I am Forgiven

Well today's service at Church was pretty intense but so worth it! I am going to let all of you know that if you already don't know some of my story and you feel that you can not be open or read this without judging leave now! I know that some of my family reads this and they do not know some things about us and would be pretty shocked. Lets remember that I am forgiven and my life is not for you to judge. I live my life for Christ now and I never judge others because I know what it feels like.

I was approached by Rick (one of our pastors) last week and asked if Nathan and I would help out with the service for this Sunday (along with about 40 other people). Celebrate Recovery was the topic actually it was how God has used Celebrate Recovery as a tool and how he has changed many of our lives. I began Celebrate Recovery one week after Mariana was born looking for healing from my past. I not only found healing but I found God! I found the real God not the one that people explained to me in my past but a loving, faithful, gracious and merciful God. I learned that all that I had been through and all that I had done was gone and I was made new. I walked around for a lot of years looking at "those" Church people and laughed at how they lived their lives and thought they are missing out on all this fun. I AM one of those people now! I love my life that is drug and Alcohol free. Some make fun of me or question me but if they saw the pain that comes from those drugs of choice then they would know why I have chosen to live my life this way. But I did not join CR for drugs or alcohol I joined for physical,sexual and emotional abuse. This was my main struggle but I soon found out that along with that came real anger and despair that I needed to give over to God. I also came to terms with some pretty horrible things that I had done in the past like being promiscuous, lying and stealing.

To get back to the reason we were asked to help out was a friend of mine was going to give her testimony and then they wanted people that have walked through CR or are going through it now to give a Cardboard Testimony. This is where on one side you write what you have struggled with and on the other side you write where you are now and what God has done to you. After my friend gave her very emotional testimony one by one close to 40 of us went up on stage and held up our cardboard's it was amazing! I am in awe of the work that God does on a daily basis. You do not have to be a murderer or a drug addict or a victim of abuse to need God and his forgiveness. You can be the man who pretends that he is perfect but goes home and drinks every night or the women who struggles with perfection or one who is very judgemental or filled with anger or is very critical. All of these things are sinful and hurting ourselves and others. I will let you know what my Cardboard said and if you want you can let me know what yours would say. And if you want feel free to call me or email me if you ever want to talk. Also come out and see what Celebrate Recovery at Rockpoointe is all about. We meet every Thursday night at 7pm and Child care is free!! Maybe I will see some one on Thursday!

I used to have:
Guilt and Shame
From
Abuse and Abortion

Now I have:
Freedom and Joy
In The
Arms of Christ