Family – A Good Place to Start
September 23, 2009
Daily Devotional, September 18th
Posted to Genesis 37:4 on Sep 14, 2009 at 02:43 PM
Genesis 37:4
His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.
“Family ties”
Thwack! The sound signaled trouble. With our parents gone, my sister and I had started a mashed potato fight instead of doing the dishes. Chasing her down the stairs with tinfoil box in hand, I was determined she wouldn’t win even though I was younger. The strains of victory died, however, when an unseen door met with her glasses. We were going to get it for sure.
Designed by God to give us a sense of our identity, family is one of the first places we discover what we like, what we’re good at, and how to relate to others. It’s also where we first experience conflict. Even in the strongest of families, we go through hurts that cause us to believe wrong things about ourselves.
In reading the story of Joseph, we often focus on what Joseph suffered because of his brothers’ jealousy. While this story is an important lesson in forgiveness (Genesis 50:20-21), it also demonstrates how family issues strike deep at the heart.
The firstborn of Jacob’s favorite wife (30:22-24), Joseph was the honored son, and his brothers knew it (v.4). It’s one thing to face a parent’s disapproval because you didn’t do your homework. Imagine feeling as if you’re a disappointment just because you were born to the wrong woman (v.2). Believing Jacob had rejected them in preferring Joseph, his brothers retaliated by stripping him of his coat and his dignity (vv.20-24).
From the beginning of creation, family relationships have been difficult (Genesis 4:8). Relational issues are inevitable. Working through the sin nature of man, the enemy pits family members against each other (Micah 7:6). Responding to the hurt by hurting others only continues the cycle. Putting our hearts in alignment with God’s, however, allows healing and restoration to begin (Luke 1:17). —Regina Franklin, Our Daily Journey
CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org
Celebrate Recovery in Christ
September 20, 2009
Celebrate Recovery, differs from most World-Service Organization sponsored 12-step programs in that it is unabashedly faith-based and Christ-centered, naming ‘Jesus’ as the ‘higher power’ responsible for healing any ailment in one’s life.
Groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, Narcotics Anonymous and others, encourage members to name their own higher power. Some believe this helps attract newcomer addicts to meetings where they otherwise would not join because of the stigma involved in naming ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’ as a higher power.
Countless 12-step groups exist: Adult Children of Alcoholics, Overeaters Anonymous, Crystal Meth Anonymous, Debtors Anonymous, to name a few, and even some less expected, such as Clutterer’s Anonymous, Workaholic’s Anonymous, and Emotions Anonymous.
There are online meetings. There are people meetings. There are phone meetings. There is no shortage of meetings.
So why another 12-step meeting? What makes Celebrate Recovery different?
Besides being explicitly Christ-centered, all Celebrate Recovery meetings are broadly open to and intended to serve individuals suffering from any “hurt, habit, or hangup.”
Advocates and program participants say the process has a healing effect, in that, by naming Jesus Christ as the higher power, healing for any life ailment follows when individuals place their faith in God, as opposed to trying to ‘control’ their addictions or hang-ups themselves.
Lisa Romeo, a member of Parkview Baptist Church in Lexington, leads a women-only Celebrate Recovery group that meets each Tuesday night from 7:30-9 p.m.
According to Paul Pack, one of Parkview’s pastors who works largely with youth, believes that one of Parkview’s strengths is that it strives to help members find their gifts, when considering how they want to serve their fellow community members.
He describes Lisa as a go-to person, someone who works incredibly well behind-the-scenes, who is passionate and dependable. Lisa has taken advantage of trainings and workshops offered through Parkview such as the Vantage Point 3 program which focuses identifying gifts and developing group leadership skills. She now uses this in the Celebrate Recovery meeting leader capacity. Read more
Renewing the Mind
August 25, 2009
Deeply ingrained patterns of thinking and responding have formed strongholds in our minds. Addiction is a stronghold!
Do we have to remain victims of the these mental strongholds for the rest of our lives? Absolutely not!
If we have been trained wrong, can we be retrained? If we have learned to believe a lie, can we now choose to believe the truth? If we have programmed our computers wrong, can they be reprogrammed? Absolutely!
