Advice from a Dog

“I don’t have time to worry about who doesn’t like me. I’m too busy loving the people who love me.”      – Snoopy Don’t worry about the people who are no longer in your corner. When you come clean with your addiction, some of your family members and friends will sever all ties with you. I…

Taste It

Have you ever had someone in recovery let you down? I sure have! Don’t let the mistakes of a sponsor, counselor, or group member throw you off. There are sinners and hypocrites all over the place – even in recovery groups. But a bad second-hand experience should never convince you recovery is not possible.  Let…

A Record Dog

A dog recently made the Guinness Book of World Records for doing something no other dog has ever done. Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, made history by having a birthday. Not just any birthday. Bobi is the world’s oldest dog, at age 31. If you want to bring Bobi a gift, you’ll have to…

A Silent God

King David, a man after God’s own heart, once lamented, “Lord, do not be silent. Do not be far from me” (Psalm 35:22). What do you do when God is silent? I suggest seven things. Sometimes, God goes silent. But that doesn’t mean he’s not still speaking. He speaks every day, through every sunrise and…

T+O=T

Temptation plus opportunity equals trouble. Let’s break that down. Recovery Step: Some level of temptations and opportunities are going to happen. Do your best to not let them happen at the same time because that spells trouble. 

Learn from Leonardo

Do you tend to be too hard on yourself? Meet the President of the “Too Hard on Myself” Club. Perhaps you’ve heard of him.  Leonardo da Vinci. Noted as perhaps the most accomplished artist in history, da Vinci is credited with the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, two of the most revered paintings ever.…

Create a Better Past

Here’s a key to recovery you have never heard before . . . You need to create a better past. We’ve all heard it a million times: “Create a better future.” But how do you do that? I suggest that the best way to create a better future is by creating a better past. By…

The Sound of Music

Charles Wesley was addicted to writing hymns. He composed over 6,400 of them and felt that he had had a bad day any day in which he failed to write a new hymn.  The power of a new song was not lost on King David. He proclaimed, “He brought me up out of the pit…

It Beats Inspiration Every Time

Most people in recovery had a dramatic turn-around moment. We got into recovery because our past was uncovered. We nearly lost it all. We had no choice. And once in recovery, we look for those magical moments of inspiration. We bounce from podcast to book to seminar in search of the next brilliant idea. We…

The Unrequired

NBA coach Kevin Eastman has been around dozens of great basketball players, up close. He was asked what made the difference between really good players and exceptional players. “Exceptional players,” said Coach Eastman, “do the things that are unrequired.” He explained that most players live for the praise of their teammates and coaches. They practice…