As a young pastor, I read everything I could find about the great evangelist of the 19th century, D.L. Moody. I was once blessed to touch the pulpit he used in Chicago. To me, that was like touching the bat Babe Ruth used to hit his last home run. In Moody’s biography, I read an…
Recovery is the result of good habits, done over and over and over and over. Aristotle said, “Quality is not an act; it is a habit.” And Will Durant added, “We are what we repeatedly do.” Let me give you a simple formula for establishing new habits, which are key to your long-term sobriety. Think…
Humility is a key to success, in recovery or anything else. Malcolm Gladwell said it well: “We are better people when we are humble.” What is humility? Jordan Peterson defines humility as the “recognition of personal insufficiency and the willingness to learn.” I ask you three questions: Are you still willing to learn? Do you…
We come to God for all of our needs: forgiveness, hope, peace, and recovery. But there is a much greater reward offered for those who seek God. God himself. Check out what God told Abraham in his time of need: “The word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid,…
If your faith is strong enough, you will never be sick, you will always have plenty of money, and life will always be easy. And I will be the next quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Of course, none of this is true. The uncomfortable truth is that, even if you do great recovery work, love…
Let me introduce you to grace. Author Gerald May wrote about grace. “Grace is the most powerful force in the universe. It can transcend repression, addiction, and every other internal and external power that seeks to oppress the freedom of the human heart. Grace is where our hope lies.” There are two things you need…
In order to break the shackles of addiction, you must first break the shackles of shame. This is only possible for the man or woman who is sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit, for we know that “the unrighteous know no shame” (Zephaniah 3:5). Jesus described the specific work of the Holy Spirit:…
A close friend recently sent me a picture of a t-shirt, which read, “I don’t need Google. My wife knows everything.” While we can debate the validity of this assumption, one thing seems clear. Women do seem to possess a keen sense of discernment when it comes to their husbands’ behaviors. My wife has the…
Let’s talk about the dichotomy of life. Martin Luther said, “A Christian is someone who is simultaneously righteous, yet sinful.” In The Disciplines of Grace, Jerry Bridges wrote, “Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are…
“Lot pitched his tent near Sodom” (Genesis 13:13). Here’s the story. Abraham’s family had outgrown the land in which they lived. Abraham had no choice. The family would need to be divided geographically. He offered his nephew Lot several options as to where he would settle with his part of the family. While Lot would…