"I'll Take Over Now"

"If I follow the Bible, I don't really need to work the Twelve Steps!"

I haven't heard a lot of people in recovery say this, but I sure have seen a lot of them approach their recovery in this manner. 
"I don't like those meetings"
"I'm different than most so the Steps really wouldn't work for me"
Well, since "self-run-riot" is our biggest problem that lead us down the dark path of addiction, why all of a sudden does self get to call the shots? Seems to me like we've started the right way by admitting we were powerless...that we were the problem. Guess what? You cannot be the problem and the solution to your addiction.

We use to have a saying at Rapha that applied to such twisted thinking.
"Jesus will save your soul....but He isn't going to keep you sober."
In other words, Jesus is the answer......the power....the solution to your addiction, but there are disciplines given by Him that will aid you to stay on the right path in your relationship with Him.

Working the 12 Steps is following the Bible. It is a path through the Bible designed specifically for those who use to have a problem but whose problem now has them. It is a path of hope, healing, and restoration based on God's truth that will totally change the way you think  (Life Recovery Bible / Pg. A12)

I've seen too many folks who tried to run their recovery the way they wanted to. I've buried a lot of those same people. I think maybe the Apostle Paul stated it best:
Romans 12:2 /  Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Did you catch that?  Quit acting like the world does. God will change your heart which will, in turn, change the way you think. From this place, you'll see and understand what God's desire is for you. And the behaviors that come from you as you work the steps will be good..........pleasing........perfect.
Now I've got a problem with all of this.
Either it's true...........
Or it's not....
If it's not true, then lets all just quit kidding ourselves and meet at the Waffle House for some coffee and hash browns.
Me?
I believe it too be true.

God on you...
mbb

THE ONE

There is a truth that we sometimes lose sight of. A truth that is central to the good news that Christ is the answer for everything we are struggling with. In an age of mass media.....huge meetings....flashy presentations of the Gospel...it still is about "the one".

The one whose heart is breaking...
The one who sits among a crowd, yet feels totally alone.
The one who mind tells them that they are so worthless that ever Christ would have nothing to do with them.

I love to watch a crusade on TV and see crowds stream to the front to be saved. I mean..come on....what heart would not be stirred by such a sight. But deep in me, there is a thrill and a joy that comes when "the one" has the light of the Holy Spirit shinned into their heart and they see Christ as the answer to all their questions.

Last night as I drove out to Rapha for our Tuesday night Bible study, I was wondering who would show up. There had been a turn over in staff and clients to the point that there were a lot of new folks.
I made my way into the chapel, and waited.
One person showed up.
I introduced myself, he sat down and we began.

II Corinthians 3:18 --  We are being changed moment by moment by the work of the Holy Spirit. The old character is being redefined as old ways,thought and behaviors are being taken out, to be replaced by the fruit of the Spirit ( love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control).

Why would God come at us in this manner? So that we may become more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image. I could hear the wheels turning in the guy's head as we talked and shared with each other. He had questions. Good questions. Questions that revealed he was serious about his new found relationship with Jesus.

As we finished, he asked for prayer, laying out the situation that faced him. Truth be known, a situation that has no answer other than the intervention of Christ. There in that chapel, the two of us went before our creator and laid out our inability to exact any change at all. Recognizing God as the only source of power who could help, we asked for His presence and plan to attack the problems.

As we walked out of the chapel, the young man commented how  much he loved the study. He said that he felt bad for me that he was the only one to show up for the study, but was glad in a way that it had turned out the way it did. "It was kind of neat just being the only one there with you," he said. I agreed with him.

As I got in my car to head home, I thanked God for "The one".
This evening had been for "the one".
Maybe that scripture about the one lost sheep is really true.
God will leave the 99 to go after the one.

God on you..
mbb

Dark Days

The phone calls....emails.....text messages came rolling in yesterday. One after another until they began to stack up.
"Can you please pray for us!"
We are facing  (insert condition, circumstance, situation) and we don't know what to do. There were calls for healing....calls for restoration of family issues...calls for fear of returning to their addiction.....calls to simply say, "I have no faith anymore that God even cares." Then there was one that simply said, "I don't know what to do...I don't know where to turn."

Sometimes I think that is my problem....I don't know what to do. Such thoughts as those come from the foolishness of my own mind, thinking that I could actually somehow do anything to alleviate their pain and suffering.
Maybe it isn't about what I can do, as much as it is about who am I going to turn to.
Who are we going to cry out to when the pain gets to bad?
Who are we really trusting to see us through these dark times?
I think all of us are born with a unrealistic view of who God is and what He will do. He is not the "GREAT FIXER" of my messed up life. Although capable of making all problems disappear, He is more prone to guide us through the darkness. Why would He choose this route? So that we may grow in Him.

Believe you me, taking that journey doesn't lessen the pain, and I still want to cut and run, but the truth is..........I learn, see, and understand better when I do face my pain and suffering. I guess the greatest lesson is that I see the love of the Father, and exactly how far He will go to reveal Himself.

