CELEBRATING Peace

Celebrate Recovery meetings can be found across the GLOBE! Google it and find a treasure full of resources that will give you HOPE for PEACE that stays, regardless of PAST trials or PRESENT circumstances. MICHELLE: Abused by someone she trusted, Michelle shares her courageous battle to break free from codependency and struggles as a survivor of sexual abuse. She is an example of how Celebrate Recovery works in the lives of young adults. PAUL: Surrounded by violence and substance abuse, Paul ended up in prison where he committed his life to Christ and where he was exposed to harassment, threats and personal violence from inmates. Outside prison, Paul continues to be inspired by the cloud of witnesses at Celebrate Recovery! His new high is to sing praises to Jesus for his new life in Christ. He enjoys his new family at church, and his small group at Celebrate Recovery.

LIBBY: Anger and control issues nearly cost Libby her marriage and relationship with her sons, as she strived for the perfect family. God got her attention, healing her family when she acknowledged her need for recovery and took the steps to work through her issues. JOHNNY: A secret double life kept Johnny buried in denial and fear. A DUI and failure to control alcohol by his own power, he turned to Celebrate. He has worked through the principles and is committed to break the cycle of alcoholism in his family. REGINA: The childhood of a pastor was NOT idyllic! Regina battled addiction and anorexia. After attending church her whole life, it was not until she came to Celebrate Recovery that she found the tools to break the bonds of substances and negative self-talk. JACKI: At age seven Jacki was exposed to pornography. Her true identity got smothered with images offered by the one who seeks to murder and destroy the innocent. In her journey, the Lord miraculously raised her to a new life with PURPOSE not SHAME!

MAXIMIZED MEN

Dr. Edwin Louis Cole, known as "the father of the Christian men's movement," was called by God to speak with a prophetic voice to the men of this generation. To that end, he founded the Christian Men's Network, a ministry that continues to strengthen men by reaching thousands each month with the reality that manhood and Christlikeness are synonymous. As a pastor, evangelist, missionary, business executive, and denominational leader, Dr. Cole, together with his late wife, Nancy, served the Lord in ministry for more than fifty years until his death in 2002. Over four million copies of his books are in circulation today in more than forty languages, and his work and vision are still carried on by his "sons" in the faith––godly men who were touched by Dr. Cole's ministry. Maximize your manhood and MAN UP to the challenge of leading by the example of Christ. Study this 20 year old Christian classic book with a local group of men and change your community.

The Christian life was NOT meant to live alone. Men are called to gather together and share their strength, hope and honor as they disciple one another through the living Word of God. Written specifically for men of every age of this generation, God commissioned Edwin with a ministry majoring in men. He travelled extensively around the world holding seminars and rallies for men––teaching the patterns and principles of the kingdom of God. Maximized Manhood––is a Christian best–seller that has been translated into over 40 languages and is currently distributed in dozens of nations. As of 2013 there are over four million in print, and in use to rally men to recruit others and build a mighty army of men who are focused on the Sword of Truth. Edwin’s beloved wife Nancy has been blessed immeasurably by her husband’s dedication to serve others. "This is a book to men but for women also because when a man changes, the entire family is blessed. Every woman should read this book." Mrs. Nancy Cole ~ In his series of books, Dr. Cole rightly discerns that nowhere in the Scripture are men invited to repent of their sins and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior; rather, the Bible commands men to repent. The idea of giving an invitation for men to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior is foreign to the New Testament. Cole attacks the common hope in many churches "Let us not offend anyone". Where is the bold Truth in a practice of pleasing the world? We were commanded to use salt and light and this author does. He points out clearly that if you only have a problem you can get sympathy for it or understating for it, or professional help for it. Sins, on the other hand, have to be repented, confessed and forsaken.

