Yesterday morning was spent getting the word out about the virtual Celebrate Recovery Summit on July 30&31. There are several from Sunday’s meeting who committed to work on this. I had nothing but positive response and some commitments to attend with us at our church doing it on the large screen. I found it disturbing to awake this morning a little before 4:00 am to have my mind filled with all the obstacles which will impede any attempt to grow the Celebrate Recovery ministry or the Restoration ministry classes starting this fall. Every positive we had talked through on Sunday was met with a bigger negative as my mind processed this. As I write this I’ve given all of this to God. I know this fear is about me and my own personality. I’m always eager to challenge a problem. Addressing the obstacles as genuine barriers never enter my mind until an initial plan is in place. It is then the what if’s begin to appear. This morning they appeared as boulders! So, I will lean on the promises of God for this is His Work we are joining, not the work of man.
I will say that if the present pandemic were facing us 12 years ago when we first started the Celebrate Recovery ministry, we wouldn’t have even begun. At that point in my life I didn’t have the confidence in the faith that God would use me and others no matter what obstacles stood in the way. I saw the obstacles more than I saw God. Today I still have the fears but I also have the God of Miracles to give them to. How grateful I am!
Our God is certainly magnificent! I’m so grateful for God’s reminder yesterday morning to stay awake to the entire day rather than just the meeting to take place after lunch. Every aspect of the day was orchestrated by God and I would have missed much of it if I’d stayed in the state of mind I was in as I awoke yesterday morning. Remembering to trust God and thank Him for being able to take part in His Work is what I was missing.
The meeting yesterday did go so well. The heart of each participant was seen and heard. Gathering the hopes and dreams from each one and then the obstacles which seem to be in the way makes it easy to put the prayer list together. It also makes it easier to know where God is in all of it and whether we are to let certain ones go as they are about us and not Him, or watch the obstacles crumble because God is “making the way possible”.
I love how God works and how He takes us by the shoulders and turns us in His direction as we attempt to do His bidding. He is an amazing God and I never want to forget this.
Today is meeting day. As I began my journaling to Jesus I started with this statement. Instantly I was reminded that the meeting today is simply 2 hours of the entire day. God’s Spirit was reminding me that this morning I am singing with the worship team, listening to a sermon by one of our pastors who I’ve been praying for, spending an hour or so prepping lunch for the group and following the meeting this afternoon I’m taking 3 grandsons shopping for their summer camp supplies. God said He doesn’t want the enjoyment of all these other parts missed because I was too focused on one element. The meeting is His and my trust needs to reflect that by the peace I have from surrendering it.
I don’t usually lead the Celebrate Recovery meetings. Turning the ministry leader role over to another gentleman a couple years ago allowed me more time to devote to our Tuesday night restoration classes. However, today the ministry leader was gone on vacation so he asked if I’d take charge which I was happy to do. In so doing it has given God ample time to get me focused on Him and fully see where my trust in Him has been lagging. I love how much He continues to grow me (us) in our relationship with Him. Intimacy is filled with trust and there is no one I’d want to be intimate with like I do with God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit. The other thing which God did is bring the ministry leader home last night. He text me late saying he is home and will be here for the mtg today. I’ll still lead but having his input is important.
So, things are ready. Now I sense anticipation for what God will reveal as we process. But, before this I get to worship Him fully and listen to some excellent wisdom He has bestowed on our pastor delivering the sermon! Afterwards, it is 3 grandsons!
Tomorrow will be our Celebrate Recovery meeting day to address some important items as we look into the near future for it and for the restart of restoration classes. I think I’m ready now to lead this discussion and to organize the messages of it into our prayer list. I keep wishing I could tap on the shoulder each person who I’d want present. This is what I surrender to God for I know He is the very One who knows best who He wants present. I need to let His Holy Spirit do His Work of tapping on the shoulder and I stay on my knees in prayer about it. So, that’s what I’m doing today and tomorrow morning.
