General

The holiday season, often stretching from Halloween to New Year’s Eve, poses a significant challenge to those newly embracing sobriety. This period, which may also encompass events like the Super Bowl and St. Patrick’s Day, is rife with parties where alcohol is prevalent if not the focal point. Coupled with the stress of family gatherings,…

It’s not a unique story.  A family presents themselves to a pastor with a combination of fear, sadness, and anger. What did he do wrong? Nothing. They want to talk about a family member who won’t stop drinking. They have begged, pleaded, threatened, and offered incentives, and at times he seems to get it together…

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 Few problems encountered by a 21st-century pastoral…

A Story You Might Not Know—but Should One day, Jesus told a story about a successful farmer. After a great harvest, the man looked at his overflowing barns and thought, “I’ve made it. I’ll tear down these barns and build bigger ones to store it all. Then I can relax, eat, drink, and enjoy life.”…

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Anybody that says “Dunamis Effect” is anti-AA, obviously hasn’t read the book. There must be at least a dozen times where AA is described as a divine gift, and its members a national treasure of wisdom. While Dunamis Effect (formally Him and Them) is designed to be a stand-alone program, throughout the book one is…

Month 4, Step 4 – Courage. Two men decide to ride their bikes across Death Valley which is a remarkable feat of endurance pitting man against some of the harshest conditions mother nature has to offer. The first is young and strong and fills his water bottles to start his trek without telling anyone in…

Addiction can be like a dozen grenades thrown into a home. You never know who or to what extent that collateral damage will be, but can be assured there will be damage. Too often the “grown-ups” get so deeply entrenched in their needs that they forget to pay attention to the littler folks occupying the…

Patrick lived approximately 1500 years ago in an area not known for extensive written history. It is a bit hard to know a great deal about his life, but we do have what some people consider to be his autobiography. There is a lesson in it for us as we try and ignore the fact…

“All you need is love, love. Love is all you need.”   Lennon and McCartney This week contains Valentine’s Day, and truthfully, I’m getting pretty sick of seeing millions of red hearts all over every store since the day after Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very pro-love, and have been blessed with an amazing…