The book is 20 years old and it gives timeless illustrations, however, even the revised version reflects an older culture, but old time sin is yet real time sin in the church today. Cole is a master of setting forth biblical truth in succinct phrases. QUOTE: “You can pitch personality, but you must build character; The greatest thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother; Some things in life are more important than life itself; The Kingdom of God is built on truth, not human sentiment.” Is this book greatly written? Probably not. Will this book stir you to get real with Jesus, will it get you a contrite heart, will it get you to be transparent with Jesus and another man? Yes!

IF you read it and apply its principles with the accountability of another man, you will be challenged to change and be transformed by the renewing of your mind. You may be able to put down the book but you will agree that Jesus is Lord and that Dr. Cole was a great man. Read it and learn what it means to be a man after God's own heart. KUDOS found on the internet: “This book is amazing at laying men out in the open for all to see! Who we are and more importantly who we are not. Thanks Cole for showing us the true definition of manhood-Jesus Christ! He's our model, our role-model, our guide, our friend, our father that gives us a godly intimate hug right when we needed it! Men can read & not be worried about losing our "manliness" because the character of "Christ" defines manhood, that's maximization!” Pastor Bill "Being male is a matter of birth. Being a man is a matter of choice. This is a book about that choice." Ben Kinchlow

"Essential reading for every man." Herbert Ellingwood, Chairman, U.S. Merit Systems Board ~ "Any man can profit from reading this book. Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil... it has no point! Pastor John Hagge ~ If a man without a dream shall perish without a point or purpose, this book will ignite a worthy dream of becoming a man of supernatural influence for Christ and His kingdom. AMEN