One of the verses that I turn too when life seems to be a coming at me wave after wave, beating and bashing me emotionally, physically and spiritually, is found in II Corinthians 4:7-10

We now have this light (the Holy Spirit living inside us) shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but now driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.
We find the kicker in Verse 16-18......

That is why we never give up, though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are SMALL and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Whatever situation you may be facing today...you have not been abandoned.
You are not alone....
Turn to God.
There is nobody else who will help you.

God on you...
mbb

Ramblings On A Monday Morning

Even though our calendar says that today is the 2nd day of the new week, I always think of Monday as the first day.
First day back to work.
First day back in class.
Monday seems like the first day of the week.
The day of new beginnings.
We have a chance to make good on this week.
To do the things we should do.
To carry out the duties and call that God has placed on every believer.
A day of new beginnings.
What happened last week doesn't matter, in the sense that through repentance, confession and prayer........receiving God's forgiveness, we can stand here on Monday with a clean slate.

Psalm 5:8 reads:
Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me.
Tell me clearly what to do, and show me which way to turn.
We tend to forget that these words were written by a King............David to be exact.
Even as King, David sought the Lord for direction.
We tend to want to use God as our "get out of jail free" card. "Hey God! I'll take it from here, but you remain on standby in case I get in trouble, then you can bail me out." How wrong could we be?
Every move.....
Every decision....
Every goal...
Every destination should be the result of consultation with God and following his directive.
Now, let's not make this "hearing God" so difficult. We want this "hearing God" to be so mystical and beyond our reach that we have an excuse for not getting life right. Trouble is, God made it very clear when Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and know me." 
Learn to listen.
Then follow.
Go out and make Monday a great day.
Make it a "God" day.

God on you...........
mb


Even though our calender says that today is the 2nd day of the new week, I always think of Monday as the first day.
First day back to work.
First day back in class.
Monday seems like the first day of the week.
The day of new beginnings.
We have a chance to make good on this week.
To do the things we should do.
To carry out the duties and call that God has placed on every believer.
A day of new beginnings.
What happened last week doesn't matter, in the sense that through repentance, confession and prayer........receiving God's forgiveness, we can stand here on Monday with a clean slate.

Psalm 5:8 reads:
Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me.
Tell me clearly what to do, and show me which way to turn.
We tend to forget that these words were written by a King............David to be exact.
Even as King, David sought the Lord for direction.
We tend to want to use God as our "get out of jail free" card. "Hey God! I'll take it from here, but you remain on standby in case I get in trouble, then you can bail me out." How wrong could we be?
Every move.....
Every decision....
Every goal...
Every destination should be the result of consultation with God and following his directive.
Now, let's not make this "hearing God" so difficult. We want this "hearing God" to be so mystical and beyond our reach that we have an excuse for not getting life right. Trouble is, God made it very clear when Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and know me." 
Learn to listen.
Then follow.
Go out and make Monday a great day.
Make it a "God" day.

God on you...........
mbb

I Will Take Care Of You

"I Will Take Care Of You"

The heart of every promise God has given to us...
His care...
His Grace...
His mercy...
Will be the driving power behind His plans for us.

Not to control us...

But to simply guide us daily as we move through this thing

we call life.

We like to think of being taken care of as someone

doing everything for us.

Keeping pain away...
Not letting any "want" we have go unnoticed.
But with God...
Taking care of us involves teaching us...
Teaching us how to live life.

I don't know if you've noticed lately or not,

but life is messy...
Life is painful...
Life has disappointments...
And here is the real kicker...
"Life isn't fair!"

Oh we want "fair" don't we.
Fair carries with it the ideal of me getting my way.

Getting what I want...

Sometimes at the expense of others.

The only fairness we'll find is once we cross over

into the presence of Christ.
For some, this fairness will be welcomed.
For those who have chosen to live life outside of

Jesus' will....
Well, not so much.
But there will be fairness for everyone.
I think Jesus said this in Scripture.

"I am returning to give every person their reward"...

He is going to exact judgment and each person

will receive what they have earned because of the 

choices they made.

Today might be a good time to really take a look at our life.
To stop and ponder for a moment, "What kind of reward would I receive?"

DO so with a realistic view.
It's not about how good you've been...
It's not about how religious you've been...
It's simply a question we all must answer.

"What Did I Do With Jesus?"

Did I receive the salvation He offered to me?
Did I truly make Him my Lord and Savior?
Or did I simply pretend that I received His salvation?
Food for thought

here on this Friday morning.

Until tomorrow..
God On You

mbb

Small Groups And The Healing That Comes With Them

Ten people seated around the table....
Small talk, laughter and the phrase "I'm glad to be here" was spoken by more than one.
The meeting started and "How it works" was read. In fact this is the way the meeting starts each week.
I've heard this part of the Big Book more time than I can count, but each time it is read, I hear something new.

