February 3rd, 2012
One of the things I like about blogging is the stuff I miss. I miss a lot.
It’s an immediate medium. I do actually put a bit of thought into the words, but we all know it’s also something of an in-progress work. So I frequently receive comments that cause me to think deeper or further.
One of my most frequent commenters is my lovely wife, Becky. Her comments usually occur in the kitchen, prefaced gently by a phase like, “Did you think about …?” Mostly the answer is, “No, I didn’t think about that at all.”
So I wasn’t surprised when she asked yesterday whether readers might feel like I was leaving God out of the mix when I used Don Miller’s metaphor and encouraged you to Share A Great Story.
Two good questions: first, did I leave God out of the equation? I hope not. If I did, it wasn’t intentional. I don’t believe it’s possible to live a truly great story that’s not centered on His will.
And there’s the second question: Is God’s will more like a compass or a map? In story language, who’s the author?
In map language, God’s the author. God has a detailed plan for our lives written in advance. Our task is to discover and follow that plan. God provides the map, I do my best to follow it.
In compass language, I’m the author—following God’s outline or direction. He defines the parameters of a great story and gives me unique gifts and opportunities to use them. He wants me to be creative, as He’s creative. He wants me to write a great story, using Him as compass or co-author or guide.
I don’t think either model is 100% correct. God isn’t that simplistic. As I’ve said before, there’s mystery in the interplay between human free will and God’s omnipotence that’s slightly (or maybe more) beyond my comprehension.
But it’s obvious which way I lean. God’s will for my life is pretty clear. He wants me to spend time with Him, love my wife, share my gifts with others, care for the needy. That seems to be compass language that points me toward True North. It’s up to me to fill in the details, and always be willing to let Him interrupt.
What He doesn’t seem to want is for me to sit around waiting for a cosmic traffic light to tell me to get moving. The light’s already bright green.
“Follow me.”
“Go and make disciples.”
Time to go. You and I and God have a story to write.
Don’t miss CIR’s Daily Article !
Copyright 2008-2012 by Rich Dixon, All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
Rich is an author and speaker. He is the author of: 
Relentless Grace: God’s Invitation To Give Hope Another Chance. Visit his web site www.relentlessgrace.com
Tags: Choices, God's Love, ministry, New Beginning, Responsibility
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Faith, General Recovery, New Beginning, Pastors & Recovery Pros, Step 12, Step 3 | No Comments »
February 2nd, 2012
God rewrote the text of my life
when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.
(Psalm 18:24, The Message).
I seldom use The Message for personal Bible study or quotes, but when I came across the above phrase, the writer in me responded with a hearty “Yes!”
Can anyone relate? Have you ever caught yourself bumbling along, trying to orchestrate your life, order your steps, direct your future—and then stopped and asked yourself, “What was I thinking?”
We are not the captain of our own ship or the master of our own fate, but we sure act like it sometimes, don’t we? Oh, I know, before we become Christians we actually believe that we are and live accordingly. Then we come face to face with the Savior, turn our lives over to Him, and we never make that foolish mistake again. Right?
Well, theoretically, we don’t. And most of the time, not intentionally. But unless I’m different than every other believer on planet earth, we do slip into that faulty thinking on occasion. And oh, what a mess we can make of things! Those self-written chapters of our lives are made up of text we’d like to delete, aren’t they?
Psalm 8:24 holds the secret to the edit button. Though we can’t go back and erase what we’ve already written, if we will be honest with God about the foolishness and regret in our heart, He can (and will) rewrite the text of our lives. Though the sins and mistakes of the past may still have consequences today, we can be assured that the God of the universe will somehow bring good out of even the worst pages of our past.
As a writer, I know how easy it is to go off on a self-imposed tangent, to become distracted and get off-track. The result is poorly written material and lots of wasted time. But just as God has so graciously redeemed my poor writing and wasted time, so He will redeem and rewrite the text of our lives if we will just open our hearts to him and allow Him to finish our book for us.
He is, after all, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Don’t miss CIR’s Daily Article !
Copyright 2009-2012 Kathi Macias, all rights reserved. Used by permission.
Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored 30 books. 
