THE ROAD TO RECOVERY=Celebrate Recovery

[PW]

"Celebrate Recovery" is designed for anyone with HURTS(divorce, childhood hurts, abuse--sexual/physical, families of those affected by addiction, grief & MORE) HABITS (drug/alcohol addiction, pornography, self-mutilation--cutting, etc. , HANGUPS(control of others, obsessive compulsivness, co-dependency, manipulation, enabling, eating disorders,......and the lists goes on.

To my knowledge, there are 2 successful locations to attend these programs at this time. EAGLE HEIGHTS CHURCH, SOMERSET, off the 914 bypass, off hwy 80, behind the Marathon Station. Meetings held on Tue evenings at 6 30 and Thur at 6 30. The Tue meetings are an open meeting. The Thur meetings start out with a meal, a large group session, then divide into groups, according to specific needs, including a group for teens. Contact persons: Joey & Kenya Simmons, Pam Baker, Ashlee Steele, Cristie Hall, David & Sandi Riddle, Holly Kinley, Lyn Lowery, Tabitha Cummings, Misty Flynn, Toby Durham.....and others.

The other location is at Corinth Baptist in London. 2nd exit. Past Kmart, right at light, 1/2 mi. left at 4 way. Church is on right. contact persons: Ken & Paula Felty

Any of these people would be glad to help you get started in these programs and help to put you on the Road to Recovery that they have found for themselves through Jesus Christ, the ONLY Higher Power.

For more info, just ask for info on here and the info will be sent to you.

I was recently introduced to a new recovery program that I believe is very beneficial and I want to share it with others. I hope you too find it helpful.

In order to truely be set free from addiction(and yes, we all have addictions of some sort!) or hurts, hang-ups and habits we need to look at Gods word. It's about redemption not condemnation. It will lift us up and show us how to walk, step by step, finding healing and freedom from the pain of life's circumstances.

Taken from The Celebrate Recovery Program and Based on the Beatitudes(Founder John Baker/Foreword :Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church) comes EIGHT PRINCIPLES and the underlying TWELVE CHRIST CENTERED RECOVERY STEPS(that's been used for many years in recovery programs). These familiar 12 steps remain intact under the Celebrate Recovery model, however the vague language about a "Higher Power" gets specific, focusing in on the one and only true Higher Power, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The following principles that will be listed on here are based on the Beatitudes from Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5

[PW]

PRINCIPLE ONE: REALIZE I'M NOT GOD; I ADMIT THAT I AM POWERLESS TO CONTROL MY TENDENCY TO DO THE WRONG THING AND THAT MY LIFE IS UNMANAGEABLE.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matt 5:3


Amazing recovery journey starts here, where we admit that we are powerless to control our hurts, hangups and habits and that our lives have become unmanageable & out of control. First we must ask ourselves these 2 important questions.
1.Are we wearing a mask of denial?
2.Over what do we really have control?
Before we can make any progress we need to face our denial. As soon as we remove our mask, our recovery begins, or begins again!
Denial is serious. We cant heal our wounds, hurts, hangups and habits by pretending they're not there.
Here are some negative effects DENIAL has had on our lives.
D isables our feelings 2 Peter 2:19
E nergy drain Ps 146:7-8
N egates our growth Ps 107:13-14
I solates us from God Genesis 3:7-8
A lienates us from others Ephesians 4:25
L engthens our pain Jeremiah 30:17

As soon as we start working on this principle and admit that we're powerless, we begin to change. We see that our old ways of trying to control our hurts, hangups and habits didnt work. Our attempts were buried by our denial.
Now....Our lust for the power to control is rooted in our weaknesses, not in our strengths.We need to realize our human weaknesses and turn our lives over to God. Jesus knew this would be difficult. How difficult? (Matt 19:26) "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible"

Here is what happens when we admit we are POWERLESS.......we begin to let go of these 'serenity robbers'
P ride Proverbs 29:23
O only ifs Luke 12:2-3
W orrying Matthew 6:34
E scape Ephesians 5:13-14
R esentment Ephesians 4: 26-27
L oneliness Hebrews 13:1-2
E mptiness John 10:10
S elfishness Luke 17:33
S eparation Romans 8:38-39

The power to change comes only from God's grace. Once we admit we're powerless, we go on to recognize that we need a power greater than ourselves to restore us. That power is the one and only true Higher Power, Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 12:1 invites us, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us". This verse shows us 2 important things.
l. God has a unique plan for each of us, a good plan, not a life consumed with dependencies, addictions and obsessions.
2. We need to be WILLING to get rid of all the unnecessary baggage--our hurts, hangups and habits--in our lives that keep us stuck.