The first person begins by introducing themselves..."Hello, my name is......"
They begin to share the events and struggles they are dealing with.
As the talk and introductions move around the table, you get a clear picture that everyone is in a battle. A battle that is more than sobriety but for life itself. OH some of the battles are ongoing and like me, some may even be self-inflicted. But a battle none the less.

A young man shares that for the first time in his life, he is finding life and enjoyment from attending church. Like most of us, he was forced to go when he was a kid. This left a bitter taste in him, so that as he grew older the lure of the world was more powerful. Drugs entered the picture and you know the rest of the story.

Another shares his week as dealing with impatience and anger. Of course such emotions as these has to be released. Such emotions as these always has to have a target to be directed toward. In this case, it was family. They received the brunt of the anger. Fault never rested with this person, but always at the target...they were the ones responsible.

Me? My lesson that I'm having to learn is to not be controlling. Getting read to leave last week, I was in a hurry to pack the car. Vicki was doing her best to get everything ready, but as she worked, I kept coming to her asking..."Is the ready? Are these bags done?" over and over. I hurrying her when I should not have. She became frustrated by my incessant questioning. The sad part in all of this, I didn't even realize that I was acting in this manner. Finally she stopped and I saw it in her eyes, as they filled with tears. "I can't do this! I knew then it was me and my attitude. Apologizing, we started over in our packing ritual.

As our vacation progressed and it was time to leave, I remembered this incident, and made it my aim to take it slow and not get upset over any packing issues. TO be honest with you, our departure went smoothly, Vicki was not pressured to make sure we had taken care of the condo we'd rented. Here's the kicker....we got out thirty minutes ahead of schedule. Me.....I simply refused to control or frustrate the entire process by my anxiousness. Lesson learned.

The sharing went around the table until we had completed the circle. We stood and locked arms.....shared a prayer for each other and the coming day.
One might think that such an exercise as talking about your daily struggle would be futile and silly, but there is healing in such a thing.

Bottom line is the sharing is not for anyone to have a pity party and see who can out-be-miserable than the next person. It is meant for us to find healing from God through the confession. To maybe see our struggle in a new light so that we can step back and let God do His work. After all..."He does for me what I could not do for myself".

So here's the real deal, bottom line of today's posting.
If you attend a recovery group and they offer small groups (like Celebrate Recovery does) take advantage of them and attend. Become a part of a small group. You won't regret it.

God on you...
mbb

We Are Either Building Up......Or Tearing Down

............You know full well the tragedy of our city. It lies in ruins and its gates are burned . Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and rid ourselves of this disgrace."  
                                                                                                          Nehemiah 2:17

Walls were the pride of a city back in the time of Nehemiah. They reflected the prosperity and protection of that city to all who traveled or lived there. There was safety behind the walls and you didn't have to live in fear of your enemies. At this point in the book of Nehemiah, the walls of Jerusalem have been destroyed. Great breaches have been carved out in the walls, which allowed their enemies access to the wealth of Jerusalem. The gates of the city had been burned and torn down so that there was no stopping whoever wanted to enter. It was a dark and dismal time. But God spoke to man, Nehemiah, and gave him the command to go back and rebuild the walls and gates. Nehemiah was a slave. 

I like this particular book, and it relates well to recovery and the Twelve steps. God spoke to Nehemiah in the middle of his being a slave. Away from family and friends, Nehemiah was given a mandate to do the seemingly impossible.....rebuild the walls.
The mandate to pursue rebuilding our lives from the destruction of drugs and alcohol always begins right in the middle of all the turmoil and spiritual darkness. We have a million reasons why we can't do this....but God has one as to why we can. He has called us.

Like Jerusalem, the walls of protection around our lives have been torn down. WE have opened ourselves up to the enemy...a.k.a the Devil...and he takes full advantage of it. Coming and going as he pleases, he loots and ransacks our life and leaves us broken, bleeding and helpless. What do we do? We seek only to get high to stop the pain. The pain may stop, but the madness continues. God has provided a Power (Jesus) and a plan (Scripture and Twelve Steps) to help us recover. 

For Nehemiah, it wasn't an easy task. It seemed that everyone was against him. He had a group of people that sought to stop him at every turn. It got so bad that Nehemiah had to work with tools in one hand and a sword in the other to ward off the attacks. There were accusations against Nehemiah and the work he was doing. There 


Recovery is no easy task either. Notice I said it wasn't easy...I never said it was impossible. It requires that you surround yourself with other people who are rebuilding walls and gates.
It requries commitment. I've heard it said that there only two times when you should go to a meeting (A.A. or C.R.) 1.) When you want to...and (2) when you don't want to. 

When we set out to take this new journey of recovery, we will face the pain and suffering of our past. We will need the "joy of the Lord" to give us strength. This joy comes from recognizing, even celebrating God's ability to bring us out of bondage and care for us as we pass through the sadness toward a new way of life. (Life Recovery Bible...page 595)

let's rebuild....
let's rebuild today.....

God on you....
mb