“Beyond Me. Living a You-first Life in a Me-first World”
and
“Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today”
Tags: Abuse, backsliding, bondage, failure, Forgiveness of God, God's Love, grief, hardship, loss, Macias, New Beginning, Pain, rebellion, reconciliation, salvation
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Abuse, Faith, For Friends & Family of Dysfunctional People, Forgiveness of God, General Recovery, New Beginning, Pain, Renewal, Step 2, Step 3 | Comments Off
February 1st, 2012
Have you ever thought about that?
Wherever Becky and I tell the story of RICH’S RIDE, we inevitably hear compelling stories in return. It’s as though hearing about our adventure releases others to share their own experiences.
I love listening to these stories. We often hang around for a long time afterward, just listening. It’s a wonderful experience, but there are a couple of disturbing aspects to many of the stories we hear.
One is a sense that our stories happen to us. Folks with this perspective speak in fatalistic, victim terminology, as though they had nothing to do with the direction of their lives.
We need to acknowledge that life isn’t simplistic, that events occur clearly beyond our control. I don’t begin to understand how God’s will meshes with human freedom of choice.
But to a large degree, each of us decides the nature of our story. We choose to dream—or not. We choose the habits that shape our character. One of my goals whenever I speak is to encourage folks to own their personal story, to believe they’re the author. I want people to believe in hope that allows them to dream and re-write a story with which they may not be satisfied.
It’s absolutely true that every person is a single choice away from a new story.
The other is that it’s all about “the power of positive thinking.” Perhaps it’s simply semantics, but positive thinking sounds like a platitude, pasting a pretend positive spin on decidedly negative events.
I’d rather talk about scripture’s promise that God causes ALL things to work together for good. God always honors His promises, and in that I find enduring, long-term hope.
I expect God’s faithfulness, no matter the circumstances, even when I can’t see it. I believe I can lean on His promises and continue to write a story of hope.
You’re the author of your story. Write a great one, one worth sharing.
Share your story with Christians in Recovery.
Don’t miss CIR’s Daily Article !
Copyright 2008-2012 by Rich Dixon, All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
Rich is an author and speaker. He is the author of:
Tags: Attitudes, Choices, fellowship, healing, relationships, Responsibility
Posted in Attitudes, Choices, General Recovery, Responsibility, Things to Ponder | Comments Off
January 31st, 2012
Guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us,
the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
2 Timothy 1:14 New American Standard
What an awesome truth to know the Holy Spirit dwells in us. If we keep that in mind, we will think, speak and act as those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.
What is the treasure entrusted to us? It is the Bible, the inspired Word of God. When we consider the Bible as the treasure it is, we will read it daily.
It is God’s love letter to us. How many times do you read love letters from a special person in your life? You may even carry them with you everywhere you go.
We will want to meditate on the Bible and memorize verses in that treasure that speak to our circumstances.
The last part of the verse tells us the treasure “has been entrusted to [us].” God loves us so much that he entrusts us with his Word. What are we doing with it?
Dear God, help me treasure your Word. Amen.
Application: What will you do this week to guard the treasure?
Don’t miss CIR’s Daily Article !
Copyright 2010-2012, Yvonne Ortega, LPC, LSATP, CCDVC
All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.
Yvonne is a Speaker, Author, Counselor, Cancer Survivor and
serves on the Board of Directors of Christians in Recovery.
She is the author of Finding Hope for Your Journey through Breast Cancer.
Visit her website: http://YvonneOrtega.com
Tags: Choices, God's Love, peace
Posted in Choices, Faith, General Recovery, New Beginning, Responsibility, Step 2, Step 3 | Comments Off
January 30th, 2012
The more I think about it the more I’m convinced that the notion of “special needs” isn’t biblically sound.
My friend Tim pastors a church in Denver, and he talks a lot about the “Y’all Come In” mentality. In that view, if the church opens the door and puts down a welcome mat, that’s enough.
Except that it’s not enough.
At Tim’s church they send people to homeless shelters and by-the-week motels. They sit with people one-on-one, talk with them, assure them they’re valued and needed.
Those aren’t the comfortable church people. Often they’re dirty and smelly. Sometimes they’re manipulative or mistrustful. They’re certainly the most materially needy, and they’re also the least likely to respond to “Y’all Come In.”
In Tim’s eyes this isn’t a special ministry to special people who need the church. It’s a biblical ministry seeking folks with essential gifts the church needs.
I think it’s a lot like that with people who face physical, emotional, or mental challenges. I suppose it would be ideal if everyone felt equally welcome and accepted. They don’t. We don’t.
