CRA Christians in Recovery (anonymous)

[Bingo]

#ICAMETOSHARE



"A reminder of the great significance of the little 'black book' and
has been my daily read for two decades.
'Amen'

 

[Karlon]

I'd like to start a new thread for people in recovery who have figured out that the best way to start building a home is on solid ground. The rock.

This is a christian site and I feel identifying Krishna, Mohamed, Buddha, ash trays or group conscience as the higher power is a LIE. The only real higher power is the one and only triune God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The only problem is how to filter out the haters, law mongers and deniers'.

In the words of William Booth paraphrased "It takes more than a clean pair of breeches, a bath and a job to save a mans soul."

This is a deadly disease. We have to become deadly serious in dealing with it. Our best thinking got us into the mess we got ourselves into. We need help! Jesus has the power, we surrender to him.

Please join me friends and family welcome too. It's not like Christians don't get ensnared or those of us that become ensnared don't come to Jesus. We need to share, testify and help each other.

My name is Bob. I'm a grateful recovering addict/gambler/sinner. Please help/join me in my and others who are anonymous effort to bring some recovery without condemnation to Christian Chat.

TTFN. calibob.

2 questions on faiths other than Christianity: 1. why is it that Christianity is the only religion with a God who is alive? ( Holy Spirit revealing truths). 2. why is it that all religions say you have to do something or work at something to get something?

 

[Magenta]

FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2023 - PRACTICAL WISDOM – PRACTICE BEING CHEERFUL

Audio for PRACTICAL WISDOM – PRACTICE BEING CHEERFUL

Scientific evidence suggests that being cheerful seems to have positive benefits on our over-all health.
There are studies that suggest being cheerful and optimistic limits stress, reduces pain, supports our
immune system, and even helps to protect our heart. Is it any wonder that long before there were
tests to prove it, the Bible already had this important information available?

A cheerful heart makes you healthy. But a broken spirit dries you up. Worry weighs
us down; a cheerful word picks us up. (Proverbs 17:22 NIRV, Proverbs 12:25 MSG)

Studies have shown that those who live with joy and cheerfulness are better positioned
to fight off seasonal bugs like cold and flu. Older people who reported feeling happy lived
longer than those who were least happy. This should motivate us to be thankful for who
we are, and to choose to be cheerful today.

A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. All the days of the
oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:13, 15 NIV)

We tend to be more creative and to solve problems better when we are happy and optimistic
rather than living in fear and worry, supposing the problems before us are bigger than God’s
ability to make a way through for us. God does not want us to pretend that problems don’t exist.
Denial didn’t fix our problems with addiction and it won’t solve the challenges we face in recovery.
Our part is to pray often, work hard, and trust God in all circumstances. When we do, God’s faithful
promise is that he will be with us always.

Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable.
Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. (2 Corinthians 13:11 MSG)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Help me to live with joy in my heart and be cheerful no matter what
challenges I face. I ask for Your wisdom as I choose to do the right thing and face my problems
head-on rather than avoiding or denying them. I trust that You will help and strengthen me as
I move forward. Thank You for Your unfailing love and care for me. Amen

©2023 Partners in Hope

 

[Magenta]

SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2023 - PATIENCE

Audio for PATIENCE

We come into recovery because we are tired and worn out from the physical and emotional
consequences of a lifestyle of addiction and the destruction it imposes. We want the pain and
discomfort to go away as quickly as possible. In our addiction, we chose to ease our pain with
whatever was readily available. Now we are committed to taking the time and effort necessary
to rebuild a new life. One of the character qualities we need to develop is patience.

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will.
Then you will receive all that he has promised. (Hebrews 10:36 NLT)

Patience is both a gift from God and something that we learn to develop through practice.
Patience has been described as the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering
without getting angry or upset. A patient person is flexible, even-tempered, and willing to walk
a known path, trusting that good will come to them if they stay the course and complete the journey.

May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love
of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ. (2 Thessalonians 3:5 NLT)

To develop patience requires that we repeatedly choose to move out of our “comfort zone” because that’s
the place of the “quick-fix”, where we “cut corners,” and do whatever we want regardless of the cost. Even
though these are familiar ways for us to operate, they are damaging to our life and our relationships.

