September is_______?_________ Month?

Hello Mighty Warriors, I apologize for not writing in the last two months. My life has been busy with work and many church activities. So I just want to get right to the point. In April I wrote a blog about an organization called Donate Life. And how my cousin donated his body and organs to help those who needed it. I want to talk to you today about the month of September. September is recovery month.

This year marks the 25^th annual observance of Recovery Month, a national effort to raise public awareness of the importance of prevention, treatment and, especially, recovery from behavioral health disorders, including substance addictions. 

Has anyone every heard a great and amazing program called "Celebrate Recovery" Rick Warren started the program at Saddleback Church in California and there are many more churches that have the program as well. But right now I want to tell you about my time so far at Celebrate Recovery at Lutheran Church of Hope. It has been very helpful and that doesn't even begin to describe it. My church believes that it is no accident you show up on a Thursday night to Celebrate Recovery or any other event that goes on because WE as a CHURCH have been praying for you. I have been a greeter at my churches Celebrate Recovery for many months and every time it just makes my heart glow brighter and brighter. For newcomers who walk through our doors WE as a CHURCH welcome them with open arms because THEY ARE HOME. We care for one another, we are there. When you join any Celebrate Recovery group there is no need to fear judgement because truth is EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS WORLD STRUGGLES. It doesn't matter what our hurt habit or hang up is.Drugs alcohol, Sexual abuse,drug abuse, divorce,,anxiety, depression, addiction, pornography…. We all have sin, no one in this world is perfect. It doesn't matter how big your house is, or how much money you make or how big your family is or even if you have the best job in the world. NO ONE IS PERFECT! Are you hearing me Mighty Warriors? NO ONE!! Here's the most mind blowing thing about Jesus. He came into this world as a little baby born in a manger. God knew why He sent his one and only son into this world. He didn't do it for nothing.HE DID IT FOR YOU!!!!!! HE LOVES YOU! HE DIED FOR YOU! If you were the last person on this earth He would still have come down to earth and taken on your sin on the cross.  I don't know how many of you have seen the Passion of the Christ? It is a Mel Gibson film and I can tell you that it is such a powerful movie. But I mean even though its just actors its a hard but its such a moving movie. It tugs at your heart. When I first watched this film it was hard to even see my Savior get flogged and beaten and killed like that. Mighty Warriors we will never really know what it was like 2,000 years ago in reality, but this film gets yours thoughts spinning and questions arising. But he really did get flogged and beaten and nailed. All the blood that was poured out of his body was for you! Everything that you have that is weighing on your shoulders has been take off your back and you can now stand up straight and not feel weighed down by your own hurts,habits or hang ups. He took your sin and erased it. It no longer matters to Him. That's what makes Jesus Christ so Mighty so Powerful and so AMAZING AND WONDERFUL. He created every single one of you on purpose for a purpose. Yes, there are struggles in this world but He is already overcome it through his death and resurrection. So I was able to talk to a couple of people who go to my church and here are a couple of questions that I asked them.
Joseph answered these questions: What have you learned from your time at Celebrate Recovery?
Joseph answered "By God's grace I have been set free from my depression and anxieties. Celebrate Recovery has taught me to be grateful for what i have and to concentrate on positive solutions. By confessing my faults to others. In doing so I was able to gain a new perspective and that enabled me to break out of the prison of my old habits"
Melanie: What are you in celebrating recovery from? " I am celebrating recovery from addiction and sexual abuse. It was in the year of 1992 that I first sought help. I was sexual abused at age nine and I took my first drug at age eleven.
What is one piece of advice that you could give to someone who is new to celebrate recovery?
"Reach out to someone you trust"
What is your favorite thing about the Celebrate Recovery program"
"Be still and know"
Mighty Warriors those were a couple of people who have told you a little bit about how Celebrate Recovery has helped them in their recovery journey.
There are many Celebrate Recovery leaders out there who would love to chat with you. I encourage you if you have a hurt, habit or hang up that is weighing you down reach out to one of the Celebrate Recovery programs in your area. You are meant to be FREE from whatever is holding you back from the life that your Mighty Savior has planned for you.
Melissa is a good friend of mine and she is the Celebrate Recovery Coordinator at Lutheran Church of Hope. If your in the area come on out on a Thursday night and check it out. We have a meal at 5:00 than our very own Celebrate Recovery band starts off the night with some awesome and uplifting music, we hear a teaching or a testimony from someone afterwards and last we break out into small groups and if you visit the booth before the service you can find which group best fits your need for recovery or you can check them all out. Come on out and check it out! Celebrate Recovery is a great program and the transformation that I get to see every Thursday is just amazing. We all struggle YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!

Well that is my blog update for Recovery month. I hope y'all enjoyed it. I want to share three songs with you that just touch my heart in so many ways. Feel free to take a listen
The first song is called:  Celebrate Recovery (cry out to Jesus)
The second song is called: I Surrender:Hillsong
The Third song is called: Changed: By Rascal Flatt's
I hope y'all enjoyed this blog update
Blessings
~Mighty Mariah