Suppose it’s not about meeting “special needs.” What if it’s about really believing that every person brings unique gifts to the table and that every excluded person means an incomplete body?
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 12-14
I don’t know how to make this happen. Well, actually, I do—we all do. What I really don’t know is how to make it comfortable.
It’s uncomfortable to be around those who are different. It’s just easier to worship in familiar surroundings with familiar people and familiar ideas. Folks with disabilities, folks who don’t “fit in” in some way—they make us uncomfortable. There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging that.
What’s wrong is letting that discomfort control us. Folks who look or act differently, who evoke feeling of discomfort—we can’t just open the door and say “Y’all Come In.” And we can’t shuffle them off to the side into “special” sections or “special” programs that that serve our needs much more than theirs.
We need to go get them. We need to include them. We need to equip them to use their unique gifts in ministry.
Just like everyone else.
Don’t miss CIR’s Daily Article !
Copyright 2008-2012 by Rich Dixon, All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
Rich is an author and speaker. He is the author of:
Relentless Grace: God’s Invitation To Give Hope Another Chance. Visit his web site www.relentlessgrace.com
Tags: Attitudes, Choices, disabilities, fellowship, judgement, ministry, motives, rejection, respect, Responsibility, salvation
Posted in Attitudes, Choices, Faith, For Friends & Family of Dysfunctional People, General Recovery, Pastors & Recovery Pros, Responsibility, Step 12, Things to Ponder | Comments Off
January 27th, 2012
Humble yourselves. That sounds obscene. At least to the culture of self-promotion and “get ahead at all cost” and “don’t look back, the competition is gaining on you” it sounds obscene.
Humility is a forgotten virtue. Often confused with weakness or timidity, humility is about knowing our proper place in the world without flaunting it. Only God can exalt in a permanent way, so the key is to know our place before him and let him put us in the place he chooses to honor him.
A humble heart is tender towards God, and He responds when it cries out to Him. And that may be why He sometimes allows hard things into our lives – to bring forth the fruit of humility.
As God does great things in our midst, we don’t ever want to forget what He’s brought us through. We can do nothing without His intervention. But as we keep humble, contrite, tender hearts, there is no end to what He can accomplish not merely in our own lives, but for our children’s children.
Don’t miss CIR’s Daily Article !
Copyright 2010-2012, Chaplain Michael Clark
All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.
Chaplain Clark is a Speaker and Writer,
Addiction Counselor/Professional
as well as a Recovery Support Specialist
Shadows of the Cross Ministries, Prison and Recovery Ministry
Tags: Attitudes, Choices, healing, humility, New Beginning, rebellion, respect, Responsibility, self-will
Posted in Attitudes, Choices, Faith, For Friends & Family of Dysfunctional People, General Recovery, New Beginning, Renewal, Responsibility, Step 10, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 5, Step 6, Step 7, Step 8, Step 9 | Comments Off
January 26th, 2012
Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.
(1 Samuel 15:22, NKJV)
Obedience. It’s a word I’ve struggled with since I was a toddler. No one knew that better than my parents. I flopped my toe across every line they drew in front of me—and I nearly always paid a price for my disobedience. But at 26 I became a Christian. Surely disobedience wouldn’t be a problem any longer…right?
Wrong. I still struggle with it to this day, though I know I’ve made a lot of progress—not because I’m faithful but because God is. I’ve learned this “obedience thing” is a lifelong process, and God is committed to teaching us how to walk in it.
There are reasons for that, one of them being that when we walk in obedience, God does amazing things through us. I used to think it was some sort of magical formula: I’d obey God, and He’d reward me with something wonderful. Wrong again. (I suppose I’ve been slow in understanding this concept because, somehow, I still think it’s all about me. I’m the only one who’s ever thought that, right?)
And then a couple of days ago I came across the journal my mom was using just before she died. She filled scores of them through the years, but this one is especially meaningful, as it gives me a glimpse into her thoughts and prayers, her communication with God in her last days on earth. The final entry, in her shaky handwriting, reads,
“Obedience is the key word of miracles. Sometimes we feel prompted by God to do something that makes no sense, but if we do it, it becomes a miracle.”
