June 19th, 2013
Last week I started out on a great bike ride with a plan.
Miles disappeared behind me as I cranked along, lost in the beauty of a Colorado summer morning. Exuberance got the better of me, and I decided to extend my ride. Everything was perfect until I approached a hill a few miles from home. As I increased pedal speed for the climb I felt my body’s engine room calling for more fuel.
Except—the tank was empty.
Dumb move. I have enough experience to know how long I can ride without additional food. Extending my ride without proper fuel is just like ignoring the “low fuel” light in my car, and the result’s the same. I limped home on an empty tank.
This experience got me thinking about how we fuel our spiritual journey. I wonder if we pay attention to keeping the spiritual gas tank properly filled.
“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.” (Isaiah 55:1-2)
When I ride my bike, suitable food matters. Eating junk food is like “spending money on what is not bread.”
It’s a new week. The journey begins once again. God invites us to spend our money and labor on things that satisfy our souls.
Let’s resolve to live the week by eating and drinking the spiritual stuff that will keep the tank filled.
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Copyright 2008-2013 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, hardship, peace, Responsibility
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Attitudes, Choices, Faith, General Recovery, Renewal, Responsibility, Step 12 | No Comments »
June 18th, 2013
James 5:11: “We consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”
Perseverance is hard work. It is a test of our faith.
As I worked with “Christy,” she told me the man she had dated for a year was dating someone else. She sobbed and admitted she still loved him, but he was going to marry the other woman.
Her pain was real. The loss seemed more than she could bear. She felt alone, rejected, and hopeless. I listened to her and asked her to journal about her feelings and talk to God about them.
The following week, Christy and I discussed her journal notes. Afterward, I asked Christy a few questions: “Could she trust God in this crisis? Did she remember how Job lost everything, but God gave him double for what he lost? Would God give her the grace to persevere? Did she believe ‘the Lord is full of compassion and mercy’?”
I told Christy to write down the questions and spend time alone with the Lord to answer them. Christy did the assignment and persevered.
The Lord gave her a fantastic job opportunity and blessed her beyond her wildest dreams. The last time we talked, she told me she would have never grown as a person and as a Christian if she hadn’t lost the man she thought she couldn’t live without.
What about you?
Dear God, sometimes I feel alone, rejected, and hopeless too. Help me persevere. Amen.
Application: How will you live differently this week to show that you believe “the Lord is full of compassion and mercy”?
CIR Members can share their thoughts regarding this blog
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Copyright 2010-2013, 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.
If you would like to have her speak for your organization or church, please contact her through
her website: http://YvonneOrtega.com
Tags: Attitudes, bondage, Choices, God's Love, grief, hardship, healing, loss, New Beginning, Pain, rejection, Responsibility, strength, worry
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Anxiety, Assurance, Attitudes, Choices, Faith, General Recovery, New Beginning, Pain, Renewal, Responsibility, Step 12, Step 2, Step 3 | Comments Off
June 17th, 2013
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about What if___?
The idea was to consider opportunities by pondering their implications.
- What if … I read a book per month?
- What if … I made the effort to meet all of my neighbors?
The notion is to think about what might change in my life.
Yesterday I was cranking my bike and for some reason a couple of What-if’s popped into my head.
What if … Jesus is exactly who He says He is?
What if … He was serious and meant everything He said?
Of course I absolutely believe He is precisely who He claimed to be and meant everything He said.
But when I thought about it that way, in terms of implications and what would have to change if someone really believed, I stopped my bike at the top of a hill and stared across a field.
What … if … I really believed what I believe?
Tags: Attitudes, Choices, God's Love, healing, New Beginning, Responsibility, worry
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Attitudes, Choices, Faith, General Recovery, New Beginning, Pastors & Recovery Pros, Step 12, Step 2 | Comments Off
June 13th, 2013
One advantage of my injury is a healthy dose of humility. I’m constantly reminded of my relative dependence on others.
Yesterday during my bike ride I spent a lot of time thinking about this passage from Deuteronomy 6.
When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (Deuteronomy 6:10-12)
It’s intended as a reminder to the people of the Exodus of God’s provision as they entered the Promised Land. But there’s a broader principle.
I drink from wells I did not dig.
I live in a wonderful city I didn’t build. I ride on roads and trails for which I didn’t pay. I live in a beautiful state explored and settled by others, in a country whose relative liberty was secured by others’ vision and sacrifice.
I drink from wells I did not dig. So how am I to respond?
I’m grateful, to God and to the people whose efforts allow me to enjoy so much of what I take for granted.
And I’m responsible, I think, to leave something behind, to build something with all I’ve been given by God. It’s not enough to say thank-you and take all I can for myself. I need to leave a legacy.
I eat the fruit of trees I didn’t plant because others planted trees they might never enjoy.
My bike ride was a good time to reflect on the wells I dig and the trees I plant.
How about you?
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Copyright 2008-2013 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, ministry, motives, relationships
Posted in Attitudes, Choices, General Recovery, Pastors & Recovery Pros, Responsibility, Step 12 | Comments Off
June 12th, 2013
BOOTSTRAPS
We’re supposed to pull ourselves up by them, right? Work hard, be persistent, do whatever it takes, but the message is clear—your success is yours, and yours alone.
