You are probably familiar with the story of Samson. When he revealed the secret of his strength to Delilah, it resulted in his capture and humiliation at the hands of the brutal Philistines. But that is not the end of the story. If you keep reading, you find this gem of a verse: “However, the…
Until you take ownership of the problem, you won’t take responsibility for the solution. That is one of the fundamental truths of recovery. Most of us had some form of trauma at the genesis of our addiction. Or abuse. Or isolation. Or all three. None of that is on you. But what comes next is…
“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient” (Hebrews 11:31). Most of us have heard about Joshua and the battle of Jericho, when “the walls came tumbling down.” But let’s not miss the account of an ordinary citizen of Jericho who God used to do…
Sin can happen fast. Notice how quickly the original sinners sinned – Eve, and then Adam. “The woman saw that the tree’s fruit was good to eat and pleasing to look at. She also saw that it would make a person wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave…
“Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died’” (John 11:21). How many times have you said that? “Lord, if you had been here…” Martha was right. Jesus could have been there and he could have prevented Lazarus’ death. But he didn’t. For that matter, he could have…
There is a small town in southeast Mississippi that was founded in the 1860s and has a current population of about 400 people. The name of the town? Soso, Mississippi. How did it get its name? When the settlers found the place where they’d start the town, they looked at the soil and said, “It’s…
The beautiful Bridger Wilderness Park in Wyoming offers amazing hikes and views. But for some people, every day is just another opportunity to complain. The park has suggestion boxes scattered throughout, inviting hikers to write down any concerns or complaints they may have. Here are a couple of recent comments they received in the boxes:…
It’s time to put down your phone! The average person checks his phone 352 times a day. I did the math. Assuming we sleep eight hours a day, this means we are looking at our phones once every three minutes for the other 16 hours of the day. And this is a problem. At the…
If you want to grow your own recovery, become a sponsor. Encourage a newcomer. Help someone else get started. In short, be like Jesus. “The Son of man came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). You will never go further in your…
A few years ago, a guy in my 12-step group confessed his relapse. His story went something like this: “My wife was out of town, so I went out with some friends. We had a few drinks, then we went to a movie with a lot of sex scenes. When I got home, I stayed…