“It’s just a flesh wound.” – Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Those were the words from the Black Knight (John Cleese) to King Arthur (Graham Chapman), after losing both arms in the heat of combat. The Black Knight did what we all tend to do. He minimized his condition. What Solomon said still…
In the final round of the 1934 U.S. Open, Bobby Cruickshank appeared to be on his way to winning his first major tournament on the PGA tour. He had the lead on the 11th hole when a wayward shot miraculously bounced off a rock and onto the green. Overjoyed, Cruickshank threw his club into the…
We all know that God expects us to be holy. That means to be set apart, living lives of integrity and character. But did you know God actually expects more than holy lives? Paul told the church, “He chose us to be holy and blameless” (Ephesians 1:4). Paul’s message was that we are to not…
Pain. It’s a part of life. It’s what C.S. Lewis called “God’s unwanted gift.” We’ve all been there. Everyone I know has experienced their fair share of pain. The key is how we respond to our pain. Dr. Robert Puff, host of the Happiness Podcast, suggests three steps to processing our pain. It is important…
My good friend, Dr. Roger Patterson, pastor of Houston’s West University Baptist Church, recently preached an amazing sermon on marriage. Roger addressed the subject of selfishness. He said selfishness manifests itself in marriage in four ways: Few things are more damaging to a marriage than selfishness. And that’s a problem for addicts because selfishness drives…
A writer named David Redding wrote about growing up on a farm in Scotland. As a young boy, he was given a beautiful black puppy he named Teddy. Redding and Teddy were inseparable. When Redding had to go off to war, he was unable to return to his farm for more than two years. But…
Juneteenth is a celebration that began on June 19, 1865. Union general Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of slavery. His message was met with shock and celebration. What the people didn’t realize was that slavery had been legally banned two and a half years earlier, on January 1, 1863. The…
Recovery is a journey with no end, yet some people begin to feel that they are cured and don’t have to worry about triggers anymore. It is important to develop a healthy level of self-confidence, but humility is necessary, too. If someone forgets that addiction is a chronic condition, they may be tempted to have…
“Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.” – Step 8 “Every A.A. has found that he can make little headway until he first makes an accurate and unsparing survey of the human wreckage he has left in his wake.” – Twelve Steps and Twelve…
All successful recovery includes two words – hard work. Sorry, I wish it wasn’t so. I wish there was a softer, easier way, but there’s not. To stay sober, you need to master things like surrender, going to meetings, and working the Steps. But you also need this: Hard work. Derek Jeter said, “There may…