“We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable.” – Step 1, Alcoholics Anonymous Recovery begins where control ends. We must accept the fact that we have a problem. Marsha Linehan said it well. “Radical acceptance rests on letting go of the illusion of control and a willingness to notice…
I have this theory that we are all getting older. And with age comes change. For the sake of oversimplification, I’ll assign each decade of life a one-word description. These words describe most people at each stage of life. These are our priorities as we mature. 20s – survival 30s – success 40s – significance…
Life is like a vending machine. A vending machine gives you what you want when you want it. No waiting. Lots of choices. None of them are healthy. The better alternative, of course, is a well-cooked, nutritionally balanced meal. Too often, we choose the vending machine. It’s much easier. Recovery is done in a crock…
One Sunday in church, while I was thumbing through my Bible during the pastor’s sermon, I came across this amazing verse: “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Let that sink in. This doesn’t say everything is inherently beautiful. It says God takes something ugly and turns it into something beautiful. Something…
Before my feet hit the ground each morning, I pray this: “Dear God, it’s another day. And if I don’t get anything else done today, I want to know you a little bit better and love you a little bit more.” God’s greatest command is simple. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…
The Old Testament tells the story of Esther, a Hebrew woman who became queen and rescued her people. She had three assets that God gave her to fulfill her destiny. She was intelligent, physically attractive, and had an engaging personality. Because of these qualities, “Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. She won…
If you’ve been in recovery for more than 30 seconds, you are familiar with The Serenity Prayer, written by Reinhold Niebuhr. You know the first part of the prayer by memory. But the second part of the prayer is equally impactful. “Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship…
On September 7, 1888, Edith Eleanor Mclean was the first baby to be placed in an incubator. Developed by French obstetrician Stephane Tarnier, this was the first attempt to preserve the life of a premature baby. Though very costly at the time, the new invention was quickly embraced, out of respect for the lives of…
If you live for people’s approval, you will die from their rejection. Paul wrote, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of God” (Galatians 1:10). I’ll say it again.…
Mark Twain said, “I can live two weeks on a good compliment.” I read somewhere that the average person needs to hear 14 statements of personal encouragement each day. Rarely does that actually happen. Wise old Solomon understood the human experience well when he said, “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and…