A Letter to Celebrate Recovery

Hello, I’m a grateful believer in Jesus Christ who’s celebrating recovery from pride and codependency; my name is Nick.

LAST WEEK:
What is GRATITUDE? What does it mean to give thanks? What does it look like to acknowledge all you have? Tracey (@traceybscott) did a FANTASTIC job of walking us through the creation of a GRATITUDE list this past week at Celebrate Recovery. It was a defining moment, not only for us a family, but for her as she shared her own struggles and victory over her present circumstances…CHOOSING gratitude over self-pity (if you missed it, you can listen to it here).

If that wasn’t enough…Friday’s Celebrate Recovery was followed-up with a weekend experience at New Life unlike any other! 4 services. 20 testimonies. It was AMAZING! I clapped. I cheered. I cried; in fact, I cried until my face hurt. It was emotionally exhausting, yet spiritually fulfilling. It was a GREAT reminder that HOPE and FREEDOM are ready, available, and REAL and they’re found in Jesus.

Have you started writing your testimony?

THIS WEEK:
It’s TESTIMONY night at CR this Friday (7p)! I LOVE testimonies! I LOVE being able to share in the stories, in the struggles, in the pains, and in the VICTORIES of other people! I LOVE seeing God at work in the lives of the people I consider family. This week Gerald will share his story of discovering God’s grace, finding FREEDOM from past hurts, as well as building BETTER relationships.

NEWS & UPDATES:
One of the coolest parts of this past Sunday at New Life was having the ability to set up an information table AND promote both Celebration Station and The Landing to the ENTIRE church. The response was INCREDIBE and I believe we’re going to be blessed with an AMAZING team for each program. AND, here’s the cool part, there’s still a spot available for you to help launch and lead these ministries!

If you’re interested, please email celebraterecovery@nlccwv.org, call 304.262.6522, or sign-up this Friday at the Information Table.

What would have happened had you developed healthy coping skills as a child or teenager? You can make THAT difference in the lives of our kids and students!

Oh! Mark your calendars for Thursday, November 22. We’re going to open up the doors of New Life and host a Thanksgiving Dinner for the entire community! Would you like to help set up? Would you like to prepare a dish? Would you like to serve on the clean-up crew? Would you like to attend? I’m praying this building is FILLED with families from all around the community! Start getting the word out today!

STEP STUDIES:
The heart of the Celebrate Recovery program. It’s within the Step Studies that we move beyond the symptom and get to the root of the problem. For nearly half my life I struggled with drugs, alcohol, and pornography, but it wasn’t until I went through a Step Study that I was able to finally understand WHY. And once I understood WHY, I was able to figure out HOW to overcome each one! Groups are still OPEN. Let me say that again…groups are still OPEN! They meet every Tuesday night from 7-9p at New Life. These groups utilize the Participant’s Guides ($5 per book or $17 for the 4-pack) and the Celebrate Recovery Bible (optional).

THE END:
The holiday season is upon us! These next few months can be rather tricky. There’s the EXCITEMENT of giving, helping, and serving others! BUT, we often do it while neglecting ourselves. Make sure you’re setting time aside each and every day to pray, read the Bible, and connect with people you trust (Accountability Team). Get AROUND people and fight ISOLATION. Let’s make this the BEST holiday season yet! And let’s do it TOGETHER!