Celebrate Recovery Leaders, Where You At?

What’s up to my Celebrate Recovery family! How’s everyone doing TODAY? That’s right, I asked about TODAY…not yesterday…not last week…not tomorrow (if you can actually answer that question you and I need to meet)…I’m talking about TODAY.

God, grant me the serenity…

We only have today. Right now. This moment. Recovery isn’t about hanging out in the past and it’s definitely not about living in the future, it’s about right now. Day by day. Moment by moment. Step by step. So, with that said…ho are you doing today?

Here’s a few verses that may help re-center your focus, shifting your attention from whatever and bringing it back to your right now…

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6 NIV84

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34 NIV84

Ok. Enough of that. That’s not even remotely close to what I intended on addressing today, but sometimes you just gotta roll with it. So, without further adieu, here’s the actual topic of the day: LEADERSHIP.

Today, I’m writing specifically to those of you (I guess I could utilize the term “us” since I am included in this group as well), those of US, who have been labeled Celebrate Recovery Ministry Leaders, Pastors, Directors…WHATEVER…if you are the person in charge of your particular Celebrate Recovery program then this is for you (me).

I LOVE John Baker. I love his heart. I love his passion. I love his willingness to be vulnerable. I love his heart for the lost, the broken, the hopeless. He’s got a BIG perspective. He understands it’s not about him and entirely about Jesus. It’s not HIS program, it’s GOD’S. If you’re unfamiliar with the phrase, “It’s not about me,” please type it out in a HUGE font and tape it to your wall, then read it over and over again until you start believing it.

It’s not about me.
It’s not about me.
It’s not about me.

Not sure what I was expecting to happen, but I’m still here. Pastor John didn’t develop a program that was centered around himself, instead he developed a program designed to build up and equip NEW leaders. He understood that he couldn’t do it alone. He didn’t want to do it alone. He needed help. Sounds like recovery to me. He refers to this style, this method of leadership as being a RANCHER. Instead of the program rising and falling on the shoulders of ONE person, it is spread out across the unity of a TEAM, a GROUP of leaders.

I wonder…how’s your CR doing? Are you delegating responsibilities? Have you developed a teaching team? Are you raising up new leaders to handle new and different responsibilities? Are you still setting up the chairs, piecing together the Resource Table, cleaning up, shutting down…BURNING OUT?

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17 NIV84

Just like in our recoveries, our personal journeys of triumph and victory over our hurts, habits, and hang-ups, we are NOT supposed to do this ALONE. It’s not about you. It’s not about me. We are not the only ones capable of __________ (insert responsibility you believe that only YOU can do). If John had remained a FARMER, instead of growing into a RANCHER, Celebrate Recovery wouldn’t be where it is today…actually chances are God would have used someone else to make it happen. Is that what you’re waiting for? Are you waiting to burn out and relapse so God can use someone else?

We ALL have to-do lists. Whether it’s a physical list we create or a mental catalog of things to do, as leaders we create them to remain focused. I want to challenge you to create a TO-DON’T list. What are the things you DON’T need to do? What are the things that merely DISTRACT you from doing what God wants you to do? What can you entrust OTHERS to do?

Leaders, CR Leaders, is the program about you? Is it yours? Or is it OURS? Are we in this TOGETHER?

A healthy program isn’t necessarily a GROWING program (I mean, it IS, but that’s merely one aspect of health), but a healthy program survives and continues in your ABSENCE. So, are you building a program that needs you or are you developing a team of leaders that can run the show without you?

If we are going to see our families, our communities, our churches, our states, our nation, our WORLD get BETTER, find HOPE, discover FREEDOM…we need to remember IT’S NOT ABOUT US…or to make it more personal…IT’S NOT ABOUT ME!

I got a LOT of love for our Celebrate Recovery Leaders. Let’s do this thing TOGETHER.