Celebrate Recovery | What is it?

In September I completed a 12-Step program that I started in January. I also finished a year-long counseling program in July. It's been a hell of a year and I have been trying hard to work on testimonies to share. I always seem to have several stories in one and it's hard for me to break them apart. (Pray for me there.)

Each of us has a hurt, hang-up, or habit. Usually, getting through one, only reveals another that we need to work through. I can't say enough about either of the programs that I've been in. The good news is the 12-step study has started again and you can join. Here is some information below.

What is Celebrate Recovery? You’ve probably heard of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. These are both 12-step programs that deal with the single type of addiction in their name. '12-step' is exactly as it sounds, 12-steps that each program is built on to provide the participant with healing as they walk through each step. The steps are similar in nature for most of the programs. 

Celebrate Recovery is a Biblical based program that not only includes the 12-steps but also the healing power of God and his word. This program covers ALL hurts, hang-ups, and habits. In one class, you will hear people share all kinds of experiences. One person may struggle with addiction to drugs or porn, while another is working through a divorce or past trauma like sexual abuse, or an affair.

There may be more classes than what I have experienced in this program but here are the ones that have I have attended:

Weekly Meeting: One night a week there is a group meeting that is open to anyone. Participants come together to worship, watch a video, share testimony, etc... Then the group will break up into Male/Female groups for deeper discussion or lessons. I’ve only been to two of these.

Step Study: When I learned about this option, I chose to attend this one instead. I knew that I needed something deeper. There are two levels to this class (eight books total). I’ve only attended the first level of four books, called ‘The Journey Begins’. The second round is called ‘The Journey Continues’ which I will do at some point in the future.

I imagine that both rounds run about the same length of time and format. The first round runs approximately nine months long. (About an hour and a half one night a week). I started in January and completed the fourth book in September. 

Members do the lessons on their own each week. Then during the night of the class, every person shares their answer to every single question. It involves a brutally honest bit of sharing and transparency. You might cringe about sharing in a group environment but no one can talk over each other, correct, or analyze another person. It is a place for you to say exactly what you need to say, exactly how you need to say it without judgment. Any dialogue between two people will happen for one of two reasons; either because you have asked a question about your situation or through one on one time with any sponsor or accountability partner that you establish.

Each week, the group will pick up exactly where it left off in the book, which is why the length of the class is only an approximate time in months. It depends on the number of participants and how far you get each week.

Being able to share your experience and listen to others breaks down the walls of isolation. You are not the ONLY person dealing with your exact issue or the size of an issue. Listening to others also provokes a lot of thought and insight. Accountability partners and sponsors can also ask you great questions that you may not have considered on your own.

You might not want to say certain things out loud, even to yourself but let us not forget John 8:32 – tells us that the TRUTH will set us free. –By freeing that truth that you’ve been holding bottled up inside. Trust me when I tell you, that sometimes we don't even know that we're bottling something up.

Cost: The books are $21 for the set, which you can purchase online or in class. If you need childcare, Northside Church does have a reimbursement program for participants. So, don’t let that stop you. The church that I am referencing is located in Grafton. If this is too far for you, you can enter your zip code in the main Celebrate Recovery site. It will return a list of other sessions that may be closer to you.

Dates: At Northside, the ladies class is on Sunday's at 5:00. The Men's class is on Tuesday's at 6:30. Both classes have just started but you can still join for a few weeks.

For more information please visit: http://www.crnorthsidecc.org/step-study.html 

Or email Aulsie Hojnicki at crnorthside12@gmail.com 

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to message me on Facebook or send me an email. You can even text me if you know me personally and have my number.

Prayers to you friend.

Exchange with the Lord

Sitting here reading verses about the House of the Lord this morning (Psalm 84, 2 Samuel 7, Haggai 1-2). It’s funny how many times we get hung up on the details, the songs, the food, the people, the things...  Heck, even verses 5 & 6 (of Haggai 1) speak to that-

“Consider your ways! You get ‘x’ and it’s never right/enough.” 

