GREENE STREET LETTERS: Mountains Of Destruction

Friday, May 25, 2018

Mountains Of Destruction

Lamentations 5:15-17
Joy has left our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning. The garlands have fallen from our heads. Weep for us because we have sinned. Our hearts are sick and weary, and our eyes grow dim with tears.

One of the hallmarks of a life of addiction is the destruction that happens.
Homes are destroyed....
Families ripped apart....
Finances thrown to the wind....
Day after day the pain grows, which only causes the one trapped to go back into the darkness to find relief.

With each trip comes more destruction that is added to the heap.
Herein lies the insanity of such a life.
Knowing full well the consequences of our bad choices....
Knowing the pain we're causing our loved ones....
We still choose the high.

The picture I chose for today's posting should be a symbol for this destruction I've written about. In most cases there is so much that we have brought on ourselves that we don't know where to start to clean up the mess. The process of recovery becomes such a mountain that we deem it impossible to climb over, or even deal with.

We will "Play" at recovery....
We will go to treatment....
We will say all the right things...
We will make all the usual promises....
But we are clueless as to the "how" of cleaning up our mess.
Change begins with the simplest of things that we've thought about, but never really committed to.
"The Desire To Stop Using".
When I become sick and tired of being sick and tired....
Then I will begin the process of digging out of this mess.
When my hatred for the destruction I've brought about is stronger than my fear of change...then I will rise up.
When I awake to the reality and the truth that I alone am responsible for this destruction, I will look for a POWER greater than me that will lead me out of this bondage.

POWER has a name...
That name would be Jesus.
Look to Him today and admit your weakness.
Walk up to the piles of destruction you've created and grab one board.
Throw it on the garbage heap and move to the next board doing the same.
Little by little...
Board by board, that which you thought was a mountain will be reduced.
Food for thought today...
I will be continuing this teaching tomorrow night at Vineyard ReCovery.
Hope to see you there.

God on you...
mbb

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Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Friday, May 25, 2018

Mountains Of Destruction

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD