A Letter to Celebrate Recovery

Hello, my name is Nick and I’m a grateful believer in Jesus Christ who struggles with pride and codependency.

LAST WEEK:
I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of TESTIMONY night and last week was no exception! Our dear friend Claudia overcame her doubts, overcame her fears, overcame the lies of the labels she’d been give her whole life, and she stepped up on that stage and shared her story. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room. Thank you for sharing Claudia! Thank you for reminding us that God’s not done with us yet! Thank you for reminding us that God’s love NEVER fails! Thank you for reminding us…

10For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10 NLT

…we are NOT our past, we are NOT the labels we’ve been given, we are NOT the mistakes we’ve made, we are NOT victims, but in Christ, we are a NEW creation!

THIS WEEK:
Principle 4, “Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust.

This is one of the most DIFFICULT principles we’ll encounter in our recoveries. It’s in this principle we learn the importance of getting HONEST…not just with ourselves, but with OTHERS (yikes!). The good news is, there’s HEALING in CONFESSION. You gotta get it OUT before you can get OVER it! This week at Celebrate Recovery, we learn how to get real, how to get vulnerable, how to get HONEST.

NEWS & UPDATES:
Here are 2 things I want to share with you…

#1 Men’s and Women’s Step Studies—are still OPEN! The Men’s Step Study meets on Tuesdays from 6:30-8:30p. The Women’s Step Study meets on Mondays from 6:30-8:30p. Step Studies are the HEART of Celebrate Recovery. These groups are designed to help you get at the root of your struggle(s), overcoming fear, guilt, and shame, and discover true HEALING! If you’re interested in participating email celebraterecovery@nlccwv.org

#2 Testimony—have you started writing yours yet? Remember, every person in the room (this includes you), has a story to tell, and YOUR STORY MATTERS! Last week, while Claudia was sharing her testimony, somebody made the decision to follow Jesus! That’s AWESOME!! That’s why it’s called CELEBRATE recovery! If you’d like help with writing your testimony, stayed tuned for details on April’s Testimony Workshop.

THE END:
This week, make an effort to get 1 or 2 phone numbers from people in your group. It’s time to start putting together your ACCOUNTABILITY team. Remember, you can’t do life alone, so stop trying to. See you Friday at 7p!