But really- at the end of the day, it’s the LORD’S house. The Lord’s earth (ps24:1). The Lord’s day (ps118:24).

--

Throughout the rest of Haggai (2 chapters), he reminds us that “‘The Lord is still with us.’ –and says ‘Continue the work for the Lord. Do not fear.’

For some of us that ‘work’ might simply be attending church for the first time again after many years. It might actually be a service of some sort or even something else like forgiveness.

But whatever it is, let’s continue it.

His spirit remains among us (Haggai 2:5).

Let’s not get distracted by the details, our personal desires, internal dialogs, or even the quantity/quality of what we receive from anything AROUND Him. Let our decisions be based on our exchanges with the Lord alone.

BLESSED are those who keep their eyes on Him. (Jer 17:7-8)

Without Walls

It doesn’t matter if we’re on the team that’s responsible for delivering the message or if we are receiving what someone else has prepared; both sides can be found worrying about the color of rooms, the feel of seats, the lighting, and effects when we attend church.

‘How can we create or have a new experience?”

Yet when I read the Bible, His Gospel is seldom seen in a building. HE parted seas, healed the sick, and bound the broken- and most often did so using only what was around; a staff, mud, 5 loaves and so on… Only asking us to believe.

In fact, in my experience, there is NO ‘experience’ that compares with that of the Holy Spirit. Why on earth would we ever want to distract from him?

How might the sinner within us be changed, if we could allow ourselves to simply sit before HIS FULL presence, without our walls?

Photo credit: @srochellephoto

It's Okay To Ask For Thirst

It's okay to ask for thirst…

When the Samaritan woman came out to the well Jesus told her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)

If you don’t yet know God that passage might not make sense to you. Sometimes it just doesn’t occur to us to ask for basic things… Maybe you don’t like to read your Bible. –You don’t get it. How is it relevant? Reading it is like torture. You don’t like to pray. –Why ask for something he should already know? You don’t even know who you’re talking to so what exactly are you supposed to say? You don’t like to go to church. You hate to sing. You’re not even sure you want to be bothered with a God or the people that surround him.

But IF YOU KNEW the gift of God, YOU WOULD ASK him and HE WOULD GIVE it to you. So maybe today start smaller. Ask him to simply make you thirsty. Go ahead and try praying today; but this time instead of making it sound like a prayer, just tell him the truth about how you feel about all of the things pertaining to him. (He knows it anyway. So, go ahead and admit it to yourself and be honest.) Then ask him to not only make you thirsty but to help you love it. Ask him to give you an appetite for more of him in the place you need it now.

Then take a drink anyway.

Then come back and do it again.

Because “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, forever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)


I know because I've been there.

Photo Credit:  Found on GregToDiffer.com

The Part To Remember During A Storm | Jonah Part 2

We are members of BridgePoint and this past week our Pastor gave a sermon on Psalm 42. This Psalm isn't about Jonah but part of it sounds like what Jonah described in Jonah Chapter 2. Infact Psalm 42:7 and Jonah 2:3 are almost identical.

"-Panting, thirsting, eating tears... and people saying where is your God?" 

It goes on...

"Deep calls to the deep, your breakers and waves have swept over me..." “Why so downcast Oh my soul?!"

It was a beautiful message and chapter. It seemed like a perfect note to tape down in my Jonah collection. Here's a link to the series on Chains. To hear this message, click on the sermon for week 3. It's about worry and depression.

I don't want to give the entire message away but Eric (the Pastor) points out 3 things that you can do in your storm. Having gotten to the other side of this thing, I can agree. These 3 things were eye opening to me as well and got me through my storm.

The first was to Remember - Make it a point to remember good times with the Lord. -When you knew he was present, when you knew he spoke to you, when you knew something happened and somehow it just had to be Him! Remembering might not sound like a big deal but you and I can barely remember what we had for breakfast or what happened yesterday. How much harder is it to remember a still small voice?

So when I told you in my last post to journal, I meant it.  There have been times, even since I began journaling myself, that I forget or I begin to doubt again. -Then I look back at the blog and I'm like.... hmmm, I can't doubt that. He was there every step of the way.  

