The voice of one calling in the wilderness...

Luke 1:39-45        (context - the beginning of the story of the birth of Jesus)

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

What a scene - 2 expectant women sharing the Joy of the Lord- 2 children, each a gift from God. Both Sent with Purpose. One, to point the way, the other was The Way.
 

John 1: 6-14 NIV

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

I was challenged by the Pastor's message this week - Do I live my life with purpose?  Do I share and celebrate the Christmas Season with Purpose? Do I point the way?

OR - do I follow the "p.c." way in enjoying the "Happy Holidays" and just share social greetings, safely and humbly.

John the Baptist was born with purpose - to point the way to the Messiah. To give a life changing message to the people. John the Baptist was sent as a Witness to the people.

He was a part of the Christmas story that I really hadn't given much thought to, yet he is exactly what we are about at Park Free Celebrate Recovery. Seeking to point the way to people with a Life changing message, a Christ Centered Program, that will bring them out of the darkness and into the Light!

We have Purpose - Celebrate Recovery is a Christ centered 12 step program for those who are ready to embark on a journey of real and lasting change.

Jeremiah spoke to God's people in the midst of exile, words that can apply to many of us today, as we seek the Lord and His strength on our Recovery:


11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.

Jeremiah 29: 11-13 NIV

Are you ready for a Life with Purpose?

Join us this Thursday as we CELEBRATE RECOVERY!

 

We at Park Free Celebrate Recovery have begun the past couple years with "CHIP NIGHT" a night to celebrate anniversaries of Recovery and God's strength over our Hurts, Habits, and Hang-ups.

We will be meeting UPSTAIRS this week, in the Tree House Ministry facilities, as there are other celebration going on at Park Free
.
Starting at 6PM, we will join in a little PIZZA POTLUCK - We'll provide the Pizza, you can bring anything else you'd like to share - Pop, cookies, snacks, or come and just share your Heart! We'd love to have you celebrate with us!

We'll start our Anniversary Celebration at 6:30 ( our normal meeting time ) and enjoy some worship time and opportunities to celebrate and share what God has been doing in our lives and our recovery!

Finally, at 7:30, we'll break into our small groups (men in one room, women in another) to continue sharing in a more personal setting, encouraging and uplifting one another.

It's a GREAT way to start a New Year!


 Revelation 21:5-7;

⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

⁶ He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷ Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
 

(Please note that due to changes in staffing, Park Free CR does NOT have child care available during our 2015 meeting
times, at this point. We are working to resolve this and regret the inconvenience.)

 

 

“Who’s your daddy?”

As we’ve starting through the first 3 Steps of Celebrate Recovery, I’ve noted the frequent significance of The Father, in recovery. Who He is, where He fits, what He can do… Does He care?

A key factor in our victory over our Hurts, Habits, and Hang-ups can be who we see the Father as. Not only that but WHO the Father is…  God, or the impression I have of my biological Dad overlaid onto God.

Understanding WHO God is, who HE says He is, and what He desires for our lives has such an impact on our Relationship, our Trust, our Faith in our Creator – not the helps or hurts caused by our Dads.

This devotional lesson come from a Prayer Request we received at SLP CR back in August. “I really want to understand who God is as a Father and not confuse Him with bad memories of my real father.”

Since that time, we heard Testimonies, lessons, and sometimes just plain conversations about the impact of The Father and our fathers… I pray that this helps your see the difference between the features & flaws of the creation - Dad, and the Power, Majesty, & Love of your heavenly Father

 

*** As with our Fearless Moral inventory (Step 4), we must keep a balanced view of Man, as God created us with Free Will.
Each of us has the choice to come close to God, or seek relationship and satisfaction in our own ways (which brings many of us here tonight). God’s intention for Man, and Man’s choice can sometimes be 2 different things – a choice that Satan will exploit to destroy man and family, any time he can.

This is intended as a brief, balanced biblical view of who God created our fathers to be and who they can chose to be.  THEN, who HE is...

Ask Him to reveal His desire for your relationship with Him, as you read these verses.

The creation and the Creator – aka “Who’s your daddy?”

*God created Man for relationship with Him – who is MAN…

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth…

³¹ God saw all that he had made,ⁱ and it was very good.^j And there was evening, and there was morning^k—the sixth day.

Genesis 2:7

Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Genesis 5:2

He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.

 

*God created Man for relationship with Him – God gave Man Free will, to choose …

 

Genesis 3:7-11 

 “She also gave some to her husband,^l who was with her, and he ate it.^{m 7} Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked;ⁿ…8Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking^p in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid^q from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”^{r 10} He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid^s because I was naked;^t so I hid.” ¹¹ And he said, “Who told you that you were naked?^u Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to?”

 

*Disobedience, Shame, Guilt, … Sin came by Man’s choice.  As did the consequences…

 

Genesis 3;22-23 

 ²² And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us,^r knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life^s and eat, and live forever.” ²³ So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden^t to work the ground^u from which he had been taken.

This is not a one time thing…We Are All Sinners…

• Isaiah 64:6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
• Psalm 58:3 - The wicked are estranged from the womb;
• Ephesians 2:3 - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
     
  ·  Romans 3:23  For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

 

*But God’s plan wasn’t done there… he has a long term plan…

Psalms 119:73

Your hands made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments

Psalms 138:8

 The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your loving kindness, O LORD, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Isaiah 17:7

(in reference to the disobedience of His People in Damascus, God Sent Isaiah to warn them)  In that day man will have regard for his Maker And his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel

John 3:16:

¹⁶ For God so loved^w the world that he gave^x his one and only Son,^y that whoever believes^z in him shall not perish but have eternal life.^{a 17} For God did not send his Son into the world^b to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.^c

 

So that’s who God says MAN is – He’s a boyfriend, a brother, a husband, a father, a grandfather – or he can be anyone of us…”Male & female, He created them”

Who does God say HE is…

(this comes from a reading we did at our Church, last Christmas, I apologize, I do not know who the author is)

 In Genesis, He is the Creator God.

In Exodus, He is the Redeemer.

 

In Leviticus, He is your Sanctifier.

In Numbers, He is your Guide.

In Deuteronomy, He is your Teacher.

In Joshua, He is the Mighty Conqueror.

In Judges, He gives victory over enemies.

 In Ruth, He is your Kinsman, your Lover, and your Redeemer.

In I Samuel, He is the Root of Jesse;

In 2 Samuel, He is the Son of David.

In 1ST and 2nd Kings, He is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

In 1st and 2nd Chronicles, He is your Intercessor, and High Priest.

In Ezra, He is your temple, your house of worship.

In Nehemiah, He is your mighty wall, protecting you from your enemies.

In Esther, He stands in the gap to deliver you from your enemies.

In Job, He is the Arbitrator who not only understands your struggles, but has the power to do something about them.

In Psalms, He is your Song - and your reason to sing.

In Proverbs, He is your wisdom, helping you make sense of life and live it successfully.

In Ecclesiastes, He is your purpose, delivering you from vanity.

In the Song of Solomon, He is your Lover, your Rose of Sharon.

In Isaiah, He is the Mighty Counselor, the Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Father. In short, He's everything you need.

In Jeremiah, He is your Balm in Gilead, the soothing salve for your sin-sick soul.

In Lamentations, He is the ever-faithful One upon Whom you can depend.

In Ezekiel, He is your Wheel in the middle of a wheel --the One who assures that dry, dead bones will come alive again.

In Daniel, He is the Ancient of Days, the everlasting God who never runs out of time.

In Hosea, He is your Faithful Lover, always beckoning you to come back - when you have abandoned Him.

In Joel, He is your Refuge, keeping you safe in times of trouble.

In Amos, He is the Husbandman, the One you can depend on to stay by your side.

In Obadiah, He is Lord of the Kingdom.

In Jonah, He is your Salvation, bringing you back within His will.

In Micah, He is Judge of the nation.

In Nahum, He is the jealous God.

In Habakkuk, He is the Holy One.

In Zephaniah, He is the Witness.

In Haggai, He overthrows the enemies.

In Zechariah, He is Lord of Hosts.

In Malachi, He is Merciful.

In Matthew, He is King of the Jews.

In Mark, He is the Servant.

In Luke, He is the Son of Man, feeling what you feel.

In John, He is the Son of God.

In Acts, He is the Savior of the world.

In Romans, He is the righteousness of God.

In I Corinthians, He is the Rock that followed Israel.

In II Corinthians, He is the Triumphant One, giving victory.

In Galatians, He is your liberty; He sets you free.

In Ephesians, He is Head of the Church.

In Philippians, He is your joy.

In Colossians, He is your completeness.

In 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, He is your hope.

In I Timothy, He is your faith.

In II Timothy, He is your stability.

In Philemon, He is your Benefactor.

In Titus, He is truth.

In Hebrews, He is your perfection.

In James, he is the Power behind your faith.

In I Peter, He is your example.

In II Peter, He is your purity.

In I John, He is your life.

In II John, He is your pattern.

In III John, He is your motivation.

In Jude, He is the foundation of your faith.

In Revelation, He is your coming King.

SPECIAL MUSIC / TESTIMONY - ANN DUVAL

This Thursday, we've changed up our meeting calendar a bit to open up to an opportunity from God to have Ann Duval join us for some special music and testimony.

Ann's coming north from her ministry as a worship leader for Hope Church in Dubuque, Iowa.

From her Website - WWW.ANNDUVAL.COM:

"Ann's song "Right here, Right now" was nominated for a 2006 CGMA Covenant award in the Jazz/Blues category.
As God reveals His Word to Ann, the lyrics become an extension of the reality of His presence in her own life. This is the reason for her music ministry. She wants her life to be surrendered to God to be used for His perfect plan. "

Come Join us this Thursday, September 18th at 6:30PM,  as we celebrate in Worship and hear a testimony of God's work in her life. Also check out some great sample tracks from her CD at www.AnnDuval.com .

