CR at University Carillon

PRAY OVER THIS “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” ( Romans 5:10 )   PONDER THIS Christ has suffered for sin, the just for the unjust. Why? That He might bring us to God! What does sin do? Sin separates us from a holy God. What does the cross do? On that cross, Jesus reconciled God and Man. He’s made peace by the blood of His cross that He might bring us to God. The word reconciled in Greek is prosago . It means to take an individual and present him to a king or a dignitary. That’s what Jesus has done. He has taken us by the hand and has presented us to God the Father. He’s saying, “Father, these are mine. I purchased them with my blood on that cross.” Does that excite you? That is a life-changing message! You and I were separated and far from God but now we get to be in His presenc...

1 Corinthians 1:26-27 (NIV)  reminds me of…ME…and so many of us whom God has given new life to through Celebrate Recovery!   Check it out: 26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”    This week across the globe in Celebrate Recovery, we boast in the Lord – not in anything we ha...

I’ve been reading in the book of Acts lately and seeing such value and great reminders about the non-vocational ministry servants like Paul (a leather worker) and Tabitha (a quilter and weaver) who serve so faithfully. You all are such valuable leaders who work in your workplace job and then come volunteer in the local CR ministry so faithfully weekly just like them. Service is such a vital part of our recovery, isn’t it? ”In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor.“ Acts 9:36 NIV It’s apparent in my reading Act 9:36-42  that Tabitha was a gifted and hard worker as a weaver and quilter who gave so generously to widows and many others. This got me thinking about all the generous people we have in our ministry like you who give so faithfully of their time, talent, and treasures. Aren’t we blessed to have our volunteers?! Can I offer you a challenge today? Look at our CR mini...

One of my brother’s from Arizona wrote these thoughts that blessed me and I thought might bless you too. - Rodney “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!“ Job‬ ‭19‬:‭25‬-‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬ In all the struggles and trials of my life, in all the uncertainty, God had been there. In times of doubt, in seasons of fear and great pain, God has been there. In my own struggles with alcohol and infidelity, wanting only to end the pain, God has been  there. In the filth of that pig pen in a far away land, broken, hopeless, no hope for a future, God has been there. In desperation, I turned to my Heavenly Father for help, saying, “If You’re there, I need help”. Help for me came like a 4” firehose, washing me clean, giving me a seat at the family table, a ring on my finger that...

... “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭18‬:‭‭44‬ ‭NIV‬‬ A small man’s hand?! What a picture we see in this verse! If you want some perspective, walk outside and look at the big sky and imagine seeing a cloud the size of a man’s hand in the distance. Pretty small comparatively isn’t it? Imagine taking as Elijah did, that perspective as a blessing in believing that rain is coming from that small cloud after a long drought. Sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the obstacles that are sitting in front of us. However, if we can zoom out from the big droughts (struggles) happening in our life, and be intentional and disciplined with gratitude, we then have a greater perspective...and that can be life-giving to us as we face our day. Does it feel like you’re in a drought and you’re overwhelmed thinking about it? Take a moment and examine those small clouds in your own life that seem so tiny in conjunction and parallel with the ...