Celebrate Recovery

The twelve step program WORKS if one ADMITS there is a problem. During RECOVERY from our WORN out HABITS of thinking and doing, one huge stumbling block for most is to make a list of names of who we have offended and make amends. Make a second list of names of those who have hurt us, and then forgive them. If we have forgiven as we have been forgiven, the tale of what happened is forgotten and never repeated. Taking a MORAL INVENTORY as a Christian and sharing the TRUTH with another human being requires that we swallow our pride, and ADMIT our FEARS, PHOBIAS, FOIBLES, ABUSES, GUILT, SHAME, and for many a Christian, SELF-HATRED. Having an ACCOUNTABILITY partner in a 12 step program, is humbling. First we must admit that we struggle. Then we must get real honest with exactly where we trip and fall short. For a Christian to walk in righteousness, we must continue to take a MORAL INVENTORY, as a way of cleaning the temple where the Holy Spirit resides. The Galatians started out in grace, and then went off into WORKS to prove their value to God. We cannot hide from our Creator, He knows us, He knows we are quick to DENY we need forgiveness, or any HELP at all. Our Christian self-image is of a person REDEEMED and PERFECT. The Holy Spirit responds to TRUTH, not denial. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. FIRST we must admit our drive, our desire, our compulsion to accomplish or to be recognized for our excellent deeds. FIRST we must come to see that an inferior spirit of FEAR drives us to seek respect and admiration from man. TRUTH: The Holy Spirit is superior, and the Holy Spirit never seeks respect or admiration from man. The Holy Spirit in us teaches us, directs us, comforts us by the Word of God. He affirms our position of authority over all lies of a demonic spirit. Be reminded that demonic spirits come in to torment, tempt and destroy our effectiveness for Christ. SECONDLY God commands that we ASK for HELP, that we seek, that we admit to another person that we are struggling. The very act of asking humbles us, it makes us vulnerable, it makes us accountable, and it is a mark of obedience to the word of God. "Pray for one another". When was the last time you asked someone to pray for you? Or do you pretend that you are above such a need? The thought " I cannot show a weakness, I cannot be so transparent, I am a deacon of the church". This is a demonic spirit of fear masquerading as false confidence in Christ. Allow the touch of His Spirit to reveal all fear and the heavy burden of keeping your struggles a secret. As His beloved, He wants us to ADMIT, to CONFESS every detail with wisdom. To LISTEN to His still voice and OBEY requires that we share our burdens with ONE worthy spiritual advisor. We are wisely instructed to not seek honor for ourselves. SEEK one trusted advisor, one saint, one priest, one who will pray you through. If we say or think that we are beyond sinning, we have deceived ourselves. INSECURITY drives us to exaggerate our holiness, our importance, while we STRIVE to APPEAR secure, and manage our self-image of self-confidence. QUICK TO ADMIT that without Christ, Paul was nothing ~ What about me? Do I ADMIT that I need grace, mercy and HELP every day? Do I maintain a pure SPARKLE of the Holy Ghost by my honesty or my integrity? Knowing bible stories, quoting scripture and recounting how many times we have been to church DOES NOT take the place of a GOOD MORAL INVENTORY. The simple TRUTH about FEAR: Fear is interest PAID on a DEBT you do not OWE! Do you have any fears to ADMIT? THE FEAR OF: man, failure, intimacy, success, illness, death, love, rejection. DO YOU HAVE A WOUNDED SPIRIT? Wounds inflicted by a parent, a child, a friend, sibling? Do you feel like a victim? Do you shutdown or withdraw emotionally? Can you name one person who knows your weakness, and insecurities besides God? Have you been relying on yourself, praying by yourself, hiding your need to share your burden? DO YOU FEEL GUILT? Do you feel ashamed? Do you fear ridicule or condemnation? Do you feel worthless, or that you are being judged unfairly by others? Do you FEAR being found lacking the strength to do life alone? FEAR is false evidence appearing real. Can you ADMIT that fear separates you from God's best? SELF-HATRED will leave you feeling hopeless, or that you will never be good enough. Do you feel unattractive, undesirable, unworthy, unwanted? Do you feel inadequate, insecure? Do you reject compliments? Do you isolate? Do you say 'Iam sorry'? Do you choose to speak sorrow and sabotage success? A sorry soul does not walk in faith, but it seeks comfort from its own kind. A repentant soul seeks after God, and it believes God's command that says "sorrow not" ~ it chooses to turn from the comfort of the familiar way, and it seeks to trust God and walk in authority believing that Jesus bore all our sorrows. A mature man is able to control his tongue, and therefore his circumstance. God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. Therefore we choose to submit to God. We choose to resist self sorrow and the devils ways. We draw near to God and He draws near to us. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you. ~ Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed." James 4:10-James 5:16MAKE A LIST. Check your spirit for any unforgiveness. GET FREE and RENOUNCE each false evidence appearing real. Name each spirit that keeps you from being fully effective for Christ: The spirit of shame, guilt, fear, pride, self-hatred, heaviness ~ wherever you gained entrance into my life I no longer give you right or access; I come out of agreement with the lies about who I am. As a child of God, today I command you to GO NOW in the name of Jesus!" I am free in Christ and I walk in His authority and speak His word with confidence for His glory. Halleluiah and AMEN!"To the spirit of (name it).....I break your hold generationally over (name) the life of my beloved! I declare with full authority, by the blood of Jesus that you will no longer pass to (name) ....or through(name)...to their generations!""Lord Jesus we ask that You fill the newly vacated area with Your love, peace, joy and courage. We ask that You surround them with Your angels. We ask that Your Words replace all lies and that they are anchored secure as a redeemed and transformed child of Almighty God." AMEN

LEAD with STRENGTH

Moses died and God has a chat with Joshua. "My man of the moment Moses took his last breath and so now you have been chosen to lead. This whole territory is going to eventually have an Israeli flag over it. What land you walk across shall mark out the real estate that I am giving you, just like I promised Moses I would. No army will have the mind or might to stop your progress, not while you still breathe. I was faithful to Moses, and you can trust Me, I never go back on My promises. I am with you wherever you go. Trust your gut be strong and very courageous. I will give you the land deeds I promised to your grandparents. Stick to the TEN commandments I carved out for Moses. Chew on My words like juicy gum, and find that they never lose their good taste! Live by My rules and you will succeed. Mull over the BIG TEN by day and hear My words in your dreams at night. Marinate your brain in My Rule Book and it will become your automatic reflex to live right. This is NOT a suggestion, this is your walking instructions, your talking orders. Now go and lead with courage for I am with you! This is not an order for a leader who is easily discouraged when faced with trouble. "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua obeys God without discussion of holy wars ahead, without ethical debates over the role of violence, bloodshed and gore. God equipped Joshua with courage to carry out His long term goal and with many soldiers and nations watching, God uses Joshua to prove that there is only one God. Our Father, the King of Kings gets His people strategically in place for the next stage of His plan to redeem all who trust in Him. ‘In the future when your descendants ask their parents, “What do these stones mean?” tell them, “Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.”