And now a word from my Sponsor...

I have been struggling to keep up with the Blog (I've never been much of a writer...) But in going through some old posts from the previous Ministry leader here at Park Free CR, I found one that is so relevant to our messages this month.

Dean, besides being the CR Minsitry leader, was my sponsor. A man who poured so much of God's love and encouragement into me, that I had HOPE...

So now a word from my sponsor.

What to do in times of trouble

Ever wonder what in the world is going on in your life? Ever wonder what you should do when the path is hard to follow and you're overwhelmed with the daily struggle? Do you trust God? Is he really in control? Well, to answer those questions I thought maybe you'd find something interesting that was mailed to me today. I subscribe to a weekly email from James McDonald from Walk in the Word ministries in Illinois. This week he talks about those things, and it relates directly to our recovery in whatever we're seeking freedom from. I hope you find this short article helpful and inspiring. God Bless.

God Is Always In Control; I Will Not Doubt

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6

Someone has said that doubt is cancer of the soul. Like a wrecking ball against your house, doubt pounds away and damages the structure of the most important thing about you - what you believe about God.

However, if in times of doubt we take our questions directly to the Lord, then our faith increases. We can't claim we won't doubt; instead, we aim toward knowing what to do with doubts when they do come at us. The promises of God and His character can stand under the most microscopic scrutiny. Doubts should drive us back to God's promises, not cause us to back away from Him! When you say, "I don't know exactly what God is doing, but I know He's in control" —that's evidence you're trusting Him. You don't realize how much you need God's promises until your smooth and easy life suddenly turns sideways. That is the time to dig into God's Word and get something to wrap your faith around.

As we've already seen, God makes two kinds of promises — conditional and unconditional. This one is conditional - you've got to do something. You have got to trust in the Lord with all your heart. You have got to acknowledge Him in all of your ways without leaning on your own understanding. If you do your part, God will do His part. "He will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:6b). The wording I memorized as a kid says, "He shall direct thy paths" (KJV). That means He will make your paths smooth — God will make the way passable.

Proverbs 3:5–6 is really quite a commitment on God's part. There are no illusions here. This is God we're talking about. "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" (Genesis 18:14). He can handle anything that's in your path with one hand tied behind His back. A common way we express this is by saying, God is in control.

There are times when all we can see is the hard road and the heavy load. But the Lord promises that if you trust in Him with all your heart, and that if you do not lean on your own understanding, and that if you acknowledge Him in all your ways, then He will make your paths smooth. God will pave the way for you.

Writer Block...  or  Spiritual Warfare???

It's been quite a while since I updated the Blog posts - Partly because life's been very busy, but mostly because I'm not much of a writer and I just can't get the courage up to write something unless it's profound, heavy,  really spiritual... or maybe it's something else...

The Book of Ephesians puts it this way:

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³

Ephesians 6:10-12 New International Version (NIV)

You see Satan doesn't want us to do ANYTHING that may give someone Hope, Encouragement, Help, or especially, Salvation in Jesus Christ!
So he's active and aggressive to keep us from progress of any form. That's probably why I struggle with writing. That explains why I could never get a handle on my own Hurts, Habits, & Hang-ups - there really wasn't anything I could get ahold of!  But Jesus Christ did! (Praise Him!)

I've been reading a book on Spiritual Warfare by Pastor Tony Evans entitled - The Battle is the Lord's.
It's pretty intense, it's very good. It starts with the Nature of the Battle, goes on to Who was Satan - Angels and Demons - and I'm just getting into the Authority of Jesus Christ.... (Finally Victory!!)

The battle to derail God's people is not new. In the Book of Daniel, chapter 10, we can read:

⁷I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. ⁸ So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. ⁹ Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him...
¹² Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. ¹³ But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”

Daniel 10:7-9a, 12-14 New International Version (NIV)

 

Was this "Terror" Satan himself - NO, it was the power of the one sent by God!
Satan sent his forces to keep the message (and the messenger) from Daniel. Thank God - Literally - that His Angels have the strength to overcome these forces - why? because their strength comes directly from God Himself.
(Read the book of Daniel yourself to get the proper context and perspective of this struggle)

This is why we claim the victory of our Lord Jesus! He is our "Higher Power" - He has the power to defeat Satan. In Matthew 28, Jesus reminds his own disciples:
¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Too often, I have been deceived into thinking that Satan is God's counterpart - it's NOT TRUE.  Satan is just a creation of God, yet another, actually the first, that chose Sin... not unlike me. When we face our struggle with faith in the Power of Jesus Christ, THEN, we can do some serious fighting and see real healing over our Hurts, Habits, & Hang-ups.

So when we're facing hard times, when we can't seem to understand WHY we can't make progress, maybe we're looking around for the enemy, instead of looking UP for the Victory.

Jesus even reminded His own Apostles where their strength really came from, to overcome their Hurts... in Paul's letter -  2nd Corinthians, we can read in Chapter 12:
⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We can be strong!  Blessings on your days.