I remember wondering as a kid, in that stage where you take such things literally, how you were supposed to pull yourself up by tugging on your own clothing. It’s physically impossible, of course—even a child knows that.
Pulling yourself up requires a lot more than one’s own bootstraps. Of course you need strength, balance, and determination, and it’s a lot easier if you develop skills required to generate leverage and momentum. That’s all the stuff you bring to the game with hard work, training, and perseverance.
But none of it will do you a bit of good without a place to stand.
No matter how much we pretend, none of us stands independently. We’re all wherever we are because countless individuals worked to provide a place for us to stand.
Sometimes we can identify them specifically—parents, grandparents, teachers, or mentors. More often they’re nameless, the folks we never meet who sacrificed to build the communities in which we live.
To paraphrase the idea in Deuteronomy 6:11, we drink from wells we did not dig and sit in the shade of trees we did not plant.
We stand in the light of salvation we didn’t, and can’t, earn.
Might be a good thing to remember the next time we’re tempted to claim we pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps.
CIR Members can share their thoughts regarding this blog
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Don’t miss CIR’s Daily Article !
Copyright 2008-2013 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, healing, loss, New Beginning, Responsibility, salvation, sin, slip
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Attitudes, Choices, Faith, General Recovery, New Beginning, Renewal, Responsibility, Step 2, Step 3 | Comments Off
June 11th, 2013
Isaiah 57:18: “I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners.”
When I talked with a woman at a retreat and prayed with her, she admitted feelings of sadness and desperation about her marriage and her family.
I encouraged her to pray daily, to memorize Isaiah 57:18 and pray it aloud to God several times a day.
Memories of the past surfaced. I told her and the other women how I had prayed this verse hundreds of times after my son turned away from the Lord. I also told them how I wrote this verse on sticky notes and posted them on the bathroom mirror, the kitchen cupboard, my desk, and the dashboard of my car.
My son returned to the Lord and called me tell me. This good news encouraged that woman at the retreat to continue to pray for her husband and family. It also encouraged the others at the retreat to pray for their needs.
The woman signed up for my weekly devotion in motion and has kept in touch with me via email, as some of the others have.
After some time, she joyfully told me how God had transformed her marriage. Yes, there is power in the Word of God.
Then that woman bubbled over with excitement as she told me about the miracles in the lives of her children. We were both ecstatic.
God knows our circumstances. He promises to heal and restore. In his time and in his way, God will answer our prayers and comfort us, the mourners.
Dear God, help me pray Isaiah 57:18 for me and my family. Amen.
Application: Where will you post this verse in your home this week and how often will you pray it for you and your family?
CIR Members can share their thoughts regarding this blog
HERE
Don’t miss CIR’s Daily Article !
Copyright 2010-2013, 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.
If you would like to have her speak for your organization or church, please contact her through
her website: http://YvonneOrtega.com
Tags: Attitudes, Choices, God's Love, hardship, loss, Pain, peace, Responsibility, worry
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Anxiety, Assurance, Attitudes, Choices, Faith, For Friends & Family of Dysfunctional People, Renewal, Responsibility, Step 2 | Comments Off
June 10th, 2013
Last weekend our pastor talked about an incident from the early life of Moses.
As usual, I got trapped on one particular thought and probably missed the whole point of the message.
One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?”
The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.” (Exodus 2:11-14)
Have you ever had a secret, something you weren’t proud of and tried to hide? I have. It messes up every part of your life.
Moses had a skeleton buried in the sand. He was careful. He thought nobody knew, because he “looked this way and that” and was sure no one saw his sin.
Maybe they knew, maybe not—didn’t matter, because when someone questioned his integrity, guilt and anxiety overwhelmed him. Moses couldn’t stand up to criticism because he was afraid he’d been discovered.
Recently a Roman Catholic friend told me he was trying to find a way back to the church. He recounted a conversation in which a priest told him the only solution was to confess and do penance for all his sins from the past couple of decades. My friend left that discussion convinced there was no hope. He couldn’t possibly deal with the guilt and regret of so many sins from so many years.
I think he, and maybe the priest, missed the point. God doesn’t want us to relive and feel guilty for our mistakes. We’re already doing that in a never ending cycle of fear and guilt, hiding and wondering when someone will find out. He wants us to confess so we can accept the forgiveness available through faith in Jesus. It’s not about punishment and guilt. It’s about moving forward in freedom.
If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. (James 5:15b-16)
The whole point of confession is healing, removing the burden of hiding the secret and wondering who knows. Confession allows me to stand in the light rather than skulking in the shadows.
Because of the guilt, doubt, and fear created by his secret in the sand, Moses lost his ability to advocate for justice. Even though he was right, he couldn’t stand before the penetrating question of a Hebrew slave.
We’ve been focusing on this verse as we prepare for our upcoming bike tour.
Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow. (Isaiah 1:17)
We want to seek justice, defend the oppressed, etc. We hope to use the ride as a platform from which to create awareness and encourage people to become engaged in resisting the horrible injustice of human trafficking.
