Oakland Presbyterian's Celebrate Recovery Ministry
by Rebecca White, Celebrate Recovery Ministry Leader, Oakland Presbyterian
You know that moment when you’ve reached the end of a tube of toothpaste, so you push it against the counter with your thumbs and squeeze it for a minute or more, valiantly striving to extract whatever smidgeon of residue you can from the packaging? And when that doesn’t work, you roll the tube one segment at a time, squishing it toward the opening for just one last pea-sized drop to smear on the empty bristles…
You think for sure there’s no more left.
That’s it.
But when, the next morning, you realize that your supply of cavity-fighting paste failed to magically replenish itself, you once again take up the fight. This time, you wad the entire folded tube against the open end and press your thumb into it hard enough to leave a bruise. You cheer when just enough minty paste emerges to get the job done, proud of yourself for making it one more morning without taking the time renew your supply.
This is how I felt before I started my recovery.
Like a tube of toothpaste that had been so thoroughly emptied, I didn’t know what normal felt like. I was a pastor’s wife, mother to a medically and emotionally complicated child, and every church’s dream volunteer. I collected responsibilities like grandma collected decorative spoons.
When I went to my first Celebrate Recovery meeting, all I knew was that I needed a safe place to share my hurts, hang-ups, and habits, a place where people wouldn’t use my words against my husband or my family. It’s weird how much hurt and exhaustion can fit in a person who feels empty, and even weirder how emptying that hurt can help a person feel full. It took months of crying in share group, learning to connect to my feelings while also learning to trust the system, before I started to understand what being a codependent really meant. It was months more before I was able to start making changes that would help me.
I’m a different person than I was eight years ago. Some people are less than thrilled because I have a stronger sense of self and—gasp—sometimes make choices that don’t make everyone else happy. But there’s no doubt that I’m happier and healthier than I was, and that I have better relationships than I ever knew I could.
By now, I hope you’re asking the questions, “Why on earth are we talking about toothpaste in the Presbytery newsletter, and what is this Celebrate Recovery thing?”
I’m so glad you asked! Celebrate Recovery (CR) is a Christ-Centered, 12 step recovery program for adults struggling with hurts, hang-ups, or habits of any kind including grief, abuse, codependence, divorce, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, sexual addiction, chronic health issues, food addiction, stress… that’s right, it works for everything.
At Celebrate Recovery, we know that everyone has issues. We also know that healing is available to those who take the steps and follow the Biblically based principles of CR. Recovery isn’t for the weak of heart. It’s for those who are fed up with the way things are. It’s for those who want to see measurable growth in their personal lives.
Celebrate Recovery is different from AA or other recovery groups in that it must be affiliated with and supported by a local church. It’s not a group that simply meets in a church building or other facility. It’s also different in that it openly and emphatically acknowledges Jesus as the higher power.
There are now more than 37,000 Celebrate Recovery programs in the world. One of those is at Oakland Presbyterian church in Oakland, Florida!
If you want more information about joining or starting a Celebrate Recovery, you can find everything you need at celebraterecovery.com, or you can email me at [email protected].
Rebecca White is a ministry leader at Oakland Celebrate Recovery, and is also the Director of Kids and Families for Oakland Presbyterian Church.
You think for sure there’s no more left.
That’s it.
But when, the next morning, you realize that your supply of cavity-fighting paste failed to magically replenish itself, you once again take up the fight. This time, you wad the entire folded tube against the open end and press your thumb into it hard enough to leave a bruise. You cheer when just enough minty paste emerges to get the job done, proud of yourself for making it one more morning without taking the time renew your supply.
This is how I felt before I started my recovery.
Like a tube of toothpaste that had been so thoroughly emptied, I didn’t know what normal felt like. I was a pastor’s wife, mother to a medically and emotionally complicated child, and every church’s dream volunteer. I collected responsibilities like grandma collected decorative spoons.
When I went to my first Celebrate Recovery meeting, all I knew was that I needed a safe place to share my hurts, hang-ups, and habits, a place where people wouldn’t use my words against my husband or my family. It’s weird how much hurt and exhaustion can fit in a person who feels empty, and even weirder how emptying that hurt can help a person feel full. It took months of crying in share group, learning to connect to my feelings while also learning to trust the system, before I started to understand what being a codependent really meant. It was months more before I was able to start making changes that would help me.
I’m a different person than I was eight years ago. Some people are less than thrilled because I have a stronger sense of self and—gasp—sometimes make choices that don’t make everyone else happy. But there’s no doubt that I’m happier and healthier than I was, and that I have better relationships than I ever knew I could.
By now, I hope you’re asking the questions, “Why on earth are we talking about toothpaste in the Presbytery newsletter, and what is this Celebrate Recovery thing?”
I’m so glad you asked! Celebrate Recovery (CR) is a Christ-Centered, 12 step recovery program for adults struggling with hurts, hang-ups, or habits of any kind including grief, abuse, codependence, divorce, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, sexual addiction, chronic health issues, food addiction, stress… that’s right, it works for everything.
At Celebrate Recovery, we know that everyone has issues. We also know that healing is available to those who take the steps and follow the Biblically based principles of CR. Recovery isn’t for the weak of heart. It’s for those who are fed up with the way things are. It’s for those who want to see measurable growth in their personal lives.
Celebrate Recovery is different from AA or other recovery groups in that it must be affiliated with and supported by a local church. It’s not a group that simply meets in a church building or other facility. It’s also different in that it openly and emphatically acknowledges Jesus as the higher power.
There are now more than 37,000 Celebrate Recovery programs in the world. One of those is at Oakland Presbyterian church in Oakland, Florida!
If you want more information about joining or starting a Celebrate Recovery, you can find everything you need at celebraterecovery.com, or you can email me at [email protected].
Rebecca White is a ministry leader at Oakland Celebrate Recovery, and is also the Director of Kids and Families for Oakland Presbyterian Church.