Only God is patient enough to love us and walk with us through all the twists and turns of the journey
we need to take to develop patience. We are reassured that “God could and would if He were sought.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I have lived too long as a self-centered, impatient person. Please forgive me.
I ask that You fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I have both the desire and the strength to do whatever
it takes to change my ways. Please help me! Amen

©2023 Partners in Hope; shared with permission

 

[Bingo]

SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2023 - PATIENCE

Audio for PATIENCE

We come into recovery because we are tired and worn out from the physical and emotional
consequences of a lifestyle of addiction and the destruction it imposes. We want the pain and
discomfort to go away as quickly as possible. In our addiction, we chose to ease our pain with
whatever was readily available. Now we are committed to taking the time and effort necessary
to rebuild a new life. One of the character qualities we need to develop is patience.

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will.
Then you will receive all that he has promised. (Hebrews 10:36 NLT)

Patience is both a gift from God and something that we learn to develop through practice.
Patience has been described as the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering
without getting angry or upset. A patient person is flexible, even-tempered, and willing to walk
a known path, trusting that good will come to them if they stay the course and complete the journey.

May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love
of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ. (2 Thessalonians 3:5 NLT)

To develop patience requires that we repeatedly choose to move out of our “comfort zone” because that’s
the place of the “quick-fix”, where we “cut corners,” and do whatever we want regardless of the cost. Even
though these are familiar ways for us to operate, they are damaging to our life and our relationships.

Only God is patient enough to love us and walk with us through all the twists and turns of the journey
we need to take to develop patience. We are reassured that “God could and would if He were sought.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I have lived too long as a self-centered, impatient person. Please forgive me.
I ask that You fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I have both the desire and the strength to do whatever
it takes to change my ways. Please help me! Amen

©2023 Partners in Hope; shared with permission

'Thank you for sharing.
'Amen'

 

[Magenta]

MONDAY, MAY 29, 2023 - GETTING IT RIGHT

Audio for GETTING IT RIGHT

God wants us to “get it right.” If we will pay attention to, and obey what we
learn from God’s Word, God’s Spirit will lead us on the right path every time.

We may think we are doing the right thing, but the Lord always knows what is in our hearts.
Doing what is right and fair pleases the Lord more than an offering. (Proverbs 21:2-3 CEV)

Too many of us prefer to figure things out on our own, give it our best shot, and then we wonder
what went wrong when things don’t work out. We bring our failures to God and remind Him of
how hard we worked in our effort to get it right. We thought we knew what was right by gut
feeling without first checking with God, the One who has wisdom beyond all that we could ever
know or imagine. He knows our motives, our abilities, our limitations, and even factors beyond
our ability to grasp. It’s always the wisest move to include God when making plans. Not only will
God share with us what we need to know but it will give Him pleasure when we ask for His guidance.

If you try to be kind and good, you will be blessed with life and goodness and honor. (Proverbs 21:21 CEV)

How reassuring it is to know that we don’t always have to get it right the first time in order to be
blessed. God’s word reminds us that it is the person who tries who is blessed with goodness and
honour. There are many things going on in people’s hearts and in their circumstances that are
impossible for us to know and plan for. Our responsibility is to make our best effort and be honest
about what we know and don’t know. Unexpected things will take place. We will become aware
of more details as we proceed and may even need to change course. However, if we are sincerely
seeking to know and follow God’s plan, we will find ourselves on the winning side.

Wicked people bluff their way, but God’s people think before they take a step. No matter how
much you know or what plans you make, you can’t defeat the Lord. (Proverbs 21:29-30 CEV)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Help me to take time to plan my day with You. I admit that I don’t
know everything I will need to know, but You do. Help me to humbly surrender my will,
together with my thinking and plans, into your care for You alone know everything. Amen

©2023 Partners in Hope, shared with permission

 

[Magenta]

FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2023 - LIVING SOBER – DEVELOPING NEW INTERESTS AND SKILLS

Audio for LIVING SOBER – DEVELOPING NEW INTERESTS AND SKILLS

Living in addiction is chaotic. A person is never at peace either in mind or body. Each addict
is continuously at work seeking to fulfill the demands of whatever is their master. The Bible
tells us there is no peace for those who refuse to follow God’s ways.

But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up
mire and dirt. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” (Isaiah 57:20-21 ESV)

To be effective in our new life in recovery, we need to choose to follow God’s ways. We need to find
new sources of interest and a new set of skills to help us stay clean and sober. As we check around,
we will find individuals who are willing to share with us what they know about the recovery process,
and some will be willing to teach us about things we may never have thought about.

