Greetings from the Celebrate Recovery leaders. We have been having a very good year, with new people in attendance nearly every week. This is such a blessing to be a part of, as this group of people all become family, and we all accept each other no matter what our hurts, habits or hang-ups are. We have all shared with each other about our lives, so we have that in common as well. Any new person who comes is not judged, nor will they be, because we know that we are all sinners, and God’s grace is sufficient for us.  
     Principle 3 states, “consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.”  “Happy are the meek.” (Matthew 5:5)
     Step 3:  “We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.”  “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God –this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)
     It seems to me that most all of us have turned our lives over to Christ’s care, but what about our wills?  Let’s look quickly at TURN.
     Trust—Daily we trust other people around us, the hamburger we are eating is not going to make us sick, the driver in front of us, just about everyone. Why then is it so hard for us to trust our lives and wills to the care of God, whose eye is always upon us?
     Understand—Relying solely on our own understanding got most of us into trouble in the first place. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  It is not easy putting ALL your trust in God.
     Repent—Some people repent of their sins by thanking the Lord that they aren’t half as bad as their neighbors. That’s not true repentance!  Repentance is how you begin to enjoy the freedom of your loving relationship with God.  True repentance affects our whole person and changes our entire view of life. Repentance is to take God’s point of view on our lives instead of our own.
     New Life—The new life that you will receive is the result of taking the three actions that we just covered: trusting, understanding, and repenting.
     Thank you once again for all your prayers and financial support. This program would not be the success that it is without that support. Thank you also for all the cooks that prepare our meals every Thursday night, as well as the people who play the piano. Those are real gifts to all of us as well. 
      -  Celebrate Recovery Leaders, Ed Shirley and Pam