For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the word of the Lord is powerful and so that His people might always fear the Lord your God.’Chapter 10 of Joshua "Tell the people to pack some grub; in three days they will be on the other side of the river, picking up the keys for the new land God is giving them." Joshua send the people to take the land and while people could still reminisce about the many miracles God performed in order for His promise to be fulfilled, the Israelis do things God's way. JUDGES chapters 8-9 at the age of 110, Joshua dies and they bury him in the land of Timnath. Joshua led his people with courage, but will the people keep telling the story of the time our Lord parted the Jordan, the Red Sea? Of the time God poured out His favor and fed them meat and bread from heaven? Will the people recognize when the true Bread of Life comes? Will they remain dis-content and want more?

Joshua's entire generation have passed on and the kids grow up without a clue about their theology or their history. God knows how quick His people are at forgetting the truth, that their is only ONE GOD. The Israleis do stuff that keeps them being connected to a holy God. The people take up the Baal religion wherein you pick and mix the best wooden or stone idols that fits their craving. They chuck out the BIG TEN, their heritage, their history and they merge in with local beliefs. They nod, kneel, and kiss their home made gods which makes our Father livid! God allows Jewish people to be sold as slaves. When the Israeli army went out to fight, God changed sides and fought against them just as He warned He would. God soon installs new leaders who put a stop to the foreign thugs. However, the new preists cannot penetrate the thick heads of the Israelis. The leaders remind the Jewish people about the BIG TEN, but the people simply glaze over and continue to pursue pleasing their flesh. Joshua's generation honored their covenant with God. This new generation does what feels good without fear of God. The Jewish people

are ripped apart by the local thugs and God takes pity upon them. He appoints a new leader and backs them to the hilt. The local gangs back off, the leader dies and the people go back to their old habits. JUDGES chapter 20-22 God rants in anger "They have trashed the Contract, burnt their history books, and treated Me like I do not exist. Perhaps they might wake up with a hangover and be sickened by guilt, greed and gossip. Will they wake up and remember their rich ancestory? NOPE! After a dozen more leaders, the corrupt cycle continues. With no king to call the shots, everyone does their own thing. LESSON: People need to be led or they will adopt the timeless thought "IF it FEELS good, do it". The book of Judges is followed by the story of Ruth, a foreign widow gets to know God by following her mother-in-law Naomi. Naomi and her family had abandoned the land God gave them and they live in Moab. Naomi's son married a foreign girl named Ruth. When Ruth's husband dies she goes beyond the call of duty and

escorts her depressed Jewish monther-in-law back to her home in Bethlehem, southern Israel. Most Israeli's are disgusted with any Moabite, so Ruth's chance for re-marriage is slim. A respected land owner named Boaz notices Ruth and respects how she works hard to provide for her mother-in-law. Boaz authorizes Ruth to gleen from his field and eventually they marry and their first born is Obed. He grows up to become Jesse's dad and King David's grandchild. The book of first Samuel tells the story of a woman named Hannah who makes a deal with God. If God gives her a son, she will hand him over to Eli, a priest chosen by God. Hannah calls her baby Samuel. This is a rough time for Israel; communication with God has almost completely dried up. The Philistine thugs are running the county and the city of Israel. At one point they steal God's sacred chest called the Ark of His Covenant, but weird stuff happens and they return it. As a boy, Samuel hears God's voice and he grows up and has two sons; Joel and Abijah. Samuel makes them leaders based in Beersheba, but the boys are nothing like their old man. They are easily influenced, especially when money is promised.

