I had the amazing privilege during the week of August 12 to 16 to be at Saddleback Church in Orange County, California attending the 10th Annual “Celebrate Recovery” Summit gathering. Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-focused 12 step recovery program started at Saddleback 17 years ago. The program has been an astonishing success in helping hundreds of thousands of people recover from any number of hurts, habits and hang-ups that have held them prisoner. The 12 steps of Celebrate Recovery are related to the Beatitudes Jesus articulated during the Sermon on the Mount and pull no punches about naming Jesus Christ as the “higher power” in whom the recovering person can put their trust and hope.
We will start Celebrate Recovery at Church of the Resurrection next year and invite people who today are in denial about the chains that bind them to step forward and receive Christ-focused healing. There will be fellowship, food, worship, small sharing groups, and (because we are Methodists) more food at the weekly meetings. It is a volunteer directed effort with only minimal input provided from staff members.
The Summit was an amazing event on many levels. What excitged me most about it was seeing and hearing the testimonies of person after person who stood up and said, “This saved my life!” Will it work at Church of the Resurrection? Will people participate? Will the necessary leaders step forward and do everything necessary to help it succeed? Stay tuned and find out!
Russellings of the Spirit 
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