This present state we are in has put a halt to so much. What I’m awake to now is that God never stops His Kingdom Work just because man is experiencing something overwhelming to him. It has taken several weeks for me to fully awaken to this. If someone would have asked me before the pandemic hit, I wouldn’t have hesitated at all saying that nothing can stand in the way of God’s Kingdom Work. However, for myself, now that I’ve lived through these past few months, I can honestly say, I’ve been the one stymied, not God. Tomorrow’s meeting will allow us to begin hearing God’s Voice and recording what He wants done. This I look forward to with much anticipation!
As I sit down to write this blog entry I am weighed down with a statement made to me last night at Celebrate Recovery. A gentleman was there with his wife. They were both newcomers. We had a shortage of leaders so Kathy and I thought it best to simply invite them to take part in the small groups as we were needed for leading the small groups. We could take them through a 101 class the following week. I taught the lesson on Relapse which is lesson 21 of 25. As I finished and we were ready to go into small group I approached him and asked if he would be ok just coming to the small group? His response took me back. He said he was just going to leave and go home. This type of recovery wasn’t for him. The talk about God and all was not for him. He went on to say that he was raised in a series of foster homes and he learned that God was very different than “we” talked about. I did let him know that in September we would be starting again at the beginning lessons where connecting with the God he heard about begins. At this beginning is where we learn that God does care for us in spite of what has happened to us in life by man or by ourselves.
There are a number of things I wish I had mentioned last night–primarily the fact that I had so many of my own doubts about the God I adore today. I realize this man will not be left alone by The Holy Spirit and I do pray he will risk returning. God has a love for him he surely needs to find and a recovery awaiting right with that love.
The confusion I talked about yesterday as I prepare mentally for Sunday’s meeting was given spiritual attention. I felt as though we needed to have a solid plan ready to enact come mid September for our restoration ministry and for Celebrate Recovery. However, what developed during the day was to focus the meeting on people’s hopes and dreams for Celebrate Recovery and the restoration ministry as we prepare to step into a new year come September. As we record these hopes/dreams we can then see clearly what the obstacles are which restrict it. These then become the concrete items we pray about leaving them for God to deal with knowing they are out of our hands.
It is here that I have to confess even more my own flesh. I have always been one to turn things over to God verbally. But in reality, I want to take care of these details myself and inspire others to do the same with their part. Leaving things for God to do has seemed like a cop out. As I write this today I recognize that I’ve never had the solid belief that God’s Strength would address such detail as these hitting our ministry. I let it go because I can’t do anything with it–so, God, You do something if You want it to happen. (Boy, do I see my flesh as I write this).
God is helping me to see my own disbelief this morning and the weakness of relationship it portrays. The growing intimacy I am finding in God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit is now wanting to address my disbelief and turn it into BELIEF. So, when we meet Sunday, we will have a solid prayer list developed of hopes and dreams which we will commit to praying. This time (for me at least) the prayers will be sincere believing the God of the universe is hearing them and cares deeply about them. The outcome, whatever it will be, will be of God and not of man.
Today’s journey started with an early rising. It is one of the mornings when you awaken to know there is not going to be any going back to sleep so lets get up and check out why. There is a lot on my mind having to do with our restoration ministries. These require intimate time and closeness. The present pandemic keeps us distant and isolated. Yes, we can virtually meet, but that has its own handicaps. Now is the time to get organized for the start of new classes and Celebrate Recovery’s kickoff. So, as I look at our planning for these in the past, there has always been a great plan emerging. Today, as I look at these, I only see confusion, maybe’s , what if’s…. I am hosting our Celebrate Recovery monthly meeting this Sunday at our home where we are to plan all of this out. I feel like all I can do is host a meeting and guide a conversation with about a dozen people.
I just typed this message and as I did I had a moment of seeing in my mind Peter and John conversing when Jesus had ascended into heaven leaving them with the charge to go unto the ends of the earth spreading the Good News. I’ll bet they were awfully confused wondering about a plan to do this when their world’s state was even more divided than our present one. (I also just started reading I Peter this morning where he is writing to never give up hope. He says to seek the Spirit’s leadership in your life and He will give the Light.
