What God Says

Tell me once again who I am to You, that I belong to You . . . 

A song that has been touching my heart lately is "Remind Me Who I Am" by Jason Gray.  One of the great things I have learned through Celebrate Recovery is that I am no longer the person I used to be.  Jesus says I am a new creation!  Where the world has labeled me, criticized me, and condemned me . . . Jesus has loved me, accepted me, and changed me!

The world calls us, "addict," "alcoholic," "co-dependent," "victim," etc. . . Jesus calls us, "children," "beloved," "chosen people."

The world tells us we are guilty . . . Jesus tells us we are forgiven!

The world tells us to get even, hold grudges, and refuse to forgive . . . Jesus tells us that He will help us to forgive others.

The world says, "You're gonna pay for that!" . . . Jesus says, "I already did."

The world looks at us with hatred, contempt, and condemnation . . . Jesus looks at us with love, grace, and compassion.

Too often we can get caught up in how the world sees us and what the world tells us.  If we have turned our lives and wills over to God, all we need to be concerned with is how He sees us and what He tells us!

Quick Update...

Hey all,
Quick update for those of you who read the previous blog post and were thinking of helping out with the video Sunday.  Sorry for any inconvenience, but we are postponing the taping of our video.  We will let everyone know when we reschedule!  Have a blessed day!!

Cardboard Testimonies

Some of you may have read the earlier post about testimonies.  The thought of writing out a full-length testimony can be overwhelming.  I know it was for me - it was not until I had completed my 5th step (sharing my inventory with another person) that I really felt okay about writing my testimony and actually sharing it.  At the last servants' meeting, Blaine talked about writing "mini-monies," a short 3-5 minute version of your testimony.  We would encourage you all to pray about writing your testimony and/or mini-mony as we get ready for Celebrate Recovery to kick off in September.  In the meantime, what if you could share about your recovery without having to say even one word?  In fact, you would probably only need to write less than 10 words!  How, you might ask??  Two words:  cardboard testimonies.

Perhaps you have seen one of the many YouTube videos showing cardboard testimonies.  (If not, don't worry because you can click on the link below and watch one!)  Essentially, a cardboard testimony is a large piece of cardboard with writing on both sides.  The first side gives a very short phrase that describes who you were in the past, and the second side has another short phrase that describes who you are now in Christ-centered recovery.  For example:

• Addicted to drugs............Addicted to Jesus!
• Hopeless...................Filled with new hope
• Suicidal................New life
• Broken................Healed!

So, you get the idea.  What we would like you to do is to pray this next week about what your cardboard testimony might say.  We will be filming our Celebrate Recovery promo video on Sunday, June 10 right after the 11:00 service at HVC.  We want as many people with as many cardboard testimonies as possible to be in our video!  Even if you aren't sure you want to be involved with CR, this would be a great way to support the ministry and share some hope and encouragement with others.  Come on that Sunday ready to write your cardboard testimony if you are willing to help out in this way.  If you have any questions at all, you can comment on this post or talk to any of the leaders.  Have a blessed weekend!