If I want to advocate for justice, I guess I need to make sure I don’t have any secrets buried in the sand.
CIR Members can share their thoughts regarding this blog
HERE
Don’t miss CIR’s Daily Article !
Copyright 2008-2013 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, Forgiveness of God, God's Love, healing, humility, New Beginning, Responsibility, sin
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Attitudes, Choices, General Recovery, New Beginning, Renewal, Responsibility, Step 10, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 6, Step 7, Step 8, Step 9 | Comments Off
June 8th, 2013
“Behold! I have engraved you on the palms of My hands!” Isaiah 49:16
“Behold,” says Immutable One, “I have engraved you on the palms of My hands!”
Not on the mountains, as colossal as they are–for they shall depart;
on no page of nature’s vast volume–for the last fires shall scorch them;
not on blazing sun–for he shall grow dim with age;
not on glorious heavens–for they shall be folded together as a scroll.
But on . . .
the hands of might and love,
the hands which made the worlds,
the hands which were transfixed on Calvary,
–I have engraved you there!
No corroding power can efface the writing, or obliterate your name!
You are Mine now–and Mine forever!
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
no one can snatch them out of My hand!” John 10:28
~ John MacDuff
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Copyright 1998-2013 by Christians in Recovery
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Tags: Attitudes, Choices, Forgiveness of God, God's Love, peace, strength
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Faith, For Friends & Family of Dysfunctional People, General Recovery, New Beginning, Renewal, Step 12, Step 2, Step 3 | Comments Off
June 7th, 2013
Everybody knows the story of Jesus calling the children to Him. It’s one of our favorite images, an infinitely calm, patient Jesus surrounded by squirmy kids in an idyllic children’s sermon.
But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Luke 18:16)
But there’s a piece of this verse I tend to brush aside—the part about the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Those little children were dependent and trusting. They assumed their needs would be met. They didn’t have a Plan B if the adults in their lives failed to come through.
Jesus says folks with these attitudes inherit the kingdom of God. I’d rather skip that part.
See, I don’t want to be quite that dependent. I trust God completely, but I want a backup plan in case things don’t quite work out like I planned. I believe He’s in control, but I want to know I can pick up the pieces if it begins to fall apart.
If I’m honest, everything about my behavior as a follower of Jesus seems to end with “…but…”
I’ve been to that place of complete dependence, the place where I knew I needed a God bigger than me because nothing I could do would ever fix the mess I’d created. It’s the story of Relentless Grace. I trusted God because I had no other choice, and He came through.
You’d think that would be enough. You’d think the son who rebelled, crawled home, and was welcomed with the open arms of grace wouldn’t turn into the hard-hearted older son. But…
I wish I had an answer. I wish I could say I’ll stop hedging my bets. I wish one part of me didn’t trust God while another makes a god of my own feeble capabilities.
I get really frustrated about my inability to do what I know is right. Sometimes I think about giving up. Then I picture an infinitely calm, patient Jesus putting His arm around me.
“Don’t quit, Rich. We’ll get there together.”
THAT’S my backup plan.
Tags: Attitudes, Choices, God's Love, hardship, motives, New Beginning, Responsibility, worry
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Anxiety, Assurance, Attitudes, Choices, Faith, General Recovery, New Beginning, Pastors & Recovery Pros, Responsibility, Step 12, Step 2, Step 3 | Comments Off
June 5th, 2013
“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You” (Job 42:5, NKJV).
Lately I’ve been singing that chorus about asking God to open the eyes of my heart so I can see Him. Isn’t that what happened to Job?
In the above verse we see a humbled and chastised Job who, after losing everything and bemoaning his fate because he believed he had done nothing to deserve such misery, has now come face to face with the living God. As a result, his entire perspective has changed.
Like Job, nearly everyone has at least heard of God. However, unlike Job who clung to his belief in God regardless of his circumstances, the majority of people who hear of God choose not to believe in or trust Him. How different their reaction might be if the eyes of their heart were opened and they could actually see Him!
I’ve heard people say, “When I get to heaven I’m going to ask God why He allowed this or that to happen.” Really? I don’t think so. First of all, when we arrive in heaven it won’t be because of anything good we’ve done, but rather because Jesus paid the price of our admission and we humbly accepted His gift. Second, when we finally lay eyes on the God of the universe, the One who spoke it all into creation, I believe we will be too awestruck to say anything, except maybe, “Holy, holy, holy!” And that, of course, is the point. All else will be swept away when we behold His glory; nothing else will matter as we bask in His unearned, unconditional love.
I want to be like Job, don’t you? I don’t want to just hear about God; I want to SEE Him with the eyes of my heart. And I want others to do the same. Open the eyes of our heart, Lord, that many might see You!
Tags: Attitudes, Choices, Macias, New Beginning, Responsibility, strength
Posted in Ability to Overcome, Assurance, Attitudes, Faith, General Recovery, Pastors & Recovery Pros, Renewal, Responsibility, Step 12, Step 2 | Comments Off
Copyright 2009-2013 Kathi Macias, all rights reserved. Used by permission.