Some may share their skills related to employment. Others may share recreational interests
such as hiking or sports. Skills and interests are varied but each person can share those things
they have learned or enjoy doing. Everyone can contribute in some way, even if it is just taking
time to listen to others and explore possibilities with them.

So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to—the old self that was being destroyed
by its deceitful desires. Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on
the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.
(Ephesians 4:22-24 GNT)

If we are willing to learn, being in community will teach us a new set of skills. Living sober with selfless
love needs to be a priority on our agenda. God is well pleased with us when we are patient and kind toward
others, especially those who appear to be disadvantaged. As we seek God and His ways, He will encourage
us to be interested in others, and He will supply the skills we need to do whatever He has called us to do.

Prayer: Gracious God, Thank You for giving me new life and bringing me to a place where
I want to look out for the interests of others. Please empower me with the skills I need to do
the work You have planned for me to do, and help me to have much joy in doing it. Amen

©2023 Partners in Hope; shared with permission

 

[Karlon]

for Christians in recovery, 2nd Corinthians 5:17: "therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW creature, old things are passed away, behold, all things are become NEW"!, James 4:7: "SUBMIT yourselves, therefore, to God, RESIST the devil & he will FLEE FROM YOU"!, Phillipoians 4:13: "I CAN DO ALL THINGS thru Christ which STRENGTHENETH me"! & Hebrews 13:6: "let your conversation be without covetousness, & be ye content with such things as you have, for He safety, I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE NOR FORSAKE THEE"!

 

[Magenta]

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2023 - STRESSFUL EVENTS
Audio for STRESSFUL EVENTS

When stressful situations come our way, and Jesus said they will, the best
way forward is to make a conscious effort to turn to God and seek His help.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you
will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 NIV)

Many of us obsess and get stressed over events of the past which cannot be changed. We replay in our minds the unkind words said to us or envision the painful occurrences which caused us shame. We want those who hurt us to be brought to justice and the world to see how we have suffered. These recollections cause us inner pain which becomes burdensome. God’s way of relieving emotional stress is for us to forgive those who harmed us, receive His healing and comfort, and then choose to let go of the resentment we are harbouring. God will give us peace as we forgive those who have behaved unjustly towards us.

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will
all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37 NLT)

Some of us worry about future events that we feel we will be unable to cope with, if they happen.
We may feel overwhelmed by our responsibility to meet our own needs or those of our family and
want to run away. God promises He will take care of our concerns, if we ask Him.

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his
glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. (Colossians 4:19 NLT)

We can live free from the bondage of stress by turning our will and our lives over to the care of God.
God can be trusted to show us the way forward and give us the strength to take the next right step.

Prayer: Loving God, I struggle with control in my life. Help me to let go of the things I cannot change and to purposefully
change the things I can. Give me the will and the desire to trust You with everything that concerns me. Amen

©2023 Partners in Hope, shared with permission

 

[Bingo]

#ICAMETOSHARE

Posted February 8th, 2009.

From a friend in recovery and fellow FiR member

February 1st, 2009

Lieber Andreas,

es würde mich freuen, wenn Du das Folgende bei der Feier vorlesen
würdest:

I'm Not Here

Don't stand by my grave and weep
for I'm not there, I do not sleep
I am thousand winds that blow
I am the diamonds glint on snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn's rain

When you awaken in morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circle flight
I am the soft stars that shine at night
Do not stand on my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die.

Farewell my friend, we'll see us in the Big Meeting.

With AA love
Manfred (MaJa, from North Germany)

P.S.: love and big hugs from Doerte and to Maureen also. M

The Friends in Recovery Group has become part of AA-meetings.com.

