Brennan Manning’s relapse with alcohol left him in a gutter. His clothes were in tatters. His face was unshaven and his eyes were bloodshot. His belly was bloated. His body reeked with rancid odor. He was clutching his last ounces of vodka. “My marriage is collapsing,” he moans, “my friends are near despair, and my…
“I’m here because my husband thinks I have a drinking problem,” said Lisa (not her real name). “And he’s crazy! I have my drinking under control.” But Lisa clearly displayed symptoms of addiction: Her alcohol intake had increased. She drank alone. She used wine to deal with stress. Her drinking caused family conflicts. She didn’t…
If I could have anyone lead me on a spiritual retreat with Jesus it’d be Brennan Manning. I wish I could do that and invite you to join me, but he died in 2013. But we can imagine what it’d be like to have Brennan guide us on retreat. That’s what we’ll do in this…
Jesus says of the Good Samaritan: “He went [to the injured man] and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.” (Luke 10: 34) In Jesus’ story a Jew had been beaten up, robbed, and left…
Step 12 gives us a vision for our journey of recovery. It gives us hope that we could live spiritually awake to God, sober and alert, and carrying the message of recovery to others while continuing to practice the principles of the 12 Steps in daily life.
“I’m a recovering speed addict — and I don’t mean the drug,” writes Alan Fadling in his new book, An Unhurried Life. “I’m talking about the inner pace of my life. I always seemed to be in a hurry. I was the guy who looked for the fastest-moving lane on the freeway, the shortest checkout…
Recently I spoke on Prayer and Meditation to 350 people struggling with addictions (e.g., people struggling with alcohol abuse, drug addiction, compulsive sexual behavior, eating disorders, and codependency). The room also included dozens of ministry leaders who are serving Christ by caring for those in need of 12 Step recovery. I talked to them about…
“Conscious contact with God” is what enables us to live in 12 Step Recovery. We achieve this through prayer and meditation. The result is that we grow in divine power and knowledge. This is what Step 11 teaches us. People with addictions, those who are anxious or depressed, and all kinds of antsy people can learn to benefit from prayer and meditation on Scripture. Here’s how…
Psalm 23 is for people in recovery. It’s not just alcoholics who need to get in recovery — we’re all sinners in need of recovery. We’ve all been damaged by sin — our own and other people’s — and we need God to restore us to himself and his life. We’re all learning not to…
Over the years I’ve talked with many people, including pastors and ministry leaders, who are caught in the snares of a compulsive behavior. They keep trying to stop but can’t. No matter how guilty they feel or how hard they try they haven’t been able to get free. Hope for Struggling Pastors The ministry of…