I celebrate…THE JOURNEY

A journey is defined as traveling from one place to another while typically taking a long period of time.  Life’s tough.   Three years and seven months ago I made the decision that life wasn’t worth living and chose to end it.  God had a different plan, so instead of leaving this earth that April day, I slowly started getting help that, honestly, I did not want.  I was physically alive, but I was emotionally and spiritually dead.  It’s still a struggle, but it no longer consumes me.

Within about a month of that day I walked into a counselor’s office as a way to get out of group therapy and this crazy therapist told me he could help me.  At first I really didn’t care if he could help or couldn’t, I just didn’t want to go to group therapy and endure the stories I heard there all day long!  About 6 weeks or so later he suggested Celebrate Recovery which I found to be a bit weird, but by this point I trusted the guy a little.  People introduced themselves IN CHURCH with a huge amount of honesty.  These folks were real people.  They weren’t “church people” they were God’s people. 

I couldn’t bring myself to talk too much.  I made one contact.  After a few months I had two.  It was well over a year before I ate dinner there and close to two years before I stayed for Common Grounds.  Certain aspects of the program have proven to be too much for me, but that was okay!  It’s my walk.  I don’t have to do it exactly “right.”  I can keep moving though.  When I learned through trying that something didn’t work for me, I found something else that did.  I had people there to remind me that it’s okay to take care of me.  I don’t have to throw in the towel just because the towel gets dirty.  It turns out there is someone that can clean me up!  His name is Jesus and He turned me from a suicidal mental disaster into a still-struggling person with a list of progress that I could have never accomplished on my own.  This road I am traveling is long and seems to be extremely bumpy.  I can celebrate the successes though.

I’m not going alone; I have the help of people to come with me.  We can chart the course a little differently when it is necessary, but the desired direction does not change.  The goal is to move closer to God.  I was finally able to finish my step study one on one with my sponsor.  Due to extenuating circumstances it took me 3 ½ years, but I am so glad to have done it.  One more step along the path.  Ephesians 3:20-21 says, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

Today I am not consumed with thoughts of suicide.  My PTSD symptoms are less severe.  Knowing my own limitations has proven invaluable. My ability to communicate my real feelings with people has improved considerably.  I celebrate the journey, because it’s the journey that God put before me to grow in love with the support of people He placed along the way.  It is immeasurably more than I could have ask or imagined.

 Grateful Believer,

Jennifer

I celebrate ______________

My name is Nate. I am a grateful believer in Jesus Christ and I celebrate CONTINUED GROWTH.

It feels like I’ve been in recovery for a long time… it’s been five and a half years to be exact. In a lot of ways it feels like I should have a Master’s Degree in recovery by now. I’ve been through Advanced Leadership Training 2 or 3 times, to the Celebrate Recovery Summit in California 2 times, served as TEAM Trainer and now serve as the TEAM Assimilation Coach, whatever that means. I’ve been a part of 4 Step-Studies and even “included outside counseling when I was ready.”

It’s been a good journey. But… for someone who struggles with spiritual pride, (meaning I often believe that I’ve got this ‘Christian-thing’ figured out) life can get discouraging when I feel like I’ve got all the head-knowledge and insight I need, but still struggle to make it all come together when it’s time to put that knowledge into action.

That’s why I’m celebrating CONTINUED GROWTH.

I recently joined my 5^th Step Study…and even though we are only 4 short lessons into the Steps, I am already amazed and excited about what God is teaching me. I just ‘thought’ I had it all figure out.  It has been a true blessing to see how God is continuing to use the ‘same-old-questions’ from the Step Study Participants Guides to teach me more about myself than I had ever been willing to see.

I am so grateful that God knows me better than I know myself and that he continues to ‘Peel the Onion’ of my hurts hang-ups and habits despite my prideful attitudes and beliefs.

Ephesians 1:17

 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Grateful Believer,

Nate

I Celebrate….being a NEW creation!

Tell me once again who I am to You, that I belong to You . . . 