Posted February 8th, 2009

From a friend

February 1st, 2009

 

[Magenta]

WEDNESDAY JULY 19, 2023 - REDUCING SELF-CENTEREDNESS

Audio for REDUCING SELF-CENTEREDNESS

The Big Book of AA describes the significance of our problem with self-centeredness in this way:
"There often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His [God's] aid. Many of us had
moral and philosophical convictions galore, but we could not live up to them even though we
would have liked to. Neither could we reduce our self-centeredness much by wishing or trying
on our own power. We had to have God's help." (Big Book pages 62-63)

This confirms what the Bible says about needing God to help us deal with self-centeredness and other shortcomings.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life … because of His glory
and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you
to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT)

The authors of the Big Book mirror this important truth for us as follows: "This is the how and why of it.
First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn't work. Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life,
God was going to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. He is the Father, and we are His
children. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work
well. Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs.
More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. (Big Book pages 62-63)

So you should try very hard to add goodness to your faith. To goodness, add knowledge.
To knowledge, add the ability to control yourselves. To the ability to control yourselves,
add the strength to keep going. To the strength to keep going, add godliness. To godliness,
add kindness for one another and to kindness for one another, add love. (2 Peter 1:5-7 NLT)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank you for your help in dealing with my self-centeredness. I surrender
all that I am to You. Be the director of my life. Work Your will in me and through me so that I might
share in Your divine nature and have sincere affection for everyone I meet. Amen

©2023 Partners in Hope; shared with permission

 

[listenyoumustAll]

WEDNESDAY JULY 19, 2023 - REDUCING SELF-CENTEREDNESS

Audio for REDUCING SELF-CENTEREDNESS

The Big Book of AA describes the significance of our problem with self-centeredness in this way:
"There often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His [God's] aid. Many of us had
moral and philosophical convictions galore, but we could not live up to them even though we
would have liked to. Neither could we reduce our self-centeredness much by wishing or trying
on our own power. We had to have God's help." (Big Book pages 62-63)

This confirms what the Bible says about needing God to help us deal with self-centeredness and other shortcomings.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life … because of His glory
and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you
to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT)

The authors of the Big Book mirror this important truth for us as follows: "This is the how and why of it.
First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn't work. Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life,
God was going to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. He is the Father, and we are His
children. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work
well. Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs.
More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. (Big Book pages 62-63)

So you should try very hard to add goodness to your faith. To goodness, add knowledge.
To knowledge, add the ability to control yourselves. To the ability to control yourselves,
add the strength to keep going. To the strength to keep going, add godliness. To godliness,
add kindness for one another and to kindness for one another, add love. (2 Peter 1:5-7 NLT)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank you for your help in dealing with my self-centeredness. I surrender
all that I am to You. Be the director of my life. Work Your will in me and through me so that I might
share in Your divine nature and have sincere affection for everyone I meet. Amen

©2023 Partners in Hope; shared with permission

The big book ..you are referring to the Word of God. The bible . 😝😎😝😎

 

[Magenta]

The big book ..you are referring to the Word of God. The bible . 😝😎😝😎

AA Big book page 25

 

[ResidentAlien]

I'm very interested in the recovery movement. It emerged with the time during which the prohibition law was repealed, and this incident is the only time at which a constitutional amendment has ever been exactly reversed. I wonder why they did that? It can't have had anything to do with Christianity, that would be outside the pervue of the state. What was the problem, high church priests weren't getting in trouble for serving alter wine as a required sacrament at communion on Sunday, were they? I'd really be interested to know what was going on behind the closed government doors when that occurred. It seems like an unnecessary law to me. I'm sure that the 21+ maturity factor has a place, but is that so important that a national constitutional amendment is needed?

The Women's Christian Temperance Union played a large role in getting prohibition passed. The organized crime that resulted from prohibition was one of the main reasons it was repealed.

 

[Magenta]

City of Real Life Zombies

Who is responsible for this?

The answer is fairly obvious for Christians...

 

[Magenta]

A story of addiction and recovery

 

[Karlon]

AA Big book page 25

artfully & spiritually delicious!!!!!

 

[Magenta]

artfully & spiritually delicious!!!!!

Thank you, Karlon! Could you give me feedback on the font? I am thinking maybe it could be more legible... .

 

[Karlon]

Thank you, Karlon! Could you give me feedback on the font? I am thinking maybe it could be more legible... .

actually, i thought the same idea! it's quite fancy & i had a bit of trouble reading it. a bit clearer on the lettering perhaps. robert plant, former singer of led zeppelin, when he went solo, had "over" stylish wording on his cd's. sometimes hard to read.

 

[Magenta]

actually, i thought the same idea! it's quite fancy & i had a bit of trouble reading it. a bit clearer on the lettering perhaps. robert plant, former singer of led zeppelin, when he went solo, had "over" stylish wording on his cd's. sometimes hard to read.

Thank you... I will change it .