meeting five weeks ago.
I'm happy to say that I'm fully fired up about recovery once again. I think what was missing was the freedom to say what was in my heart...that Jesus Christ is my Higher Power, and that He is the one who liberated me from my alcoholic obsession and compulsion. At AA meetings it's not considered politically correct to testify about the healing power of Christ. Newly recovering alcoholics are nothing if not skittish, and they've often had bad experiences with organized religion. Rather than risk their lives by scaring them away from AA with impassioned pleas for their souls, we tell them they can use a doorknob for a Higher Power. I agree with that philosophy, but it became harder and harder for me to restrain myself from sharing the life-changing truth that the Gospel offers.
Hence, the blog. It's a place for me to chronicle this new, Christ-based recovery I'm experiencing. This time, I hope the fire keeps burning brightly.
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