the purpose of "celebrate recovery" is to celebrate God's healing power in our lives through the eight recovery principles found in the beatitudes and christ-centered 12 steps.
The Bible clearly states "all have sinned." It is my nature to sin, and it is yours too. None of us is untainted. Because of sin, we've all hurt ourselves, we've all hurt other people, and others have hurt us. This means each of us need repentance and recovery in order to live our lives the way God intended.
You've undoubtedly heard the expression that "time heals all wounds." Unfortunately, it isn't true. People are still carry hurts from 30 or 40 years ago. The truth is - time often makes things worse. Wounds that are left untended fester and spread infection throughout your entire body. Time only extends the pain if the problem isn't dealt with.
What we need is a biblical and balanced program to help people overcome their hurts, habits and hang-ups. Celebrate Recovery is that program. Based on the actual words of Jesus rather than psychological theory, our recovery program is unique, and more effective in helping people change than anything else.
Most people are familiar with the classic 12 step program of A.A. and other groups. While undoubtedly many lives have been helped through the twelve steps, those program's have a vagueness about the nature of God, the saving power of Jesus Christ, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This program is unlike any recovery program you may have seen. There are seven features that make it unique:
This recovery program is based on God's Word, the Bible. When Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, he began by stating "Eight Ways to Be Happy." Today we call them the Beatitudes.
This recovery program is forward-looking. Rather than wallowing in the past, or dredging up and rehearsing painful memories over and over, Celebrate Recovery focuses on the future. Regardless of what has already happened, the solution is to start making wise choices now and depend on Christ's power to help me make those changes.
This recovery program emphasizes personal responsibility. Instead of playing the "accuse and excuse" game of victimization, this program helps people face up to their own poor choices and deal with what they can do something about. We cannot control all that happens to us. But we can control how we respond to everything. That is a secret of happiness. When we stop wasting time fixing the blame, we have more energy to fix the problem. When you stop hiding your own faults and stop hurling accusations at others, then the healing power of Christ can begin working in your mind, will, and emotions.
This recovery program emphasized spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ. The 3rd principle calls for people to make a total surrender of their lives to Christ. Lasting recovery cannot happen without this step. Everybody needs Jesus. Celebrate Recovery is thoroughly evangelistic in nature.
This recovery program utilizes the biblical truth that we need each other in order to grow spiritually and emotionally. It is built around small group interaction and the fellowship of a caring community. There are many therapies, growth programs, and counselors today that are built around one-on-one interaction. But Celebrate Recovery is built on the New Testament principle that we don't get well by ourselves. We need each other. Fellowship and accountability are two important components of spiritual growth.
This recovery program addresses all types of habits, hurts and hang-ups. Some recovery programs deal only with alcohol or drugs or another single problem. But Celebrate Recovery is a "large umbrella" program under which a limitless number of issues can be dealt with.
Finally, this recovery program produces lay ministers! Because Celebrate Recovery is biblical and church-based, it produces a continuous stream of people moving into ministry after they've found recovery in Christ.
meet
Thursdays at 6:30-8:30 pm
Adult Education Room
celebrate recovery small groups can:
- Provide you a safe place to share your experiences, strengths and hopes with others who are going through the "Principles" in a Christ-Centered recovery.
- Provide you a leader who has gone through a similar hurt, hang-up on habit that will facilitate the group as it focuses on a particular Step each week. The leader will also keep Celebrate Recovery's "FIVE RULES."
- Provide you with the opportunity to find an accountability partner or sponsor.
- Encourage you to attend other recovery meetings held throughout the week, if available.
celebrate recovery small groups will not:
- Attempt to offer any professional clinical advice. Our leaders are not counselors. We will provide you with a list of approved counseling referrals.
- Allow its members to attempt to fix one another.
contact
Mike Becker at 382-7504 ext. 350 (Voice Recording)