If this activity makes you uncomfortable, check out some of my notes about journaling. Also, the Bible clearly shows examples of making it a point to remember. When we do communion, "it is in remembrance of me". We see it in feasts like one in the book of Esther; it was to remind the Jews about their deliverance. When people or towns were renamed after certain milestones, or when His people set up alters and stones- All of it, is so that they remember and so that others learn and know.

Whatever method of remembrance works for you, please begin it. You might not feel like you have anything to remember yet, but start looking. You will get something. Even as this Psalmist states in Psalm 42 "these things I remember as I pour out my soul..."  It sounds so much like that song "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow..."

Nothing else will encourage you in a stormy season, like knowing that God was with YOU- has been and is still with you. You will need that reminder in a season whether it's now or later. Don't go any further without it.

Eric goes on to point out two more key things from this passage that will help you in a storm. I won't share them here because you might just need to hear it for yourself. Yet I can say that he is right. Those two things pointed out first in the scripture, also helped me in my season.

But you know I remember when I didn't have faith. I remember when I thought to myself "how on earth is a God that I don't even see or hear, supposed to be personal".

But I sat in that pew on Sunday and this passage, felt like it looked back at a Jonah season and blew a kiss to so many things that I learned; and am still learning. There was even a song that is played at the end, "Satisfied In You (Psalm 42) by The Sing Team" and I have been craving singing scripture and that dern guitar in my closet still calls my name, this song was another kiss, at me.

Then at the end there was a testimony from my Pastor's wife (which won't be included in the sermon) but it was so tender and beautiful and real. And it kissed the storms that we have in marriage and this "Power of a Praying Wife" study that we're doing on the side. Their testimony also reminded me that our "busyness" and our "insecurities" are sometimes blinding to the ways that we can reach out to our neighbors. Our head tells us one scenario, meanwhile another one is taking place that you can be a part of.  And another kiss was blown…

I know that part might not make sense to you. There were so many things that just seemed to marry together in a moment. True yes, they seem all about me and a place that I was in with the Lord. -But the Lord is also all about you and he will use everything in your life that you're willing to give him and then he will touch you in it. -Be it the storm or the kiss, if you let him. He is there. Every.single.time.

On Sunday, I was in the presence of it again. -Something real. People that were real, not perfect. Not glorifying storms but instead the great big God- that walks out on to the water and calls into our deep. In moments of brokenness, he comes down to sinners like us and loves us anyway…

If you’re in that storm. Come out to meet him in it [sermon and chapter] and be ready to take notes. Replace what you remember.

I pray that it whets your appetite for something more than tears and that tomorrow, you come back for a little more.

Bridgepoint @ 11:00am

10487 Harcum Rd. Gloucester, VA

(FAQ)

All post in this series |Beginning |

Soulutions | Going Deeper

If you’ve found this page, you might have just accepted the Lord as your personal Savior or perhaps you are looking for a way to go deeper in your faith. –Congrats on both because there is nothing better that you can do than to grow closer to the God who made you! This is a list of various things that you can implement depending on where you are in your walk right now. Each have helped me along the way. You can also come back to it when you’re ready for more.  –And who knows, I may have added something else by then. The bold words simply highlight each new area.

If you’re looking for a Bible Study, there is no limit to the subjects that are available. So where do you start?!?! If you need a suggestion, here are 3 that made a big difference in my life! Each of them are a video study. So you will need the video but you might have to buy them separately. Your church library, public library and the Southern Baptist Convention of VA all have resources that you can check out for FREE. They may or may not have these titles but it’s always good to check first before buying.

1. Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby – This study really helped me identify the way that God speaks to me.

2. Seed, by Priscilla Shirer – This study helped me break apart scripture, line by line.

3. Discovering God’s Will, by Andy Stanley – This study helps you get back to your values and what God desires for each of us.

If you are looking for something super quick and simple, you can always pick a topic or character and search the internet for free pdf study and the subject you've chosen.

