|
GervaisNews October 2011>
GervaisNews September 2009
September 15, 2009
Quote from: The Bonsai Conspiracy by, Paul Anderson-Walsh
“Sanctification is not a progressive rectification of our behavior;
It is a progressive recognition of our identity.”
September 2009
Dear friends,
Things that I have been reading continue to stretch me theologically and that sometimes makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable to say the least. May I take just a few minutes of your time to download something on you concerning what RECOVERY IS and what it IS NOT?
Recovery is NOT… me re-pairing, re-placing, re-conditioning, re-dedicating, or re-habilitating my life; it is not my attempts to change my life by trying to alter my behavior. Recovery is not my attempts to fix myself or to improve the quality of my life although my life will improve when I am in recovery.
What is Recovery? The beginning of recovery is when I give up on myself. Recovery is accepting the fact that God has already given me a new nature with a totally new identity. He has already set me free from my addiction. I simply need to believe what He says is true about me, and then draw from His strength. The dilemma for most people is that they can’t approach God unless it is with fear. I have come to believe that fear is a lousy motivator when it comes to real life change. Fear does change people, but only temporarily. When the fear is gone the person returns to his old ways of thinking and acting. The Bible says; “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” (1st John 4:18) Fear never changed my life. Fear might have driven me to the foot of the cross, but when I tasted and experienced God’s Love; that is when my life really started to change. God’s love is what changed me, not my fears. Many addicts are sober today only because they fear what might happen if they relapse. I can say with confidence that I have been sober the past 35 plus years because God’s love is holding me there. Fear is not motivating me, my love for God is.
In August I got a desperate call from a frantic mother who told me that her daughter tried to commit suicide over the weekend. She had taken over a 10-day supply of methadone plus five doses of Zanex. She went to sleep fully expecting to never wake up again; but she did wake up the next afternoon, frustrated and angry that she was still alive. Life for an addict can be tormenting almost like a daily torture experience. She did come in my office after the weekend and she is now on the mend. Now she not only wants to live; she is interested in going into treatment for her drug addiction. She has started the long process to secure a bed at His Mansion in New Hampshire. Pray for her as she makes adjustments in her lifestyle in the meantime in an attempt to stay drug free. I will continue to meet with her weekly until God opens up a bed for her in the program.
I am also seeing several alcoholics; one in his late fifties and the other one is in her early twenties. Both alcoholics have something in common as they drink almost a fifth of Vodka daily. I am trying to get them both into a residential program before they die from their alcoholism. They both look healthy enough but their bodies cannot handle that kind of abuse for much longer. The older one is desperate and ready to do something about his addiction but the younger one isn’t. I surely would appreciate your ongoing prayers as I sit down face to face with these and other addicts weekly. One thing I will never get use to is to cut someone loose when they are unwilling to walk the Recovery road. Sometimes they are just not ready to divorce themselves from their drug of choice and get the help that is available to them. In that situation I usually let them go so that they can go out and do some more research. Some only seem to learn the hard way. I can certainly relate to that!
Presently, I am in the process of helping another local church start up a Christ-centered support group ministry and will be doing the facilitator training next month. Shortly after that they will open up another recovery meeting for people in need. Eventually I hope to see a Christ-centered recovery meeting happening somewhere in the area every evening of the week. That way people, who are struggling to stay clean and sober, will be able to find a Christ-centered meeting close to them.
About four years ago I met with an individual who said he wanted help but wasn’t ready to put himself into a program. He wanted to get sober his way. I tried to tell him that it wouldn’t work, but ended up cutting him loose to do his own research. About a month later he came back, wiser and more beat-up but ready to follow my advice. He obtained the help needed at Dunklin Memorial Camp and today heads up the Celebrate Recovery meetings in his church.
It can be discouraging when one spends hours and hours working with someone, watch them throw it all away and dive back into the cesspit they crawled out of months or years earlier. But when the light goes on and they finally get it and learn to walk out the Christian life, it makes it all worth the effort. Thank you for your prayers and your support. I could never do what I am doing without your help and prayers. The battle here becomes intense at times and the only thing that keeps me pressing on is to know that you are praying for all of us at Hope Ministries.
I want to thank you again for your willingness to partner with me as I minister in this growing mission field.
Because of Christ,
Lew Gervais
donate | volunteer | Photo Album | statement of faith | stories of hearts healed | privacy policy | board of directors | contact us
Dinner and Auction | Hope Ministries on Facebook
|
