Celebrate Recovery in Nampa, Idaho

Many thanks to Pastor Kent Conrad and his Ministry Leaders Barry and Eunice Lucas. They had a great group of volunteers working to make sure the last Celebrate Recovery Seminar of the Spring / Summer season was a success.

Many new and potential new ministries were represented when Pastor John and Cheryl asked "how many are here for the first time?" Hands were raised all across the worship center, indicating potential growth across Idaho and the North West region of the United States.

The leadership of Celebrate Recovery is now preparing for the upcoming Summit at Saddleback Church, August 12 - 14, 2009. The registration for this event was over 2300 at the end of last week.

If you are planning to join us, make plans now to register at Celebrate Recovery. Hurry up - for the Saddleback worship center fills up fast!

Now is a great time to connect with your Celebrate Recovery State Representative to let them know you will be attending. Building relationships with other leaders from your area is a large part of what the Summit is about. Start making connections now. See you soon!

Celebrating Recovery - each day in Christ! - Jim

Planning to Divide and Share at the Saddleback CR Summit

WOW! Registration for the 2009 Celebrate Recovery Summit is 2147 at the close of last week. It appears that we are heading toward another full and exciting Summit experience for all who are able to attend.

Ministry Leader - you will soon have an opportunity to preview the schedule for the 3 days of events that make up the Summit. In years past, and I'm sure this year too, Tina Davis will post a blog concerning the daily agenda for the Summit.

By planning ahead, you will be able to let others traveling with you have an opportunity to decide which workshops they should attend. It has been fun in the past, when I have attended with members of my CR, to plan to take in a variety of workshops and then share notes on the return home. Advance planning provides a way for the entire team to benefit from the experiences of all .

My hope is that you will make new friends in recovery while at the Summit. My prayer is that you have opportunities to also connect with "old friends" you've made along this road to recovery. The power of friendship and fellowship is evident as you see folks call or wave to one another across the Saddleback plaza during the three days of the Celebrate Recovery Summit.

If you have the opportunity to stay over for Saturday or Sunday services - all the better. It is fun to see the fellowship carry over to the weekend services - with new and existing leaders recognizing each other by new CR shirts or hats.

Be prepared to look for fellow conference attenders at the airport on the way home too! The celebration continues -right up to departure from Orange County or other area airports.

Get ready and start your planning to get the most out of your Summit experience. We'll see you soon in Orange County and Saddleback Church. Don't wait any longer. Sign up now at Celebrate Recovery . You'll be glad you did!

Celebrating Recovery - each day in Christ! - Jim

Making Your Group Safe for All - Celebrate Recovery Ministry Leader's Chief Commission

Last week we were in Pennsylvania for a One Day Seminar, including the Seven Keys of Recovery and the Advanced Leadership Training. Many thanks to Ron and his team of great volunteers. I also made a new friend on Face Book!

I enjoy Face Book and the opportunities it brings to "stay in touch" with family and friends on a social level. I also have fun with the creative use of YouTube for promotions about Celebrate Recovery world-wide. There are many other creative ways technology connects us and raises awareness of CR in the public eye - and techchnology is great - most of the time!

One area of concern regarding our advanced means of technology is that of anonymity and confidentiality. I've seen and heard examples of someone filming or photographing all or part of a Celebrate Recovery meeting, and then displaying it somewhere on the web.

As a Ministry Leader, your first obligation is to make Celebrate Recovery a safe place for all participants. Letting a camera, camera equipped cell phone , or other video recording device into your meeting can be a violation of the sacred trust of confidentiality or anonymity.

A leader may point out that "I got a signed waver from all concerned". My concern is for that individual who walks in without giving their consent, or the person who later changes their mind and later says, "I didn't really want to sign, but everyone else did".

Two points regarding technology use in a Celebrate Recovery meeting - then I'll let you evaluate where your group stands.

1.) Recording the lessons of Celebrate Recovery is something you should not be doing. The body of the lesson, including the acrostic, is copyrighted material and should not be duplicated for public consumption.

2.) Perhaps the best use of still or video photography is in the promotion of your CR ministry. Think of the "WORDS" video, or the DVD included in the Basic Leadership Kit. A local promotional video is usually shot once, then used for specific purposes in the local church.

In addition, regular or weekly photography or video taping should not be a part of your Celebrate Recovery ministry. The use of camera or cell phone photography should be STRONGLY discouraged in your Celebrate Recovery ministry. If you are recording Celebrate Recovery lessons for inclusion on the web - you're going to have to stop.

Serving as a Ministry Leader, you've likely thrown personal anonymity and confidentiality out the door a long time ago. I wish to encourage you to make CR a safe place for all - and keep the cameras out of the meeting unless there for specific purposes of promoting your ministry.

