A Christian Recovery Package That All
Can Use
By Dick B.
© 2012 Anonymous. All
rights reserved
The Present, Diverse Approaches That Leave Many Christians Baffled
There are many fine approaches that help Christians recover
from alcoholism, addiction, and other life-controlling problems. The problem is
that almost all lack long-term or life-long, and certainly not sustainable,
recovery efforts. Almost all operate independently of other effective Christian
recovery efforts. They are frequently uncoordinated, lacking in an agreed
solution, and resting on varied subjective theories—rather than a solid
biblical foundation.
And almost all modern approaches fail to provide a simple
package of Christian Recovery tools that will answer the endless queries we receive
daily from newcomers, from families, from church-affiliated recovery workers,
from those who have wandered into independent programs that are proliferating,
and from those who just plain want to get back to the First Century
Christianity approaches that worked so well from the 1850’s forward. Approaches
with which many were acquainted during the boyhood of A.A.’s cofounders, Bill
W. and Dr. Bob. Approaches attracting hundreds of thousands to the revivals and
conversion meetings of famous evangelists. Approaches that were honed to
produce effective results through the techniques of Young Men’s Christian
Association lay brethren, the rescue missions, the Salvation Army, and the
Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor. Even many of the approaches of “A
First Century Christian Fellowship”—also known as “the Oxford Group”—in its
early days, the organization in which its founder, Dr. Frank Buchman, and the
American Episcopal Rector Samuel M. Shoemaker labored in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
Our simple aim is to provide approaches patterned after First
Century Christianity as found in the Book of Acts. These approaches are easily
recognizable, and were and highly effective, in the initial, “old-school” Akron
A.A. “Christian fellowship” founded by Bill W. and Dr. Bob in June of 1935.
Approaches that incorporate many of the principles and practices of the
Apostles as reported in the Book of Acts. They stem from a divine source and have
proven results.
Why is there such diversity among most modern,
Christian-oriented recovery approaches? It lies not necessarily in doctrinal,
denominational, or religious differences. It lies rather in the wide variety of
stop-gap programs that have grown up in the face of shortcomings. Instead of a
single solution based on the power of God, they emerged from the “broad
highway” inadequacies of the dozens of 12 Step, Anonymous, Mutual Support, Self-help,
medical model, behavior-oriented schools of thought that are so prevalent
today.
What are the most prominent of these efforts that operate
almost independently of one another?
They include treatment programs labeling themselves as
Christian treatment programs. Christian-Track programs that try to combine
secular and faith-based plans under one roof.
Christian counseling, life-coaching, peer plans, and therapy
groups that often battle the difficult requirements of government licensing and
secular ownerships which oppose “religious” practitioners. They include a wide
variety Christian recovery fellowships, church-sponsored recovery programs, and
independent Christian organizations like Celebrate Recovery, Teen Challenge,
the Salvation Army, and the Gospel rescue missions. They also include interventionists,
detox specialists, emergency specialists, and managers of transitional and
sober living housing.
Our Suggestion Is That There Is but One Common Denominator
upon Which All Concerned Christians Can Agree, and That Still Needs to
Be Added
Our experiences with churches, Bible fellowships, Twelve
Step programs, Christian fellowships, Christian counseling organizations,
interventionists, psychological treatment groups, research organizations, and
medical-scientific groups strongly suggest that almost all may leave the
puzzled “wet drunk,” “practicing addict,” secretive “pill dependent”
individual, concerned family or other helper no clear cut starting point for
Christian recovery. Christian recovery that is founded on the successes of
earlier organizations who relied primarily on the power of God. Christian recovery
that emanated from the simple healing and witnessing fellowships of the First
Century Christians. And affordable Christian recovery that seeks to meet three
fundamental needs that will help the addicted and afflicted folks who don’t
know where to begin, where to go, and whom to follow in order to: (1) rely on
the Creator—coming to Him through His Son Jesus Christ; (2) achieve immediate,
long-term, life-long relief from the ravages and destruction that have brought
them all to their knees in desperation; and (3) become a new person in Christ—delivered
from the power of darkness, translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son, and
assured of both everlasting life and the opportunity available to those in
Christ who choose to walk by the spirit of God.
We Recommend to Those Seeking God’s Help and Long-term Victory
a Five-Item Package Containing the Following Items:
Dick B. and Ken B., The
Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 4th ed. (2012)
Dick B. with Ken B., The
Dick B. Handbook for Christian Recovery Resource Centers Worldwide (2011)
Dick B., The Good Book
and The Big Book: A.A.’s Roots in the Bible
Dick B., The James
Club and the Original A.A. Program’s Absolute Essentials
Dick B. and Ken B., How
to Conduct “Old-School” 12-Step Recovery Meetings Using Conference-approved
Literature (New! 2012)
What Dick B. and Ken B. Are Available to Do:
·
Train the trainers by providing the foregoing
resources, meeting and speaking with those trainers, and helping them establish
meetings to effectuate “old-school” recovery.
·
Appear at conferences, make information available
on the Internet, and write introductions for those who already conduct
Christian recovery programs and want a “First Century Christianity” element—as
seen in early A.A.—in those efforts.
·
Consult with Christian leaders and workers in
the recovery arena who want to start programs, groups, or resource centers
incorporating the “old-school” values and successes.
·
Meet in person with any and all of the
foregoing, either at one of our locations in Maui, Hawaii, or elsewhere during
events where travel, meals, and lodging expenses are covered.
Dick B. and Ken B. have been engaged in this research and
providing of content for 22 years; and there are now 43 published titles and
over 800 articles filling in the details.
Dick B.
PO Box 837, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii 96753-0837
1-808-874-4876
Gloria
Deo
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