If you’re in the middle of a major decision, I’d recommend listening to this message titled “The Guidance of God” by Dr. Michael Yousseff. (These links change over time. If that happens here, you should still be able to search the internet by Pastor & sermon title.) Then get a pen & paper and click play! He gives you 7 questions to ask yourself and 3 things that must align. -He says them REALLY fast and so you be prepared to rewind a few times. 

If you’re looking for a Bible, I use an NIV Life Application Study Bible. I like this one because it has commentary that gives you additional information and references about each passage. You might want to go up a font size because the print is a little smaller. –If you go visit Lifeway Bookstore you can open every Bible in there to thumb through and read them before purchasing.

I have also heard many good things about the Celebrate Recovery Bible which is designed specifically for people that have had a history of addictions or abuse. I don’t own one yet but I’ve heard so much about it, I think I’m going to have to check it out!

And if you want to deepen your personal relationship with the Lord or if you feel like you need a hard reset try this:

When my faith really blossomed, it was because I pruned nearly everything in my life except time with my family and growing my faith. –By that I mean I started getting serious about reading my Bible almost exclusively. I mean it. It wasn’t just to check the item off; it was because I needed to get some information out of it. I had always depended on a Companion Bible Study or a Preacher to teach me things. When I really felt like the Lord was poking around in me, I still attended church regularly but made a list of questions that I had about the Bible. Then I focused more on growing here rather than church attendance, studies, etc. If I needed help, I simply used the internet to point me into the right section of the Bible and then I went back in. Then I read my Bible until I got the answers.

That even applied to my personal direction. Every time I was tempted to ask someone else what they thought that I should do about something, I went and looked it up instead and I prayed about it. I assure you of this, you might get frustrated because we sometimes like our answers immediately and the Lord doesn’t always work on our timeline but you will get an answer. You might even get a few of those answers wrong. [Usually, when you try to hurry the process and guess instead of being certain.] –But the Lord can still use those answers to grow you. You will also get some things right. Whether they are right or wrong, those answers will begin the bedrock of your faith.

Church – If you’re not in a church, I encourage you to get plugged in. Don’t get stuck on Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, etc. just yet. For the most part, it doesn’t matter what the denomination is as long as they’re preaching the Word of God. You just need to pick one and get to it. I go to BridgePoint. If you know me, tell me you’re coming and I’ll wait for you. We’ll go in together.

I would even say more important than Sunday Service, you should join a small group.  Here’s why.

If you’re good with all of that it might just be time that you start challenging yourself to step out and do new things, ie. praying out loud, serving in the church, leading classes from your home or work, etc. We grow and learn by new experiences. We stay the same or grow stagnant by doing the same thing over and over.

Now if you’ve made it here and done all of these things and yet you still feel like something is off, check out this link. This is a tool from the Pastor of City Life Church in Newport News, VA. His suggestion on how to use it is as follows.

“What I find is that when people feel stuck, it is because they are missing some or several of the means by which God has provided for us to thrive in our spiritual lives.  What I would recommend that you do is write down all of these Pathways and then next to that list have three columns.  The first column is red, the next column is yellow, and the last column is green.  Then put an “x” next to each Pathway in the appropriate column.  Red means that particular Pathways is missing in your life, yellow means it is occasionally present, and green means you do this consistently. 

Then, pick a couple Pathways you want to go from red to yellow and a couple you want to go from yellow to green… I bet you will find that feeling of being “stuck” goes away and that the more Pathways you have working in your life, the more all the Pathways are energized!” 

Now I've gone ahead and created the spreadsheet for you. :)

Above all, don't overthink it. If you're new, please don't try to do it all at once. Start in the place that feels best for you, then come back again later to add something else. Anything that you do to go deeper, will grow you and be a blessing to you! He promises that His Word will not return void.

Remember Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then this passage goes on to say in verse 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord."

If you feel like you need a new plan, why not start with the Lord who has it. I pray that this post blesses you whereever you're willing to step out! 