But we have to want to renew our minds. How?
Our lives are transformed as we renew our minds through the hearing of God’s Word, Bible studies, personal discipleship and Christ-centered counseling.
Reprogramming the Mind
August 11, 2009
by Neil Anderson
1 Peter 1:13
Gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
Since we came into this world physically alive but spiritually dead, we had neither the presence of God in our lives nor the knowledge of His will. Our minds were programmed to live independently of Him. We were mentally conformed to this world.
When we became Christians, nobody pushed the CLEAR button in our preprogrammed minds. Even as Christians we can still allow our minds to be programmed by the world. So what must we do?
First, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1). How do you renew your mind? By filling it with God’s Word.
Second, Peter directs us to prepare our minds for action (1 Peter 1:13). Do away with fruitless fantasy. To imagine yourself doing things without ever doing anything is dangerous. But if you can mentally prepare yourself in advance to obey the truth, you can motivate yourself toward productive living–as long as you follow through by doing what you imagine.
Third, take every thought captive in obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Practice threshold thinking. Evaluate every thought by the truth, and don’t let your mind entertain thoughts contrary to the will of God.
Fourth, turn to God. When your commitment to do the will of God is being challenged by thoughts from the world, the flesh, or the devil, bring it to God in prayer (Philippians 4:6). By doing so you are acknowledging God and exposing your thoughts to His truth. Your double-mindedness will dissolve “and the peace of God . . . shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Fifth, assume your responsibility to think. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8).
Prayer:
Lord, I commit myself to practice these steps daily in order to bring my mind under Your control.
A Message of Hope – and a Plan of Action
July 12, 2009
Addiction forges its own chains of pain and problems that grow with each day and seem impossible to overcome. If you, or someone you know, are a captive of addictive behavior, the Word of God and New Heart Place have both a message of hope and a plan of action. Anyone can be set free from addictive behavior, can experience victory in Jesus, and become an overcomer in life! The key is to identify the root cause of your problem and instead of running away from it, run to God! Do this, and your mind and spirit will be renewed; and no matter what you struggle with, you will find freedom in Christ!
Testimony of God’s Overcoming Addiction Power
July 6, 2009
Hello my name is Richard, and this is my testimony of God’s overcoming addiction power:
My mother loved myself and my siblings, and as a single parent did the best she could to provide for all of our needs. Sometimes providing for us included moving; different neighborhoods, different towns, and even different states. I had changed schools at least eight times before I was thirteen. I always felt like an outsider and that I did not fit in. Having quality friendships was difficult. I had finished elementary school with exceptional grades. That changed as I entered middle school. I made friends with the wrong people, I skipped school, and ultimately began smoking marijuana and drinking. My mother moved me to my Grandparents home and I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior for the first time. My life changed.
I missed my family and returned to Portland. I believed things would be different, but they were not. By the time I was sixteen I had experimented with hard drugs and dropped out of school. I began working full time, which afforded me to continue in the same lifestyle and at that age it was very appealing, my life was out of control. At nineteen I went through my first treatment program, passed the ASVAB test, and went into the Army. I was finally on the right track. I left all of my former life behind thinking a change of environment would solve the problem. However, I began to drink, and eventually was using cocaine again. I returned home to Oregon. In Portland the same people were still doing the same activities, nothing I wanted to be a part of, I requested a transfer to Washington to be near my family. I knew that if I just had the support of my family and church everything would turn out all right.
The problem was not the environment, or the circumstances, or the friends, it was me. Read more
The Addiction is the Symptom
July 1, 2009
Addiction simply isn’t the point. Most people have the “horsepower” to get “clean and sober.” Many have the ability to stay clean and sober for awhile. But then, it happens: life serves up that trigger; that one thing that gives me my reason – my entitlement – to return to my “drug of choice.” Or, worse yet, I have convinced myself over time that “I can handle it, now. I’m OK. All I need is a good job and a nice place to live and the rest of my life will be fine.”
But it never is fine. It never will be fine, because you are not fine at the “core level” of your life: where who you really are lives.
What do you mean by “core level?”
