RECOVERY-LIGHT-LIFE

  "Instant gratification is the way of our culture; it is the norm,  the expectation."           Morgan Snyder "Be quick, but don't hurry."           John Wooden In his wonderful book, "Becoming a King," Morgan Snyder writes..."Western culture is...a gospel of progress and the presumed supremacy of reason, information, instant gratification, technological advancement, and above all else, convenience."  We live in a world of NOW.  Drive through pharmacies, fast food restaurants, banks, and more.  It just takes too long and too much effort to get out of our car.  And if we don't want to leave the house, there is always Uber Eats, Door Dash, and of course, Amazon.  Whenever I want a new book, or a new shirt, or...really, anything...I can order it and it'll be at my door in a day or two.  We really do live in a world of NOW! Impatience is at an all time high.  If my internet is too slow I'm upset....

  "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."           Mahatma Gandhi "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant."           Jesus "As we serve others we are working on ourselves; every act, every word, every gesture of genuine compassion naturally nourishes our own hearts as well.  It is not a question of who is healed first.  When we attend to ourselves with compassion and mercy, more healing is made available for others.  And when we serve others with an open and generous heart, great healing comes to us."           Wayne Muller So many of us are looking for healing from our wounds.  Desperately.  We look for signs of God's love.  Is He there?  Does He know me?  Does He care?  And many times the answers come, and often it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort and a lot of tears to get those answers.  But H...

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."                    Edmund Burke "Our God is a Warrior because there are certain things in life worth fighting for, must be fought for.  He makes man a warrior in His own image, because He intends for man to join Him in that battle."                       John Eldredge A few weeks ago I spent three days in the cold, snowy Utah mountains at Warrior Heart Boot Camp, which was sponsored and conducted by the same great guys involved in the Unashamed and Unafraid podcasts.  If you're not familiar with them, look them up!  Marilyn and I are episode 41... Warrior Heart Boot Camp is based on the book by John Eldredge "Wild at Heart" and is a three day Christian men's retreat held every six months or so.  It was an incredible three days for me, and was probably the best thing I'...

  "Life's transience raises the question of what we should be living for, of what it means to live well.  The good life is found in unselfish action, right understanding, and honest speech.  Honor and respect God, treat others justly, be indulgent toward others but exacting toward yourself, and let go of what is beyond your control (which is almost everything)."           Meditations (Thinkr) "Anxiety appears to be the default human condition.  We are fragile creatures, and at the best of times we have a tenuous hold on happiness.  Anxiety is more of a drain on our body and soul; It short-circuits the flourishing that we are here to cultivate in ourselves and engender in others.  The great Reinhold Niebuhr wrote that 'Without freedom from anxiety man is so enmeshed in the vicious circle of egocentricity, so concerned about himself that he cannot release himself for an adventure of love.'"           Teryl Gi...

  "I LOOK FOR THE GOOD IN EVERYTHING.  NOT BECAUSE I'M IGNORANT, BUT BECAUSE IT EXISTS AND I CHOOSE TO SEEK IT."                         Rachel..."Bruised But Not Broken" "WE CAN ONLY BE SAID TO BE ALIVE IN THOSE MOMENTS WHEN OUR HEARTS ARE CONSCIOUS OF OUR TREASURE."                         Thornton Wilder "DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN TO GOD.  AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS."                         Phillipians 4:6-7 While I was in Desert Solace I read that verse in Phillipians and the phrase "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" jumped off the page at me.  What?!...

  "In God's vocabulary, sin is suffering, woundedness, and brokenness in our relationships...authentic, loving relationships are not preparation for heaven - they constitute heaven."           Fiona and Teryl Givens "For Presence to become deeply rooted, it must be tested in the fire of relationships... "If you really want to know how spiritually awake you are, spend time around other people.  For each of our relationships - from the brief interaction with the barista to our bonds with lifelong partners or family members - reflect back to us our predominant state of consciousness."           Eckhart Tolle Addiction thrives in isolation, especially sexual addiction.  Ask almost any recovering addict, and they will tell you how alone and isolated they felt...from themselves, from God, from their family, and from other people.  They will tell you that they felt as though they were the only ones in the world with this "pr...

 "Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it."                    Hebrews 2:1 (ESV) "Lord, keep me in the moment, help me live with my eyes wide open, 'cause I don't wanna miss what you have for me..."                    Jeremy Camp..."Keep Me in the Moment"                          A couple of years ago Marilyn and I attended a meeting sponsored by our church ward, at which the invited speaker was Leslee Henson.  Leslee and her husband David were walking down the street near their home in St. George, Utah on March 4th, 2013, when a car driven by a 50 year old woman slammed into another car which then slammed into David and Leslee.  David died from that accident, and Leslee endured fifteen days in the intensive care unit after having recons...