PURPOSE STATEMENT

The purpose of Celebrate Recovery is to fellowship and celebrate God's healing power in our lives through the "8 Recovery Principles." This experience allows us to "be changed." By working and applying these Biblical principles, we begin to grow spiritually. We become free from our addictive, compulsive and dysfunctional behaviors. This freedom creates peace, serenity, joy and most importantly, a stronger personal relationship with God and others. As we progress through the program we discover our personal, loving and forgiving Higher Power - Jesus Christ, the one and only true Higher Power.

THINGS WE ARE

THINGS WE ARE NOT

• A safe place to share.

• A refuge.

• A place of belonging.

• A place to care for others and be cared for.

• Where respect is given to each member.

• Where confidentiality is highly regarded.

• A place to learn.

• A place to demonstrate genuine love.

• A place to grow and become strong again.

• A place for progress.

• Where you can take off your mask and allow others to know who you are.

• A place for healthy challenges and healthy risks.

• A possible turning point in your life.

• A place for selfish control.

• Therapy.

• A place for secrets.

• A place to look for dating relationships.

• A place to rescue or be rescued by others.

• A place for perfection.

• A long-term commitment.

• A place to judge others.

• A quick fix

THE SERENITY PRAYER

GOD, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace. Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it. Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen

by Reinhold Neibuhr

THE TWELVE STEPS AND THEIR BIBLICAL COMPARISONS

1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors.  That our lives had become unmanageable.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  (Romans 7:18)

2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.  (Philippians 2:13)

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives 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)

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.  (Lamentations 3:40)

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  (James 5:16a)

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.   (James 4:10)

7. Humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  (1 John 1:9)

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

Do to others as you would have them do to you.  (Luke 6:31)

9. Made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.  First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.  (Matthew 5:23-24)

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!  (1 Corinthians 10:12)

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out.

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.   (Colossians 3:16a)

12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and practice these principles in all our affairs.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.  But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.   (Galatians 6:1)

RULES FOR SMALL GROUPS

RULE 1: Keep your sharing focused on your own thoughts and feelings. Please limit your sharing to 3-5 minutes.

RULE 2: We are here to support one another. We will not attempt to "fix" one another.

RULE 3: Anonymity and confidentiality are basic requirements. What is shared in the group stays in the group.  

RULE 4: There will be no cross-talk please. Cross-talk is when two individuals engage in a dialogue, excluding all others. Each person is free to express feelings without interruption.

RULE 5: Offensive language has no place in a Christ-centered recovery group.