I’ve never written this blog where the message is coming to me while I’m writing it. I always have a message to write. Today, I had confusion and in writing this, I sense a plan forming. It is ok to have a meeting addressing the confusion of the present. In so doing, we will seek The Holy Spirit’s presence and to hear His message for us. I’m good with that!
Today is my youngest daughter’s birthday. It was 34 years ago that she was born and tomorrow it will be 34 years since we brought her home from the hospital. Because we were adopting our daughter we couldn’t be at the hospital for the birth. However, after getting the call that she was born, our neighbor friend went to the hospital and saw her through the window of the nursery. She gave us a report on our new child! God opened the door for us to adopt her and I continue to thank Him for this honor.
I wrapped up the book of James this morning in my bible reading. Chapter 5 has excellent wisdom for living each day. Reading it outlines a very simple process of living for Jesus if we were a puppet and had no choices of our own to make. However, living for Jesus each and every day and turning ourselves around when temptation hits is truly another story. The wisdom is there in James 5:16–confess one to another and the outcome is that we will be healed.
Admitting we have sinned is one thing. Confessing it is another. Admitting is telling, confessing includes admitting along with a plan to step out of the sin. This is what Jesus is asking me to do and each one of us to do. Finding a trustworthy person who doesn’t judge but knows how to support is the answer. In Celebrate Recovery we call this an accountability partner or our sponsor. This person is a real friend! I’m very grateful to have a couple of them in my life. If this is something you need, pray that The Holy Spirit will put a person in your path. Jesus wants each of us to be free.
Yesterday was a powerful day starting with a sermon from our pastor regarding the present state of our nation and how our behaviors as a nation misalign with the bible and God’s intent for man. It was a tough sermon to deliver, but so worth hearing on each one’s part.
I spent much of the remainder of the day helping a couple of widow friends. The one lost her husband about 6 weeks ago and had a rose bush needing planted which had been given to her at her husband’s passing. As I got there I first noticed her flower bed truly needed weeding so I got both done. As I left there I went to another widow’s home to get pictures for a video being put together. A lady who use to work for me is reaching the end of her life due to cancer and her family is putting together a video of reflection for her. She had worked many years for me but I didn’t have pictures–only stories. My past secretary however, had several so I got them from her and now the video is being made complete. God is so good and it is gratifying to have a little part in what He does.
Today I get to go to one of the schools I work with and spend a few hours with the gentleman who is the new principal. He really is new too, but he is eager to learn. My first secretary that I met with yesterday was reminding me of my first day. I had come to the school, sat down at her desk and asked, “What does a principal do on their first day?” She took the lead in getting me focused and away we went. Now, 41 years later, I want to assist this new one with the same kindness and wisdom as I was given.
When I started college I had a guy in the dorm tell me to act my age–I was 18. I told him this is how I act so it must be how an 18 year old acts. A few days later he was the one acting crazy and I reminded him to act his age. This is just one little example of man seeing man through his own eyes.
In James chapters 2 & 3, there is an abundance of wisdom given for living a mature, christian life. A large portion is devoted to our tongue and controlling it. Our tongue can be a blessing or a curse in a matter of just a few words in either direction. I know that our tongue is largely tied to our human emotions. I hear James telling me that my tongue can be tied to The Holy Spirit’s leading in my life. I can “stay it” or I can “release it” when I sense the Spirit’s nudging.
I never wanted to be cruel with my words like I found my dad to be–especially when he was angry or when I had done something which seemed to shame him. However, knowing what I don’t want to do doesn’t necessarily prepare me for what to do. There was a lot about living a mature, healthy life which had to be learned through trial and error. James has so much to say in his writings giving aid to one like me. If this is a need for you too, take a moment to let this book speak to you. It only takes a few minutes to read it, but the lessons within it will take a lifetime.
Earnie Lewis 