joy

To Keep It, Give It Away

Frank

Saturday afternoon, roughly 150 people gathered in a nondescript church building in an industrial area of Orange County to celebrate the recovery of 17 individuals who “graduated” our Chemical Recovery program. The setting was appropriate. A building that if you didn’t know it, you would never guess a church met inside its walls. The building looked just like all the others in this industrial complex. In the same way, addicts blend in with the rest of the population. Unless an addict is suffering a physical response to their drug of choice, they look just like you or I. Some are powerful executives, some are homeless. Some have perfectly functional families, others have had their families torn apart. Addiction does not discriminate based on age, gender, race, or economic status. Regardless of circumstance, addicts cannot overcome without divine help. (Even AA requires the acknowledgement of a “Power greater than ourselves”)

So we rejoice in the Lord when we see others delivered from their addictions. This day was filled with prayer, with song, with the preaching of the word, and with personal testimonies that didn’t leave a dry eye in the place. The graduates came from every corner of the LA region (and even a brother from as far away as Bakersfield), represented every race and gender, every age, and every possible drug.

I want to share a couple of their stories.

One brother first used Meth at the age of 14. Just three years later he was arrested for am armed home invasion robbery, where he tied up an entire family with duct tape. He spent 8 years in jail. While in jail his brother sent him the book, Some Sat in Darkness, and his life was changed. “Finally I could explain what was wrong with me,” he exclaimed. Out of jail and 10 years sober (8 in prison), he wants to start a Spanish-speaking recovery ministry.

Another brother is a successful Korean businessman. His career required him to base himself in Korea, leaving behind his family in LA. His addiction alienated himself from his family and eventually he saw that he could not maintain his lifestyle. He returned to the US to reconcile with his family. They wouldn’t. His minister recommended he go to this recovery group. He didn’t want to, but did anyway. He didn’t want to follow the directions given him, but he did anyway. He didn’t want to be open, but he was anyway. Eventually, he broke free from the slavery of his addiction, became reconciled with his family, and wants to start a Korean-speaking recovery ministry. (I chuckled inside at the consistent theme) Not only that, but he wants to go back to Korea and start this ministry there.

The Twelfth Step of AA is to “…carry this message to alcoholics.” To spread the word of recovery. In other words, to keep it you have to give it away. Paul was thinking along those lines when he instructed to “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15) In sharing with others’ joys and sufferings, we do more than sympathize or empathize, we spread the love of Christ and participate in the rejoicing in heaven where “there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7)

This post is one of many, part of a Blog Carnival being hosted by Peter Pollock. This week’s theme is “Rejoice“. Be sure to visit others’ entries to appreciate the diversity of thoughts and opinions present in the Body of Christ.

Thrill Ride

Frank

Last weekend I took my family to Legoland. My son has been asking for it all summer and we waited for Grandma to come and visit so she could join in on the fun. The park is definitely geared towards my son’s age group (a lot of rides specifically said “ages 5-12). It was fun to see my son react with, “look, dad, it’s made of all Legos!” There’s just something about being little where the world seems so big. Theme parks take advantage of this by presenting everything as larger than life.

I remember going to Disney World at 5 or 6 years old and combining that trip with a visit to Kennedy Space Center. At Disney I remember Mission to Mars vividly- the chairs raising slightly to give you a feeling of positive g’s then dropping back to give you a sensation of weightlessness all while looking up at a giant screen of space images as if we were looking ahead through a window. Visiting Kennedy right after, I remember returning to school convinced I had been to space. I couldn’t wait to raise my hand to answer the question, “where did you go this summer?”

“As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!‘” (Mark 13:1)

Did you visit any theme parks as a child? What rides were “larger than life”?

Of course, seeing it later as a teenager (the ride sadly closed in 1993), I could see through the “smoke and mirrors”. It was obvious we never left the ground and the view out of the windows could not compare to what we could see in an IMAX.

Other rides seemed smaller, too. The roller-coasters weren’t as fast, the loops, twists, and turns not as large. The animatronics weren’t as realistic. I grew up and the “thrill ride” was no longer as thrilling.

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” (1 Corinthians 13:11)

Have you ridden any of your favorite rides from your youth since you’ve grown up? Are they as fast, as large as you remember?

As a parent, the thrill is no longer found in the rides, but in my children’s joy. I can bear (usually) waiting in line for an hour for a ride my kids are excited for. I can handle two days at Legoland and (mostly) ignore how cheesy everything is. Because it’s not for me.

I stood back in wonder as I watched my children met a life-sized Mickey Mouse. I anxiously wait to hear what my son thought of the last ride he went on. And I can’t wait to return. Their perspective becomes my perspective.

“And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’” (Matthew 18:3)

“From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise ” (Psalm 8:2)

Do you have children? Have you ever taken them to a theme park? What was their reaction the first time?

As adults, our lives can easily become so hectic that we take the thrills in life for granted. We feel grown up so we stop having fun. Summer is a great time to recapture the simple joys in life, but it’s also a good time to remember that Jesus “came that [you] may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) That scripture can be twisted a number of ways, from a Prosperity Gospel (full means rich!) to asceticism (full life doesn’t come until our resurrection and the world offers nothing). I believe the answer lies in the middle. No, we shouldn’t get too comfortable here on this Earth, but we should still find joy in the life God has blessed us with.

“Be joyful always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16)

Do you see your life today as a thrill ride? Do you believe Jesus has given you “life to the full”?

Yesterday I went to the park with my kids. I rode on a twisting swing-like thingy with my son. It wasn’t fast and it wasn’t large, but my son was scared to death of falling off and I almost threw up. But it was really fun!

Today continues this summer’s ‘virtual small group’ (VSG in the tags). I hope you come back as I take this season to reflect on the wonders of God’s creation, share vacation stories, etc, with the prayer that we come out of this season closer to God than how we came into it.