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June, 2011 Newsletter
From the Director's
We thank each one of you, each person, family member, client a nd fellow brother and sister in Jesus Christ - for your testmonies, for your heart, and for you willingness to know Him. Sometimes we are astounded by God's grace - it seems we have seen it all - and then He blows us away once again. It's not that this "recovery ride" is easy and comfortable - it's sometimes painful and sometimes even confusing. And it's not that everyone succeeds intially. But what we see - and what motivates our heart - is a God Who is alive, active and powerful in THIS generation. He is every bit as real as He was in biblical times. He loves His people - He loves those out there that don't know Him, and He passionately pursues those who are broken and in need of redemption - whether it be drugs, alcohol, codependence, depression, emotional pain, relationship challenges, etc. He is looking for men and women who can commit to Him - who can first let Him work on their "insides" - and then can offer the real and authentic message of Jesus to others still hurting.
Let's pray:
Father in Heaven,
We need your grace to be real in our life. We need your power to overcome and break every stronghold and addiction. We come to you not by our own power or might, but through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ. We desire to know You more. We desire to be used by You. But first, change our heart. Deal with us where we are broken, love us where we are hurt and remove anything that would prevent the fullness of Your Spirit in Us. We love you, Jesus.
In Jesus Name - A-men.
May God bless, keep and protect you in His perfect peace.
In His Grace,
Bob and Stephanie Tucker
A Forgiving Father
Chad had been hurt deeply by an alcoholic father and vowed he would never become like him. Yet, as he grew up, got married and attempted to have a family of his own, he found himself battling with the same issues as his father. His addiction began to overpower his life - and at times, he saw a reflection in the mirror that horrified him - the very thing he hated from his own childhood was being repeated by him. One day, as he watched his two young children and wife crouching in fear by his drunken rage, he saw a picture of himself as a little boy doing much the same thing. Filled with self-hatred to the fullest degree, he decided to end his life. He drove his car erratically down the road to drive it off a hillside. As he prepared to fall to his destruction, he cried out "God - if you are real, help me." He flipped through the radio station and heard a message: "Someone out there right now needs to know that you have a Father in Heaven who loves you. This Father will exceed any human experience you have had. He will overcome anything in you that has been negatively inherited. He has a remedy - He has solution for you. All He asks is that you turn your life over to Him - give Him the keys; let Him take control of the wheel."
Chad immediately stopped by the side of the road and began to weep - for he knew that message could hardly be a coincidence. He responded to the prayer to receive Jesus Christ as His Personal Savior. That day marked the beginning of a new journey - a day that He heard from God - a day that he turned his will over to God's will. But unknown to Chad at that point was how much in his heart and life needed to be transformed. He entered into recovery with little knowledge of God or little understanding of his own pain. He uncovered piles of hurt that had eventually transferred into bitterness and rage. He had learned to deal with that by medicating with alcohol. Now he had to deal with it through God's tools.
Chad learned to see and sift through his rubbish - he was able to find the dramatic reality of grace. It was almost inconceivable to him how God could love him that much. The images of his life looked like a movie screen - telling a story of a broken boy badly hurt by an alcoholic father - that then grew up and tormented his own children in much the same way. The comparisons grew in his heart and mind. As he experienced freedom, he realized that the dad he spent his entire life hating - the dad he was horrified to become like - also had a story. Ten years had passed since he had spoken with his father, but on that day, he learned the most valuable and important lesson of recovery. While he could clearly admit that the behaviors of his father were wrong and harmful, he needed to forgive his dad. Not only to release his own heart - but also to acknowledge that his dad was a human being desperately needing the same grace he had found. When Chad forgave his dad, he began to pray for him. His heart turned dramatically from anger to compassion, and to his amazement, he realized he was feeling love for his dad for the first time in a long time.
After a year of recovery, Chad had the opportunity to see his dad, and it was hardly an uplifting experience. His dad was still hardened, dark and filled with the ugliness and hatred of a heart grown cold and run over by alcohol abuse. As his dad hurled nasty accusations and shaming statements at him, Chad had learned to recognize and identify it. He did not respond angrily. He did not show him hostility. Instead, Chad said "Dad, I forgive you. I love you. My life has changed, and yours can too. Please call me if you ever decide you want to change."
Years passed, and Chad carried on with his recovery, his Christian growth and the restoration of his family. His life and message inspired many. One day, as Chad was leading a recovery meeting, his dad walked through the door, head hung low and eyes dimmed. There was no coincidence that he had been directed there that evening. On the verge of giving up, his dad also prayed for help, and then stumbled upon a person who told him about the meeting. God's redemptive plan in their life collided at that very moment. Chad's father was able to come to the Lord and find sobriety - and spend the last years of his life on earth with peace and fulfillment.
Not all stories have this happy ending, but the story of redemption is one that all of can receive as a reality - it CAN be our story. Preparing our hearts to respond to our Father's love and receive his forgiveness open us up for a new adventure where we learn to see people through His perspective, not our own.
If you have a difficult relationship with a father or family member, there is nothing out of reach from God. Often, when we feel victimized by someone, we allow our own hatred and animosity for that person to sabotage us, thus we "inherit" into our hearts the very issues that had previously been used against us. Our bitter root grows - it destroys our own life and is projected upon innocent bystanders. Whether we struggle with addiction, compensate through codependency, or just find ourselves bound by resentments - our life is far from what God intended.
Recovery is about redemption. It is built on the ability to receive forgiveness and return to God in the power and blood of Jesus Christ. But it doesn't end there. The only way towards genuine freedom is when we learn that those same people who hurt and violated us are in need of redemption too.
What about your own life? What about your relationships? Is there someone today who you can't forgive? We encourage you to first admit it, and then to work towards it. Even if that person is no longer alive, or never responds to you again, it will allow you to experience the essence of God's heart - and will allow you to move on and forward in your relationship to Him and others. Ask the Lord to offer you the strength and ability to release that person and pray for that person.
Father God,
I come to you through your Son, Jesus Christ. I admit to you that I unable and incapable of living this life without Him. I am especially asking you for the strength to forgive ______________________. I know that the actions were wrong, and I have been deeply hurt by them. It sent messages into my life that left so much damage. But as I desire to grow in you, and to heal from my past, I understand that I must release ___________________ to you. Father I choose to forgive ______________________ for what he/she has done against me, and ask that you forgive ________________ also. I renounce all the painful ways __________________________ hurt me and all the damage it has done to my life. It was not okay - but I must forgive because that's the remedy you've provided. Change my heart towards ________________ so that I may see ______________________ as you do. I pray that you would help ____________________. Set ________________________ free and redeem and restore what was meant for evil. I can't do this - I ask You to do it for me. I thank you in advance. I praise You.
In Jesus Name - A-men
Read last issue's article, click here
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