On another note - this Friday is the last day to take advantage of early registration for the 2009 Summit at Saddleback Church. You may register by visiting us online at Celebrate Recovery .

Celebrating Recovery - each day in Christ! - Jim

Support - It's All Around

On Saturday, August 23, I drove to Wichita Falls with three other guys in a church van for the purpose of taking part in a little bike ride that has been taking place over the past twenty-seven years. The "HH Hundred" has become known as one of the largest, if not the largest one day bike events in the country.

With the annual Celebrate Recovery Summit, followed by a week of catching up, I had not touched a bike in two weeks. I had a fair amount of riding in by August, but I knew I was not ready to tackle 100K or 100 miles. I settled on a "sensible" 50 mile route, figuring that the base miles would help pull me through. While the day was hot and humid, it was not unmanageable with a little help from my friends.

The HH100 website notes - "People ask what you get when you register for the HHH. It is a grueling day in the sun so what does a rider get besides sore muscles, tired posterior, sense of accomplishment and several hours of pure cycling madness? There is no answer that fits all. Riders pit themselves against the road and elements for different reasons. What everyone does get is a ride T-shirt and water bottle, goodie bag, free stuff from the consumer show, ...and a hard-earned finisher pin. Route distances are:10K - 25 mile - 50 mile - 100K - 100 mile"

It was also pointed out that over 11,000 riders this year benefitted from 15,000 gallons of hydration, truck loads of fruit and pickles, thousands of cold - wet towels, 300 medical volunteers, and 1400 non-medical volunteers as part of the support we received.

The photo above was taken by an airman on Shepperd Air Force Base. The group pictured behind me were men and women of the Air Force who lined the side of the road to shout words of encouragement and to give "high fives" to the riders heading into the final miles of the ride. "You're almost there ... you can do it ... just five more miles to go!" - were some of the encouraging words. Periodically we'd get a big "HUAHH...AIR FORCE" thrown in for good measure.

You will hear frequent encouragement that you "don't have to do recovery alone". Nowhere is this more evident than in thousands of groups meeting world-wide every week. For new and existing groups, your best support is from your CR State Rep and Regional Director. If you have questions, or concerns, these are the ones to turn to.

If you do take assistance from a neighboring group, I offer this piece of advice. Make sure they are following the trademark and DNA as established at Saddleback Church. There is only one template we follow in making sure every group meets the benchmark of Celebrate Recovery. It is refreshing to visit a group and find familiar structure and support.

Did I mention how uplifting it is to drop in to a place of support and rest when you are tired and thirsty?

Be blessed and be a blessing to others who are tired and thirsty on this road of life. May your ministry be as a rest stop or oasis to those worn down by this world.

Celebrating Recovery - each day in Christ! - Jim

Recovery Foundations - Follow the Model

Luke 6:48
He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.

Deck building is not something I do often - well not at all, actually. Yesterday, I was helping my friend Greg replace a deck at his home. While I do not have previous deck building experience, I was able to add some muscle to the project, and he was grateful for help in moving some sixteen foot posts that were to be support for the new structure.

By the time I arrived, Greg had already demolished the old deck and had poured concrete footings for the main support posts in the deck. As Greg discovered, this was not a one man project, and the new or existing Celebrate Recovery ministry at your church should not be either.

A firm foundation has been established in the recovery ministry at Saddleback Church, one that has stood the test for seventeen years, and has been instrumental in helping countless thousands around the globe receive God's healing grace at work in their lives.

If you are already running a ministry and have discovered you are slightly "off course" after attending the Summit, I want to encourage you to begin to make small changes to conform to the model successfully established at Saddleback. All too often I hear of churches that wish to make sweeping changes - but that, my friend, is also a hazard! Be gentle with your ministry volunteers as you seek to more nearly follow the model we imitate. Don't be hasty to change too much - too soon!

Work well with other members of your T.E.A.M.! It is great to have other eyes making sure the ministry you are running is an accurate representation of the model at Saddleback. This is not a ministry you run in isolation from your leaders, pastor, or church staff. Celebrate Recovery is intended to serve as another regular ministry of the church.

For the new Ministry Leaders among us - please accurately and faithfully follow the model from the beginning. If you have any questions about the 90 day kick off, and how to start this ministry in your church, remember that we have state representatives and regional directors who are capable of assisting you. We are here to help you grow a ministry that will serve your church and community for a long, long time.

Now back to Greg and the deck, I had to leave to take part in a Regional Director conference call. After we had the posts and main supports in place, Greg was in position to get the rest of the deck support in place on his own. While he was reluctant to ask for help at first, he was grateful to have extra hands available to assist at the key point of setting up the foundation.

I understand there are plans for extending the deck - but that is another project, scheduled for next year perhaps.

Don't do recovery alone - you have help available - use it!

Celebrating Recovery - each day in Christ! - Jim