P.S. Why not team up with a friend or family member so that you have someone to go and grow along with. :) You can each pick a different place to start but still hold each other accountable by getting together regularly and talking what you're learning.

We Have A Church

So, I left a church in the fall of 2014 because I felt the Lord leading me to do so. I didn't really know why at the time. -I'm still not sure exactly. I was a member for 10 years. I led classes there. The kids and I had built a lot of relationships there. In fact, I was in the middle of a study called "Created To Be God's Friend" by Henry Blackaby. -And I was in a chapter that was discussing leaving your plans to follow God. ...I was planning to be an Elder there. Oh the irony...

I speculated that it was more about my husband and our family. I've gone primarily to another over the last year while still trying a few others. This season simply felt like a "waiting period". A time to uproot in several areas and a time to sift and wait on the Lord. One of my best friends goes there and will be moving soon. We barely see each other outside of church. There is also a bible study group that I always got a lot from. But the Methodist church could be facing some big changes in voting this year and there's no telling how this church will be impacted. I just felt like the Lord was saying, don't commit, relax and learn everything you can; spend all the time that you can with this group while you have the opportunity to do so. -A gift.

FAST FORWARD

You may have seen an article in the Gazette in the last month of a Baptist church that had to close its doors. They had 2 properties and donated both to 2 separate churches. (Nearly unheard of.) I went to the original church in middle school and had fond memories. The last few years have had a significant decline. Anyway, the larger portion was donated to Bridge Point, who had been meeting at the Gloucester Moose Lodge. The Pastor's family had also briefly been my neighbor.

The announcement said that the first service would be on Easter Sunday. I just knew that I had to go. So I did.  

As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, my eyes began to sting. It was just as I expected. Nearly every spot was full. Walking inside the whole church was buzzing and the sanctuary was packed. -To the tune of over 740 people! The first song that they sang was perfect too. It was Here as in Heaven by Elevation Church! Check out the full lyrics. And as I read the words on the screen:

A miracle can happen now
For the spirit of the Lord is here
The evidence is all around
That the spirit of the Lord is here

I thought of the miracle of being given a church. A pretty hefty one to be exact. ...That was definitely a God thing! Heck look at all of the people here! And as I completed the thought, I was reminded of one of the main themes from a study called, Experiencing God. "See where God is working and join him." I received my answer. We will be joining Bridge Point. The kids are thrilled and so am I. I can't wait to see what else the Lord has in store! :)

Tuesday Challenge #9 | Invitation

Challenge: This week's challenge is easy because even people that don't go to church consider going to church around Easter & Christmas. So, this week your challenge is to invite them! If you are not actively going anywhere, invite yourself to church and take you!

Tips: Here are some services times from just a few here in town:

• Susanna Wesley UMC:  6:15 Sunraise @ VIMS, 8:15 & 10:30
• Providence Baptist: 7:00 Sunrise, 9:00 & 10:30
• BridgePoint Baptist: 11:00am | Easter invitation

Check the Gazette for other listings: http://www.gazettejournal.net/index.php/Churches


Scripture: Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! - Psalms 66:5

Do you have a testimony about this challenge or a suggestion for another one? I'd love to hear it! Comment here!

What's this about? | Other challenges

Picture Credit [then modified]: http://www.superbwallpapers.com/nature/sunrise-over-the-mountains-14501/

Life Sanctity

**I backdated this post to keep the events in order.  It seemed like it might keep things easier to follow. 

I hadn’t planned on writing this month. However, this is Human Life Sanctity week and I spoke at church this this past Sunday (January 19). If you're not familiar with Human Life Sanctity, it was established in 1983 by Ronald Reagan as a reminder of the value of Human Life. Every year it falls on the Sunday closest to the anniversary of Rowe verses Wade being passed by congress.

You may not remember but last March I shared my darkest secret. 

This past Sunday for the first time ever, I gave a public testimony not only mentioning my abortion but the whole testimony was about the subject. I gave it in both services. I wrestled with words, not wanting to repeat what I've already written here.  I rehearsed it 20 times in the bathroom mirror hoping to not have to refer to notes on stage, but had to anyway. The day before, I was diagnosed with strep and felt completely miserable and drained. I knew it was the devil trying to keep me from getting up there.

