Hello, my name is Nick and I’m a grateful believer in Jesus Christ who celebrates recovery from drugs, alcohol, and pornography and currently struggles with codependency and pride.
LAST WEEK:
Who DOESN’T love testimony night (rhetorical question)? I almost ask that as a declarative statement…possibly with an ! at the end. Seriously, to the hear the story of HOPE found in trusting God, not just with my eternity, but with my daily struggles…that NEVER gets old! I applaud my dear friend Johnny for taking to the stage, not to sing, but to guide us through his lifelong struggle with schizophrenia. It took a lot of courage to open up like that, to get vulnerable, and allow us to revisit some of the scariest times of his life.
I’m blown away week after week as I hear story after story of God doing what only He can do…the miracle of life change…transformation. Johnny has EVERY reason to smile, EVERY reason to celebrate, EVERY reason to sing and proclaim his faith and gratitude for Jesus. Wasn’t his song awesome?! (notice this time I added the !). Here’s a peak at the lyrics in case you missed it:
And this is my testimony
This is my song of victory
This is my triumphant story
Because of Jesus
I overcome
THIS WEEK:
Once again taking to the helm, once again leading us through the biblical truths of recovery, Steve (@smparrill) will guide us through one of my FAVORITE lessons: YES.
“Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.”
Matthew 5:10
Really? Really? Why the heck do I want that? Don’t you know what I’ve gone through? I don’t have to imagine what rock bottom looks like…I’ve BEEN THERE! I know what it means to leave my family. I know what it means to abandon my wife…my kids…my friends…my job. I know what it means to hurt and hurt so bad that it’s a struggle to open my eyes, let alone get out of bed. Why in the world would I want to be PERSECUTED? Great question!
God doesn’t promise an EASY life. God doesn’t promise HAPPINESS! God doesn’t promise rainbows and unicorns! God promises to BLESS you, to PROSPER you, to SAVE you, to REDEEM you, to SET YOU FREE! Somewhere in midst of all that good stuff He’s going to do, you’re going to face tough times because Jesus is offensive to those who don’t know him. Friends will laugh. Family will roll their eyes. People won’t understand. In spite of that, we do what He wants…because we CHOOSE to follow Him. I LOVE this lesson because we ALL need to yield to God, lead by example, and SERVE others! That’s the 12th Step! Give back! Share the message of HOPE with others!
Make time to come out this Friday at 7p and experience the grace, hope, mercy, forgiveness, and love of Christ!
NEWS & UPDATES:
Here are things I want you praying for, thinking about, talking about and spreading around!
#1 3 Year Anniversary Celebration—On Friday, December 14, we’ll be celebrating THREE YEARS of hope, healing, and life change at Celebrate Recovery! Come out and celebrate the goodness and richness of God’s love and grace as experienced and live out by those who HAVE BEEN and CURRENTLY ARE working the 12 Steps and 8 Principles. If you’re not currently attending or participating at Celebrate Recovery…I want to invite you to come out and be an encouragement to THOSE PEOPLE! It’s called CELEBRATE Recovery for a reason! God’s given us EVERY reason to scream, to shout, to dance, and to sing! Mark your calendars; it’ll be a night to remember!
#2 Celebration Station & The Landing—We’re so close to the launch date for these programs (January 4, 2013). I’m BEYOND excited! I don’t want to lose our kids! I don’t want to see our students waste their lives making the same choices I did. Let’s join together and PRAY for our leaders, pray for our children, pray for our students, pray God equips us with the ability and wisdom to lead and guide our families to a BETTER life!
#3 Recovery Cards—Each week, inserted nice and neat in the program, is an almost bookmark lookin’ sheet of paper called the Recovery Card. This is our way, as leaders of the program, to connect with you, to get a feel for who you are, what you’re going through, pray for you, help you get plugged in to a Step Study or possibly serving. Make sure you take the time each week to fill this out so I can personally pray for you…it’s actually the GREATEST gift I can give you. AND at the bottom of the Recovery Card is a perforated invite card to give to someone during the week, to share the HOPE of Jesus, to share the FREEDOM found at Celebrate Recovery.
THE END:
My time with the kids, at least on a regular week-to-week basis, is slowly coming to an end. Very soon I’ll be back out with my friends and family in the Large Group and I CAN’T WAIT to see y’all again! And who knows, maybe even get back up there with the band. Today, remember God’s grace is REAL and AVAILABLE for the taking! He’s offered up EVERYTHING we could possibly need AND…it’s free! I love you CR! See you on Friday night!
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