The townspeople rage and tell Samuel that they need a proper king, a monarchy. Samuel is disturbed by their demand for a king. Samuel talks it over with God, who says "Listen to them! It is not you they are kicking to the curb, it is Me! I am their King! They want to bypass Me, then give them a King, only after you give thema wake-up call. Give them the run down on what it is like living as the hired help within a monarchy. Slaves do not get treated as royalty, they are simply told what to do, where to live, and when to speak. It will cost them their freedom to call on God as their King. In chapter 10-18 Samuel passes on what God warns. Another king will force your sons into his army, and the women into his fields. He will tax you to pay for all the hired help he needs to live in luxury. He will take your best land, and move his best dressed yes-men into the best homes. You will object, but you gave this new king your right to fair wages. God knows all hearts, and He knew they would still demand a new king. God says "Let them have their king"

HAPPY FAMILY

TRAVEL VALENTINE

Our son Jason will stay in our Galt villa while we travel.March 17th for St Patty's Day we travel to Carefree, Arizona to attend Dodger Spring Training with John and Mary!June 14th for Fathers Day 2013 Mike and Barb will rock the waters of the Delta with Jason, David and Sue. Delightful cottages with a grand BBQ in honor of Michael!For our first Veterans Day 2013 on November 8th we will travel to Loreto to explore the Sea of Cortez with Captain Benito and Jill! For our First Anniversary November 17, 2013 we will be home in Gorgeous Galt to read our letters written from the Grinding Rock where we addressed our wedding invitations!

WORD OF HOPE

"Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Go ahead, weep, cry, mourn and KNOW that God is speaking to you! Trust in His living word, Jesus is alive, He deposited the Holy Spirit, the Comforter within you! His promises are true, you matter to Him, and He asks you to mourn, and be happy trusting that YOU are constantly comforted by the indwelt Comforter. Surrender all worry to Him and FEEL His presence. "For it is God who works IN YOU to will and to act according to His good purpose." As an untrusting people, God knows it is hard for us to trust in what we cannot see. FAITH is believing in the unseen, and yet we easily trust that when we flip the switch, without seeing the mechanism, the LIGHT will come on! Over time our faith in the unseen reality of God builds and we eventually come to trust in God, in what He says, in what He promises, and in the amazing CHOICE we have to choose Him freely. Our Father created us, He knows our hearts. He knows that we deceive ourselves, and that we attempt to deny Him access to our thought life. We are silly to think that He does not know each thought we think, or that He does not know each word we shall speak before it departs from our tongue. "And I am sure that God who began the GOOD work within you will keep right on helping you GROW in His grace until HIS TASK within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns." MMMMmmmmm GOOD is that M&M!

Memorize and Meditate on that promise from God to YOU! "Now your attitudes and thoughts MUST all be constantly changing for the better. Yes, you MUST be a new and different person." What do you believe about God? Based on my experience, the sunrises each morning, and as my Father supplies even the sparrow with enough food, I arise knowing that all my needs are met. Therefore, I believe that God is faithful, that God is playful, that He has a sense of humor and great timing! Each one of us brims with imagination, the largest nation in the world! Imagine that on this day, the Lord is with you, that He will not depart from your mind or heart, that He is alive within you! He is with us as we fold laundry, as we drive to work, or as we speak words of encouragement to others. Let us turn away from negative expectations and turn our thoughts to God and expect GOOD THINGS, extravagant favor, and bountiful blessings. With such JOYFUL EXPECTATION, our Lord is faithful to deliver His very best each day! Today is fresh and filled with POSITIVE HOPE in Christ! Forgive yourself and all others as our Father has forgotten our yesterdays! TRUE FORGIVENESS is giving up the hope of ever having a better or different past. Without REGRET, let us stay out of fantasy, and LIVE IN THE PRESENT HOPE of Christ within us, His hope for glory!