Jesus and the Addict: Twelve Bible Studies for People Getting Free from Drugs is for leaders in Christian faith-based recovery to guide their communities toward freedom from drugs and it is for those in recovery and for their families. The book contains studies on issues people in recovery face such as overcoming fear, overcoming resentment, having hope, remaining permanently sober, and dealing with forgiveness. New life and a renewed mind through Jesus Christ is the answer in all these things. The book is especially intended for pastors, church leaders, mentors, sponsors, teachers, families and friends of addicts - for anyone working in jail, prison, transitional communities, churches, or helping family members. It will help those hoping to begin recovery outreach in their churches. It is also a source of healing and insight for people in recovery themselves and for those who love and support them.
Substance abusers, addicts with a physical dependency, and those who cannot stop some type of pleasurable activity can gain insights and practical help from the hopeful message from the Bible regarding addictive thoughts and behavior.
What is the basic point of this book? Theology makes a difference. The basic theology for addictions is that the root problem goes deeper than our genetic makeup. Addictions are ultimately a disorder of worship. Will we worship ourselves and our own desires or will we worship the true God?
The current success rate for addiction treatment is less than 30 percent, which means that 7 out of 10 recovering addicts are not being cured of the so-called “disease of addiction.” Why doesn’t treatment work? The answer is simple - addiction is not a disease. In fact, the mainstream mythology of “Once and addict, always and addict” falls apart upon close inspection. Therefore addictive behaviors must be evaluated within the context of not sickness but sin. Through the study of the Bible, so-called “addicts” can learn how to achieve forgiveness of their sins and deliverance from their addictions by offering their hearts, minds, and bodies to Jesus Christ. They can then be taught how to take advantage of the powerful indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to wage war against their persistent addictive thoughts. Ultimately, this study has been designed to help substance abusers to focus their minds on God (instead of chemicals) in order to subdue their stubborn cravings for the seductive forbidden fruit of intoxication.
Winner of a 2018 Catholic Press Association Award: Sacraments. (Second Place). In the first book to directly integrate the Twelve Steps with the practice of Catholicism, Scott Weeman, founder and director of Catholic in Recovery, pairs his personal story with compassionate straight talk to show Catholics how to bridge the commonly felt gap between the Higher Power of twelve-step programs and the merciful God that he rediscovered in the heart of the sacraments. Weeman entered sobriety from alcohol and drugs on October 10, 2011, and he's made it his full-time ministry to help others who struggle with various types of addiction to find spiritual wholeness through Catholic in Recovery, an organization he founded and directs. In The Twelve Steps and the Sacraments, Weeman candidly tackles the struggle he and other addicts have with getting to know intimately the unnamed Higher Power of recovery. He shares stories of his compulsion to find a personal relationship with God and how his tentative steps back to the Catholic Church opened new doors of healing and brought him surprising joy as he came to know Christ in the sacraments. Catholics in recovery and those moving toward it, as well as the people who love them will recognize Weeman's story and his spiritual struggle to personally encounter God. He tells us how: Baptism helps you admit powerlessness over an unmanageable problem, face your desperate need for God, and choose to believe in and submit to God’s mercy. Reconciliation affirms and strengthens the hard work of examining your life, admitting wrongs, and making amends. The Eucharist provides ongoing sustenance and draws you to the healing power of Christ. The graces of Confirmation strengthen each person to keep moving forward and to share the good news of recovery and new life in Christ. Weeman's words are boldly challenging and brimming with compassion and through them you will discover inspiration, hope, sage advice, and refreshingly practical help.
When Katherine James and her husband found out their son was using heroin, they struggled to come to grips with this surprising reality. In this sensitive, vulnerable memoir, award-winning novelist James tells her family's story through her son's addiction, overdose, and slow recovery. Not simply a look at drug abuse in suburban America, this story is also a meditation on loving a wayward child and trusting in God's providence through it all.
There is an epidemic of insecurity in society today. Many people suffer from an unhealthy need for affirmation. They are not capable of feeling good about themselves. For some the quest for approval becomes an actual addiction, as they seek self-worth from the outside world because they can't find it within themselves. Joyce Meyer understands the need for seeking approval from others to overcome feelings of rejection and low self-esteem. The good news, she says, is that there is a cure. God provides all the security anyone needs. Her goal is to provide a pathway toward freedom from the approval addiction.
Everyone talks about the personal ministry of the Word, but how do we make one-another ministry truly biblical? Gospel-Centered Counseling equips readers to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth. It does so by examining life’s seven ultimate questions and then guiding readers on a journey that explores the biblical, gospel-centered narrative of: The Word: “What is truth?” “Where can I find answers?” The Trinity: “Who is God?” “Can I know Him personally?” Creation: “Who am I?” “What makes people tick?” Fall: “What went wrong?” “Why do we do the things we do?” Redemption: “Can I change?” “How do people change?” Glorification: “Where am I headed?” “How does our future destiny impact our present reality?” Sanctification: “How can I help?” “How can I change lives?" Bob Kellemen builds on the foundation of the written Word and provides a gospel-centered resource for understanding people, diagnosing problems, and prescribing biblically-based solutions. Gospel-Centered Counseling is the first volume in The Equipping Christian Counselors Series, a comprehensive relational training curriculum for the local church that provides a model for equipping God’s people to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth. This two-volume series weaves together comprehensive biblical insight with compassionate Christian engagement.
Don Williams powerfully relates in 12 Steps with Jesus that by allowing Jesus to fill the emptiness that leads to addictive behavior, readers can leave addiction in the dust! Churches must lead people to dependence on Jesus. When we give ourselves wholly to Christ, He will fill us wholly, replacing the hollowness that results in addictions. In twelve practical steps, Williams reveals how to achieve spiritual fulfillment in Christ, discover freedom from addiction, and embrace the abundant life that God promises to all of His followers.
Many Christians are locked in a cycle of addiction, particularly in the areas of alcohol and drug abuse. Many have turned to 12-Step programs for help. But, where is the incredible power of Christ in this process? In a positive, non-condemning way, Anderson provides an alternative model of recovery for substance and alcohol abusers, a model that will also work for individuals struggling with other kinds of addictions. The first half of Freedom from Addictions tells the unbelievable story of Mike and Julia Quarles, and how Mike overcame a debilitating addiction to alcohol. He achieved success by applying the principles that make up the central theme of Dr. Anderson's message: that we are saints according to God's word (Eph 1) and that true freedom comes from realizing o ur identity in Christ.