Wow. Mom was 90 years old when she penned those words, and she had no idea how they would bless me after she was gone. I now have them in the top drawer of my desk, where I can pull them out and read them often—each time I’m tempted to flop my toe across God’s line. Do I need a miracle in my life, either for myself or someone else? Most of the time, I do. And now I know the key to seeing that miracle come to pass: be obedient to that still, small voice inside that prompts us to obey God, whether it makes sense at the moment or not. God, in His faithfulness, will accomplish the rest.
Don’t miss CIR’s Daily Article !
Copyright 2009-2012 Kathi Macias, all rights reserved. Used by permission.
Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored 30 books.
“Beyond Me. Living a You-first Life in a Me-first World”
and
“Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today”
Tags: Attitudes, backsliding, Choices, failure, humility, Macias, New Beginning, rebellion, Responsibility, sin, slip, temptation
Posted in Attitudes, Choices, Faith, General Recovery, New Beginning, Responsibility, Step 12, Step 3 | Comments Off
January 25th, 2012
And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14b
It’s one of the really cool questions in the Bible.
Esther ascended to an influential position in a foreign land through a most unlikely series of events. She subsequently faced a difficult and potentially dangerous decision. Her uncle, Mordecai, encouraged her to overcome her fears and confront a volatile king on behalf of her people. “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Mordecai believed Esther faced a divine appointment, that God worked through events in her life and placed her in a strategic position. God orchestrated a complex set of mid-course corrections and long-term trajectories “for such a time as this.”
A pastor friend used to gaze solemnly around the congregation and say, “No one is here by accident.”
At the time it creeped me out because I thought everyone else knew why they were there and I had no clue why I was there.
Now I think it’s enough to believe there’s a purpose even when I don’t know exactly what it is.
I love the notion that God’s brought us together for such a time as this. Who knows?
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:18
Don’t miss CIR’s Daily Article !
Copyright 2008-2012 by Rich Dixon, All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
Rich is an author and speaker. He is the author of:
Relentless Grace: God’s Invitation To Give Hope Another Chance. Visit his web site www.relentlessgrace.com
Tags: fellowship, God's Love, healing, ministry, New Beginning, relationships, Responsibility, strength
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Faith, Family, For Friends & Family of Dysfunctional People, General Recovery, New Beginning, Pastors & Recovery Pros, Renewal, Step 12, Step 2, Step 3 | Comments Off
January 24th, 2012
GOOD
Most Sundays I prepare for church while listening to a local radio program called You Get The Blessing. I like it because the hosts take Jesus seriously and themselves not so much.
One of the hosts, Bo Mitchell, spent eight months in federal prison. This weekend he talked about how God has used that mistake for good. He expressed regret that he hasn’t been able to let go of his own negative attitudes about the experience.
Bo seems to believe that he should somehow perceive his prison time as a “good” thing. People have said similar things to me about my injury, but that’s just not how I see it.
Romans 8:28 assures us that God causes ALL things to work together for good. I’m not sure that means every circumstance IS good.
I don’t see paralysis and life in a wheelchair as a good thing, though God has certainly done many good works from those difficult situations. I don’t think I need to pretend that I like the injury, or believe God caused it, to see that God can bring good through it.
God causes even the worst, most evil, circumstances, to work together for good.
In that we find hope.
Don’t miss CIR’s Daily Article !
Copyright 2008-2012 by Rich Dixon, All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
Rich is an author and speaker. He is the author of:
Relentless Grace: God’s Invitation To Give Hope Another Chance. Visit his web site www.relentlessgrace.com
Tags: Attitudes, Choices, failure, hardship, loss, Pain, rejection
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Attitudes, Choices, Faith, General Recovery, Pain, Things to Ponder | Comments Off
January 23rd, 2012
You only get to live in this world once. Each moment is a treasured gift from God.
Every night when you fall asleep, another day has drifted away, disappearing down the ever flowing river of time into your memories. Yesterday can never be retrieved. Tomorrow morning, rise up with a radical faith that expects the impossible.
Offer your heart to God’s passions and invite him to activate his dreams in you.
Don’t miss CIR’s Daily Article !
Copyright 2010-2012, Chaplain Michael Clark
All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.
Chaplain Clark is a Speaker and Writer,
Addiction Counselor/Professional
as well as a Recovery Support Specialist
Shadows of the Cross Ministries, Prison and Recovery Ministry
Tags: Attitudes, backsliding, Choices, failure, New Beginning
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Attitudes, Choices, Faith, General Recovery, New Beginning, Responsibility, Step 12 | Comments Off