WORKING THRU THE 8 PRINCIPLES WILL ALLOW US TO DISCOVER GOD'S PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES.
The journey begins by taking the first step. The first step of the Christ centered 12 steps relates to Principle One. STEP ONE: WE ADMITTED WE WERE POWERLESS OVER OUR ADDICTIONS AND COMPULSIVE BEHAVIORS, THAT OUR LIVES HAD BECOME UNMANAGEABLE.


*****"I know that nothing good lives 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 7:18


Principle One Prayer: Dear God, your Word tells me that I cant heal my hurts, hangups and habits by denying they're there. Help me!!! There's things in my life that's out of control that I cannot fix myself. It seems that the harder I try to do the right thing the more I struggle. Lord, I want to step out of my denial into the truth. I pray for you to show me the way. Please help me. In your Son's name I pray. Amen.


CONTINUE TO STUDY THIS FIRST PRINCIPLE, ALONG WITH THE SCRIPTURES GIVEN. EARNESTLY GET INTO THESE SCRIPTURES AND LET GOD SPEAK. WRITE DOWN ON PAPER ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE BEEN IN DENIAL ABOUT. WHAT OR WHO HAVE YOU TRIED TO HAVE CONTROL OVER? WHAT ARE YOU NOW READY TO TURN OVER TO GOD? HOW DO YOU PLAN TO DO THIS?
DONT RUSH THROUGH THIS PROCESS..........TAKE YOUR TIME. IT WILL BE A FEW DAYS BEFORE WE MOVE TO THE NEXT PRINCIPLE. WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS THAT YOU WORK EACH ONE THOROUGHLY. TAKE TIME TO WRITE ALL OF YOUR THOUGHTS DOWN ON PAPER. THERE WILL BE A TIME THAT YOU WILL WANT TO GO BACK TO THOSE NOTES. WHEN YOU COME ACROSS SCRIPTURE THAT YOU KNOW GOD IS SPEAKING TO YOU THROUGH, WRITE IT DOWN AND WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU.
AS YOU DO THIS, GOD WILL BE WORKING IN YOUR LIFE. YOU WILL FEEL HIS PRESENCE. LOOK FOR HIS WORK IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE. THINGS THAT YOU WOULD NORMALLY HAVE THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN 'JUST A COINCIDENCE' YOU WILL NOW KNOW IS GOD WORKING. MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALONG THE JOURNEY!!!!!

THE JOH TEAM

[troubled soul]

I need someone to talk to on here that knows how it is to just be lonely. I'm clean now. I have been for several months. Its hard to stay away from old friends and those that I used to hang out with. I go to the Celebrate recovery meeting at eagle hights church in somerset and theyve helped me so much. my mom and dad go too. thats helped alot. they are understanding my problems more now and see that what ive done is in my past and are trying to ehlp me move on now too. I dont want to go back where i was, but sometimes i just need somebody to talk to and its hard for me to talk when we're in our groups. anybody else on here?

[PW]

I think its normal to be lonely after giving up the lifestyle that you were accustomed to being in......however, that doesnt make it any easier for you. I'm glad to see that you're going to the Celebrate Recovery meetings. Alot of people there dont know about this site, and those who do may not know how to get into it or get around in it. I'll be the first to say that it's not the most user friendly. The best thing to do is click on the 15 most recent posts. It even took me a while to learn how to get around in here. I suggest when you go to your next meeting, tell the group about this site and suggest more people use it. I personally like being able to get on here, especially when I have insomnia, or need someone to pray with me about an issue. I want you to know, that right now, I am gonna say a prayer for you that God will lift you up and give you peace. Stay on the path you're on, stay in the word and He will guide you in the way you should go. Dont allow satan to get you off the path that God has made for you. God Bless.