Augustine said, “Thou has created us for thyself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in Thee.” That quote should be taped onto the bathroom mirror of every person in recovery. When we remember that we were not only created by God, but for God, we get an idea of how special we…
“Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. Tis grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.” Those immortal words by John Newton have brought comfort to millions, if not billions of saints for the last 250 years. And we need those words – to read, quote, and…
“Give careful thought to your ways. You eat, but you never have enough. You drink, but you never have your fill” (Haggai 1:5-6). Addiction seeks the next thrill, the next hit, the next high. But it is never enough. To that way of thinking, George Orwell said, “Men can only be happy when they do…
It was one of the most significant events in sports history. The date was March 31, 1985. In Wrestlemania I, The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff defeated Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo for the WWE World Tag Team Championship. A lot of us treat the Christian life as a tag team event. When we get…
Trevor started a new job. On his first day, he noticed a box of bagels in the break room, with a sign that read, “Please drop in a quarter for every bagel.” After a few days, Trevor noticed that no one seemed to be monitoring the payment system. So he’d occasionally take a bagel without…
Change comes slowly. Just ask my Dad. The three years that began with Dad handing me my first tenor saxophone when I was in 7th grade until I made first chair in the high school band in 10th grade were tortuous for the entire family. The early days of practicing my sax every day after…
All recovery is spiritual. The Bible is clear: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12). In an excellent sermon on spiritual warfare, Pastor Sam Rainer said there are two false views of…
If you were born on November 25, you share today’s birthday with some pretty impressive people: Andrew Carnegie, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Joe DiMaggio, Amy Grant, Christina Applegate, and Anastas Mikoyan. Yes, Anastas Mikoyan. Mikoyan was an Armenian revolutionary who made his mark as a loyal servant to Joseph Stalin. He would play a leading…
Life can be heavy. This is especially true in addiction recovery. The road to freedom is often marked with challenges and set-backs. That leads me to a very important ingredient of successful recovery. Humor. Educator Frank Moore Colby noted, “Men will confess to treason, murder, arson, false teeth, or a wig. But how many of…
I have never met a man or woman who said their life turned out exactly as they had hoped and planned. For each of us there have been trials, challenges, and failures. But because we have a God who is up to the challenge, we overcome. Our story actually becomes more historic because of our…