ChemicalRecovery.Org

Beauty and the Beast

Editor - Editor@chemicalrecovery.org — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:59:00 GMT

An unusual event occurred recently and it is causing quite a storm. It is not unique; however, it is also not frequent. The event I refer to is that someone spoke their godly convictions on national television without caving into the "mob". Not unusual is that, for speaking sound doctrine, she suffered the consequences.

The event took place on April 19, 2009 at the Miss USA Pageant. Carrie Prejean, Miss California, was a front runner for the title of Miss USA [more ...]

What Should You Expect?

Editor - Editor@chemicalrecovery.org — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:46:00 GMT

As we�pass the end of March and�on into April,�it might be a good time to check in on the resolutions we made earlier in the year. In the unlikely event that such self assessment doesn't confirm the same steely resolve you started out with in January, a moment of clarity may now be at hand.

In Mark 4:5 we learn that it's possible to respond to God's word with an enthusiasm that on one hand appears genuine, but on the other, leads only to a [more ...]

Willingness To Change - Conformity

Editor - Editor@chemicalrecovery.org — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:27:00 GMT

In Romans 12:2, the bible asks us� tells us not to be conformed to to the pattern of this world. What does that mean? What is ist about the world that we must not conform to� its culture? Is it the way the world eats, drinks, dresses, thinks, entertains, fights, loves, hates, votes, sleeps, spends, invests, dances, sings, has sex, uses drugs, etc.,etc.,etc.? Well Yes, but it goes deeper than that.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 says we Christians are not�to� take a worldly view of things because we are new [more ...]

Truth in Love - Unwilling to Shrink Back

Editor - Editor@chemicalrecovery.org — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 09:27:00 GMT

When I first became a Christian, I believed myself to be a pretty good guy. Now I know�I wasn't perfect but hey... there were a lot worse than me in the world. At the time of my conversion, it was not acceptable for a Christian to drink so I didn't. However this did not mean that I had dealt with the addict in me. What I was doing, in reality, was people pleasing on a grand scale. I had lots of new friends, I was [more ...]

Strung Out

Editor - Editor@chemicalrecovery.org — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 12:52:00 GMT

Picture a paddle with an elastic string and at the end of that string a little rubber ball.The paddle hits the ball. The ball�having been hit, shoots outward�but the string pulls it back.�The paddle�hits it�again. It soars off in the distance.�It is drawn back again. Over and over this happens, a childs toy,�no matter how hard the ball is hit. Until finally, the ball breaks free and sails off..

See the Yo-yo? It's deftly twirling up and down its string like a spider. Down and up. Up and down. Doing amazing tricks. [more ...]

Sin That So Easily Entangles

Editor - Editor@chemicalrecovery.org — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 12:22:00 GMT

I am only one bad decision away from picking up! Now I do not always think that way and I certainly do not always feel that way - but I know it's the truth. I can't begin to tell�all the times I have said, " I will never do this or that" only to find myself doing what I� said I would never do!

I told myself I would never steal, but I did. I swore to myself I would never be unfaithful�to my spouse, but I [more ...]

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Editor - Editor@chemicalrecovery.org — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:51:00 GMT

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is worth seeing for several reasons. Beyond strong performances from Brad Pitt and Kate Blanchette this tale, based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, leaves you with a great deal to ponder. The main character Benjamin Button, is born with an horrific condition whereby his body at birth ressembled that of an eighty five year old man. If this premise wasn't unlikely enough, the additional twist that Benjamin Button does not age with the passage of time but instead [more ...]

Another Run

Editor - Editor@chemicalrecovery.org — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 04:46:00 GMT

Whenever it became apparent that someone in the group was about to use drugs or alcohol again, a brother in our CR group�would ask this question; "Do you have another run in you?" He would go on to say, " 'cause I don't! If I go back out there, in the streets again and use, I might not make it back! " That conversation always resonates with me. How far can I go, will I go, should I go, before my time is up?

I remember visiting a�place called Low Falls, [more ...]

Total Recovery - Knowing Nothing

Editor - Editor@chemicalrecovery.org — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:17:00 GMT

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. 1Corinthians 1:19

Nothing is worse than thinking you know something when you know nothing! Except, when you start espousing what you think you know to uninformed listeners! Then, it's downright sinful!

Every so often, a passenger gets on my bus and asks for directions to some destination along my route. I proceed to give them accurate directions only to have them shot down by someone else on the bus. With much confidence [more ...]

Empathy - Can You Relate?

Editor - Editor@chemicalrecovery.org — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:01:00 GMT

Empathy is about relating. Relating to someone. Putting yourself in someone else's shoes. Entering into the feelings of another. What does that mean? Well, in CR it means that when people are sharing their experiences of how they picked up or were tempted to pick up and are open for feedback, we in the group can and do�relate to them. Another word we use in the group is �identify.�

To relate or identify with someone you have to both think and feel. Now�you may think that this is [more ...]