The Power of a Thank You!

Summer has certainly hit us hard here in the South, with temperatures well over 100 degrees for the past week!  We can't seem to water the grass enough to keep it green and indoors is the preferable location to be most of the day. Daily, I find myself praying for rain for our drought stricken area and watching the skies for some dark clouds that might hold some drops of moisture.

But, something else has been on my mind these past few days. I have been prayerfully pondering gratitude and its effect on those around us! A simple "Thank You" is so powerful and so necessary! Is it a part of your daily vocabulary as an E Coach or Leader in Celebrate Recovery?

There are many places that the word THANKS can be used. It certainly is a vital part of our prayer life.  We should give thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on a regular basis.  We have so much to be thankful for.  We are truly blessed. Thanking our God in prayer for even little things that he blesses us with will bless Him in return! I believe the scripture reads, In everything, give thanks!" (I Thes. 5:18) (NIV) One of my favorite songs says "Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks for what He's given - Jesus Christ."

Scripture also speaks of edifying the body of Christ in Ephesians 4:12. What can we do to build up the body of Christ, and more specifically our Celebrate Recovery Leaders? It begins with a simple "Thank You".  

Thank You helps a person feel recognized and appreciated.  It gives them and what they do value. It is not enough to feel appreciative towards others, but to express those sentiments is important!

Celebrate Recovery has had a lot of recent promotion about the "we get to" do this ministry, a powerful positive and motivating thought!  I want to be the first to say Thank You for doing what you do, wherever you are.  I THANK GOD that He has called you and set you apart for His good purposes. Be blessed in your ministry as you bless others with appreciation!

See you at the Summit!

Paula

 

Encourager Coaches, SHARE WITH CAUTION!

The Celebrate Recovery One Day Seminar in Rochester, Minnesota was awesome!  The Seven Keys Seminar was well attended, as was the Advanced Leadership tract. Several State Reps. from nearby States were in attendance, connecting with ministry leaders from their regions! Thanks to the Autumn Ridge team who helped make it so successful! 

Today, I want to revisit a familiar topic once again.  As mentioned before, Facebook is a great social tool for connecting with family and friends. Personally, I have recently located a high school buddy that I have not seen or heard from since graduation.  What fun! 

In regards to Celebrate Recovery, we must use caution in our sharing. Occasionally, I love to make a brief statement on my Facebook page about returning from a CR meeting and let everyone know it was a terrific meeting. I AM NOT FREE to say who I saw or what was shared in the meeting. That would be breaking confidentiality and anonymity. In addition, I would break copy right laws to share the lesson taught during the meeting on the web.  The CR material is copyrighted.  

What can I share?????? I can share about me.  I can share my growth, my story, my breakthroughs, my life.  Remember the first guideline?  I love the phrase  "What is shared in the group stays in the group". That includes the large group meeting too!

Jim mentioned in his blog last week that cameras do not belong in a CR meeting, even the Large Group Meeting.  To take photos is breaking confidentiality and anonymity. Remember I am not free to say or SHOW who I saw or or what was shared in the meeting. Let's guard the safety of our meetings!

As Encourager Coaches, we want to keep our leaders and attendees from any unnecessary harm.  Let's keep our meetings safe!  It is a number one priority!

Bless you,

Paula

FACEBOOK - The Place to Connect with the CR National Facebook Page

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about Facebook and the possibilities for networking via this popular tool!  I also posted some warnings about security while using Facebook.  I continue to be amazed at the number of folks using this ever growing media to connect and network about Celebrate Recovery and share their lives, changed lives. 

Mac Owen, our National Assimulation Coach, wrote a blog about the networking successes he has personally witnessed via Facebook and the numbers of folks showing up at his local CR because of Facebook conversations or connections.  Wow, God can use anything in a big way, if we just invite Him to do something miraculous!  That is what we are seeing, God at work as we connect with friends and family. Go God!

I want to encourage you to connect with us on the National Celebrate Recovery Facebook page. The National Team is using it as another means to keep people informed about what is happening across the country.  It is so inspiring to read the reports of individual ministries and also uplifting to read the testimonies of individuals who have posted sobriety dates.  Others offer words of encouragement to the readers. 

There is also an increased  presence of state, regional and individual Celebrate Recovery pages. Pages have been started by various individuals wanting to connect with smaller and more specific audiences.  Some are using it to connect with just the leaders in their ministry and others to network ministries in larger cities or even states.  How exciting that we can encourage one another in so many ways.

Well, I hope you can tell that I am excited about the wave that Facebook is creating in and of itself.  Remember to keep the confidentiality when sharing information.  Facebook is not the place for deep sharing, but a place of social connection.  

