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…
The Author of recovery brings a message of hope for each of us. Isaiah 11:1 reads, “A shoot will come up from the root of Jesse. From his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” This prophetic message was spoken 700 years before the birth of Christ. The message was that from an unexpected source the…
Never underestimate the loudness of a whisper. C.S. Lewis wrote, “It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that…
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…
Sometimes, we assume that for people who become great success stories, life must have come easily. Not so. Take former President Dwight Eisenhower, for example. In late December, 1920, when he was 30 years of age, his son Icky fell seriously ill with scarlet fever. With no antibiotics, little could be done. The young boy…
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…