Celebrate Recovery is a kingdom ministry that is led jointly between Missio Lux and our parent church, Pine Lake Covenant. The CR Leadership Team is pictured: an amazing group of people committed to living a Jesus lifestyle of freedom with a call to help others live in freedom too!
Sunday, Celebrate Recovery led the worship service as people of both congregations came together to experience a rather typical Monday night gathering at Celebrate Recovery.
Our goal in doing this was to help both faith communities to understand that Celebrate Recovery is for all of us. It's not for the "people over there" but for all of us who struggle with hurts, habits and hang ups in our lives that keep us from fully living the full and meaningful life that Jesus invites us to live.
We started by worshipping with the Rag Band: a team of 5 very gifted musicians who actually write recovery songs that help all of us to realize that if Jesus were here today; he would totallay be hanging out at Celebrate Recovery because their values are his values.
Next Bruce and Bill led us in the discovery of both the typical 12 steps and the 8 comparisons that come from the Beautitudes in Matthew 5.
Diana gave a powerful testimony of how God has worked to open her eyes from the denial and co-dependency that ruled her life.
Kim and Chas finished by giving a lesson on denial-the first step: recognizing that our lives have become unmanagable without turning to God. Denial as an acrostic says this: "Disables our feelings. Energy lost. Negates healing. Isolates us from God. Alienates us from relationships. Lengthens the pain."
We ended by praying the Prayer of Serenity:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
Where do you want more serenity in your life? What hurts, habits and hangups are keeping you from connecting with God and others in your life?
Celebrate Recovery meets every Monday night at 7 p.m. at Pine Lake Covenant in Sammamish, WA, but check their website for one near you if you are too far to come to the Eastside of Seattle:
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