God bless each of you as you begin your week!

Paula 

What Can You Do Different Today to Bring Changes in Your Tomorrows?

I HEARD A GREAT SERMON THIS MORNING! Our Pastor is teaching on the book of Daniel. One of his gifts is to bring the scriptures alive and pertinent to life today. He did it again today!

There was one point he made that connected with recovery issues so well! He was talking about Daniel's life as a young man under the rulership of Nebuchadnezzar. When Daniel was young, he did some mighty things for God. He was appointed over the enchanters, astrologers and diviners because God used him in a mighty way. It was not until he was in his eighties, under King Belshazzar, that he received his true promotion over Babylon.

During Daniel's lifetime, he stayed right with God. It says in Chapter Five of Daniel that he was known for having the "spirit of the gods" within him. He stood out above the rest when times were rough and the king needed to hear the true wisdom from Almighty God - the real truth.

Daniel's life exemplifies that faithfulness to God and His ways in our lives are imperative. King Belshazzar, who knew of the ways of the one true God because he served under King Nebuchadnezzar and witnessed his miraculous heart change, still fought and rebelled against the ways of the Lord - JUST LIKE WE DO!

What are you battling over with God? You probably know what that THING is! TODAY is the day to make a decision and do something different. We cannot live our lives in the future or in the past! Just like King Belshazzar, our time can run out!

Over a year ago, I began attending a local gym on a regular basis. Every time that I attended, something in me changed. Months later, I had lost many pounds and was more physically fit. I still visit the gym on a fairly regular basis! If I don't stay with it, the reverse effects don't take very long! I lose strength and muscle tone to some degree when I don't exercize for even a week! I can feel the difference quickly!

Isn't our recovery like that? If we ignore our recovery for a period of time and are lax about the disciplines of applying the steps to our lives, we decline in our spiritual health. God begins to seem far away. It is harder to get back on track. We lose strength to fight the good fight!

My encouragement is to do something different today in your life that will change your tomorrows. What is God speaking to you about? I am making a change. Will you join me? Let's not wait until the New Year. This message is for today!

God bless you!

Paula

The Process of Recovery

Well, I have been painting again!  Three months ago, I bought several gallons of paint and began putting new color on every wall of our home, beginning at the front door.  It had been several years since the last coat of paint and it was time for some updating. I put down the paintbrush for short periods of time while we attended Celebrate Recovery One Day Conferences and arrived back home to resume my endeavors. As the weeks, yes even months, have passed by, our house is taking on a very different look!

When you walk into a room that has been redone, the intense time and labor is not evident to the eye. It is not apparent to the viewer that I have had a growth experience because of the processes that created the changes they see. (I always learn new things and am challenged physically when I tackle a big project like painting.) You just KNOW that things look different!

The process of applying new paint to a wall is many faceted, much like our recoveries.  There is the stripping away of everything that is on the surface, the pictures, the shelves, the cover plates for the light switches, etc.  The surface must be laid bare.  Baring the surface can reveal problems. 

We had a mirror in our bedroom vanity area that stretched from wall to wall. When we took it down, it held several surprises.  The floating tape was dry and brittle and parts of the plaster were crumbling. There were several shades of paint visible where the mirror had been. This told us that some of the painters in the past had not covered the surface completely behind the mirror, using the mirror to hide their shortcuts. The mirror had been in  place and covering a deterioration in the wall.  We had to make repairs before applying the paint and replacing the mirror on the wall.

Our recovery is much like the painting process.  All that needs to be revealed is uncovered for the healing process.  To cover it again without addressing the issues is to allow further erosion beneath the surface. When the issues have been repaired by the great Painter himself, then the new can be laid out over the healed areas of our lives! 

Sometimes sanding is required to help the surface hold the paint and improve the final appearance.  Sometimes spackling is applied to fill in the holes.  All of the preparation and process serves to provide a better looking finished project. Are we letting God do ALL of the work in us that is required for that final product????

As we approach Thanksgiving, can we thank our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, for the process of healing that He has us in?  It is so humbling that He cares enough to fill in the gaps, sand us where needed, and do a new thing in our lives!

After these many weeks of painting, I am physically tired, but encouraged by the results that I see!  I still have several doors that need a fresh coat of paint to match my new color.  The process will continue until it is completed!  Did you know that they now have a new roller for doors that makes the work much easier? 

Many of you would say that you are tired from your process! Look at your results, see what God has done and is doing! Are you using all of your Celebrate Recovery tools in your process? It makes the process easier, doesn't it?

Have an awesome Thanksgiving and be blessed in your process!

Paula