A song that has been touching my heart lately is "Remind Me Who I Am" by Jason Gray.  One of the great things I have learned through Celebrate Recovery is that I am no longer the person I used to be.  Jesus says I am a new creation!  Where the world has labeled me, criticized me, and condemned me . . . Jesus has loved me, accepted me, and changed me!

The world calls us, "addict," "alcoholic," "co-dependent," "victim," etc. . . Jesus calls us, "children," "beloved," "chosen people."

The world tells us we are guilty . . . Jesus tells us we are forgiven!

The world tells us to get even, hold grudges, and refuse to forgive . . . Jesus tells us that He will help us to forgive others.

The world says, "You're gonna pay for that!" . . . Jesus says, "I already did."

The world looks at us with hatred, contempt, and condemnation . . . Jesus looks at us with love, grace, and compassion.

Too often we can get caught up in how the world sees us and what the world tells us.  If we have turned our lives and wills over to God, all we need to be concerned with is how He sees us and what He tells us!

~Fellow Grateful Believer

(Borrowed from the Heartland Vineyard Celebrate Recovery blog)

I Celebrate ……BEING WORTHY!

For many years of my life I did not feel like I was worthy to serve God.  I did not feel that I could do anything right in God’s eyes.  I felt like I was a sinner that didn’t know anything about the bible.  I felt like I was just a guy that went to church and could never say a prayer, read scripture, or teach a lesson.   I was not born with a bible in my hand, and didn't feel worthy because I didn't grow up in the church.

Today I am here, and I'm WORTHY!  Through the principles and steps of Celebrate Recovery I feel worthy to serve God.  I now feel that God has offered me grace and forgiveness over my unworthiness.  I feel that He has given me trials in my life to lead me to become the person I am today.  Today I look forward to saying a prayer, reading scripture, and teaching a lesson. 

Last week I was honored to go into a college classroom and speak about Celebrate Recovery in front of 32 college students.  I felt worthy to do this.  I feel like God has prepared me to be a minister and serve Him in this way. 

Worthiness only comes from God.  I truly believe that God has delivered me from the past and will continue to lead me in the future.  I now realize that I don’t have to know everything in the bible and I don’t have to know everything about life.  All I have to do is look towards God and he will get me through. 

So, do you feel worthy to serve our God?

Grateful Believer,

Travis

I Celebrate... BALANCE!

Before recovery, I was a person of extremes! My eating habits, my control issues, my spending habits, and most of all my emotions were all over the place. I was either being restrictive and extremely strict or I was indulging and out of control. When something bad happened, it was truly like the end of the world. If someone hurt me, I just completely cut them out of my life. In a few years, I found myself alone. I wanted to live in a black and white world.  I have just recently been able to admit that I felt more comfortable in chaos then when things seemed to be going good. I could not enjoy life when it was good because then I was just in constant anticipation of what bad was coming next. Living in this constant turmoil not only had an effect on my relationships but it also took its toll on my health.

Since I began seeing a counselor almost 9 years ago and then attending Celebrate Recovery now for 4 years this September, I feel like I become more balanced in all areas of life. I am able to truly experience happiness without anxiety. I am a much more present mom physically and emotionally. I am more patient in all areas of my life. I do not feel like I am on the defensive and being attacked personally whenever there is a form of conflict in my life. I am able to truly listen to someone without the intent of fixing or advising.  I have become more comfortable with the gray areas that life truly resides in. My perfectionism is something I feel I will always struggle with but now I see it as a warning sign when it comes up. When I notice I am participating in perfectionistic tendencies I ask myself  "What am I really trying to control?" I think there are many things that have helped me to have more emotional balance. I think my sponsor, my accountability partners, attending CR, and my quiet time each day with God have helped me keep my frame of reality in check and switch my thinking in extremes (ALWAYS, NEVER, EVER) to a one-day-at-a-time mentality. So with that said, today I celebrate.... BALANCE!

 

Grateful Believer,

Jen