Summer Furlough

{Jamie is a former CR participant at MRCC, and is now a missionary that lives in Rwanda.}

              After living in Rwanda for one year, I was writing on my personal blog about what it is like coming "home" to a familiar place, but not quite feeling like I fit. There are many new pop culture things, advances in technology and new songs on the radio that remind me that Kigali isn't really home and Oklahoma City isn't really home either. "This world is not my home."

I was surprised to hear two new Christian songs talking specifically about forgiveness. It reminded me of step 9, "We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others."

One song says, "Lord, it doesn't feel right for me to turn a blind eye. But I guess it's not that much when I think of what You have done...Oh, Father, give me grace to forgive them Cause I feel like I'm the one losing." (Losing by Tenth Avenue North)

The second song says, "It’ll clear the bitterness away, It can even set a prisoner free, There is no end to what it’s power can do. So, let it go and be amazed. By what you see through eyes of grace. The prisoner that it really frees is you." (Forgiveness by Matthew West)

(I love that the steps are so integrated into my everyday thinking.)

But honestly, reflect on the words of those songs. I live in a country who went through a massive genocide and 18 years later they are focused on forgiveness and can work side by side. My friend has started a fish farm in the community that her family was killed in. I was out with her one day watching the workers move huge rocks from one place to the other and she shared, "some of these people were killers. Some of these people killed my family." I asked her how she does it, how can one come to that level of forgiveness to employ people who have killed another human and some who were her family. She looked me in the eye and said, "It is only by the grace of God. I have to forgive them, because if I can't then God can't forgive me."

I don't want to be a prisoner trapped in my own un-forgiveness. I want the freedom in Christ Jesus that He offers to anyone who comes.

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24

Umwizera ishimwe,  (Grateful Believer)

Jamie

A Cure for the Summertime Blues

I'm warning you right now: you're going to think I'm crazy.  You know that thing that some people have: Seasonal Affective Disorder that usually means winter depression? Well, I have that, but mine is in the summer instead of the winter. No, I'm serious. It's a real thing.  For me, it seems fitting that summer rhymes with "bummer."

I know it's crazy because summer's full of fun and frolic. Everyone is excited to go on vacation, spend family time at picnics, take outings to the water park.

But as the temperature rises outside, I feel a dark cloud inching over my mood. I usually forget it's coming. Sometime towards the end of May, I'll feel the darkness moving in and think, "Hey, what's the deal? I've been pretty depressed lately." And then I remember.

I'm a grateful believer in Jesus who struggles with overeating, in addition to depression. So, summer also seems like a minefield of food to avoid, like frozen yogurt, and popsicles, and home-made ice cream, and . . .mmm . . . oh, sorry - I'm triggering myself.

But, like a pitcher of (sugar-free) lemonade on a scorching day, one summer event completely refreshes me: the C.R. Summit. Every year a group from our Celebrate Recovery travels to Orange County, California to attend this national C.R. conference. We attend trainings and sessions to explore how to lead and grow our Celebrate Recovery program. In past years, we have enjoyed lessons from well-known authors John Townsend and Henry Cloud (who wrote the ground-breaking book, Boundaries).  But the most energizing thing about the C.R. Summit is that I am in a large room, surrounded by people who have chosen to take off their masks. They GET IT!

 

Recovery folks know how to worship! If you've had the chance to visit us and see how happy we are to be out of denial and into God's Grace, you know what I mean. Worship at the C.R. Summit is like that, but with 1,900 additional, happy people!

So, I will get through the difficult summer days with the thought, "The Summit is coming! The Summit is coming!"  We promise to listen carefully, and pour our renewed enthusiasm back into our program. Next year, why don't you come with us?!

Grateful Believer,
Angi

Summer FUN

Nothing says Summer FUN like CR Training!!! For the past three summers our CR group has hosted an Area-Wide Leadership Training for Celebrate Recovery programs, and this Sunday we’re doing that again.  I really wasn’t kidding about the fun part and to prove it, I’ve turned FUN into an acrostic!!!

Training is FUN!

F stands for Free.  Our trainings are free and come with FREE childcare as well!  (That’s one reason I attend! haha kidding.) Even if you’ve been to numerous trainings before it never hurts to attend training again over the same subject – different trainers may explain something you haven’t heard before. This Sunday our topics will be focused on CR Leadership.

U stands for Understanding.  You gain understanding about our CR program and why “we do what we do” each and every time you attend trainings.  The basic principles of CR never change, but practices might.  What does that mean?  An example would be our TEAM learned at CR Summit (National Training) that it was recommended that each sharer in an open share group only share ONE TIME during the group meeting.  The TEAM came back and implemented that into our Friday night meetings.