Heart…soul: It’s the space inside you that defines the your person-hood. It’s the place you love and hate, experience joy and disappointment. It’s the place we invite the Living God to live by His Spirit. To love at this level of our lives is to fulfill the two greatest commandments:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind. this is the first and greatest commandment. And, the second is like unto it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22).
For many our “core level” – our heart – is cluttered with shame and guilt, unforgiveness and bitterness. So significant are these “core issues” that they often determine what we believe about God, our self and others. We often have sabotaged our best relationships and convinced ourselves thar we are inadequate, deficient and unlovable…all because of our “core.”
Obviously, our “core” cannot be “fixed,” it must be healed. There are simply not enough “Steps” to work that will resolve our core. Only God can heal the core. He created it…he can heal it.
Why People Don’t Recover
June 29, 2009
Why People Don’t Recover
The reasons why people do not seek help for their problems are as many and varied as the people themselves. But here are some of the common obstacles to pursuing and maintaining recovery:
1. Problem behavior attracts longed-for attention.
2. The pain isn’t great enough—yet.
3. Fear of launching into the unknown.
4. Someone is enabling the addiction (message to the enabler: stop it!)
5. Fear of exposure. Guilt is private but shame is public. The only answer is openness and making amends for the past. This resolves the guilt and robs shame of its power.
6. Pride.
7. “Praying for a miracle” when God wants you to take some action.
8. Seeking a quick fix.
9. Despair.
10. Physiological or biochemical dependency.
11. Fear of failure.
12. Fear of rejection.
13. Fear of change.
14. Running from reality.
15. False sense of happiness. During an episode of addictive behavior, everything feels great.
16. False sense of power.
17. Fear of insanity if separated from your fix.
Addiction and the Road to Recovery
June 29, 2009
Road to Recovery
Road to Recovery
Addiction and the Road to Recovery
Steve Arterburn
New Life Ministries
Acceptance is the first principle of recovery. Recovery begins when an individual moves from denial to acceptance. It does not happen all at once, and it isn’t something that another person can do for the individual suffering from an addiction. Still, each time you confront a person with reality you help bring him closer to accepting his situation and seeing the need to change.
Most people have lived in denial for years before they come for help. Often they have been surrounded by “co-conspirators” who have enabled their dysfunctional behavior to continue and who have reinforced their denial system. Together they have constructed a delusional world where the full extent of the problem is never acknowledged, let alone dealt with. The first job of treatment, then—and the first step toward recovery—is to bring someone to the point of acceptance.
Sometimes people ask if a person can be helped who does not want help. Usually what they are really asking is whether they should wait until the person asks for help, or whether there is something they can do to help the process along.
Recovery program teaches grads to beat addiction
June 27, 2009
Clothed in dress pants, sundresses and fancy shirts, 106 people walked down the center aisle of the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries auditorium Friday to celebrate a new beginning.
Many said they were moving forward from battling drug addiction, homelessness and emotional issues.
They were among a class of 389 graduates to complete a recovery program at the faith-based organization that offers shelter, skills training and substance abuse treatment for homeless people and those recovering from drug addiction.
To graduate, participants had to be drug- and alcohol-free for at least 90 days.
“It has changed me immensely,” said graduate Mark Williams. “It’s changed my attitude, my awareness, my acceptance that I’m a recovering addict.”
Williams, 51, of Highland Park said the program allowed him to take computer hardware and software classes at Wayne County Community College after receiving treatment for his drug addiction.
The DRMM has spent about $16 million annually since the program started in 2007 to provide relief and educational opportunities for participants, said Chad Audi, the nonprofit organization’s president.
“Anybody who is in need, we are willing to help them,” Audi said. “We give them the tools to become productive citizens.”
Helen Brewer, 51, of Detroit said the program not only helped her fight a drug and alcohol addiction, but she learned customer service and culinary skills. Since joining the program last year, Brewer was hired as a cashier and preparation cook for a Popeyes restaurant.
“I learned my spirituality … and how to deal with the public,” Brewer said. “It brought me closer to my family.”
Contact NICQUEL TERRY: 313-222-8774 or nterry@freepress.com.