I had a tremendous amount of support from members and staff. People prayed with me and encouraged me. On stage I was okay with what I had to say, aside from feeling physically ill. 

After service people came up to offer more encouragement. -To offer help for my classes in any way that they could by, baking snacks, providing resources and/or time, etc… For some reason, I never saw any of that coming.

A couple told me that their daughter was called out to some pro-abortion events. (I may have misunderstood). They said that their daughter was able to save lives when she went to these things and that she just got called to another event. My testimony helped them have peace with what she was doing. I hate that I didn't get their names or the details straight but people were lining up from each direction to speak. It was a bustle of hugs and tears and introductions. Many names I wished that I had gotten, or would've been able to remember.

There was a sweet lady that was interrupted and went away in tears. Her son has tried to kill himself over choosing an abortion 4 years ago. I wanted to make everything stop so that I could go catch her but another face came into view and another story. She vanished before I could lift my hand.

As I left the church my mind was reeling. Days have gone by and I have no new registrations for the class. Maybe all of this was only to create awareness. What else could I have said…?

To say that I am surprised by the way that these things are unfolding is an understatement. It was fear that kept me from having a child. It was fear that kept me from facing God or even myself after. It was fear that kept me from bringing it up again after it had been ‘dealt with’. It was fear that kept me from wanting to include it in the sum of my truths to people that barely know me. 

However, the realities of opening up to that truth in addition to so many others has brought so much more freedom.  It has further ignited the desire within me to reach out and just keep reaching. -To open up and fight to stay open. God has met me every single time and brought his entourage of angels and friends for my behalf as he has promised. While I can't go back and no longer try to; I am now convinced that he would've met me just as strongly back then as he is doing now, had I only sought his hand. Despite my rebellion, he is still with me.

I don’t know where you are in your journey friend but do not be afraid. As it states in Isaiah 41, the Lord is with you. The chapter is long but the first 16 verses just seemed to reverberate through me as I reflect on the truths I’ve learned and am still learning. Where ever you are, press on friend, press on. You are NOT alone.

¹“Be silent before me, you islands!

    Let the nations renew their strength!

Let them come forward and speak;

    let us meet together at the place of judgment.

² “Who has stirred up one from the east,

    calling him in righteousness to his service^[a]?

    Jacob, whom I have chosen,

He hands nations over to him

    and subdues kings before him.

He turns them to dust with his sword,

    to windblown chaff with his bow.

³ He pursues them and moves on unscathed,

    by a path his feet have not traveled before.

⁴ Who has done this and carried it through,

    calling forth the generations from the beginning?

I, the Lord—with the first of them

    and with the last—I am he.”

⁵ The islands have seen it and fear;

    the ends of the earth tremble.

They approach and come forward;

⁶     they help each other

    and say to their companions, “Be strong!”

⁷ The metalworker encourages the goldsmith,

    and the one who smooths with the hammer

    spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.

One says of the welding, “It is good.”

    The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.

⁸ “But you, Israel, my servant,

    you descendants of Abraham my friend,

⁹ I took you from the ends of the earth,

    from its farthest corners I called you.

I said, ‘You are my servant’;

    I have chosen you and have not rejected you.

¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;

    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

¹¹ “All who rage against you

    will surely be ashamed and disgraced;

those who oppose you

    will be as nothing and perish.

¹² Though you search for your enemies,

    you will not find them.

Those who wage war against you

    will be as nothing at all.

¹³ For I am the Lord your God

    who takes hold of your right hand

and says to you, Do not fear;

    I will help you.

¹⁴ Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob,

    little Israel, do not fear,

for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord,

    your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁵ “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,

    new and sharp, with many teeth.

You will thresh the mountains and crush them,

    and reduce the hills to chaff.

¹⁶ You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up,

    and a gale will blow them away.

But you will rejoice in the Lord

    and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Click here to read the remaining verses (through 29).