N stands for Needed.  Okay I stretched the letter N on this one to Needed if you want to Lead!  Training is needed (meaning required) if you ever want to LEAD in our CR program.  We feel like we have well trained leaders that work hard to insure the safety of our groups.    We do keep track of who attends training so we are aware when participants have met the requirements to lead.

This Sunday from 3-6 we will be hosting our 4^th annual area-wide training session.  We will meet in the Summit in the same room we’ve been meeting in each Friday night this Summer.  There are over 30 visitors coming so we need a GREAT showing from our group as well, call a friend and ask them to come with you!  Beat the HOT SUMMER HEAT and come enjoy our FREE air-conditioned training!! ; )  You’re bound to have a FUN time!

Grateful Believer,

Karyn

Summer Church Camp

This summer I got the chance to go to church camp and be a counselor!

Growing up I loved church camp until the 9th grade when I had a bad experience with a counselor and never went back. It was interesting being at back at church camp with so many kids and adults in one place with recovery eyes this time.

I have had many "light bulb moments" since I began my recovery journey almost 4 years ago, but one of the biggest one's is that "Hurt people, Hurt people!" Since learning and understanding that statement I feel like I am able to have more compassion, be less judgmental, and even almost sense the hurt in others. I have never been to a church camp that did not have some drama or some hurt people in attendance, and the week I went to camp this summer was no exception.

Many times I sat back and felt like I was watching myself back in high school.  Before my recovery, I would have been a hard-nosed by the book counselor (or as a camper I would want to be "right" more than I wanted to go back to camp).  I would not have cared why people were breaking the rules, what their background was, or honestly what hurts they had in their lives. I would just want to hand out the punishments.

Recovery has caused me  to react slower to people and their actions and has opened my heart that other people's life journeys have peaks and pits just like mine. Even with my own kids now I feel like when they are acting out or doing something to get in trouble, my first reaction a lot of times is now to ask them what is going on or what happened in their day instead of handing out punishments. When I have the whole story it helps me set consequences and are usually more effective. I know that in my life I have hurt a lot of people out of my own hurt and to be honest at the time I did not know that I was doing that. Celebrate Recovery has helped me be honest about those hurts for the first time because I was able to share them free of judgment, which has made it easier to be honest about the hurt I have caused others. When I was able to be honest about the things I have said and done to hurt others, it made it easier for me to become more compassionate and less judgmental of others on their rough days in life.

Someone once told me "I sure hope no one remembers me for the worst things I have ever done!" I have made it a goal to not do that with others. I can't say it is always easy but one thing I have learned is that EVERYONE has hurts in their life and everyone has to have their own journey. My focus should be to "take this sinful world as it is not as I would have it and trust that he will make all things right if I surrender to his will!"  When I am able to do that I will "be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next."

Grateful Believer,
JEN

Summer Break = Mission Trip!!!

For many of us, summer break brings memories of beach vacations, mountain retreats, or time spent watching kids running through sprinklers in the back yard. But this year six members of Celebrate Recovery at Memorial Road  get to have even more fun working with a new Celebrate Recovery in Honduras.

Last year, after our summer mission trip where we trained leaders, the church in Catacamas, in cooperation with the Predisan mission, founded the first ever Celebrate Recovery program in Honduras. 

Thanks to the contributions of Celebrate Recovery participants and anonymous Memorial Road contributors, this year we'll again spend 9 days working with this new Celebrate Recovery ministry at the church in Catacamas, Honduras.  Sheldon, Christi, Daniel, Cole, Andrew and I will spend our days working with Celebrate Recovery leaders and doing maintenance on the ROPES course at the CEREPA addiction treatment facility. We'll share our testimonies, attend Celebrate Recovery meetings, and train new leaders. 

While there are no beaches or sprinklers in Catacamas, the mountains are beautiful. The work is long and challenging, but this "vacation" is a time of spiritual renewal for everyone who goes. We come back physically tired, but spiritually energized. Thank you so much for your support. We covet your prayers!

Grateful Believer,

Dan

Summer 1990

When I was a teenager, I had a terrible car wreck. I felt so guilty about the circumstances, and the consequences to other people from my actions, that I didn’t tell the whole truth leading to a lot of feelings of shame and guilt.

How could they ever forgive me?

I apologized to the one most injured and her parents at the time, but I did not confess the whole story.  Fast forward to 2 ½ years after learning of Celebrate Recovery and I had the opportunity to speak to each member of her family and apologize again, but this time I told them the truth of what had happened that night.  They were so full of grace.  Every one of them chose to forgive me.  Her brother even told me that their family grew closer through that season and that the wreck in no way was all negative for their family.  I don’t know all the positives, I would never have asked, but they all forgave me.  As for my friend, she just wanted to be sure that I was getting help and ask that I continue to seek that help until I no longer struggle with the choices I made that night. 

Celebrate Recovery started out as a triage for my sin and has grown into a desire to grow spiritually.   In Philippians 1:9, Paul writes that he is praying for the people of Philippi that their love would abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.  There is a fellowship here at Celebrate Recovery.  People show up.  We can share our problems so others can come along and build us up.  The people of CR do life together.  I am a work in progress.  I’ve been very slow to get in the game.  I’m starting to understand it more.  My desire to increase the time I spend with God is changing me.  Before CR, I never, never, never considered being honest about that night.  Why would I tell anyone the truth behind my devastating choices?  I did that because principle 6 tells me to make amends for the harm I have done to others (Matthew 5:7-9).  I had already been forgiven, but what good is asking for forgiveness if the whole truth isn’t out there?  My friend’s entire family knows the truth now.  I am so grateful to my sponsor, therapist, accountability partners and YOU.  The people who are there every Friday night, so that I can continue to learn that we are all hurting, but there are more perspectives and lots of growth and all I have to do is come back and be willing.

I am thankful for all I’ve learned since that difficult summer of 1990 to now, the summer of 2012... God is good!

Grateful Believer,
Jennifer

I love Summer Break!!!

These are a few reasons I love summer break…

My kids are out of school.

One word – vacation!

We don’t go to bed on time.

We swim a lot. 

We are outside a lot more.

Snow cones!!!

There is less stress!

Our schedule isn’t jam-packed.

There are fewer rules.

We get a BREAK…hence the name, Summer Break! ; )

Even though I love the carefree feeling of summer I have to remind myself that my recovery can’t take a break - no matter the season!  I have to remember that.   Taking one Friday night off occasional is okay, taking 8 weeks off probably wouldn’t be the best choice for me and my recovery walk right now!  I can’t do this on my own, and even though I work hard to follow the principles myself – I need the accountability from coming each week.  I need the friendships.  I need open share groups.  I need to meet new people, share my story, and give back to the program.    I can’t take a break from that.  

I’m reminded of…

Step 3 - Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.

It doesn’t say, “Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control when it’s convenient, and as long as it doesn’t interfere with my summer plans.”  This is for KEEPS!!  I NEVER want to go back to the person I was before recovery, and I can’t take a BREAK from continually working to be the woman Christ intended me to be!

Grateful Believer,

Karyn

The Dog Days of Summer

{Our new CR blog summer series is entitled The Dog Days of Summer.  We will be talking about summer outings/events/things in our lives that were “us in the past” and now, because of Jesus (and recovery), what we do instead of those things OR topics like “recovery doesn’t take a summer break”!  Should be a great RECOVERY focused Summer!  Stay tuned.}

Hello, I am a grateful believer in Jesus Christ that struggles with dipping and gambling, my name is Travis. 

When I was in college I would come to OKC every summer to play in a wood bat baseball league.  I would often stay with my friend from high school, girlfriend, or just some random person on the baseball team.  My Christian walk was not even established yet so I did not attend church on Sundays because I was playing baseball every Sunday. 

I worked for the state of Oklahoma as a construction worker and would often have to miss work because of baseball games.  My commitment to baseball during the summers was the only thing that I wanted to do.  I made sure that I was at every game and every practice.  I think back on this time in my life to wonder what was missing.  Who and what did I faith in? What would I sacrifice to play baseball? 

Now as a leader in Celebrate Recovery, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, and a guy striving to be more like God and His son I have the same attitude towards Church and Friday night attendance.  I now am chasing the ultimate prize of one day being in Heaven by following God. 

I know there are times where I would like to miss a church service on Sundays because of a baseball tournament for my kids.  My kids have games and tournaments on Friday nights as well, however I miss those because I feel that I need to be at Celebrate Recovery for me on Friday nights.  My Recovery does not take a Friday off.  My recovery does not have a rain out.  I have to continue to make a effort in my recovery to ensure that I am drawing closer to God. 

I encourage you through this blog to come on Friday nights.  Make God a priority just as you have made something else a priority in your past.  God will continue to present opportunities in your life to draw close to him.  The question is are you going to take it.  Dog days of Summer are upon us, what will you decide to do?

Grateful Believer,

Travis